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Arsenal’s Transfer Silence Not About Lacking Ambition
By Josh Sippie
It is a bit disheartening that Arsenal did not sign anyone on transfer deadline day. Everyone was looking forward to who Le Prof may deem as worthy to make it into this Arsenal squad. No one was deemed worthy. But that transfer excitement stemmed from the fact that this Arsenal squad was already in fantastic shape. We just wanted a little augmentation. It was not like other transfer windows where we desperately needed a position filled. That is not exciting.
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Just because Arsene Wenger did not sign anyone does not mean that he lacks ambition. It does not mean that Arsenal are gunning for fourth place and it certainly does not mean that Alexis and Mesut Ozil should leave the club. It is simply a matter of Arsene Wenger having faith in the club to live up to their expectations. Their is nothing wrong with that. If anything, it should be commended.
Wenger has spent years building the team he now puts forth. After spending a decade paying off the Emirates, he now has the ability to go after who he wants and hang onto who he wants. Arsenal has not lost a significant player in the last few years and they have gained Petr Cech, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Debuchy, Gabriel Paulista, Danny Welbeck and more.
Thanks to Wenger’s superb scouting and development, guys like Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all been growing within the system and they are now reaching a final product. A few key components were missing – namely a first rate goal keeper, a replacement for Cesc Fabregas and a sparkplug. Wenger covered all of those in Petr Cech, Ozil and Alexis. This is the team he has been priming for a a long time.
Ambition is not determined by how much you spend on outside signings. It is determined by how much the squad wants to win. Obviously it has not gone our way thus far into the season. That does not mean this team is not fully qualified to compete for a title. No matter what signings you make, nothing is going to guarantee you a trophy. We could have signed Karim Benzema and fallen into second or third place. Then what?
There are few on this squad who have not at one point or another in the past few months mentioned winning the title. The players and the coach believe in their ability. The fact that they have sputtered off to a slow start is no reason to panic. Manchester United is struggling. Chelsea is struggling. It is a part of the game.
I am not going to say that I am happy that Wenger signed no one. I’m not. Reinforcements at some key areas would have helped a lot of people breathe easier. But there is nothing we can do now. We have our squad.
Another testament to this club’s belief in itself is that no one has left. If the side lacked ambition, holding onto Ozil, Alexis, even Ramsey would be impossible. These are guys that want to win, they have the drive to win and they are not happy with fourth place. Mesut Ozil has been linked to Bayern Munich, but instead of going silent and trying to weasel his way out, he created the hashtag #YaGunnersYa and gained a cult following.
If world class athletes like Ozil and Alexis believe in what Wenger is doing with the club, then their is no room to argue.
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It is our right as supporters to expect the most out of Arsenal. But with this squad we have, we have a tremendous shot at a Premier League title. It is a long season with a lot of variables but one thing is certain. This squad that we have is not going to keep looking as lifeless as they have been. It isn’t possible. The fact that we did not make a signing is not why the team has looked lifeless, so why associate the two? The team has looked lifeless because they just are not clicking yet. They will click. They clicked for the final five month of last season and they clicked their way to a second FA Cup. Call it a secondary competition, but every team has the same shot at winning it and Arsenal continue to take it home.
Arsenal is a unique club in the way that they are built and while it can be frustrating at times, it will be that much more rewarding when it finally pans out. And it will pan out.