Studs Up

As a young un once said, NEW SEA-ZUN!

So far so good, a transfer window that sucked badly until about a week ago is now springing to life. I don’t think it’s possible to define “at a crossroads” any better than what Arsene Wenger faces right now at Arsenal. It’s incredible to think that a man that intelligent and successful appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place, admitting that he needs a change from a transfer strategy that has almost made him a caricature of himself. Even as Frimpong made an impressive debut, the Arsenal fans I know were almost hesitant to praise or even talk about him as though any optimism may make its way to Wenger’s ears and have him think twice about investing in an experienced replacement for Cesc. I also loved this article, a great comparison between Udinese and Arsenal who share a commitment to youth scouting with very different end results in mind and yet they find themselves head to head. Arsenal, of course, enjoy far more success on an annual basis than Udinese but if they were to win today it would merely be the next in a relentless series of reminders to Wenger this year alone that he may need to change his ways.

Meanwhile, Chelsea seem rejuvenated by the arrival of AVB or, at least, Roman’s spending habits have. Dropping big cash on Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku – he of the borderline-illegal obsession with Drogba, and still finding time to try and force 30 million down Daniel Levy’s throat for Modric. For the negatives that come with billionaires using football as their plaything, I do enjoy the undercurrent of global politics and competition that sees Russians pitted against Arabs in who can spend their oil money in the most impressive fashion. I firmly believe that Roman’s desire to win a Champions League is no longer driven by footballing reasons but to win one before City so that he can show up to the next annual Global Billionaire Dinner Dance with his head held high. Those billionaires would never let him live it down if Sheik Mansour beat him to it, the teasing would be relentless.