The summer transfer window has finally drawn to Âclose and now it’s time to reflect. Which Premier League side did the best business? Who did the worst? And what glaring transfer opportunities were surprisingly missed out on?Well, this article takes a look at Arsenal. The Gunners splashed out an impressive £75million this summer, the fourth most of any English side and representing the most lucrative transfer window in the club’s history.But as per usual, it’s been another uncompleted job from Arsene Wenger, with several gaps in the Emirates Stadium squad still dangerously exposed.With that in mind, here’s a list of the FIVE signings the north Londoners should have made this summer.
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LOIC REMY
How Arsene Wenger let Loic Remy slip through his fingers will forever remain a mystery to Arsenal fans.
The France international has proved himself to be one of the Premier League’s most clinical strikers after arriving in England in January 2013, netting 20 times in his 41 top flight appearances.
That includes this wonder-strike for former club QPR back in the 2012/13 campaign:
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This effort for France against Spain last week wasn’t too bad either:
Sensationally quick, a lethal finisher and capable of playing out wide, the 27 year-old would have more than resolved the Gunners’ need for a high-quality back-up striker, following Olivier Giroud’s injury lay-off until 2015.
Furthermore, the ex-Marseille and Newcastle forward was available for just £8.5million this summer – the fee Chelsea eventually paid for his services on August 31st.
Apparently the north Londoners tried to muscle in on the deal:
But it proved too little too late, leaving Arsenal to resort to signing £16million forward Danny Welbeck from Manchester United instead.
CESC FABREGAS
The £35million signing of Alexis Sanchez justifies it somewhat, but Arsene Wenger’s decision to not activate his first refusal clause on former captain Cesc Fabregas this summer remains baffling to the majority of the Emirates faithful.
Having struggled to hit the heights expected during three years at the Nou Camp, the Spain international’s transfer saga was one of the summer’s earliest, with him eventually joining London rivals Chelsea on June 12th.
The 27 year-old, who claimed 35 goals and 77 assists in 212 appearances in his first Premier League stint, then revealed that talks with his former club ended after Wenger said “that he would find it difficult to make a place for [Fabregas] on the pitch as Ozil had [his] position covered.”
Although competition for places could have well proved disruptive in the long run, the Gunners gaffer’s mistake is that he’s now enormously strengthened a direct divisional rival.
Fabregas has gone on to claim four assists in just three Premier League appearances for the Blues, leaving him at the top of the division’s set-up charts:
That includes this sensational assist against Burnley:
He’s completely changed the dynamic of Chelsea’s midfield into something more progressive, all for an incredibly reasonable £30million.
And even after splashing out £75million on new signings this summer, making it the most lucrative transfer window in Arsenal’s history, the north London side still aren’t in a position to be turning down world-class players at £30million a time – regardless of their position.
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
If there’s one glaring hole in the Arsenal squad that failed to be addressed this summer, it’s undoubtedly the absence of a high-quality holding midfielder.
Several names were linked to the Emirates outfit in that regard during the transfer window, including William Carvalho, Sami Khedira, Lars Bender, Idrissa Gueye and Nigel de Jong to name a few.
But the pick of the bunch, in my opinion at least, was Southampton star Morgan Schneiderlin. Before the current season he had made more tackles, 259, and more interceptions, 207, than any Premier League player since the Saints’ top flight ascension in summer 2012, earning him a call-up to France’s World Cup squad.
The 24 year-old’s mixture of industriousness and tidiness on the ball, as shown in the statistics below, would have complimented Arsenal’s possession-based philosophy perfectly:
But the Frenchman proved too rich for Wenger’s blood after being stamped with a £27million price-tag by the south coast outfit, who were attempting to curtail their enormous exodus of first team talents to other Premier League clubs.
But Schneiderlin knows he’s top four material and is determined to prove it through his performances, having netted twice already for Southampton this season, equating his entire output from last term, whilst also averaging five tackles per match.
Both goals came during a man of the match display against West Ham:
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The France midfielder may have commanded an audacious fee, but his presence in the Arsenal first team would have undoubtedly enhanced their title credentials this season.
ALEX SONG
A significantly cheaper alternative to Morgan Schneiderlin that Arsenal also quietly passed on is ex-Gunner Alex Song.
You have to wonder if attitudes off the pitch influenced Arsene Wenger’s apparent apathy towards the Cameroon international, but once again, Song represents the north London outfit’s biggest failing this summer in adding a more physical, defensively assured element to their midfield.
The 26 year-old was a huge hit during his stay in north London, amassing 217 appearances for the Gunners and claiming an incredible 14 assists in his ultimate Emirates campaign. Here’s a look at the highlights from Song’s Arsenal spell:
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That was followed by a rather anonymous stay at Barcelona after leaving the Emirates in 2012, with the Catalan club eventually deciding to scrap the 6 ft. 2″ midfielder this summer.
Barca’s plans to dumpÂSong after just 39 La Liga appearances were no secret, even reportedly offering him back to his former club on a free loan.
But Arsenal remained uninterested and the Cameroonian eventually joined West Ham for the season. He’s already had quite an effect, conjuring up this sensational goal in a friendly against Ipswich:
WINSTON REID
Arsenal were strongly linked with Winston Reid ahead of the January 2014 transfer window, and with the centre-back’s contract winding down at West Ham, the summer was the perfect opportunity to convince the East London side to sell.
The 26 year-old may be no world-beater but he’s been incredibly consistent since the East Londoners returned to the Premier League in summer 2012, claiming the Hammer of the Year award the twelve months later. He was in strong form last term too despite suffering a long-term injury – here’s a look at his stats from the campaign:
With former club captain Thomas Vermaelen leaving for Barcelona this summer, the New Zealand international would have been an effective replacement. He’s reliable, hard-working and would have fitted the natural hierarchy of Arsenal’s squad well. Here’s a look at Reid in action:
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Despite their interest being well known and the defender stalling on extending his contract at Upton Park past the end of the current season, Arsenal’s mooted £8million bid never materialised:
And although they signed Calum Chambers from Southampton, the Gunners are still light on bodies at the back, which could cost them dearly over the course of the season.