We march into August and the return
of Premier League with our football appetite close to being satisfied once more.
Whether it’s that first crisp match day pint or that first glimpse of the pitch
when walking out into the stands, it’s just 17 summer days until your football
thirst is well and truly quenched. However, that summer side dish of off the
pitch excitement induced by a juicy big money transfer remains unseen.
This last month we have ‘agreed
terms’ with Gonzalo Higuain and ‘promised’ to make our interest in Athletico
Mineiro’s Bernard formal. Higuain has since moved Napoli and Bernard looks set
to move to Shaktar Donetsk although, according to the player’s father, against
his will.
If you had told me, when I was
writing The Monthly Munson last month,
that Higuain would soon be playing at the Emirates Cup I am sure the level of
delirium would have been somewhat different to the prospect of seeing him in a
Napoli shirt this weekend.
So in the last month of the transfer
window, the month that plays host to Arsenal’s first two Premier League, should
we accept Suarez with open arms and is Yaya Sanogo one to watch?
By far and away the most technically
gifted player we have been linked with since we brought in the likes of Marc
Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp were brought into the club in the 1990s. After
diverting his interest from Higuain onto Suarez, it seems almost vital that
Arsene Wenger brings in the Uruguayan. Not only for our season but also for
Wenger’s credibility with the fans.
Although there may not appear to be
any reason to rush Luis Suarez’s transfer due to his ten match ban spreading
over from last season; I believe it to be necessary to conclude any deal as
soon as possible. As much as we would all like to convince ourselves that a
transfer can be completed at the flick of a switch, or a tap of an ‘X’ on a
game of FIFA, the negotiation of transfers can be a long and gruelling task.
Agent fees have to be agreed, new houses looked at and in most cases new
schools found if the player has children; the idea that we can simply switch
targets in late August, should there be a break down in negotiations, is
ludicrous.
As time has worn on there has been
change in consensus, amongst fans, as to whether we should sign Suarez or not.
When Higuain was, or at least appeared to be, available we didn’t want a
“diving, cheating racist”. How fickle football makes us. Can we blame anyone
who has changed their mind on the matter though? In a world where Gareth Bale
is ‘worth’ between £85m and £145m, Luis Suarez looks a bargain.
Statistically Suarez, although only
marginally, performed better than the afore mentioned Welsh international in
2012/13 boasting two more goals and one more assist.
In footballing terms, the acquisition of Suarez is really a
no brainer. The whole front three of our 4-3-3 would become almost unplayable
with three immensely talented a versatile players in Theo Walcott, Lukas
Podolski and Suarez. All three players can play as a striker or a winger; if
they were allowed to rotate, this would play havoc against man-marking defences
thus creating many more chances. Last season’s problem of having such a static
front line would be a thing of the past.
Although it has gone largely
unnoticed, Arsenal signed the young, and rather promising, Yaya Sanogo on a
free transfer from Auxere.
He has been overlooked by fans and
the media due to pressing issues surrounding the first team, however I think he
could have a big future.
There is very much an Adebayor look
to him but with a bit more muscle. At 6’3”ft he looks far too tall and clumsy
to do anything worthy of YouTube fame with a football, but when push comes to
shove he is more than capable of beating a defender. He disappeared off the
scene for a while, due to injury, after phenomenal, yes phenomenal,
performances at youth level. At the age of 13 he scored 25 goals and got 17
assists in just 14 matches. After a successful youth career he signed a professional
deal with Auxere, snubbing Spurs. He has also amassed 35 goals at youth level
for his country. Before moving to Auxere, Sanago was at the academy of Club Omnisports des Ulis, the academy Thierry Henry spent
the first six years of his youth career. He certainly has all the compounds for
‘Le Profeseur’ to turn the France international starlet into an Arsenal goal
machine.
Before I finish this
month’s Monthly Munson I want to
quickly glaze the main talking points of Arsenal’s pre season tour of Asia.
Theo Walcott: Although
pre season performances do not carry too much weight, Theo Walcott may face
some serious competition for his spot in the starting eleven should his poor
pre season carry through into the Emirates Cup and Arsenal’s friendly with
Manchester City.
Poor performances against
Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan has left the England international open to
criticism and could cost him his starting place against Aston Villa when the
season kicks off. Walcott has plenty to prove with the likes of Ryo Miyaichi
and Oxlade Chamberlain keen to prove themselves before the start of the season.
Olivier Giroud: Perhaps
the likes of Indonesia and Vietnam are not the best opposition to judge a
player on, but Giroud looked like a man on a mission to prove that he should be
Arsenal’s main striker next season. More importantly he looked confident,
confidence being something he appeared to lack at the start of last season.
Will Giroud’s pre season
goals lead to an improved goals tally at the end of the season? It is hard to
say given constant speculation that we are in for a striker; however, when he
does play, I expect him do have improved on last season. When he first
completed his transfer from Montpllier of Ligue 1 he admitted he worried about
playing in a faster league where he would have less time to make decisions on
the ball, as a result he lashed he shots a goal. Now he is used to the pace to
the Premier League I expect him to become an extremely useful player.
That is all for this
month, I will see you for The Monthly
Munson on September 1st, I may have some more pieces on
GunnersTown before then so stay tuned. Thanks for reading.
I lived in Highbury & Islington for the first 13 years of my life; so close to Highbury, the stadium, that in my bedroom I could hear the crowd celebrating Arsenal’s goals, victories and titles. This would often spoil games for me when watching matches on TV because I knew we had scored a good 30 seconds before I saw it on the box.
Living in North London not only defined me as a person but as a football fan. What young boy would not have been inspired by the ‘Gooner Galacticos’? Despite now living in Kent, I am privileged enough to go to The Arsenal on a regular basis. I’ve finished school and I’m starting college next year to study media, psychology and English at AS-Level; hopefully this will enhance the possibility of me becoming a sports journalist.
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