(Now) I Know What You Did (Since) Last Summer, Part II

By: Martin | November 18th, 2009

Part II of our “What did we miss out on?” series continues today:

EDIN DZEKO Arsenal were heavily linked with the 23 year-old Bosnian striker early in the transfer window. He was coming off of a wonderful season in the Bundesliga, in which he led Wolfsburg to a surprise championship and led the league in goals, with a phenomenal 26 strikes in 29 appearances. He was ready for the big time, and many questioned whether Wolfsburg could hold onto him. However, AC Milan was also sniffing, and Dzeko made his feelings pretty plain that he’d rather play for AC than Arsenal. In the end, though, Wolfsburg managed to hang onto him, and he’s started the season with the club again.

While he’s certainly played well, he hasn’t quite matched his amazing nearly 1 goal per game ratio from last season. He’s scored 8 goals in 17 games in all appearances, including a goal at Old Trafford in the Champions League. However, 5 of those goals came in a 4-match stretch from mid- to late September. Outside of that stretch, he’s been distinctly average in his return. He’s really thrived in internationals, though, scoring 9 goals in 8 World Cup qualifying games and almost singlehandedly carried Bosnia-Herzogovina into the two-leg playoff against Portugal for a spot in South Africa.

BREDE HANGELAND The big Norwegian center back scored the winning goal against us last season in his breakthrough campaign, and was widely being hailed as the best defender in the Premiership outside of the Big 4. With Kolo Toure leaving and Arsenal famously vulnerable at the back, especially from set pieces, and Hangeland already in London, he seemed like an ideal fit. And it did seem like there was some interest on the part of Arsenal, but if there was, Wenger was not willing to meet Roy Hodgson’s price for the 28 year-old.

timmyg from the Fulham Offside:

Brede Hangeland was Roy Hodgson’s first signing as Fulham manager. Although the transfer price was undisclosed, no amount of money could match the signing’s effect. It would turn out to be to a harbinger of the quality, successful football to come. You could win any argument with a Fulham fan that Roy built the club around our defense, particularly Hangeland.
Although this season Brede hasn’t appeared to be as astute as last year or the year before that — silly tackles, very out of position in a few games — his pairing with Aaron Hughes remains a huge catalyst toward Fulham’s success. So much so that Fulham are currently tied with Arsenal, City, and Brum for fourth-best defense; and last year actually had the fourth-best defense while maintaining four clean sheets in 8 games against the Big Four.
On set pieces he is probably our greatest threat despite only scoring one league goal (against Arsenal last season) and one in the Europa League against Roma earlier this month.

So yeah, Hangeland has been a huge success at the club and amongst the fans. Don’t know what else to say really.

KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR We were heavily linked with the Dutch fox in the box after he was made surplus when Real Madrid spent all summer blowing through money like Lindsay Lohan in a Tijuana drug store. The former Ajax assassin had actually put in a relatively decent goal-scoring rate at Real, but was going to be moved anyway. Everyone mooted Arsenal as a possible landing spot, as it was speculated he could replace Adebayor. But it seems like it was almost all media speculation, and AC Milan showed interest and ponied up € 15 million for him.

In 8 games this season for the Italian giants, Huntelaar has already scored countless goals. And by countless, I mean less than can be counted. As in 0. The big zippo. And he’s yet to play a full game, either coming on as an impact sub, or, more often, starting and coming before the 60th minute–I’m not sure if this is a reflection of his fitness or his level of play. In AC’s last 9 games, Huntelaar has been an unused substitute. Yeesh.

SALOMON KALOU Granted, this seemed to be a weird one, but Wenger confirmed that he had been interested in Kalou in the past, which renewed speculation that Wenger may dip in for the 24 year-old Chelsea striker.

Our good friend Jack from Chelsea Offside:

To paraphrase a Telegraph piece I read at the end of October: Many Chelsea fans reacted to the new three-year contract Salomon Kalou inked early in the season by asking whether the Ivory Coast striker was able to put pen to paper at the first attempt.

Hilarious. Yet a genuine concern.

This article, of course, was published shortly after Kalou had netted twice against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. This performance, in particular, represented everything Chelsea supporters have come to love — and hate — about Kalou.

He bagged a brace, true. But Kalou also missed at least four fine opportunities and denied Lampard an early goal by loafing into an offside position. All these shambolics arrived before he finally found the back of the net.

So, in short, it’s been business as usual for Kalou this term. He’s scored four times in 13 appearances (8 starts). He’s provided some sharp displays, most quickly forgotten in wake of the horribly-predictable consecutive no-shows that follow.

Whether the man should be sold is up for interpretation. It’s difficult to find a player of his talent/potential willing to work from a reserve role — although Kalou typically responds to starts more so than substitute appearances. Selling to Arsenal would be a negative in any instance; selling outside the Premier League, now that probably wouldn’t hurt at all.

BLAISE MATUIDI This is the hardest one to write. Not because of any emotional attachment or wish that Arsenal had gotten Matuidi, but because St. Etienne Offside’s blogger didn’t respond to my email, and I couldn’t find any player ratings site that did Ligue 1 matches. So I’ll keep it short. The 22 year-old French holding midfielder seemed to meet a need for Arsenal, and was supposedly available at a relatively affordable price. Like Bassong, he, too, came out of the same academy that produced Thierry Henry, William Gallas, and Nicolas Anelka. He represented France at numerous youth levels and has become a mainstay in St. Etienne’s first choice eleven, representing the side in both Ligue 1 and the UEFA Cup.

Beyond that, I can’t tell you much–he’s played 11 matches (all starts) for struggling St. Etienne so far this season, although he had to miss St. Etienne’s 1-0 loss to Lyon on Halloween with an injury which kept him out of the next match as well.

Many thanks to Timmy, who has great taste in music, and the inimitable Jack, who was kind enough to contribute his thoughts on Kalou despite the fact that I lurk on his comments page and trash Chelsea at almost every opportunity. Part III to finish up this series tomorrow, and I’ll give my thoughts about which of these players I wish we had signed, and who we should maybe look at in the January window. Until then–hopefully no one else will get hurt today.