Wenger finally buying into the transfer circus
For someone who has, in the past, always been so careful with their money in terms of transfers, this season it seems that something has come over Arsene Wenger, and he is indulging in what the rest of us call panic buying.
Firstly there was the mass buying spree right at the death of the summer transfer window after high profile departures, and now comes the January transfer window, where Wenger says he will buy if ‘something comes up.’
For a man normally so careful and frugal with the money he has, just why has Wenger’s approach to spending changed so much?
The first explanation is clearly the fact he needed both cover for the players who had left in the summer and also to show fans that he was willing to buy and take Arsenal forward, and as the January window approaches, it seems that in order to convince their star man to sign a new contract, Arsenal need a big signing to show RVP that they really mean business and can fulfil his ambitions both in terms of taking the club forward and winning trophies.
It cannot be denied that the Londoner’s are in dire need of cover for RVP, if not only to lighten the burden on the player, also as a back-up should he succumb to injury problems yet again. The players they currently have, such as Chamakh are nowhere near the level they need, and Wenger is fully aware of this.
The drive and urgency to succeed may also be playing a hefty part in Wenger’s dip into the transfer market, with the gap between the top couple of teams and Arsenal only growing, and Wenger knows that should the club fail to convince Van Persie to sign a new contract, they will have virtually no hope of competing with the likes of City, and may struggle to fund a replacement in the same league as the Dutch man.
Arsenal and Wenger are in a difficult position, they clearly need a second striker who can actually score goals, and will lose players when the African Cup of nations starts, yet is panic buying the answer? Only Arteta of the summer signings has made any real impact, and the history of silly money flop transfers in January is one that grows every year.
Arsenal have never really been ones to enter into panic buying and waste money – yet the urgency to both succeed and keep hold of their main man may well see them major players this window. How far this will help them however is another matter entirely, and for a man who in seasons gone by would criticise other managers for doing exactly what he is now, how times have changed for Wenger.
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“Only Arteta of the summer signings has made any real impact”
Uhh, what rock have you been living under?
Gervinho, Santos and Mertesacker have all made an impact.
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@alfred you are spot on those 3 have been quality as well and getting better game by game
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times have changed because monies being tipped into teams with no thought of getting it back, other teams have to try to keep up, will cause probs later
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I am, to say the least, bemused by some of the statements in this article.
“Firstly there was the mass buying spree right at the death of the summer transfer window… For a man normally so careful and frugal with the money he has, just why has Wenger’s approach to spending changed so much?”
Well, it hasn’t. None of the players he brought in was expensive by current standards. Mertesacker for £8 million, Arteta for £10 million (and he took a pay-cut too), Santos for £6 million, and Benayoun was a loan signing.
“… and now comes the January transfer window, where Wenger says he will buy if ‘something comes up.’”
He makes comments like this before or during every transfer window. His stock-standard response when asked about transfers is to use one or more of the following lines: (1) he has faith in his squad, (2) he won’t buy indiscriminately, but (3) if the right player becomes available he is open to getting involved in the market.
“Only Arteta of the summer signings has made any real impact…”
This is nonsense. Gervinho has had some superb performances, and while his finishing hasn’t been great there’s no doubt that he’s played a key role in the success of the team. The media’s obsession with the idea of Van Persie carrying the team completely misses the fact that players like Gervinho have stepped up to the plate by providing the key passes and assists.
“How far this will help them however is another matter entirely, and for a man who in seasons gone by would criticise other managers for doing exactly what he is now, how times have changed for Wenger.”
A conclusion based on a mountain of shaky logic. Next!
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I find it amazing that someone can use a intelligent vocabulary and good grammar to make themselves sound like a complete jackass.
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it w’ll be a higher nomination of classic competetio of by law durin.. 2 transfer windows
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Wenger should be focused in the way he does his things. My plea is, he should stop spoting players for his rivals, he does the spoting, talking and the nthers come to do the bargaining and purchasing. Have you become a business broker?
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Nothing has changed at all with the way AW does his business. its not the first time he has gone for a january buy if you have been following things at all. the likes of adebayor, diaby, walcott, arshavin, reyes were all january purchases. indeed reyes, arshavin and believe me – diarra are typical of those players fitting the “if a special player becomes available, i will buy). you seem too keen on looking for a story where none exists, hence your poor research.
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