With the league season set to kick-off on the 8th August, it’s worth noting up until now the significant transfer deals our rival clubs have made to strengthen their squads, and why Arsenal fans shouldn’t bat an eye lid at any of it when reflecting in the strength of our own.
This year’s summer transfer window has the seen the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and City invest heavily in their respective teams, to boost their Premier League title challenge for the coming season.
Liverpool’s consistent ‘buy early’ transfer policy has seen them bring in 7 players, including Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne and most recently Christian Benteke. United have also been busy as Louis Van Gaal has brought in Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, long-term former Arsenal target Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastien Schweinsteiger.
City’s two high profile signings were of course that of Fabian Delph from Aston Villa and the £49m capture of Raheem Sterling, in a bid to fill their homegrown quota. Chelsea on the other hand have been relatively quiet and have instead only made moves to replace departed players.
Now Arsenal fans would look on with envy at United’s capture Southampton’s former man in particular, as the search for another DM seems to have petered out since Mikel Arteta’s new contract extension. However, I think it would be accurate to suggest that United’s need was probably greater than ours, with their midfield options not nearly as complete as Arsenal’s.
Liverpool’s continuous pattern of buying in quantity has evidently flounced their judgement on whether the 7 to 8 players they invest in every year, are sufficient quality themselves. Brendan Rodgers seems to build a whole new squad every year, but it’s obvious this strategy has failed to bring the success the club so desperately craves.
It’s the stability which Arsene Wenger has managed to maintain at Arsenal is what Liverpool have missed since Rodgers’ appointment in 2012. Wenger has recently declared that we are no longer a ‘selling club’, as the financial balance has risen in our favour; we are no longer vulnerable to losing our best players every year.
Since 2012, Wenger has made a number of marquee signings in each transfer window and it was no different this year, when we signed Petr Čech from Chelsea, a position which was in such desperate world-class need.
Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez have both graced the Emirates with their world-class ability, and have jelled alongside the already established likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla.
At the back, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have formed a formidable partnership for the past 2-3 years, because they’ve consistently played alongside one another, but of course there’s sufficient competition with a perfect blend of youth and experience to balance the equilibrium, in every position at the club.
Wenger has always been known for nurturing young stars. The ones we see in our first team today; Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Wojciech Szczesny and Francis Coquelin, all came from the club’s academy. They’ve all been together for many years and therefore it’s impossible to not feel a sense of harmony and family within this squad.
The stability and continuity we’ve had the blessing of having is probably is far more important than recruiting in high numbers, as oppose to high quality, and it’s this factor which will see this generation of Arsenal players be considered one of the league front runners this season.
So whether or not we do buy the likes of Benzema, Lacazette or Lowandowski, it wouldn’t or shouldn’t matter, because we already have the fire-power in attack which sees every attacker surrounded with high competition as it is. So bottom line, there’s no need to stress, because we’ll be alright.