No time for holiday

We woke up to news last Monday that Arsène Wenger had cut short his holiday wherever he was to "mastermind an overhaul of his squad".

Days later, confirmation of a clear-out of a few youngsters, the tying up of a few other youngsters, and the acquisition of Carl Jenkinson from Charlton - another youngster - is what we have so far, who we welcome to the Club of course (despite my rant coming up).

Now I know the summer is young and so forth, but forgive me, these are not the sort of moves to reassure us that we are on the right track to change and glory. Especially when you consider that big clubs have already partaken in big business this week, with more yet to come from Manchester United and Liverpool, not to mention the other vultures waiting to pounce. Wenger needs to act and act fast in order to demonstrate that he is serious about change and serious about addressing the gaping holes of his squad.

It is amazing how a team like United: champions, European finalists and ridden in debt, have only gone out and splashed near £20 million on Blackburn's Phil Jones (who in turn allegedly gave Wenger the old thanks but no thanks), with the likes of Ashley Young apparently Old Trafford-bound in the very near future.

More worryingly, you have Liverpool, craving a return to the big time, with yet another top English talent in Jordan Henderson in the bag, a spree that is set to continue to realise that goal.

Now where are we from all of this? Just where do we stand? Yes, all such players are overpriced. But they all are or will be top players. Premier League players, and money talks and money helps you achieve success. So if Wenger thought he could have pinched Jones for a cut price £10 million, then he must think again. Think again, before other gettable, crucial targets slip through the radar and before we end up with a Koscielny or Squillaci equivalent from Ligue 2!

Such dross should and will not be tolerated any longer; of that there is no doubt.

Of course, Wenger may well have more worries sorting the outs as well as the ins this summer. Not just when it comes to the classified rubbish festering in the squad and living off the Club's hard-to-come-by riches for years, but worryingly, potential exits for both, Cesc Fàbregas, and Samir Nasri, the latter seemingly open to a move to United.

Worrying? Yes. Surprising? Not really.

For years and years the Club and management have shown a steadfast desire not to move with the times, promising availability of funds (lies), and promising to sufficiently strengthen when we finally had started to generate some funds. Again, lies.

Cesc's run back to mama is only a matter of when and not if, although that may apparently come next year now Barcelona have revealed cash sufficient only to fund for the Captain's earlobes.

But can you really be surprised when you have a soon out-of-contract Samir Nasri, a versatile 23 year-old footballer with pace and technique to burn and with his best years ahead of him, so keen to hang on in there at a Club going nowhere, and which prioritises handing out lucrative contract extensions to plebs a la Eboue and Rosicky, whilst Fergie is already busy rebuilding yet another great United dynasty? I am not saying he is definitely off and to them lot, and I am definitely not claiming to be happy with his apparent desires, but this is all simply the pile-up of cumulative mess that Wenger et al have led us (and clearly his disillusioned star players) towards.

My personal hunch is that we will not lose both aforementioned stars this summer together, but, after all, losing just one will be enough to mark the very signal that Wenger and his youth development policy, his "building from within", have well and truly failed.

Just what happens next is unknown but core to the very future of this Club, with Wenger and, dare I say, beyond.

All I can say is I bloody well hope that, with all due respect, and as talented as he may well turn out to be, Carl Jenkinson will not be the best of things this summer, and one well and truly wishes that we had (even have) more figures with the same quality, passion and zeal for the Arsenal as one Robin van Persie.

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