Even though we have been hugely boosted by new commercial deals, it doesn’t really change the fact that in a one off tug of war battle with a financially doped club then we are likely to fail in our attempts to land that player, however it does give us a much stronger chance of keeping current players together and I would argue that doing that was possibly even more important than new signings

Manchester City have got the ball rolling this transfer window. They have yet to announce an official manager for the coming season yet have snapped up Jesus Navas and Fernandinho for probably over £40m.

This right here, is what Arsenal have to contend with during transfer windows. It is not only City but Chelsea along with Manchester United are swimming in a great deal more cash than we are. This is not even to factor in the likes of PSG and big spending Monaco.

Arsene gave us a snippet at the end of last season, suggesting that many wealthy clubs will be all after a small pool of sought after and talented players.

Even though we have been hugely boosted by new commercial deals, it doesn’t really change the fact that in a one off tug of war battle with a financially doped club then we are likely to fail in our attempts to land that player, however it does give us a much stronger chance of keeping current players together and I would argue that doing that was possibly even more important than new signings.

So given the transfer market situation, you’d be forgiven for being a little apprehensive when it comes to landing our targets, the need to add quality is obvious but quality that flies under the radar is not so frequent I’d imagine.

It is here where our scouting network becomes vitally important to our summer. Picking out a player like Laurent Koscielny does not happen by accident, it would have taken a lot of work behind the scenes. The trouble with those type of players is that it starts to become more of a gamble to whether they succeed or not.

Arsene can start to take gambles on the shelf above our recent signings, the level below Cavaini, Falcao etc. Our manager will have to use his vast experience and predict what they will turn into rather than basing decisions on purely the present, that is the only real way I can see us catching up. Catching up is certainly not an easy task that’s for sure.

The work has already begun it seems, we are in the middle of clearing out the room before we bring in the new furniture. Andrey Arshavin, Denilson and Sébastien Squillaci have all left the club officially so squad spaces as well as wage allocation will be shoved aside for later this summer.

I guess we just need to hold tight until Arsene and the gang fill those allocations.

’till the next time