Has Wenger learned from past mistakes? Arsenal look to do summer transfers early

It appears as if Arsene Wenger has listened to his critics and has maybe learned from his own past mistakes.

Arsenal have completed the signings of four players this summer, with another signing likely before the season starts.

In seasons gone by Wenger has left signing players to the last moments of the transfer window i.e Mikel Arteta and Mesut Ozil. The obvious problem here is that players need time to gel and get to know their team mates.

Now, with the start of the season still a couple of weeks away, we have filled in the vacant right-back position with the likes of Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, invested in world class attacking winger Alexis Sanchez, and brought in back up to Szczesny in David Ospina.

The area I still want to see improved on is the striker role. Giroud, as I have always said, is incompetent up front, as can be Walcott. Podolski is always preferred to on the wing, however maybe Wenger has plans for him to feature in a striker role now with the arrival of Sanchez. The Chilean really will add something to our attacks and I am excited to see him play this season.

Carl Jenkinson's loan to West Ham is a good move with Debuchy and Chambers' arrivals. Debuchy will be our first choice right-back with Sagna's departure while Chambers, 19, can also play anywhere across the back and he has a lot of potential. I don't think Jenkinson is ready and this loan move is a good thing for his development.

I am off to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to see the Arsenal v Benfica friendly as the club host its annual Emirates Cup tournament. They play Monaco on Sunday. The two days of football are a good test for the players to see where they are in their pre-season programme, with the season just two weekends away, as well as an opportunity for the players to welcome back the FA Cup holders after a busy sporting summer.

Emirates Stadium crest

All eyes on Manchester City tonight as we enter our crucial month

Tonight hosts a massive game in the Premier League with Manchester City playing Chelsea; a game coined as the most expensive in English football. Manchester City are contesting with us at the moment for top spot, while Chelsea are only five points behind us, so a draw will certainly be Arsenal's best bet.

We returned to top the table with our 2-0 home win against Crystal Palace yesterday, as our slip up a couple of weeks ago against Southampton meant we would finally give up top spot with Manchester City breathing down our necks. Oxlade-Chamberlain was on form to grab two well taken goals yesterday and it's great to see him return to the squad in such good form following the months he spent injured.

So now with City just two behind us, a draw will maintain our oh so sight advantage.

One thing which worries me though, with the season's end coming into sight, is the number of midfielders we have at Wenger's command. Wilshere, Ramsey, an now new signing Kim Kallstrom are all sidelined (not forgetting Abou Diaby I suppose?) and Flamini is serving a suspension. Flamini and Diaby disregarded, we are looking at around six weeks (seven to nine for full match fitness) for our other injured players to return; players we really need at this time of the season.    

Chambo in action last season.

The January transfer window is a great opportunity for managers to bring in extra numbers for the crucial final third of the season and Wenger recruited the injured Kallstrom from Spartak Moscow on loan. Since his arrival on Friday, Wenger has been forced to explain his decision in bringing the player in, who injured himself while falling on his back just days before his agreed move.

Wenger has now said the Swedish international may never feature for Arsenal will questions certainly why this deal went ahead. Wenger states if he knew the extent of his injury (Kallstrom could be sidelined for six weeks) then he would have looked elsewhere, though there was no time for that. Again, Wenger leaves things to the last minute so he can only blame himself for this one, especially after we had a great opportunity to sign Julian Draxler.

As I've said before, and as we all know all too well, this is a big month for us - probably season-defining. Liverpool are our next opponents in the Premier League up at Anfield, before we play four home matches in a row against Manchester United, Liverpool again (F.A Cup), Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League) and Sunderland.

This month will prove whether we have the mental attitude and skill to continue maintaining our form against big sides, Bayern Munich particularly, and prove whether or not Wenger should have acted sooner when he had the chance in January.

Back to live football though, City v Chelsea tonight (20:00 k/o GMT) should be a great one and all eyes at the Emirates will be firmly locked on that one!

Kim Kallstrom on international duty for Sweden.

Wenger sticking to his guns with any January transfers unlikely

With no done deals for Arsenal so far this January, it appears Arsene Wenger is happy to carry out the remainder of the season with the current squad, regardless of injury concerns.

Ahead of our F.A Cup fourth round tie against Coventry City tomorrow night (7:45pm k/o GMT), Wenger told journalists at his press conference, "I feel a bit guilty always going to a press conference during the transfer market and having nobody to announce, but I don't want to lie.

"It looks very unlikely. At the moment we are not close to doing anything. Overall we have a very strong squad. If something exceptional turns up we will do it, but not everyone will strengthen - they buy, but that does not always mean strengthen" (BBC Sport).

I've said it before though and that is, with Arsene Wenger, you really can't ever be sure about what he says. He often appears to frustrate fans, before unveiling a new face. But in some ways, maybe he has learned from his past mistakes as I'll come onto shortly.

Arsene Wenger

Former Arsenal target Juan Mata is due to sign for Man Utd later today, upon completing his medical this afternoon for a fee believed to be around £37m. This will be a major boost to Moyes' title hopes as the Red Devils have looked a little out of place this season, not that any of us need reminding. We've been having a right laugh at them all season. Still Mata's signature is exactly what Wenger is talking about. There is no denying that this is an example of an exceptional player becoming available and so United are strengthening. All too often Wenger has dipped his toes in the water and fished out players like Park or Chamakh and look how that turned out for us.

I am a great admirer of Mata's talents and, as much as I wish to see United continue falling in dramatic decline this year, I wish Mata all the best at his new club in this World Cup year.

In terms of keeping players however, Wenger will talk to Thomas Vermaelen about extending his contract in the summer. I think he lost his way a little last season and it is hard separating the pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker this year. They have been exceptional, solid rocks at the back, in what is a much tougher and more hard working back-four. Vermalen was rumoured to be wanting a move away which you can understand knowing his defensive skills and with the World Cup approaching, he won't want to be missing a place in the Belgium defence. It would be a sad miss to see him leave however as he is still a very good defender to have, particularly with the injuries our defences have seen in seasons gone by. We'll keep track of this one as the summer approaches. 

I would still love to see United's Hernandez, who scored last night to take Manchester United to penalties against Sunderland, step in up front at Arsenal as we need a proven goalscorer from the Premier League. Maybe with Mata's attacking force, and considering when Van Persie, Rooney and Welbeck are all in the side, Hernandez may be that exceptional player Wenger might need.

Hernandez in action for Man Utd.

Lukas Podolski: winger or striker?

Arsenal had to up their game yesterday against Fulham and they grabbed two second half goals, thanks to Santi Cazorla's strikes, to maintain their slender lead at the top of the Premier League table.

It's great to know we have the attacking force in the likes of Cazorla, but as I have mentioned before, it is our options actually up-front that lack the quality to put teams behind. Lukas Podolski came on in the second half yesterday and his presence on the field instantly gave us a new dimension going forward.

The German international has only recently come back into the team following a four-and-a-half-month injury lay off so I can understand Wenger easing him back into the first team, but he openly revealed he sees Podolski more of a left winger.

There aren't many players who can boast as strong a left foot as Podolski and he is a proven goalscorer, with 120 club career goals for Cologne, Bayern Munich and Arsenal (www.soccerbase.com).

And following our 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium, Wenger, speaking to the media in his post match press conference, said: "Lukas has a fantastic spirit and attitude and he showed that when he came on. When he comes in he gives us something...if he is in front of goal and you give him once chance, you score with him. He doesn't hit it into the stand" (www.arsenal.com). Surely he is describing the attitude and abilities of a striker!

Our number 9 looked fit, sharp and strong, and proved he knows where the goal is, forcing Maarten Stekelenburg into a fine save, before hitting the post with a fierce strike. Giroud who started on the other hand, continues to show his incompetence as a leading striker.

Should Giroud's place be up for grabs?

A tall player who likes to use his head yes, but he's all too often unable to hit the target. He had one opportunity yesterday which lingers in my memory when attempting a curling effort into the corner of the goal - the type of shot graced by the likes of Bergkamp, Henry and Van Persie - definitely not Giroud. He can score, but being inconsistent and frustrating is not the requirements of a striker in the Premier League.

I wish Wenger would consider Podolski for the central striker role from now on in. Giroud has lost the kind of form he had at the start of the season, though even then he still needed chance after chance. Podolski will take his chance with both feet knowing Walcott is out for the season, and with Bendtner sidelined too. There are no words for Park who occasionally warms up the bench and Yaya Sanogo appears to be sidelined still and definitely not ready for the ability of the Premier League.

Of course we are still in the January transfer window and rumours are circulating of a bid for Schalke's wonder-kid Julian Draxler, who can play both as an attacking midfielder and striker. Wenger continues to keep his lips sealed on any move in the transfer market so we'll just have to wait and see what happens there. 

Podolski will be keen to add to his goals tally for the remainder of the current campaign.

Mesut Ozil: A player seeking form

Mesut Ozil's somewhat dip in performance rate of late has been picked up in the Metro newspaper, something which I have noted in the last few weeks.

Reading Gavin Brown's article on the train this morning, he isn't particularly downgrading or calling Ozil a bad player (that would be absurd) but he is maybe missing the winter break he became accustomed to back in Spain. He is 'missing in action', as Brown puts it.

As I said in a previous post, perhaps he is feeling the pressure of his high price tag, while his slight injury picked up in the last couple of months will have hindered him after his fine start since joining from Read Madrid in August.

But yes I agree with Brown's point regarding the winter break also, and he suggests Ozil is perhaps in a winter-break mindset. If that is the case, let's hope he picks up form shortly. In contrast however, Ozil recently revealed how he is enjoying playing in England without the winter break he has become accustomed to. He revealed he wants to continue improving, which he may have to based on his recent form, and puts a lot of that down to playing more regular games which happens during the winter period. Maybe he is putting too much pressure on himself?

I think a lot of fans are choosing to ignore Ozil's dip in form, perhaps not wanting to come to terms with our expensive talisman being in need of finding his way again.  Of course there is no doubting his talents; he has proven himself in English football as he showed to us all when joining on transfer deadline day.

We take on Fulham tomorrow afternoon (3pm GMT kick off) in what should be a relatively straight forward task. René Meulensteen's side are battling to stay in the Barclays Premier League, with only two points separating them and the drop, with all three teams in the relegation zone sharing seventeen points.

Rosicky and Monreal are expected to return for tomorrow's game. Rosicky could feature with a mask after braking his nose against Aston Villa which forced him to be a substituted sub. Monreal meanwhile should be available despite a twisted ligament in his foot.

Despite Olivier Giroud's well taken and somewhat fortuitous goal last Monday, he still needs to do a lot more upfront to prove he is our main man up-front. Arsene believes in him to prove why we won't be delving into the January transfer market for a striker, but I think I still need persuading.

Enjoy the game tomorrow. For the Metro's feature on Mesut Ozil, click here.

Ozil: the centre of attention after signing from Real Madrid in August

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal hold on in a tale of two halves

So Arsenal have gone back to top the Premier League once more following their 2-1 win against Aston Villa tonight, but they certainly made it a difficult task.

We cruised the first half, looking in total control with Villa unable to muster much other than a Fabian Delph effort that went agonisingly wide. Other than that, I can't recall Szczesny having anything else to do.

We looked good and created a couple of early half chances but Giroud, being Giroud, was unable to give us an early lead. Podolski was on the bench for this one, and remained an unused sub, but he should have come on in the second half with Giroud putting in yet another frustrating performance.

The Frenchman did score however in a blink-and-you'd-miss it scenario. Both goals came back to back of each other with our second goal coming only around 15 seconds of the restart. I was still celebrating the first in fact.

Nacho Monreal darted down the left following Mesut Ozil's fine through ball, and the left back's cross went behind Matt Lowton with Jack Wilshere arriving. His first touch was superb as he set himself up for the shot, with his effort a little scuffed as it rolled past a diving Brad Guzan.

Arsenal had been pressing Villa all game and credit to the hosts for once we got the ball back, we faced a well organised Villa defence. But just after the restart Giroud's pressing won the ball back and we darted forward. Wilshere turned provider this time with his pass to the striker who struck his shot into the ground as it blasted past Guzan, who had only just picked the ball out of his net.

Aston Villa looked a different side in the second half however and we looked a little concerning. Christian Benteke, who hadn't scored in nearly four months, was getting into some good positions and managed to pull one back for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining; only his sixth goal, and his third third against us, this season. Lowton produced a great cross behind our back line and Benteke dived in at the back post with a header to halve the deficit.

I thought we would let Villa back into it completely from then on in and we had to ride the storm a little. We held on however, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming on late in the second half to make his first appearance for us since the opening game of the season.

If I was Wenger however I'd be pretty disappointed with our second half performance. As has been a similar occurrence of late, Ozil hasn't been living up to his £42m price tag, and even Santi Cazorla was at fault for Villa's goal. I will be happy when Aaron Ramsey makes his return from injury, as Rosicky was forced off tonight, and Arteta wasn't named in Wenger's 18-man squad tonight, presumably with an injury.

Serge Gnabry looked lively again tonight and we take the three points that we knew we needed. We remain top of the table once again, and can look forward to our next home match against a lacklustre Fulham on Saturday.

Arsenal v Chelsea - regaining top spot should be Wenger's priority

We take on Chelsea on Monday evening knowing a win will ensure we will be top of the Premier League by Christmas. This would be a great feeling!

Of course, we have been top for most of the season but now to have let Liverpool and Manchester City overtake us as things stand is very disappointing. Only a couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to go seven points clear but in typical Arsenal fashion, we now find ourselves looking up rather than beaming down with such confidence.

Perhaps the pace and strength of the English game has caught up with Ozil, Giroud is struggling to keep up regular high performances, and we aren't able to call upon top class midfield or attacking back-up. In some ways the January transfer window can't come quickly enough.

I will try to analyse the rumours circulating around the media as to who will may be linked with, and Wenger must surely act when the window opens at the start of the new year. The stubbornness of the man though will mean we are unlikely to go for players in order to have strength-in-depth.

Having said that we do have the quality to beat Chelsea, particularly on home soil, and they didn't exactly outplay us in every department during the 2-0 League Cup game earlier this year. Wenger put out a disappointing side against a very strong Mourinho starting XI which was ridiculous. This time we will go out with a very different side and Chelsea are very much an up and down team this year, unlike Man City.

We need to forget about the result last weekend and hopefully the long break we have had will be beneficial this time around.

After Chelsea we play away against West Ham and Newcastle respectively and, based on how we have played for the majority of this season, these are games we should easily be picking up points in. Of course there is the worry we are about to go on a downward spiral, but let's hope not. Let's get back to winning ways on Monday night and look to regain top spot by the end of the year.

Second chance for Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner has spoken of how he feels he is a different person now, via the Arsenal website.

Our number 52 featured against West Brom in the League Cup last month, to make his first Arsenal appearance since 2011. For the last two seasons he has been on loan at Sunderland and Juventus respectively, but his attitude to the game clearly has put himself above who he actually is.

I remember seeing him at Euro 2012 and saw a Bendtner I hadn't really seen in an Arsenal shirt. He was playing well for the Denmark national side, suggesting there is some talent within him.

Talking to Arsenal player, he revealed the birth of his son and other experiences away from the pitch have made him a different person.

The perception of him as a footballer has come down to his attitude and performances on the pitch. Arsenal fans have generally taken a dis-likening to him, but the Dane says the wider perception of him is wrong.

Hands up: No apology as such but Bendtner says
he is a different person now 

He also denies his comments suggesting he feels he is bigger than the game. Wenger hasn't been able to shift him on though because of his wage demands, and his performances haven't matched his worth, so how good does he think he is?

So are his comments just a cover? It was circulating in the past that he never wanted to put on an Arsenal shirt again. Now nobody appears to want him, and with an opportunity to break into our side, is he desperate to make amends?

For me, with Bendtner coming back into the side, this is his second chance. He now has to prove he is worth something to the team, who are on such a high following their superb undefeated streak. But should Wenger put him back into the Arsenal side? With Giroud our only recognised, injury free striker left in the side (not including Park, I'm sorry), now is a better time than ever for the 25-year-old to up his game. He certainly has a point to prove.

He says he is ready to make the step up and fight. Is he a different person and player now? I suppose there is only one way to find out.

The article and video can be found here (Arsenal.com).

Beardy man: New look, new player?

In other news, Aaron Ramsey has been awarded Arsenal player of the month for September; the third month in a row he has now won the monthly accolade.

The Welshman is certainly deserving of the achievement, who has maintained his fine display on the pitch, week in week out. He scored five goals last month, bringing his total to eight goals, in eleven matches across all competitions.

Ozil and Ramsey dream team?

Who needs Ozil when you have Ramsey? I'm only joking. You'd want them both.

This goes especially on Ramsey's recent form, who continued his fine season so far with two goals to finish off Sunderland on Saturday.

He's certainly been exceptional in our midfield this season, showing maturity and the qualities he has lacked in seasons gone by. Not many would have thought he would be playing at a level as he is now following his leg break against Stoke all of three years ago.

After Sunderland drew level at 1-1 Arsenal managed to find a spell of possession, and Jenkinson's cross was met by a well low struck volley on the edge of the area by Ramsey.  The Welshman later showed a class finish that Walcott could learn from, after an excellent first touch allowed him to calmly slot the ball past Keiren Westwood.

The game gave Ozil his debut in English football and he looked accustomed to it. It took the German only 10 minutes to do what he does best, and assisted Giroud with a well-timed through ball after taking the ball down from a long pass.

The 42.4 million pound signing wasn't initially in Wenger's starting XI, who admitted he would like to have eased him into the side after suffering from illness. However, with Cazorla and Rosicky sidelined, he had little options.

Despite riding their luck with some official decisions, Arsenal showed a lot of attacking class against Sunderland, as we enter the time of year where Arsenal begin to slump in the colder, less Summery conditions.    

Following their 3-1 win at the weekend, Arsenal now look ahead to Marseille tomorrow night (18/09 - 7:45pm k/o GMT) where they will hope to continue their fine form and begin their Champions League campaign in style. 

Giroud and Ozil may not feature however with the striker picking up and knee injury on Saturday and Ozil is not yet completely over his illness. With Podolski out until around Christmas (is it really nearly that time of year already??), and Sanogo out, Walcott could be the only replacement up front but he's hardly the best of finishers half the time as we have seen time and again.

If Wenger had only upped his offer for Demba Ba by £1m he could have had the striker on loan from Chelsea and we wouldn't be in so much of a striker crisis, but recently the side have found a way and it'll be good to see them up against the finest in Europe once more.

Sign of things to come: Ozil on form against Sunderland

The Champions League challenge

The draw for the Champions League Group Stages has been concluded placing Arsenal (seeded 1st) in Group F alongside Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.

This will prove a stern test for the Gunners who have often had little trouble in qualifying to the knockout rounds of the competition. Of course I don't think there are many fans who believe the club have the capabilities to win the Champions League just yet, but I am concerned, looking at Group F, that Arsenal will even be able to go on past the groups.

Arsenal struggled against Napoli in the Emirates Cup earlier in the summer, as both sides battled to a 2-2 draw (which included a Giroud overhead kick). Of course that was pre-season and Arsenal didn't look ready for the new season at that point, as proved two weeks later in their opening day disaster against Aston Villa.

Higuain featured that afternoon; the striker reportedly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, before moving to the Italian side. He was booed, and I am sure he will be again when the sides meet in the Champions League. They looked good on the attack, showing the vulnerabilities in Arsenal's lacklustre defence.

Dortmund meanwhile have the likes of Subotic, Hummels, Bender, Blasczczykowski, and Lewandowski and German teams, as we are seeing, are making names for themselves in modern football. They finished second in the Bundesliga last year and were runners up against Bayern Munich in last year's Champions League final which they lost 2-1. Of course the last time we came close to the cup was the final of 2006, but let's not linger our thoughts there.

Flamini re-signs on a three-year deal

In other news, Flamini has signed for the club, making his second spell with Arsenal. He had been training in pre-season after completing his contract with AC Milan, who he signed for in 2008. The 29-year-old is a versatile midfielder who can also play at either left or right back, and I think all Arsenal fans will be pleased to have him back.

Of course supporters still want money to be spent, but time continues to be against Arsene, who has reiterated he is still looking to spend big before Monday's deadline.

2013/14 Champions League Group Draw:

Group A - Manchester United; Shakhtar Donetsk; Bayer Leverkusen; Real Sociedad.

Group B - Real Madrid; Juventus; Galatasary; Copenhagen.

Group C - Benfica; PSG; Olympiakos; Anderlecht.

Group D - Bayern Munich; CSKA Moscow; Manchester City; Viktoria Plzen.

Group E - Chelsea; Schalke; Basel; Steaua Bucharest.

Group F - Arsenal; Marseille; Borussia Dortmund; Napoli.

Group G - Porto; Atletico Madrid; Zenit St. Petersburg; Austria Vienna.

Group H - Barcelona; AC Milan; Ajax; Celtic.  

The draw is made in Monaco

Arsenal through to Champions League group stage

As expected, Arsenal have cruised into the group stages of the Champions League at the expense of Fenerbache, as Ramsey was on hand to score a double in their 2-0 win last night (5-0 aggregate).

Goals in either half by the Welshman, including a well taken placed volley from a Gibbs cross, showed levels of confidence in the midfielder, as he followed on from his display against Fulham.

The 5-0 aggregate scoreline ensures Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League for the sixteenth time under Wenger's reign, making it twelve wins out twelve via the qualifier play-offs.

The draw for the group stage will take place in Monaco tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:45pm local time (4:45pm GMT).

After the match, Wenger refused to discuss new signings but is aware playing in the Champions League is a defining factor in players decisions to join new clubs. But it is whether players believe they can win trophies, and not just simply participate with Europe's top teams, that will make them join a new club.

Arsenal remain linked with Angel Di Maria but Galatasary are being reported by Turkish media that a transfer fee for the winger has been agreed, and so Wenger will have to react quickly if he wants to make signatures, with only five days left before the window slams shut. The media have also linked Arsenal to Mesut Ozil who didn't appear happy with being substituted in Madrid's last match, but then that isn't a great reason to simply want a move. A world-class signing he would be nonetheless.

Furthermore, Juan Mata's father was in the stands last night against Fenerbache. The Chelsea midfielder is another reported unsettled player who may not feature in Jose Mourinho's plans at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal were interested in his signature in the summer Chelsea signed him, with Wenger refusing to offer a few more million pounds for him. Transfer talk is fun, so it will be interesting to see what, if anything, materialises over the coming days.

As for now, Arsenal look ahead to Sunday's clash in the North London derby against Tottenham who have won both of their Premier League games so far. Arsenal go into the match with three successive wins in their League and Play-off ties which makes for a great meeting. However, the inform Ramsey left the pitch slightly early last night, while Podolski appears to have pulled a hamstring and could be out for three weeks Wenger confirmed. Wilshere played all of the 90 minutes last night despite taking a knock to his ankle late on, and Wenger has already said he doesn't want to over-use the young English midfielder.

Arsenal v Spurs kicks off at 4pm (GMT) at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday September 1.

Ramsey celebrates with Sanogo, after scoring his second
goal in last night's match against Fenerbache (5-0 agg)