Wenger’s buying blitz: Good bad or silly Arsenal

Arsene Wenger is not known for dramatic swings – either in mood or in strategy. However, the amount of flack he faced over this season over his decision not to buy players early on has perhaps left him with no choice other than to go to the other extreme. His panic buying in terms of Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker has yet to prove worthy. Then there is Gervinho who has still to come in to his own. In fact the Arsenal renaissance was led by precisely the players he believed were enough for the Gunners at the time – Walcott, Van Persie, Song and Koscielny. Which is why a few eyebrows will be raised about the amount of transfer activity coming out of the Emirates so early on. There will be Cologne striker Lukas Podolski for £11million in the next 48 hours. Also £10m on Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen, £6m on Montpellier forward Olivier Giroud and up to £17m on Rennes playmaker Yann M'Vila. However, the one that has seem to have gotten away is German wonderkid Mario Gotze, who has reportedly penned a new contract at Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old midfielder was said to have been a key target of Arsenal. The Gunners, along with Real Madrid and Manchester United wanted the young talent.