After the now infamous mauling, the 8-2 at the weekend, Arsene Wenger admitted that he got it wrong, and will make up for the errors. First, he brought in Park Chu-Young from Monaco, the Korean, who is captain of his national side and for his relavite size, is quite good in the air. Then, on transfer deadline day, Andre Santos, a Brazillian left-back in the mould of the legendary Roberto Carlos, arrived from Turkish giants Fenerbache, for around 6.2 million pounds. Wenger decided to withdraw from chasing Bolton's Gary Cahill and instead snapped up the Giant German, Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen for 8 million pounds. It was apparent that Arsene realised that the defense needed fixing, and fast. He went on to, by many pundits opinion, secure the deal of the day by persuading Mikel Arteta to arrive from Goodison Park, and handing cash-strapped Everton a meager sum of 10 million pounds for one of their live wires. To finish off the day, Israeli international Yossi Benayoun was brought in on a season-long loan from Chelsea, the player having been out of favour and his squad number given to new signing Juan Mata. Now, have these players helped Arsenal or have the moves been done in desperation more than anything else?
Firstly, let's take an in-depth look at the Spaniard. Arteta has been around for awhile, now aged 29. The Barcelona youth product has played for the Spanish U-21 but never managed to push himself into the senior team. So, those thinking that he is an ideal replacement for Fabregas should grab a cup of coffee and awake from your sleep. He has no doubt been extremely influential to Everton over the last 5 seasons, and has been the link from the midfield to the attack, supplying the likes of Yakubu, Saha and Cahill over the years. The former Evertonian has an exceptional passing range, be it long or short, and good vision to go along with it. One thing that he lacks is pace, which is essential in big games in the Premier League and more so in Europe. He would be a good stop-gap replacement for Fabregas, but one can't help think that sooner or later, January at the earliest that Belgian whizkid, Eden Hazard will arrive at the Emirates. Until now though, as the saying goes, you have to settle for what you have. For the money, he is worth the buy, though whether he can make a big impact is a matter of time. He will not require much time to settle in the team, though from an Arsenal fan point of view, he should perform better compared to when he was at Everton as players at the Emirates play a similar style to him. His arrival would mean that Aaron Ramsey will have to settle for a role on the bench, as Jack Wilshere will slot back into the centre alongside Alex Song when he's fit. For now though, Mikel Arteta is a stop-gap replacement at the very most.
Enter the Giant, from Germany. Per Mertesacker is well-known in Europe, though at only 26, has made a relatively huge number of appearances for club and country. An ever present in the German back-line, the big man has exceptional silky feet for his height. Good in the air, boasting a 6foot 6 frame, he loses minimal aerial battles, but can be muscled out of a challenge when going against the likes of Drogba, Kenwyne Jones and the usual stout guys in the Premier League. A very clean tackler, Mertesacker is always in the good books of the referees. Again, for the money he is a good buy, but if Arsene Wenger had decided to double the amount, he could've snatched Gary Cahill and settled the problem once and for all. That being said, at least Mertesacker looks like he and Vermaelen will be extremely reliable at the back. I can't help figure if one of the duo get injured, and we're back to square one. One thing Mr Wenger has got to look at is if Mertesacker is facing pacy forwards, as the German doesn't have pace as one of his weapons, though his reading of the game makes up for it, to an extent. However, its better to be safe than sorry. All in all, the German looks like an astute signing by a manager under pressure.
Finally, the capture of Brazillian wing-back Andre Santos from Turkish side Fenerbache is indeed a good buy from Arsene Wenger considering he shipped out two left backs (Gael Clichy and Armand Traore to Man City and QPR respectively). Santos is in the mould of Roberto Carlos, though slightly taller, but overall, both have a similar playing style. What he will bring is consistency, and he has the ability to chip in with a couple of goals. He has very good crossing ability, and a ferocious shot comes as a package, something like a 3-1 thing. Brazillians who have played in the Premier League in defensive positions have the tendency to do well, though the same cannot be said about the attack-minded players. The question as to who will be first choice is all down to one man, though I hope it is Santos for the time being, but there is a possibility that Gibbs could be pushed further forward in away matches in Europe. Then there is also the small issue of the loan signing of Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli international needs no introduction, and is a good impact player as he proved to be at Liverpool. For his and Arsenal's sake, I really hope he is given ample playing time, because he can do what Nasri did, though its unfair to compare the two. He can be a good link between the midfield and attack and can help out RVP when the need arises.
The mega signing everyone was hoping for never arrived, though there were stories blooming that Eden Hazard had submitted a transfer request. I for one, cannot verify the facts, but the deal could still happen in January, or most certainly next summer. By then though, a bidding war would have erupted and the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea or Man. City would be in pole position to secure his coveted signature, though Madrid is likely to come out on top.
As for now though, the transfer window has slammed shut and most clubs have pretty much got an idea of how good their squad is, though the most disappointing team, transfer wise, has got to be Tottenham as the North-Londoners failed to bring in needed quality other than Scott Parker for a reported 5 million pounds. For a manager of Harry Redknapp's repertoire, it is quite shocking as he is known to be an expert in wheeling and dealing.
That's is for now, my next posting will be a build-up to Arsenal's next game when the welcome Swansea to the Emirates. I wouldn't say that it's a must-win game, but if Arsenal fail to do so, then the Premier League might as well prepare coffins for all the players and bury them in the ground at the Emirates, and let Arsene Wenger be the presider for the mass funeral.
Jay Jay
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