Will Arsenal end their barren run of no silverware?

Arsene Wenger is regarded by many as one of the greatest footballing tacticians. It was under his management when we saw the "Invincibles" Arsenal era, a time during the years of 2003-05 when the London club were almost unbeatable, and a team which boasted a high winning percentage that saw them win a range of silverware, including the Barclays Premier League. However, things have moved on and now, Arsenal find themselves trophyless since 2005.

Wenger has since been heavily criticised for his 'youth' policy, which has seen him field sides the average age of 25 and under. Moreover, when given the money in the transfer market, the Frenchman has spent most of it on very young 'promising' players. They are then nurtured through the academy, and brought through to the first team. There is no doubting Wenger's ability to turn promising players to a world-class standard, with youngsters such as Carlos Vela already been seen as hot prospects. Many former Arsenal players and pundits have given their backing to Wenger; no surprise really, since he took over an average Arsenal side in 1996 and turned them into one of European's top clubs, with 3 Premiership and 4 FA Cup titles between the years 1997-05, including achieving two domestic doubles, in 1998 and 2002.

However, two pieces of business in 2008 brought a lot of criticism from many fans and media alike.

It was when he sold two of arguably the best players in the team - Mathieu Flamini to Italian giants AC Milan and Alexander Hleb to Spanish and European Champions Barcelona. In the case of Hleb, there was nothing much Arsene could do; the winger desired a change and made no secret of his love for Barca in the media. And, in hindsight, it was actually not that bad a deal, with Hleb being nothing more than a bench-warmer at the moment for the Catalans. However, every Arsenal fan knows they lost a massive player in Flamini, a man who played a holding midfield role which gave the likes of Cesc Fabregas the freedom to roam the pitch and help out the strikers.

It is a position that Arsenal lack real quality in, with the likes of Denilson and Diaby not proving to be Top-Four standard. This role is a necessity for any top side - Liverpool have Javier Mascherano (at the moment), Chelsea have Michael Essien and Barcelona have Yaya Toure. The lack of a decent defensive-midfielder hurt Arsenal last season, in which they conceded over 35 goals. There was no surprise then, when they were linked heavily with Barca's Toure, the brother of Gunners centre-half Kolo. However, it seemed Wenger was put off by the £25m price tag and the Spanish giants tied Yaya down to a new contract, thus eliminating any new rumours about a move to the London outfit.

This is a position which I believe Arsene should invest in - heavily if he must - because it is the only place on the footballing pitch where they lack quality. If a suitable player is bought, I really believe Arsenal will get some silverware next season. It might not be the Premier League, it might be the Champions League; a competition that especially hurts you when you have little defensive qualities. Even a FA Cup or Carling Cup will just take the pressure off Wenger, who has a crucial season managerial-wise ahead of him.

Arsene need not invest in many other players; they already have a decent keeper in Manuel Almunia, two quality full-backs in Sagna and Clichy, and a strike-force that boasts the likes of Robin van Persie, Eduardo (if he stays fit), Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner and the like. I think Wenger should just spend about half of the money gained from the Adebayor sale in another striker, with Bordeaux's Marauone Chamakh being linked.

Overall, in summary, I believe Arsenal will end their barren run, but only if they buy a quality holding midfielder and maybe another striker if Adebayor leaves. Felipe Melo seemed very close to a move but that deal was scuppered as another club captured him. It is clear Arsenal have the capabilities to be a title-winning team; last season, for example, saw them reach the Champions League semi-finals and the London club also went on a 20-match unbeaten streak in the League. If they buy what is required I am sure we will see atleast one piece of silverware in Arsenal's cabinet come May 2010.

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