As Arsenal fans we have heard this phrase way too often for our liking in recent years. When we hear it, we usually suspect we don't target any particular player, rather, it's an excuse for buying no one.
The reasons could be different. We don't have the funds (no longer the case), we cannot lure top players away, our salary policy is no match to that of City's or Chelsea's. In other words, more often than not, this phrase meant (you won't argue with the past tense, would you?) that a couple of youngsters and an experienced centre-back is best we, as fans, can hope for.
For years we could have pinpointed the positions that needed strengthening, and bemoaned the Club's inaction to operate properly in the transfer market. This resulted in wild chases for the top four spot, unexpected and complete downfalls from the first positions, lost finals, missed opportunities, etc. etc. Even last year's transfer window can be considered a flop of sorts. Don't get me wrong, the acquisition of Ozil is great, a step forward in many senses and, most importantly, a statement of intent, but we didn't buy a striker. Simple as that. We knew Giroud isn't the type of forward to score 30+ goals a season, even if provided with enough service. Yet we failed to get anyone and this resulted in one of the lowest-scoring sides under Arsene Wenger. Just 68 goals in 38 games, 34 less than City, 33 less than Liverpool and even a couple less than Chelsea, who, may I remind you, had Torres, Ba and Eto'o for strikers. Definitely less of a force than Giroud, Podolski and Walcott.
It's not like Arsenal didn't try, I get it. We fell just a bit short of signing Higuain (is £32 million a lot to ask for Gonzalo? After this World Cup, it seems that it is. But he still managed to have a very good season with Napoli). We then tried to sign Suarez, but John Henry, Brendan Rodgers and Co went out of their way to stop us from acquiring their star striker, even though the latter has bitten Ivanovic. Liverpool pretended they didn't have to sell Suarez if someone offered them more than £40 million and forced Luis to stay. It later turned out John Henry lied about that clause and Gazidis took him to court, but it was too late.
Then there was what I consider our stupidest bit of business up to date: Wenger tried to loan out Ba. Maybe our manager didn't expect he'd go so low on the transfer priorities list, but he had to, something that resulted in an attempt to sign Ba on the last day of the transfer window. Had I been Arsene's adviser, I wouldn't have included any player over whom we'd have to deal with Mourinho in the list, knowing full well what a twat the Portuguese is, but then again I wouldn't have allowed Arsene to make a bid for Suarez, which would also have been a good thing and...I'm being carried away here.
Point is, Wenger comes at things from a much more informed perspective than I do, which is why I would have been a bad adviser. Except for Ba. And Suarez.
Anyway, we were all set to acquire at least one striker (on loan, but still) which would, in it's turn, have allowed Bendtner to go, when suddenly (surprise, surprise), Mourinho pulled out of the deal, leaving us with only Giroud as a spearhead. You just can't do business with Mourinho.
This year, however, the phrase about quality takes on a whole new meaning. It was clear early in the summer that the Club was bursting with cash. It was also clear we needed to reinforce three positions at least, five is better. And then came this question: "Who should we buy?" If I'm to put it Johnny English-style: "A simple question, but one that, I believe, has a complex answer".
Seriously though, you can't just buy every good player available and then hope it'll work out. In England, such tactic has only worked out for City, but every time I think how many good players have been polishing the bench for sheer numbers to finally make up for the quality, I shudder. Pantilimon, Kolarov, Richards, Rodwell, Negredo, Jovetic (for God's sake). They were all basically deemed surplus to reguirements. They didn't play, they are unlikely to become a catch for any top club for that reason and some of them are bound to leave (like Pantilimon, who already did). Hell, even their leader and top scorer Toure is considering an exit, though for different reasons. Sometimes it seems the Citizens don't have a clue as to who they should buy and how should they operate in the transfer market.
However, I've given you a quite shiny example of not having a method to one's transfer market madness. I've touched on Barcelona and how they can have a second trophyless season if they don't start buying the players they really need (and quickly), but there are also less fortunate clubs. Look at Tootenham last season. More than £100 million spent, 9 (or was it even more?) new players and such a failure. Everyone laughed at Arsene when he warned Boas against trying to glue together so many newcomers, but the Frenchman was right. Only Eriksen had a good season, everyone else (including a much-hyped Lamela) had a lame year. Spurs finished sixth, well behind us and even a couple of points behind Everton (and the Toffees didn't spend £100 million on new players, mind you), crashed out of all the cups, thrice has lost to Arsenal (yay!) and some of their other losses won't be forgotten in a hurry. Like a double combo against Liverpool.
They will now have a hell of a hard time building a new team with a new manager and the board wants Spurs to finish in the top four, or else they fire Pocettino. Madness.
This year, Liverpool and Chelsea have picked up the mantle of buying loads of players they don't really need. Liverpool is trying to plug a huge hole left by Suarez by buying ten players who have ten times less quality in a wild hope that it will work out (just like Tottenham last year) and Chelsea is cementing their reputation as dickheaded moneybags. They have bought Costa and Luis after having seen the pair thrash them in the semi-final, returned Courtois (same reason) and bought Fabregas only to stop Arsenal from signing the Spaniard. They have also tried to hi-jack Kroos deal and are now desperately trying to convince Khedira to join them instead of us. No thinking process involved, it seems.
Chelsea let Luiz go to replace the guy with Luis (it's only one letter, isn't it?), I'm pretty sure they don't know what to do with brilliant Cech and they definitely have a packed (even without Lampard) midfield to not need Fabregas, Kroos or Khedira. Seriously, where is Fabregas going to play? Where Oscar now resides? Mata has been sold to let Oscar flourish, is Mourinho going to drop the Brazilian for an older Fabregas, maybe not used to playing in Premier League anymore? How about Matic, Ramires? Are they going to give way to Khedira? And Kroos. Same position as Oscar and Fabregas. So tell me, why exactly does Chelsea need all those palyers?
The answer is simple: they don't. The Blues just try to buy everything that moves and hope this strategy works. Well, we'll see.
That's why I like what Arsenal is doing this summer. We have a plan, we are acting on it, we are succeeding. Fabianski and Viviano left? Why don't we sign a quality back-up keeper, like Ospina, who'll push Szczesny all the way. Sagna gone to play for City? Debuchy (a player with experience in the PL) will be our number one, while Manquilo (young right-back from Atletico) may provide cover.
Have an ageing Arteta and no one to replace him in that holding role? Why not nick an unsatisfied reigning World Cup champion from Real Madrid for a meagre sum. Problems in attack? Here's one of the best strikers if this World Cup, 25 and fresh from Barcelona. It even looks like we are not letting Vermaelen go to United, unless they provide us with Smalling so we won't be left short on numbers.
And, mind you, I'm sure all these players will fit in, because, unlike other managers, Arsene always looks at a broader picture. He always says the team comes first, so when he signs a player, the chances of him not fitting in are minimal.
Because we only buy players, if they have the quality...we need
The reasons could be different. We don't have the funds (no longer the case), we cannot lure top players away, our salary policy is no match to that of City's or Chelsea's. In other words, more often than not, this phrase meant (you won't argue with the past tense, would you?) that a couple of youngsters and an experienced centre-back is best we, as fans, can hope for.
For years we could have pinpointed the positions that needed strengthening, and bemoaned the Club's inaction to operate properly in the transfer market. This resulted in wild chases for the top four spot, unexpected and complete downfalls from the first positions, lost finals, missed opportunities, etc. etc. Even last year's transfer window can be considered a flop of sorts. Don't get me wrong, the acquisition of Ozil is great, a step forward in many senses and, most importantly, a statement of intent, but we didn't buy a striker. Simple as that. We knew Giroud isn't the type of forward to score 30+ goals a season, even if provided with enough service. Yet we failed to get anyone and this resulted in one of the lowest-scoring sides under Arsene Wenger. Just 68 goals in 38 games, 34 less than City, 33 less than Liverpool and even a couple less than Chelsea, who, may I remind you, had Torres, Ba and Eto'o for strikers. Definitely less of a force than Giroud, Podolski and Walcott.
It's not like Arsenal didn't try, I get it. We fell just a bit short of signing Higuain (is £32 million a lot to ask for Gonzalo? After this World Cup, it seems that it is. But he still managed to have a very good season with Napoli). We then tried to sign Suarez, but John Henry, Brendan Rodgers and Co went out of their way to stop us from acquiring their star striker, even though the latter has bitten Ivanovic. Liverpool pretended they didn't have to sell Suarez if someone offered them more than £40 million and forced Luis to stay. It later turned out John Henry lied about that clause and Gazidis took him to court, but it was too late.
Then there was what I consider our stupidest bit of business up to date: Wenger tried to loan out Ba. Maybe our manager didn't expect he'd go so low on the transfer priorities list, but he had to, something that resulted in an attempt to sign Ba on the last day of the transfer window. Had I been Arsene's adviser, I wouldn't have included any player over whom we'd have to deal with Mourinho in the list, knowing full well what a twat the Portuguese is, but then again I wouldn't have allowed Arsene to make a bid for Suarez, which would also have been a good thing and...I'm being carried away here.
Point is, Wenger comes at things from a much more informed perspective than I do, which is why I would have been a bad adviser. Except for Ba. And Suarez.
Anyway, we were all set to acquire at least one striker (on loan, but still) which would, in it's turn, have allowed Bendtner to go, when suddenly (surprise, surprise), Mourinho pulled out of the deal, leaving us with only Giroud as a spearhead. You just can't do business with Mourinho.
This year, however, the phrase about quality takes on a whole new meaning. It was clear early in the summer that the Club was bursting with cash. It was also clear we needed to reinforce three positions at least, five is better. And then came this question: "Who should we buy?" If I'm to put it Johnny English-style: "A simple question, but one that, I believe, has a complex answer".
Seriously though, you can't just buy every good player available and then hope it'll work out. In England, such tactic has only worked out for City, but every time I think how many good players have been polishing the bench for sheer numbers to finally make up for the quality, I shudder. Pantilimon, Kolarov, Richards, Rodwell, Negredo, Jovetic (for God's sake). They were all basically deemed surplus to reguirements. They didn't play, they are unlikely to become a catch for any top club for that reason and some of them are bound to leave (like Pantilimon, who already did). Hell, even their leader and top scorer Toure is considering an exit, though for different reasons. Sometimes it seems the Citizens don't have a clue as to who they should buy and how should they operate in the transfer market.
However, I've given you a quite shiny example of not having a method to one's transfer market madness. I've touched on Barcelona and how they can have a second trophyless season if they don't start buying the players they really need (and quickly), but there are also less fortunate clubs. Look at Tootenham last season. More than £100 million spent, 9 (or was it even more?) new players and such a failure. Everyone laughed at Arsene when he warned Boas against trying to glue together so many newcomers, but the Frenchman was right. Only Eriksen had a good season, everyone else (including a much-hyped Lamela) had a lame year. Spurs finished sixth, well behind us and even a couple of points behind Everton (and the Toffees didn't spend £100 million on new players, mind you), crashed out of all the cups, thrice has lost to Arsenal (yay!) and some of their other losses won't be forgotten in a hurry. Like a double combo against Liverpool.
They will now have a hell of a hard time building a new team with a new manager and the board wants Spurs to finish in the top four, or else they fire Pocettino. Madness.
This year, Liverpool and Chelsea have picked up the mantle of buying loads of players they don't really need. Liverpool is trying to plug a huge hole left by Suarez by buying ten players who have ten times less quality in a wild hope that it will work out (just like Tottenham last year) and Chelsea is cementing their reputation as dickheaded moneybags. They have bought Costa and Luis after having seen the pair thrash them in the semi-final, returned Courtois (same reason) and bought Fabregas only to stop Arsenal from signing the Spaniard. They have also tried to hi-jack Kroos deal and are now desperately trying to convince Khedira to join them instead of us. No thinking process involved, it seems.
Chelsea let Luiz go to replace the guy with Luis (it's only one letter, isn't it?), I'm pretty sure they don't know what to do with brilliant Cech and they definitely have a packed (even without Lampard) midfield to not need Fabregas, Kroos or Khedira. Seriously, where is Fabregas going to play? Where Oscar now resides? Mata has been sold to let Oscar flourish, is Mourinho going to drop the Brazilian for an older Fabregas, maybe not used to playing in Premier League anymore? How about Matic, Ramires? Are they going to give way to Khedira? And Kroos. Same position as Oscar and Fabregas. So tell me, why exactly does Chelsea need all those palyers?
The answer is simple: they don't. The Blues just try to buy everything that moves and hope this strategy works. Well, we'll see.
That's why I like what Arsenal is doing this summer. We have a plan, we are acting on it, we are succeeding. Fabianski and Viviano left? Why don't we sign a quality back-up keeper, like Ospina, who'll push Szczesny all the way. Sagna gone to play for City? Debuchy (a player with experience in the PL) will be our number one, while Manquilo (young right-back from Atletico) may provide cover.
Have an ageing Arteta and no one to replace him in that holding role? Why not nick an unsatisfied reigning World Cup champion from Real Madrid for a meagre sum. Problems in attack? Here's one of the best strikers if this World Cup, 25 and fresh from Barcelona. It even looks like we are not letting Vermaelen go to United, unless they provide us with Smalling so we won't be left short on numbers.
And, mind you, I'm sure all these players will fit in, because, unlike other managers, Arsene always looks at a broader picture. He always says the team comes first, so when he signs a player, the chances of him not fitting in are minimal.
Because we only buy players, if they have the quality...we need