Arsenal: Same Old Summer Leaves Patience Wearing Thin

In a Summer that started with such optimism, Arsenal and in particular Arsene Wenger seem to have reverted to their old ways, and patience is wearing thin with the new season very soon upon us.

Arsenal are perhaps the most frustrating club to support. While every fan of their club will make such a statement, for the Gunners it most certainly rings true. They say it is the hope that kills you, and there isn’t a team in the world that offers the containable, inexplicable hope that Arsenal do, only for it to be snatched away, without fail.

It would not be a Premier League transfer window with Arsenal being linked to every half decent player under the sun, only to sign some unknown Japanese strike who is “one for the future”. It is becoming the yearly ritual of Arsenal fans. Build up a sense of expectation that; “yes, this is our year”, only to see Wenger’s hesitancy to splash the cash cause the side to stagnate, simply float at the will of the tide, while direct rivals forge ahead through the murky transfer waters.

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It is a pattern that many are sick of seeing. Unfortunately, this Summer, like almost every other over the past decade, Wenger seems to have reverted to what he knows best, and it is most certainly serving the best interests of the club. The positivism surrounding the club as they ended the year strong with a host of important players returning from injuries was compounded by the signing of Granit Xhaka.

Wenger was decisive, purposeful and determined to not only sign Xhaka, but to sign him early in the transfer window. That sent out a statement of intent. That intent, though, has not been followed by action, and it is beginning to become wearing on many Arsenal supporters.

The growing voice of the Wenger Out campaign had quietened with the additions of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in successive Summer transfer windows. However, although the deal for Xhaka is certainly a positive, it is not one that will win Arsenal the league, and that is the ultimate goal of the coming year. Wenger is under pressure to deliver that ever elusive trophy, and if he is unwilling to spend this Summer, then the likelihood of success is only to decrease.

If Arsenal do not spend big again this Summer it will be yet another missed opportunity, another so close but no cigar added to the resume of Wenger another season in which Arsenal simply do not live up to the standards that the club have set. Moreover, it will be a season in which Arsenal could have had success, if they are willing to spend.

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This does not mean spending willy nilly simply to silence critics. It means spending on the right players, spending prudently with a clear plan, spending with the intention of improving not just the squad but the first eleven. So far, though, Wenger has been unwilling to spend altogether. While there is still plenty of time to delve back in, time is running out and patience is wearing thin.

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