No More Adebayor, No more

Hello and welcome back to Arse505! It's been a long time, sorry I've been away so long...

Now that silly season is near over both ArsenaLOS & ArsenaLIND will make every attempt to write thoughtful and conversation-inspiring blogs. We can now be followed on twitter, too - ArsenaLOS & ArsenaLIND. Drop us a line to say hello or have a go at us, either way, we don't mind :D

Now, let's get to the the business on every Gooner's mind. Both Adebayor and Toure have been sold, and we have yet to add anyone to the 1st team beside Thomas Vermaelan. I think we all knew the summer transfer for the Arse would be quiet...but not this quiet. Now, the rumors have consisted of Arsene Wenger offloading additional players such as Eboue and Senderos but nothing has come to fruition. Arseblog is reporting today that Senderos is off to Everton. I'll await confirmation before being too worried about that...but let's be honest, was he missed last year? Not really. It really isn't worth conversing about why AW has offloaded so many without adding, and since the end of the transfer has not quite come upon us I would expect he will add one or maybe two players. Who? I have no idea nor does any other blog out there who links the Arsenal to Matuidi, Chamakh, Hangeland, et al. Relax, AW only spends when he feels it is necessary and usually he finds the diamond in the rough.

The call for the holding midfielder continues but without any Gooner or blog really stating who this elusive player ought to be. After a review of our current squad there are plenty of players who can fill that role. Ramsey, albeit young, could get a few matches versus some lesser opponents ie newly promoted teams; of course, Denilson and Song are the front runners to partner Cesc. Denilson got more playing time than he could have dreamed for last season but that is likely due to injuries to Diaby. In time, Denilson may develop into a Gilberto-like player but he's got to learn to unlock defenses right from the tackle. I have yet to see that quick decision from him, and instead of completing a pass through to the wing or forward...he'll pass lateral or back. Denilson will develop confidence in due time but we may not see as much of him as we did last year. And Song has developed hasn't he? Song's decision making has improved and he can now distribute the ball better than Denilson. A big, powerful player like Song will match up tit-for-tat against powerful mids like Obi Mikel, and Alonso. Versatile in the middle and can play center back. Song will fight for that starting, holding mid and may well be Cesc's partner at the start. Diaby? Well, he is our most consistently inconsistent player but if he can put together a few matches and avoid injury he could find himself next to Cesc. In truth, I don't think he'll play too much; he's more fragile than RVP and that says alot. And worth a mention is Merida. As ArsenaLIND said just this morning, "this will be an interesting year to see what happens with Merida - either he breaks into the 1sts or stays in the reserves". Simply said, and agreed.

I am not too worried about our holding mid options as stated above. There is plenty of opportunity for any player at the Arsenal to win that position. Competition betwixt midfielders is healthy, and the best will emerge from the pile. My bet: Song and Cesc. In a couple of the pre-season matches we saw three in the middle and if that is to be seen again I could see Denilson in there. Ramsey and Diaby to spectate.

Now, our center back position is a bit shaky, isn't it? Losing Toure is a massive blow contrary to AW stating we got his best years. Toure always fought for the shirt; he will fight for City just the same. Toure will be missed but let's hope that AW uses the money received to step into the market to get another CB. I can only assume that AW will deploy "Capi" Gallas and Vermaelan from the start. I can't imagine AW leaving his summer signing on the bench unless he is injured. Vermaelan, former club captain of Ajax, comes with plenty of technique and experience. Vermaelan ought to slot in from the start but his fitness and pace will be tested. Short in stature but having good leaps I feel he'll shine for us this season. Time will tell.

Now, if one or both get injured I suppose we could see Song move back to be paired with Djourou. I have complete confidence in Song but I am not certain about Johan. JD is a big, tall CB but I feel he goes down too quickly on his tackles ie sliding or stabbing at the ball; thus, his timing is often poor. JD would fair far better if he stood up the football, and contained the opposition until mids could track back. Djourou didn't get too many matches last year so these instances may be due to inexperience but I worry that if we lose TV or WG he won't be prepared to step in.

The money received from City ought to be immediately pumped into the CB position. I would prefer to see a tall CB come to the Emirates in the shape of Sahko from PSG. Club captain of PSG and only 19 he would be a great addition in terms of age, price, and size/height. Perhaps AW could construct a transfer to include Silvestre going the other way. The rumors have been quiet about him since early Spring but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him arrive before the start of the season.

That's it from 505, looking forward to the start of the season and let's hope for a big bang of a start!

ArsenaLOS