Wenger's secret steps for succesful signings

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger is undoubtedly one of the best talent spotters in football.

During his tenure as manager in London, the Frenchman has signed relative unknowns such Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires, assembling the first unbeaten team in the top tier of English football since Preston North End in 1889.

Since then the Arsenal coach has continued to buy fabulous talents at low prices. Robin van Persie cost Arsenal around £3. Gael Clichy was signed for £250,000. Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal's linchpin in midfield, came the Gunners for free from Barcelona at the tender age of 16.

Arsenal also has some bright talents on the verge of breaking into the first team squad. Mathieu Flamini, who has recently been chosen ahead of Gilberto Silva as Arsenal's defensive midfielder came for free, as did Nicklas Bendtner. In fact, of Arsenal's young stars, only Theo Walcott was expensive, costing Arsene Wenger £5 million which could raise to a a possible £12 million, still a deal for one of the greatest young talents in English football.

Along with all of the big names, youth and reserve squad players such as Fran Merida, Henri Lansbury, and Kieran Gibbs are all expected to do great things at Arsenal, and Lukasz Fabianski is looked at as one of the brightest goalkeeping talents in history.

So how does Wenger do it?

Does he just have a keen eye for talent? His history most assuredly proves this to be true.

But there must be something more. That something is the Arsenal scouting program.

In recent days Alex Ferguson has admitted that he had never even heard of Cesc Fabregas before the midfield maestro joined the Gunners. By the time he was aware of the talent, Fabregas had already signed for Arsenal, because of Arsenal's scouts.

Around the same time that Ferguson admitted this, Arsenal revealed that they were interested in signing Lionel Messi before he became a star at Barcelona.

Steve Rowley, Arsenal's chief scout, is a relatively unknown name even amongst the Arsenal faithful, but he could be one of the key figures in Arsenal's recent success, so the next time that you see Cesc Fabregas dribble by a defender, the next time you see Robin van Persie hit the back of the net, thank Arsene Wenger, but don't forget to give some love to the men working behind the scenes.

Juventus want Gallas and Gilberto

Juventus director Alessio Secco has added William Gallas to his already long wishlist of London-based players. Juventus were already reportedly interested in Arsenal's out-of-favor defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva, as well as Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard from cross-town rivals, Chelsea.

The Brazilian captain, at 31 and the French defender, at 30, are the two oldest outfield players in Arsene Wenger's squad. Gilberto is also the longest serving player at Arsenal, having joined the club from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro for £4.5 million in 2002.

Gilberto's experience is valuable to a side which features a spine of young players including Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, and Mathieu Flamini - Gilberto's replacement. However, the defensive midfielder will find it difficult to stay at Arsenal if he doesn't reclaim his starting berth soon. While he will want to stay at least long enough to win another Premiership title with Arsenal this year, he may be forced away from the club by up-and-coming playerss like Mathieu Flamini and Summer-signing Lassana Diarra. Unfortunately, I can definitely see this transfer materializing, maybe even as soon as this January.

William Gallas, on the other hand, is Arsenal's first choice partner to Kolo Toure at center-back, and with only Philippe Senderos and a host of midfielders competing for the spot, it doesn't look likely that he will soon lose his spot. However, while the French defender has stated that he is happy at the club, he has also made it clear that he will not stay for another season without silverware. While Arsenal are strong title-contenders (topping the league with a game in hand against our nearest rivals) nothing is certain in football, and I do believe the Frenchman would seek a way out if we fail to win anything this season.

Gallas must also be wondering how long he can last under Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal boss shows a clear affinity for young players, and has an inflexible policy of offering only one-year contracts to players over 30 years old. With legends such as Freddy Ljunbgerg, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires being allowed to leave the Arsenal captain must be afraid that he will be the next to go, despite the fact that he was signed from Chelsea just last season.

I can't see Gallas' transfer happening any time before the Summer at the earliest, and if he is happy at the club, I would be happy to see him stay for a few more seasons (providing he is able to stay fit).

Flamini Is Finally Stepping Up

Arsene Wenger's undeniable genius was enough to earn him a contract extension until the 2010/11 season, and it's not hard to see why the Arsenal board were happy to keep him at the club. Under Wenger's tutelage, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires were all transformed from struggling players into terrifying French wonders.

However, Wenger doesn't do everything right, and many Arsenal fans thought that Mathieu Flamini was one of his few mistakes. When Arsenal signed the 20 year-old midfielder from Marseille, he had only featured in 14 games for the team, and while he was unproven, the club had faith in Wenger, and expected great things of his new signings.

Fast forward two years to last season. Flamini was still seeing some time on the field, but many criticized his performances, applauding only his incredible work-rate. Flamini was a good squad player, but no more, and many were disappointed by him.

This season, however, it seems that Flamini is finally stepping up. Maybe it's that he's no longer under the shadow of Henry. Maybe he is trying to prove to the naysayers that Arsenal can indeed challenge for the title. Perhaps he has simply seen that Gilberto's place isn't set in stone.

Whatever the reason, Flamini is finally coming of age, and in recent games he has been chosen over Gilberto to partner Cesc Fabregas in the central midfield. It's not hard to see why, as his work-rate, tough-tackling, and team spirit are all great qualities for a defensive midfielder.

His inclusion has also given him great confidence, and he even tried a few long range shots against Robert Green in last Saturday's game against West Ham.

Mathieu Flamini has been consistently underrated by Arsenal fans, but that was unsurprising seeing as how he hadn't been performing as well as he could have until now. I still expect improvement from his current form, but even the way that he is playing now, I'm starting to think that selling Gilberto may not be a horrible idea.

I look forwards to this lad's next few years at the club.