Danny Welbeck.
I didn't for second think we were bringing in anyone yesterday so the Welbeck deal is one that has at least left me feeling intruiged about my team again rather than the despair I was feeling yesterday afternoon. Tragic window on the whole that failed to address the main needs. A significant improvement on Giroud, a significant improvement on Arteta and a replacement for Vermaelen who could keep Mertescelny on its toes. As a result I think it will be third at best this year, 5th at a realistic worst. Maybe a CL semi if we are luck with the draw. Could win a cup, but you never know with that.
But that's not Welbeck's fault, and who knows perhaps he could be the answer to that first issue, you never know.
So let's look at him.
The whole we have taken United's 4th best striker and he will become our second is a bit of a simplistic approach to take in this debate.
Welbeck under Fergie was a valued member of the squad. Prior to RVPs arrival he was joint second choice striker alongside Hernandez. When RVP joined he still had a role to play as joint 3rd choice. Everyone did. I don't even think it is suitable to talk about a ranking under Fergie. He selected players according to what the job required. Welbeck always played against us because he was a direct, quick, work horse type player. And he bagged a winner against us in our back yard when he was 19.
That is what seperated Fergie from Wenger. He knew how to make not just a team, but an entire squad play at the optimum of their potential. That's why players stayed for years without moaning. O'Shea, Brown, Phil Neville, Park were never starters but they knew they would contribute to the campaign and in the end they felt like valued players who had bag loads of medals for their work. When Wenger doesn't trust a player anymore, its game over. It happened with Vermaelen, happening with Podolski now.
Welbeck was younger, more inexperienced and not as naturally talented as RVP and Rooney. So obviously he wasn't going to play as much, but he had a role to play and every member of that squad contributed to them winning the title the year RVP went to Man U.
Under Moyes, Welbeck was once again just seen as the 3rd/4th choice striker, a player who can be played when he is needed, or if the team is desperate. It looked like Van Gaal would have treated him the same and he looked a dejected player with no confidence.
He was also a player that found himself in a team that has always had a very decent strike force, but increasingly awful midfield over recent years.
At Arsenal he will find the opposite situation in the (prolonged) wake of RVPs betrayal. We are desperate for a CF who can take an opportunity by the scruff of the neck. We can offer Welbeck the role that he has always wanted and probably if still under Fergie, the role he would now be playing for United. A role that at Arsenal has Sanchez, Walcott, Cazorla or Chamberlain to his left or right and Mesut Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere behind him.
With a bit of new direction, some new found hunger, and new team mates with a great British core, we could shape ourselves a real diamond. And for all of Wenger's faults, he's still one of the best at developing young talents.
I can't deny it. I've seen Welbeck countless times and I have degraded him, particularly for his performances for England. But this was mainly because I felt he was wrongfully keeping Arsenal players out the squad when he was being played in the wrong position on the left.
But he isn't a bad player. Comparisons with Balotelli are false too especially to do with the money. Balotelli is a thirty million pound striker who was available for 16 because he is mental. Right now Wenger doesn't want that around our very good team morale. This may prove right or wrong, but what we have gone out and bought is someone with slightly less technical potential than Mario, but much more in terms of athleticism, effort and determination to be the best he can be.
I think he'll go on to do well and could well be our first choice striker for the whole season. He's not what we all wanted, but he is not to blame for our clusterf.uck of a final few weeks of the transfer window. Wenger is. He is here and and as a 23 year old CF who will be part of our British core for the next 3-5 years at least, and he deserves our support.
My take on Welbeck
posted on 2/9/14
mment by ArseneWUMGER (U7889)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by The GOONER (U4256)
posted 25 seconds ago
Passionate article, but unfortunately however impassioned, at the end of the day, Welbeck will still be pants !
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Just do one and support another club you ball.bag
....
Hmm, at least he hasn't changed his mind on a player in the space of 24 hours just because your club signed him like alot of Arsenal fans on this board.
posted on 2/9/14
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 2/9/14
It's not as easy as football manager though.
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I don't play football manager. Such a lazy counter argument for Wenger loyalists. I understand that we 150M to spend in the window and we had 5 realistic objectives.
Replace Sagna
Replace Fabianski
Let Vermaelen leave and replace accordingly
Find improvement on DM
Find improvement on Striker
5 players.
Anything else bonus.
Replace Sagna - Debuchy - well done
Replace Fabianski - Ospina -well done
Let Vermaelen leave and replace accordingly - oops
Find improvement on DM - nah
Find improvement on Striker - nah
In the end we decide to let Jenkinson go on loan so we bring in a young replacement to deputise RB - Chambers, fine with that cool.
We bring in a wing forward - which was nice but again not neccesary - Sanchez
We bring a striker of similar ability to Giroud when he got injured.
We ignored three of our objectives and brought in three of players because we could, or were forced to in the end. This wasn't strategy, it was negligent game playing with the money which I amongst thousands of other fans fork out to go see the team.
If we had a great reputation of continually winning things, I'd be cool with it, but we don't. We've not won anything of real significance for a long time despite having great players of Sanchez's ability. What we needed was a pragmatic approach which brought in the players that were essential to improvement.
In the end Wenger was having too much fun playing volleyball, poker and refereeing charity games to just do what had to be done.
Mourinho knew what he needed, did his business before the end of the World Cup and he didn't break the band either with the mafia millions. It was just a simple, logical approach. One that will pay off dividends. Or was he playing Football Manager?
posted on 2/9/14
Great article Superman.
posted on 2/9/14
comment by ArseneWUMGER (U7889)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by The GOONER (U4256)
posted 2 minutes ago
Says the guys and gals who laughed at Wellkak last season and the seasons before that !
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City will welcome you with welcome arms
Now fack off
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I sew your not denying it !
All of a sudden Wellkak has become a top class striker !
posted on 2/9/14
What this window has demonstrated is that Wenger has gone for best of British or EPL experienced touched with a little international class. I don't think the world and his wife would be complaining about Welbeck as much if he had not been purchased 2 hours after deadline day had ended but at the same sort of time as the rest of our business.
People can be specific about lacking a DM and a new striker but for me what our team really lacked, especially when Theo was not playing was pace. This season our front line consists of Theo, Ox, Sanchez, Welbeck and Campbell for pace. We have the physicality of Giroud (when fit) and Yaya (when a little more experienced) and the finishing prowess of Poldi.
Backed up with the creative ability of Ozil, Santi; engines of Ramsey, Wilshere and defensve but experienced know how of Flmaini and Arteta, potentially we have a mix that could go a lot further than people give the team credit for. Debuchy has settled in well and appears to have more legs about him than Sagna and Chambers is looking an astute piece if business and our keeper finally has competition for his starting spot.
Domestically only Chelsea have significantly improved their starting XI from last season's top 6 and could see us pushing on and being a little closer to top spot as we were on 7 points of the top last season.
We are in a decent position and unlike City, Liverpool, Spurs, Everton and United we are still unbeaten in the league.
posted on 2/9/14
I think that Welbeck is a very average player and not the ruthless striker which we badly need. Wenger bottled buying a world class striker because he is too stingy (with our money) and scared of ruining Giroud's development.
Glad he signed a DMF, a centre back and held on to our only covering CB (Miguel) ..oh wait ....
posted on 2/9/14
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 2/9/14
comment by mikeymax71 (U7761)
posted 32 minutes ago
What this window has demonstrated is that Wenger has gone for best of British or EPL experienced touched with a little international class. I don't think the world and his wife would be complaining about Welbeck as much if he had not been purchased 2 hours after deadline day had ended but at the same sort of time as the rest of our business.
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Very true. I think Arseblog said this morning that if the Welbeck and Sanchez signings had come the other way round then fans would be pretty damn happy today.
Funny innit?
posted on 2/9/14
Balotelli is not a £30m striker, that's why he didn't go for £30m