Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Arsene Wenger Keeping Samir Nasri Due to Aaron Ramsey?

Arsenal's Asia tour is predominantly for commercial purposes and they had huge support in Malaysia and it can help them build a good support base in the country, which can generate additional revenue. According to John Cross of the Mirror on his Twitter page, Arsene Wenger was on form in the press conference in Asia and was pleasant in his mannerisms including some jokes in the conversation.

Wenger's press conference had a number of interesting points—some of them which have caused a lot of debates among Arsenal fans. The French tactician insisted that the Gunners are in a strong financial position where they need to keep their best players, regardless of the money offered for signing the Arsenal players.

The manager was circumspect regarding the future of Cesc Fabregas but added that the Arsenal captain loved the club and has always produced his best efforts for the club. He also branded Sandro Rosell's statement that Fabregas is worth lesser than what he was in last season as disrespectful and said that according to him, the Spaniard would feature in a list of the top five midfielders in the world.

The Arsenal manager was clear regarding the possible transfer of Samir Nasri, who only has one year left on his contract. Wenger said that the midfielder would stay at the club regardless of whatever happens with his contract negotiations with Arsenal. He said that the club was in a financial position where they can reject any offer to hold on to their best players.

He made it clear that he would not lose Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in the summer because losing the duo will certainly have a huge impact on the next season.  He was questioned whether he would reject an offer worth £20 million for Nasri and let him go on a free transfer in the next season. Wenger clearly stated that Nasri will stay at the club and if that is the case, he would leave on a free transfer next year.

According to many members of the Arsenal Supporters Trust including prominent people like Tim Payton, it does not make sense to reject a £20 million offer for Nasri and let him go on a free transfer next year. Arsenal cannot compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City in a bidding war but isn’t the money enough to secure a good replacement for the French midfielder? What is the logic in letting Nasri run down his contract when they can secure a decent replacement for the midfielder?

First of all, Arsenal FC have gone six years without a trophy and this is one of the main reasons why players could be disillusioned with the club. A club which wins trophies is more likely to hold onto its players than an unsuccessful one. Fabregas is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world but has he won enough trophies at club level?

Unfortunately, he has won very little while his Spanish teammates at FC Barcelona have been consistently winning titles. Only Wenger knows what is the situation regarding Fabregas and Nasri, but there is a good possibility that Fabregas will leave the club if he wants to, though Barcelona will have to reach terms with Arsenal FC regarding the potential transfer.

If Fabregas does depart the club, then who is his replacement in the next season? It is extremely hard to find a replacement for the Spaniard considering he is the most influential player in the team and is someone who understands the style of play of his teammates. Arsenal cannot sign a new player and ask him to slot into Fabregas’ role because it will be hard to adjust initially and there is no Premiership player capable of doing that as well.

But bringing in a player from another league is a risk because it will take time to adjust to the rigors of the Premiership. Samir Nasri has played in the role just behind the striker and though he is a different player compared to Fabregas, he has shown that he can be creative in the role and also has a good understanding with his teammates.

It was widely expected that Nasri would operate in a central role if Fabregas does leave the club but the unexpected contract saga of the Frenchman has meant that the composition of the team is uncertain. Now that Wenger has clarified his stance on Nasri, it surely would mean that the midfielder stays at the club and plays in a more central role.

The sale of Cesc Fabregas is sure to bring in a number of funds to the club and like Robin van Persie said in the press conference, Arsenal will have to bring in quality players to compete with other clubs. According to the Sun, Arsenal are interested in a move for Valencia’s Juan Mata and though the Valencia president has denied that Mata will move, it is still a possibility with over six weeks left in the transfer window.

Even if Arsenal cannot sign Mata, they will try to sign a quality attacking player if Fabregas does leave the club. Nasri will play in the creative role in the centre while they can find a quality winger with the money obtained from the sale of Fabregas. If the creative Spaniard is not there in the team, this is arguably the strongest attacking lineup for the Gunners considering that Nasri, the new winger and Gervinho or Walcott will start for the Gunners with van Persie as the front man.

If Arsenal do win trophies in the next season, for which they have a good chance despite some being pessimistic, then there is a good chance that Nasri will stay at the club despite him getting a bigger offer from others considering he will be a free agent next summer. But if the Gunners do not win a trophy and Nasri does indeed leave the club, would it not be a foolish gamble by Arsene Wenger?

This might be the view of many Arsenal supporters but Wenger is a pragmatist and is sure to have thought about various scenarios before making strong statements like these. Most Arsenal supporters would agree on the fact that Aaron Ramsey is easily one of the most talented players in the current Arsenal team and when he was signed from Cardiff City, he was expected to be the natural successor to Fabregas, when the Spaniard eventually left the club.

Under the tutelage of Wenger, Ramsey developed immensely and was on the verge of establishing himself as a regular in the Arsenal midfield when he was injured by Ryan Shawcross and it set him back by a year. However, he finally made his long-awaited Arsenal comeback in the 2010-11 season and showed that he can realize his full potential if given the time.

His performance against Manchester United would be the one which excited most Arsenal fans because the Welshman looked at his best and was constantly giving the United midfielders a hard time with his excellent link-up play and distribution. If he continues his progress in the near future, one can imagine a future Arsenal team having both Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey forming the midfield for the years to come.

However, he is still not ready to be the replacement for Fabregas in this season, which is why Nasri is crucial to the team for this season. But many Arsenal supporters agree on the fact that it is easier to replace Nasri than Fabregas which is arguably why Wenger could want Nasri to replace Fabregas and ring in a new player to replace Nasri’s position on the left wing.

Ramsey was appointed as the permanent captain of the Wales National Team at the age of 20, which just shows how highly he is rated in his country as well. Wenger has immense faith in Ramsey and it is expected that the Welshman will get a lot of playing time this season with more than 30 games in the season, should he remain fit throughout the season.

Also, Arsenal made an interesting signing last January by signing a young Japanese winger, who was an unknown for most Arsenal fans at that time. However, Ryo Miyaichi has proven to be a youngster of the highest quality and impressed greatly for Feyenoord where he was a regular since he was loaned hours after he signed for the Gunners.

It is expected that Arsenal will apply for a work permit for the Japanese winger but it is unlikely to be granted considering that the youngster has not made his debut yet for Japan and might not qualify as yet under the exceptional talent rule by which Manchester United were able to have Javier Hernandez in their squad last summer.

However, in another season’s time, it is expected that he will further grow wherever he is loaned to and there is an excellent possibility that he might get the work permit next season. Also, Gervinho would have experienced the difficulties of playing in the Premiership and Arsenal will have depth in the wingers department as well if they are shrewd in the next two transfer windows.

Juan Mata would be the sort of signing which could get Arsenal fans excited and his versatility in the central role or as a left winger means that he could be the perfect signing for Arsenal even if Nasri leaves the club. Ramsey is expected to be a starter in Arsenal’s midfield in the near future while Jack Wilshere and Alex Song will keep their places in the future as well, though Emmanuel Frimpong has an important preseason ahead of him where he would have to prove that he is a capable deputy to Song as well.

Also, the Champions League revenue is around £20-40 million and should the Gunners struggle following the departures of Nasri and Fabregas, they could lose out on that revenue as well because of the immense competition for the Champions League with Tottenham and particularly Liverpool desperate to get to the competition again.

Wenger also understands that the psychological aspect of the game is just as important as everything else. Selling both Nasri and Fabregas in the same window will be a huge blow for the Gunners. It will mean that Arsenal already start the season on the back foot and with the Gunners aiming to end their frustrating trophy drought, that will prove to be a big disadvantage for Arsenal.

It can be considered as a huge decision by Wenger and could backfire on the manager but if it does work, it will be lauded as one of the best decisions by the hugely respected Arsenal manager. However, with the emergence of talents like Ramsey and Miyaichi, it can be regarded as a matter of time before these youngsters are regulars for the Gunners and they have the potential to help the Gunners be successful in the future.

Wenger needed to instill some positivity ahead of their first preseason game in Malaysia and this strong press conference has done just that. His statements could also indicate that he knows something that the media and Arsenal fans are not aware of regarding the current situation of Nasri and he could be sure of persuading the midfielder to sign a new contract next season especially as he has grown into a superb player under the guidance of Wenger.

Though it remains to be seen whether this Arsenal team can justify its immense potential and win trophies in the next season, credit has to be given to the Gunners’ manager if he does indeed keep Nasri at the club, even if the midfielder does not sign a new contract before the end of the transfer window.