Forty-million pounds is what Arsenal Football Club bid for Wilfried Zaha, the much-desired mercurial winger from fellow London club Crystal Palace. The proposal, however, wasn’t even considered, owing to the fact that Palace value him at more than double that figure. Reportedly, and somewhat understandably, the club were “incensed” at the lowball offer from north of the river.

This failed transfer bid epitomises Arsenal at the moment and does not bode well for the start of their next campaign. So far this transfer window they have signed only one player, 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli from Brazilian side Ituano, for a fee totalling just £6m. It’s safe to say that Unai Emery isn’t exactly setting any new records this summer…

© Chris Brunskill/Fantasista

Looking at Arsenal’s Premier League rivals only exposes the gulf that currently exists between them and the rest of the leading pack: Manchester United have just bought Aaron Wan-Bissaka, also from Crystal Palace, for a cool £50m, making the 21-year-old the second most expensive English player of all time; Tottenham Hotspur have signed talented French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele for just over £50m; even Chelsea, currently under a transfer ban but able to offer permanent contracts to those on loan and thus already registered, secured a £40m deal with Real Madrid for Mateo Kovačić.

The Zaha bid, therefore, underlines the fact that Arsenal are not being backed financially in the same way as other top flight English clubs. The owner, Stan Kroenke, draws a comparison to Newcastle United’s maligned owner, Mike Ashley (something no one should want), in that the club is one part of a larger business empire. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment is a holding company that includes ownership of American football franchise the Los Angeles Rams, NBA team Denver Nuggets, MLS side Colorado Rapids and numerous other US-based outfits. At a time when the transfer market in Europe, and even more so in England, has experienced a massive wave of inflation, Arsenal seem to be operating five years in the past, unable to come to terms with the fact that in order to secure the signature of a specific transfer target it requires spending above and beyond. Liverpool’s £75m they spent on Virgil van Dijk appeared eye-watering at first, now, though, it looks like a bargain.

© IAN KINGTON

Arsenal’s enquiry into Zaha brings back painful memories of when Arsène Wenger strategically bid £40m plus £1 to trigger Luis Suarez’s release clause when he was still at Liverpool back in 2013. That, too, failed and a year later he left for Barcelona, who paid £75m. Arsenal’s most recent bid also completely ignored the wider state of affairs. Having just sold Wan-Bissaka, a player with a significantly smaller profile that Zaha, for a greater fee, Crystal Palace will be far less willing to depart with their star man. Whether Arsenal increase their bid is anyone’s guess, but the idea that it will eventually reach the requested £80m mark seems, at the moment at least, a pipe dream. Instead, Zaha is increasingly likely to join an illustrious list of names who almost joined the North London club.

All this overlooks the fact that Arsenal have areas other than their attack that they desperately need to strengthen. Their defensive line-up for next season includes three senior players all over 30 – Nacho Monreal, Sokratis, Laurent Koscielny – and walking calamity Shkodran Mustafi, who, according to BBC reporter David Ornstein, Arsenal have tried to sell “pretty much every window since they signed him”. Beyond this, unproven academy players make up the bench in what is a squad bereft of any real depth.

In the Premier League last year, Arsenal scored 73 goals, more than both Tottenham (67) and Chelsea (63), who finished above them. At the other end, however, they conceded 51 goals, three more than 13th placed Newcastle. Ask any Arsenal fan, young or old, and they will tell you that the club have needed to properly invest in their defence for years. The fact that this area is being ignored yet again is mind-boggling for the supporters, especially when both Manchester clubs are focusing so much time and money into this position.

© Alex Livesey

Arsenal may even need to turn their attention further down the table, rather than looking above. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Leicester City are all in the process of strengthening their squads before the first match kick-off next month and each side will be looking to break into the top six.

Unlike last year, when the first few months of the season were filled with fresh excitement and optimism as Emery took over the mantle at the Emirates, this season fans will arrive at Arsenal’s home games with little to look forward to. Another year of clocking up the air miles in the Europa League awaits and even the club’s star striker, Alexandre Lacazette, has spoken in no uncertain terms when it comes to next year’s expectations: talking to FourFourTwo he said, “We will start to think about winning the biggest titles in a few seasons, but first we need to make sure we are in the Champions League consistently again.” The idea of a title run, something Arsenal fans the world over long for, is out of the question before the first ball has even been kicked.

If the gunners are to enter the new season without any more new arrivals and get off to a poor start in the league, as is often the case, then it won’t take long for Arsenal’s fans to be ones who are feeling incensed. And, perhaps more so than any other club in the land, those voices will be heard loud and clear. I, for one, will be tuning into AFTV very soon indeed.

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