Departure of Arsenal trio does not dent Gunners' Champions League qualification chances.

The sale of Gaël Clichy to Manchester City for a fee of £7m has been the first departure for Arsenal so far in this summer transfer window, and it looks inevitable that two more will be walking out the door and to pastures new. The saga involving Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona, the club whose academy he was brought through before being signed by Arsenal, may finally reach a conclusion before the start of the 11/12 season, with the Catalan club ready to pay a £35m fee. 


Samir Nasri on the other hand has a number of clubs aiming to acquire his services. It has long been believed that Manchester United were the front runners for his signature, with a bid of £20m having been put forward. However, Arsenal denied this and claimed there hadn't been any offers, and now Sir Alex believes Nasri has already agreed a deal with someone else, that someone likely being their city rivals, Manchester City.


A lot has been made of the departure of the trio, "the demise of Arsenal", "the final nail in the coffin for Arsene Wenger" and a lot of questioning as to whether Arsenal will manage to finish in the top four come the end of the 2011/12 season and qualify for the Champions League. However, in my eyes these claims have been mightily exaggerated.

Andrey Arshavin is one of a number of players Wenger is able to call on

At Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has a plethora of talent to call upon, both in the first team squad, but also through the incredible academy system in place at the club, which has developed over the past decade some of the finest hand-picked young talent from across Europe. In the top four, perhaps Manchester United are the only other club to be lucky enough to have such an academy at their disposal.


In terms of the first-team, there are a number of ready made replacements for Clichy, Nasri and Fabregas who will fit in right away. Kieran Gibbs has often been blooded at left-back when Clichy has been out with injury and must surely be in line to be the club's first choice left-back, which will also please England fans wanting to see young English players given more top tier experience.


The potential problem of losing both Fabregas and Nasri can simply be solved by one player; Andrey Arshavin. The Russian, signed from Zenit Saint Petersburg in January 2009, has shown glimpses of class over the past three season, a particular highlight being scoring all four goals  at Anfield in a 4-4 thriller against Liverpool. Many have bemoaned his lack of consistency, even more so last season when his performances weren't up to his high standards and even brought about a potential sale. However, in my opinion, this is very harsh considering large parts of the season he found himself often named as a substitute behind the two now likely to depart. Now, Arshavin has the chance to claim the attacking midfield position as his own, but he must step up to the plate.


A further problem solved is that often when Fabregas and Nasri were both in the first eleven, Nasri was pushed out to the left wing in order to accommodate for the Spaniard, and thus Nasri's talents were somewhat wasted. The arrival of Gervinho from Lille is the perfect antidote to the two leaving, while Arshavin takes the centre-attacking midfield position, Gervinho can be fielded on the wing either side of van Persie up front, a position he was utilised in for the French Ligue 1 winning side.

Gervinho could prove to be a very astute signing

I certainly don't think Arsenal are in any danger at the moment of finishing outside the top four at the moment, nor do I even see where the threat would be coming from. Despite the money poured into Liverpool's side over the past few weeks, the squad hasn't greatly improved from that of last season, nor has much been added or problems been rectified. They still don't have an out-and-out goalscorer and the defence is certainly remains shaky. Meanwhile, Tottenham are having trouble in keeping hold of their talisman Luka Modric, who has just handed in a transfer request, while Harry Redknapp must reduce the wage bill at the club before he can bring new players in. A striker is still needed at White Hart Lane as well.

While Arsenal supporters may have to settle for a 4th place finish again in the Premier League, what with the spending power of the three clubs in front of them, they shouldn't be as gloomy as the press are making their current plight out to be. Providing there aren't any goalkeeping mishaps this time round, a domestic cup win and a good run in the Champions League isn't out of the question.

Hughes jumping the gun with resignation.

This Tuesday, Mark Hughes announced his resignation as Fulham manager, just over a month away from completing his first year in charge of the West London side. This news came amidst speculation as to who would be appointed the new Aston Villa manager after Gerard Houllier resigned due to concerns with his poor health.

It has since came to be known that Mark Hughes is not on Aston Villa's shortlist to be approached regarding their vacant managerial position, and contractually with Fulham, Hughes, his agent, and other clubs, must wait until the end of the month before holding negotiations with one another. So this begs the questions, what was the reasoning behind Hughes' resignation, and where does his future lie?

Hughes' agent, Kia Joorabchian, has had plenty to say on his client's future

Hughes' actions are already cast into doubt what with his choice of agent, the perhaps "shady" Kia Joorabchian. Of course, Joorabchian is well-known for his part to play in the Carlos Tevez saga, whereby a player in the Premier League was not allowed to be owned by a third party company. Joorabchian being Hughes' choice of agent means many are dubious about his actions and where his future lies.

Both Hughes and Joorabchian have said the Welshman is an ambitious man who wants to be managing a top-four club, but realistically, which of these clubs would take him? The obvious answer is Chelsea, who are looking for a manager after parting company with Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season. However, it's safe to say if Gus Hiddink is released from his job as Turkey manager, it's a certainty he will appointed their new manager. He's already opened the door recently to returning back to the club he managed for 5 months in 2009, leading them to FA Cup success, a Champions League semi-final and a third placed finish in the Premier League.

The only other possible option is Manchester United, but like the Prince of Charles waiting for the Queen to pop her clogs, Hughes may be waiting a while before Ferguson steps away from the job which he has very much made his own. Even then, Hughes would have to contend with the likes of Mourinho, Moyes etc. who have been touted around over the past few years, and his previous experience with a top four club doesn't speak volumes.

What disappoints me most about Hughes' resignation is the potential prospects that could've been lying in wait for Fulham under his tenure. The squad at his disposal already has a strong spine from back to front; Schwarzer in goal, Hangeland commanding the defence, captain and playmaker Murphy in midfield and Zamora upfront. These players are complemented by the likes of Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey for example. Added to this, Hughes has a fantastic knowledge and a talent for scouting players across Europe, as shown with both Blackburn Rovers and Fulham, both where he's had to operate with a limited transfer budget. Signings such as Moussa Dembélé and Carlos Salcido from the lesser European league of Holland were shrewd signings, both who have been screaming out for Premier League clubs to sign them for some time. This is a club that two seasons ago reached the Europa League final and has finished in or around the top half since the 2008-09 season, surely with Hughes' transfer record and managerial abilities, he could've taken them even further?

The latest news from the Hughes camp and his agent is that he's prepared to wait up to a year to find the right job. All that can be said is that perhaps he's missed a trick and a great opportunity with Fulham thanks to his resignation. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, Mr. Hughes...