Arsenal Fantasy Team: The Players That Got Away
As Arsenal fans over the past few seasons, we've seen Wenger make some good and bad purchases in the transfer market. But one thing for certain is that he doesn't like paying big money unless there's a lot of potential, which has cost Arsenal some millions, but is worth it in finding a world class player in Nasri. He's a creature of habit in the transfer window and his behaviour often spells trouble when we need reinforcing but he doesn't want to 'be held ransom'.
Anyone wanting to just see who I've picked can avoid the rest of the page unless you want to read a little about Wenger and how he acts in the window. This is just a list of players we've missed in recent seasons, I don't want to go back too far and end up with Ronaldinho on my list.
I also had problems finding a many fullbacks since we are pretty content with what we have, thanks to Samir Hill for his suggestions, which transformed my original 262 to a more competent 442. Notable omissions have been Ryan Babel and Robinho.
The many faces of Arsene
He'll often pick a few players and heap praise on them from afar, I've seen it as a option in Football manager, but I'd like to think he does it to gauge players and their own interest in our club. First of all, if a team or manager simply say,'F@$k off' the he'll cast the net again and find someone else. If there's interest from the player, especially one with not long left on his contract, 'Yes, I've heard about interest from Arsene but for now I will keep playing for the club and at the end of the season I will look at my options.'. Looking to force a move and cause havoc in the club's hierarchy.
He also likes the waiting game, he'll be silent for a few weeks refusing to comment, making moves in the shadows and will sometimes get his man but more often than not see a massive price hike and with time running out, he moves at his own pace with his,'If we can buy, then we will, if not, we always have someone else to fill in.'.
Like somewhat of a predator, looking at the recent transfers he like there to be a weakness to exploit, which he can use to pull the transfer through.
- Nobody was after Vermaelen and when a big team comes, you don't say no, for the right price, same can be said about Kos and Squilacci.
- The club are in financial debt, I'll be waiting to see if we get Cahill in this manner
- Lure of a big league and playing great football, see Arshavin.
- Player's contract is expiring, Chamakh has been great on a Bosman
- Or, they want to become world class and play with the potential of getting experience, see Oxlaide-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, nearly everyone else who isn't first team
There's always interest from players. Young players want to become the next big thing, there's competition, but if they think they can make, they'll only improve, whether they're good enough or space is another issue entirely.
He also has a bad habit of declaring some form of interest only to back out if there's a potential bidding war ensuing, raising prices up by a few million easily and wages by a bit more.
Approaching the end of the transfer window, we've not seen much action, though it's not impossible, however, I'm going to look at the players we missed out on.
The Man Who Ticked All The Right Boxes in Goal
1 of 10
Where else to begin but in goal, with Wenger having a strange stance of our goalkeepers, which allowed Almunia and Fabianski to play hero or villain on a weekly basis for the last few seasons, we could've signed Joe Hart.
I'm not talking about this season, I'm talking about January 2009, having played well on loan and attracting interest in the league, the signing of Given pushed him down onto the bench. The following summer, a big price tag was placed on him but would've been a great investment, he spent the next season on loan and excelled at Birmingham with some great displays. Even so, he still wasn't out of our grasp as he returned better and more expensive. Mancini had a headache of a problem and might've sold with Given as a firm favourite, but he gambled with Hart and has not looked back since. That was the moment any chance of signing went out of the window.
He brings youth and great talent in a position generally needing a lot of experience, he also would've had the No. 1 Jersey nailed down a long time ago. Tall and confident, he also would've dispelled any issues with Wenger, not having enough Englishmen in his squad. A future No. 1 at club and country, we have missed the opportunity to sign him.
As good as he is, he would've proved a big roadblock to the recovery of Fabianski, who I'd rather be without, but more importantly to the development of our young impossibly named keeper in Sznzesny. We have sacrificed the last two seasons to some awful goalkeeping, Fabianski to blame for not doing his duties against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, twice.
But in Sznzesny, we have a world beater, he may have been part of Wenger's master plan and he is showing all the signs of a great goalie with no real weaknesses besides his lack of experience. He's kept a few clean sheets but of the goals he conceded, many were down to poor defending and luck, see Park Ji Sung. He's also shown some promise in penalties, he didn't save the one against Leeds but was close and keepers are not expected to save penalties. The gamble in him may have paid off.
The Man Who Impressed In The World Cup
2 of 10
As a fairly unknown quantity during the world cup, many eyes would've been on one Simon Kjaer, after his great displays. He proved solid against finalists Netherlands but was beaten by a better team and was instrumental in their second group game against Cameroon picking up an assist for the opener our own Bendtner. However, he missed the final game against Japan, which saw them eliminated after a 3-1 loss, though there wouldn't much he could do about the two stunning free kicks and a moment of magic from Honda.
So what makes him a potential target? He's only 21, Bendtner would've also played a part in the transfer. While inexperienced at a high level, our defensive recruits are a lot better. He's a good tackler and strong in the air, he also has a great eye for a pass. At 6ft 2.5 inches, he's a welcome presence in our defence but after a little research he's only a one inch taller than Koscielny and Squillaci, two over Vermaelen and shorter than Djourou at 6ft 4in. Yet our aerial presence is rarely felt without Song or Diaby. He was looking to step up from Palermo and had a lot going for him.
I couldn't find anything concrete on Vermaelen's height, but apparently he's about the same height as Van Persie in some pictures. He does seem smaller than 6ft but it's not massively important.
Wenger's calm response despite interest ended before it could begin with Wolfsburg snapping him up for 12 million euros just after the tournament ended. Though we could still go for him, he's not played a full season at his club and they'd want a lot for him, our chances of signing him have all but disappeared.
The Man Who Went To The City
3 of 10
At Anderlect the versatile and classy defender became one of the biggest prospects in Europe and another gem from increasingly talented Belgium. Tall, 6'3, but also strong and like compatriot Vermaelen has a great range of passing for a defender. Arsenal seemed to hover around him at arm's length never giving full attention but always watching.
Being able to play across the back four and in the midfield, he's would've been a great prospect, still only 24. However, Manchester came calling and Arsenal didn't do a thing as he went to now title rivals, but not really after losing to Villa. He's proven to be a good signing and an ever present this season in the City squad, he could've been the answer to so many of our defensive woes. Taking next to no time to acclimatise to a better league, we have missed out on a bargain, he came for around £5 or 6 million and a higher bid could've seen him in London.
With a massive gap in our defensive prospects after Nordveit left, Miquel stands as a sole heir to our defensive worries, though Bartley could have the steel we require but not the class Arsenal want.
Unlike Kjaer, Kompany's versatility really would've helped this season, Eboue has been clueless at left back but it's not his fault, Clichy definitely has not had one of his best season with the injured Gibbs giving him more time than he should've at left back. At several points this season we've lost our centre backs and have had to keep up with the increasingly dodgy Koscielny and Squillaci. When Vermaelen returned we'd have three good centre backs and could look to rotate keeping us fresh.
While he also wouldn't have impeded Wilshere's progress as the midfield trio would be allowed to continue. Also, Fabregas was injured for a significant chunk of the season, if he came into the team, it'd allow us to play our passing game with a steely midfielder handling the opposition. Song has continued to attack to much success but his defensive duties are being overlooked, it would've worked so well.
Thanks to Samir Hill for the suggestion of Kompany
The Boy Wonder From The Other Side Of North London
4 of 10
I really have to go out of my way and thank Samir Hill again, as I completely overlooked Bale, I'm honestly kicking myself for overlooking the massive near omission.
Where to begin with Mr. Bale? He's become one of the stars of the Premier season with unquestionable ability. Another Southampton youth product, he chose to move to Spurs for fear of a lack of playing time at Arsenal and United who already had much better competition in Clichy and Evra. It would've been a smart move on paper. Bear in mind he's been at Spurs for four seasons now, he initially failed to break into the squad with the tidy Lee-Young Pyo, but that was not what marred his first few seasons, it was his record of 24 goals and no wins, when he featured, a omen if any but has found his feet recently moving up to left wing.
An excellent player with great speed, dribbling and engine, he's most famous for his demolition job against Inter Milan, tearing apart the previous season's best defender and keeper in the competition. His lung busting runs on the left added with a sweet finish and great cross have made him one of the best in the league. He was apparently signed for under £10million and looking every part the bargain Wenger would've been proud of.
At left back he would've given some serious competition to Clichy as well as a good backup, Gibbs has only come about recently and spent a chunk of it injured. I've not seen him defend as much and at times, I wonder about Clichy's defensive ability, our defence has coped somewhat with it being slightly slanted to the right as Clichy would be allowed to go forward and Sagna holding up a more defensive position in wing back.
But this season has seen him move up to the wing and Nasri would be immovable unless he was switched to a more favourable right wing or centre attacking position. In a season where, Fabregas has been injured and our right wings not impressing, it could've worked well. He's definitely more a penetrating presence than we have right now and could be something we need when the passing doesn't always work. He's made a excellent partnership with Van der Vaart but how good would he be next to Nasri, Van Persie, Fabregas and Wilshere.
The Man We've Been Looking For in Defence But Never Bought
5 of 10
Again, credit to Samir Hill and his precision memory of all things Arsenal as I was unaware of the interest in him before he went to Everton. Also thanks to Jervonny on pointing out I didn't really name who the slide was about, for the uninitiated its Phil Jagielka
Strong? Check. English? Check. Solid? Check. Tall? Surprisingly no, I 'll admit I haven't seen Jagielka in action much, but he apparently clocks in at 5'11, similar or even shorter than Vermaelen. I've always imagined him taller than his height suggests. He's good in the air, but is significantly shorter than Djourou, I wouldn't have known.
First thrown into the limelight as part of a plucky Sheffield United side, who eventually were relegated thanks to a certain Carlos Tevez, amid some controversy. Our interest in him apparently hasn't waned, but he wouldn't come cheap. Every bit the tough tackling, no nonsense centre back, I've been praying for, a deal never appeared and is now a integral part of our a sturdy Everton defence.
The loss of Gallas and Toure, wouldn't have been much of a problem if we had signed him earlier. While Gallas and Toure were good technical defenders, they weren't always solid and a negative off the pitch for one of them. Towards the end of his tenure at the club, the draw of big money resulted in Toure handing in a transfer request and we only kept him because we had no one else. He easily would've become part of our first team and a strong partnership with Vermalen would've been great, though not especially tall, I've seen Vermaelen out jump bigger players.
We've not got a lot of young prospects at centre back so he wouldn't have been detrimental to anyone's development and he definitely would've helped a Arsenal side who seem to be much weaker defending aerial threats. His positive influence on a well known shaky defence could've saved us from some profile goalkeeping disasters.
The Man Who Went To South Africa and Returned To Madrid
6 of 10
Time to rewind to before the World Cup started, if there was one player being linked with success and a future at our club, it was Ozil. Werder, were apparently in some financial debt and he was creeping towards the end of his contract. No doubt talented but unproven on the big stage. That may have been the deciding factor in Wenger's choice to not spend big on an unproven talent, especially when there was a massive opportunity to show off his skills at a grand stage, that would inevitably cost us a excellent acquisition.
Part of a excellent Germany side who eventually losing out to the eventual champions, making third place after beating Uruguay. He showed style and pace, tearing apart England and Argentina, being a major force in the team. This also meant a whole host of teams saw a great talent and suddenly we were out of the running, he joined Real Madrid after the tournament ended with fellow international compatriot Smai Khedira.
While his appearances has sometimes been quiet, his record certainly shows a different player, in 20 league appearances he has notch up five goals and seven assists, with more goals in the Copa del Rey and two goals in three appearances in the Champions league. Altogether, in 28 appearances, he has claimed eight goals and 10 assists, a excellent debut season in a team with so many stars.
So how would he figure? It would've been interesting to see how we would've juggled Nasri and Wilshere. As a very good left midfielder, Ozil could've had a chance to seal the left wing slot with Nasri moving to the other wing or in the middle, his technique and passing would mean he'd gel well with our team and would help the creative juices after Fabregas was injured, though Nasri shone in his absence.
Wilshere could've been a reasonable casualty losing out to experience, I would imagine Wenger wouldn't want Walcott and Arshavin on the bench. Wilshere is showing great improvement as the season continues and no doubt Ozil would've been good for us, we may have saved some money and guaranteed the faith of a young starlet set to be a apart of our setup over the next decade.
The Men From Ajax Who Found Interest But Few Offers
7 of 10
I've decided to put these two together as they are very similar and walk similar paths but I doubt we could've fit them both in. Both were at Ajax and both played at Real until recently, very talented and praised from a early age. They possess all the skill and technique we would want at Arsenal and proven to be world class talent.
Van der Vaart left Ajax in the 2005 to find better competition in Hamburg. Once again Arsenal failed to move for the talented midfielder, a instant hit for the German side netting 29 goals in 74 appearances, even so a move to Arsenal would never materialise despite the poor performances of some of our wingers, I'm not 100 percent sure but it was around the time we had Reyes and Hleb knocking around, good with assists but didn't provide much firepower.
Then came a big move to Real Madrid, facing competition in his international team mates Robben and Sniejder, even with their departures, he found himself relegated to the bench, despite making a impact when he appeared. With first team seemingly out of his reach, Arsemal were once again linked but nothing materialised.
However, I do remember reading, the source may not have been completely reliable, but Arsenal had a look at him during the summer. The reason for not pursuing was supposedly linked to his work ethic and fitness. That didn't stop Spurs coming in and making a deadline day dash for the talented 27 year old, with a £8million bid enough to secure his services.
I'm afraid to look at the stats because he has made one of the best debuts i've seen in a long time and a major factor to why Spurs are chasing the title, but won't win it. So, 17 league games this season, 10 goals and six assists to add to his two Champion's League goals in three appearances. A midseason total of 12 goals and six assists in 20 games, certainly would prove some of Arsenal's scout very wrong.
Sneijder on the other hand, has led a very different path to and from Madrid. A little younger than Van der Vaart, stayed after his team mate left. He made a name for himself more as a playmaker to Van der Vaart's more direct goal scoring midfielder. A eventual big money move saw him at the Bernabeu with Van der Vaart and Robben but failed to have a great influence on the notoriously fickle team. A injury saw him return but out of favour with the club's hierarchy, who chose to sell when Inter Milan came calling.
A turn of fortunes saw him add a European quadruple with Mourinho at the helm, added to his talismanic displays at the World Cup, seeing him reach the finals. Had Arsenal come calling he would be an excellent foil for Fabregas but there was always going to be a big price tag and it was enough to put off Wenger.
In a somewhat disappointing season for a team that accomplished so much, blame should be directed to Benitez, he has accumulated four assists in 13 appearances with only two goals and a assist to add to his five appearances in the Champion's League. Though not a great goal scorer, he is very much part of the driving force in midfield with his creativity helping his team mates over his own statistics.
Like Van der Vaart, he'd be most at home in the middle, though Van der Vaart could've been a great presence on our often disappointing right midfield. Wilshere, the most likely casualty but would still have found himself on the fringes of the team that could easily rotate quality with quality.
The Man From Marseille We Didn't Get
8 of 10
He's French, fast, technical and very good, so why didn't a move to Arsenal ever occur? An immediate answer to our right wing options which have been lacklustre since Hleb packed up for Barca. We missed out on a very good player, every bit the player who could succeed Ljungberg on the wing but Wenger never made a move before he ended up Bayern Munich, finding immediate success and a ill fated route to the Champions League final, last season. His move to Bayern sealed his fate and now only a astronomical bid would free him with the German giants.
While this season, he has fallen out with management at Munich, failing to find his best form after returning to injury, a move away may not be impossible but Munich know the value of such a player. He's scored two goals and made three assists in 12 appearances at Munich this season with two goals in the Pokal and Champion's league, adding an extra assist to his tally. The season so far still looks good, taking into account his injury with six goals and three assists in 14 games, though Munich are very much in trouble on the domestic front.
He would cost more than Arshavin but would've been a better player, Walcott having to play deputy bar injuries. He'd bring exciting pace and a good final ball, which Walcott has only recently found. No doubt a excellent purchase, Wenger wouldn't spend so much with the prospect of Walcott becoming a very good player and possibly an even greater, younger and talented youngster in Hazard.
The Man From Madrid That Could've Replaced Our King
9 of 10
Having picked up 82 goals in 214 matches at Athletico, why did Wenger buy when Henry looked set to leave? A incredibly talented striker, he mixed youth, pace, strength and an aerial threat to his fantastic finishing but Wenger had once again feared a bidding war for the impossibly talented forward. Stolen away by a Liverpool side for around £25million with Luis Garcia used as bait, he could've been an answer to our failure to replace Henry. With Henry leaving, we had a lot of money to spend but no one to buy, Wenger being Wenger looking for Eduardo to fill the gap over the prospect of Torres. While he has been reported to be a Liverpool fan, he wouldn't have said no to Arsenal.
I also remember reading an article choosing not to go after Torres as a youth player fearing he wasn't strong enough, again it may not have come from the best of sources.
So how did he do? 65 goals in 101 appearances, not surprising considering his record at Athletico and it could've been more if he went to a team that would give him a much better supply. We have missed out on a phenomenal talent and one we have yet to replace until the day comes a player scores 20 goals a season for us, which is only looking to occur now, three years after Henry left. An extra 20 goals a season would definitely have helped our doomed campaigns in past seasons with a powerful striker lacking since Adebayor left.
He'd be first team no doubt, in a 442 he would've been great with Van Persie but as the spearhead in a 433 he could do everything we could want, a aerial threat to match lethal position, he could hold off players and use his pace to destroy teams. His performances this season, are largely attributed to injury, fatigue and a lack of supply. Even so he has still scored nine goals and made four assists in 22 league appearances with three cup appearances that have yielded nothing.
The Man Who Waited and Found Glory Elsewhere
10 of 10
How did the best teams in the world not take advantage of a debt-ridden club and a world class striker who was looking for a big move. A consistent threat throughout his career, hitting double figures a season for fun and a record of scoring in more than half his matches at every club, how did we miss him? In five seasons at Valencia he scored 108 goals in 166 appearances, always linked with a big money move but nothing emerged until Barcelona came calling.
I definitely remember reading about him saying if he did go to the prem, he'd love to be part of Arsenal because of the technical game we play. Possibly trying to engineer the move himself? Maybe but either way nothing ever emerged for one of the best strikers in the world.
The only barrier for signing him would've been his massive price, but he would've been worth, the fact he's only moved in the Summer, meant for the last few years he was game if anyone would've put up the price, Valencia had seen a change of fortunes in recent seasons and this man was their saviour.
Like Torres, he could've easily had first team nailed down, a much more consistent threat to the ever injured Van Persie. In 19 league appearances this season, he has scored 14 and eight assists, with two more goals in the Champions League in five appearances and three cup appearances which he failed to add to his tally. Signing either player would've seen the end of Bendtner and possibly Chamakh, Villa is a great striker but can also operate on the left allowing him to cut in on the left. A much needed threat to our offence that has found rhythm since the return of Van Persie, it all hinges on his questionable fitness.
