Arsenal rumors abound!!!!

Oh my, Pat Vieira coming back to northern London??? Really? As every article mentions, and I will as well, the last time Pat kicked a ball wearing the #4 for Arsenal coincided with the last time Arsenal won silverware - the 2005 FA Cup finals, literally the last kick of the game when Vieira struck the winning PK against Manchester United.



What struck me from watching the video was the number of seasoned players Wenger had at the time on the squad - Ljunberg, Vieira, Pires, Edu, Lauren....granted not all of them needed to stay, but wonder if Arsenal would have fared better had Wenger kept some of his 30+ players.

I digress, back to Vieira, on the surface I like the idea. I am a huge Pat Vieira fan. He was at the core of the success of those Arsenal teams in the 90s. He was a "box to box" midfielder a player that could win the ball on his end with a hard tackle and then carry it into the other side of the pitch with ease. He would even chip in a number of goals on his own. More importantly he was the steel of the Arsenal teams, all one has to do is look back to his encounters with the other hard man of the EPL during those days - Manchester United's Roy Keane. However the Vieira of today is pales in comparison to that combative Gunner. Age and the rigorous of his position have taken a toll on him. So what would he bring were he to return? Clearly he is no longer the galloping force he once was, and he really needs to be managed in order for him not to break down. Could he play a similar role Makelele did during the last few seasons for Chelsea - playing in the big games, being rested as much as possible? To me that is the best for Vieira. Wenger would have to manage his appearances very cautiously, and really look to Vieira to be a manager on the training ground to be a leader in all facets of the game for his young Gunners. If Vieira is expected back in Arsenal to once again control and dominate the middle of the park, I fear that we will all be disappointed. If Wenger looks to Pat to play 50% to 70% of Arsenal's games and use his experience with the team in the dressing room and training pitch, then it might work.

On another note, interesting that the rumors around Wenger signing De Rossi. While the Italian has pledged his future to AS Roma, sometimes those are the signal that the player is on his way out. Glad to see Wenger read one of my earlier posts about players he needed to sign! I hope that Wenger is serious in the pursuit of the Italian. I also think that should not preclude him from pursuing St Etienne's Matuidi nor Vieira. De Rossi could be used higher up the pitch, shouldering Cesc, allowing a rotation of Vieira, Matuidi and Denilson in front of the back 4. When Arsenal want to milk away a lead or play more defensive, De Rossi could slot back and becoming a second holding midfielder. With a De Rossi and Vieira on your side, you do not have to concern yourself with where does the "toughness" come for your team...again maybe too much to hope for, but one can always dream!

Question is....if Vieira comes back to Arsenal will Cesc give him back the #4 kit???

Congrats to Manchester United...and now on to the business of transfers

Ok, I need to grudgingly congratulate SAF and Manchester United for winning the clubs 18th league title and matching Liverpool's record. Manchester United was the best club this season in England...sigh. Ok enough with that, now on to what Arsenal need to do if they hope to contend for any silverware next season.

Arsenal needs, as I have stated for so long, to add some steel and some veteran leadership to the squad. They have an abundance of young talent but need some veterans to add to this roster. A great blog entry from Martin encapsulates this - http://arsenal.theoffside.com/team-news/lightweight-soft-and-fundamentally-flawed.html - While I do not entirely agree with his assessment of Diaby, I agree with his points concerning Gilberto. So let us look forward to this summer's transfer window and for a moment suspend reality and make some suggestions for Wenger.

• De Rossi - The AS Roma midfielder is right in the prime of his career. He is a tough tackler, has great vision, is a fierce competitor, and has matured as a leader on the pitch. He is a vital cog to the Italian national team. He has a bit of a temper, any fan of the US national team will remember his little flare up during the Italy - US game in the last World Cup. However this would not be unwelcome on the pitch for Arsenal. Wenger's men could use a little nastiness on the pitch. De Rossi would fill the role vacated by Vieira - a tough tackling midfielder with an ability to push up the pitch. He would be a good partner to Cesc being able to take on more of the dirty work in the midfield. While this might be a long shot, since he is a native of Roma and has worked his way up the ranks at Roma, he maybe interested in taking on new challenges, and what better venue than northern London.
• Mexes - Speaking of Roma, the best defender in Serie A would look quite good anchoring the back four at the Emirates. While Mexes struggles to find first team football with his national side.....which I think is more due to the person running the team than the player, he is clearly a star for club. Wenger had been rumored to be interested while Mexes was playing for Auxerre so he is a known entity for the professor. With the rife rumors that Gallas is on his way out, why not replace him with another French central defender.
• Trezeguet - Ok I am sticking with Italy and French national players. But Trez has fallen out of favor at the Old Lady. Granted he is coming off injury so his season has not been a normal one. With the rumors of Adebayour leaving Arsenal, adding another talented striker might be just what Arsenal need. Trezeguet would fit in well with the Gunners. He is a great target man up front, can score in the air, does not need a lot of space, and is a true "fox in the box." With the likes of Walcott and Archavin on the wings, the field would open up for Trezegol to find his way to the net. I think that based on where he stands at Juventus he and the club might be very open to selling the player and the change of scenery as well as being reunited with his former AS Monaco manager may do David a world of good.
• Villa - Villa is a world class talent. While his compatriot, Torres, gets a lot of the press, it is the emergence of Villa that has made the Spanish national team such a machine and a huge favorite for next year's World Cup (sorry Jose I do not mean to jinx them). Villa would look great for the Gunners. You could rotate him with Walcott and Archavin on the wings, play him up top with Trezeguet (again I said suspend reality) or have he and Van Persie play the tandem striker roles, or you could even play him alone up top with an offensive midfield of Archavin, Walcott, and Cesc. De Rossi and Denilson as the deep lying midfielders. Valencia are in huge financial difficulty, so he may be had for far less than in a normal season. Villa has been rumored to want to head to England, maybe North London would be a good place for him to stop. Hey maybe we can also get Joaquin and Silva from Valencia, to add some depth to the roster!
• Benzema - Ok like I mentioned earlier, please suspend reality. The young Lyon striker had a bit of a drop off in his game this season. Lyon appears to have lost its grip on the French league title and the young #10 has struggled to dominate the scoring sheet and has become a bench player for Les Bleus. While he is said to not want to leave the gastronomic capital of France the year of the world cup, playing for Wenger might make him change his mind. As Manchester United demonstrated, you can never have enough talented strikers if you hope to earn silverware in England. I think that Wenger would be able to find room on his team if he had Trezeguet, Villa, Benzema, Van Persie and Eduardo to choose from. Similar to Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, and Berbatov....ok granted more strikers but again let us suspend reality. And maybe with this much talent Wenger will take the Carling Cup more seriously so Arsenal can at least try to win that trophy!
• Toure - Not the one Arsenal already have, but his talented brother who does the dirty work in the midfield for Barcelona. This rumor has been around for ages, and Wenger has been rumored to always have had an eye for the player, but imagine a midfield with him and De Rossi in it....talk about adding some steel to your team.

Ok I realize I put out there some big names, some of which are firmly entrenched in their existing squad, all of which would cost Arsenal some cash with Wenger claims he has none of again. However, this no silverware, not really contending for a title is getting a little old. I agree that Wenger has, as usual, amassed some amazing young talent, however titles are won with a combination of youth, talent and veteran leadership. Arsenal have an abundance of the first 2 but are severely lacking in the 3rd category. Adding any combination of the mentioned players would bolster that.