Wages, Transfers and the Arsenal Team That Could Have Been

In this undoubtedly escapist but hopefully not too delusional slideshow I will attempt to imagine what the Arsenal team may feasibly have looked like had a number of key decisions and circumstances turned out differently.

Imagine Chelsea were never allowed to have become the plaything of a Russian oligarch; imagine Manchester City were still perennially flirting with relegation and operating as a business rather than fantasy dream team. Read on for a breakdown of the Arsenal team that could have been...

Wojciech Szczesny, Ashley Cole, Thomas Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

For many years a problem area for the Gunners, it is fair to assume that the current ‘No.1’ is the natural long-term successor for Jens Lehmann.

No doubt some of the more costly personnel experiments over the past six years could have been avoided (read: Manuel Almunia), but it is still likely that had any of the other rumoured purchases, such as Mark Schwarzer of Fulham, been made, it would have been more as a stop-gap than as a long-term solution.

Defense: Ashley Cole, Thomas Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna

As we are entering the world of the imaginary but aiming to stay within the realms of possibility, I believe that it is not too great a stretch to consider that Chelsea—a distinctly mediocre upper mid-table club—might not have been purchased by a Russian oligarch and artificially catapulted into the realm of big-spending title contenders.

Based on this premise, Arsenal’s most promising left-back—a standout graduate from their academy—would, in all likelihood, not have been tempted to meet Chelsea officials at a London hotel over a potential transfer.

Ashley Cole has been at Chelsea ever since, so I see no reason why he might not have remained at Arsenal for the same period had they succeeded in battling for major honours each year (and offered him a few lucrative contract extensions along the way...).

Vincent Kompany was one of the many starlets being closely monitored by Arsenal in 2006, and so it stands to reason that Arsene Wenger may well have made a firm offer for the player had they not been in the throws of an opportunistic swap deal for William Gallas with Chelsea.

In the absence of Manchester City and their sudden influx of foreign wealth, I see no reason why he would have left the Gunners in the proceeding years, with his undoubted quality outshining the likes of Philip Senderos and Johan Djourou to firmly establish him as a fixture in the starting line-up.

Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song

Midfield triangle: Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song

Faced with the departures and inevitable decline of some of the biggest names in the club’s history —Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell—Arsene Wenger had one ace left up his sleeve: a young and precociously talented Spaniard by the name of Cesc Fabregas around whom a new team could be formed.

Wenger took a chance on the youngster and it paid huge dividends.

One day, it was certain, he would wish to return to his boyhood club in Barcelona, but as long as Arsenal were winning trophies, it is safe to say that the lure of an early return to a club where he would no longer be a standout player would have vastly decreased.

Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri

Attacking Midfielders: Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri

With the departure of first Robert Pires and then his apparent replacement Alexander Hleb, the signing of Samir Nasri in 2008 was a shrewd and necessary move.

After a slow start he became one of Arsenal’s greatest assets in the 2010/2011 season.

In our imaginary world—without an over-inflated wage market for top-end players—I see no reason why Samir Nasri wouldn’t have been perfectly content to sign a new contract at Arsenal and build on his first truly noteworthy season at the club.

Striker: Emmanuel Adebayor

In many ways, Emmanuel Adebayor was being groomed as Thierry Henry’s successor, but the lure of greater money elsewhere from an artificially cash-rich rival club meant Arsenal were forced into selling the player earlier than they would have liked.

Were he, like Nasri, offered a wage increase in a fair market without unrealistic expectations, Adebayor may well have stayed on at Arsenal and began to make his name in the scoring books.

Final Thought

Sadly, this is all highly fanciful speculation and of little relevant value to Arsene Wenger’s current predicament with the players he has at his disposal.

Yet, perhaps it does serve to highlight just how different Arsenal’s current squad could have been, were it not distorted by factors that altered the very notion of a 'level playing field' in top-tier competitive football. Glory, if and when it ever does shine on the Gunners again, will surely be all the sweeter in the face of such adversity.