Arsène Wenger continues to underwhelm Gooners around the globe with his inability to convert transfer market speculation into major signings.
Despite clear weaknesses and a lack of squad depth, the 66-year-old has signed just one ready-made player this summer while rival clubs are spending big to improve their lists.
Arsenal will need to act fast and with greater decisiveness in the current transfer market to ensure his squad is ready. Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey will be returning late to preseason due to their international commitments at Euro 2016, and their influence will be limited in the opening rounds.
Alexis Sanchez will also have an interrupted pre-season due to an ankle injury sustained in the Copa America final. With Liverpool and Leicester in the opening two rounds, there is even more pressure on Wenger to flex his financial muscles and provide cover for his depleted squad.
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This lack of action will not come as a surprise to most Arsenal supporters, as the French manager is renowned for a reluctance to spend. Historically, Wenger has demonstrated his stubbornness and timidness in the summer transfer window, and this has predictably found Arsenal still vying for their first major trophy since winning the 2003-04 Premier League title.
World-class talent has evaded Arsenal over the years, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Luis Suarez, Sami Khedira, and Karim Benzema all heavily linked with Arsenal in the past but disagreements in price saw deals fall through.
While the half-hearted attempts to lure big names to North London have continued this summer, rival clubs have been busy bolstering. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea have welcomed a host of recognised names, and they all look set to have an immediate impact for their new club. Arsenal, however, have secured Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka for £35 million from Borussia Mönchengladbach, and he remains the only noteworthy addition so far. Deals for Japanese striker Takuma Asano and young defender Rob Holding were recently completed, but they will likely have little involvement in Arsenal’s title push this season.
With another season of Champions League commitments and a belated start for a number of key players, a top 4 finish is no guarantee.
The failed pursuit of Jamie Vardy and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the cooled speculation surrounding Alexandre Lacazette, Julian Draxler, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Gonzalo Higuain highlights Wenger and Arsenal’s outdated transfer policy. With just one established striker in Olivier Giroud and a critical shortage in reliable defenders, it is a promising sign to see Wenger actively attempting to reinforce these deficiencies but he needs to be more cut-throat in completing deals.
In today’s market, clubs expect big money for losing key players, especially from prosperous clubs like Arsenal, who are known to have a cash reserve pile of over £150 million. Value for top clubs only seldom exists, and Wenger will need to embrace this new norm if he is to satisfy the deafening cry of his fans.
Wenger has been known to leave deals late, and this window is shaping in a similar fashion. A thin market suggests that a there is a shortage of available candidates to adequately help Arsenal towards future success.
The need for affirmative action is now even more valid given the shortcomings of last season. The French manager has spoken out about intent to spend big, but fans have heard it all before. Instead of buying cheap unknowns or another midfielder, Wenger needs to cough up the much-needed funds prove he has learned from last season’s missed opportunity.
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