Last summer there were mutterings. Lots of them in fact. And many were very dark concerning the need to build a new team, that maybe even Wenger was past his sell by date, and what the hell was he doing buying another full back for, and where was the new centre half, and on and on…
I particularly remember comments saying, one year ago, “if someone offered us 4th this season I’d grab it now. I fear the worst.”
The purchase of unknown and the entry of yet more youth seemed insane, and yet we led the league for quite a while, and although only 3rd at the end we were only 4 points behind. We were not that far off.
Now everyone is moaning and wailing again. Flamini (whom no one would have cared about if he had wandered off a year ago) has gone, Hleb is going and maybe Ade too. Oh my what a disaster.
Well, no not really. Wenger never lets players go unless he has a better replacement in the wings. Next season we will have all the youngsters one year older and one year better, and we will have
Vela, Ramsey and Nasri – and there is undoubtedly one more player to come in if not a couple.
What you have to remember (in my opinion) is three fundamental factors
1. Players are normally at their best aged 27, and a lot of our squad from last year are under that, so they will get better. Think for a moment of Theo – ok it has taken time, but just look at the improvement towards the end of last season. There is only one person who knows how good he will be this year and that is Wenger.
2. While Milan, Real Mad and Barca play their daily announcement games (all of which are untrue) Arsenal stay quiet. It does not mean we are doing nothing – look at the way Eduardo’s transfer came out of nothing.
3. The News of the Dickheads story, re-run today by the Telegraph, that Arsenal need to sell and sell is nonsense. The stuff in the Telegraph that the sale of Ade will “free up cash” is rubbish. It is Manchester Bankrupt who are bust, and if you don’t believe me, follow the news feeds from Reuters.
Now let’s imagine – and I admit it is just imagine – that Theo has come on a dream since the end of last season, and there is no way Wenger can’t play him every game. That leaves him with too many players up front – Ade, Theo, Van P, Vela, Eduardo, Bendtner. They will all be wanting games. So what does he do – he has to thin the squad. It is possible, just possible, that a lot of this has been Arsenal developing a situation to get the most from the player Wenger sees as being the one least likely to maintain his form.
OK you might think that is a big far fetched, but then so is most of what you read about football.
