3 pressing Arsenal summer issues + transfer rumblings…

Perhaps that new 125 year anniversary logo and motto should have been replaced with a fast forward button and the words, ‘Next year, we will learn.’

Mañana syndrome...

Try as they will, Arsenal just haven’t got the hang of this PR malarkey. We don’t want the usual suspects wheeled out over and over again telling us they’ll work harder and they’ll learn from the bad experiences. We’ve been hearing it all season. It’s becoming a running joke on Arsenal.com and I’ve had enough.

I shouldn’t have to read that a team with a salary bill of £110million is going to come back next year with some desire. It should be there ready and waiting by the bucket load especially for a group so young. It’s not about the money though, is it? I’ve said on countless occasions that you can’t buy desire, fight or hunger… you’re born with it.

Matty Flamini had it, Paddy V had it, Dennis Bergkamp had it. In fact, I’ve never known an Arsenal team to be so devoid of it. Really though, that’s something that should have been picked up through the youth side, or flagged during the countless seasons we’ve seen it exposed.

As I see it, there are a few clear issues that need tying up with immediate effect if we’re to have a clear run at the summer.

Issue #1 Contracts

Ok, so firstly we need to tie down Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy. Now, I don’t have any information from Pam on this apart from she thinks Samir will sign. Word on the street is Samir has been readying his PFA Player of the year speech since November. He also asked his mum to write him a letter for Ivan Gazidis that said something along the lines of…

Dear Ivan,

Now that I am player of the year, that £90k a week you’re offering me is paltry. Please can you up it to £120k, which is more in line with salaries of some of the high achievers I meet at French band camp.

Big Love

Sammy N x

P.S. I would also like discount totalling 15% in the Armoury for my entire family and a seat plaque for my 2 club level tickets at no extra cost.

Well, turns out you can’t win player of the year with your finger wedged up your ass. Turns out you don’t get £120k a week when you choke at the turning point of the season. If Samir hasn’t signed up by the end of June, flog him onto the highest bidder. His attitude is more suspect that Simon Cowell’s sexuality.

Gael Clichy has also had a deal on the table all season that he won’t sign. This either comes down to money or it comes down to the fact he’s been with the club forever, he’s bored and his form is shot to pieces. I’d rather keep him than lose him because I know if he leaves, Gibbs will replace him, which at the moment is one of the biggest fu*king no, no’s I can think of for next year.

Issue #2 Jack Wilshere

For me, this is probably THE most pressing issue of our summer. I don’t know how many people were paying attention to the game on Saturday, most Gooner’s had their head in their palms. I managed to keep an eye on the game and Jack Wilshere was incredibly sloppy for large parts of the game. His play has become fatigued and laboured at times and that is because top class clubs do not depend on 18 year olds to play 45 games for them.

He is absolutely exhausted. When young players are that tired, a major injury is round the corner. Arsene Wenger has run the little man into the ground this year (like he always does) and if we’re not careful, we’re going to have another Theo Walcott or Robin Van Persie on our hands. My suggestion is the coach thinks up a serious injury pretty sharpish because there is no way he should be attending the Under 21 Championships…especially if he’s playing for the seniors.

Jack obviously is not going to come out and turn down his country… everyone saw the press coverage David Bentley received after pulling out a few years ago. This is where the club need to come in and protect him, or play the system a little bit. Simple fact is, Ferguson would not allow it. Wenger shouldn’t either. Let’s get creative guys.

Issue #3 Players

Our summers follow a similar pattern, Wenger recognises we need to strengthen, the fans believe he’s finally going to have a clear out and sign some players, he doesn’t in June, but we all cite July/August for purchases, Wenger is then on pre-season, then the players aren’t available, then the market has been inflated by the Sugar Daddies, then he believes in his squad, then he announces his squad is the greatest he’s ever worked with… and so the cycle continues.

That can’t happen this summer. If Gilles Grimandi has been scouting Eden Hazard for the last 4 years, don’t wait until mid-August when Barca and AC Milan have woken up to his talents to sign him. Nip in there now, lodge a proper bid that has a chance of acceptance and be ruthless. The same for Scott Parker, let’s conclude this deal quickly before we find ourselves in wage war with Liverpool, Spurs and City.

…and please god, don’t let us be in for all these second class Lorient players again. We signed Chamakh after three years of watching him. I could have told you he wasn’t going to be any good just by looking at his goal stats over those seasons. 16, 14, 7… hardly the numbers of a prolific striker eh? He started well, but boy did he fade into averageness…

Ok, so this Kevin Gamiero has scored 37 goals in 2 seasons but I remember Stephan Guivarch who was the French Leagues record scorer tanking for Newcastle. I remember Wiltord looking like the next Ian Wright and bombing so bad we moved him out wide where his signature move was a half way line pirouette. I remember Kaba Diarwara hitting the bar more times than George Best against Leeds off the back of a terrific record.

Let’s leave the dross to teams like Sunderland… if we’re looking for a top striker, let’s make sure he has Champions League pedigree, a good goal scoring record and preferably a CV that involves a top club. If Aston Villa can afford a £24million striker, there is no reason we can’t. Robin Van Persie needs a challenge, not someone who is going to come in and admire him from afar like a smitten teenager.

We need to act quickly this summer and we need to let the dross know they need to find a new club now.

The dross list looks like this:

• Squillaci
• Eboue
• Bendtner
• Vela
• Traore
• Almunia
• Denilson
• Chamakh

Follow us on twitter @LeGrove

Follow us on Facebook

Subscribe to our daily e-mail