Recently, Arsenal have seen the summer be a time of year when valuable players have decided they want to go to other, more successful clubs. This summer Arsene has been selling those players who, 1, don’t necessarily want to leave and 2, don’t figure into his plans going forward. This is a welcome departure from tallying the losses of valuable first-team regulars. Let me say thanks to Kolo for being a humble and hard-working servant to the club. He signed when nobody believed in him, and he left becasue Arsenal wanted to cash in on him, not because he wanted to leave, despite what you read. Yes he handed in a transfer request last January, but it is known that his relationship with Gallas had mellowed, and he was willing to fight for a spot. But, Toure was slowing down and becoming more and more marginalized by the arrival of Thomas Vermaelen. Adebayor simply didn’t deserve to play for the club anymore. No heart, no team-first attitude, he is a great footballer, but he’s is not a Gunner. To the untrained eye, it seems rather ominous that an already young team has sold one of its most experienced players. But those of you who are scouring the headlines day in and day out, like I’ve been, know that there is something greater going on.

Obviously you’ve heard about the possibility of our skipper coming back. And while he definitely won’t be the Vieira of old, he will be a massive lift for a young club that has craved a vocal, level-headed leader. I feel Cesc will grow as a captain this year, and Patrick can only help him develop. He can teach him, by example, how to be a leader. (Side note: Cesc is already on the right track by meeting up with the squad in Austria, and in-effect cutting his summer vacation a week short. It’s a small gesture, but it tells us a lot about the head he’s got on his shoulders.)

With Vieira arriving, would that be it for our vacant DM spot? Probably, at least until January. Nobody can argue that Wenger has faith in his midfielders, and adding two players for the same position, one that Wenger himself doesn’t even necessarily brand a weakness, would be too out of character.

Vieira is available for free, (really fees would equal close to £750k) but that’s virtually nothing for invaluable winning experience and leadership. So with such a thrifty, clever signing, my first thought is that Wenger has a more expensive buy in mind. This is a trap that Arsenal supporters, myself included, fall into. Thinking that Wenger has a £20m purchase up his sleeve often leaves Gooners feeling silly and slightly embarrassed. However, with all of the money he has generated, combined with the imminent departure of Emmanuel Eboue, Wenger surely has some cash earmarked solely for expenditures. Even he has to reassure fans by action rather than words at some point, doesn’t he?

Of the £50m Arsenal will have generated if Eboue is sold for the £9m Fiorentina are offering, how much will Arsene be allowed to spend? Furthermore, how much will he choose to spend? Personally, I’d love to see Huntelaar and Cattermole. I know Cattermole has been criticized for not being worth the talk, but I genuinely think he will be a force for the next several years. I feel that seeing him at Anfield or Old Trafford, knowing that we were interested, would be just another blow to our already damaged ego. I figure Arsenal could directly take Toure’s £16m and give it to Real for Klaas, then get Cattermole for £9-12m. It could be conceivable that Arsenal sign both with just the money from the Adebayor deal. Putting Kolo’s entire fee into the bank is something Wenger would certainly salivate over.

Assuming we get Vieira though, the Cattermole pursuit ends and Arsenal could then spend the funds on a big, aerially dominant, central defender. Obviously Hangeland jumps to mind, but I feel as though all signs are pointing against any money being spent on a centre back. Wenger has stated outright that we have so many central defenders; he’s trying to play them in midfield. The solution? Sell Senderos, move Song back to midfield and leave Silvestre in the woods somewhere. That gives the Gunners 3 capable centre backs in Gallas, Vermaelen and Djourou. Then there is the potential of buying another one to shore up the back lines. Surely Mr. Wenger, it’s about quality not quantity.

Could this be the day when captain fantastic returns home? What a lift it would be.

Secondly, Wenger has come out and essentially said that the £15m Toure transfer to Manchester City is hours away from completion. The Daily Mail claims that Wenger is going to send that money straight across London to lure Brede Hangeland, the 6 foot 5 Norweigen central defender, away from Fulham. The Cottagers certainly want to hang on to their rock, but Roy Hodgson has a contingency plan should they take the money. The Fulham manager has reportedly inquired about the services of Hull defender, Michael Turner to replace Hangeland.

So in essence, Arsenal lost the last player they had left who was on the invincibles’ side as well as a world class defensive midfielder in the same day. And yet I’m still remarkably upbeat. Oh to be an Arsenal supporter…

Wenger, on the other hand, has come out with his typical “I can spend if I want” statements, and I believe him. But I’m not curious as to whether he can spend the money, I’m just curious as to why he actually thinks the squad is strong enough in central midfield to ignore the £35m he’s generated in the past 5 days.

I just look back to the Champions League semi-final this past spring, to remember just how dominated Arsenal was. While the defense was injury riddled and we were without some key players, you’ll notice our top choice central midfielders were all healthy. Yet United bossed Arsenal from the kickoff through the entire 180 minutes. It could have been a fluke, an aberration, as Arsenal earned 4 points off them in the league, but why take that chance? Melo’s gone, Inler seems destined to end his career with Udinese, and Matuidi just doesn’t excite me. Were Arsenal to snatch Cana or maybe even Yaya (also to be involved in the African Cup of Nations), I’d be fully expectant of silverware this season, but for now, I just don’t know.

Lets do the math, Wenger apparently had £13m to spend at the beginning of the transfer window. Reportedly, Vermaelen came in for £11m, Arsenal sold Adebayor for a cool £25m and if you were to tack Toure on for £10m, that brings us to a warchest of £37m, or £24m to spend while still turning a profit for the summer. Just spend 12-15 of it, please Arsene? Lastly, after watching the first half of the Barnet friendly, I can’t help but think that Gallas and Vermaelen look to be very similar defenders, which, while immensly talented, leads me to believe Vermaelen is better suited to be Gallas’ eventual replacement rather than his partner in the center of defence. Maybe it’ll take Arsene one more year to realize he needs some size in the squad, but until we hear otherwise, he’ll roll the dice for another season. As if to say ‘Lets see what comes out on the other end…’