Rosicky/Theo - Hypothetical Scenario

I see where you're going with it, but I don't think Walcott has the brain to make it out on the left - he only just about copes being on the wing that coincides with his natural side.

As for Rosicky - does he have the stamina to play on the wing? Even if you don't play as a traditional winger, you still need to cover a lot of ground in that area.

I think, contrary to popular belief, Cazorla is suited to wide positions. That's where he always played before, and has only played in the middle at Arsenal to account for a lack of spontaneity, which Rosicky, Wilshere and even Ramsey can now provide. I think Cazorla's drifting in and out of games last season was mostly because he's used to operating on the wing, which means being 'in the shadows', so to speak - being in the middle exposed him a bit and it really was a baptism of fire.

KPPR you make good points. I'd like to think Rosicky must have a fair amount of stamina to play in the middle so that could be transferred to the wing? It's just the pace he'd be missing, but he does seem surprisingly good at taking players on despite his age.

Walcott on the left is the big unknown quantity. I'd like to at least see it at some point for a couple of lesser important games to see how he'd get on. If he could adapt to it I think he would be even more productive than where he currently plays.

All of this is null and void when we purchase ADM however!

Have we signed 8 new players, each with only one letter in their names?

I would play Rosicky in the middle because although he can still be quite nippy and agile, he lacks the raw pace and young legs of players like Theo and AOC. Add to that his proneness to injuries and we don't want to burn him out too early in the season, he could be a crucial player for us if kept fit. I wouldn't mind letting Gibbs play in front of Monreal. He has shown glimpses of attacking ability before but needs to work on that side of his game because he is very strong defensively. He has the legs to cover Monreal against fast wingers and perhaps an opportunity this season to improve on his final ball / all-round attacking play.

I am now convinced we will not be signing any big names this transfer window. I had hoped an announcement would be made as soon as we qualified for the CL. I thought perhaps this was stopping some players from signing on the dotted line and deals had already been made in principle but this has not occurred.

With regards to Theo, I disagree with KPPR. I think he is a very intelligent young man. What he needs to do however is correlate his reasonable IQ with his football brain and knowledge and he could quite capably play on the left side and probably score more goals this season with slightly fewer assists. However, Cazorla is two-footed so could work well on the left side too.

KPPR you make good points. I'd like to think Rosicky must have a fair amount of stamina to play in the middle so that could be transferred to the wing? It's just the pace he'd be missing, but he does seem surprisingly good at taking players on despite his age.
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You do require a lot of stamina, but in the middle you're better supported by team-mates on all sides - it's why you get central midfielders playing until 34-35, but rarely get longevity on the wing (except in slower-paced European leagues).

Cazorla is wasted on the wings. The guy is a magician, I'd rather see him playing as a deep lying CM than out wide (although a somewhat free role at CAM is what he should have).