Arsenal: Paul Merson not going mad with Danny Drinkwater

Paul Merson has stated that Arsenal should have challenged Chelsea for the signing of Danny Drinkwater. While that may seem like a crazy idea, he might not be all that mad.

It’s fair to say that, in the aftermath of the 4-0 loss to Liverpool and a hectic transfer deadline day where plans and preparation seemed nonexistent, and panic and uncertainty reigned, Arsenal are a sinking ship with a clueless captain who maintains that everything’s going well.

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The culture of niceness at the Emirates is one that, justifiably, has been heavily criticised by those in the media. It cultivates an atmosphere of comfort, which, in turn, allows mediocrity, and a happiness to be mediocre, to seep into the thinking of the club, the players, the board and the management.

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For an organisation that is, allegedly, chasing titles, that is not acceptable, and it is no way to build a title-challenging squad. Paul Merson, while criticising his former team for harbouring such niceties, raised the question of challenging Chelsea for the signing of Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City, in his Daily Star column:

"“The players look like they couldn’t have cared less [in the 4-0 loss at Anfield]. You get the sack when your players don’t look fussed. But not at Arsenal. It’s all too nice. Arsenal should have bid for Danny Drinkwater rather than let him go to Chelsea. At least he will fight for you. This lot just give up. In my day, the dressing room after a performance like that would have been a war zone. You would have had to call the police because there would have been fights everywhere.”"

Traditionally, Drinkwater is perhaps a player below the calibre that Arsenal should be targeting. However, in this circumstance — a team that goes unchallenged, a squad that is rotting and a culture that does not criticise –, a player of Drinkwater’s character, an extremely competitive man, a leader and an instigator, would be invaluable.

Moreover, with Santi Cazorla’s continued absence thanks to his omission from the 25-man Premier League squad meaning that he will not take to the field, in the league, anyway, before the new year, adding a midfield orchestrator with an exquisite passing range, an engine to maraud from box to box, and the intelligence and awareness to feed the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in more attacking areas would be an astute move.

The £35 million fee is perhaps a little steep for a player with limited European experience and only one truly top-class season under his belt. But given the ripe age of 27, the midfield steel that he brings, and the touch of quality that has been lacking in Cazorla’s absence, paying over the odds may not have been all that bad.

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Obviously, with Chelsea completing the deadline day signing of Drinkwater, there is now no opportunity for him to join with the Gunners. But the lack of interest is again signs that Arsenal are clueless to their weaknesses. They are unwilling to highlight them and unwilling to address them, and it could come back to haunt them.