Arsene Wenger has been playing down Arsenal's chances of signing anyone in the January transfer window. Last week he said:
I don’t worry [about the market], what I worry about is getting the players who have been injured back fit, to get the players who play for this club to perform at full potential. If we perform at full potential we cannot expect any miracle from outside, we want to make things happen inside.
If someone else can strengthen our squad, we will do it, of course. But we have the resources inside to do well.
I live in the real world and the only question I wonder is not how we look to the outside, but it is how good we are when we are on the football pitch, can we pass the ball together? Therefore it is not to buy just because we look like we want to buy. We buy a player if we think he is good enough to play for us.
We have been linked with David Villa, like Chelsea, but there’s nothing concrete there. We are not on the case.
I can’t imagine Dortmund selling [Hummels] in the middle of the season and we have not made any approach there.
Belhanda? No. We are not on any French case, so you can cut all the French players out. You should go to Newcastle!
I can see where he's coming from. Aside from the normal thing of not wanting to sound too desperate to sign a player lest the selling club should sense weakness and push the price up, he does not want to damage the fragile first shoots of confidence that seem to be growing in the team by effectively saying: 'I don't think you're good enough, so I'm going to sign someone else.
Now, if Arsene were to sign some unknown from Bratislava and stick him up front to compete for a place with Giroud, I can image that he and the friends he has made at the club over the last few months would rightly be upset. Hence, I think, the quotes about 'top, top quality'
But imagine if we signed someone of the quality and stature of David Villa (apparently not now likely) or someone like him. Imagine what a buzz that would create at the club. You know all that nervousness, anxiety and negativity in the crowd at home matches? That would be gone and replaced by a hushed expectation and excitement.
Would Giroud be upset? Possibly, but he came to the club knowing that he may have toplay second fiddle to van Persie, so he could hardly complain. Competition for places is good for the team.
And what of the players who Giroud has befriended over that last few months? Will they be upset? Well, loyalty doesn't mean much in football. Just ask Robin van Persnatcher!
I personally don't think there is anything particularly wrong with Giroud as a striker. It's just that we need more numbers up front. I also think Wenger underestimates the impact that a big signing can have in terms of a 'feel good' factor. Or, he thinks that the 'shot in the arm' that a big signing can bring to a club is short-lived and not in the long-term interests of the club.
Anyway, we shall see.
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