We’ve dithered and haggled and seen others step up and pay the extra money that we’ve refused to contemplate. Take Stefan Jovetic, another Arsenal target this summer.
We refused to meet Fiorentina’s asking price and walked away from what appeared to be our number one target this summer.
Now comes word that Manchester City are on the verge of buying Jovetic, as they are willing to pay that extra money to seal the deal.
I understand Wenger’s wish to be prudent with Arsenal’s money, but it’s possible that giving up so soon on Higuain because Real Madrid raised the value of him could cost us the chance of getting anyone this summer.
Pursuing Luis Suarez is a dangerous business. We’re not used to spending this kind of money and competing with the big boys like Real Madrid.
Suarez has his issues and he has his preferences. He has stated in the past that he would like to play with Real Madrid, so if they make an offer that matches Arsenal’s, who will he pick?
Wayne Rooney is simply too expensive. We cannot afford his wages, especially a player who may be on the decline and a player prone to extorting more cash from his team.
Which leaves us with whom? Christian Benteke, Spurs top target, but only one season under his belt.
Alvaro Negredo of Sevilla? Even Manchester City have given up on buying him this past week. Not only that, but we’ve never rated him particularly that high.
The only player lurking out there who could still make the move is Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund. If we’re willing to spend £40 million on Suarez, then we can perhaps get Lewandowski.
However, our inability to make quick decisive moves in the transfer market is a major problem.
Look at how quickly Real Madrid signed up Isco. Too often we haggle and dither and alert others as to who we’re looking at. If we had been quicker and willing to spend we would have Juan Mata on our team.
But there is a world class player on our squad, one whom Wenger will announce as good as going out and getting the best on the market. That, of course, is Niklas Bendtner, arguably the finest footballer in Europe right now.
Arsenal face the same problems when it comes to buying a holding midfielder and a centre back, our two most pressing problems on the team right now.
If we continue to wait too long, everyone good will have gone, and we’ll just have the scraps to choose from.
That’s how we purchased Squillaci a few years ago, one of the few remaining players on the market that we bought at the ninth hour. Let that be a lesson, Arsene!