Underprepared Arsenal Pay the Price for Poor Transfer Window Against Liverpool

The season has begun—and Arsenal are not ready. That much became clear across a painful 90 minutes as the Gunners succumbed to a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool. 

It could have been even worse: At one stage, Jurgen Klopp’s men led 4-1. Goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers reduced the deficit, but they could not save the mood at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal’s season is off to a very disappointing start.

Any excitement about the start of the new campaign evaporated as Arsenal’s weakness was exposed by a Liverpool side brimming with confidence. The Gunners supporters must have looked on at the opposition with envy—energised by a raft of new signings and a manager bringing a fresh approach. 

An awkward start is becoming a horribly familiar theme for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger’s men have won on the opening day just once in the last seven years. They now face an uphill struggle to build some momentum, and all because they didn’t get enough business done this summer.

It’s strange that a manager who insists that he would prefer the transfer window to close before the big kick-off does not ensure he secures his targets in time for the first fixture. Speaking in August 2015, Wenger told the Mirror’s Tom Hopkinson: “Does it bother me the window is still open? Yes, because it creates uncertainties. At the start of the season everybody should be committed, not half in, half out.” 

Wenger is right. However, he has allowed those uncertainties to persist at Arsenal. Former Gunners great Thierry Henry sounds exasperated at the lack of transfer activity. He told SkySports (h/t ESPN):

The thing I don’t understand is: we’ve been told that Arsenal are wealthy, that we have money, that we can compete against anyone in the market, but when the season starts, we can’t compete in the market. So which one is it? I just don’t understand. 

Are Arsenal still the first choice in England? If a big player becomes available on the market, first of all, can you compete? Can you put the money on the table? Next, is the money stupid? We all know the money is stupid but you have to pay.

And finally does the player want to come to Arsenal? That’s something we all need to take into consideration. So are we …

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