by ‘Ifreke Inyang

It was supposed to be the summer of all summers. Sadly, for every Gooner, it’s the same old frustration – this time around, it is in good measure, pressed down, shaking together and running over. Few days after the season ended, chief executive Ivan Gazidis, proudly announced to everyone who had ears, that Arsenal was now a member of the big spenders’ league. Four days into the season, panic is the case.

Only Yaya Sanogo has arrived from Ligue 2 side, Auxerre. After then, the club’s supporters have had to deal with players like Gonzalo Higuain, Stevan Jovetic, amongst others, move to other clubs, after almost signing for them.

Down the Seven Sisters Road, it’s a different story. Tottenham Hotspurs may lose star player Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, but they have done brilliantly well to bring in a clutch of players, from the windfall they will get. Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Chadli have already arrived, but Andre Villas-Boas is eyeing attacking midfielders Willian and Erik Lamela.

For the Gooners, apprehension begins to creep in. Even without Bale, Spurs will have a much better squad that last season, when they marginally missed out on fourth to Arsenal. With Wenger’s thin squad and reluctance to open his purse, you have to wonder which team which have bragging rights in May 2014.

Yesterday, Newcastle turned Arsenal’s 10.2m offer for midfielder Yohan Cabaye. Not only was that bid considered derisory, it smelt of desperation. I’m not sure Cabaye is what Wenger needs. He has too many similar players to the Frenchman. Instead, he should be considering Sevilla’s Kondogbia and Pogba from Juventus, to replicate the Yaya Toure-Fernandinho axis, that ran riot against Newcastle on Monday night.

Yet, you doubt those are the type of deals Wenger wants to close. He is painfully slow with transfers and ends up with more mediocre players. If at the end of this season, he fails to compete at the very top, you just have the feeling he has to go. More and more fans are getting disgruntled. Wenger is seemingly not keen on returning the club back to its glory days.