At the end of the season on May 20th, a poll was held on the site where people could vote on how much of Wenger’s £70 million budget they believe he would spend to strengthen the squad. The results were very optimistic – almost 36% of people believed he would spend over £60 million.
Just 18 days later, June 7th, a second poll was held. This subsequent poll revealed a significant drop in the previous optimism as only 28.9% of fans believed that Wenger would spend over £60 million.
Importance of Signings Now
It is now July 23rd and our only acquisition has been 20 year-old Yaya Sanogo from Auxerre. Although a promising young player (typical Wenger signing) and a good bit of business, as he was a free transfer, he is not quite what supporters wanted to see. We want marquee names.
There also seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the fact that Arsenal went on tour with no new signings. Many people would have liked to see the Gunners go on tour with some new players to show so that we might see them in action prior to the start of the season and so that they might adapt to and get to know the other players on the pitch. Obviously, however, that did not materialize.
The general perception is that it is important to close deals as early as possible- a bit of a misconception if you ask me. Very often the earlier you buy, the more you over pay.
Santi Cazorla, was signed August 7th last summer and we all know how flawless his transition was – winning Arsenal’s player of the season. In addition to that, both Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta were signed on August 31, 2011.
Another not-so-bad thing about Arsenal not taking any new players on tour is that it has given some youngsters a chance to shine. Chuba Akpom was impressive in the Gunners’ first two games and 16 year-old Gedion Zelalem has been nothing short of phenomenal.
There’s Still Hope
Arsenal have never been in a better position, financially, to sign top talent due to new sponsorship deals with Emirates Airlines and Puma in addition to being essentially done paying off the debt incurred by the move to the Emirates. The club has been making all the right noise in the transfer market as we have been linked with just about every top player that is even remotely available.
Although the wait for new signings is agonizing to say the least, there is still well over a month left in the window and hopefully our patience will be justly rewarded.
Give Your Opinion Below – How Much Do You Think Wenger Will Spend?
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