Whilst Arsenal didn’t strengthen all the required areas this Summer, the transfer window was generally successful. The players that left were replaced with better players with bigger potentials and we also added to the attack with the signings of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck. Here’s my review of Arsenal’s transfer window.
Ins:
David Ospina– (Nice, £3 million) After an excellent World Cup Arsenal decided to take the gamble on David Ospina. His shot-stopping and agility are second to none, and goals should be hard to come by for opposition sides from open-play. At 6ft though he is fairly small for a keeper and he may have some problems dealing with set-pieces. It remains to be seen how much he will play, but one thing is for sure, arsenal have got themselves an excellent keeper.
Mathieu Debuchy– (Newcastle United, £10 million) Debuchy was favoured ahead of Sagna at the World Cup and you can see why. His stamina is fantastic and he has the ability to keep going from one end of the pitch to the other, throughout the 90 minutes. He is more of threat than Sagna going forward and he is defensively sound, though at times he can be a bit rash. On the whole the Gunners have bought themselves a very able right-back and at 28 he should just be coming into the prime of his career.
Calum Chambers– (Southampton, £16 million) Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal forked out £16 million on Calum Chambers. At the time of his signing he had only played 22 Premiership matches and it seemed a very large sum for someone so inexperienced. But, after playing in the Emirates Cup and Community Shield it was obvious to all what a class act the Gunners had invested in. He is extremely versatile and is so composed on the ball for a 19 year-old. His passing is sound and he doesn’t shy away from a challenge either. Just watching him makes it seem as though he’s been playing in the Arsenal back line for years, and in the future the price we paid for his services will seem like a bargain.
Alexis Sanchez– (Barcelona, £30 million) This was Arsenal’s major marquee signing of the Summer, and what a signing it was. Arsenal’s attack over the last few years has always lacked that bit of pace and power, but Sanchez brings exactly that. He has fantastic energy levels and will eventually thrive with the Gunners, although he hasn’t started badly, netting twice in his last two games.
Danny Welbeck– (Manchester United, £16 million) On deadline day it seemed as though we weren’t going to invest in another striker, but thankfully we did. This signing has divided opinion amongst the Arsenal faithful, but personally I think it’s an excellent one. If given the chance up top he should thrive, Welbeck has excellent hold-up play and can also run in behind with his pace and power. If he can improve his finishing this signing will prove to be a shrewd piece of business by Arsene Wenger.
Others–Â Elias Chatzitheodoridis (Mas Kallitheakos, Undisclosed), Hugo Keto (HJK Helsinki, Undisclosed), Ben Sheaf (West Ham, United, Undisclosed)
Outs:
Lukasz Fabianski–  (Swansea, Free) Up until before last season many Arsenal fans didn’t think much of Fabianski. He had played many games for the club, but often made bad errors at crucial times and he was seen by some as a liability. Last term though he turned a corner and turned out to be a hero as Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup. It was sad to see him leave, but a keeper of his quality needs to be playing week in week out, and hopefully he can continuer to develop with the Swans.
Thomas Vermaelen– (Barcelona, £15 million) In his first season with the club Vermaelen was a revelation and was excellent in the Arsenal back-line. But soon into his Arsenal career injuries started to take their toll and once Per Merteascker arrived Vermaelen struggled to keep his place in the side. On his day he was an excellent defender and it was sad to see him go, but to make a profit on a player whose career has gradually declined is good business by Arsenal.
Bacary Sagna– (Man.City, free) After 8 great seasons at Arsenal Sagna departed for money bags City. Again, he was a great professional and was very consistent in an Arsenl shirt. It was great that he finally won a trophy with the side, but you have to question his ambition to go and sit on the City bench for three years.
Niclas Bendtner (Wolfsburg, free) A career that started out with so much promise was thankfully ended this Summer. Bendtner had great potential, and before he joined Juventus on loan he had a decent goal record for the the club. His attitude and disciplinary issues eventually let him down though, and after clearly not being up to the standards of Arsenal or the Premiership it was nice to see him leave, although I will miss his antics.
Others– Johan Djourou (Hamburg, £2.5m), Thomas Eisfeld (Fulham, Unidsclosed), Zak Ansah (Charlton Athletic), Zachari Fagan (Welling United), Chuks Aneke (Zulte Waregem), Leander Siemann (Porto B), Wellington Silva (UD Almeria, Loan), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United, Loan), Benik Afobe (MK Dons, Loan), Jon Toral (Brentford), Ryo Miyaichi (FC Twente, Loan), Ignasi Miquel (Norwich, Undisclosed).
Released: Daniel Boateng, Chu-Young Park.
On the whole Arsenal’s transfer window was successful. We got rid of a lot of dead wood and brought in some top, top quality players. We should’ve strengthened more at Centre-back and in holding midfield but taking everything into account I’d grade Arsenal’s transfer window as 7/10.
How would you rate it?