There’s been a lot of talk about Arsenal needing to change their transfer policy if they are to stand a hope in hell of competing at the top level.
Arsene Wenger has stuck by his youth policy for long enough, but in a world where the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea can snap up just about any player they please and not face any consequences, this method of attack is bearing precious little fruit.
You get the feeling that Arsene has realized that. That’s why he went out and bought Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla last summer. Robin Van Persie’s acrimonious exit seemed to trigger a realization in Arsene Wenger. He now knows that he has to buy fully-developed players, because in his market, any of his players, no matter what the age, could get snapped up at any point? So what’s the point in dealing in players who aren’t the complete package?
Which brings me to this transfer rumour, courtesy of the Mirror: they claim that Arsenal have made Frank Lampard into a ‘sensational transfer target’. There’s a reason why they’ve picked out that particular adjective. Frank Lampard is 34-years-old, extremely loyal to Chelsea and he’s not quite the player he used to be.
It strikes me that if this transfer were to go through, it would be a step in the wrong direction.
Arsenal is in crisis mode at the moment. 5 wins in 15 Premier League games is a sign of team in desperate need of a re-build. There’s a distinct lack of spark in this midfield, a lack of a focal point upfront and a soft-centre in the middle of the defence.
With all these frailties, what would be the point in buying a player who only has one-or-two more good seasons in him? Frank Lampard is hovering dangerously close to irrelevancy and unless Arsenal want to follow him off the edge, they should stick well clear.
Yes, Lampard only has one year left on his Chelsea contract and yes, his age means that the Blues wont be able to sell him for too extortionate a price, but this is one bargain that Wenger needs to steer clear of.
Indeed, there’s a middle-ground between youth and experience: players in the peak of their career, between 25-28 years-old. That’s who Arsenal need to go for, not dinosaurs like Frank Lampard.
What’s your take? Would Frank Lampard be a smart addition for Arsenal?
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Typically Wenger is too late. Should have bought him in 2001 for 10 million. Not bad for a player who has returned an average of 13 goals a season for a solid decade. And the only midfielder to have scored 150 + goals in the Premiership. His only chance would have been if he’d been called France L’Ampard!