Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal has been laced with beautiful moments, and moments that are better left in the shelf of history for reasons of it being wrapped in forgettable experiences. Most of the latter experiences have come as a result of not doing the necessary transfer business in the window in order to plug the holes in squad.
Before the summer ended, Arsenal was in clear need of a defender. And the refusal of the club to sign one left many of Arsenal persuasion flabbergasted. It is a situation that is already taking it toll on the performance of the team, as the lack of depth in defence has been exposed.
Arsene Wenger alluded to the fact that it is something he would look to rectify in the January transfer window when he spoke in the club’s AGM last Thursday. However, the Frenchman is known for double speaking in the past when it comes to transfers, and he is usually receptive to say he would make signings when the transfer window is far off, but ends up doing the complete opposite when the window opens proper.
However, going by his assertion following Arsenal’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Hull City on Saturday, he seems to have given an indication that he would not to sign a defender that the club needs after all in January. Part of his reply when asked about the team’s defensive display against Hull City was typical Arsene Wenger:
“. . . Some other teams have bought many defenders and concede goals as well.” He said
This statement can be interpreted with many he has made in the past which gives a cryptic message that he would not sign the coveted defender that Arsenal clearly needs. The Frenchman is already getting in his excuses early when the next window shuts without any signing in January. It has been his style to adopt a deceptive posture when he comes to transfers.
In the summer he clearly said, the club would react in the transfer market if Thomas Vermaelen left. The former Arsenal captain left almost month to the end of the transfer window yet the much talked about reaction never materialized. And many were left disappointed at the club’s inertia in this regard. It was bizarre to hear Arsene Wenger in the AGM say that he knew the club needed another defender, but they could not find one.
Arsene Wenger has shown in the past that he cannot be trusted when the January transfer window comes around. He spoke several times in the past of his detest of the January transfer window. Over the past couple of seasons, the club had needed a player in January, he never signed. In the last January transfer window, Arsenal needed a striker but got none,
In the 2009/2010 season, Arsenal was without any striker for two months, yet he persisted with Andre Arshavin as a forward, and declined to sign a striker that January.
The January transfer window is just around the corner, and there is already a hint that Arsene Wenger would not make any signings. It would not be the first time if history is anything to go by, and if it turned out that way, nobody should be surprised.