Arsenal were once a big side

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

They were once the most athletic side in the Premier League. They won league titles, refused to let the opposition out-muscle them and displayed skill levels rarely seen in Britain.

Somewhere along the way the Gunners have, quite literally, lost their big players - those six-footers who added power to the side's undoubted skill.

Now Wenger, still the second-best manager of his generation after Sir Alex Ferguson, presides over a side of incredibly skillful dwarves - pleasing on the eye but dismissively brushed aside like a piece of fluff on a Barbour jacket.

Without Wenger I'm sure Arsenal would be in a far worse position than they are now. He's managed the side admirably on a far tighter budget than Manchester United, Chelsea and now Manchester City.

But the man who pioneered the acquisition of the incredible black (often African) athletes into the English Premier League, a formula which Harry Redknapp copied to FA Cup-winning success at Portsmouth, somewhere along the way misplaced his winning formula.

I could watch Andrei Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas all day.

But without players in the mould of Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell (previous version), Edu, Patrick Vieira (very previous version), Gilberto Silva alongside them, they could play all day and not win any matches.

Even sub-six-footers Kolo Toure and Lauren would be a help.

By the way, Wenger also needs a world class keeper.