The first tremor came during the FA Cup Final when a theoretically fit Sol Campbell was left out of the squad for youngster Philippe Senderos. This was quickly followed by the revelation, early in the close season, that Arsenal wasn't sure if it wanted to retain Dennis Bergkamp for the upcoming season. In selling Patrick Vieira to Juve, Arsenal have now taken the same step that their rivals at Old Trafford took when they sold David Beckham. They have identified a player who, while still in possession of a high level of skill, is past his peak and likely to lose transfer value with each passing year. It is a difficult decision - one year too early and you look terrible for misjudging the decline of a great player, one year too late and you can't get much in return.
First, as an Arsenal fan, I'd like to say that the Patrick Vieira era was a stunning success bringing not only honors but some of the most aesthetically pleasing club football that I have had the privilege to see. In an era where Roy Keane was was intimidating the Premiership with skill, physical play and occasionally malice, Vieira was the one central midfielder both willing and able to stand up to the big bully and give his team the will to fight back. If trophies are the measure, then Keane certainly got the better of Vieira over their respective careers but Vieira and all Gunners can take pride in accomplishing a great deal. Throw in Vieira's accomplishments on the international stage, and you could easily make a case for him alongside Keane and Zidane as the most decorated central midfielder of his era.
Now, the big question becomes, where does Arsenal go from here? I appreciate the need to sell off assets while they still have some value but the only way that makes any sense is if there is a replacement ready. In the case of Bergkamp, van Persie is clearly being groomed to replace his countryman and has showed great promise. In the case of Sol Campbell, Senderos has clearly be tabbed as the central defender of the future and maybe the present as well. The succession plan for Vieira is much less clear. There are rumors that Arsenal are still in the transfer market for either Jermaine Jenas of Newcastle or Mahamadou Diarra of Lyon both of whom have the twin virtues of being young and fairly accomplished. Based on the current squad, Gunners everywhere had better hope that one of these rumors goes from speculation to reality soon because the current picture, while not terrible, doesn't give us much hope of catching up with Chelsea.
Silva - he has been an excellent anchor when he's been healthy but his inability to stay healthy last season has to leave fans wondering if it was a one-off injury or the beginning of a trend. Even at his best (and most healthy) he only brings defense and distribution from the back to the wings, he is rarely a force in attack. An excellent partner for Vieira but not really a substitute for him.
Flamini - based on what I've seen of him so far, he is an excellent squad player who, with a couple years of experience, could develop into a regular - if unspectacular - Premiership starter but unless Wenger knows something that we don't (always a possibility) he's not the guy to fill Vieira's shoes on a regular basis.
Cesc - I'm certain that everyone around Highbury sees Cesc as the long term answer as a creative force in the center of the midfield however his performances in the second half of the season and at the U20 tournament in Holland have shown that he's certainly not ready to dominate at the highest level everytime he steps on the pitch. He may just have been in need of a rest after his first full season, but that would leave me with a lot of questions about what might happen if Arsenal are in contention for honors in England and/or Europe at the end of the coming season.
Hleb - no doubt Wenger has scouted Hleb and based on his ability to uncover talent in the past he should be given the benefit of the doubt however expecting him to replace Vieira from day one is, in my mind, overly optimistic.
Edu - if we were going to sell Vieira, why did we let him go? Seems like he would have been excellent cover and a known quantity for the transition.
After seeing rumors that he might be available for the right price, the one possibility that would give me hope is that Arsenal turn some of the money that they've been dangling for Robinho plus the take from the sale of Vieira and purchase Michael Ballack. On top of all of his offensive skills, he brings the type of grit necessary to balance the finesse of Henry, Pires and Reyes. I doubt there's much of a chance of this happening, but it would make the race for honors much more interesting this season if it did.
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