Hello.
Today I thought I'd continue with my squad assessment, but first there are a couple of things to take note of.
First, Arsene has a received something close to £100 million on transfers. It's a considerable sum and I sincerely hope we will spend this money. And not to buy one player on a deadline day. While acquiring Ozil was great and all, the manner was nervy, to say the least. I'd prefer we do our business as early as possible this summer, especially since the first game will be against Man City and the reigning champions will be completely up for the task.
Another interesting bit concerns player departures. The Club has issued a statement, which informs us of four such departures: Aneke, Boateng, Park and Bendtner. Or, as I like to call him, Presidentner.
While the first two players I hardly know of (cause they never made the step-up to the first team), Park and Bendtner are more interesting. As a footballer, the former will always remain a mystery to me, nor will I understand why we have signed this striker back in 2011. I've seen him once on the pitch (as a sub), some even say he's scored once, but the lack of information on him speaks for itself. Good luck to him, though, wherever he ends up.
Presidentner, meanwhile, finally makes his not-so-great exit. We have tried to get the Dane off the books for at least three seasons. He played for Sunderland (did well there), Juventus (rarely featured before injuring his groin) and us, this season. It seemed at one point like he could become a decent backup striker to Giroud, scoring important goals against Hull and Cardiff, then he did his Copenhagen trick and disappeared even from the bench. I still think Bendtner can have some good years in front of him, if he puts in some effort, but I'm relieved we won't have to track his progress and pay his wages. Farewell, Bendtner, wherever you go.
And now, on to our defenders. Starting with:
Kieran Gibbs. Our left-back has had one of his most (if not the most) successful seasons in red and white. Played quite a lot (41 appearance, 7 of them from the bench), was the model of consistency, was wrongly sent off against Chelsea and capped it all off with a save from the line in the final. Injury in February hindered his progress, but I was calm each time Gibbo started on the left. Unfortunately, he won't go to the World Cup (Baines was paired up with Luke Shaw), but, then again, he will be able to get a good pre-season with little to no risk of getting injured.
Nacho Monreal. Though you kinda get the feeling the Spaniard was peripheral to our plans, 20 starts and 36 appearances tell their own story. I still think the majority of these substitute appearances came when Arsene was keen to shore things up when defending a slender lead, but 20 starts remain. Unfortunately, there was a stretch when Nacho was so unreliable, that Vermaelen started on the left instead. However, the Spaniard was at times much more of a threat in the final third, so there were both ups and downs in his career this season. But he's definitely second-choice to Gibbs, mostly because his consistency and positioning leave a great deal to be desired.
Thomas Vermaelen. Our skipper had a hard season. Just thirteen starts, only seven of these in the league and this because he's not nearly as reliable as Koscielny or Mertesacker. Therefore, he was only restricted to when either of them were injured or suspended. The Belgian did well when called upon, though, but our defence just doesn't look rock solid with Thomas in it. He may well try himself elsewhere next season, and who would blame him? I do hope we'll find a proper replacement if he goes, though, to say nothing of the fact, that a centre-back has still to be on our shopping list, regardless of whether Vermaelen goes.
Laurent Koscielny. Well, 12 out of ten. Simply great. Yes, yes, there were some moments of madness involving the Frenchman (Why always him? I suspect, there is something to it), but Laurent has been consistently brilliant. I've lost count, how many different (and talented) strikers he's put in his pocket. From the Dutch Skunk to Luis Suarez, all of them suffered a similar fate. Like everyone else, was taken apart at Etihad (though he came off at 2-1 with an injury), Stamford Bridge and Anfield, but was great otherwise. Also, scored a couple of important (however scrappy) goals, including the equaliser at Wembley.
Per Mertesacker. Same as his French counterpart, but seems less assured with Vermaelen by his side. The German also scored some goals, his strike against Wigan stands out.
Carl Jenkinson. On him it's hard to make a definite judgement. Mostly came on to strengthen the right flank so we can hang on, but had nonetheless started some games. I remember bemoaning his presence in early December (I think), after we've lost Sagna and had to stick to Carl for the games against Napoli (0-2) and Everton (1-1). I thought at the time that we would have fared better with Sagna starting these games, but a week after we played the Toffees Sagna was available and we got smashed by City. Oh, and let's not forget our back-up right-back scored his first goal this season, so he's definitely got potential to make a step-up. Not next season, though.
Bacary Sagna. The model of consistency. Once again had a great season, showed his ability to play at any defensive position and got that piece of silverware for his efforts. Unfortunately, Bacary hasn't agreed new terms with us and it's unlikely he will between now and July 1st. The Frenchman seems to be leaving to play for Manchester City and I'm not going to hold it against him. Unlike Clichy, Nasri, Toure and Adebayor he's leaving at 31 and I can understand why he does it. It's about the money, the money we cannot afford to pay him and, as it's likely to be his last professional contract, I have no problem with it. The best of luck to the Frenchman, he's had seven great years with us and got that trophy at the end.
Phew, that's it for today. I'll be back Monday with a review of our midfield.
Until then
