Arsenal must take advantage of instability elsewhere and control the transfer market

Time to make a statement

Arsenal’s money men have been preparing for this off-season for the best part of four years. Every summer since, they have been saying that the club will be in a very strong position to attack the 2013 summer transfer window with vigour. This is due to a variety of factors:

Firstly, the club’s repayments schedule on the Emirates stadium has eased significantly as the club has broken the back of the initial debt. Secondly, with the new Financial Fair Play rules coming into effect across European competition, the teams that they are competing with for the same small group of players are all constricted by the same rules. This greatly advantages Arsenal, as they operate at a profit and have built up a steady cash reserve. They can surely then acquire players for lesser money than it would taken in previous years, as clubs will not be able to artificially inflate the market. These are the factors that they have been planning for; but by a quirk of fate, they also find themselves entering this summer as the most stable major club in Europe.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris St.Germain and Bayern Munich will all have new managers. There is also potential upheaval at Barcelona if they reorganise their recruitment strategy. Although less financially muscular than in previous years, Inter and AC Milan may both change managers and it seems that Borussia Dortmund are going to be selling rather than buying. And then there is Arsenal. They have a manager who is now the longest-serving at an elite club in the world. They have a financial policy that has seen them planning for this summer for four years. They have the nucleus of a good team and indeed, the weaknesses that they do have are in areas where there are plenty of options on the market. That is good luck, but combined with the good planning, they can really add some serious talent to their squad.

Arsenal must use this to their advantage. It is hard to see how they will get a better chance in the coming years to re-establish themselves as a title-winning team. They must make their moves quickly before the other new managers have time to assess their squads and possibly compete for the same players. They now have the financial strength to do so, and must show the will to do so.

They have made a good start by tabling a £20m plus bid for Steven Jovetic of Fiorentina whilst still in May. There is no point signing another ‘really good’ striker, as they have Giroud, Podolski and even Walcott for that. They need a world-class striker now. Jovetic is not a striker, and is not being bought to play as one. He is being bought to play as the number 10. This will allow Jack Wilshere to drop deeper which will suit his grapply defensive work and stylish range of passing. But they still need a striker. Gonzalo Higuain is a world-class striker and could be forced out at Real Madrid, as he has never really managed to be a fan favourite. If he could be bought for around £20m or so, Arsenal should move in now whilst they don’t have a firm leader.

Gonzalo Higuain could be a great buy for Arsenal

Lastly, they need a right-back if Sagna leaves, and a goalkeeper. The defensive unit played well this season, and was actually the reason the club finished fourth. If Sagna goes then Arsenal could try to prise Lukasz Piszczek out of Borussia Dortmund or, if they have spent heavily elsewhere, the solid Daryl Janmaat of Feynenoord. I have previously listed a choice of five goalkeepers that Arsenal could look at and they must address this properly.

The wild card in all of this is the possibility of making a move for Cesc Fabregas if he feels that he is being frozen out by Tito Vilanova. If Arsenal have even the faintest whiff that he is available, they must channel their resources in his direction. With the new defensive and attacking options around him, he would be the fulcrum. He’s not a need, but he’s better than any one at the club. He is world-class and can win trophies.

The key is quality, and this goes for all of Arsenal’s business. There must not be any half measures now. They have the chance to make a massive statement, and to show that they still see themselves as an elite club. They can’t do that by spending £10m on Gervinho or £6m on Andre Santos. The gripe with Arsene Wenger is that he doesn’t spend money. The truth is that he has spent a lot of money on average players with his paralysing ceiling of £15m restricting him. If they let off the shackles and take advantage of the opportunity that they have planned for and the circumstances that they couldn’t have dreamed of then they can return to the very top.