It was all so promising when it started. Arsenal obtained Yaya Sanogo right at the end of last season. Then they started getting rid of the deadwood.
Arsenal fans have begged for years for the team to make a serious effort to clearout the unwanted players and the team finally started to get rid of them and open up space in their wage bill.
Then Arsenal started making bids for players such as Lars Bender and Gonzalo Higuain. The Higuain approach seemed to be bearing fruit as a deal was close, but then it started to unravel as Real Madrid upped the asking price.
It was at this point that the Arsenal summer strategy unravelled. Arsenal were seduced into switching their target to Luis Suarez, a player with a complicated contract and situation.
At this point Arsenal became a reactor to the market and not an actor. Now we became dependent on others to make deals and this complicates things.
Arsene Wenger has always pointed out that a transfer requires the agreement of three parties: the buyer, the seller, and the player. Now all deals need the agreement of other actors.
Most of the potential deals sitting on Wenger’s desk right now, require another deal to be made. If Gareth Bale moves, then we can move for di Maria, if Real move for Suarez, then we can move for Benzema, and so on.
It is not an advantageous position to be in. Maybe you get lucky and pick up a crumb that falls from the transfer table, but maybe there’s nothing available.
Another problem is that all the prior scouting and planning becomes irrelevant. You merely are reacting to what suddenly comes on the market.
The only advantage Arsenal have is that they have a lot of money. However, it’s like going to a department store sale where you’re not sure what’s available and you have only days to finish deals that often take weeks.
These are the marquee deals I’m talking about. Many of Arsenal’s goalkeeping and defensive targets are still out there and it’s likely that they’re trying to drive down the price.
However, when it comes to strikers, playmakers and wingers, the options available are limited. Most of what Arsenal originally wanted has already gone. Suddenly, the options you have disappear.
I’ll guarantee you that Matthieu Flamini, Karim Benzema, and Angel di Maria were not on Arsenal’s original shopping list.
I still feel that Arsenal will bring in 3 to 5 players in the next 10 days. While Wenger probably knows the names of 2 of these players, the other 2 or 3 are uncertain and will depend on Arsenal acting quickly and decisively when opportunities present themselves. That’s not a quality we have come to expect from Wenger.
Right now we have 10 days to transform a very good club into a great club. We need 3 or 4 pieces to complete the puzzle. Unlike building puzzles however, it’s as if ten boxes of puzzle pieces lie next to our puzzle and we have a limited time to find what we need. I watch all this, like you, with trepidation.