Five reasons for and against Arsenal spending in January. 1) Injuries For spending: Arsenal could get injuries. The most obvious reason for Wenger to spend again is that Arsenal currently have only Olivier Giroud as their first-choice centre-forward with the prospect of Nicklas Bendtner on the bench as the only other senior striking option. The Gunners are presently heavily linked with unsettled Real Madrid and France forward Karim Benzema but… Against spending: Arsenal already have injuries …the Gunners already have several attacking players out injured who will return in the coming weeks and months – Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well as Santi Cazorla and youngster Yaya Sanogo. Bringing in another striker would only increase the competition further, perhaps decreasingly the opportunities for some forward players, especially the former three and Sanogo. 2) Competition For spending: Giroud is the only option On the subject of opportunities, Giroud has been getting far more as a result of the lack of competition but, of course, the worry is that the more he plays, the more exposed to injuries he becomes. Buying another forward player to compete with him would also give him the opportunity to rest. Against spending: Giroud is enjoying form and confidence However, his form and fitness has been fantastic so far this term – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it so the saying goes – Wenger may be reluctant to mess with the squad, especially given that everything is going so swimmingly at present. The arrival of another striker especially could have a negative impact on Giroud’s confidence and, subsequently, form. LIVE Premier League match alerts to your phone - goals, red cards, half and full time scores 3) Form For spending: Giroud could get injured Speaking on form, Giroud’s fitness has been a huge part of that – if he can’t play, he can’t score and the more he plays, as I mentioned, the more exposed to injury he is but… Against spending: They’ve coped well so far …then again, so could anyone (get injured, that is) – it’s a risk every time every player steps on to the pitch, football is a contact sport and it can hazardous – you can’t wrap everyone up in cotton wool. Giroud could get injured just as much as anyone else and so far Arsenal have coped remarkably well without a number of key players. 4) The Ozil Effect Against spending: They’ve already spent big on Ozil The Gunners broke their transfer record bringing in Mesut Ozil from real Madrid and it completely lifted the whole club – the team, the manager and the fans but having spent so much money on deadline day, Wenger may believe he no longer has the weight of pressure to do so anymore. For spending: And look how well it worked out! However, the lift that Ozil gave to everyone at the club and everyone remotely associated with Arsenal has been so impacting on their positivity and form and performances since that you’d have to acknowledge that spending big again on another player could repeat the whole process again, especially after a number of tough fixtures between now and January. Who knows what the mood will be like in the camp by then. 5) Top of the league Against spending: Arsenal are top of the Premier League Theyre riding high – the team seems to have everything it needs at present and, crucially, less of what it doesn’t need. There seems to be a unity and spirit fostered in the squad and a belief they can achieve their aims together. Why mess with that? For spending: They want to still be there come May It’s a long old road to get there. There are so many games and so many variables and Arsenal have a great chance to win a title this term but they ought to give themselves in the best possible chance and they can do that by bringing in another top player in January.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:44:24 +0000
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