Pain in the Arsenal
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Complacency Vs. Cohesion: Judging Arsenal’s Transfer Policy

By Jabari LeGendre

Anish Morarji - Wikimedia Commons
Anish Morarji - Wikimedia Commons /
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It seems like it was just yesterday that Arsenal lifted a second consecutive FA Cup Trophy after decimating an admittedly sub par Aston Villa, 4-0 at Wembley Stadium. That victory had been somewhat of a symbolic moment for the supporters, players and most poignantly the manager. After a 10 year trophy-less  drought, Arsenal took two big steps forward and claimed back to back silverware, winning the oldest surviving football competition in the world, two years running.

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This brought about a massive shift in the mindset of many supporters. Finally Arsenal was shedding their image as the nearly-men of English football and proving that they are serious contenders for honors year in and year out. Of course there were a few hiccups.

Floundering against Monaco in the Champions Leauge will certainly be viewed as a major misstep, but for the most part last season was one of positivity.

Alexis Sanchez sprang onto the scene with flair and became an instate hit at the Emirates. Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin both had break out campaigns and certainly repaid the managers confidence in them with quality displays. Santi Carzola enjoyed somewhat of a career renaissance, blossoming in his new role as a deep-lying play maker next to the French destroyer Coquelin. Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil both went on impressive runs of form when they returned from their respective injuries. And finally the Gunners contingent of young English talent, which includes Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin and Keiran Gibbs, showed their potential when healthy.

Indeed many positives can be pulled from last year’s campaign, however no one could look at the Gunners’ squad and confidently say reinforcements were unnecessary.

Arsene Wenger has spoken at length about cohesion and building squad strength from within. That is all well and good. Team chemistry and cohesion are of course crucial aspects of building a title winner but there is something else that you need as well, proven world-class players.

Its no coincidence that Arsenal’s back-to-back trophies have  come after the acquisition of top ranked talent. Over the last two season Arsene Wenger has loosened his purse strings and doled out the dough for the clubs two most expensive signings , Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. It’s hard to argue that this injection of class and competition for starting spots, did not play a pivotal role in raising the squad’s quality on the pitch as well as their own expectations in the dressing room.

When you bring in players of proven quality, like the German World Cup winner and the Chilean Copa America hero, it acts as statement of intent; a quantifiable way for supporters to feel that their club is investing in their future. Of course flashy signings aren’t always the answer, just ask Louis Van Gaal and Angel Di Maria. But for a club like Arsenal to not sign one senior outfield player is certainly an odd call to say the least.

Cech_-_2015_Emirates_Cup
Lawrence Woolf – Wikimedia Commons /

Petr Cech is still a world class keeper and his addition to the starting XI is welcomed. He has already saved Arsenal one point against Liverpool with two unbelievable saves. However it is oddly Arsenal’s attack rather than their defense which currently lacks any cutting edge.

Arsenal have created the most chances in the BPL with 65, per Squawka, and the North Londoners have only put away an unconscionable 1 of those chances. Compare that with Manchester City who have created  59 chances and converted a tidy 10 of those into assists. This disparity clearly shows the need for ruthlessness in front of goal if the Gunners expect to keep pace with the Mancunian bullies in blue.

City has undergone a massive squad overhaul. The Citizens have spent nearly £160m, per BBC Sport, adding top talent to their ranks in the form of Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Nicolas Otamendi and most recently Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg.

I’m not saying that Arsenal needed to spend anywhere near that much money this summer, but it does call into question Wenger’s mantra about cohesion. This is the best Arsenal side that supporters have seen since the days of The Invincibles, however the Gunners are sputtering to get their offense into gear.

So far Arsenal’s unblemished pre-season has done little to help them avoid another sluggish start to competitive fixtures. However the new look City squad seems to be infused with an exuberance and gusto that has propelled them to the top of table in this young season.

Perhaps fresh quality and competition is what breeds cohesion in the world of modern football? Footballers, at the end of the day, are competitors and above all else they want to prove that they are the best option on the pitch. By failing to bring in any players to challenge the strike force of Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud, the gaffer has essentially ruled out any need for the players to raise their game any further.

Furthermore Francis Coquelin has already flirted with a sending off and it would be foolish to think that he will escape the season without at least one red blemish on his record. The likes of Mikel Arteta and Matthieu Flamini are simply not physical enough to simulate the gut-busting displays that Coquelin contributes. In just under a year the French midfielder has made himself possibly Arsenal’s most crucial player, for the simple fact that the Gunners only have one of him.


According to football finance expert Dr. Tom Markham, the Gunners only sit behind Manchester United in terms of market value with an evaluation of £1.118 billion. That places Arsenal ahead of rivals Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and of course Tottenham in terms of financial stability. While that is an undoubtedly positive fact it calls into question how such a monetarily secure club could sit so idly in the transfer market.

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Whether it was truly for cohesion’s sake or the complacency that comes with winning back-to-back trophies, the Gunners have sat by and watched as the BPL shattered another transfer spending record.

This is going to be a massive season for Arsenal. After taking two big steps forward it feels like the club has now stagnated. With a run of games approaching where the Gunners will be tested by Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Tottenham, we will soon find out whether Arsenal’s chemistry and current depth will be enough to offset the manager’s incredibly quiet transfer policy.

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