Arsenal Transfer News: Mikel Arteta Provides Gunners with Just What They Needed

For almost the better part of July and August it looked like Arsene Wenger would disappoint Arsenal supporters. After the manager and the board assured a busy summer, the Gunners were yet to truly splash in the transfer market.

Arsenal’s nearest rivals, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool had all beefed up their squad with expensive but top-quality signings.

Arsenal’s only major signing that would impact their push for the title was Gervinho. The ex-Lille man was a great addition to Wenger’s squad and added real attacking flair. While the Gunners had also signed three other players, all of them were teenagers, meaning that they would have little impact on the team’s title aspirations.

But the loss of Samir Nasri—and more importantly, Cesc Fabregas—meant that the Gunners were not only lacking in quality but were also woefully short in numbers. Arsenal fielded the likes of Henri Lansbury, Chuks Aneke and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in their bench as a mixture of no transfer activity coupled with Arsenal’s perennial ill luck.

Several questioned whether Wenger could even see the faults in the team. Of course he did, and those thinking that he couldn’t see the faults in his team are underestimating the Arsenal manager. The problem was that the lengthy transfer sagas involving Nasri and Fabregas meant that the Gunners boss had to deal with selling two unsettled players before he could start his rebuilding of the squad.

With just two days left and with Arsenal still not having made any signings, Arsenal fans were growing tense with every passing moment. But the mood among Arsenal fans rapidly changed as Arsenal made five signings in the last day of the transfer window.

Prior to Arsenal’s horror show against United, Wenger insisted that he wanted to sign three players, a defender, a midfielder and a striker. Out of the three, it was the defender and a midfielder that were the most pressing needs as the Gunners had lost Gael Clichy, Nasri and Fabregas.

Whether it was the ease with which United ripped apart the Gunners or whether he always planned to do so, we will not know but instead of making the three signings that Wenger promised, Wenger made five, which is a break with his usual trend.

The five signings Arsenal made were Park Chu-Young, the South Korean captain from Monaco; Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen; Brazilian left-back Andre Santos; Chelsea midfielder Benayoun and Everton captain Mikel Arteta.

Out of these, most Arsenal fans including me are most interested and excited about the capture of Arteta and Mertesacker, as it solves two of Arsenal’s biggest problems: defensive stability and creativity in midfield.

Arsenal’s game against United only confirmed the fact that while the partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen is a fine pairing, Arsenal lack quality depth in the department especially in the absence of Vermaelen.

The departures of Nasri and Fabregas meant that Arsenal lacked both quality and depth in midfield. The start to the season showed that while Ramsey is a fantastic prospect, he still requires a bit more time to actually bloom into the great midfielder he has the potential to become. Adding Arteta to the squad means that there is plenty of depth and quality in the central midfield role with the sensational Jack Wilshere set to return to the squad.

The Arteta signing has received a mixed response from the Arsenal faithful. While most are delighted with the signing and are happy with the Spanish midfielder coming to Arsenal, some feel that the Gunners should have brought a bigger name to the Emirates.

Reason For Disappointment

It is a fact that Mikel Arteta wasn’t Arsenal’s first choice option to plug the gap in the midfield. Several names have been tossed around and many considered the likes of Mario Gotze, Eden Hazard, Marvin Martin and Yann M’Vila to be bigger names than the ex-Everton player.

Several reports have emerged that the Gunners had a bid turned down for each of those players and most Arsenal fans would have loved the addition of someone like Hazard or M’Vila. Many see the Everton man as an ordinary player but I feel otherwise, but more on that later.

At the age of 29, Arteta would have not more than three years at the top and with a slightly injury prone track record, some may see Arteta as a risk especially since Arsenal desperately require a proven player to occupy the central midfield role.

But He is Still a Solid Signing

Arteta is a good player, but not good enough to play for Arsenal. That is one statement that has been made several times in the aftermath of his transfer to Arsenal. But I tend to disagree. At the age of 29, Arteta has never truly played for a big club and his move to Arsenal will give him the opportunity to play at the highest level for the first time in his career.

At such an age, this is his last shot at making in big and he will be desperate to make most of his opportunity; something that he has admitted in the aftermath of his deadline day move to the Emirates.

While it is true that he hasn’t played for a top club, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a top-quality player. Arteta was by far Everton’s best midfielder and the sum the Gunners have paid for the Spanish midfielder as I see it is a real bargain.

That added with his set-piece delivery and ability to hit delightful free kicks means that Arsenal might have a set-piece specialist within their ranks who can deliver pinpoint crosses for the likes of Mertesacker and Chamakh. His past Premier League experience also makes him a great signing as there will be no problem in him getting used to the pace and rigors of the league.

I have always seen Arteta has a hugely underrated player whose talent and creativity has gone unnoticed, or at least not received the credit it requires, merely because has never played for a big-four club.

Last year, Arteta has a pass completion rate of 87 percent—six percent higher than that of Fabregas. When one does an overall tally of his stats especially in the passing department, it becomes evident that he easily ranks among the top eight central midfielders in the English league.

But the main reason why I see him as a fantastic signing is because of the way he can seamlessly merge into the Arsenal midfield which is due to his style of play and the set up which the Gunners utilize.

Also we must remember that while some of us would have preferred to see Hazard and Gotze at the club, the two are not central players predominantly and what the Gunners required was someone who could fill the void left by Fabregas.

Where Arteta Can be Used

The best part about signing Arteta is that he is the perfect fit for the Fabregas role unlike what Nasri would have offered the club had the Frenchman stayed at Arsenal.

The other player who has a great understanding of the Cesc role is Ramsey, but the horrific injury suffered at the hands of Ryan Shawcross means that his development seems to have been delayed and another season would be perfect before he is given the duty of playing in the all important central midfield role.

Not only that having Arteta in the team means that Wenger can play both Wilshere and Ramsey in the role they prefer as Arteta is equally adept at playing in the role occupied by Cesc last year but at the same time can even play in a slightly withdrawn role next to Song, similar to what Wilshere offered last season with great success.

Wenger has started using a 4-2-3-1 formation in the last few seasons mainly built around Fabregas with Alex Song and Jack Wilshere playing behind him.

This season, due to the departure of Fabregas and Wilshere’s unfortunate injury, Ramsey has been forced to play in a slightly deeper role, with the Czech Republic international Rosicky playing ahead of him. Rosicky thrives in the central role but he lacks the energy brought to the team by Wilshere and Ramsey and hence the team lacks the dynamism and fluidity offered in the presence of Ramsey and Wilshere.

This is another reason why Ramsey has been below par in the season so far. It isn’t that he lacks the quality, but right now Wenger is unable to bring the best out of him due to the injuries that have plagued Arsenal.

With Arteta in the squad, Wenger has two options: either use him in a slightly reserved role or put him slightly higher up the field, in the Cesc role. In either case, I have no doubt that he is extremely capable of playing the role to great success.

First Choice: Arteta in a Deeper Role

Wenger can play Arteta in the role that was occupied by Jack Wilshere last season. This is not because, Wilshere’s place in the team is in doubt but because his performances last season were so good that most Arsenal fans wouldn’t mind seeing him play in the central role higher up the field.

At Everton Arteta was the link between the midfield and attack as he was the main orchestrator at Merseyside. Playing in a withdrawn role will allow him to dictate the game from a deeper role and spray the ball around the park and initiate attack from the deep much like what Wilshere did last season.

One main characteristic of Wilshere’s game was the energy he brought to the side with his drive. Arteta may lack this energy but with Wilshere playing in front of him, Arteta can venture out forward with Wilshere dropping deeper at times.

The idea behind playing him in a deeper role is that some see one of his weaknesses as playing with his back to the goal and so playing him a withdrawn role will allow him to flourish.

Playing him in a deep role will also mean that Ramsey can rotate with Wilshere in playing in the all-important central midfield role. This is the role where Ramsey truly flourishes as his vision and creativity is best presented in this role and not in a deep lying playmaker role.

Second Choice: Arteta in the Cesc Role

This is where I personally would love to see him. Arteta is definitely not as good a player as Cesc was and there are few players who are on the same level as Fabregas. But what Arteta offers is the perfect understanding of the role.

Unlike Nasri, Arteta is more than happy to dictate play and set up goals. I believe his vision and creativity are severely underrated.

With Arteta playing up front, it would Wilshere who occupies the deep lying playmaker role, the same role in which he proved to be a match winner last year—a fantastic season that was epitomized by his exemplary attitude and remarkable consistency. Wilshere is more than suited for the deep lying role. The asset of having a player like Wilshere is, he can be played deeper or in a more attacking role and his style is such that he will thrive.

I feel that playing Arteta in the Cesc role is the best way for the Gunners to progress. It is unlikely that Wenger will tweak his current formation as it has its benefits.

Many question whether he is the quality to dictate play like Fabregas did and the answer is a difficult one. Arteta may not be on the same level as Fabregas but he can make a similar impact on the team as his style of play ensures that he fits in seamlessly and he can dictate play, much like the ex-Arsenal captain.

Conclusion

Overall, I am delighted with the capture of Arteta from Everton. He wasn’t the first choice for the Gunners, but the pace in which they got the deal done when their other bids were rejected shows that they mean business this season and with Arteta having a point to prove as well, this could well prove to be the bargain of the season.

Arteta offers excellent value for money and offers great depth along with Ramsey and Wilshere. His set piece delivery and prior experience makes him a real weapon in Arsenal’s arsenal.

He might not be the big-money signing the fans were clamoring for but he is more than capable of proving to be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s midfield woes.

Expect him to thrive as the Gunners push for glory this season.