The past three months have been full of success for the Arsenal Football Club. 2^nd in the league (with a game in hand),virtually guaranteed of winning their Champions League group, the Gunners look as strong as ever. Despite some injury setbacks, the club has the most potent offense in the EPL, scoring 36 goals in 11 games, 7 more than league leaders Chelsea, but in one less game. Their captain Cesc Fabregas, is in the form of his life. Against the backdrop of vicious transfer rumors, the 22-year old Spainiard has scored in 6 of his last 8 matches for club and country. The squad has been bolstered by the return of Samir Nasri, the young Frenchman who was crucial to Arsenal’s resurgence last season. Add to the mix Andrei Arshavin(who admittedly has yet to really get going) and Eduardo, and Arsenal’s offense is simply the best in the league currently, even despite losing for Robin VanPersie for up to 6 weeks.

                Defensively,the club is also quite strong. Thomas Vermalean, for his price, is turning out to be the transfer of the summer in England, and perhaps all of Europe. His stern back line play coupled with his simply unnatural eye for goal adds a dynamic, new threat to the Arsenal lineup. Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna continue to provide great pace and precision as wing-backs as well as excellent service into the box (see RVP’s goal v Tottenham). Kieran Gibbs should be a fine replacement for Clichy while he’s out (the Man U game last year was a fluke).Add in the old veteran William Gallas, who is still a class player and a force on corners, and the defense looks solid.

                The incredible combination and youth and talent make Arsenal serious title contenders for years and years to come. The scary thing is, they could get even better.

                Bringing back an experienced veteran to the club would incredibly sound move by Arsene Wegner and the Arsenal brass. The names to be considered would have to start with Henry or Vieira, both of whom are reaching the limelight of their careers.Returning them to the club would cost relatively little, and could be a tremendous asset for us. Additionally, Dennis Bergkamp, who has been out of football for a few years now, would be another name to consider for a return to North London.

                One of the challenges of such a young, successful team is that every player has great emotion and expectation, not only of themselves but of their teammates as well.One of the main criticisms of Arsenal over the past few seasons is that they seem to have lapses in focus and discipline, which lead to suspect results,such as our recent 2-2 draw against West Ham. Bringing back old veterans to the club such as Vieira, Henry, or Bergkamp would correct this problem. They could teach the young stars to play within themselves while still playing with confidence and energy. Issues of team cohesiveness with ex-players such asEmmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure could be solved more easily with the addition of an old-timer or two.

                For baseball fans, you may remember that Pete Rose, one of the greatest hitters of all time, continued to manage for 5 seasons immediately after retiring fromplaying the game. While the Reds didn’t enjoy the same success as while Rose played for them, they still managed an above-.500 record during Rose’s tenure.It would not surprise me in the least to see a similar situation at Arsenal,bringing back an old legend to act as essentially a bench coach could do wonders for this team, and the club as a whole. It would make an already powerhouse club even stronger, and re-establish the Gunners as the dominant force in English football yet again.

Written By:  Greg Pennington, The Official Arsenal Blogger for the Goalmouth Scramble