Vermaelen first signing of the summer (and not the only one we hope)

2009-06-19T22:26:00.003+01:00

Well, after literally days of expectation, we've signed a Belgian defender no one's heard of. Forgive my flippancy, but I'm finding it hard to get excited about this signing, and the amount quoted - £10 or £11m - is concerning too.

What do we know about Thomas Vermaelen? Not a great deal it seems. He's a Belgian, 23 years old, left-footed, and we've signed him from Ajax, where he was club captain. It appears that despite his relatively young age, he does have the requisite experience, which does make me feel a little better. He already has 21 full caps for Belgium and made his debut three years ago. He's been a regular for Ajax, with 143 appearances for them. To be captain at such a young age does bode well, and I do have confidence in Arsene Wenger. Whatever other criticisms I may have of him, he rarely goes wrong in transfers, and if he rates Vermaelen enough to spend big money on him, I'm happy to take his word for now and wait and see.

But, there is another problem here. Nice though it is to see a new signing, and so early in the summer too, and a defender too, and the type of centre back we've been crying out for... okay, it's pretty good, actually. However, what about the money? If Vermaelen has really cost £11m, and if we believe the figure of £20m quoted by some as the transfer budget available (though I'm not sure that figure is any more credible than the £15m I've seen quoted, or any other figure you care to pick out of the air), then we have only around £9m left.

We all know we need a defensive midfielder as a matter of priority. A defender, yes. Another striker, perhaps. But the midfielder definitely. So with this in mind are we now going to struggle to land the player we need? A genuinely world-class defensive midfielder will cost considerably more than £9m.

So, could it be that Arsene will release additional funds for it? Adebayor on his way? Gallas on his bike? Who knows. The Times are speculating that Man City will bid £12m for Toure, and that if Gallas goes too, Arsene will bid for Newcastle defender Sebastien Bassong. I'm sure Newcastle would sell, but being part of their defence is hardly a recommendation. He's also 22 and that would give us a pretty inexperienced defensive pairing at a time when experience is really needed. My personal preference would be for Vermaelen to be paired with Toure, with Gallas making way. Toure is just too much of an Arsenal legend to let him leave, and despite an indifferent season, he is still a better option than Gallas and pretty much any other defender available. To sell him would be foolish. If his fall-out with Gallas is the problem, well, the solution is so clear I don't have to spell it out...

G E T R I D O F G A L L A S

Okay, I do.

Here's to a successful summer with more signings and clearance of dead wood, and dead wood only.

Vaarwell!

New season, new start

2009-06-13T21:07:00.002+01:00

The new season will be upon us sooner than we can say 'that Twenty20 is actually baseball in disguise', so I thought I'd have a fresh start with the blog and see if I can actually post with a modicum of regularity this time around.

So, let's begin with a round up of last season. If Arsenal were taking home their end of year report, they might be brave enough to show it to the parents rather than drop it in the river, but it certainly wouldn't be glowingly received.

Some of the same problems persisted from last year. There was still the need to pass the ball into the net, to pass the opposition to death when the few moments when we have switched to a more direct style should have proven how effective it can be. I wouldn't advocate going down the Wimbledon route, but there is a balance to strike. Man Utd, much as we despise them, have the capacity to play attractive passing football, AND switch to a direct style when needed. They have players who are happy to whip balls into the box, and despite the fact that they are short of out-and-out strikers, they often get players on the end of those crosses too. Chelsea have shown what a direct and power-based style can do. They have overwhelmed our slight midfield (more on that later), every time we have played them this season. The ball over the top may be a blunt instrument, but it can work.

What we really lack, and have lacked for some time, is variation. We have many players who can dribble with the ball and are technically adept. But when it comes to physical players who can tackle and harry, we are seriously lacking. We all said at the beginning of the season, that losing Flamini and Gilberto would rob us of the players who could play that role. No one came in who could fill that role, and it has showed. When we have played poor teams who back off, we have crushed them. When we have played good teams who have tried to play football, we have been able to match them, and often play through them. There aren't many teams who can match us for passing - but that isn't the problem. When we have come up against any team (poor or good), who have pressed, closed us down and packed the midfield, we have struggled. The better teams beat us, the poorer ones came away with a draw.

Last night Arsenal TV were showing a repeat of a game from the 2003-04 season against Leeds. We overwhelmed them, beating them 5-0, and this was not the rubbish Leeds team of today. Certainly they were in decline at that stage, but they still had some quality. Looking at that team you realise two things - firstly how few players from then are still with us (only Toure and Clichy from that team, and Clichy was only a back-up at that stage), and secondly, how much experience they had. I went through the players on view - Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira, Gilberto, Edu, Parlour, Pires, Wiltord, Reyes, Campbell, Lauren, Lehmann - and realised that they were all in their mid to late twenties or older. This was a team at its peak, and that's why it both went unbeaten for the whole season, and broke up so quickly afterwards. We are now onto the third team that Wenger has built for Arsenal. The first won one double and pettered out. The second dominated for several years, picking up two Premier League trophies and three FA cups. The third must now go a stage further and become the Man Utd of the coming decade.

Can it happen? I believe so. Man Utd have hugely weakened themselves by agreeing to sell Ronaldo, and will find it virtually impossible to replace him with a player of equal quality. If the rumours are true that they needed the money, and with huge debts, they may no longer be the big-hitters they were. Liverpool will be similarly pressed for money, and while Chelsea can go on spending at will, their financial model is unsustainable in the long run, and at some point they will have to scale things back. If we can stay the course, we will be in the perfect position to pounce. We have built what is already a quality team on limited resources and have stayed in the black. If we can keep that team together and carefully improve on it, we can make the leapback to the top.

So what needs to happen this summer? Most people will say it's obvious - keep the squad we have, but perhaps let go one or two underachievers, and bring in a centre back, a defensive midfielder and a striker.

Not so easy in practice. So let's look at each area in turn.

Goalkeepers
Almunia doesn't convince everyone but no one can doubt he has had an excellent season. He may not get any better, but he's a decent choice. Fabianski on the other hand, despite signing a new contract, is wildly inconsistent - worryingly so. As a back-up he's acceptible, but if Almunia sustains any serious injury, we may need to consider another replacement.

Defence
At left back Clichy is one of the best in the world, despite an up and down season, and Gibbs is proving to be a more than capable back-up. No need to add anyone here.

At right back Sagna has proven to be an inspired signing for what was a problem position. We may need to consider who covers for him, as Eboue only seems capable of learning one position at a time.

At centre back we have a puzzle. For me Toure is still a quality player, one of the most experienced and dedicated in the squad and we need to hold on to him. I believe his form has been affected by the arrival of Gallas, as have others in the team, and the quicker we can move the Frenchman on, the better. Djourou has come on enormously, and with Senderos returning (a player I still rate), we have back the defence of pre-Gallas times which was becoming a solid one. I would also move on Silvestre, who has brought little to the team, and consider recruiting a new defender in the Vidic mould - tall and commanding to mesh with Toure's more ball-playing style.

Midfield
We have an abundance of creative players. With the possibility of Rosicky returning, Walcott, Nasri, and now Arshavin, and with the creativity of Fabregas in the centre, there is little problem here. We need grit and steel, and possibly some genuinely wide players rather than converted central midfielders. Song has come on impressively and should be considered a squad player, but not the regular partner for Fabregas. Denilson is even further back in his progress than Song, and should only be a bit part player, if we keep him at all. Diaby has been plagued by injuries, but still has promise. For me, the regular four in midfield (and it should be four), would be Nasri, Arshavin, Fabregas, and a defensive midfielder as yet unsigned. Rosicky and Walcott provide quality replacements when rotation is needed, or Walcott could be tried more as a striker. Eboue, Song, Diaby and Denilson provide cover when needed, giving us plenty of strength in depth. And we haven't even talked about Ramsey and Wilshere. With these players available there would be scope to release Eboue and Denilson if we wished.

Forwards
Arsenal have always played better with a 4-4-2, and we need to keep to this. 4-5-1 may be solid, but it makes scoring goals extremely difficult unless the wingers can get forward. A refreshed Eduardo, paired with van Persie, Walcott or Bendtner, will give us good options, and Vela could well make a break-through this year. To my mind Adebayor has been woeful since his new contract, and whilst I think he has the talent, I'm not convinced he will deliver the goals to justify his big wage packet. I would not weep if he was sold, as long as we bring in another genuine goalscorer as a replacement. With the creativity our team produces, a natural finisher like Roque Santa Cruz would thrive.

Let's see what happens. It seems that a defender is likely, and Gallas is hotly tipped to move, but on the midfielder we need, there has been little comment. I for one would like to see that signing made sooner rather than later. We've already missed out on the player who I would have moved heaven and Earth to sign - Gareth Barry. We can't let that happen again.

Vaarwell!

Bergkamp is a god

Vermaelen first signing of the summer (and not the only one we hope)

New season, new start