5 Players Arsenal Missed Out on at the Transfer Deadline

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Arsene Wenger was facing the heat coming into transfer deadline day. The outcry was loud and clear: “Sign a striker and sign a defensive midfielder.” In the face of the heat and facing the furious faces of Arsenal supporters worldwide, Le Prof braved the gauntlet and did the unthinkable. He signed no one.

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Many would even question if he made an offer for anyone.

Arsenal have a really good squad already. They may not be playing like it, but once it clicks it will be beautiful. That being said, there are a few problem areas that could come back and haunt Arsenal if injuries again have their way with the club.

One such area is at defensive midfielder. Francis Coquelin is one of the best in the game at defending in the midfield. However, he is a liability in the attack. Plus, he is only one man. Behind him sits Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, neither of which invoke much confidence when taking the pitch to defend a lead.

There were options available for reinforcement in this portion of the pitch. Arsene Wenger did not pursue those options.

Striker is another area that Arsenal could stand to use some reinforcement at. While Olivier Giroud is a prominent goal scoring threat, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck are still not. That leaves no one if Olivier Giroud hits a slump or gets hurt. That is not a promising position to be in. It very well could pay off if Danny Welbeck has found his goal scoring boots, but walking the tightrope is not a fun activity when the title is expected.

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There were options available to reinforce this area. Arsene Wenger did not pursue them.

I do not think it is a panic situation. Arsenal did not desperately need new starters at any position. This is the same team that dominated the second half of last season – plus Petr Cech. But to not sign anyone is a bit questionable. Injuries always have to be a concern with this squad. Not only that, but we want to be involved in numerous competitions this year. The jury is out on if we can compete in all of them or not.

And now, the moment you have been waiting for. Lets look at five guys that made themselves available and either ended up moving or stayed put. Whether or not Wenger even made an attempt at them is anyone’s guess.

Next: Number 5