N FC's Gab Marcotti weighs in on Arsenal target Granit Xhaka. A season of disappointment -- even if it ends in hilarious fashion -- has an impact on how fans view the squad as it stands, and what needs to be done to it. The players who haven't performed as well as expected become expendable, flotsam to be set adrift on the transfer ocean, replaced by something newer, shinier, better and more exciting. It's true in some cases that this is what happens, but a manager has to find the right balance. Add too many and you have to deal with issues of integration and adaptation; too few and the same old stories repeat themselves. As Arsenal look set to sign their first player of the...
Full Story »