Things at our beloved Arsenal seem to go from bad to worse. I don’t know about you, but every time I pick up the papers I expect us to be linked to a host of top players. Instead what I see is a departure list that seems to grow by the minute.
First it was Denilson (fine by me), then Bendtner (again fine by me), followed by Eboue (no tears shed). But what worries me is the Nasri situation and the usual summer Fabregas to Barcelona stories. Add to that Clichy’s reluctance to sign a new contract.
I appreciate the views of a lot of fans when they say Fabregas’ heart is not in it and what Nasri has done with the Man Utd situation is treasonous. But losing either one of these players would be detrimental to our chances next season. If we lost both, then that would be an absolute travesty. Should that be the case the Board should seriously revoke their plans to increase tickets by 6.5%. I really can’t see fans wanting to pay more to see a club that has become a breeding ground for other teams.
In all honesty I saw this summer as a tinkering and galvanising phase that would have involved getting rid of the dead wood, trimming the squad size (more quality than quantity) and bringing in quality players at the right price. It wouldn’t have hurt me to see Almunia, Rosicky, Denilson, Eboue and Bendtner in an Arsenal shirt for the last time. The sale of these players could have raised the necessary funds to buy more experienced players like Shay Given, Gervinho, Jan Vertonghen and Alou Diarra – sensibly priced players and genuine transfer targets that would have added experience to the team.
But the issues surrounding players like Fabregas and Nasri now seem to have consumed any little optimism I had for next season. We all know we could have won the title this season. All it needed was one quality defensive signing in the January transfer window. To say we missed a trick would be an understatement. But what’s done is done. The sale of Fabregas and Nasri would now not only weaken the team, it would send out the wrong signals to the rest of the players and would also mean that some of the dead wood we were hoping to get rid of would be kept on for continuity purposes.
Every summer everyone cries about the crisis at Arsenal. I must admit we have punched above our weight for the past few seasons. However, I still trust Wenger and his style of play, when so many other fans have deserted him. What he has done for the club should never be forgotten. But this time I am worried and I think Wenger should be too.
Submitted by guest writer HAZZA
