Arsenal are reported to be acting quickly by signing Lukas Podolski, but more work will need to be done in the transfer market warns Steven Altman.
Although Peter Hill-Wood announced yesterday that Robin Van Persie was happy in London and not motivated by money, something still niggles at the back of one’s mind that this may turn out not to be the case when all is done and dusted.
It is neither that Van Persie is not thriving in the club at present, nor is it due to a lack of commitment on his part to both the fans and to the club itself.
It is more the way that football at any level, and especially at Premier League level, tends to turn up nasty surprises from time to time.
Fabergas and Nasri are two players in point. Even the manager insisted that they were staying until they went.
I wonder if he really thought that he could get them to stay?
The lesson to be learnt is to not be caught unawares: the promise of Cologne’s Lukas Podolski signing for Arsenal in the summer is positive and a move that fans should be expecting from a seasoned veteran like Wenger.
But, as the old saying goes, one player doesn’t make a team.
The squad must be strengthened not only because of wanting to get Van Persie to stay, but also despite him staying.
Too often, especially this season, the squad has lacked depth, and the second string is not doing the job that they ought to be doing.
The same players are thrown on time and time again late in the game, and they hardly ever make the difference.
This is where the galvanising must start – a reserve bench that will make a difference, and that can be counted on to step up to the mark in the case of injury. Only once this is achieved, will fans rest easy and not cringe at the dreaded word “injured”.
Will Robin van Persie stay at Arsenal and what do the club need to do to keep him?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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