Forward Arsenal: A New Beginning

It has been a little over a week since the transfer window closed and the weekend marks a return to club football and a fresh start for Arsenal Football Club. The beginning of the season was tumultuous, just like the rest of the summer, and I found it impossible to set realistic expectations for the season until all transfers had been made.

On deadline day, once the dust had settled, I felt that Arsenal had done a decent bit of business. We did not get the splash signing all had hoped for, but we addressed the biggest problem in the squad, which was depth. Many had said our starting XI was up to par, but not strong enough through the squad, a valid concern. There were question marks all over the squad with a couple yet to depart and the picture still fuzzy as to what we would be left with. In the end, Arsenal signed 8 first team players: Carl Jenkinson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Chu (Ju) Young Park, Yossi Benayoun, Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, and Andre Santos. Not to mention the 2 from Barcelona, Bellerin and Toral that joined our youth ranks. To bring depth in, turn a profit on transfers, and trim a sizeable chunk of wages being spent on fringe players, it looks a pretty good summer.

But wait, we lost one of the best midfield talents in the game, and a greedy bastard who was pretty good himself. I really believe the signing of Gervinho offsets Nasri’s departure, but losing Cesc would hurt any team, there is no like for like replacement, and we probably couldn’t afford him if there was. So people will say that it was a disappointment that we didn’t sign a world class replacement, but we really only get one shot at this. There is no oil money. Our club is run responsibly and if the plan is to blow our wad on one superstar then it had better be the right man to lead us to glory. Had we signed Kaka for £35m I would have considered that poorly spent money while others rejoiced. People have said we bid £35m for Mario Götze, and France Football reported that we bid over €30m for Lille's Eden Hazard. I would like to think of these bids as statements of intent. Both of those players fit the profile of the type of signing I would like to see. I’d rather come back to those targets in January than settle for a lower tier recruit, and that’s what makes the signings of Benayoun and Arteta smart deals. Neither one stifles the youth, as Wenger always states is his fear, adds the creativity we’ve been lacking, and leaves room for a big money signing in the next two windows.

If it weren’t for the injuries to Wilshere and Vermaelen, I’d feel great going in to the match against Swansea. Injury ravaged is how this squad lives, and they have to learn to cope. The one thing we can say is that the team has added strength and leadership, and we can now boast six players who captain their national sides. What more do you want? We now have a squad full of players who want to be at Arsenal and are willing to give it their all. That’s all I ask. To a new beginning, our season starts now.