Arsenal - the strangest Transfer Policy we have?

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Laurent Koscielny of Arsenal celebrates after scoring during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on May 13, 2012 in West Bromwich, England.

Thinking about this RVP transfer saga, and all the stories that have been said and the opinion given by various fans (one of them being me, you can read it here- RVP- The story Ends, Time to Move on), it suddenly struck me: I don’t know whether anyone has thought about it before and written it, but I found it totally strange and if I am not wrong, maybe we are the big club in England to adopt this policy (or should I say, forced to adopt this policy).

When was the last time Arsenal signed a player from a Premier League club in the last five years (except Mikel Arteta last season and that was also a last minute panic buying)? Or let us talk about any other marquee signing- a player touted to be the next big thing in the world of football? It is true that we are linked to every player possible, who are are eyed by clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool but strangely, buy none. They all end up signing for our rivals. And who do Arsenal sign? The relatively unknown players from French leagues (no disrespect to them) that are termed starlets. Sometimes, I feel that if France have so many potential world-class players, why they are not performing in competitions like the World Cup and the Euros?

Well, coming back, I fully support the philosophy of Wenger. He believes in developing young players to make them one of the big names of the league (little does he know that the same player will desert him after 4-5 years, claiming the lack of ambition on his part and the Club’s). For Manchester City, we are the perfect hunting ground. They look around, see the best players of ours, lure them with money and bingo! The player next season plays in the blue of Manchester. Nevertheless, this does not reduce or malign our respect for the man who is at the helm on managing affairs at Arsenal Football Club – Arsene Wenger.

But at the same time, I feel this transfer policy is also an indication of the current status of the club in the eyes of European players. We are failing at attracting the best talents to the club. And that is the reason we have to be content with the lesser known players and just a Champions League place rather than aiming for the title every season. Before Oliver Giroud joined us, how many us Gunners knew about him? Even if we had heard his name, we would have never thought he has the caliber to play for Arsenal. For the players like him and Gervinho, playing in one of the best leagues in the world has to be a dream come true but fact is that somewhere, Arsenal is failing miserably in the transfer market. It is easy to say that they have always dreamt of playing for Arsenal without being so passionate about it.

Being a Gunner, the fan of the best football club in the world, I hate to say this but let us be realistic. Let us accept the facts. It is been seven years since we won anything. Our best players are leaving us when we needed them the most – some claiming the lack of trophies and some the need for higher salaries. They know that other clubs are waiting to snatch them and bid for them at insane prices which they are not worth of. And when we offer a contract to upcoming players; they see the state of the Club, they see the big names leaving for trophies to other clubs and they decide to join Chelsea or Manchester United, believing they have a better chance at winning trophies with them. Not good to hear but at some point, it is true. I wish I could change this.

All said and done; I have no doubt in my mind about my love for the club. I will support the players, the manager and the club until eternity. But somewhere, it will make me feel better if Arsenal makes that small effort in keeping their stars. Here’s hoping for that.