Transfer Window Closing in 3 days - No time to dally if Arsene is going to bring back Pat

If Arsene Wenger is responding to the request from Wicked Deflection to bring back Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira, he's doing it in his typically clandestine style.

With three days to go until the transfer window closes at midnight on Monday, September 1st, Arsenal supporters are stepping up their concern about lack of depth in central midfield.

The central midfielders who have left the team recently are Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini, and Gilberto Silva.

Diarra is a player I really like, but he couldn't get a game because of Mathieu Flamini's good form, and moved to Portsmouth. Flamini wanted a bigger salary, and was out of contract, so he went to AC Milan. Gilberto was getting on, and I tend to agree with Arsene Wenger that he'd reached his sell-by date.

Diaby is slated to fill the void left by Flamini, but he's injured.

Denilson is filling in, and although he's had some brilliant assists in the box, his performance against Fulham in Matchday 2 caused widespread concern about whether he's ready.

The salt in the Arsenal Supporters' wound has been the introduction of Eboue into central midfield. To be fair, he's exceeded expectations, although expectations were exceedingly low.

So Arsenal supporters, many of them able to draw on their experience playing Championship Manager, are trying to scout the perfect midfield partner for Cesc Fabregas.

Required:

A towering midfield colossus of proven pedigree who can shield the back 4, give Cesc the freedom to roam, control football games, and kick butt generally, yet who wouldn't stifle the growth and development of Arsenal's emerging midfield talent.

Rarely, since Andie McDowell's character in Groundhog Day listed her requirements for a life partner, has a job description seemed so difficult to fill, and it has Arsenal Supporters, and apparently Arsene Wenger, at a loss.

This is where Wicked Deflection has been able to make it's first concrete contribution to Arsenal's transfer activity: alerting Arsene Wenger to the necessity of bringing back Patrick Vieira, one of few players to ever meet such a rigid job description, and an Arsenal legend to boot.

The counter argument goes: Viera was great for Arsenal, but he's part of the team's history, not its future, and he's too old now, and too slow to keep up with the Premier League pace.

Sure, he would have a reduced role compared to the days when he ran things, but in a big match, like a league game away from home against Manchester United or Chelsea, or a Champions League final, you want an enforcer like Vieira in there, at least for the first hour or so, to push things in the right direction. He's still the captain for the French national team, and when he has gotten games for Inter, between long injury lay offs, he's looked lively. Sure he couldn't play in Euro 2008 because he was broken down with injury - no one's arguing it wouldn't be a gamble.

Big risk for big reward: Bring back Pat.