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How can Wenger improve Arsenal?

Mid transfer window, what could/should your team do to improve?

Already we are over midway through the January transfer market and despite this being the priciest ever window on record (an estimated £96M spent already) much of the pre-window speculation has failed to materialise (Berbatov to United anyone?).

Of course the media will do their utmost to recycle last summers rubbish or invent some audacious move. The likelihood is though many of the reports will go unsubstantiated.

As an Arsenal supporter I’m used to the window passing by with the minority of commotion, the exception being Reyes a few years ago. Its Wenger’s policy and us Gooners all trust Wenger don’t we….?

Far from this being a slight on Le Prof, I struggle to see how we can be in a position to win the league come the end of May without some valuable reinforcements.

Defensively we are in a bit of a predicament right now – with Toure at the African Nations Cup and Gallas far from Mr Reliable injuries wise, a centre back or two wouldn’t go amiss.

Wenger’s youth policy has no doubt been a roaring success with the Arsenal playing some of the most sublime football around and now getting results with it. However there is a time when experience has to come to the fore and as many a Man Utd supporter would tell you, if there is a time for bottle its now.

And that is something I don’t see in Senderos and Djorou, not yet anyway. This is our best chance in 3 years to win the title and the excuse that we are a young team doesn’t really cut the mustard anymore.

Names I wouldn’t mind donning our colours, be it permanently or on loan include Aston Villa’s Olof Mellberg and Boro’s Jonathan Woodgate. Mellberg is out of contract in the summer and so can be bought in on the cheap and has a wealth of experience at centre and right back. As for Woodgate, he hasn’t had the best luck with injuries but he is a very capable defender and a loan deal to prove he could stay fit would be just the ticket. He is reputedly unsettled on Teeside and would jump at the chance to play for a big club – hence why he probably won’t join Spurs as speculated! 

These guys could do a job coming in to the side if need be and provide us with some of the defensive rigidity lacking on occasions this season.

Offensively we have been absolutely fantastic. The goals have been flowing, as opposed to the penalty box passing sessions that were so frequent last season and the way we have put teams to the sword has been as pleasing as any other season I remember. The downside is again not who is in the first eleven but who comes in when the going gets really tough, come March onwards.

Big plusses this season come in the form of Adebayor who, has confounded his critics this year, currently second in the goal scoring charts to a certain winker and, Eduardo, despite a slow start is beginning to become that ‘fox in the box’ Wenger has so yearned for (to the extent Franny Jeffers was worth a punt!).

Fabregas and Hleb can also be regarded in that category, the young Spaniard becoming our driving force in Thierry’s departure and Hleb now adding the final product his deft dribbling skills deserve.

Unfortunately for Robin Van Persie and to a lesser extent Tomas Rosicky, their seasons haven’t really taken off. To be fair, its only because of injury but its hard to rely on RVP right now – he seems to be in one week, out the next 3. We know what he can do but he’s not often doing it right now.

2 years since Theo Walcott’s £12M move from Southampton and we’re still waiting. Still waiting for a prolonged run in the side, still waiting for a real boom in form, still waiting to see that promise turn into performance. Its been rumoured this week that he will be allowed out on loan, with Stoke and Liverpool alleged to be interested, though Wenger has slammed the door shut on that one. With only 17 squad members available right now and the games coming thick and fast, why deplete our numbers further? And where better to learn his football education than The Grove, under Wenger’s tutelage. It’ll come – he is only 18 after all – but you feel it needs to come soon, for his and Arsenal’s sake.

Its harder bringing players in in January as we are already in the middle of the season and performances are needed immediately – which doesn’t always happen.

I’d like to see Rafaael Van Der Vaart come in, to take some of the pressure off of Fabregas in that attacking midfield position, and also taking Van Persie’s place as a second striker.

Similarly, I think Luka Modric or Damien Duff would be great acquisitions – we need a natural winger and the Irishman is as good as any when in form, just ask Barca.

What do you all think with regards to who and what your team needs this transfer window?

And do you fellow Gooners agree with what I have said?

Remember these are just my ideas, take with a bucketful of salt.

Topics: Arsenal, Football Transfers