Despite not being an Arsenal fan myself I am an avid Premier League enthusiast and therefore have taken an interest in the latest changing of events happening at Arsenal Football Club. A large turn around in playing and coaching staff shows not only a shift in where club sees itself but also how we see it.
The latest departure of Alex Song is arguably a bigger loss than Robin Van Persie in terms of personel with Arsene Wenger probably feeling quite pleased with himself that he had prepared so well for RVP's sale by recruiting three new attacking options in Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla but Song's move to Barcelona at a steal £15 million seems somewhat out of the blue. As a side note, Barcelona's purchase of Song seems slightly strange in a midfield that footballing stars like Sneijder, Schweinsteiger and even Javier Mascherano(who's been forced to change to centre half) would struggle to push for a place and yet Song seems content to sacrifice first team football to battle with Sergio Busquets for that CDM position. But despite whatever Song's reasons it has left Wenger without a key player in his team and has now opened up the debate that labels Arsenal FC as a 'selling club'.
The notion of a 'selling club' is an interesting one and seems to be always used as a criticism and not a compliment. Recently Celtic manager Neil Lennon admitted that Celtic were indeed a 'selling club' by explaining that grooming young players only to sell them on at profit was in the best interest of the club. However, with Celtic destined to be dominant now until whenever Rangers return are their fans bothered as long as they succeed domestically? Ajax, one of the most famous of European clubs and famed for its Academy that has produced such greats as Johan Cruyff, Clarence Seedorf and Dennis Bergkamp, is resigned to losing its prodigies to the more powerful clubs in Europe. Ajax during the 80s and early 90s were one of the powerhouses of Europe and yet the huge amount of money that now supports the German, Italian, Spanish and English leagues seems to have passed the Dutch league by and its inability to hold on to its best players has meant the quality has dropped. Without this being a rant about the shift in power in European football Celtic and Ajax are not the only past giants of the game to become almost completely forgotten by todays football fans such as Steaua Bucharest and Red Star Belgrade, both previous European Cup winners. Yet as more money was made available through the new and improved 'Champions League' it started to gravitate towards the big four leagues. These clubs. once feared and successful on a European stage, are now thought as easy passes through the qualifying stages of the Europa League.
So does this apply to Arsenal? Since the sale of Patrick Vieira in 2005 Arsenal have accumulated nearly £175 million in big money moves including Henry, Toure, Adebayor, Fabregas, Nasri and most recently Van Persie and Song. Money that has gone into the club and despite fans suggesting it hasn't been truly reinvested in the squad until now, Wenger has kept his team consistently in the top four and the Champions League. Wenger's ability to keep a conveyor belt of young talent has to be admired but criticism is that these players won't stay if tempted by bigger clubs. Arsenal have been unlucky that their sublime way of playing football is only bettered by that of Barcelona and therefore have recently picked up the likes of Hleb, Henry and Fabregas with them ready moulded in the Barcelona style but even if Arsenal won both the league and the Champions League this year I would argue that you would still struggle to keep players away from the lure of the Catalan club. With regards to players Arsenal have brought in over the years Andry Arsharvin is a huge example of a big player choosing to play at Arsenal after wowing Europe in 2008 and he chose Arsenal over potentially 'bigger' club's offers. Santi Carzola should also be viewed as a major coup for the Gunners. Easily the best player in La Liga outside Real Madrid and Barcelona it's a wonder why Man Utd, Man City or Chelsea were not interested when the Spain international was allowed to leave for a bargain £16 million. The Van Persie move looks like a Board decision more than a Wenger one. With a year left to run it is widely thought that RVP is not the type of player to 'pull a Tevez' and therefore would have probably run his contract out but the Board saw the opportunity to cash in.
To many this seems an obvious choice but by watching Arsenal in their first games it is clear that the void left by RVP is a big one but if Arsenal had held on to him one more season it could have been one last real chance at some trophies or the league with a front line of Podolski, Van Persie and Carzola possibly the most exciting looking attack in the league. Song on the other hand was worth cashing in for. A player who only really found his feet last season and who's own opinion of himself is nearly as high as Nicholas Bendtner's, players of Song's ilk come and go, and with the likes of Yann M'Vila on the radar, can be easily replaced but Van Persie was a one of a kind player and as his goal against Fulham showed his imagination and technique is irreplaceable.
Once again Arsenal fans will be feeling a sense of Deja Vu with what they have seen so far but the label of a 'selling club' seems a little harsh. Arsenal are by no means regarded as a small club and will still attract players around the globe but then again buying superstars has never been Wenger's way but by the looking at the players he has brought in gambling on the sale of RVP could well mean another trophy-less season for the Gunners.
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