Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal’s quiet transfer window no cause for concern

By Josh Sippie

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Arsenal signed Petr Cech as the transfer window was yawning and rousing itself from its five month slumber but they have been silent ever since, leading many to wonder if Arsene Wenger may very well be done with his summer shopping. The links have been coming in hard and fast but aside from Karim Benzema and a few oddball rumors, most have died and fallen by the wayside.

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But just because Arsenal have not signed anyone does not mean that the transfer window is over for the Gunners, nor is it any cause for concern as we see players signing for various other clubs. “I expect [a signing],” Wenger said via the Guardian. So while no signings are close, Le Prof is still shopping.

Lets look at last summer’s transfer window for instance. Within the first couple weeks of the window opening, Arsenal had netted Alexis Sanchez, David Ospina, Callum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy. We did not get another signing until the very last second when Danny Welbeck arrived. Arsene Wenger typically has his signings lined up early in the window and he holds out for that ‘exceptional talent’ until he can find the perfect fit.

For that reason, we have no cause for concern. If Arsene Wenger has enough faith in this club to only upgrade at goal keeper and leave the rest of the squad the way it was at the close of last season, why shouldn’t we be pleased with the quality of the club? We won the second half of the Premier League with this squad and David Ospina so there is no reason to think that this squad and Petr Cech cannot carry on that success and win for an entire year.

That is not to say that we are done in the window, however, it is merely making the case that even if we are, it is not like it would be a huge problem. Part of the reason why we get so antsy seeing Arsenal make so few signings is because other teams like Manchester United and Liverpool are breaking the bank over new arrivals. But look how United and Liverpool did last year and the year before. United is always a powerhouse and they scraped together a rough fourth place finish after a devastating seventh place finish. They had to break because that kind of table positioning is not allowed at Old Trafford.

The same goes with Liverpool. They have been struggling for some time now and the Anfield based club has too rich of a history to continue finishing outside of Champion’s League contention. They have been spending frivolously for the past half decade to little success, so they are going to keep trying new formulas until something works.

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Instead of comparing our transfer policy to Manchester United or Liverpool, which is not something we should ever model our transfer policy after, lets compare it to the reigning league champions – Chelsea. Chelsea won last year (it still hurts to say) and as such, they have not been spending stupid amounts of money. They may be panic buying at the moment given the slow start to the season, but they came into the season full of confidence with only the addition of Falcao and some loose change.

That is how Arsenal should be approaching this window. We beat out Chelsea in points in the second half of the season so why are we complaining at a lack of signings? We have a winning formula, that is proven. Some reinforcement would be nice, but if we emerge out of the window looking like we are, it may cause a riotous reaction but we are still in fine shape.

Arsene Wenger went on to speak more about the transfer window, saying “What you want is to focus on your own strengths and make sure that you develop your team. The cohesion, the style of play that everybody knows are important qualities.”

And what about those crying out for transfers, Professor Wenger? “We live in a society that is hungry for news and news is good, I can understand that. But you have to absolutely be convinced that it strengthens your team.”

There are many out there who do not trust in Wenger like they used to, but he is absolutely right, that is because people are constantly craving something new and newsworthy. Think of last transfer window. Arsenal had already grabbed Alexis, Debuchy, Chambers and Ospina but by August, the cry was “when are we going to make some signings?”

Signings had been made, but not recently, so they are forgotten. Other than Alexis, they were not ‘big time’ signings either so they were passed over. But again, Wenger is right, the focus has to be on developing your team, not on tossing a bunch of names in a hat and drawing out a random collection of superstars.

This transfer window is going perfectly fine. This squad we have is excellent. We could surely benefit from some reinforcement but even if a deal cannot be made, we are in position for a title push. There is no foolproof signing that will make Arsenal assured title champions. Not Karim Benzema, not Mario Gotze, not Lionel Messi. That is not a real thing. You still have to perform as a team and get the job done. This squad is perfectly capable of going that.

Next: Mesut Ozil will be Arsenal's player of the season

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