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But before we begin looking at our signings, let's look at who we let go over the summer, and see if they would've helped us to silverware. There was first Flamini, who had left us even before the end of last season. Would he have helped? Absolutely; and I think that letting him go must be one of Arsene Wenger's biggest regrets. He and Fabregas had what Arsene described as the best central midfield partnership in all his time at Arsenal. The two worked perfectly together, and we looked unstoppable when both were in form. We missed the Frenchman this season.
Next was Gilberto Silva. As much as I liked the guy, I don't think this loss was terrible for us. I'll admit, when Flamini officially left us I was hopeful that Gilberto would be able to step back into his old first-choice role and play great once again, so when he decided to leave I was terribly disappointed. But in hindsight, I see now that he had lost much of his old magic; not just because he wasn't first-choice anymore, but also because of his natural ageing. Ultimately I don't believe he would've helped us too much this season, and we gooners may well have been calling for his departure by the end of the season. At least this way he parted on a positive note, and can be remembered fondly.
Alex Hleb was the final major departure of the summer, and to me the least missed one. We immediately bought his replacement in Samir Nasri, and Hleb went on to have a terrible season with Barcelona, so bad he didn't even make the bench for the Champions League final. Hleb's trickery and excellent vision were surely missed, but ultimately he was adequately replaced, and I don't believe his staying around would've really done anything to help us this past season.
So that wraps up the departures; how about new signings? There was first of all Aaron Ramsey. I believe the jury's still out on our young Welsh midfielder. He's still only 18, and though he isn't progressing as fast as Cesc did, how can we expect him to? Fabregas was a one-off, a player who peaked very early in his career, and could still go onto becoming one of the best ever. Ramsey on the other hand shows great promise, but will, I believe, develop on a more normal growth-curve. We'll start to see the best of him in two or three years, and when we do, it could be great. He is quite possibly the long-term replacement for our Fab 4.Bischoff was also signed, but I think we can safely say he too is one for the future. He played one first-team game in the Premiership this season, and didn't look bad, but also didn't look spectacular. He certainly didn't influence this season, but may in the future; only time will tell. However, our next major signing did influence our season, and he did so quite dramatically
Samir Nasri was for me our first "big" signing in years. Many gooners had never heard of him, but seeing as I had, I viewed this as a big a coup as was signing Arshavin in January. I had seen Nasri play in France before, and was blown away by his skills and potential. They called him the "next Zidane" and I could actually see it. Of course, being the sensation that he was, I assumed a club like Man Utd or Barcelona would come in and snatch him up before we could even dream of getting him. So imagine my delight when I heard we were on track to sign the Frenchman. Needless to say I was excited at the prospect.
And he has done wonders for us this season. Scoring on his debut, with the first goal of the Premiership season made him an instant favourite, and when that was followed by his continued excellent performances, the two goals against Man Utd in November, and his later revealed ability to run the show like Cesc, he was perhaps one of our most influential signings. He did have a bit of a burn out by the end of the year, but I think his first season can be looked at as nothing but a success.
Silvestre on the other hand was a complete failure by comparison. I understand why Arsene Wenger brought him in, and I agreed with his reasoning, especially considering the man cost less than a million quid; but he ultimately failed to deliver. I can see why Man U were willing to sell him, as he was hardly a spectacular signing. For the future, I'd love to see him stick around, but only as a second- or third-choice defender.
Arshavin doesn't even need elaboration by me. He was simply fantastic, and his both his four goals against Liverpool and that goal against Blackburn will love long in all Gooners' memories. He proved, I believe, once and for all that big signings can and do work; and if we make another one like Arshavin, we may be top dogs in the Premiership once again.
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Who then were our flops this season. I already mentioned Silvestre, so I won't go into more detail there, but I think we can agree he was one. The next was Abou Diaby. Yes, he had a good game or two (the one in Turkey comes to mind), and was not terrible, but ultimately we could've done without him this season. He was too indecisive on the ball, had a bad first touch more often than not, and never fulfilled his potential to be the next Patrick Viera. I had high hopes for him this season, and he failed to meet every expectation of mine. In my eyes, a flop.
Next was Nicklas Bendtner. No, contrary to most fans I don't hate the guy or wish him to be sold. I've seen great potential from him this season and at times he's been really good. So he should be kept here to develop, as I don't believe he will peak for another three or four years, but this season he did not peak, and was not one of our better players. If one match summed up his season it was the 4-0 win over Blackburn. He showed great potential and ability by putting himself into countless one-on-one situations and other opportunities to score, but he failed to put any away. This was Bendtner's season: great potential, and one to keep for future seasons, but ultimately a failure to deliver this season.
One could say that Toure and Eboue had less-than stellar seasons, and an argument could be made for Adebayor as a flop as well, but when compared to the three players above, I believe they did alright. But next season we'll need to see an improvement from all of the flops and almost-flops if we are to seriously compete for honours.
Look for the next part of our season review tomorrow, and remember to check out the main Season Review article to see what else is coming up this week. Till next time,
Fab 4
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