Arsenal Transfer News: Alex Song's Departure to Barcelona Will Hurt Gunners

Arsene Wenger did pick up some impressive players this summer, but Alex Song's departure to Barcelona, coupled with Robin van Persie's sale to Manchester United, will undoubtedly hurt Arsenal this season.

After Arsenal's disappointing opening 0-0 tie with Sunderland at Emirates on Saturday, new midfielder Santi Cazorla noted how important it is for the Gunners to replace Song and Van Persie.

Cazorla said, via the Daily Mirror, "I do not know if we will sign anyone but obviously it’s important to replace players like that because they were so important for the team."

When Arsenal sold Song for around €19 million on Monday, the club lost not only a solid player, but an emerging force.

At 24 years of age, Song is just beginning to realize his potential after breaking out in the Gunners' 2009-2010 campaign. He's become an all-around midfielder, with the ability to either stay back and play defense or push the ball forward. His energy and durability made him a fan favorite. He led Arsenal with 11 assists last season, while Van Persie was second on the club with nine.

Arsenal fans can only hope that Saturday's 0-0 tie only marked a transitional period for the summer acquisitions of Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud. While the three showed plenty of promise, they ultimately weren't able to produce a goal together. There is obviously still plenty of time to set things right, but it's hard to overlook the loss of two top players for the Gunners.

 Wenger is under tremendous pressure at Emirates after the departures of Van Persie and Song. While Van Persie appeared to draw more ire from Gunners fans than Wenger did, the transfer of Song wasn't needed, particularly because Song stated that he liked it at Emirates.

Make no mistake about it: Song's absence was evident on Saturday against Sunderland, and there's no question that it's going to be more difficult for Arsenal to bounce back after the loss.