Honestly, I never thought they would leave it this late. It seemed so obvious earlier in January. Arsenal needed a striker, and the player was clearly not as happy as he had been in the past at his current club. Ok sure, maybe it would have been better for Arsenal to sign him a couple years ago, when he was younger, but an opportunity is an opportunity, and finally it is here! That’s right, this Monger was asking, and thanks to the Mirror…I finally got it: a Karim Benzema to Arsenal rumour!
My transfer window wishes may now be fulfilled, but Arsenal have been diligently working right up until the end of the month, trying to get the deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the line while still quietly searching for defensive depth. There are decisions to be made on young players at the tail end of the squad as Arsene Wenger will look to condense his rotation, leaving only best and most experienced players for the run-up to the end of the season.
Aubameyang Nearly A Gunner
After a week that saw many Arsenal fans grow increasingly nervous that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might not be coming this January, as seemed so likely when the story first broke, it now appears that Arsenal and Dortmund have agreed a fee of ~£55 million (€63m) plus add-ons for the striker. It has been a long, calculated negotiation from both sides, with every detail receiving laborious scrutiny from anxious Gooners desperate to land the rapid goal poacher. Every day saw emotions swing to and fro as one minute Arsenal looked to have gotten their man, and the next it looked like Dortmund would be keeping Aubameyang until the summer. Both clubs have seen the negotiations play put in an atypically public manner, which neither seem to particularly relish.
In the end, the record will probably show that Borussia Dortmund played their hand better. Arsenal were stung by the defection of Alexis Sanchez in a straight swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is no paltry consolation prize, but in the current market, a player of Alexis’ quality fetches a lot more money than that if they have any significant term left on their contract. In Aubameyang, they saw a player clearly of a similar mindset to their own departing star, and probably went too low with their first offer, with reports containing various estimates ranging between £25-40 million. Dortmund might be a very big club by most standards, but sadly have been relegated to frequent sellers in recent years by the economic power of other clubs around Europe. However, they are no pushovers in transfer negotiations with other clubs, almost always getting the price they set. Arsenal learned this the hard way as Dortmund dug their heels in, refusing to cede leverage to the wealthy English club sat across the negotiating table.
Michael Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke made a convincing show of their conviction to not sell Aubameyang if their price was not met, supported by manager Peter Stoeger, by making sure it was heard all the way in the British football press that he had been a positive player that week in training, and he would be in the matchday squad for the weekend to face Freiburg. Their play for leverage was undone by the striker, who strolled through the match with nary a whiff of effort, playing in front of an angry banner unfurled by the ultras that read “No player is bigger than our club”. Yet it was Arsenal who ultimately had to move their offer more to get the deal done, as reports suggest their first offer to be some £20 million below the final figure, while Dortmund only came down £10 million from their reported £65 million asking price. All that remains is for Dortmund to sign a replacement, and Aubameyang is a Gunner.
Arsene and the Rollercoaster of Blame
One of the more humorous aspects of the Aubameyang saga, as it has dragged from days into weeks, has been the perception of some supporters surrounding Arsene Wenger’s role in the process. When the news of the possible deal first broke, it was natural for many to assume that Sven Mislintat must, at least in part, be a factor in Arsenal’s decision to pursue the Gabonese forward. When he was pictured in Dortmund with Huss Fahmy and Ivan Gazidis, this belief was further confirmed. However, over the last week or so, as the negotiations have stretched into the final days of January, some fans all of a sudden “figured out” why. When the deal looked to be proceeding smoothly, many were celebrating the new hirings taking some of Arsene’s responsibilities in the transfer market away to help lighten his load, but this past week has seen a growing number cite the Frenchman as the reason why the deal is being held up.
So the question is this: which is it? The modern fan loves a good story with heroes and villains, and there have been few figures in English football more successfully type-cast in these stories as effectively as Wenger over the years, but if he was not involved in the negotiations from the start, how does it then become his fault if they falter? He likely supplied input on whether or not Aubameyang would fit into the team, but since then, negotiations have been in the hands of the trio of executives pictured in Germany last week. The Frenchman has always been the one to face the media’s tough questions after past transfer failings, but even then it was always a group effort behind the scenes, whether it was with David Dein, Dick Law or others contributing to the process. Arsene Wenger has never been alone in working the market, despite how some might view the situation from afar, and he certainly isn’t now. It looks like the deal will ultimately go through, sending the electric Aubameyang to Arsenal and sparing Wenger an explanation of the failure to land a primary target, but it is possible that another, last minute move could still find Wenger blamed for something this January…
The Last Domino to Fall?
…And that something just might be the sale of full-time beautiful man and part-time Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud to Chelsea. Amidst all of the excitement that the club are bringing in two top-end attacking talents, Giroud has had to sit by as the club will have spent over £100 million on two strikers to theoretically take his place leading the Arsenal line. In a World Cup year, the 31 year old will be desperate not to lose his place in a French team brimmed with talent, especially since this is likely his last opportunity to play in the biggest tournament in world football as he will be 35 in 2022 while France’s embarrassment of young talent will all be hitting their primes. Giroud is desperate for game action to stay fit and keep his stock up before the World Cup this summer, and it no longer looks like Arsenal can provide that this season.
As with any veteran player, there are a few more factors that come into play with their decision, and for Giroud, it is no different. His wife is reportedly very smitten with London, and would be trying to stay in the city should the towering striker move to another club. Unfortunately for Arsenal, that severely limits who they could sell him to, namely leaving West Ham and Chelsea the most likely destinations. Arsene Wenger has a tremendous love for the player, and his desire to see the player be happy could ultimately help allow him to go to Chelsea. The initial reports are that the Blues have tabled a £15 million bid for Giroud, and it has sent fans into a craze over the thought of losing the big man.
Further raising the stakes of the Giroud to Chelsea rumour is its potential relationship to the Aubameyang deal. Dortmund are intent on replacing Aubameyang, and they have keyed in on Chelsea backup Michy Batshuayi as their principal target. However, his departure would leave Chelsea looking for a second striker to back up the currently over-worked Alvaro Morata, and they have clearly been favouring tall, target men type players in their search. That Giroud would be a target, given Chelsea’s search land his declining role at Arsenal, actually makes perfect sense. However, fans remember when Chelsea refused to loan the Gunners Demba Ba when they were desperate for striker help a while back, and they are loathing to help out a rival with such a valuable goal scorer. Antonio Conte is a fantastic tactician, and he would undoubtedly make use of the aerial threat Giroud provides should he switch clubs. If Chelsea have decided that Giroud is the only one they want, and Dortmund have decided the same about Batshuayi, it is possible that Arsenal will have no choice but to honour the strikers wishes to leave by sending him to their rivals.
To be fair, Arsene Wenger almost certainly doesn’t want to send Giroud to Chelsea. He knows the value of Giroud’s unique (in the Arsenal squad, at any rate) skill set late in matches, and he has an obvious affinity for his compatriot. Losing him to Chelsea would be a bitter pill to swallow for many fans, but the upshot is the acquisition of a truly world-class, lightning-fast goal scorer. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the sake of improving long-term, and if the club are left with little choice but to lose Giroud to sign Aubameyang, it very well might just be a bullet worth biting. Even if he does make his move, fans are not likely to forget the joy Giroud brought to some of the biggest moments in the club’s recent past; moments that were met, almost without fail, by a song every fan knows, starting with “Naaaaaa Na Na….”
Last Second Surprises?
Arsenal may have left the consummation of the Aubameyang deal until late, but word out of London is that the Gunners may not be done. Burnley have been reportedly enquiring about Rob Holding on a 6-month loan, which would certainly be an attractive proposition for the club should he get playing time. A talented young defender (though fans often forget both facts when he makes a mistake) with a bright future, Holding would benefit immensely from the opportunity to get consistent game time and work under the tutelage of Sean Dyche, a properly proficient defensive manager. He is still a half-decade away from typical prime age for a defender, but he already has put in some top class performances at the highest level, including a gutsy, shutdown performance against Diego Costa and Chelsea in last season’s FA Cup final. Should the club handle his progression in an intelligent way, he could figure very much into the future of the Arsenal defence, along with Calum Chambers (recipient of fresh contract terms this season, and January arrival Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The name most linked with an Arsenal arrival in the final week of the window, aside from Aubameyang, has been West Brom defender Jonny Evans. The former Manchester United product could be available this month for a cut price due to a clause in his contract that might allow him to leave for next to nothing in the summer should the Baggies get relegated. At the moment, this seems likely (despite the tiny point disparity between the bottom 10 teams in the league), and the 30-year-old Evans would likely not be a part of the long-term solution at the club should they drop to the Championship. Arsenal have reportedly offered West Brom £10 million plus Mathieu Debuchy for his services, a fair deal all things considered, but it remains to be seen if this is a deal that could come together in time for the close of the window. Should he sign, he would likely be a depth piece behind Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, and should Koscielny’s injury woes compound in the near future, Evans could be a short-term bridge between the French defender and the younger talents waiting in the wings. The Baggies could also pursue a loan for Holding as part exchange for Evans as well, should they require a replacement themselves.
Beyond Evans, Arsenal are unlikely to land any other player this month, barring any last-second surprises, but they still might send a few younger players out on loan. With the League Cup almost wrapped up, the capitulation in the FA Cup, and the most important parts of the Euro League and Premier League still to come, Wenger will be looking to rotate fringe players into the team less than the first half of the season. Chuba Akpom could be off to the Netherlands to join STVV on a permanent deal. Players like Reiss Nelson, Holding, Debuchy, and Joe Willock will see their opportunities in the first team limited for the rest of the season. Loan moves could be wise choices for them to continue development. Ben Sheaf has already departed for Stevenage, and more could potentially follow. Many thought that Arsenal could have used defensive help, as well as a defensive midfielder, but Wenger and company clearly felt that replacing the goals and star power of Alexis Sanchez was their top priority this January. On paper, the attack, minus the departures of Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and potentially Akpom and Giroud, did appear the most lacking in depth. Time, and the end of the season, will tell if their January strategy will turn out to be the right one.
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