I am sure those of you that follow me on twitter on my account @Mr_arsenal_blog will be aware of the fact that I have been going on for a while about how I believe that next season we can really challenge so long as we make the right moves in this summers edition of the transfer window. I am forever an optimist when it comes to The Arsenal, some would say that maybe my heart rules my head sometimes, but I strongly believe that this summer with the right decisions we can once again be at the top of the English Premier League. In this article I aim to explain WHY I believe this and HOW the club could go about actually achieving it.
This season it is fair to say, has been quite a turbulent one to say the least! We had an absolutely appalling start and picked up I believe only 4 points by early September after a stalemate at St James' Park and a very unconvincing win over newly promoted Swansea at The Home of Football. Many fans were totally disillusioned with what was going on, many players had left and hadn't (at this point) been replaced and once again we had been cursed by injuries and suspensions. I think it is fair to say that we went to Old Trafford on that fateful day in August crippled, I remember landing back at Heathrow on that day checking twitter and seeing the starting X1 that Arsene had announced, and thinking "oh dear God". That wasn't a feeling I had ever had as an Arsenal fan, to be honest it was the first time as a fan of the Gunners that I was properly dreading a game. The thing that struck me and worried me the most was the bench, most of which I knew very little about. I was worried, and it turned out that my fears were justified. However after that fateful day our transfer window seemed to be kicked into life and we made what I think were some very good signings. The likes of Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos came in permanently and Yossi Benayoun came in on loan, all of these players carrying lots of experience. When the transfer window slammed shut that day, I remember many Arsenal fans were saying that these players were not good enough, however I believed that the boss had pulled of some good buys, and so it has proved.
These players have proved vital for us this season, as they came in freshened up the place, brought experience and most importantly helped us to start getting results. Apart from the game at Ewood Park, where despite playing some quite good football we lost, since they arrived we started to pick up some momentum and went on a very good run. With wins at Stamford Bridge and a very successful Champions League pool stage campaign our season was coming to life! Robin Van Persie was banging in the goals, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song and Rambo were taking control of the midfield and with Per Mertesacker and Koscielney at the back and the fast improving Woijech Sczesney behind them, we started to look more solid, and picked up results. Despite another blip in January since the Ewood Park game we have picked up a lot of points and have gone on some very good runs, culminating in the 7 games won in a row up to the beginning of April. The team was showing fantastic character, they were coming from behind to win at tough places such as Anfield and the Stadium of Light (where the grounds man seemed to want to recreate the fields of The Somme), the team was in a very good moment, and full of confidence. The game against Spurs at the Emirates in late February was an extraordinary one and a massive turning point I believe. At 2 - 0 down I was probably the most un-controllably angry I have ever been as an Arsenal fan, but by full time I was the happiest I had been after a game in a long long time, it was an epic win and one that I believe has shaped our season and could shape our next few seasons.
The confidence the team took from that game was evident, it showed that they could outplay and outscore anybody and come back so spectacularly from a loosing position. It is performances such as this, which makes me believe that with a few new faces and a more consistent level of performance from August to May plus a slightly less populous treatment room, we can challenge for the title next year. We have the basis of a very good team, and in games such as Chealsea away, Spurs at home, City at home we have highlighted this! Players such as Mikel Arteta, Luarent Koscielny, Theo Walcott, Bacary Sagna, Alex Song and of course the skipper Robin Van Persie were all played fantastically well and really galvanised the team in these games. And these players plus the likes of the returning Jack Wilshere and the brilliant Thomas Vermalean we can base our success around, and go on and have a fantastic season in 2012/2013!
But in order to do such, this summer is absolutely critical! Firstly we have to sign RVP the MVP down to a new contract, this is imperative. We have to show the rest of the Premiership and the rest of Europe that we mean business and that we are NOT a selling club. Once this is achieved (and I remain forever optimistic that it will be), we need to go out and bring in 3 top players to push the team on to that level and to add depth to the squad. Now as my twitter gooner colleague @MattCarr85 mentioned on his excellent Arsenal blog http://gunningfromsussex.blogspot.co.uk we should already have the likes of Podolski and Vertoghen in the bag and both players will add depth and quality to the squad. Podolski is a fantastic goal scorer who has been capped around 90 times for Germany by the age of 26 and Vertoghen is an extremely versatile and talented Belgian defender come defensive midfield player, who it is believed dreams of playing for The Arsenal, and with the inevitable departure of Squillaci he will provide quality depth to our defensive resources. Therefore we only need one more player, and I would like to see this be a midfielder. Because despite the fact that Jack Wilshere is coming back, and despite the fact that Mikel Arteta has been superb this season and Rosicky has been rejuvenated, I do feel that when those two players I mentioned first have both been missing this season we have lacked that little bit of composure and bite on the ball, and that is what I would love to see us add to our rooster in the summer. There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of signing Yann M'Villa and he is exactly the sort of player that we need, technically gifted, strong and versatile! I hope those deals come to fruition. Another player we should look at is Junior Hoillet from Blackburn who is a free agent this summer, he is very talented, however Arsene may feel that we have a lot of wingers already especially considering Ryo will return this summer from Bolton.
Therefore to conclude I feel that we have the basis of a very good side and squad, and despite the trials and tribulations we have endured this season we have shown great promise. Therefore with the addition of a few quality players we WILL be up there this season. I am an optimist (perhaps mad) but I believe in this group highly, and hope that my fellow Gooners do too!
Do follow me on Twitter @Mr_arsenal_blog - and tweet me your thoughts I will reply to them all!
Also check out @Grantafc 's twitter and his Arsenal YouTube channel where he reviews every Arsenal match to great aplomb!! http://www.youtube.com/allaboutarsenal
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