The Premiership is only over a week away and here is my predictions for the 20 teams to take part in the 2013/14 season.
Arsenal
In
Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre) Free
Out
Andrey Arshavin (Zenit St Petersberg) Free
Francis Coquelin (Freiburg) Loan
Denilson (Sao Paulo) Free
Johan Djourou (Hamburg) Loan
Craig Eastmond (Colchester United) Free
Kyle Ebecilio (Twente) Free
Vito Mannone (Sunderland) Undisclosed
Sebastien Squillaci Released
Sanchez Watt (Colchester United) Free
Jordan Wynter (Bristol City) Free
Jernade Meade (Swansea City) Free
Andre Santos (Flamengo) Undisclosed
Gervinho (Roma)
Positives: A lot of the fringe players are now gone and has released money for players who will demand bigger wage bills.
Jack Wilshere has had a full pre season for the first time since 2010 and this season is a key one for him as not only an important one for the club but also a World Cup for his country as well at the end of it. His fitness is a major issue for Arsenal if they are going to get back to the silverware hunt this season.
No one that you can say will be a first team regular has left the club this summer yet and no signs that anyone will be leaving either which at least has created a bit of stability in the first team.
Negatives: Wegner contract situation. After the transfer deadline closes on the 2nd of September thoughts will be immediately turn to the managers contract situation after it closes and there is no guarantee this time that the longest serving manager in the English Leagues is going to renew it this time. If there is a statement of intent as to what he is going to do early on in the season then at least everyone can get on with it but if he does not, it could create uncertainty within the playing staff and they might not perform to their best of their abilities.
The Suarez saga and the lack of transfer activity overall. Arsenal's Chief Executive Ivan Gatzidis just after the season end last season declared that Arsenal are now in a position to spend on big name players this summer to finally challenge the big guns this summer for the best talent and to challenge for major trophies once again. Nothing has happened since which has sent all Arsenal supporters supposedly into a state of panic and considering Arsenal's track record in previous seasons that has justified the panic in many ways. With the Higuain transfer falling through the cracks it looks as though Arsenal have put all the eggs in one basket to get Luis Suarez over to the Emirates. That has it's own baggage as Suarez has proven many times in his career already he has shown thuggish and also very selfish behavior as well and I am not sure if this is the type of player Arsenal should go for. If he is to come he will improve the squad tremendously without a doubt but can he be trusted to behave throughout a season I am not so sure about that. We will see how this story develops as the next month rolls on.
Arsenal also badly need a defender as Johan Djourou has gone and Thomas Vermalen is injured until at least April which means Arsenal will be only starting with two centre backs. Ashley Williams has been muted but nothing concrete has been stamped on that story. If Arsenal are to progress and close the sixteen point gap that there was last season then they need to spend the money thiat is available to them but they way they have gone about it makes me wonder if they will spend any of it at all.
Prediction:4th
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