#360debate: Does Arsene need to spend?

Sport360 staff 08:38 04/01/2016
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  • Flying high: Arsenal.

    It’s one of the most difficult decisions any football manager faces in this era of transfer windows: sign in January to bolster resources or stick with your squad to minimise any risk of disruption.

    – Premier League: January transfer window watch

    – Serie A: January transfer window watch
    – Bundesliga: January transfer window watch
    – Ligue 1: January transfer window watch
    – La Liga: January transfer window watch

    For notoriously cautious Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger, it is a pertinent question this month. For the first time in several seasons, the Gunners have a realistic shot at the Premier League title come May. Is it, then, time to gamble on those one or two players who could ensure success.

    Today’s #360debate is: Do Arsenal need to make major signings this month?

    James Piercy, deputy editor, says YES

    With Chelsea out of contention, Manchester United in a constant state of flux and City impossible to gauge from one week to the next, Arsenal have a golden opportunity to finally win another league title after 12 years of trying.

    Seizing it becomes even more important when you consider what City could become under Pep Guardiola and who Chelsea and United might appoint as manager and spend this summer.

    Despite the comparative strength of their squad against City, there are weaknesses in this Arsenal side that it wouldn’t take much to expose.

    Deficiencies that can be remedied in the market. First and foremost should be finding an able deputy for Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman just cannot be expected to play and score in the remaining 18 leagues games, never mind additional Champions League and FA Cup ties.

    Wenger has used Theo Walcott but the 26-year-old is not a central striker nor can be relied upon to produce should Giroud be absent or off his game against any of England’s very best sides.

    What about a six-month loan deal for Jackson Martinez at Atletico or Alvaro Negredo at Valencia? Players out-of-favour and who should be able to hit the ground running.

    Wenger could push the boat out and try and get a march on his rivals ahead of the summer by going after Alexandre Lacazette at Lyon, who are out of the Champions League and title contention in France, or Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi?

    They represent a slight risk but by acting as Giroud’s No. 2 can get acclimatised to English football without the pressures of always starting, as well as providing talented options.

    Maybe it’s time for Wenger to roll the dice for once. Despite the impending arrival of Mohamed Elneny, defensive midfield remains a concern and when Francis Coquelin isn’t fit – as he wasn’t for the 4-0 reverse at Southampton and was taken off in the 2-1 defeat at West Brom – they are vulnerable, especially away from home.

    Sevilla’s Grzegorz Krychowiak and PSG’s Adrien Rabiot are Wenger-types, and the former could even be an improvement on Coquelin.

    Alex Rea, reporter, says NO

    If it isn’t broke, why fix it? The irony of this debate is not lost on this writer because Arsenal fans tortured themselves over the summer, begging for a new defensive midfielder and a new striker.

    Yet, Arsene Wenger trusted his philosophy, trusted his group of players and refused to fold to popular opinion. Now, it’s quite clear that the decision was the right one.

    At the time, it seemed like only bringing in Petr Cech was made either through his own naivety or arrogance. But in reality, through his refusal to bring in a superstar name, the Frenchman has been able to mould a group of players capable of triumphing in what is a stormy Premier League season.

    Top capture: Petr Cech.

    His principle is to only buy better. And right now, there is no better side in England. There’s certainly no side more consistent and that’s the defining characteristic of Wenger’s men.

    In an unpredictable season it’s a rare commodity, certainly not something to be sneered at. He’s ignored the weather report and kept the ship on course by keeping faith in the same players week after week. The current climate suits the Gunners and if it stays like that, and signs are it will, then that 12-year wait for a league title will come to an end.

    By dipping into the transfer market what does that say to the players who have fired the Gunners two points clear of Leicester? For a manager who invests in the squad dynamic rather than the big names, it’s a strategy that goes against his beliefs.

    Any side would want and benefit from a better centre forward but we’ve seen how managers have been burned by buying for buying’s sake. Juan Mata, Juan Cuadrado and Mohamed Salah spring to mind.

    It’s unnecessary and is done only to feed the modern era’s insatiable desire for the new. Wenger appreciates his squad’s vulnerabilities but he has faith in the quality of his players to overcome them and so far it’s worked. That’s despite persistent injuries to Alexis Sanchez, Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck, too.

    Wenger is not arrogant. He simply believes his team can win by being exactly that: a team.

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