Busy as you want to be, or busy as you NEED to be?

Arsene Wenger has some interesting business to handle.

With only Denilson and Vela out, loan and sale respectively, Arsene still has some dead weight to dispose of. Arsenal wrapped up the preseason with their final match against FC Koln on August 12, leaving six days till the season kicks off and less than three weeks until the window shuts. It’s a very short period of time to complete the moves many people feel Arsenal need and want.

I have discussed the rumours at great length and frustration with other Arsenal fans.  A few players I think we could all agree are superfluous to Arsenal’s title ambitions over this season: Park, Squillaci and Arshavin. A couple others are borderline squad players Chamakh, and Bendtner. RvP and Walcott being the undetermined players, headaches right now.

Ignoring the players mentioned above Arsenal would have a squad as follows:

Podolski, Giroud, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Rosicky, Arteta, Wilshere, Diaby, Ramsey, Cazorla, Coquelin, Yennaris, Song, Frimpong, Miyaichi

Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Santos, Sagna, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Bartley, Djourou.

Arsenal would look a little bit bare up front. Now a lot of people are counting Walcott as re-signed, but it has not been confirmed yet. However, today I feel bold, so let’s include him in the squad. Arsenal are now at five attackers. For a team playing the 4-3-3 or a modified 4-5-1 that is still shy of what is needed.

Arsenal have spent an estimated £40-44million this summer. Counting the Queensland road, the UEFA Champions League money, the sale of Carlos Vela and some estimated monies in profits from operations Arsenal should have roughly £10-12 million in the kitty for new transfers. The UEFA Champions League money is for the previous season, Wenger has publicly stated that he does not spend Champions League money until it is earned; so Wenger is spending money earned from the 2011-2012 season.

With £10-12 million, Arsenal have the money to pay van Persie a loyalty bonus and increased wages. That would leave the club around 5 million. So now we have to sell some players, with RvP staying we have 7 up front, so Park and Bendtner can go. Bendtner is £4-7.5 million (40k/week) and Park is £1-3 (45k/week) – these are estimates by me, sorry if you disagree.

So sell those two we have £13million and 85k/week for one player. As it is later in the window some marquee players may start to cost a little more. So we need to sell someone else. Let’s sell Squillaci, reportedly off to Olympiakos for a million (Gazidis fly down there and make sure you get cash, in Euros, HURRY!). Now Arsenal are up to £14 million plus 120k/week. Arsenal will not spend 120k/week on a player unless they are RvP, so decrease that down to 85k/week and the transfer kitty goes up to a solid 16million or so. Arsenal would have enough to sign Yann M’Villa.

AND I’ve ignored Chamakh and Arshavin who I am starting to think will be here at the start of the year. We’re going to need them as Gervinho is gone for Africa Cup of Nations (yes, back to back years for this tournament), Song is gone too, and maybe even Chamakh. So Arshavin will factor in to the squad this year.

So that is obviously what I want to have happen, but that is a lot of work for Wenger as the season kicks off. Two players need to sign new deals, three players need to get sold, and one needs to get purchased. AND I’ve ignored Sahin, who I am tired of reading about.  That is a lot of work, do you think it will happen? Let me know

Cheers,

Morgan

@MorganArseCan

morgan@arsenalcanada.ca