With the possibility of losing out to Juventus with the transfer of Fiorentina Stefan Jovetic, claims have also arisen that Premier League rivals Chelsea are also keen on the Montenegrin. However missing out on the 23 year old may not be as bad as it may seem.

Of course its ridiculous to think it’s okay that the club should just allow a another team to swoop in for a long term target and take the player virtually from under our noses, especially when this other team is possibly a main rival, however with Jovetic, it’s a different story.

With this saga going on for so long, I feel the fans have been fazed and hypnotised into thinking Jovetic would be the saviour of Arsenal’s often struggling front line, when in fact he probably isn’t at all, and in my opinion certainly isn’t anywhere near the player we should be even considering.

The issue is, he’s the big name with the big money transfer fee and that’s what the fans want. The fans want the club to spend some money and so a lot of people have been conned by the true value of this player. £25 million for a striker who has 31 league goals in 115 appearances is absolutely ridiculous, despite his age and playing style. Arguably he hasn’t featured as a central striker for his current club but still as a CF just behind the main striking talisman, you’d expect a better statistical return from a player, who is supposedly one of Serie A’s best.

It’s well known that the club isn’t willing to pay that much for Jovetic, otherwise I firmly believe the club would of got further in negotiations by now after tracking the player for a long period of time, but he simply isn’t worth the price Fiorentina are demanding and thank goodness because there are much better players available for his price.

Jovetic has the playing style and ability likened by Arsenal fans, but this isn’t enough, we need an complete goal poacher, a Higuain, a Rooney, not someone who is going to look for the pass every time on the edge of the box because we have plenty of those already at the club. Ultimately I won’t be disappointed if we do end up signing him, I’m not going to judge someone I’ve seen very little of but at the end of the day the statistics show that he isn’t really worth the £25 million his club have quoted to Arsenal.

The Arsenal philosophy of using a defensive midfielder has helped the club in so many areas for the past decades. Our recent inability to compete for the trophies, for me, lies in three key areas. Let us move Arteta back to the holding midfield role so that he will support the likes of Wilshere, Cazorla, Ramsey, Rosicky, and Oxlade-Chamberlain at the middle of play.

We should focus on wrapping up the deals for Victor Wanyama or Capoue as the first team DM. We should again have a look at Christian Benteke and David Villa as strikers to complement Giroud and Podolski. Let us not lose Gervinho so that Walcott and Chamberlain can help in the wings. Ashley Williams will provide a rock solid defence in that area so that there will be competition for positions at our back. This will enable Vermaelen to fight for his position. Yaya Sanogo will reach his peak within the next two to three years and for now should be loaned out to gain some experience. The Julio Cesar signing will be in the best interests of instant success for Arsenal and long term improvement for Szczesny.

Arsenal should consider these as catalyst for achieving our desired objectives. But please if the rumour is true that Cesc wants a reunion then we should accept him with all humility. He will add depth to the collective fight for the trophies we are all yearning for. For me I don’t support the move for Rooney, Higuian, Jovetic and Valdes.

Till then hoping for the materialization of these decisions. Gunners for real, Gunners forever. ths

Most people still view football as a sport, I being one; however, I cannot deny that football is also an industry with background rules to adhere to, and possibly soon, more legislation to regulate the interested parties of this industry. Within the last month we have come to understand that the first real challenge to UEFA’s FFPR (financial fair play regulations) will come from a football agent (Daniel Striani) claiming a possible restriction of trade. It’s difficult to understand this viewpoint, as I have pointed out before there are thousands of FIFA registered agents as well as thousands of nationally registered football agents and lawyers within the game; however most agents actually struggle to break into the industry on a full-time basis and work with a select few clients on a part-time basis if they are lucky enough. This is due to the closed nature of the industry and the small fact that 60% of all footballers are registered with a small select group of agents/agencies. So I ask a valid question, how an agent can claim restriction of trade when one already exists due to a kind of monopoly. This is an anti-competitive side to the footballing industry no matter how you look at it.

He (Daniel Striani) also claims that FFPR will “lock in” the current top sides, into, an unbreakable elite of European football, however what he is asking the ECJ (European court of Justice) to do is maintain the status quo for the agents within this monopoly, exactly what he is preaching against. It makes you wonder if he has truly thought this through? He also claims a risk to his ability to earn money from a players playing contract and transfer fee due to the possibility that less transfers will occur because football clubs are being encouraged to only spend what they earn. So he is actually highlighting the parasitical nature of some agents in the sense that he wishes they can be allowed to operate at a loss, whether loaning money from banks or from private investment from an owner.

Further; UEFA wants to ban, outright, any and all forms of TPPO (third party player ownership) again this could be viewed as a restriction on a person’s ability to trade. On average in Europe the agencies take £400 million out of the game every year and this figure is only for that which the agents have acted as intermediaries and not through the profiting of TPPO’s , that figure is unknown, although we do know that in 2011 over £3Billion was spent World-wide on acquiring footballers to new contracts. Only since the implementation of TMS (transfer matching system) in 2009 do we have a record of a player’s TPPO contract at the time of transfer, during a player’s playing contract the clubs that can (allowed to by National association rules), can still sell portions of his economic/transfer rights without divulging this information, although for FFPR purposes the amounts cannot be added to their accounts until the players registration has been permanently transferred, and we only find out how much the buying club has had to pay to outside investors once a deal is done and logged on TMS, and this, only when the transfer happens across international borders.

UEFA are serious about banning TPPO’s but also understand that an adjustment period will be needed, this is mainly directed at Portugal, Spain and Italy where this form of ownership has been rife for many years and has kept some clubs competitive when they have been badly guided or managed by their owners, often with various agents and agencies behind the owners promising honours and financial rewards that have failed to materialise for the clubs, because this form of ownership breeds instability within a team sport and makes a club dependent on this model. UEFA has demanded that FIFA investigate this matter and take the lead in banning TPPO’s but as yet FIFA have only commissioned studies. UEFA has promised to take the lead and ban TPPO’s across Europe if FIFA doesn’t act soon.

In FIFA’s defence they have to look at the global picture and take into consideration the impact such rules could have on individual associations that rely heavily on the TPPO model.

Brazilian football is in a complete mess with the majority of players owned by investment groups outside of the official footballing community, so in effect the clubs are powerless as they don’t own a players economic rights, they only hold the registration with the national association for the player. And this is where the private scouting networks (financed by agents/investors) come into play with doing their jobs very effectively and identifying talent at an early stage signing them up to employment contracts (which the clubs cannot afford)and helping with their development to the players and agents/investors benefit but at registered clubs detriment. The career path of these targeted players are mapped out using tried and tested methods to get them over to Europe and into the bigger paying leagues. The unsettling circumstances within this movement of sports person can be traced mostly to old colonial trade routes, which should need no further explaining and I find very disturbing that our past is still so very evident within sport.

Michel Platini recently said “What I can’t understand is when players in Brazil and Argentina don’t belong to a club, but they belong to people instead, it means that, instead of going into sport, the (transfer) money goes to people”.

“That is not logical. It is not human that people should belong to other people who sell them off”. As the man states, the whole objective of being an investor in TPPO’s is to take money from the industry that football has shamefully become. Furthermore the president of UEFA promised that “We will make the law against that for the whole of UEFA, If FIFA does not take any measures then we will take them in Europe.”

We could actually be witnessing the slow power struggle between footballs governing bodies if FIFA does not take the lead in this matter, with UEFA having every right to alter the rules of entry into their competitions, could we see European clubs unable or unwilling to employ Brazilian and Argentinian footballers unless the buying clubs purchase the player from the investment groups, but at what expense, and wouldn’t this only fuel the cycle by giving these investment groups more money to consolidate their positions in South America? We are effectively paying them to take more money out of the European game and FIFA are standing by holding the vault door open for them.

Mr Gianni Infantino (UEFA General-secretary) said that no one should be surprised by the UEFA Executive Committee’s stance. “This is not a decision which has come out of the blue”. “This has already been discussed since the month of May (2012), when it was presented for the first time in the Strategy Council.”

“We all know that third-party ownership of players bears many threats, and there are many issues linked in terms of the integrity of competitions, financial fair play regulations and so on. It is really time to regulate it and to have a firm stance – however, in a reasonable way, with a transitional period to enable clubs to cope. UEFA is looking to have the necessary regulatory framework put in place to protect clubs and prevent the risk of clubs going out of business. The objective is to protect clubs for the longer term.

“It just means that the clubs need to take this issue in their hands and not give it away out of their hands,” the UEFA General Secretary emphasised. “And the players need to have their future in their hands, rather than in the hands of somebody whose business model is to bring about as many transfers of a player as possible, to make as much money as possible – money which then goes out of football and football clubs.”

The EC (European commission) specifically wanted UEFA & FIFA to help with the growth and identity of a United Europe by getting on board with the “Europe 2020” ten year strategy, which entails promoting Europe around the World and encouraging Europeans to live a healthier lifestyle amongst other more important subjects that I will not go into here. FIFA in their wisdom have taken their flagship tournament out of the EU for the foreseeable future at a time when we could have done with it, and please remember that Spain are the only European side who have won the Jules Remit trophy outside of the European continent. UEFA are talking about a European wide Euro tournament with games being played in all the Capitals. I know UEFA has its faults but I feel they are trying to do what’s right.

Now, back to the FFPR challenge and a brief look at the “white paper” and the specific nature of sport.

The specificity of European sport can be approached through two prisms:

The specificity of sporting activities and of sporting rules, such as separate competitions for men and women, limitations on the number of participants in competitions, or the need to ensure uncertainty concerning outcomes and to preserve a competitive balance between clubs taking part in the same competitions;

The specificity of the sport structure, including notably the autonomy and diversity of sport organisations, a pyramid structure of competitions from grassroots to elite level and organised solidarity mechanisms between the different levels and operators, the organisation of sport on a national basis, and the principle of a single federation per sport.

The case law of the European courts and decisions of the European Commission show that the specificity of sport has been recognised and taken into account. They also provide guidance on how EU law applies to sport. In line with established case law, the specificity of sport will continue to be recognised, but it cannot be construed so as to justify a general exemption from the application of EU law. (Taken from the white paper).

This then brings us to the “purely sporting interests” for the rules governing sports, in particular football. Noted above we have the competitive integrity of sports and rules which inhibit anti-competitive behaviour, trafficking of players, illegal betting, corruption and fraud and abusive terms of employment which is exactly what UEFA are trying to achieve with banning TPPO’s and to some extent the implementation of FFPR, nowhere in the above are agents or investors directly mentioned, they are considered either far removed or a problem for the actual sport. Agents are recognised by FIFA in the “Status of players and transfer regulations” and the “agents regulations”, and already have limitations placed upon them with regards to contacting players who are signed with other agents within the last two years (that’s the upper limit for players signing to an agent known as a representation contract), once the two years are up, another agent can approach the player to solicit his services, which is more than clubs can do, as no player under contract with a club can be approached by another club without the registered clubs permission until near the end of the playing contract, and please remember that the EC were instrumental in putting the “Status of players and transfer regulations” and the “agents regulations” together. What these agents and outside investors are doing is inhibiting UEFA and FIFA from regulating European and World football, which is exactly the opposite of what the EC wants.

The EC is all for sports governing bodies being autonomous as long as they abide by EU law and the exemptions due to the “specific nature” of the individual sports. The EC wants sporting institutions to uphold their “fair and balanced” competition principles, which I will outline below.

“A fair and balanced competition is a competition in which everyone that participates has an equal chance of winning and is treated in the same way without discrimination”.

Now this can be looked at in many ways, like who are the participants? Do they mean the players or clubs or both? If we look at UEFA’s and FIFA’s rules for players and clubs then all are treated the same, but if we look at this from a national perspective, then the differing rules around taxation and the allowing of TPPO’s amounts to an advantage for some players and clubs. But then we can consider the TV deal in Spain that allows Real Madrid and Barcelona to monopolise their league with their financial clout and again this amounts to an advantage over the rest of their national league. The premier league can be considered financially doped due to their ability to jointly sell the product World-wide, but this could be argued as honest business but does highlight an imbalance across European football. We do have private investors within English football and that amounts to an unfair advantage for the sides that have almost unlimited funding over those that live within their means.

To put this into perspective the actual agenda of the EC is to have a fair and balanced competition independent of financial means. Yet, they are aware that the very essence of a transfer market fuels an imbalanced industry. They are also aware of the elite closed group that continuously gain entry into UEFA’s competitions and extra funding. This is something that needs addressing as the solidarity payments that clubs get for entering these competitions goes against “a fair and balanced competition”, only 6% of money from UEFA’s competitions goes to clubs not competing and this needs to change to help level the playing field at national league level.

Also noted are the training payments for players moving from their training club and signing their first professional contract with another club. At the moment only players under 23 qualify their previous clubs for training payments (also referred to as solidarity payments, just to confuse us), and these are set at the beginning of every season by the national association who inform the clubs each year of their status, usually the bigger the club the better the compensation package.

Also we have the solidarity payments within a transfer fee that makes its why via the selling club to the player’s previous clubs. And some clubs are chased for this small 5% just to show you how greedy some clubs can be.

–Season of 12th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation);

–Season of 13th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation);

–Season of 14th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation);

–Season of 15th birthday: 5% (i.e. 0.25% of total compensation);

–Season of 16th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 17th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 18th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 19th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 20th birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 21st birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 22nd birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

–Season of 23rd birthday: 10% (i.e. 0.5% of total compensation);

The scenario we have at the moment is that 5% of any transfer fee makes its way to the training clubs he attended as a trainee between his 12th and 23RD birthdays, and the other 95% goes to the selling club. This is again, in my opinion, an imbalance that needs addressing. As the future of the industry always lay with the youth of tomorrow and we need to invest in their futures. The sport can afford it and it’s the right thing to do and will only expose more of our youth to football which will benefit the long term sustainability of the industry. Also when we consider an outside investor they are not subject to these rules so do not contribute any of the wealth accrued through TPPO’s to training clubs, another reason to outlaw this practice. Some clubs willingly use this method to avoid contributing to the foundations of the sport.

So the EC wants a “fair and balanced” competition regardless of finances but has to implement a form of oversight to make football clubs more transparent as well as forcing them to adhere to the rules that will safeguard the industry. Some rules come very close to being restrictive to a person’s ability to decide their own future yet the EC will make exceptions to the usual rules if they deem it necessary for the integrity of the sport. Exemptions;

-They must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner;

-They must be justified by overriding reasons in the public interest;

-They must be suitable for securing the attainment of the objective they pursue and,

-They must not go beyond what is necessary for that purpose.

The above is from the EC, so will be interesting to see how Mr Striani will get around this and also how the interested parties will react when eventually TPPO’s are outlawed EU wide?

The transfer system we have in place within football is all we know, in that it is ingrained into us that this is how football works. Yet there are other methods available for the redistribution of talent and wealth. Outside of the EU we have many varying models that could be implemented to safeguard the smaller clubs that survive through their ability to use the transfer market, yet the transfer market as it stands does not guarantee their survival, raising the solidarity payments will be a more effective way of ensuring the integrity of the foundations of the pyramid and may over time close the gap between competing clubs.

So going back to Mr Striani’s claim, that clubs could suffer because of FFPR and the possible downturn in transfer activity for individual clubs, well hasn’t that possibility always been there? So again another of his arguments can actually be argued against quite convincingly. And if we go back to the origins of this saga we have the Bosman case that actually attacked the transfer market itself and this is something people don’t realise or they forget. That the market itself was close to collapse and the ECJ wanted the industry to take a different approach and that’s why we had the implementation of the “player status and transfer regulations”. The EC hoped for “contractual stability” yet the clubs still circumvent the protected period of a contract via transfer fees and the objective of a transfer fee is to solicit the selling club into ripping up a players employment contract and economic rights contract also the possibility of a TPPO and release the players registration with that association and somewhere in-between we have a person of a sporting nature lost in bureaucracy.

Written by Adam Brogden.

http://ec.europa.eu/sport/library/documents/f-studies/cons-study-transfers-final-rpt.pdf

http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/more/agents/standard-forms

The strong holding mid fielders we have (Arteta, Ramsey) are able to link up the back four and the attacking half of the squad. Their superior defending skills became apparent in the amazing run of form we had to end the season and that will help out the defenders when we come up against strong clubs with several attacking threats. The attacking mids Rosicky and Wilshere fit perfectly into this system because of their extensive passing skills and eagerness to push the ball up the field. The 2 wide men, this season’s superstars Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott add some sharpness on the flanks. They will be used as options for Wilshere/Rosicky to feed the ball too and in turn they will pass into the strikers. With Walcott’s speed he will open up spots between the defenders for the strikers to attack creating more chances.

Now to the strikers, Giroud and Podolski both showed this year that they are capable of being consistent First-Team players. The problem is neither of their skills are exploited properly in a 1 striker approach. Offering 2 strikers takes the pressure off them and allows them to work together to put the ball where it is supposed to be, in the back off the net. Giroud’s finishing and heading capabilities and Podolski’s strong left foot will complement each other brilliantly. The addition of Yaya Sanogo adds some depth to the squad at the position but we would still benefit from one more player at the position. Instead of spending 20 + million on a high profile name we should look more towards less expensive options. The name Christian Benteke, Aston Villa’s superstar would be costly but in this system will be a top scorer in the league one day. Another name that comes to mind is Paris St.-Germaine’s striker Kevin Gameiro. He would come cheap and is another one of the players who would benefit strongly from the 2-striker option.

As always though the decision is up to Arsene Wenger, he knows what he needs to do for the club to reach the next level and contend for a championship in the coming years.

by JoeisAdams

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1. Intent : Arsenal recently haven’t bought any big name players. Buying the ManU star will display intent because he is probably the only star in Man U other than RVP. Remember the feeling we had when Man U bought our star last year.

2. Motivation: Rooney has been displaced by RVP as the anchor man. That should be motivation enough for Rooney to prove a point or two . What better than show the skills in the former team of the guy who has caused this shift?

3. Anchor: Rooney though a star has always played second fiddle in the success of Manu (CR,RVP etc). Arsenal is a perfect proposition owing to the trophy drought and lack of star power. Rooney will be credited for the success that follows with no one else stealing the limelight.

4. Arsene: The strategy seems to be create an English core (recent signings indicate the same) for the future. Who better than the biggest name in English football to employ the strategy on?

by Sifer Duke

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A cousin of former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah, Wreh first played for Liberian clubs Young Kotoko, La Modelle International and Invincible Eleven, before being snapped up by French side AS Monaco as a youth in 1989. A centre forward, Wreh was mainly on the fringes of the Monaco side, and spent a period on loan at Guingamp, where he played in the 1997 Coupe de France final (which Guingamp lost on penalties). In the meantime, Wreh had made his debut for Liberia in 1995, and would go on to win 36 caps for his country, scoring 11 goals.

Wreh signed for Arsenal in the summer of 1997 for £300,000, linking up with his former boss at Monaco, Arsène Wenger. He rose to prominence in the summer of 1997 when he took part in a Liberian game show which included one challenge where he managed to outrun a lion. Although fourth choice behind Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka, Wreh still played an important part in the Gunners’ Double-winning season of 1997–98, scoring in vital 1–0 Premier League wins against Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers, and scoring the only goal of the Gunners’ FA Cup semi-final win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wreh went on to start in the 1998 FA Cup Final, and although he did not score, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2–0.

Despite scoring in the Charity Shield against Manchester United, Wreh could not sustain his previous form and he played fewer and fewer games; after the arrival of Thierry Henry and Davor Šuker at the club in 1999 he was squeezed out altogether. He had brief loan spells with Birmingham City (where he scored once against Grimsby), AEK Athens and Den Bosch, but none of these were made permanent. He left Arsenal in 2000, having scored 5 times in 46 matches (most of them as substitute).

Wreh’s career never reached the same heights as it had at Arsenal, as he became somewhat of a journeyman footballer. He initially signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, then returned to the UK in 2001 with brief stints at Bournemouth and St Mirren, but fitness problems meant he rarely got a game. After trying his luck at Bishop’s Stortford, he played for United Counties League side Buckingham Town.

In 2007, he returned to football, signing for Perseman Manokwari of the Indonesian Football League.

Enjoy the interview!

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If we get Stevan Jovetic, the 24 year old Montenegrin would fit in pretty well, he plays quite well in a CAM position (Central Attacking Midfield), so he can do well playing the ball into Higuain (doubt signing) or Giroud or whoever would be our dominant striker. Following the victory over a strong Newcastle side, we should definitely have the Gunners spending big in the summer, also with Arsene Wengers future still in doubt, I think the Frenchman will spend BIG.

Sunday’s victory was great for us, but I believe we should have done much better. In the first half we should have had the game in our pockets because we went into the game knowing we were favorites and I think we didn’t play up to our standards. In the first half, we didn’t look like we was up for it, but further on in the game (second half) we started to look up a little and we started to attack more. I think a little bit of a ‘Wenger Lecture’ worked there.

The question is, will Arsenal make the right signings and do a lot better next season?

by Jordan

I have never ever heard about Arsenal been linked with so much great players before. The likes of Villa (Barcelona), Benteke (Aston villa), Williams (Swansea), Rooney (Man Utd) all potential targets. This in all affirms the ambition of the club next season.

However, since the inception of the rumour about Captain Vermaelen’s likely exit, I can’t help but wonder what happens to the future of any manager that signs him. History has shown that managers that sign Arsenal captains either leave the club, get sacked or (in Sir. Alex’s situation) retires. Below are the facts!

2005: Patrick Viera joins Juventus.
2006: Coach Fabio Capello leaves Juventus.

2007: Thierry Henry joins Barcelona.
2008: Frank Riijkard sacked at Barcelona.

2011: Cese Fabregas joins Barcelona.
2012: Pep Guardiola leaves.

2012: RVP joins Manchester United.
2013: Sir. Alex Ferguson retires.

So, who would buy Thomas Vermaelen?

But I need to pop the question now. Is our youth academy really as brilliant as we’ve thought it is?

Over the last few years, I can’t remember any player from our youth academy making the jump up from the reserves to the first team, except for Wilshere, Gibbs, Frimpong and Szczesny. I am not counting players like Theo, Ox, Ramsey and all in this, as I do not really consider them a graduate of OUR youth academy. They all came here from other clubs, and went straight into our first team squad, or at the most spent a couple of seasons in the reserves before making the jump. That doesn’t mean that we nurtured them.

Every year, we let go a lot of youth players, many of whom were once rumoured to be the next big thing. And I admit, I had a lot of hope from players like Nordtveit, Bartley and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, but they were all silently moved on to other lower clubs without much of a fuss. Does that mean that they were never talented? That’s not true, not true at all. Anyone who saw JET terrorize defences in the reserve league, or Bartley hold together the team, wouldn’t have doubted that they’re going to have a future in football. But the fact of the matter is, they weren’t deemed good enough for the Arsenal firt team, and were let go.

A team’s youth academy is supposed to be a powerhouse for the club. Lads from the academy, many of whom would have spent 7-8 years in the academy, will make the jump up to the first team and help the club attain glory. In this period of time, love for the club will grow in them, and they’re supposed to have a real desire to succeed wearing the club colors. Of course, I accept that not all of the players will make the grade, and many will have to be moved on with each generation. But a max of 5 players in 5 years making the grade? That isn’t a good enough output, is it?

Today, a lot of reserve team players have been let go by Arsenal, again.

Henderson, Watt, Shea, Monteiro, Hajrovic, Angha, Ebecilio, Cook, Wynter, Rees, Fagan, Boateng, Neita, Boateng, Bihmoutine have all been let go by the club.

Do you still believe Arsenal’s youth academy is the best? Tell us your opinion.

Nitesh

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Finally with the season coming to an end and the usual doesn’t seem unusual anymore. Top 4 finish,  transfer saga, low budget, and the list goes unending. But still we Gooners remain optimistic and raring to go behind Wenger.

Just was thinking if we leave behind the trasfers and new signings that are gonna come (thats Arsene’s business), let’s just concentrate on the resources we have and how they can be used effectively. And being more specific, let’s talk of the midfield which I think is the powerhouse of a team. As the matches are won or lost in the midfield Arsene must reform our midfield tactics.

Personally I feel that we should play with 4-4-2 . Two holding midfielders and the two centrally attacking ones, and the role of bombardment of crosses being assigned to the wing backs.

So the question is who should entertain our midfield’s roles.Let’s take a look at the options that we have – Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby and The Ox.

At the start of the season Arsene hinted at giving a more central role to Ox but he could not decide the whole season , what he wanted Ox to do which resulted in a poor season for our rising star. A more central and defined role for Ox and you will see the change that this man can bring; he has got everything just needs remolding.

Coming back to our midfield dilemma, let’s first see the contenders for the 2 containing midfielder’s positions and you have Arteta, Ramsey, Coq & Diaby. Frankly speaking you can’t expect miracles from the last 2. I think Coq will be either sold or loaned. This leaves us with only 2 options Arteta and ramsey. Together they have shielded the back 4 very effectively in the last 10 games, and deserve credits for their performance ( Ramsey was voted the player of the month for April at Arsenal.com). This was the first season for Arteta in this position and he will only get stronger in this position. But in case they get injured which is inevitable in football, we must get someone to compete for this position. It’s a must. Arsenal have been linked to many players for this position and I hope that Arsene will be wise to pull out the best one from the market.

Taking about the two positions of advanced midfielders roles, we have Cazorla, Wilshere, Rosicky and Ox. Now this is where I think Arsenal are strongest in the Premier league. This was the first season of Cazorla and he will only grow stronger. Wilshere is back and on his day he can dribble past any defence. Rosicky if remains fit can be a good reserve player, then we have the X-factor of The Ox. If utilized properly they can together break any defence apart.

So gunners remain optimistic… The midfield mania will grip you next season and bet me we will come out victorious…

By : AMIT KUMAR

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