Arsene Wenger has always maintained his commitment to blooding young talent at Arsenal is non-negotiable, but there are times when even the dearest principles have to be sacrificed.
The Gunners manager was forced to adopt a more pragmatic approach to the transfer market this week with the signing of Mikael Silvestre, in a bid to quell the doubters who claim his squad desperately lacks the experience needed to mount an English Premier League title bid.
The former Manchester United star, 31, is positively old compared with the majority of Wenger’s squad but will be expected to provide the know-how that can be lacking in Arsenal’s emerging starlets.
Silvestre is set to feature in today’s Premier League clash at Fulham, with Kolo Toure likely to be deployed as a makeshift midfielder.
Wenger has been keen to stress that Silvestre’s arrival on a two-year contract does not dilute his determination to maintain the north Londoners’ youthful vigor.
The average age of his starting line-up at Craven Cottage will still be well under 25 and the manager was sufficiently encouraged by his players’ displays in finishing third last season to give them another chance this year.
But allied to that is a realization that, of all the top flight’s big four, his options are the most limited. Wenger had four teenagers on the bench for last weekend’s narrow victory over West Brom and it was notable that as Arsenal labored to add to their early goal at the Emirates, the manager was unable to change the complexion of the game from the sidelines.
“I signed Silvestre because he was the kind of player who can complete our team in every aspect of what we needed — a left-footed player, experience at the back and some maturity as well,” Wenger said. “The thinking is that he has a great team attitude and we are a bit light in terms of experience in the dressing room so he can help us on that front.”
Fulham’s concerns are more prosaic. Having embarked on a spending spree in an effort to avoid another relegation struggle, last weekend’s opening day defeat at unfancied Hull was not in the script of manager Roy Hodgson.
A more concentrated performance will be expected against the Gunners, even if the club’s record against the Premier League elite remains unremarkable.
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