Chapter 663 125: Another Gamble: Wenger's Three-Year Strategy and Arsenal's Fatal Weakness

For the center-back position, the current targets included Varane from Lens, Hummels and Subotic from Dortmund, and Mertesacker from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

Wenger's top choices were Gary Cahill from Premier League side Bolton and Jagielka from Everton.

The problem was, Premier League players were extremely expensive, often costing upwards of twenty million British Pounds.

Unless they waited to make a move until a player's contract was about to expire.

For midfield reinforcements, the list included Matuidi from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne and Kevin De Bruyne from Belgian club Genk.

Arsenal's goalkeeper position was also a major weakness. Wenger's top choice was Hugo Lloris from Lyon, followed by Thibaut Courtois from Belgian club Genk.

Arsenal had already scouted Courtois multiple times, and the Belgian goalkeeper was now attracting interest from many other clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, as Manchester United searched for a successor to Van der Sar, their top choice was De Gea from Atletico Madrid.

Wenger was fond of recruiting players from Ligue 1. For the right-back position, for instance, there was Olivier from Lens, as well as Lichsteiner from Serie A side Lazio.

Strictly speaking, these were all players who had been the subject of media rumors. Now, Wenger's plan showed that they had indeed been on Arsenal's long-term watchlist.

Wang Shuo gradually began to understand Wenger's intentions.

Since he couldn't hold on to his core players, he wanted to seize this opportunity to bring in Wang Shuo and completely rebuild the Arsenal squad around him.

...

Wenger's three-year plan was divided into two parts.

Beyond team construction and transfers, the second part was entirely dedicated to Wang Shuo.

It was in this section that Wang Shuo saw just how much thought Wenger had put into this.

He and the Arsenal team had gone so far as to analyze every single goal Wang Shuo had scored over the past few years at Mainz and Dortmund.

They had compiled his heat maps, scoring methods, and passing lanes from every match over the past few years, as well as data on his link-up play with various types of midfielders and forwards.

Based on this data, Wenger told Wang Shuo in no uncertain terms that he was not a good fit for Chelsea, nor for the current Manchester City.

Why?

Their tactical styles were all wrong for him!

What about Manchester United, then?

That wasn't quite right either, actually.

Because Manchester United's current midfield wasn't even as good as Dortmund's.

This aligned pretty well with Wang Shuo's own assessment.

Wang Shuo had always felt that if he went to Manchester City, the club would have to make massive changes.

'For example, they'd have to clear out a group of troublemakers in the squad.'

'And Manager Mancini would be a problem, too.'

'But the question is, can a single player really make Manchester City make such concessions?'

'To take it a step further, even if Manchester City were willing, you'd have to give them time.'

'How long would that take?'

'One or two years? Or three or four?'

'There are too many variables involved.'

In terms of one-touch passing and combination play, Arsenal was quite similar to Dortmund.

In the plan, Wenger had sketched out the tactical formation he envisioned.

A 4-3-3.

Wang Shuo, of course, would play as the center forward, granted a great deal of freedom and tactical authority in the final third.

The initial plan for the two wings was Nasri on the left and Walcott on the right.

In other words, a technical player on one side to hold up the ball, and a pacey player on the other.

Wenger believed this was the setup that would allow Wang Shuo to perform at his best.

The midfield could have two different setups.

If Alexandre Song stayed, he would naturally be the holding midfielder, with players like Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, or Diaby ahead of him—or even Arteta, De Bruyne, or Matuidi.

De Bruyne was another player Wenger was targeting, and he had also attracted interest from several Premier League clubs.

Just like the goalkeeper Courtois.

Judging by the plan, Wenger seemed prepared to sign Courtois and De Bruyne at a moment's notice.

If Alexandre Song were to leave, Arteta could play in the holding role, with Matuidi and a playmaker in central midfield.

Although Matuidi was a midfielder known for his defending and work rate, his passing ability was exceptional.

It was rumored that Guardiola had previously almost brought him to Barça.

Alternatively, they could use a 4-2-3-1 formation and play with a double pivot.

"Here at Arsenal, we place great importance on passing and movement. Like Dortmund, we are always looking to advance the ball as soon as we win possession."

"In our regular training sessions, we encourage players to find and exploit the space between the lines and to create more passing options. This allows us to play more exciting, attacking football."

"In that regard, I'm confident you'll have no problem integrating into the team, coming from Dortmund to Arsenal!"

Wenger stopped there, pausing to let Wang Shuo and the others slowly digest his plan and his words.

After finishing the plan, Wang Shuo passed it to Shen Qinghe and Thomas Essien, who were beside him, and furrowed his brow in thought.

Wang Shuo found himself agreeing with what Wenger had said.

Dortmund, in their own match preparations, had specifically organized the team to watch recordings of Arsenal's two-legged Champions League Round of 16 tie against Barça.

"Professor, there's a question on my mind."

"Go on." Wenger looked at Wang Shuo and gestured for him to speak.

"In the first leg of the Champions League tie this season, you came from behind to beat Barça 2-1 at home. You went head-to-head with them in an open, attacking match. But why did you choose to play defensively in the second leg?"

Wang Shuo's question was actually quite pointed.

Especially at this particular moment.

In the first leg, Arsenal had played a thrilling, end-to-end match against Barça at home.

And the Gunners had defeated Barça on their own terms, standing tall.