I have an immense amount of respect for Arsene Wenger but I am worried that his protracted pursuit of Andrei Arshavin will see him become a victim of his own ideals.
Now I’m a big fan of the Russian schemer and I’m not saying he won’t be a success at the Emirates Stadium, but - by spending the whole of the transfer window chasing Arshavin - Wenger has critically neglected other areas of his team.
Yes, they have missed the invention of the injured Fabregas, but Arsenal are not exactly short of creative players and far more alarming over the past couple of seasons has been the sides soft centre.
When Wenger needed to bring in some steel, a player in the Patrick Vieira mould, he instead reverted to type and spent four weeks trying to recruit another silky, gifted, attack-minded player.
The Gunners are facing a very real prospect of missing out on Champions League football next season and the notion of the Premiership’s ‘Big Four’ could soon be trimmed to a triumvirate.
Wenger’s perfectionist nature and unwavering commitment to the beautiful game is commendable but ask any Arsenal fan and I expect they would settle for a few scrappy wins between now and the end of the season if it would guarantee a Champions League berth.
This current Arsenal side has been treated as a team in transition for too long and they need a solid experienced core to push on and that requires investment.
The money is there by all accounts but Wenger again is a stickler for his principles and seems reluctant to pay out the kind of cash he needs to in order to keep up with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
There is a hint of selfishness about Wenger’s stubborness and refusal to change his ways as the victims at the end of the day are the Arsenal fans who have grown used to their team challenging at the top of the table.
Yes football is meant to be entertaining but there is no better way to entertain the fans than by winning football matches.
It will be interesting to see how long until the Arsenal fans keep patience with Wenger and his unique approach if the club continues to be starved of success.
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