You Are My Arsenal

Main Menu

  • About
  • Latest News
    • General
    • Match Previews
    • Transfer Window
  • Analysis
    • Players
    • Post Match Review
  • Contact

logo

  • About
  • Latest News
    • General
    • Match Previews
    • Transfer Window
  • Analysis
    • mikel-arteta-arsenal-coach-tactical-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What the Scotland friendlies tell us about Arsenal’s defensive tactics ...

      September 2, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-preseason-2021-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What the Scotland Friendlies tell us about Arsenal's Style of ...

      August 12, 2021
      2
    • Defending from the front - How Arsenal has improved their defense

      March 26, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-tottenham-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Arsenal's Derby Redemption

      March 15, 2021
      1
    • leicester-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal rounded off the perfect week

      March 1, 2021
      2
    • west-brom-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal dismantled West Brom - Tactical Analysis

      January 4, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-chelsea-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal dispatched Chelsea

      December 28, 2020
      0
    • everton-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What went wrong for Arsenal vs Everton?

      December 21, 2020
      0
    • tottenham-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Breaking Down Arsenal's Woes vs Tottenham - Tactical Analysis

      December 8, 2020
      0
    • Players
    • Post Match Review
  • Contact
  • Arsenal vs Atletico Match Preview: Gunners aim to extend perfect Champions League start

  • Fulham 0–1 Arsenal: Three Things We Learned as the Gunners Go Top

  • Riccardo Calafiori: Arsenal’s Shape-Shifting Soul

  • Arsenal’s Right-Side Blueprint: How Saka, Ødegaard, and Timber Are Driving the Attack

  • What the First Seven Matches Really Tell Us About Arsenal’s Contenders’ Credentials

General
Home›General›Restocking the Arsenal

Restocking the Arsenal

By Michael Price
July 10, 2014
591
7
Share:

If everything we are hearing is true within the next week, we could be looking at an Arsenal squad that could have real potential to challenge for more than just the FA Cup.

Just in case you’ve been living in a cave, sticking your fingers in your ears or covering your eyes, let’s run down what we think we know:

  • By all accounts within the next 24 hours to few days Arsenal will announce the signing of Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez,
  • Similarly, Arsenal are close to if not already signed the replacement for departing RB Bacary Sagna. Strong word is out that we are signing the player who has forced him out of the French National Team starting spot, Newcastle’s Mathieu Debuchy,
  • Arsenal are also said to be looking to add QPR’s Loic Remy IN ADDITION to Sanchez which would give the Gunners 3 different options up top,
  • Additionally, there are links to a midfield transitional replacement for Mikel Arteta. The players being mentioned are  Lars Bender, Sami Khedire and Morgan Schneiderlein, and
  • Finally, backups are being sought out for GK and CB to insure a depth.

Add all the player activity to today’s excitement around the Puma kit launch and these are certainly exciting times to be an Arsenal supporter. When you look at the package completely – commercial and player upgrades without significant losses, you have to ask yourself where does it leave Arsenal?

Now before we take one step further, as always we urge caution. No transfer deal is final until you bloody well see the man holding up a shirt. But at least a few of these “rumours” seem to have enough credibility behind them to let us dream a little. So let’s dream a little, shall we?

Like Old Times:
When Wenger arrived and through the hey day of his early years here, Arsenal were blessed with an abundance of grit and talent that catapulted them to successes on a regular basis.  The squad was a virtual who’s of who of talent who had you salivating every time they stepped onto the pitch.  It all culminated in that glorious invincible season and ended with the 2005 World Cup.

Since then the cabinet has been bare. As Arsenal moved to structure itself ahead of the coming dynamic changein football, difficult decisions were made. The move to the Emirates meant an increased focus on youth rather than older, experienced players. The hope was there was enough talent to nurture through that Arsenal would only have to add a player or two here or there to remain competitive. And while they maintained a level of competitiveness over time, it wasn’t enough.

Finally, as new commercial deals came in and freed Arsenal from the chains of its past, a dynamic shift occurred and it started before last season but we’ll use the signing of Mesut Ozil as the impetus for this discussion.

The transition to older professional and reliable talent happened with the signings of Mertesacker, Arteta, Podolski and Cazorla. And when they happened they weren’t seen as much to be overwhelmed about.  However, last season Arsenal moved to solidify the team with securing new contracts for its core of british talent. Additionally, it added the signing of world class midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Fast forward to this season and based on the news, it seems like Arsenal will once again be chock full of talent to make you salivate every match day.  Granted we won’t know anything until a team actually takes the pitch the dynamic that is being created is one that is moving in a trajectory we can all appreciate.

What seems to be happening is that, now out of the gloom of the lean years, the prudence by which Arsenal undertook their operations is paying off dividends. We all laughed when Ivan Gazidis that when the time came Arsenal would compete with the biggest clubs in Europe. And again, its still early but the talent that is being assembled in the last two years specifically surely points to that.

The signing of Sanchez alone is a tremendous feat. After his performances in the World Cup and his return last season for Barca he can be the dynamic presence up front we haven’t had. He is versatile and can play pretty much anywhere in any of the systems we might employ.

Furthermore, he was the fourth best score producing forward in La Liga last season. His stats would put him in a similar place in the Premier League.

The move for Debuchy, a DM (or B2B MF if you wish) and an additional striker, clearly looks like Arsenal believe that they have an opportunity to get back to being regular staples in the title hunt.  They’ve maintained a core of brilliant British talent who are showing their own mettle. They’ve added veterans who work together for the club and team and they are supplementing that with some of the best talent available in Europe.

The names may be different (Except one) but it certainly resembles the makings of the early Wenger years?

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

So if this all comes off who gets the accolades? This blog has been critical of the dynamic duo of Ivan Gazidis and Dick Law and some stories related to earlier transfers.  Others often wondered how did Gazidis, the former deputy commissioner of the MLS wind up with one of the best jobs in global football without much background doing so.

Well, the stories emanating from all over are the Ivan Gazidis is the driving force behind a lot of these machinations to these deals.  As a matter of fact putting the stories together it’s begging to look like that the triumverant of Gazidis, Law, and Wenger are becoming a formidable negotiating force in these deals.

If I were guessing, Ivan is driving deals likely working alongside Wenger on players who would fit Arsenal. Ivan drives the communications and when interest is solidified it is Wenger who takes the player aside to sell him and close the interest in the club. Former players laud Wenger’s persuasive abilities.  Once Gazidis and Wenger have their way, Law comes into finalize the formalities. Recent reports in Spain suggest Law made the transactions for Sanchez easy.

In the lean years, the biggest complaint was that David Dein was gone and didn’t give Wenger a suitable foil or partner in the business dealings of the club. The picture that emerges now is that the combination of Gazidis and Law are giving Wenger what many feel he has missed and it is bearing fruit in signings like Ozil and Sanchez.

Throw in how Gazidis has handled turning Arsenal’s commercial fortunes around and Ivan Gazidis is going to force a lot of naysayers, myself included, to really grovel and ask for forgiveness.

Final thoughts

Nothing has been announced. Even though as recent as an hour ago when I was writing this, Lee Dixon on his official twitter account said he had spoken to Wenger and the manager was excited about the signings of Sanchez and Debuchy. Well, if that’s not confirmation I don’t know what is.

Still, even after they have signed the games have to be played. Anything can happen but after the glorious day in May when our trophy drought clock was reset to O Days, hope continues to shine and things certainly look a far sight better then they did last season when we lost to Villa 3-1.

So give us your thoughts? What do you think this all means for Arsenal? Can they win the title with the team they are reported to be assembling? Can they make a serious run the Champion’s League?

Please note that if you are first time responder to YAMA there may be a delay in your comments as we approve all new commenters

 

TagsAFCAlexis SanchezArsenalArsenal FCArseneArsene WengerDick LawEPLGazidisIvan GazidisTransfer WindowTransfersYAMAYou Are My ArsenalYouAreMyArsenal
Previous Article

Setting the Record Straight About Soccer in ...

Next Article

Mathieu Debuchy signs for Arsenal – Bring ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • Match Previews

    Running the Gauntlet Part 2: Arsenal v Man United, Match Preview

    January 31, 2010
    By Michael Price
  • Post Match Review

    Three Things We Learned from Arsenal v Chelsea

    January 4, 2018
    By Michael Price
  • Post Match Review

    Post Match Reaction Arsenal 0 – 2 West Ham: Are Arsenal Ready For Increased Expectations?

    August 10, 2015
    By Michael Price
  • General

    Arsene’s ego and some other things

    May 16, 2011
    By Michael Price
  • General

    YAMACAST Episode 10: the one that’s longer than usual

    May 8, 2013
    By Michael Price
  • arsenal-wolves-2020-2021-premier-league-match-preview
    Match Previews

    Match Preview: Arsenal vs Wolves, Gunners Look For Any Spark For League Campaign

    November 29, 2020
    By Michael Price

7 comments

  1. joshuad 12 July, 2014 at 06:47 Log in to Reply

    sanchez is a dynamite signing. that kid is a baller indeed; easy fit to the arsenal mold.

    rumor has debuchy on the radar too. while he’s not my first pick, arsenal needs a rb. in my opinion, he’s a step down from sagna as far as being defensively responsible. likewise, £11 million seems a steep price for a rb that’s almost 30. we’ll see.

    rumor has vermaelen to manu. it’d be a good move for him because he’d certainly play ahead of the trash they’ve got there. it would be good for arsenal to collect a transfer fee. he probably won’t want to leave because first, manu aren’t in europe, second, manu won’t win the title next season, and third, arsenal might. he could roll the dice hoping that manu would be interested in signing him next year as a free agent but he needs to play now. that’s a big risk. he’s got a tough choice to make, assuming that arsenal allow him to leave.

    apparently mourinho is looking to hijack the arsenal move for sami khedira. like last year with demba ba, he sees an opportunity to disrupt arsenal making a key acquisition. hater! this khedira move is the same thing. the problem is once i heard his rumored wage demands, there are only 2 clubs in england willing to meet those wages and i doubt that arsenal is one of them.

    speaking of mourinho, why do you think chelsea signed cesc fabregas? he’s an awful lot like juan mata and mourinho couldn’t get rid of him quick enough. perhaps this is an abramovich signing and not mourinho. we’ll see.

  2. ChicagoGooner 11 July, 2014 at 16:01 Log in to Reply

    I agree with USG and Stag that we need help in central defense but we also absolutely needed help up front. You ain’t winning the league with Olivier Giroud on the sharp end of the stick. He’s not fast enough or good enough with the ball at his feet for it to be a very “sharp” end anyways. It’s no disrespect to the man, I think he’s a good professional and has served Arsenal well- and he will continue to be needed as depth is always needed to challenge on multiple fronts in European football. It’ll be nice if we strengthen at the back of the pitch too, and in the middle as well, but this is a huge step in the right direction. Even with Ozil last year, I’m still not quite used to this yet, with Arsenal paying big money for big signings. But I am enjoying it. (Now if Carmelo will just come to Chicago I’ll be all set).

    Viva Argentina!

    • stag133 12 July, 2014 at 03:14 Log in to Reply

      CG. heavy rumor we are in for Khedira!!
      There is your Defensive Midfielder… and we’d be getting pretty f’n serious if that one were to occur!!
      Pinch me. I think I’m dreaming.

      • ChicagoGooner 12 July, 2014 at 17:40 Log in to Reply

        If that happens a pinch ain’t gonna do it for me. A good slap maybe. Or a few of them.

  3. stag133 11 July, 2014 at 04:40 Log in to Reply

    LOVE the signing of Sanchez. He seems to really fit with his style of play… but I will agree with US Gunner… we were pathetic agains the other Top 4 teams… let it 17 goals in 3 away matches. Simply can’t get past that. It is an utterly ridiculous statistic. It’s not 1 fluke game, its 3 games… so there is a problem there.
    I think the DM position needs to be addressed NEXT and most importantly.
    We’ve signed Sanchez, and it appears Debuchy… now, if we can get a bit more of a BEAST at DM, we can challenge for just about anything.
    We’ll get a back-up keeper. They’re a dime a dozen… not a major concern.
    But we need a Gilberto-like shield for the back 4…
    Did you see what happened to Brazil without Thiago Silva? Hmmm. Looked a bit like Arsenal’s 3 away matches where we shipped 17 goals.

    Anyone going to Arsenal weekend in NYC?

  4. US Gunner 10 July, 2014 at 21:35 Log in to Reply

    The Sanchez signing is very exciting. I think he suits Arsenal and will do well here. However, I still feel like the priority should be to improve the center of defense and the defensive side of our central midfield. We just weren’t good enough defensively in games against the top teams.

  5. DaAdminGooner 10 July, 2014 at 20:01 Log in to Reply

    OFFICIAL Announcement –

    Alexis Sanchez signs for Arsenal
    http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20140710/alexis-sanchez-agrees-to-join-arsenal

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • GeneralMatch Previews

    Match Preview: Arsenal v Bolton; Premier League Match Day 23

  • Match Previews

    A Little Piece of Pompey Goes A Long Way: Arsenal v Portsmouth, Match Preview

  • Match Preview Image
    Match Previews

    Key Talking Points For The Europa League Semi-Final Tie Between Valencia v Arsenal

About Author

Michael Price

View all posts

Follow us

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© YouAreMyArsenal. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
You can revoke your consent any time using the revoke consent button.