Views. Comment. Opinion. How Arsene Wenger is masterminding a perfect transfer window for Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has taken a different approach this transfer window (Picture: Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger appears to have taken a more ruthless approach to this summer. I’d say this is possibly the most ruthless window of his Arsenal tenure.
Last season had many positives, but it was also littered with many negatives. We didn’t have a squad big enough to compete for the full season. Our injury record was the worst in the league. Tactically we were naive and embarrassingly predictable. We lacked core attributes like power and pace.
Wenger signed on for three more years. The worry was that he’d throw more of the same at the summer. Well, the good news, is that it appears some serious soul searching has taken place as well as perhaps a bit of corporate leaning on his approach to the way the club is run.
The first major move of the summer was to bring in more expertise to the fitness side of the business. Shad Forsythe is a 100 per cent improvement on what we have at the club in Tony Colbert.
He’s young, full of ideas (this is more hopeful than factual) and experience of the modern game and he’ll have practically a zero baseline to work from. Our current fitness approach leaves players broken and fatigued leading to dull lethargic performances.

Colombia’s goalkeeper David Ospina has been linked with a move to Arsenal (Picture: AP)

The second change has been the pace of acquisitions. We’ve only made two, but Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy mark a step change in addressing core issues early. Sanchez gives us the power and pace we lacked up front last year. Debuchy swaps in a like for like signing.
With right-back Javier Manquillo and Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina set to come in and the massive press around our big centre midfield signing, you feel like we’ve learnt the lessons of the past when it comes to recruitment.
The final test will ultimately come when the season starts. Has Wenger accepted that his style of play is too predictable? Will he start using more video analysis, will he take more time to study opposition, will he have the balls to play a system that is more about the win over playing a beautiful game?
That’s the real test because great fit players will only get you so far. At the highest level, it about your approach to planning and how well you can innovate.
This is a big year for Wenger. Has he still got what it takes? Time will tell.