Arsene Wenger has come in for increasing criticism in recent times, but Martin Keown is confident that he can lead Arsenal to success.

The Londoners have been typically underwhelming in the transfer market this summer, but Keown still has faith in the French manager.

Speaking at the BT Football Foundation Communicating for Success programme, he said, "[Manchester] City, [Manchester] United, Liverpool and Chelsea all shop in Harrods, while Arsenal have to look elsewhere.

"It can be frustrating, but everybody trusts Wenger. It was inevitable that [Emmanuel] Adebayor was going to leave, but Arsenal still have a very good side and have a lot of players that other clubs would love to have.

"Last season they just needed a little bit of experience to help guide their young players through the big games."

Sanchez Watt was thrilled to be sharing the pitch with Andrey Arshavin in Arsenal's 2-2 friendly draw with Barnet.

“It was a great experience for me and Arshavin taught me a lot about my positioning. It’s just one of those things that anyone would love to do,” the youngster told Arsenal.com.

“I found out I’d get the chance on the morning of the game. It was a bit shocking but we had been training together for the last couple of weeks, and I had played alongside him in a couple of training matches. I was learning from [Arshavin] then, and I had the chance to show what we had been doing at Barnet.”

The 18-year-old is one of many hot prospects that Arsene Wenger has in store for the future.

Girondins de Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh may have started in the Aquitaine club’s pre-season victory over Olympique de Marseille last night, playing a significant role in the 2-1 win, but he has indicated his continued desire to move to the Premier League, hinting that he will move to Sunderland if Arsenal make no approach for him.

The striker has previously indicated that he is prepared to be patient, and he has again intimated that he is ready to wait until the very last moment of deadline day for the Gunners to swoop. He has, however, seemingly already agreed a contract with the Black Cats that would only need his signature to make it official.

“I am ready to wait until August 31, because nothing is certain with Arsenal, contrary to Sunderland,” he told L’Equipe. “I can also play in the Trophee des Champions [with Bordeaux in Montreal, Canada at the weekend] to please everyone. But Bordeaux want a quick answer, which I cannot give them at this time.

“The most advanced contact is with Sunderland. Though for some it is not a very big club, bring it on. I know this may be a step and it is my wish.”

Les Girondins have made no secret of their desire to maintain their marriage with the 25-year-old striker, who found the net 13 times last season. Chamakh, on the other hand, feels that it is time for a change.

“I'm very well in Bordeaux, but I’ve expressed my wish to go to England to join the Premier League and discover new challenges,” he declared. “Bordeaux made me a more interesting [contract] offer, at the same [wage] level as in England. As we say sometimes, though, I just want to leave.”

It is with a degree of sadness that Chamakh will depart Bordeaux, where he has played his entire career to date, having helped the club to a historic title win last season.

“I have always given everything for the club and I have never cheated. Bordeaux will stay in my heart,” he concluded.

A reckless gamble that could cost Arsenal their place in the top four or a necessary step to rid the squad of an unwanted influence? Good business or bad judgment? Amid all the questions that arise from the speed with which Arsene Wenger allowed Emmanuel Adebayor to join Manchester City, one thing is certain: no £25 million striker has ever left a club with such little fuss from the fan-base.

The prevailing feeling among Arsenal supporters is ‘good riddance’ and, considering Adebayor’s flirtation with AC Milan over the past year, you can hardly blame them. For the fans, there is no crime in football more sinister than a perceived lack of commitment or loyalty.

Yet what now for Arsenal? And how does selling your star striker to one of your main rivals help retain a position among the Premier League’s top four?

The old adage that ‘Arsene knows’ will be tested to the maximum this season and, while selling Adebayor and not investing in a replacement would represent one of the biggest decisions of Wenger’s career, it is a strategy that he looks increasingly likely to follow.

The lack of height and physical presence offered by a traditional ‘number nine’ striker is the obvious potential omission in the squad now that Adebayor has left.

After the first pre-season friendly on Saturday against Barnet, Wenger said that he would look at adapting the team’s style with his existing players and he has hinted at a return to the 4-4-2 system that was generally favoured during the years when Arsenal were regularly winning trophies.

On Saturday, it was noticeable that Andrei Arshavin played through the middle as a second striker while Rosicky featured as a winger. It is also known that Wenger regards Theo Walcott as a central striker in the longer term.

Last season he generally adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation that saw two midfielders shield the back four and three players push forward to support a lone central striker. It is a system that allowed Wenger to play Walcott and Arshavin in wide positions without worrying too much at their deficiencies in working defensively to help the team’s full-backs.

The sale of Adebayor, however, points to a slightly different style, potentially built around new positions for Arshavin and Walcott and a return to more traditional wingers in the form of Rosicky and Samir Nasri.

Even without Adebayor, the options remain numerous. The wider question, though, is not whether Wenger has enough players but if they will prove good enough to justify their manager’s considerable faith. It is another big season for everyone at Arsenal.



Wenger’s options:



(4-2-3-1) Last season’s system offers added protection for the defence while granting Walcott and Arshavin the freedom to attack from wide positions. It depended, however, on a striker that can lead the line on his own.



Alumina

Sagna, Gallas, Toure/Vermaelen, Clichy

Song, Denilson

Walcott, Fabregas, Arshavin

Van Persie/Bendtner



(4-2-2) Wenger enjoyed his greatest triumphs with Arsenal in a 4-4-2 formation. He would have plenty of options with this system, including the use of Arshavin and Walcott as central strikers.



Alumina

Sagna, Gallas, Toure/Vermaelen, Clichy

Rosicky/Walcott, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri/Arshavin

Van Persie, Eduardo



Alumina

Sagna, Gallas, Toure/Vermaelen, Clichy

Rosicky, Fabregas, Song, Nasri

Arshavin/Walcott, Van Persie



(4-3-3) The system that was introduced at Chelsea by Jose Mourinho and one that is similar to the 4-2-3-1 option. This would allow Wenger to play an extra central midfielder while also retaining strong attacking possibilities. Width, though, would largely depend upon the full-backs.



Alumina

Sagna, Gallas, Toure/Vermaelen, Clichy

Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri/Diaby

Walcott, Van Persie, Arshavin

Arsene Wenger has revealed that Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva will not return to first team action for two more months and will continue his rehabilitation alongside newly injured Samir Nasri back in England. The esteemed coach revealed the update on Eduardo’s situation while speaking to Arsenal's official website about the leg break suffered by his French international midfielder:

“Accidently he nicked the ball away from somebody who was just having a shot on goal. Unfortunately he got kicked and got a broken fibula. Not a complicated one but it will take six weeks to heal.

“The two options are Tomas Rosicky, and we’ll have Eduardo back in two months but you do not want to lose important players before the season starts.”