A Paris

It's a broiling 32 degrees C in Paris today, something like 90 fahrenheit. It's far too hot for me, and I'm hoping it will scale back to something like seasonal norm tomorrow (mid-20s C). Let the rain come down! (As I write, a huge rumble of thunder.)
Meanwhile, the Arsenal have begun their pre-season, with a shaky 2-1 at Barnet, a 10-2 'romp' against an Austrian regional select X1, and yesterday a very nice 3-1 come-from-behind win in Stuttgart. The best things to have come out of the matches so far has been the form of the young strikers Bendtner and Vela, and the impression that the three midfield 16/17 year old tyros Ramsey, Coquelin and Wilshere have made.
Now, a lot has been made over the summer about Arsene's lack of transfer activity, and the sale of David Bentley from Blackburn to Spurs puts this summer's transfer dealings well into the black. In have come Ramsey, Nasri and Bischoff; Vela has come back from loans in Spain; and Coquelin will no doubt be in the Carling squad. Arsenal have lost Flamini, Gilberto, and Hleb. Adebayor is still here and I do not expect a deal for him to be done by August 31; he was, in any case, comprehensively outshined by Bendtner last night.
Arsene has apparently said, after the Stuttgart game, that the team are one player short. Much is written in the blogosphere about the need for a defensive midfielder but I would be very surprised for Arsene to sign one. I think he has Diaby and Song earmarked to play there this year, depending on form and situation. It's time Diaby was given a run in central midfield, so we can see what he can do there; although Arsene has given him playing time on the left side of midfield, he is not, as some write, an 'attacking midfielder' (like Nasri or Rosicky). He's a dynamic centre midfielder, but whether he has the discipline to play alongside Cesc in a midfield 4 is to be proved. He might be another Vieira (in type, anyway), or he might not. If he's unable to develop I would think that the position will be given to the much-improved Song, who might provide more defensive cover. (Unlike Diaby, Song tackles well; I remember one of his earliest games against Rotherham in the Carling, and though he wasn't that great I was impressed with his ball-winning - he tackled very cleanly.)
In fact, I would not be surprised if the Arsenal did not sign another player this summer.
If one does arrive, I would expect the player to cost around £5 million, be European (probably French), aged 23 or so, who might be vaguely familiar but will not be 'star'. My preference would be for a left-sided defender with at least 100 first team games under his belt, tall, who can play CB or cover Clichy at LB.
Of course, I started this blog airing my frustration at the seeming impasse that Arsenal had arrived at. But now I feel differently. I don't care if Arsenal win anything this year. I think they will, actually, but the letting-go of Gilberto and Lehmann and the signing of more 'kids' says that something very unusual is under way at Arsenal. Arsene is French, of course, and the French love their grands projets; this team is his. We now have the best under-23 team in the world, and some of the 16 and 17 year olds behind them are marvellous. I can understand why Arsene does not want to sign a 27-year-old and 'block' the development of these special players. I now believe they will achieve something spectacular, and soon. Not today, maybe, but also maybe not tomorrow. Some time this evening, perhaps. I'm looking forward to this season with a sense of detachment, but also excitement.

10 Things for frustrated blogonauts to remember

1. Arsenal are not a 'big club' in the way that Real Madrid or even Manchester United are. They do not pay very large transfer fees for established stars and rarely have. (The stars of the 1980s team were over the hill, for instance). There are no £25million Ferdinands or Rooneys in the Arsenal squad. If Adebayor is sold for £30million, do not expect the club to spend a similar amount on a replacement.
2. Do not judge players before you have seen them play. On the comments of one blog I saw yesterday someone call Amaury Bischoff 'rubbish'. How does he know? Because Bischoff's a reserve at Werder Bremen? I expect the same person wailed at the departure of Flamini, who was plucked, unheralded, from Marseille. Forget the 'who he?' reaction with Arsene signings. Think Clichy, Flamini, Vieira.
3. Arsenal conduct all transfer dealings in secret. This is frustrating for the fans, but almost certainly hardly any of those players 'linked' with Arsenal will arrive. Remember when Sol Campbell was revealed as an Arsenal player in 2001? Who expected that?
4. Arsenal finished four points behind United last season.
5. We are not the only club to be preyed upon this season. Rivals may lose Cristiano Ronaldo, Lampard, Drogba etc.
6. In a tightening financial climate, Arsenal's sensible financial policies will not see the future of the club put in jeopardy. There will be no Leeds scenario here - unless an Usmanov manages to get hold of the club. Then will be the time to really worry.
7. Think beyond the end of a goldfish's concentration span (the typical neural interval of the 24-hour, 'news'-junkied, febrile blogonaut. And don't worry, I keep checking NewsNow myself.) The transfer window doesn't close until midnight on August 31.
8. Count your lucky stars. (Fabregas, Clichy, Sagna, Toure, Walcott, etc etc). Imagine what the blogosphere would have made of near-relegation in 1975 and 1976 (finishing 16th and 17th), the over-the-hill gang of 1985/6, or flirting with relegation again in 1995. Arsene has constructed the most successful period in Arsenal history since the 1930s. Even if it is coming to an end, we've been lucky. Think what Arsenal fans suffered in the 1950s and 1960s (one championship in 20 years), or between 1971 and 1989 (one FA Cup and one League Cup win).
9. As I said at the beginning, Arsenal are not a 'big club' like Manchester United (or even Liverpool in the 1970s and 80s), in terms of a period of sustained domination of the league, in terms of European success, or in being the team that players wanted to play for above all others. We might have turned it around had we won the league in 2003, thereby winning three in a row; but we didn't.
10. By a remarkable succession of conjuring tricks, Arsene has kept Arsenal in the top three or four (mainly top two) for the entirety of his time as manager, with a budget that cannot be compared to United or Chelsea or the European giants in Spain and Italy. We've had one of the greatest ever club managers running our club since 1996, and he has transformed Arsenal from top to bottom. If and when he goes, there's an excellent youth system in place, a new stadium that will generate competitive revenues, and he has changed what Arsenal means to football fans around the world. No more 'boring, boring Arsenal'; we're now the champions of pure football. In 1995, who would have thought it?

I began blogging by working through my frustrations, but they are as nothing compared to the fans who have only really known Arsene as manager. Like frustrated teens (as some may well be), they long for the father-figure to be deposed. Have a care. Before Arsene came Rioch; GG; Don Howe; and Terry Neill. Be careful what you wish for.