Judging the transfer window and the depth of the Arsenal squad

Emiliano Viviano

Tottenham have far too many new players to mount a serious challenge this season but I think they could be a force next season. I don’t think their new players would have strengthened our first XI but I do think as a squad they have enough to be serious top 4 contenders next season and moving forward. It’s Arsenal’s job to ensure they build on the revolutionary potential of our Bergkamp-esque signing and not let Tottenham close the proverbial gap.

If we are to be serious title challengers this season, and I believe we can be, then our competition will mostly be the benefactor backed boys in blue and what an incredible feat it would be for a self-sufficient club, led by a self-bought talisman, to win the title ahead of the oil boys.

Many believe that our squad is not good enough in terms of numbers to cope with a title challenge but I disagree for a few reasons. Firstly, we only have to stay competitive until January to strengthen further. Secondly, no team has picked up as many points as Arsenal this calendar year nor have the form Arsenal have had since March. Lastly, as many have pointed out including Dave Seager on his blog and Queen of Suburbia on twitter talking about Barca and Bayern, you only really need a core squad of 17-18 players, with 16-17 outfield players.

Arsenal have that in: Szczesny, Sagna, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Monreal, Arteta, Flamini, Ramsey, Wilshere, Özil, Rosicky, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski and Giroud.

We also have, in some cases when fit, the following: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Diaby, Bendtner (I’ll come back to him), Fabianski, Viviano and Frimpong.

In addition we also have young players in the first team squad that are able to step in, on the odd occasion, when needed such as: Ryo, Zelalem, Sanogo, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Yennaris and Akpom.

I’ve heard that we needed to buy a new keeper and some don’t consider Viviano to be of the calibre they wanted such as Casillas or Begovic. I’m not saying that Szczesny is as good as those players but as he continually proves, and did in the North London Derby, he has world class potential. Most people recognise that he his biggest issue is a lack of competition. Some would agree when I say I rate Fabianski as the superior keeper but not the superior player and despite looking to have got over his confidence issues it’s impossible to challenge someone when you are unlucky with injuries.

What Viviano brings is greater competition because we have three keepers, hopefully with at least 2 fit at any one time, who are roughly at the same level. It’s not competition if you are vastly better than your rival for the no.1 spot. Szczesny will have a much better year this season because the defence is constantly improving (that Per tackle in the NLD, oh my) and he’ll need to stay at the very top of his game because it’s not just Fabianski breathing down his neck.

Some said that we are short in defence. Maybe at the moment we are a tad short but it is a temporary problem. Bringing in a permanent solution to a temporary problem is a cause of “deadwood” and we’ve been in positions in the past where we’ve had to do that.Vermaelen will be back soon and that makes 3 top quality CBs fighting for 2 spots and Per and Laurent are probably the best partnership in the league. We also have Sagna who has performed admirably at centre-back and if push came to shove Jenkinson could even do a job there.

We can only play 2 of those 5 players at centre-back at any one time and we only have 23 games, plus 1-2 COC games before we can buy and register another player. It’s not inconceivable to believe those players can last until January. We could fall foul to injuries as we have done in the past but injuries are part and parcel of the game and overloading the squad with insurance players is another cause of deadwood.