Arsenal fans 100% content about this position. Wojciech Szczesny is far from perfect and is still only 22 years old which is still a baby for that position. But for me, he is the type of talent that you want learning on the job, learning from his mistakes and not having his path blocked. He is still a very good goalkeeper who has weaknesses in his game like his distribution which you expect to improve. I am more than happy with the cheeky, gobby Pole as our number one and I hope Arsene is also. The issue comes from those fighting for his place. Lukas Fabianski has actually ironed out many of his quite obvious flaws from his game and was very unlucky to suffer an injury during his last run in the team. The trouble is that going by his public comments last season he does not want to remain at the club as number two, he is should be playing games and needs games to improve. That cannot happen playing the odd cup match or waiting for a younger keeper to get injured. What is striking is that since his comments

Back in the day, the early nineties in fact, I used to spend my hours/days/weeks attached to my Amiga 500. For you young’ns, google it. While owning hundreds of copied floppy disks the one game that stood head and shoulders above the rest was Championship manager, now known as Football manger if I am right in saying.

My young teenage years were wasted watching a screen with just text, no graphics, no fancy animations just text informing me which player was busting through on goal, which players had the best average ratings and what my chosen formation looked like on paper so to speak.

An hour on that game only seemed like 10 minutes, at best. There was one section in that game that took up the most amount of time and that was the summer transfer window. I used to find the pre season the most entertaining, I could then count my pennies and then go shopping, building a new team for the new season.

So here we are, away from the computer screen and into reality, well the reality of Premier league football. It is a chance for teams to reload their guns and then go again for the second half of the season. Already we have seen some movement from Chelsea activating Demba Ba’s release clause, as well as his list of agents wanting a slice of Roman’s flowing cash whilst offloading Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool. Tottenham have also stocked up on next season’s squad by signing Lewis Holtby on a pre contract. We could do with a couple players who can strike through nike footballs the way that Jack Wilshere can (above)

Arsenal fans all have their ideas on which part of the team should be improved upon, some are fearing that Arsene will dance around the window and then pull out his familiar saying ‘like a new signing’ when the window has been slammed shut. I have been almost certain that he would add in the past whilst he has gone the other way but this time, I seriously cannot imagine new face(s) not coming in.

I will have a quick glance at the squad and try and give my thoughts on where I think Arsene would be looking to do business but before I do I want to try and delve into the managers thinking when it comes to building football sides. Once you do that then I believe it is a little easier to try and understand why he makes certain decisions. Firstly I believe that Arsene thinks differently when it comes to building a squad compared to many football fans. Not only football fans but without any hint of proof, I believe many managers also.

Stick a fan in the hot seat, give him a transfer budget to spend and I bet the majority would spend what he could on the players he had available to make the best team possible to compete for that season. So the two strikers you really wanted were bought by other clubs with deeper pockets? no worries, just buy that other striker from that other league because, well we are a striker short. When a better striker comes available in the summer we will go for him and offload the striker we have that isn’t doing all that well.

Judging by history, it looks like Arsene would simply do without a striker until the player he wants for the price he wants comes available. Also going by past quotes, it seems as if Arsene does not value experience as highly as some do. Well at least that was his public stance. However, he could have been speaking to certain younger players via the media as he often does. If it is the case that the saying ‘if you’re good enough then you’re old enough’ rings true for the manager then you have to look at players like Serge Gnabry and the likes of Thomas Eisfeld and say perhaps the manager will not want to block their path.

Without actually having access to Arsene Wenger’s mind, it is very difficult to gage what he thinks of certain players and where he thinks they fit into his plans.

Arsene is quite happy to take the scenic route when it comes to forming his team even if it makes for louder frustrated voices in the stands. A good example of this is his current preference for Aaron Ramsey over Tomas Rosicky. It was the same last season until Ramsey’s injury in the second half of the season. I cannot imagine for one minute that Arsene believes that Ramsey is currently a better player than Rosicky, especially after his great end of season but one thing is for sure, both players will go in different directions in the next few years. Ramsey can only improve whilst Rosicky will eventually drop a level. at least physically.

I have taken a rather long way around saying, I don’t expect Arsene to look for a great deal of short term fixes even at a time where he has bought more experience than usual. Arsene Wenger is back at the post invincibles stage, losing experienced top performers and having to remold another group of players and try and get them gelling together. The great team of 2003/04 was a slow process, people often forget that. Piece by piece was added, patience was needed with some of those players before they turned good. With football finances spiraling out of control today, the competitive treadmill has been cranked up unbelievably high so finishing the building process to make a team matured enough to compete has not been possible since we moved away from Highbury.

This is why it is great news to have the new nucleus of British players tied down to long term contracts. There seems to be plenty of smoke surrounding Theo Walcott extending his stay at Arsenal and that is just what the doctor ordered after the recent departures.

So which areas of the squad will Arsene strengthen? I will go through each position and give my take on whether I see Arsene adding to those areas along with my own personal preference of player should any come in.

Goalkeeper

I would be surprised if there are many Arsenal fans 100% content about this position. Wojciech Szczesny is far from perfect and is still only 22 years old which is still a baby for that position. But for me, he is the type of talent that you want learning on the job, learning from his mistakes and not having his path blocked. He is still a very good goalkeeper who has weaknesses in his game like his distribution which you expect to improve. I am more than happy with the cheeky, gobby Pole as our number one and I hope Arsene is also.

The issue comes from those fighting for his place. Lukas Fabianski has actually ironed out many of his quite obvious flaws from his game and was very unlucky to suffer an injury during his last run in the team. The trouble is that going by his public comments last season he does not want to remain at the club as number two, he is should be playing games and needs games to improve. That cannot happen playing the odd cup match or waiting for a you
nger keeper to get injured. What is striking is that since his comments, he has not played for us since (I don’t think) and I am not sure that I am convinced that he has been injured this whole time.

Vito Mannone had an opportunity to become the Arsenal number one keeper but did not produce the needed consistency to keep his spot. He has his strengths but his overall game is not up to the level of Arsenal football club. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if both back up keepers left the club in some capacity.

I would like to see an experienced keeper come in, someone with character and personality. A keeper who can perform at the top level perhaps without even being the very best but is happy enough to play the squad game and be patient until called upon.

This said, as much as we need change to this area, I could understand the gamble with waiting until the summer if the right person was available then and not now. Goalkeepers are as safe as can be (touch wood) when it comes to injury. I don’t know how likely it is for a number one to pick up two serious injuries in one season.

Stick or Twist: Twist if possible but not an immediate concern

Defenders

Johan Djourou has moved to Hannover 96 on loan and the club are still yawning and asking Sebastien Squillaci the time whilst holding the door open. With Alex Song departing in the summer we could be in a position where we are three players down who can play in that position. Ignasi Miquel could be promoted to fourth choice which would be good for him. Whenever he has been called upon he has been reliable for the most part. He looks like the typical Arsenal defender in the way he intercepts attackers and uses the ball very well.

The only position that I believe could possibly be changed is at left back but that is only if Andre Santos is either unwanted or wishes to leave the club. I am not convinced that this is the case. He has gone through a rather bad run of form and hasn’t looked fit. I wouldn’t be surprised if his recent injury was rather time aside to get fitter before joining the first team once more. But that is just me being typically cynical.

Stick or Twist: Stick

Midfielders

I have to admit that at the start of the season I thought we looked more than adequate in that area, in fact I still do to a large extent. The trio of Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla looks fantastic on paper and I still do not quite understand why they have yet to click as well on the pitch. All players who can defend, all players who can pass and receive the ball in tight areas and you would expect them to be able to score as well as provide goals.

Arsene Wenger was overly optimistic in hoping for Abou Diaby to remain fit for the full season and we have suffered in his absence after hobbling off against Chelsea. For the first time I haven’t felt that hopeful twinge at the sight of Diaby making a comeback. A case of several times bitten, several times shy and all that. With Diaby on the treatment table and Alex Song pulling out splinters on the Barcelona bench, our midfield has lacked the physical option especially when Mikel Arteta is being played every week.

Ideally I would like to see a player who can receive the ball from the defenders, keep the ball moving, stick his foot in and win headers. Preferably also able to slot back into the back four when called upon which then gives us that extra option when the inevitable injury crisis strikes.

Stick or Twist: Twist

Forwards

Twist, twist please twist. This is the one area I really feel we need to improve, not just the squad but also the first team. I wasn’t convinced before his central outting that Theo Walcott could play long term as a center forward and I am less convinced that he can play that role consistently. But to be fair, he has only had a handful of games in that role and I wouldn’t be the first Arsenal fan to have wrongly judged a player too early. Theo Walcott at the moment is a very fast finisher but that does not mean he is a center forward. I like Oliver Giroud, I love his commitment and the fact that he gives Wengerball another option, although the team do not always play to that strength well enough. But Giroud isn’t going to win games on his own. He isn’t going to get away from his man and score.

I’d be more than happy for Arsene to buy a teleporter from ‘The Fly’ and squeeze Walcott, Giroud and Gervinho in one pod and let them fuse together.

That is the type of player that I would love to see at Arsenal. When you think of it, it almost describes the great Thierry Henry. A player who can play with his back to goal, control the ball and bring others into play (Giroud), a player that can twist and turn and beat his man in tight areas (Gervinho) but with blistering pace and a deadly calm finish (Walcott)

The issue is, finding that player within our budget that is available in January. Good luck with that one I say. But if I could choose one type of player to add to the squad it would be that type. I wonder if it is our forwards that is not helping our midfield. All excellent passers of the ball but do we have enough movement ahead of them causing us to continue to recycle the ball.

I am also not totally convinced about our balance from wide areas. Arsene is attempting to add some creativity by using Aaron Ramsey out on the flanks but that hasn’t worked consistently thus far. That said his best performance of the season at Manchester City was from the flank. Andrey Arshavin is no longer in Arsene’s long term plans and Santi Cazorla seems to be fixed in the central role but I guess it depends if Arsene believes that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can grow into that role or if he will turn into a central midfielder. Arsene will also have the likes of Serge Gnabry in mind for the wide positions.

Clearly in my opinion, this is the position that we desperately need reinforcing and I would be astonished if we do not bring anyone in. Personally I would like two forwards, one creative passer who can make key passes from wide areas and one center forward who is quick, good touch and can finish.

Stick or Twist: TWIIIISSSSTTTT

Conclusion

So if I had my way I would be looking to bring in a midfielder and two attacking players, perhaps even a cheeky transfer of a goalkeeper but I am not sure that we will see so many new players. If you think about it, we have had a ridiculous amount of change in a few years, almost unprecedented. It has been this change that has meant that the team are not clicking as well as previous teams, buying a whole host of new players will only make this problem worse but we certainly need new blood so it is a difficult balancing act.

If Arsene doesn’t take up my professional advice I might just sell my xbox, buy football manager for my PC and get back to not having a life once more.