Can Arsenal gun for the title?

A guest post from Betfair blogger Gareth Freeman on Arsenal's prospects in 2009/10.

After four years without a trophy question marks have been asked of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and his transfer policy. To be honest I actually think they did quite well last season considering their huge list of injuries and getting to the semi-final stage of the Champions League was no disgrace. It is inevitable that some of their better players will attract the interest of other clubs but Wenger needs to hold onto his best players if he is to get Arsenal back to winning ways next season.

In all fairness an Arsenal best eleven looks fairly intimidating. Manuel Almunia in goal, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy in defence, a midfield of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Perie, Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott would cause anyone problems and Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo up front would also be difficult to deal with. However, because of injuries a strong Arsenal line-up was rare last season and this is perhaps why they were so off the pace in the title race.

Without a doubt they need a decent holding midfielder, Abou Diaby looks good at times but he is still improving and probably not quite good enough to be a first team regular just yet. The loss of Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan was massive for the Gunners and they still haven’t found anyone to replace the Frenchman. Rumours have linked Wenger with moves for Sporting Lisbon’s Miguel Veloso and Real Madrid’s Mali international Mahmoud Diarra is also reportedly on the move this summer and could be a good signing, if Wenger will sign a player over the age of 25 of course.

A decent centre-half or two should be among Wenger’s top priorities. William Gallas has never really settled at the club and as good as he is he does tend to lose his head and become a liability at times. Kolo Toure is world-class but he has been linked with a move away from the Emirates and if he does go they will certainly be in trouble. I’ve never really rated Mikel Silvestre personally and he has done nothing to change my opinion since he switched to North London. Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen has moved to Arsenal and he looks a decent player, whether or not he is the solution to their defensive problems remains to be seen though.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Wenger decided to cash in on Adebayor over the summer and pick up another striker. This could be beneficial because his attitude doesn’t seem great from interviews and he is perhaps a little over rated anyway. Eduardo was really starting to impress before that horrific leg-break but it remains to be seen whether he will return as the same player. A Striker with a proven goal scoring ability would be a good addition and if the Gunners can pick up a holding midfielder, a centre-half or two and another striker they’ll be a team to watch and fear again next season.

This is of course also dependant on them keeping hold of the players linked with moves away. Cesc Fabregas is vital to Arsenal in the way that Andres Iniesta is vital for Barcelona and if he leaves it would be catastrophic. Fabregas has been linked with Barca and as exciting as it would be to see Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas line-up together at club level it would be bad for the Premier League as he is without question one of the best midfielders in world football. Van Persie has been linked with a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United and although it wouldn’t be as bigger loss to the Gunners as Fabregas would be it is still important they keep him, despite his injury worries. If Wenger can get the right players in the right areas and hold on to his key men then for me Arsenal will certainly be in with a title shot next season.