The Replacements

Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality.

– Bertrand Russell

Russell was obviously never an Arsenal fan because the one absolute certainty at this moment in time is the overwhelming sense of doom, perpetuated by the media, and some irrational fears coming through. The situation is what it is. And Life Goes On. What is done, is done, and now we start a new era.

Who that era involves is unknown. Alan Smith hit the nail on the head yesterday when he noted that Henry exerted, either accidentally or purposely, a huge influence over the young players in the team. In the same way that George Graham’s team became overly reliant on Ian Wright, the current squad were overly reliant on Henry. When they lost their ‘talisman’, they struggled to score. In confirming the transfer, Arsenal’s hand was forced. The Club had wanted a lid kept on the deal until next week when they believed that they would have secured a replacement. That should be taken as an encouraging sign as there are few ‘big’ transfers that happen quickly, worked on for weeks before signing. It is not quite proof positive of a spending spree but a step in the right direction.

The media circus has moved into overdrive now, as was expected. Eulogies for Henry – he deserves them for his actions on the pitch – and anguishes over Wenger and the future of the Club, not through a sense of any concern for its future, simply because ‘bad news’ sells. That is what we, as supporters, need to bear in mind. There won’t be a ‘good’ news report about the Club for months, simply because whoever is signed will be deemed to be ‘disruptive’ (Anelka), untried in the Premiership (Huntelaar, Torres, Babel), injury risk (Owen), African Cup of Nations bound (Martins) and in all cases, probably not as good as Henry; that is the media reality, one that we have to push aside.

The current favourite with Bookies is Owen; the media favour Anelka, followed by a Huntelaar / Babel double bill with Martins coming up on the rails due to a £13m release clause. You and I have our favourites or more likely those we don’t want. Personally, I have grave reservations about Anelka. Big ones. I am not convinced by his return to the Premiership. Remove the two Arsenal games from the equation, he scored eight in thirty three last season. That seems a risky investment yet part of that return will have been the style of Bolton’s play, with his reliance on pace being perhaps more suited to Arsenal than The Reebok. Martins I was impressed with when I saw him but signing him would mean two of the forward line going to the African Cup of Nations next year. Can we really afford to have a similar situation as this season past, two forwards out? What if one of the others is missing beforehand through injury and will be out whilst the ACN is taking place? One fit forward? I don’t think Arsene will risk it. Carlos Tevez? Is he your idea of a thirty goal a season man, or anywhere near that? Not for me; he is more a Bergkamp replacement. Whichever of the signings the media make a case for though, you can find a weakness, a reason for it not to happen. It is whether or not that weakness is substantial enough to deter Le Boss that counts.

There is speculation that Wenger’s own future will preclude any ‘decent’ player signing for us. I do not subscribe to that view, especially if there is a non-English player signing. They all know the precarious nature of the Managers Role. Look at Manchester United and Arsenal then cast your gaze to the Continent. Name one other side in the top two Groups of Seeds in the Champions League where there is a Coach having served even half of their length of service. I cannot think of one. The players are much more used to a ‘hire and fire’ mentality, to the extent that I doubt if they even look beyond the end of the coming season when talking to a Coach about a transfer. The youngsters such as Cesc are different; Wenger is all that they have known, to whom they owe their careers so far. That is understandable but a naive view – the innocence of youth.

It is going to make for an interesting Summer after all although time will tell whether or not we wished for a quiet one.