Premiership Betting Preview - Arsenal
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Gunners Face Up to Future Without Henry
Arsene Wenger is acknowledged to be one of the shrewdest judges of the transfer market. As Arsenal coach he has made a success of spotting, signing and nurturing young prospects, as well as knowing when to cash-in on senior players just before they reach their sell-by-dates. He now faces one of the biggest challenges of his managerial career with the departure of Arsenal captain, Thierry Henry. The importance to the club of Henry as player, personality and professional cannot be overstated. Henry is an example one of an ever rarer breed – a proven Premiership scorer. Prior to last season’s injury marred campaign, the Frenchman recorded five successive 20-plus tallies, earning the top-scorer award on four occasions, two of which coincided with title winning seasons. The impact on the club has led PinnacleSports.com to post them as fourth favourites in their Premiership betting market at 12.02.
Speculation suggests that Henry’s departure is linked to the boardroom turmoil which saw vice-chairman, David Dein, exit in April after 24 years at the club. Henry is advised by Darren Dein, the son of former executive, with whom he has a very close relationship. Dein’s resignation was reportedly due to his preference for approval of a buy-out by an American billionaire, Stan Kroenke, who currently holds a 12% stake, which is opposed by the rest of the Arsenal board. How much of this friction will trickle down to the pitch is hard to gauge, but the consequences of Henry’s departure could be significant fuelling the war of attrition between Kroenke and the Arsenal board, which is unlikely to be settled in the short term, and likely to fester fthroughout the coming season.
Though Gunners’ fans will be understandably gloomy facing a new season without their talisman, Wenger has ensured that they have a young talented squad that should keep the Gunners among the Premiership’s elite for many seasons to come. The Arsenal Babes progressed to the final of the Carling Cup including a 6-3 win at Anfield, but fans of the North London club doubt whether they are capable of mounting a serious Premiership challenge, and are clambering for some big name signings.
The Gunners were generally weak on the road last term, perhaps missing the experience of wise heads such as Viera, Campbell and Lauren, so with the additional absence of Thierry Henry, Wenger must reinvest the £16million transfer fee wisely. A couple of recognised international signings are anticipated, but the club operates a strict wage policy which can be a stumbling block to players already earning huge sums. Wenger’s only major purchase to date is Eduardo da Silva from Dinamo Zagreb for £7.5million. Da Silva is Brazilian by birth, but took Croatian nationality in 2002, scoring seven times in 12 appearances for his adopted country. Wenger certainly sees him as the ‘fox in the box’ he has searched so long to find, but not a direct replacement for Henry.
The Gunners have also signed promising Polish goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, who is seen as a long term replacement for Jens Lehmann. Several important items on the Arsenal manager’s shopping list remain, including a left winger, after the departure of Freddie Ljunberg.
At least the Gunners and their fans have now had a full season to get accustomed to their new stadium. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings Arsenal suffered just one defeat at the Emirates Stadium last season in all competitions. If Wenger can add some experienced signings to his talented young squad, and cure their away day blues, Arsenal could become credible title challengers at 12.02 with PinnacleSports.com.
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