The Final Solution at Arsenal

So apparently Wenger has been "caught napping," with Manchester City nabbing Gareth Barry from under our noses, for what seems a reasonably-priced £12 million. There is endless talk (all rubbish mind you) of Cesc being flogged off back to his home town, with Real and even Chelsea waiting in the wings.

Highlighting just what a load of tosh that is, Liverpoollooking set to flex their muscles and fight for Valencia's dynamic duo of Davids, Villa and Silva, and of course, there is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, Kaka to you and me (I still don't get how Brazilian names work), off to Perez's new Real revolution for a smart world-record of £50 million plus.

Jealous? I know I bloody am!

Hello again by the way. Since our Champions League abjection, many things have happened, many views that I had wished to air with you, without quite getting the chance.

We had an arguably even more crushing display against our dearest London friends from Russia, and all surely cheered Barcelona to victory against our frequent usurpers at home and abroad (and then jeered, looking on green with envy as Thierry had that big cup over his head—if ONLY he put that one-on-one away against Valdes in Paris, well that's what I was thinking).

Then we were again honorary supporters, that time in the form of Everton on Cup Final day, with the realisation by the end of it that you can't have everything in life can you?

Well, as Gooners, we know that more than most, the fact that our end-of-season trophy hopes have rested on rooting for others against our "enemies" being a case-in-point!

But back to the business of the silly season, and the confirmation that the transfer window is well and truly open with the news that Gareth Barry had gone to City. Not much speculation, no build-up. Simple.

Before leaving for the hospital for an exciting (not) on-call on the wards, I'd read that he was "in talks" with City, thinking, isn't that all what City do, talk the talk and not walk the walk? However, on returning home some six hours later it had happened, my flatmate dropping it on me like the bombshell it was!

It would be interesting to know what many other Gooners far-and-wide think of this today as, at the time of writing, Barry is about to post an open letter of "apology" to the Villa fans, who have certainly made their views clear on their once-hero-turned-villain (pardon the pun)!

Interesting to point out though, Barry's insistence over the last twelve months on joining a Club which graces regular Champions League football and fights for honours. And what does he do—go to a team not even in the Europa League, unlike his old team who made him into the player he is today. Stinks of money-grabbing, insolent, insulting greed, doesn't it?

With one move Barry has villified himself to pretty much all Villa fans and many other true football supporters, myself included. Not that he will care one jot with his double-your-money £100,000 a week package and a £6 million signing-on fee up at City.

Some papers this morning have questioned whether Hughes and his benefactors acted quickly and smartly having known that Barry is one holding player available to many this summer, Arsenal included.

They, in turn, questioned whether Wenger had been caught napping in Barry's pursuit, suggesting that we have been beaten by a knockout blow without even throwing any punches ourselves, a pleasant change indeed for City-supporting Ricky the "Hitman" Hatton, I suppose!

Whatever happened, this is one player we all know we would've dearly loved in our side, and, whilst we didn't sign him will serve further difficulty in strengthening this summer, it will also, damagingly, serve to strengthen City in their pursuit of a top-four place, where we sit least comfortably, as none of us will need reminding of course!

Not that Wenger was probably interested in all the hype surrounding Barry within the media or amongst Arsenal circles, which, if it is the case, and that is indeed probable, then we should not feel hard-done by or outsmarted at all.

Shouldn't we? I asked whether you were jealous at the string of big name speculations flying all over the place at the top earlier, and yes, whilst we do have some world class talent ourselves, it is not near enough, and this has been established over the course of the last one to four seasons of course!

And with the clubs doing big business at the highest level, not least Real Madrid, with the return of Perez seemingly setting the way for another Galacticos era anyway (where does Perez get all his money from by the way?), it is only fair to assume that we have been doing our very own rummaging in the transfer market, with Le Boss hoping to acquire that missing one or two links to gazump us from fourth to first somehow!

Enter Blaise Matuidi, who, until just over a quarter of an hour ago, I did not know what he looked like, nor where he even played. But I can tell you this: I wasn't entirely surprised when I found that he is indeed one of Wenger's all-time favourite types of player.

Now, as he good as he might be, and of course he may well be, and I'm also sure that many Saint Etienne fans will hold him in high regard indeed (not that I know any), this is not quite the "big name" that Gooners will have had in mind with Wenger pointing to experience and class at the end of a another failure of a season.

At 22, and having never played for a decent club—St. Etienne have survived in France's top flight by just a solitary point—I highly doubt that he is the sort of player I can see winning us matchups against Carrick, Mascherano/Alonso, or Essien, and subsequently, trophies, and I'm sure many of you will agree!

Yet again, it seems, Wenger has bought our love and support at the end of a harrowing season, not least for him personally, sweet-talking us into believing his talk of experience and quality additions, and whilst the proper big clubs (along with a few wannabees in City) actually go out and act true to their word, we are getting big-name, big-frame, quality Blaise Matuidi in! Charming!

Wenger might not be backed by his notoriously old-fashioned and obstinate board, and day-by-day that seems to be the case, and indeed, Mr. Arsenal himself has declared that today, with Adams claiming that the board continue to stand Wenger up whilst they puff their cigars in the boardroom (not exactly his words, but to that effect anyway).

But that doesn't absolve Wenger from blame, not at all, not with his promises and not if he knew that Barry would be available for significantly less than what he paid to secure Arshavin's services back in January.

Which brings me onto the title at the top of this page, and I'm sure the not so intellectually gifted amongst us will have sussed what I'm on to by now.

David Dein said it two years ago, and it cost him his job with the Club he loves, the Club whose work he didn't view as a job, but out of passion and loyalty, the Club in which he played a central role into transforming into the giants that we are today.

Now, we can all see what he meant, and how we risk losing our status as a major force in European football should we continue with our mediocre pursuit of glory, and with our scouts being worked overtime, and without even coming up with the necessary goods.

There is only one way it seems for Arsenal to be where we all think we should be, and there is no shame in following the trend set by many, the one that has helped the likes of Chelsea and United achieve so much, and that threatens to help Villa, and more tellingly, City, jump ahead of us. Never has the saying "if you can't beat them, join them" been truer!

And, with a mere 1.5 percent away from owning everything that is Arsenal, I say one thing before the summer is up and it's too late once again, COME IN MR. KROENKE!