Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Must Adopt This Summer's Transfer Approach Every Year

The rumors that Lukas Podolski was set to sign for Arsenal had been growing through the months of 2012, but the fact that the German international officially sealed his transfer to north London before the Premier League season had even drawn to a close was a statement worth noting.

Thanks to last summer's protracted dealings, Arsene Wenger was made to look positively sluggish by Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, who snapped up three high-profile signings by the end of June. A different approach was expected and frankly, needed this time around.

Arsenal are readying themselves for a title push in 2012-13. Having transfer business done and dusted by the time preseason training rolls around is essential for allowing a side to adjust to new transplants.

Last summer was a far cry from that kind of seamless transition.

Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri both wanted out of north London, and it took until mid-August for them to find new clubs. Nasri even featured for Arsenal against Liverpool on Aug. 19—hardly the sort of thing you'd want to see for a club trying to find its identity in the early months.

Wenger dipped his hand quite forcefully into the transfer market at the end of August, plucking Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun (loan deal) in its final hours. The moves were met with applause, but a questioning glance accompanied it.

Fans wondered why it took Wenger so long to act upon the deficiencies in the Arsenal squad. The additions were welcome, but as we saw over the course of this season, many of them took time to adapt to the pace and rigor of the Premier League.

Benayoun didn't begin to make his biggest impact until the final months. Mertesacker looked sluggish in his first appearances. (Remember his culpability on some of the goals at Stamford Bridge in October?)

Had they been bought earlier, perhaps that adjustment period might have been shortened somewhat. They would at the very least have had some games to familiarize themselves to a new system and new teammates.

Which brings us to this current offseason. Wenger has made it clear that he hopes to get most, if not all of his business done before the European Championships, which are set to begin on June 8.

That speaks to his increased ambition in the market. He is pursuing players (Podolski included) who will take part in Euro 2012. That is the type of quality fans should expect Wenger to bring into the club.

Just as it was in 2008—when Samir Nasri's transfer was agreed upon before the former Marseille man headed off to Austria and Switzerland with France—Wenger is acting fast. While the Nasri deal was not officially announced until July, it was finalized before the competition began.

(Arse Speak cited L'Equipe, France's leading sports newspaper, as its official source for the Nasri deal being done in May. L'Equipe is often spot-on in its transfer speculation; they were the first source to get wind and then announce Marouane Chamakh's agreement to join Arsenal on a free transfer in 2010—something I remember following in the pages of L'Equipe during my time in Paris that year.)

Wenger's moving quickly once more. He already has brought Podolski on board and may seal some other transfer dealings (Yann M'Vila) before that June 8 kickoff.

There are other potential signings (Fulham's Clint Dempsey, for example) who will not be participating in the Euros, which gives Arsenal a bit more time to finalize a deal.

Why the importance of snapping up players before a major competition?

Should that player star for his country, his asking price would inevitably skyrocket. Case in point: Andrei Arshavin during, and then following, Euro 2008.

Arshavin came into Euro 2008 unknown outside the most ardent followers of the European game (he'd led Zenit St. Petersburg to the 2008 UEFA Super Cup).

But the little Russian was superb for his national side during that summer's competition, leading them to the semifinals. He eventually commanded a £15 million fee the following January—a club record for Arsenal.

Should a player not take part in a major competition (Laurent Koscielny missed out on World Cup 2010 with France, for example), then as with Dempsey, there is less pressure to hammer a deal home. (Koscielny signed for Arsenal in early July, while the World Cup was still raging on.)

Fans should expect Arsenal to go after players who feature for their countries on the biggest stages, like Podolski for Germany. That should be the club's ambition.

And even if there is no major competition during the summer, wrapping up transfer business before July and August roll around is of the utmost importance, as was mentioned before.

Given Arsenal's dreadfully slow start (I've seen molasses move faster) to the just-completed campaign—they didn't win their first match until September—having all new business signed and sealed before preseason, or at the very latest before August, is vital.

Wenger looks like he's learned his lesson from last summer. More power to him for adapting his policy in the market.

While its unrealistic to expect superstars to come rolling through the Emirates front doors every summer, any newcomers should be signed early. It makes the most sense.

Let's just hope he continues this positive trend in the summers to come.