The injuries were unfortunate and are largely unavoidable, especially with Vermaelen and Sagna missing out late on. But blame can also lie at the feet (and hands) of those who were suspended, especially Alex Song. Remember his second-half against Udinese last Wednesday where he protected the back four so expertly? We sorely needed that on Sunday, but ill-discipline

Pretty eventful going in the world of Arsenal since I last blogged on Friday night, eh?

I guess I’ll start where I don’t want to – Old Trafford on Sunday. I’m not going to ruminate over the game, for Omomo has already done that here.

I will say that we went in with a scratch side but even then, the whole was less than the sum of its parts. Blame for this can be laid at the door of everyone – from the players on the pitch for not performing adequately or showing enough desire; to the manager for his tactics where we took off our only defensive midfielder (Coquelin) at 3-1 and brought on someone more attacking and even less experienced (Chamberlain); to the manager/Board for not handling our summer transfers better and leaving us in such a precarious position following all the injuries and suspensions.

The injuries were unfortunate and are largely unavoidable, especially with Vermaelen and Sagna missing out late on. But blame can also lie at the feet (and hands) of those who were suspended, especially Alex Song. Remember his second-half against Udinese last Wednesday where he protected the back four so expertly? We sorely needed that on Sunday, but ill-discipline cost us.

A terrible day at the office for all concerned. Except the away fans, who were utterly magnificent and wholly-deserved their refund. Following the game there was a #refundtheawayfans movement on Twitter and the Club listened. Some were against it on the basis that once you pay your money to attend a game, you take your chances on the result. I agree with that sentiment completely, but this wasn’t about the money at all – it was a gesture from the Club to show their appreciation and exhibit some remorse for the performance.

Of course, the money is better used elsewhere. Namely on new signings. And it seems the extent of the defeat has jolted the Club into action.

Even before the Mauling in Manchester, the wheels were in motion as news broke that we had hijacked Lille’s move for Monaco striker Park Chu Young. Arsene himself all-but confirmed the deal in his post-match interview on Sunday, and it was confirmed by the Club today. The South Korean skipper will wear the hallowed no.9 jersey and I hope “Finsbury” (as I have now nicknamed him) fares better in it than previous incumbents Eduardo, Baptista, Reyes and Jeffers. Even Suker, Anelka and Merson before them didn’t have long-lasting careers at the Club once inheriting the jersey.

For more on Park, check out Mean Lean’s blog from Saturday which contains snazzy videos of our new boy at his best.

One of the main culprits on Sunday was Armand Traore. Heavily linked with QPR yesterday and with the move completing today, this naturally left us bereft of natural left-backs. Our sole one would be Kieran Gibbs but he has Arsenal DNA when it comes to injuries. Other options would have included moving Vermaelen over to the left – which I am very much against as he is our best central defender – or keeping Sagna there and having Jenkinson on the right. While the latter option worked a treat at Udinese last week, Jenkinson’s youth and inexperience was shown up on Sunday as he was run ragged by Ashley Young and eventually sent-off. He proved his talent against Udinese but he simply can’t do it on a consistent basis just yet.

So…short of a left-back? Not for long, as news broke in Turkey yesterday evening that a £6.5 million deal was in place to sign Brazilian international Andre Santos. I’m no expert on the player, but the bare facts bode well – 28 years old, 22 caps for a country that traditionally has a conveyor belt of excellent left-backs, nearly 6ft tall so should be able to deal with diagonal balls aimed at him.

Speaking to those more informed on Twitter, views on him are thoroughly mixed. Some say he will be a quality signing, others say he is not as good as the above facts suggest. What everyone agrees on is that we needed another body there. There were rumours that there could be a snag with his work permit, but it sounds like this has been ironed out and he is due for a medical. The formal announcement is expected tomorrow.

On the subject of experienced international defenders, what do we have here? Oh, it’s German behemoth Per Mertesacker. While the entire world and his dog had been looking to Gary Cahill, Arsene has again pulled another one out of the bag. News broke this morning that a fee of circa £7 million (way less than half of what Bolton want for Gary Cahill) had been agreed, and that the player was due to leave the German national team and undertake a medical with us. In fact, as I type, Sky Sports are reporting that said medical has been passed and personal terms have been agreed. The formal announcement is expected tomorrow.

Still keeping up? Excited? WE’VE MANAGED TO BAG THREE EXPERIENCED INTERNATIONALS!

Admittedly they don’t have Premiership experience, which many of us wanted. But to write-off internationals with playing time in the Champions League and/or major tournaments would be massively premature in my view. Vermaelen, Sagna and Eduardo were in a similar price bracket and hadn’t played in the Premiership before, but look how they turned out?

As a result of Mertesacker, the deal for Gary Cahill has been on-off all day. One moment we hear that a fee with Bolton has been agreed, the next we hear that the deal is off and he’s closing in on a move to Spurs. At this point his signature would be a bonus, and I can see us going in with a late late bid tomorrow evening as Bolton fret that he’ll walk on a free. We’ll see how it plays out.

Some will say the moves for Santos and Mertesacker and Park smell of desperation on the basis that our interest in them was unbeknownst to any of us. While I can see the rationale behind this notion, that doesn’t mean they aren’t good players.

We know it hasn’t been a good summer in the transfer market for us. We know that the protracted nature of Cesc and Nasri departures handicapped us and that we left our own dealings too late. But I for one am happy and relieved that we’re bringing players in, irrespective of whether or not we’ve tracked them for ages. The Club is righting the wrongs, and better late than never.

And it’s not over yet. Just over 24 hours remain for us to nab that final piece in the puzzle – a midfielder. All rumours indicate that it will be a creative one, with a supposedly rejected bid for Borussia Dortmund’s young starlet Mario Goetze. Throughout the day many names have been bandied about, including Marvin Martin, Juan Manuel Vargas, and Yossi Benayoun. There were even rumours that we are working hard to secure a “wow” signing, maybe in the form of a Kaka or Sneijder. Others have suggested that the more defensive Yann M’Vila is most likely, with Jack Wilshere to be pushed forward into a more advanced role.

I haven’t got the foggiest who it will be (if anyone?), but I do believe we want one more player. And on the basis of our speed and efficiency in wrapping up Park, Santos and Mertesacker, I wouldn’t put it past the Club to pull it off. We have the money, we have the desire. Only time is against us.

I commented on Twitter the other day that this summer’s dealings had left us 2-0 down with only 10 minutes to play. Now I’d say that we have grabbed a consolation and an equaliser. All we need now is a last-minute winner in the form of a “super quality” midfielder. C’mon you Gunners, make our deadline day.

P.S. if you’re on Twitter, you can follow the Arsenal Vision team for all the deadline day madness. Myself, the main man Mean Lean, Wenger Boy, Iron Man, and Omomo.

Squid Boy