Exceeding expectations

After the 2013-2014 season drew to a close I have to admit I was a little worried about how well Arsenal will fare in the transfer window. Arsene said before the World Cup that most (if not all) business would be done after the tournament in Brazil. What further fuelled my sense of uneasiness was our manager stating a year ago how purchasing more than three players can disrupt the balance of the team. You need to look to further than Tottenham to confirm Arsene was right. After Fabianski and Sagna left the Club I realised with growing horror that three players is the minimum requirement this summer. A right-back and a goalkeeper to cover for the ones that departed, and a striker to strengthen our attack, because it was obvious Giroud wouldn't manage a second season like that. He was deep in the fabled red zone, but even the maximum, he undoubtedly gave us, wasn't enough. We needed not only a striker who would take some of the weight from the Frenchman's shoulders, we needed a striker with a different playstyle. All in all, we had a month and a half and three vital players to purchase. I was stocking up on validol, fully expecting to sign two of these three on deadline day. I was wrong.

Mere 15 days after Germany won the most prestigious prize in footballing world, Arsenal has bought four players. It all started with the acquisition of Alexis Sanchez and I maintain the Chilean will be our most exciting piece of business this summer. Even if purchase a DM of Khedira's level, he won't outshine our №17. The attack received the boost it needed and we moved on to other areas of the pitch, in a ruthless and efficient manner.

A week after Sanchez signed on the dotted line, Mathieu Debuchy made his grand entrance. He represented experience, a like-for-like replacement for Sagna and, while not overly exciting, the Frenchman was just the player we needed. Aurier was a gamble, Debuchy was not.

Yesterday David Ospina was announced, though Arsene let it slip about the transfer back on Friday. This was a mouthwatering deal, because Arsene didn't sign someone like Schwarzer, who would only provide back-up, he signed a very good keeper in his prime, who would push Szczesny all the way.

However, I haven't had time to drool over Ospina for as long as I would have liked. Today Arsenal announced yet another deal, Chambers completing his move from Southampton for £16 million (£11 million up front + £5 million in bonuses). There's the usual waffle you can find on the official site, while I here wanted to concentrate on an interview Wenger gave to The Telegraph.

On Chambers versatility:

“He can play at centre-back, right-back and central midfield. I hope he will give us competition for the players in this three positions. He hasn’t played many games, no, but the English players on the market in England are very expensive and at the end of the day I was ready to take a gamble because he is a player for the future.”

I'll leave the bit about expensiveness out (Shaw costs £30, but Debuchy £10? Madness) and focus on the versatility bit. The fact that Wenger hints at it gives me the feeling that we're probably done in the market this summer and will only purchase another player if someone (like Vermaelen) leaves. To me, what Arsene is saying is basically this: "I've got us a back-up right-back, an emergency centre-back and a possible DM. These positions are covered, so no more arrivals". Not that I have anything against it, we are already very well-stocked. However, Ornstein (this guy has grown on me) gives us the following info:

As I've said, I'm not overly concerned with whether there will be further arrivals this summer, but this tweet sounds like we are aiming for the maximum plan. If anyone would have told me three weeks ago we would sign four players and will be in the market for a fifth before August even kicks in, I would have laughed. Joker-style.

While the arrival of Chambers is a positive one, it seriously hampers Carl Jenkinson chances at Arsenal. From a possible №1 he turned into №3 and Chambers is "the one for the future", mind you. He's younger than Carl and already better positioned at Arsenal.

Which means one thing only: Jenkinson will leave, either on loan or permanently. Our young right-back was linked with a number of clubs over the course of the day, Hull being quoted as the most likely destination. Well, what can I say? This is sad. Jenks may have a chance to prove himself at N5 in 2015-2016 campaign, but right now he doesn't have one. He will likely leave, I keep all my fingers crossed that Jenks will do so on loan and I wish him all the luck. Really. If he impresses away from Arsenal, he'll have a chance. Especially if Arsene will make a CB or a DM out of Chambers.

Finally for today, Sanchez won't join the rest of the team when they fly to Austria for intensive training, as he has some visa problems. Arsene sounded frustrated at that and I can get him: why wasn't this sorted out before? One of our key cogs won't be able to integrate in our team the way Arsene would have liked, which casts a doubt over Sanchez debut at the Emirates Cup. Why his visa problems can't be solved by someone else is another thing entirely.

That's it for today. Bake in our two fresh signings for now and I'll be back with you as soon as something interesting pops up.

Until then