Arsene Wenger Should Return to Ligue 1 as He Targets Arsenal Transfer Creativity
With Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger set to target a "creative" approach to his future transfer endeavours, this stands as a more sensible, long-term outlook than his big-money signings of late and should start with a return to the Ligue 1 market.
The manager's comments, ahead of the January transfer window, were reported by Ben Rumsby of The Telegraph.
Wenger astutely outlined, "if you go out tomorrow, you will see that everybody looks for the same positions everywhere. It’s not as simple as it looks," nodding towards a hugely competitive transfer market.
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The 65-year-old continued that "we will try to be creative and have one or two good ideas."
As former Gunners centre-back Sebastien Squillaci once attested, per the Guardian, "if a French player receives an offer from Arsene Wenger, it's practically impossible to turn down."
The manager is an icon in his home country and has displayed an unparalleled knowledge of the French market in the past, but a lot of these former signings were previously unpolished gems.
Where Wenger had seemingly switched to targeting established, world-class talents such as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, this revisit to a seasoned creativity could see the manager rediscover his Premier League success.
The French Revolution
Despite recent criticisms and calls for his sacking, Wenger has been a hugely successful manager throughout his tenure with the Gunners: Arsenal have celebrated three Premier League trophies, five FA Cup wins and a further five Community Shield successes in this time.
His most lauded season came with his unbeaten 2003/04 league campaign, while 1997/98 and 2001/02 are also particular highlights for the manager.
Wenger's sway in English football was initially based on unearthing and relying on French signings—the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord, Gilles Grimandi and Nicolas Anelka spurred these title-winning seasons.
The majority of these were frugal, measured signings, but this has been surprisingly abandoned of late.
Recently under Alan Pardew, and aided by the guidance of chief scout Graham Carr, Newcastle United underwent a similarly Francophile transformation.
Julien Laurens, writing for ESPN FC, underlines that "Carr has been the man touring France [for Newcastle] for the past four years, making St. James' Park the new English home of French football."
Laurens details the side's French signings since the beginning of Carr's France assignment:
"Hatem Ben Arfa was the first Bleu to sign at the club in the summer 2010. Thirteen more have since followed: Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko, Gabriel Obertan, Romain Amalfitano, Mehdi Abeid, Yoan Gouffran, Massadio Haidara, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Remy Cabella, Emmanuel Riviere, Sylvain Marveaux and Loic Remy.
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Twelve of these players joined from Ligue 1 sides.
Of these, only Remy and Ben Arfa were truly established talents, but most have played a big part in a hugely developed side under Pardew.
Cabaye became Newcastle's most important player following his transfer from Lille, while Debuchy's Guardian-reported £12 million move to the Gunners this season underlines the need for Wenger to revisit this approach.
Arsenal clearly need to aim higher than Newcastle's recent league returns, but Pardew's side have proven there is still great value in the market.
Ozil and Sanchez
Arsenal's recent change in transfer approach can be evidenced by two signings: Ozil from Real Madrid and Sanchez from Barcelona.
Ozil, who joined for £42.4 million in 2013, per BBC Sport, was lauded as Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis as a "world-class player" signed on "an exciting day for all of us," when speaking to Arsenal.com.
The playmaker understandably lifted spirits at the north London club, with his profile boosting relations between the club and their fanbase.
This marquee signing was joined by Sanchez in 2014, who cost the club £35 million, per BBC Sport.
Both players have been huge successes since joining and, although Ozil has suffered with injury issues, have contributed a combined 15 goals and 12 assists in 45 Premier League games.
Sanchez in particular has been central to the majority of the side's victories this season so far, with a winning goal in Arsenal's most recent 1-0 league victory over Southampton thwarting a phenomenal Fraser Forster through sheer quality of movement.
This is the calibre of player that sides must be built around, but few have the financial means to sustain these acquisitions with regularity.
Creativity
Over the five years up to and including Arsenal's immortal 2003/04 season, Wenger sanctioned an estimated outlay of just over £100 million, according to Bleacher Report's Charlie Melman.
This includes such inspired signings as Henry, Pires, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Kolo Toure and Gilberto Silva—these are players that formed the spine of a hugely successful Arsenal side during that decade.
Before this, bargain transfers for Anelka (£500,000 in 1997), Petit and Vieira (a combined £6 million in the 1996/97 season) underline the success of Arsenal's previous transfer frugality.
With Sanchez and Ozil costing the club a staggering £77.4 million in combined transfer fees alone, the manager is right to bypass the regular marquee business that clubs such as Madrid thrive on.
As Rory Smith outlined for ESPN FC, Premier League sides are often charged a premium due to the influx of television money compared to other countries:
"Take Sevilla and Chile midfielder Gary Medel this past summer. He was offered around Europe for £6 million, but when Cardiff City came in, armed with the Premier League's television rights money, the price was jacked up to £11 million.
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However, there is still value in the transfer market, but Wenger will need to be creative in finding these players.
With Ozil and Sanchez signed from Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the manager should be advised to avoid these La Liga giants, and perhaps their adversaries, in his future business.
A better market can be found in Wenger's old playground of Ligue 1.
Potential Targets
Solutions to the majority of Arsenal's current personnel problems can be found in the French top tier.
For example, 21-year-old midfielder Jordan Veretout could be seen as a long-term successor for the ageing Mikel Arteta and is a growing success in France this season.
Currently operating at seventh-placed FC Nantes, Veretout would significantly enhance Arsenal at this juncture, and Wenger could use their Champions League status as leverage.
Meanwhile, the versatile Daniel Wass is reportedly interesting the likes of Inter Milan at a bargain price of around £6 million, as per Goal's French football expert Robin Bairner.
The 25-year-old could fill in a variety of positions both across the defence and midfield with true quality.
Furthermore, the likes of Andre Ayew, Andre-Pierre Gignac (both of Olympique Marseille), Rio Mavuba (Lille) and Jeremy Toulalan (AS Monaco) all see their contracts expire at the end of this season, per Transfermarkt.co.uk.
Gignac in particular could provide quality competition for Olivier Giroud as a lone forward option, having scored 11 goals in 16 league games so far this season.
It may take some more in-depth inspection, but Wenger will find suitable players by taking a creative approach to the upcoming January transfer window and beyond.
Signing players such as Sanchez and Ozil has undoubtedly given Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side a polished, match-winning sheen. But the manager would be wise to return to his thorough, prudent approach and unearth some surprising gems in his quest to regain a grip on the Premier League.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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