By Daniel Finton (Deputy Editor)
Football finds itself in the thick of the summer transfer window. Fans can no longer keep up with all of the rumors as they’re churned out in an assembly line fashion. Some are true, most are fake. The mid-window madness now has supporters following their own team’s business, exclusively, rather than everyone’s. We all heard and saw everything when the window first cracked open, like a lonely housewife in a quiet neighborhood. However, now, for most reading this, it’s all about Arsenal.
So let’s talk about our club. It’s been a pretty busy window thus far. A new midfielder, back up goalkeeper, a young defender that went on loan immediately, a young winger, and our long-awaited shiny striker have all entered the fold. And business doesn’t appear anywhere near finished — not just from a fans viewpoint for once either. This time, the board and manager look like they’ve got more in mind.
Zinchenko is the latest name very heavily linked with Arsenal. He’d be the second player signed from Manchester City this window. The Gunners look as though they are now fully ready to pip top talent, that aren’t an out and out first choice, from teams farther ahead in their building process than us. And I think it’s fair to expect more of this from sides in a position similar to Arsenal’s.
Super teams are bursting at the seams, as the headline reads, in one way or another. Long buildups of overly, or totally ineffective team management have left some of the world’s top sides needing to sell. That’s a good thing for Mikel Arteta’s side as they can use all the quality at all available if they want to truly push for Champions League football.
Manchester City have a ridiculous squad. Pep Guardiola asks recruiters to jump, and they promptly reply with, “how high, and to which planet, my Lord?” While that sounds like any manager’s dream, it also leaves Pep with an overage of players some years after having ready access to that all you can eat buffet. City’s form of bursting is at the belt through bloat. They’ve too much good food on their plate and little room for new eats. If an old friend comes by asking for that bowl of borscht resting on the plate, or the Brazilian meat slice had, City may just say, “ugh, I wanted that, but fine.”
That type of bursting is quite unique to City. Even Liverpool, with their amazing unit, isn't at that preposterous, unprecedentedly deep state.
To move on, Barcelona are gradually exploding into nonexistence due to their financial recklessness. Though they don’t have enough to pay their own players, or fill their own car with petrol, they’re buying new ones. Now may not be the time to work with Barca, as there’s no telling when you’ll actually get paid, but Arsenal and other teams alike should circle that sinking life boat like a pack of hungry, oceanic white tips.
Those are the two main sides that will be eager to sell now, or at some point soon. There are obviously others as COVID has totally decimated many side’s financial state, but City and Barca players are that cut above the rest and would fit our ideology and tactical setup perfectly. Even if the latter aren’t as strong as they once were, una Blaugrana is usually pretty damn good, and they'd fit into Arteta's rigid, technical system with ease, and almost as well as a City player would.
When players are bought from sides like the aforementioned, polar opposite pair, it’s exciting. In most cases you’re buying the finished product, or something close, and that helps make progress immediately. Right here, right now progression earns more money and more money equates to more, and typically better players. (Despite what many of our recent peak year signings would indicate.)
Other sides such as Bayern Munich have a lot on their plate that could be picked off too. And then other large German clubs, Italian sides, and a number of Spanish teams are all apparently looking for the odd chunk of change here or there as they seek recovery from the cursed currency current that aggressively crashed at their banks. Arsenal must keep their eyes wide and ears opened.
There could be other gold mines for sale as teams can no longer afford to operate it, or they’re just sick of its sight. One man's trash is another's treasure.
We’ve been run relatively well, including through the pandemic, in spite of an abundance of rightful criticisms. Due to that, and of course the fact that we're a Premier league club, now Arsenal finds itself as one of the few left without a limp on the ever-merciless plains of football.
It’s time to take advantage of being one of the few beings that can still trot and scavenge. Typically untouchable elephants’ guts are erupting from overeating, or they’re killing over due to weak legs. Usually present Lions, tigers, and bears (oh my) lie in their dens with their rib cages showing, and they're too weak to compete for the proteinic options out there that are readily available to anyone remotely capable. Let’s eat like Hyenas.
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