Thursday, June 16, 2016

Wilshire & Cazorla. What Next for them!

So Wilshire did not start any of England's Euro games. Cazorla is not even in the team. Even though both are fit now, but keeping in mind Wilshire's history of injuries everyone would be asking the question what next for him?

I don't think anyone has doubt about Wilshire's potential. but its been long since his potential days and he hasn't given a proper season in a long time.

I see this as a make or break campaign for him as if he gets injured again this season for long, his future might as well be up with Arsenal. And there is a huge possibility that another big club might not come for him due to the injuries.
When fit, probably the best midfield talent in england, Wilshire might have to tweak his game to suit EPL's needs.
The new English talent at Tottenham with Alli & Dier are probably up there, so in case Wilshire really needs to play for England in the long run he will have to be fit for full season.
Else he might be a case of another Owen Hargreaves. Massive Talent but always injured.

Now Cazorla didnt play in 2016 so far but after playing continuously for so long,it was expected he might be injured. He was one of the mainstays of Arsenal team and always playing. So his exclusion from the Spanish team just meant that they were picking in-form players. Also they must be looking to develop more future players for Spain.

2016 looks good with the midfield already stocked. But I have this feeling that as a final swansong Arsene will not leave things to chance this year and will buy 1 more top quality attacking midfielder ( this is clearly the position he loves). We will wait to see who that is.

With Giroud performance very average, the team is crying out for a top finisher which I believe he will have to go for. But as fans, for us the more the merrier!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Vardy Deal Hanging. Is it a Good Thing?

So Jamie Vardy might not be coming to Arsenal. Seeing the entire transfer saga hang till Euro may not be a good sign.

But coming back to the original question:

Was Vardy the right fit and the striker Arsenal were looking for?

Below I have made a comparison of the most influential strikers in Premier League.
Vardy & Giroud included to see what Arsenal have and what they might require.



While the entire season statistics show Vardy leading on all counts from Giroud & Harry Kane being remarkably better in only Total shots. 
But once we see the per 90 minutes statistics, the story is very different. Vardy here comes out as someone closer to Giroud. While Arsenal aspire to get a more of a rounded player like Aguero but what they are trying for is someone like Giroud itself. 
One thing which Vardy is definitely better is at converting those half chances. It is here that Giroud is played out.

Now lets compare these 2 with the best in Europe ( Best players likely for move).


Now players like Higuain & Lewandowski come closer to Kane, where they score more goals, take more shots & play more for themselves. These players are less wateful ( from their accuracy) and are thus more potent strikers. 

We saw what difference having a top striker brings in with Van Persie. With Van Persie being able to also create something out of nothing opportunity. If Arsenal truly want to be seen as a dominant force in not only Premier League but also Europe then they will have to actually try to sign someone in the mould of Kane / Higuain / Lewandowski. 

With news that the latter of the 2 might be on move this year, why not try and get them. So may be Vardy deal stalling is a blessing in disguise. Only time will tell.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

New Transfers at Arsenal

Getting a new transfer in before a major tournament rarely happens at Arsenal.
Last time I remember it happening was when Tomas Rosicky arrived.

So how does Granit Xhaka affect Arsenal's transfer policy?

First bringing in Xhaka means wenger would not be looking at either of Wanyama or Kante. With Xhaka , Coquelin & Elneny I doubt anymore holding players would be signed.
With Cazorla /Wilshire / Ramsey also coming in at central midfield effectively means only one of these 3 have a place in the final 11. Towards the end of the season Elneny shone much brighter than Coquelin. So adding another in Xhaka means Wenger would be sorted there knowing he has Arteta leaving.

A look at Wilshire's record also shows that he cannot keep himself fit for long. So Wenger will not depend on him to be injury free for the season. So that Leaves us with Ox / Walcott / Campbell / Ramsey / Sanchez / Ozil / Iwobi to fill another 3 positions.

Now here is where the problem lies. With Ozil being fit, we know who will sit in the hole. But if he gets injured Arsenal doesnt have anyone to fill that position in the long term. As Wenger doesnt really use Ramsey in the hole position nowadays. And with all the talk of Ox going out on loan or being sold that leaves us with option to buy 1 more here. Keeping in mind that Rosicky left, I believe Wenger would go ahead and buy 1 more creative players to fill this role. I would like that to be someone like Mkhitaryan who can score as well as create.

Somehow I still feel that Wenger is going to neglect the defensive situation where all of us know the glaring need for 1 good central defender. This is where I would like Wenger to use his experience, but we all know his nonchalance towards defenders.

I still belieeve a World Class Central Defender is something Wenger should definitely add. If Koscielny gets injured, Arsenal is literally on 1 leg as Gabriel & Per do not combine well.

Now comes the part of Strikers. With Welbeck injured and Walcott not convincing enough, I feel Wenger will go out and buy 1 striker. But I fully expect him not to buy a proven goalscorer in the form of Higuain / Cavani / Aubameyang. Somehow I feel he would splash the cash on someone like Morata who despite all his work hasn't been a top class proven striker. He is good no doubt but would not be a huge upgrade on Giroud. Now this is where I assume all other challengers beat Arsenal. Even Everton have Lukaku who can create something out of nothing. Even with Wenger's record in his early years of finding world class strikers, I somehow believe this is where he will again falter big time.

Now who he signs ( or wheteher he signs anyone!!!) only time will tell.