Arsenal: Stephan Lichtsteiner points to more troubling issue

Stephan Lichtsteiner has stated that nothing has been confirmed between him and Arsenal, a team that he has been heavily linked with. The hesitation and delay point to a more troubling issue.

It has been 10 days since this report from BBC Sport and David Ornstein claimed that Arsenal hoped to sign Juventus right-back Stephan Lichtseiner to a new contract this summer. Both Ornstein and the BBC are very accurate when it comes to rumours and speculation, erring on the side of caution when it comes to publicly revealing a piece of news.

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Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the interest was genuine and significant and that a deal was some way along the pipeline. So why, ten days later, are we all waiting for any sort of development in talks and an official word from the club? It is a lengthy and concerning delay.

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And now, to make matters worse, Lichtsteiner, speaking with Swiss-German publication Blick, has stated that ‘nothing is completed’, admitting that there is still a long way to go before any deal can be agreed upon:

"“Nothing is completed yet, no. I can’t say anything about the negotiations. As long as nothing is concluded, that’s what’s always interesting in football. I think we all know that. Therefore, there’s nothing new to say.”"

If Arsenal miss out on Lichtsteiner, there won’t be too many complaints from the fans. While he is a good option to pursue and would be an astute addition for an excellent price, there are bigger transfer fish to fry and other alternatives at his position. He is not the be all and end all of this summer window.

But that is not completely the point of the concern. The worries lie with the execution of the transfer. It is clear that the club wants Lichtsteiner. It has been reported that Lichtsteiner would like a move to north London. So why has there been such an extended delay? Where has this hesitation come from?

I cannot answer those questions. I do not know the inner-workings of this deal. Very few people do. But what I can say is that if Arsenal continue to fail to complete transfers quickly, efficiently and effectively, then they will miss out on other targets, targets of far more value, importance and influence than Lichtsteiner, especially this summer.

With a World Cup less than two weeks away and the transfer window closing on August 9th, two days before the start of the new season and approximately three weeks before the usual end-of-August deadline, time is far tighter for prospective deals to be put in place and completed. Clubs need to be decisive and swift in their work. Rarely have Arsenal been that.

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And so the Lichtsteiner problems, whatever they may be, point to a more troubling issue: the inability to quickly and successfully enact a transfer. Missing out on Lichtsteiner may not seem like the end of the world, but if those same delaying issues remain all summer, better targets will also slip through the cracks.