Arsenal legend Ray Parlour thinks that the Gunners’ desperation to sign players is pricing them out of the market but he is adamant that Arsene Wenger must strengthen his squad if another trophy-less season is to be avoided at the Emirates.
Having seen Arsenal slip to a humbling 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, Parlour was particularly concerned by the lack of depth in Wenger’s squad and even jokingly suggested that he could be in line for a recall.
“The squad is so thin that I could probably get a game sooner or later,” the 40 year old said.
“They have got to do the deals quicker,” he added, referring to Wenger’s difficulty in attracting big names to Arsenal over the summer.
Saturday’s game has left something of a defensive crisis for Arsenal, who now have only Per Mertesacker fit and available to play as a recognised centre back in the Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce on Wednesday, highlighting just how thin Wenger’s squad is this season.
The Champions League odds still have them as marginal favourites, but progression is far from a foregone conclusion, with the fear of failure hanging menacingly over the depleted squad.
Parlour feels that clubs and agents are making light of Arsenal’s desperation to strengthen their squad and unreasonably inflating transfer fees.
“I reckon every player Arsene Wenger phones up is £5million more, because they know they are under pressure from supporters to buy players,” the former midfielder added.
Wenger has left it so late to strengthen his squad that it seems inevitable that clubs will demand inflated prices for their players if he moves in now.
Unfortunately for him, the Gunners start to the season has left him with little choice but to invest in proven, big name players and without splashing the cash it is difficult to see success returning to the Emirates any time soon.
If the Gunners aren’t able to strengthen before the end of the transfer window then it could be a long, hard season for Wenger and his men.