Mid-summer Transfer Round-up - Rosicky to Szczesny

     Today is July 11th, and the summer is about halfway over. Due to Arsenal's poor season, Arsene Wenger has been stressed to make new signings, but it's also important to let go of some players who give little to the side, and keep the players that are our prized assets.

     I'll be addressing all of our own player's transfer situations in alphabetical order. There are exactly 31 players in our first team, so I'll do five players per post. Today, I start with Rosicky. 

21. Tomas Rosicky - 

     I'm not a big fan of Rosicky. At the beginning of the season he and I were fine, but ever since he bombed his penalty to Jupiter at the Stadium of Light, out relationship has gone down hill. However, I did let out a small grin when he scored at Orient. "Rosicky ends his goal drought with a header from the penalty spot? Piss off. You've got to be kidding!" I said. There's no doubt Rosicky is a fantastic player and is very intelligent, but he no longer has the quality to break into the first team. That being said, he is a good bench player, and has come in handy when others have been out injured. I'd just like Tomas a lot more if he'd cut his hair. 

     I used to hate Rosicky, but now I don't. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because I haven't seen him play in a while! Heh. But whether I like him or not, Arsenal needs him, in case of emergency, and FA Cup and Carling Cup matches. Arsene Wenger seems to agree with me, as couple weeks ago he told Rosicky he had no intention of selling him: 

     "I don’t want to go somewhere where I would have it easier and where even the ordinary life would be easier for me. I want to achieve something with Arsenal.

     On Monday, I am starting pre-season with Arsenal. Before vacation I was speaking with coach Wenger and he told me he counted on my services and that there was no intention of selling me."

     See you next season Rosicky!

22. Bacary Sagna - 
     Sagna! I love him. Who doesn't? He seems like a great lad. He gives his all for the club, and has had a fantastic season. His crossing has improved, he's scored two goals this past season, and his tackling has been spot on. Like I said before, (in some other post on the blog) if Jack didn't have the fantastic season he did, Sagna would have deserved the award. Sagna has been the definition of consistency. A true asset to the club, and one we should do our best to hold onto.
     Regarding transfers, Sagna is staying, and said this:

      "I have a very good feeling playing with this team. I am convinced a lot of French players want to be in my position but it's true. Everything is possible, but I can say I'm now at Arsenal 99 per cent."

     Good to hear. So far this blog post has gone well! Two players who want to stay and win! 

23. Alexander Song - 

     
     For the first couple months of the season I was not impressed with Song. He thought he was Cesc Fabregas at times when he wasn't, and would leave our defense naked, yearning for some clothing. However, as the months went by, Song began to learn his rightful position and the positioning of that position. Song has had a good season and perhaps we wouldn't have had such a disappointing year had Song been fit for the entire season. Also, he is the only defensive midfielder we have, and needs some competition for that role. 

     There aren't any rumors linking Song away from the club. The only thing one could worry over is the fact that Song could face up to two years of jail time. Yep. Not kidding. I'm not scared really, the whole story is probably a result of some guy that wants attention. But if he actually goes to jail, I'll only have one response: WTF?

24. Sebastian Squillaci - 

     By far our best performer of the season. Played the offside trap to perfection, always anticipated danger, never scored own goals, and never, ever headed his own team mates in the head. Oh, wait...

     Well, that was a perfect description of Squillaci, no? I'm desperate to hold onto him, and thankfully no offers have been made, however the interest in Samba and Cahill suggest he could be on his way out. If he goes I'll be distraught. He and Koscielny in the back were a brick wall!

25. Woijcech Szczesny - 

     When Szczensy first started to get some attention and I started to write about him, I had to look online a million times how to spell his name before I had it memorized. What a pain in the ass that was. Anyway, young Woijcech has made an unbelievable amount of progress in the past year. On February 13th, 2010, Szczesny played in a match between Brentford and Wycombe in League One. On February 16th, 2011, Szczesny played in our match against Barcelona at the Emirates. Quite a leap! Szczesny isn't perfect though, he still has work to do, especially on his positioning which he has been caught out on numerous times.But, he's one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, and has the potential to be the outright best one day. And, he gets jobs done that Arsenal fans can't.
     There aren't any rumors linking SzczesnySzczesny would have a real battle for places with Fabianski and Gordon, if he came. 


     That's that for today. Tomorrow I'll have updates on Traore, Van Persie, Vela, Vermaelen, Walcott, and Wilshere - it will be the last installment of the Mid-summer Transfer Round-up. I hope you liked the post, and encourage you to comment and leave your thoughts.

Arsenal's Defensive Midfield Crisis - Why Center Backs Can't Play in Midfield

   
     Based on Arsenal's past voyages in the transfer market, you'd have to say that Arsene Wenger has really stepped out of his "comfort zone" this summer. We've already made one signing in Carl Jenkinson (not so illustrious, but it's a start) and we're heavily linked with other players such as Gervinho, Alvarez, Cahill, Heitinga, and Samba.
     When you look at those players, you've got two wingers* and three center backs. This is good, because we all know how much Arsenal needs a physical, no-nonsense center back for those Britannia matches. It's also nice to see some wingers being signed; Arshavin will probably leave next summer making way for Alvarez, and Gervinho could mean a move for Walcott. Could he finally be put up front as a central striker? We'll have to wait and see.
*I think they'll both be played as wingers.

We need two of him!

     So while we're doing well in the transfer market, at this point in time, I'm not completely convinced. Arsenal season after season has been hit with injuries. And quite frankly, we lack depth in certain positions to have a sense of security when a starter gets injured, or simply needs rest.
     I'm talking about the defensive midfield role. These were our options last season:

• Song
• Wilshere
• Denilson
• Diaby

     I have absolutely no complaints with Song. Last season was his best for the club, but he just can't play every game. Wilshere also had a fantastic season, obviously. I suspect that he will remain a defensive midfielder for the next season, with Cesc still at the club, stopping Wilshere from moving up into that position. But he too played more minutes than the majority of the squad. 

     You then have Denilson. He was shit last season, let's not be nice. But no need to address him; he's gone this summer. 

     And then Diaby. Ever since his horrid injury against Sunderland a couple seasons back, he hasn't been the same. Not only that, he struggles to find fitness because of his constant injuries, and for me, he is just too slow on the ball to make the cut in midfield. 

     So you can scratch Denilson off the list, and Diaby will miss the beginning of next season because of surgery so you're left with Song and Wilshere for our Champions League Qualifiers, Carling Cup, and the league itself. I don't say the FA Cup because Diaby should be fit by then.

     Hence, we MUST purchase a defensive midfielder this summer. MUST. I know many of you want to see one of our center backs step up to that role, but that's a bad idea.

     Simply because a center back can make tackles and is a strong physical prescence, does not mean they can play in midfield. With all due respect to center backs, your mind needs to be much quicker when playing in midfield.
     I myself am a "Cesc" type player, but can also play on the wing. When I play on the wing, it is much easier because you have a panoramic view of the game, like a center back. As a winger, if you receive the ball, you only have to worry about an opposing player pressuring you from one side, not all around like a center midfielder. It's a very similar case with a center back.

JET is known for his ability to play in numerous positions

     As a central midfielder, it's en entirely different story. Once you receive the ball, you have to worry about a player pressuring you from ALL angles. Therefore, you're not allowed much time on the ball at all. 

As a center midfielder, your touch must be top notch, your mind must be quick, and you have to have very good awareness. None of our center backs have "enough" of these qualities to make the cut in a midfield like Arsenal's.

     I've heard calls for Djourou to play in the defensive midfield position, as Djourou is our only center back to have played in midfield. Either way, I think that would be a nightmare. His feet are slow, he has little awareness even as a defender, and his mind is slow. It would be a disaster.
     Koscielny would be a better fit for the position, but it would be a rough change for him. Like I said, it's hard to deal with the pressure coming on to you from all angles versus just one (in most cases). You need to have eyes on the side of your head, and eyes on the back of your head. Perhaps if Koscielny could do this then he could play there...
     Even if Koscielny could play there, I'm confident he will have a brilliant season. Last season was his first in the Premier League, and despite his gaff in the Carling Cup Final, I thought he was one of our top performers all season.  

Thiago Silva - a brick wall

     Another example of why center backs shouldn't play in midfield is AC Milan's Thiago Silva. I regard him as one of the best center backs in the game perhaps right behind Vidic. He has fantastic awareness, his feet are fairly quick, and he's a very smart player. 

     There was a time in Milan's season when they were very short on midfielders. Therefore, Massimiliano Allegri put T. Silva in the defensive midfield role. While Silva didn't do terrible, it was clear that he wasn't used to that position. You could tell that Silva slowed the pace of the game down. 

     Basically what I am trying to say is, it is very, very hard for a center back to move into midfield, and I'd fear a move for any of our center backs to play there. Especially for a team like Arsenal, where the midfielders must be extremely intelligent and quick thinking. 

     So we now look at our options in this transfer window. A player that is attracting some attention and is willing to leave his club for Champions League Football is Fellaini. He was bought by David Moyes three years ago for 15 million, and I suspect Everton would want much more than that for the Afro-man.
Fellaini is a big, physical presence. He is a decent passer of the ball, and personally I wouldn't mind him being a bench player. A player to close out those one-nil games with Song. You may even remember the match against Everton at the Emirates (fantastic match full of perseverance) where in the first half, Fellaini absolutely dominated the game.
     Just two problems I see with him: the interest that City and Madrid (yes, Madrid!) have in him. They could offer him much more than us. And also, he isn't exactly the most technically gifted player. We need that in our midfield, to play with the likes of Cesc, Wilshere, and Ramsey.

Future team mates?  

     Other than Fellaini, I don't see many options. The player would have to be a smart technical player, and a good passer of the ball. Sandro is a good player, but he's from Spuds. Damnet.
     It's hard for me to pick out any likely options that would fit Wenger's price range, and also have the physical and technical qualities we need in a defensive midfielder. Either way, I'm sure Arsene is aware that we need a defensive midfielder, and has some player up his sleeve that we've never heard of from France that'll work wonders for us.

     If any of you lot have ideas for a defensive midfielder for us, leave a comment below. Keep your responses realistic! Cheers.