Wally with a Brolly

With the season already a few months old, it is time to review the transfer policies of all Premiership clubs. We will grade each team according to their signings, with profiles on each player. Here is a recap of Arsenal's summer.


Arsenal fans have undoubtedly been some of the most patient in the Premiership in the last few years. The "In Arsène we trust" mantra is one which isn't taken lightly at the Emirates, and with good reason. However, this summer was already edgier than previous ones. After five years without trophies and Arsène continuing to put his faith in youngsters, even relatively poor ones (hello Denilson, Vela, Djourou, Traoré, etc), the Frenchman had to send a strong signal to his fans that he was still intent on winning trophies and not just playing it safe.

Without surprise all his signings were French-speaking, a realistic yet slightly depressing feature of Arsène's time at the club. Two central defenders, one from a Spanish club outside the top 2 and the other from a mid-table Ligue 1 team, were soon joined by a not-very-prolific striker from a Bordeaux side which had gone on an incredible downward spiral at the end of the 2009/2010 season. What's more two of them had basically been free transfers and the unknown Koscielny seemed overpriced. Not the stuff of dreams! However, as we will see and have seen so far, we have to give Arsène and his scouts credit.






Signings:
Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla)

Experienced cover

Signed from Sevilla towards the end of the transfer window, Squillaci is a former French international with a decent European pedigree, having competed in the Champions' League with all his former clubs, even reaching the final with that improbable As Monaco side in 2003/2004. A strong no-nonsense central defender, he will probably be used as third-choice behind the younger partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen. A safety blanket for a young back-line. His first few months have been relatively difficult, with problems adjusting to the physicality and pace of the Prem, and this was evident in the game against Chelsea when he let Anelka run through only for the mercurial Frenchman to miss an absolute sitter. Relatively cheap at around £3m Squillaci seems to us to be a safe investment in a position in which Arsenal needed cover.






Laurent Koscielny (Lorient)

Quick learner

A completely unknown player, even (relatively) in his native France, Laurent Koscielny has had an atypical career path before culminating in a move to the Emirates. After starting out at Ligue 2 (French Championship) side Guingamp, he then joined newly-promoted Ligue 2 side Tours FC. Showing utter class as a ball-playing and safe central defender, Koscielny then joined mid-table Ligue 1 team Lorient after having been voted in the Ligue 2 team of the year for 2008-2009 season. In his new team renowned for playing positive and slick football under the helm of Yoann Gourcuff's dad Christian, Koscielny adapted quickly to the pace of the highest echelon of French football, proving to be one of the best central defenders in the league. Recommended by Gilles Grimandi, Arsenal's scout for France, he was quickly snapped up by Arsenal in the summer. His performances have been nothing short of surprisingly good for a young player with only one season of top flight football behind him. Assured, strong in the air and deceptively quick, he looks the perfect complement to Thomas Vermaelen. He even scored a goal against Bolton and should have had another against Chelsea. In our views, one of the finds of the season so far.




Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux)

Giving Arsenal another dimension

"I enjoy the aerial battles". After hearing this quote from Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal's new signing, it felt as if Arsène had made the wrong move. After all, when do Arsenal ever play the ball in the air? But Chamakh has shown he is not only a great header of the ball, settling in perfectly despite having no time to adapt due to injuries to RVP and Nicklas Bendtner and the continuous incompetence of Carlos Vela to lead the line despite flashes of brilliance. Despite not being particularly prolific, Marouane enjoys nothing more than participating in creating goals, whether he be the finisher or not. An unselfish striker, but not to the point of being Emile Heskey-unselfish/bad (as in not shooting when clean through and open goal!), Chamakh has already scored a few goals and given defenders nightmares by his constant physical battles. Probably the best free transfer in the Prem in the last few years, if he keeps his form going.




Grade: A. Arsenal, as usual, haven't spent much, with these three signings amounting to about £12m. But it has definitely been shrewd. A safe, experienced cover at CB and two starters (RVP has work on his hands!), both relatively young and in constant progress. Probably Arsenal's best summer of the last few years. But, despite Alex Song's encouraging performances, where is the much-needed defensive-minded holding midfielder that the Gunners have been searching for ever since Gilberto Silva's departure?