Among the list of shortcomings for the new boss to tackle would be getting the team up and running from one-man shows dominated by the likes of Alexis Sanchez, and lifting it from the current #6 position in the Premiere League table. Fans don’t want a team of Arsenal’s calibre to just qualify – they want their money’s worth with some metals thrown in once in a while, what with Arsenal ticket prices currently being the highest in the Premiere League

Who’s staying, who’s going – all bets are off!

With rumours of manager Arsene Wenger possibly being sacked – and indeed, mood and morale running from low to antagonistic on matters related to club development – change seems to be pretty much on the cards. While continuing posters of “Arsene, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye” may not necessarily translate to a sudden change in management any time soon (and you may not quite end up with a Thierry Henry or a Juergen Klopp calling the shots from the dug-out just yet), there will be a fair bit of addition and subtraction thrown into the equation. Wenger will be a tough replacement and hence, will probably continue as top management – despite the innumerable arm-chair analyses of his many shortcomings, ranging from his transfer moves to his stubbornness to his ‘sports science’ strategy. Let’s face it, managing Arsenal will always be a challenge, and expectations post-Wenger will be higher still.

Among the list of shortcomings for the new boss to tackle would be getting the team up and running from one-man shows dominated by the likes of Alexis Sanchez, and lifting it from the current #6 position in the Premiere League table. Fans don’t want a team of Arsenal’s calibre to just qualify – they want their money’s worth with some metals thrown in once in a while, what with Arsenal ticket prices currently being the highest in the Premiere League!

Player picks and transfers, will of course, always remain a talking point – it can turn out to be the luck of the draw, anything from no-show to faith-affirming minor success to outright jackpot. And there are others, who simply don’t get the chance to prove themselves. Case in point being Lukas Podolski, who we have not seen much of in the field – not as much as we would have liked to. Podolski himself claims to be very ‘unhappy’ with the set-up and has been open to the idea of leaving Arsenal and to overtures from other teams – the grapevine is that Inter Milan’s Roberto Mancini has reached out to the young forward for a January switch. Podolski was signed up by Wenger in 2012 for a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee following a fine form with FC Cologne that season and an enviable 95 caps in the European Championship at age 26.

Dutch striker Robin van Persie also made his exit from Arsenal to Manchester United very recently.

Wenger appears to be looking to beef up his defense more, which does make a lot of sense, what with a horde of squad injuries this season, to pivotal players like Kieran Gibbs, Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy. The Arsenal boss has been reportedly eyeing 21-year-old Ipswich defender Tyrone Mings for an £8 mn contract following his stellar performance in the Championship. Mings is valued at £10 mn by Ipswich.

Among other young players being considered for the next season will be Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who is reportedly also being pursued by Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United. Arsenal’s bid is expected to be around £15 mn and should be a most welcome addition to the team’s mid-field defense which hasn’t been in the best of shape in recent times. The 25-year-old has played in 11 Premiere League matches this season, and is currently sitting it out with groin injury. He missed out on Southampton’s game against Arsenal which saw the latter win 1-0. Arsenal has been expressing interest in Schneiderlin since last summer, if all goes well, we may see the talented player in Arsenal colours as early as January.

Meanwhile, in a blow to contenders Liverpool and Tottenham as well, striker Jackson Martinez will probably not be making a transfer from Porto owing to strict contract clauses and his general ‘happiness’ with Porto. Martinez has been aggressively pursued by several clubs, with rumours flying thick and fast, and now apparently void in light of his agent’s most recent statements.

Other high-profile targets on Arsenal’s radar include Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva (Cruzeiro is open to transfer the player during the January window for a £12 mn deal and it is extremely likely that Real Madrid will win this particular bid), and Argentine striker Paulo Dybala (whose current club Palermo is negotiating for £31 mn, very steep considering the rising star’s inexperience in the European leagues). They also have their sites set on Real Madrid’s defensive mid-fielder Sam Khedira, which could turn out to be better than a christmas lotto 2014 win if they add him to their roster.

Time will tell if these players actually end up with the Gunners, who have traditionally not focussed on huge names and huge signing/ transfer deals.

Any of those names will be a most welcome addition to the roster, of course – just the way Alexis Sanchez’s big-ticket entry was, and it will come with the same huge expectations. Because winning moves are badly needed here. Mr. Wenger, if he stays on, had better make it truly worthwhile, and soon.