So Exactly What Do We Need?

So Exactly What Do We Need?

So the summer has finally arrived; Wimbledon, a bit of heat and the transfer window.

What`s nice for us is that for the second summer running we have no major departures planned, or at least none of our big players have been talking about little boys or DNA strands. The Theo contract situation is still up in the air (honestly when is the Theo contract situation not up in the air?) but my feeling is that he wants to stay and that Wenger sees him as a key player so he`ll be signed up soon.

The Cech signing was a huge one for us, every bit as big as Ozil and Alexis in terms of what he will bring to the club. Sure he`s coming into a team that do not defend as deep as Chelsea but he`s genuinely a world class keeper and will have no problem adapting. Not only does his signing strengthen us in goals it will also improve our back line. Cech is a commanding and experienced keeper and the defenders playing in front of him will also lift their game as a result of having him between the sticks. Our defence, while certainly not without issues, has been somewhat unfairly criticised of late. After all we finished as the 3rd best defence in the league last season, just 4 goals behind Chelsea and 3 behind Soton, taking into consideration that we played more than a few games at the start of the season with a bit of a miss-mash of left backs and right backs all across the back line that`s not too bad an achievement. The season before we kept the joint amount of clean sheets (this despite being on the receiving end of some horrible maulings), and the season before that we were 2nd only to Man City. We get a lot of flack, some of it certainly deserved, but overall we`ve performed significantly better than the ‘average’ ratings that many pundits and fans would apply to us.
The right back position is an interesting one. Debuchy, even with his terrible luck with injuries, hasn`t really blown me away. He`s looked solid and dependable but nothing more. In fact he looks like the perfect back up player and it would be very tough on Bellerin if he lost his place to the returning Frenchman. Yes experience counts for a lot but the raw speed and aggressive attacking play of our young Spaniard is really something. We all knew that he was highly regarded by those in the club but before last season I don`t think anyone quite knew what a true gem we have on our hands. I think Wenger will rotate the two depending on who is playing ahead of them on the right wing and who our opposition on the day is. Either way, even forgetting the unfortunate Jenks we have no need to worry about the right side of our defence.

Thankfully the same applies on the left. Gibbs hasn`t quite kicked on the way that many of us would have hoped and it`s pretty clear to me that Nachoman is our first choice. His performances last season, both on the left and as emergency cover in the middle, were excellent. Gibbs may come good and does offer a lot of energy going forward but has yet to solve the positional problems that have been with him since his debut and show no signs of going away. Pity really but I`m happy with Moneral.

In the middle, despite almost constant and scathing attacks from both the media and the fans Per had another great season. I don`t think he`s the best in the league by any means but he`s very reliable and while he might never reach the majestic heights of Kos he also makes fewer mistakes. For me he is still the first name on the team sheet. His partner beside him will still be Kos but hopefully we will see Wenger bring in the crazy killer faced Gabriel and Chambers a bit more. Per was overplayed last season and he`s a year older now. I`ve a feeling that in 2016 the games around April and May will mean a lot more to us than this season so it`s vital we keep our team fresh. I`d be more than happy if we started the season with these four as our CB options.

Def mid is a funny one in that when Coq came back to us he outperformed every other DM in the league from Dec to May and yet fans are still calling for a replacement or upgrade. It`s hard to know what more Coq (or any player in that position) could do to make the position his own. Maybe we should have paid Charlton £20m for him that way he would be the big name that many fans seem to desire? For what it`s worth I don`t think Wenger will buy a DM or any central midfielder this summer. Coq is first choice and currently we have Artera and Flamini who can cover while there are several players who could also play there at a push.

Pretty sure that Ramsey will gradually replace Santi in the middle. Ramsey is coming pretty close to the ideal midfielder, he runs, he scores, he tackles and he creates. Yes his passing is not always spot on but with the demise of Yaya Toure and the departure of Gerrard and Lampard we have the closest thing to the new dominant box-to-box midfielder in our ranks. His best position is central and while I could understand Wenger playing him right (maybe to provide a bit more protection to Bellerin), I think Ramsey will start the season just in front of Coq and just behind Ozil.

Ozil. Ozil, Ozil, Ozil. I could spend hours watching him play and then hours talking about what I`ve just seen. He`s a unique player and one who`s influence in the team is growing. But just like everything else he does it`s been growing subtly. He`s 26 now (the age Dennis was when we signed him) and like Dennis, he will be the catalyst for great things for the club. We are starting to see the benefits of building a team around this incredibly talented German, I hoping for a PFA award for him next May.

The right side of the field is open for us and we have a few options with no real clear favourite. As I`ve said I`m sure that Ramsey will move back central which means that any one of Theo, Santi, Jack and Danny are all options there. Theo offers goals but not much else, Danny running but not much else and Jack clever flicks and dribbling but not much else. Santi, while wide right is not his best position is probably the best option there initially but I think longer term Ox will get that role. He`s a raw talent and has yet to really produce much in the way of end product but his mix of pace, power and directness bring three qualities that none of the other options have.
Our problem is that while we have an effective striker in Giroud we don`t have one who will get us the title so we need goals from elsewhere. Alexis provides them on the left but Ozil isn`t really the goal scoring type which means we need another significant outlet and while Ramsey will score ideally we need the right side contributing. Of the options there only really Theo is a proven scorer. Can Theo`s game step up to add consistency and work rate? I`m unsure. His pace is a weapon but it`s all too easily negated by teams sitting deep and you take away pace from Theo and what`s left?

Jack is unique in that there are a variety of positions that he can play well in but not one single one where he can really call his own. Not at defensive as Coq, not as effective as Ramsey and not a skilful as Ozil. Wide right may be where we will see him the most in 2015/16.

Up front we are quite limited. Giroud is an excellent option to have and he will score you goals against 90% of the teams we will face but it`s that final bit, that 10% that sees you going from a good striker to a great one that he is missing. But who else do we have? Welbeck has been a disappointment; many of the flaws that United fans warned us about seem to have accompanied him to north London. Theo, despite what he might say, is not a real option and neither too is Alexis (probably).

I think we are sound in goals and at the back. Our midfield is strong with plenty of options and our attacking play is strong. It`s our lack of a top quality forward that`s the killer. We need either a new striker or someone to play on the right who can replicate the goal scoring feats that Alexis did last season on the left.

Marco Reus anyone?