With less than a week left in the transfer window, Arsenal still have plenty of work to do in the transfer window and even Arsene Wenger has admitted so much.
It is the general consensus that the current squad requires another two or three additions to take it to the next level. The current squad is good no doubt, with a good mixture of experience and youthful exuberance but strengthening is imperative especially in lieu of Samir Nasri’s and Cesc Fabregas’ recent departure from the Gunners.
But that doesn’t mean the Gunners haven’t made any transfers so far. They have signed Gervinho from French champions Lille, Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton and Costa Rican striker, Joel Campbell.
Out of these the latter three are all teenagers and only Jenkinson has played a match for the Gunners.
While these signings definitely add depth to the side, one can say that prior to the start of the season it looked like only Gervinho would add real quality to the side. Having been instrumental in Lille’s ascendancy to the top of the French league, he has the required experience and quality to be a major hit for the Gunners.
Carl Jenkinson is another youngster who many thought wouldn’t get too much playing time but having played three of Arsenal’s four matches with two starts already, he has proved to be invaluable for the Gunners as injuries and suspensions have rocked Arsenal’s defense.
Wenger has always reiterated the fact that he believes that a player’s quality should never be judged based on his price tag and it is safe to say that right now, Jenkinson and Gervinho have proved to be real bargains.
This summer many top clubs have invested in highly rated young players with Manchester United splashing the cash on David De Gea and Phil Jones and with Chelsea going out signing Belgian sensation, Romelu Lukaku. Arsenal too have signed three youngsters but their combined transfer fees fall short of the transfer fee of each of the above mentioned players signed by the Blues and the Red Devils.
The comparatively lower price tag could be attributed to the fact that while the signings made by United and Chelsea are fairly experienced in the top level for their previous clubs, Arsenal’s signings are all extremely inexperienced with none having played in a top quality league.
But that doesn’t imply that they are poor players. Jenkinson is the perfect example of this. One year back he wasn’t even in the Charlton squad and now having started against both Liverpool and Udinese, his stock is rising tremendously among the Gunners’ faithfully and rightfully so.
When Jenkinson signed for the Gunners many rated him as a good prospect but few saw him as ready for first team action so soon. He has responded to the challenge with maturity that far belies his age.
This season he has already played in two of Arsenal’s most important matches, against Udinese in the Champions League qualifier. Arsenal were hoping to continue their streak of playing in the Champions League for the 14th successive season. But with a depleted squad and facing a good Udinese squad, the tie was always going to be too close for Arsenal’s comfort. Failure to qualify would have meant disaster both in a financial aspect and for the club’s progress.
In the first leg an injury to both Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou meant that Jenkinson was used as a substitute with over 30 minutes to go. In the second leg injuries to Armand Traore, Kieran Gibbs and Laurent Koscielny meant that Jenkinson was forced to start.
Despite playing in a high pressure situation, Jenkinson was hardly fazed throughout the tie and didn’t look a bit overawed by the circumstances. Udinese despite the loss of Alexis Sanchez threw in a great fight and Jenkinson was on top of his game as the Gunners let in just one goal throughout the tie. Arsenal beat Udinese 2-1 in the second leg. The second goal was a quick counter attack finished off by Walcott after Sagna’s pass to the Englishman. While it has been Sagna and Walcott who have received all the plaudits for the goal that sealed the tie, it was actually Jenkinson who kick started the move. With a composed cross field ball across to Vermaelen, he initiated the attack from the right wing.
Even against Liverpool while he wasn’t at his best, he was no slouch as he put in a decent shift against a strong Liverpool team.
For most fans, Jenkinson’s performances would have come as a surprise, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless. When Jenkinson was signed many saw this move as another pointless move by Wenger to add depth and further beef up the youngsters without trying to deal with the actual needs of the club.
But with the departure of Emmanuel Eboue, the Gunners have showed that signing Jenkinson was a good move after all, one that is proving to be a hit right now and surely for the future as well.
He has all the qualities to be huge success at the Emirates as his style of play and assets makes him a really valuable player to have in the squad.
While he is capable of playing in any position across the back four, his preferred position is right back as was shown in the games against Udinese and Liverpool where he played at right back while the usual right back, Sagna was shifted to the left wing.
A usual complaint made against Arsenal’s full backs is that they can’t deliver pin point crosses. Last season with Clichy and Sagna in the team, Arsenal had two full backs who crossing was not upto the mark.
Jenkinson on the other hand seems to have a good cross. Arsenal are not a team that usually relies on crosses to bang in the goals but having a player who can deliver good crosses is always an asset especially when the team is desperately searching for a goal as it gives them a more direct style than the one employed when Arsenal use their passing game.
When marking a player he isn’t afraid to get close to the player and has a solid tackle, has pace and is physically good as well.
On the whole he looks to be a fantastic buy for the club, one that is already reaping rich rewards.
There are certain aspects of his game that requires a little polishing but considering his age, he will only improve with time and I wholly expect him to be ready for regular first team action by the end of this year and in the worst case, two seasons later. With the consistent Sagna to learn from, Jenkinson is proving to be a severely underrated but solid buy for the Gunners.
Another signing who has already made an impact is Ivory Coast midfielder, Gervinho who despite being sent off in his debut against Newcastle has already showed his vast quality with a superb show against Udinese in Italy that cemented Arsenal’s place in the Champions League group stages.
When he was signed by Arsenal most Arsenal fans were excited by his arrival. He had been a huge hit in France and his qualities looked perfectly suited for the Arsenal style of playing.
A brace on debut in pre-season only furthered the expectations among Arsenal fans and the Arsenal faithful could see that they had another potentially great player in their ranks. With the departure of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal’s midfield has been stripped of their best player and one of their best midfielders. While Wenger has expressed his desire to strengthen his midfield, signing Gervinho potentially means that Nasri’s replacement is already in the side.
In his first competitive match for the Gunners he was involved in a scuffle with Newcastle’s seasonal villain, Joey Barton. As a result of this he was sent off and was handed a three match suspension. This means that he missed the clash against Liverpool at the Emirates and will miss the crunch tie against Manchester United and the match against Swansea.
But it was against Udinese that he demonstrated his value to the squad as he put in two solid performances. Against Newcastle he got into several good positions, but whether it was due to nerves or some other reason, his final ball was poor and often wasted great chances with poor decision making.
In the match against Liverpool, it was Arshavin who came in place of Gervinho and the Gunners failed to create much throughout the game. Whether Arsenal’s insipid attacking performance can be pinpointed to Gervinho’s absence is up for debate, there is no doubt that the Gunners sorely missed his exuberance on the pitch and his absence meant that Arsenal’s midfield lacked the bite it would have had, had he not been foolishly sent off.
Against Udinese especially in the second leg he was a total livewire, creating chances and making a complete nuisance of himself as the Gunners won 3-1 on aggregate. In the dying minutes of the first leg he set up Walcott with a great chance and only a superb save from the Udinese keeper could deny Walcott his second of the night.
In my opinion, his performance against Udinese showed why the Gunners will not miss Samir Nasri this season. While Fabregas requires to be replaced, signing Gervinho has ensured that we have a player who can play in the same role albeit in a slightly different way.
He was on fire throughout the match, setting up Walcott in the first half and then van Persie for Arsenal’s equalizer. With the loss of Nasri, the Gunners lost their best dribbler in the team and Gervinho showed that he can fill the void left by Nasri.
Walcott is looking to stake a claim for a central role this season and against Udinese he combined with Gervinho seamlessly as the Englishman showed that when given a free rein he can be devastating. In the two matches, Gervinho and Walcott have played together, they have caused plenty of problems for Udinese with Walcott’s movement combined with Gervinho’s trickery causing a lot of marking problems. The two change their positions seamlessly and Walcott seems to enjoy his new partnership with the ex-Lille man.
A front line of Robin van Persie, Walcott and Gervinho is capable of troubling the best of defenses and new signings can only strengthen this attacking lineup.
It is still early days but despite the short period of time, both these players have showed that they can adjust into the team with ease and considering their performances so far and their styles of play, they should have absolutely no problem in continuing their good form for the rest of the season as the Gunners push hard for silverware.
Arsenal are a team with plenty of French players and Gervinho should have no problem at the club. This combined with his obvious quality and prior experience especially when it comes to winning trophies means that he will prove to be a major player this season for the North London side.
Arsenal are known to always give youth a chance and with the left back position still not sorted out, mainly due to Gibbs’ injury prone nature, Jenkinson will get far more playing time than initially suspected and we must credit him for the vast improvement he has shown since coming to the team.
Samir Nasri recently characterized the lack of commitment and passion highlighted by some of the players when he left the Gunners for Manchester City. But these two players have talked about their passion of playing for Arsenal and this passion will prove to be vital as the season progresses. A dedicated player who wants to play for the club is always a prized asset like Jack Wilshere. Jenkinson is an Arsenal fan who grew up idolizing Tony Adams, the greatest defender Arsenal have ever seen and quite possibly the best we may ever see. Even Gervinho revealed how it was his dream to move to Arsenal and this passion will translate into dedicated performances on the pitch.
Wenger has promised signings, preferably three and if these signings do happen it will only complement an already good squad that is well and truly capable of challenging Manchester City, United and Chelsea for the league.
With Wenger yet to make the signings, the fans were hoping so earnestly this summer, credit has not been given to these two players who are already showing their quality as their talents have been sidetracked by the barrage of criticism that has come Arsenal’s way and especially Wenger.
I have no doubt that the Gunners have made two shrewd and superb transfers by signing these players and they will undoubtedly reap the rewards this season and in the future.
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