Here are my views on the situation of our current Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Seaman is a good Goalkeeper and I am happy with him in Goals, but he is getting quite old and Manninger will soon be called upon.
I think that both Seaman and Manninger are reliable, although both are a bit dodgy coming for crosses. Taylor is very highly rated and I think that in a few years
he will become the top class keeper that we are looking for. We are sorted when it comes to keepers, as we have three great keepers with a good mixture of youth and experience.
We have plenty of cover if anyone gets injured.
Central Defenders:
In Central Defence the first choice partnership is Adams and Keown at the moment, with Upson, Stepanovs, Weston and even Grimandi or Vivas
ready to step in when they are injured. Adams and Keown are obviously top quality, but not for much longer. I think that Upson is likely to be the perfect replacement for one of them,
but he will need a partner. I don't think Stepanovs will be this, but he will always be good cover. Maybe Weston will be good enough in a few years but I think it is likely that
Arsenal need a World Class young Central Defender. Personally I think Woodgate would fit the bill nicely, or perhaps Titus Bramble.
Right Backs:
At the moment we have Luzhny as a solid first choice Right Back and Dixon providing strong cover. We will need to bring in a young Right Back
soon though, as Luzhny and Dixon are both getting quite old. Moritz Volz may become a top quality Right Back in the future, but he will not be ready by the time Luzhny needs replacing.
Left Backs:
Arsenal are sorted for left backs, with Silvinho and Cole both being World Class and young.
Central Midfielders:
I think that at the moment Arsenal need to find a young partner for Vieira, who can tackle strongly, and play good through balls, as Petit used to do.
This partner needs to have the right attitude though, unlike Petit. At the moment Grimandi is partnering Vieira, and we have Vernazza, Parlour and Ljungberg providing cover.
Noble and Demel are both very highly rated, and one of them might make a perfect partner for Vieira in the future, but we need someone now. Edu will hopefully be this partner if he arrives,
although I doubt that he will be good enough defensively. Davids would be perfect, but that just ain't gonna happen. Knowing Wenger, Edu will be perfect.
Right Midfielders:
Arsenal are sorted for Right sided Midfielders, with Lauren and Parlour both young and both very good players. Pennant is extremely highly rated and will hopefully
be making his way into the first team in the near future.
Left Midfielders:
Arsenal are fine for Left sided Midfielders at the moment, with Pires getting better all the time and Ljungberg providing very strong cover.
Pires is fairly young but when he does need replacing I don't think that Ljungberg will be good enough to get a permanent place in the first team place. Maybe by then we will have a good youth
player coming through, or maybe we could bring in a promising young player to eventually replace Pires. There is certainly no rush.
Strikers:
Arsenal are sorted for strikers, with Henry and Bergkamp complimenting each other perfectly as our first choice pairing at the moment, and Wiltord and Kanu as
World class cover. Henry is young, and when Bergkamp needs replacing Kanu should be good enough. If not then it wont be long until Barrett or Aliadiere will be ready for the first team.
Overall:
Overall I think that Arsenal are good enough to compete with the best sides all around the World. We are very strong in all areas, we have a good youth system, good training
facilities, and we are building a new 60,000 seater stadium to bring in more money. We have the best manager in the World.
The team is very strong with good goalkeepers, a strong and reliable defence that is also potent when going forward with the likes of Cole, Silvinho and Luzhny.
Our midfield is strong with Vieira winning every battle he faces in the centre, Pires and Lauren running past defenders and putting in good crosses and passing creatively. Up front we are brilliant,
with the electric pace and incisive finishing of Henry, partnered with the technical brilliance and creativity of Bergkamp. Kanu and Wiltord are both World class strikers too and can step in at any time.
I think that if we could just bring a few more players in, there would be no stopping the Mighty Arsenal. We need a Central Defender, Right Back, and a partner for Vieira in Central Midfield.