If Arsene Wenger were a cricketer he would hog the crease without offering up a single attacking shot.
He would more likely offer up a succession of defensive strokes to get the ball away from him and the wicket.
When asked on Thursday about any prospective deals that were currently going on behind the scenes, Wenger said that he preferred these dealings to be “secret”. As per BBC, when queried about Aubameyang, he said:
“This kind of thing is better when it’s secret and when you don’t comment before announcing it when it’s over the line.”
Yet by making this comment he fails to acknowledge that the majority of Arsenal fans want and need to know who and when, after enduring a period of unparalleled uncertainty at the North London Club.
This is the way transfer dealings were done 20 years ago but with the appetite of today’s media and the speed of which news is delivered across the globe it seems all a little bit dated.
Perhaps Wenger is reluctant to give details because of Arsenal’s poor recent performances in the transfer window and his abortive attempt to secure the services of Thomas Lemar which looked to everyone as if it was a panic buy.
Ian Wright recently said something similar and the former striker has been highly critical of the clubs transfer policy and Wenger’s inability to nurture Theo Walcott to achieve his full potential.
Wenger and the club owe the paying fans, who have suffered the constant speculation of the departures of Sanchez and Ozil and endured a string of dreadful performances.
Wright has a valid point in terms of the clubs transfer dealings. Wenger tends to buy players he likes in the hope he can get the team to fit around them. He rarely makes a strategic purchase to bolster the team , especially in the holding midfield role.
There are players out there that can easily fulfil this role such as William Carvalho and Steven Nzonzi, but he shows relatively little interest in this key area preferring to plump for the eye catching impact player such as Lemar.
Wenger has played so many people out of position in this current squad in search of a magic formula that it beggars belief.
None of these make shift roles have worked and it has made certain players uncomfortable and ineffective.
Perhaps this is why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott could never establish themselves in the team. As the old saying goes ‘you can’t put a round peg in a square hole’.
As it stands, WBA are said to have increased their valuation of Jonny Evans with a series of add ons and the players transfer is now only 50% likely. It’s said that the interest from Manchester City has made West Brom slightly more ambitious in terms of the money the sale could generate.
Contact had been made by Arsenal and things were said to have been at an interesting stage but City’s enquiry changed everything.
Malcom’s transfer is now looking improbable due to a hike in the price and although Arsenal still maintain a solid interest , the fee will probably prevent his arrival.
It was said to be in the region of £45 million but it’s understood that that has increased enough to pour cold water on the deal this month.
This is what happens when a club hesitates in the transfer market and the later it gets , the higher the price , but it appears Arsenal are oblivious to the fact.
However there is a buzz around the Emirates regarding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival. The Gabon striker has suffered hard times whilst at Borussia Dortmund due to personal clashes with his team mates and the manager and is looking to leave the club.
He is perceived to be something of a problem due to a series of fines and the odd benching but his talent speaks for it’s self and if Wenger ever needed someone to breath life into this insipid campaign , then Aubameyang is surely the candidate to not only replace Sanchez but to surpass his efforts on the pitch.
The main bargaining chip appears to be Olivier Giroud and the player himself would welcome the move to secure a World Cup place in the French National team.
If Aubameyang is as troublesome as they say, can he be any worse than Sanchez, who has reportedly had an adverse effect on the team and their performances.
It’s rumoured that a number of senior players had spoken to Wenger about the players attitude and made it clear that he was causing unrest.
Wenger would never admit as much, it’s not his way but their have been numerous clashes on the training pitch with fellow players, some that required physical intervention and as a result, something had to give.
If we were to find ourselves with less than ten days to go until the transfer window closes and nothing was resolved, then it would be unlikely that Arsenal would bring anyone in at all and if they did, would it be of the standard of Elneny or Xhaka? I’d rather Wenger didn’t make anymore purchases like that!
