Henry Winter: Arsene Wenger must jettison many and recruit better ... and he can't afford to blink in the transfer market again
Thierry Henry says farewell to the Arsenal away fans. Photo: Getty Images
ARSENAL need to look at AC Milan’s starting XI on Wednesday night in the San Siro and appreciate that a strong, well-balanced team can be built for a sensible outlay.
The issue that Arsène Wenger must now address is how to juggle his wage bill better.
Massimiliano Allegri’s starting XI for the Champions League game on Wednesday night cost in the region of £70 million, hardly an outrageous investment in the modern era. Christian Abbiati cost nothing, Ignazio Abate (£2 million), Philippe Mexes (free), Thiago Silva (£6 million), Luca Antonini (£2.2 million), Mark van Bommel (free), Clarence Seedorf (complicated as part-exchange with Francisco Coco to Inter), Antonio Nocerino (£600,000), Kevin-Prince Boateng (£5 million), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£24 million) and Robinho (£15 million).
Wenger’s chosen Arsenal XI for the match at San Siro cost roughly £15 million less than Allegri’s: Wojciech Szczesny (nothing), Bacara Sagna (£6 million), Thomas Vermaelen (£10 millon), Laurent Koscielny (£9 million), Kieran Gibbs (nothing), Alex Song (£1 million), Aaron Ramsey (£5 million), Mikel Arteta (£10 million), Theo Walcott (£5 million), Robin van Persie (£2.75 million), Tomas Rosicky (£6.8 million).
The problem, of course, is wages, the conundrum constantly troubling Wenger.
Most of Milan’s stars will rake in more than Van Persie, Arsenal’s best-paid player who earns around £80,000 a week.
At £124.4 million, Arsenal’s wage-bill is fourth in the Premier League but the issue plaguing the team, holding back any chance of development, is the presence of too many below-par players on above-par money.
All the talk of a clear-out makes sense and needs heeding by Wenger and the Arsenal board.
Any clear-out must stop short of the dug-out, though. Assuming his hunger for the job remains, Wenger deserves one final summer to re-shape the squad. No more dithering. No more blind spots.
Wenger must jettison many and recruit better. He hesitated in the past when he had the chance to sign the likes of Phil Jones and Scott Parker.
Instead, rushing around at the last moment last August, he ended up with Per Mertesacker, too sluggish for the pell-mell Premier League, and Mikel Arteta, who goes sideways too often and at San Siro gave the ball away too often.
Others whom Wenger must consider guiding towards the exit door include Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh, Rosicky, Sebastien Squillaci, Yossi Benayoun and Lukasz Fabianski.
Arsenal currently have 17 players out on loan and some of those are good earners like Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela and Denilson, all surplus to requirements now.
Their departure would free up considerable finance to invest in better, more handsomely renumerated individuals.
The Arsenal fans shivering up in the top tier of San Siro could have been forgiven a collective sigh of despair when Johan Djourou came on, replacing Koscielny shortly before the break. Djourou, whose potential Wenger has long espoused, was caught out badly in the second half.
Koscielny is worth persevering with but he and Thomas Vermaelen, so poor in Milan, both prefer the left-sided slot of the two centre-half positions. Even Wenger’s first-choice defence is unbalanced.
Arsenal are constantly linked with creative talents like Eden Hazard and Mario Gotze but Wenger must strengthen the defence first.
Wenger has some quality to work with. Szczesny is a good keeper, despite recent mistakes, including the weak clearance that helped set Milan on their way to that 4-0 rout.
Sagna and Gibbs are talented full-backs when fit, although Gibbs lacks experience and is alarmingly injury-prone. Andre Santos, when fit and made aware of his defensive responsibilities, is a decent left-back.
Song was written up favourably in the Italian press on Thursday, although he was far from his best. Ramsey has his critics but has enough potential to persist with.
Francis Coquelin, an athletic midfielder used out of position at full-back, exudes promise. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who started on the bench at San Siro to mass bemusement, is a real bright beacon for the future, possessing the tactical intelligence that Walcott has still to acquire.
Arsenal fans are getting increasingly frustrated with Walcott, and he does need greater consistency and a better final ball, but it would be pointless offloading a 22-year-old flier who could be a real force if unleashed through the middle.
The nightmare stalking Arsenal sleep is the thought of Van Persie, the jewel in a badly dented Emirates crown, refusing to sign a new contract and leaving. Wenger needs to convince him that Arsenal are still ambitious. That means newcomers of note.
Wenger must address other mistakes. For instance, why is Patrick Vieira working for Manchester City and not Arsenal? Wenger, and the dressing-room, could do with Vieira’s strong words. They could really do with a younger Vieira.
