Use our rumours form to send us arsenal transfer rumours.
31 May 2013 23:10:40
ed do you think julio cesar is likely to be plaing in an arsenal jersey next season? thanks in advance. {Ed027's Note - He's the GK that would make sense as I've said before, because he's experienced, and will still gave Shezza a chance at the club, he is of interest that is all I know
31 May 2013 22:56:51
Will be renewing my season ticket 22 years and counting ( less if years parents paid don't count), we all have our opinions and ideas and I love in here we can voice them. I find that mine personally can alter drastically over the course of a summer. One thing that is undeniable however is that around this time each year rumours arise which lead to massive optimism and hope. Then we're left disappointed by signings and perceived lack of ambition. But are we any different from any fan, any where, in any sport, supporting any club. We as fans love our club yes they make us scream, shout and swear, threaten divorce and waltzing off into the sunset arm in arm with another but come the kick off we'll be there stood shoulder to shoulder heart racing full of pride, passion and hope for the new season. This 3 months is a marathon and I both love and loath it.
Stand by the roller coaster has now left the station.
Thank you a head of time and in much appreciation to all the Eds for there massive work this coming summer, love this site and cheers
Holmesy
P. s. still rather see Bergkamp back than Cesc
Nice post. I'm the same. Hope, they say, is the killer.
I don't think other fans are as disappointed as us though. Some maybe. The reason we end up so angry and dejected is because our club actually makes promises that are blatant lies 90% of the time.
Great post!
Got me very emotional so I ended up posting my full, rambling, response as a new post above!
Holmesy
that was an excellent post, very true:)
COYG, andi
31 May 2013 22:52:05
Anybody else think that the Fab rumours are serious. I have slight suspicion that Verninator is being sold for when Fab comes back he will be captain again. Hope so!
31 May 2013 21:59:22
now monaco are at it spending 110 million on 3 players from a russian that is less richer than usmanov.
It time arsenal fans come out and get kronke out.
Don't want us to spend 110mil russian money! The last club I want Arsenal to be like is chelsea
31 May 2013 21:41:02
this years transfers:
gk - vito out new gk in
df - squillaci out (about time) new df in possibly that williams from swansea
lb or rb - no changes here - sagna stays unless monaco offers 15m or somethin similar then he is gone
mf - arshavin gone - coquellin will be loan out - diaby stays injured till next year and nobody buys injured players - in (wolud love cesc but its not going to happen) possibly no new mf - gnabry or eisfeld to be promoted
forward - gervinho may be loan out podolski may leave - if not no changes up front - Sanogo will stay only if one of Gervinho or Podolski leaves
from players being on loan ATM - Santos out (no need 3lb's - Park gone - Djorou gone - Bendtner gone - Frimpong gone - Denilson gone and Chamakh gone - Ryo and Joal Campbell will stay
so IN new Gk - new DF and Sanogo + 1% of Cesc happening
OUT Squillaci, Arshavin, Cocquellin (loan) Podolski I have a feeling
money will not be spend again but team strengthen
if you have different opinion write your possibilities please
31 May 2013 21:35:49
just wondering about jovetic, is he THAT good?
ive never seen him play and his stats are ok, just wondering if we should be aiming a little higher.
maybe lukaku? some rumors that he's available if he doesn't get a chance at chelsea next year
another one of my favorites is benteke, had an amazing season for a relegation battling team and IMO would flourish under Wenger.
any input would be great eds -
I rate him and expect he would even improve at Arsenal but, after 8 long years with no silver, am hoping we do actually aim a little higher.
Stupid, I know.
That said, I was hoping for a Cavani then saw a little know stat that he has lost the ball due to poor first touch more than ANY other player in Europe this season (103 times).
Not sure if its true but it instantly conjured up an image of ****ybayor.
NEVER rated him either and the one good season he had with us was when I hated him the most because he would waste five GOLDEN opportunities to get each goal.
Block 5, sounds like Walcott!
31 May 2013 21:23:28
vermaelen will not be an arsenal player next season.
cesc is coming home
malaga gooner {Ed027's Note - Too bad you're not the real Malaga, message to everyone else, if you copy the sign offs of others you will be banned
Haha Malaga people want to be you, how's that feel? Why do people bother
Think I'm going to have 'I'm the real Malaga' on my shirt this year
1404
Great work ED, busted.
Haha great work Ed
Lmao!
31 May 2013 21:20:57
I love this site. Every year I get excited about the speculation and the links to all the various players and every year we all seem to get it so so wrong. Adds to the excitement of it all in any case. I do however think things will be different in one way this transfer window, we will spend! let's hope so. Oh, and keep up the good work Eds
100% with you. Great work Eds.
Let the fun BEGIN!
31 May 2013 21:18:31
saw on twitter from a guy who has links in the club that fabregas isn't totally off the cards.
the fact is his child lives in london and he doesn't get to see him often which could mean coming back to arsenal is a good opportunity to be a better father.
also with the wc coming up he may want to get more playing time in the try push for a starting place in the spanish squad
31 May 2013 21:10:52
hi everyone,
not sure where to start but I just wanted to touch on a few things.
firstly, wages. people are worried we will not be competitive on wages with regards to signings (as well as the players). I am not worried about this - we brought podolski in on near enough £100kpw before he'd stepped foot on the pitch for us. we offered rvp in excess of £150kpw and the same with nasri. I think the signs are there that we are changing our mentality. what it would appear the focus is on is not increasing our actual wage bill, but distributing it differently - this takes time, and we need to shift players.
-gervinho is garnering a lot of interest, namely from turkey, france and italy. he may well go.
-chamakh has interest also, mostly from france.
-bendnter seems to always have interest.
-yesterday we released about 10 players including henderson, meade, eastmond and watt.
-squid's contract is up.
-arshavin has said his goodbyes via twitter already.
-denilson could easily find himself at a lower prem club, if not then abroad.
-djourou is wanted by hannover and wants to stay.
i am confident that we will see a lot of movement with regards to players leaving this summer - freeing up those wages.
-santos is likely to be released
as for players coming in - well, your guess is as good as mine. back in feb/march 2011 when I was called raz I did some triangulation and used my noodle a bit and shared on here that we would definitely be signing giroud - it happened. don't ask me why, and of course there is always doubt until an official announcement, but I believe the same is happening regarding gonalons. it would seem the lyon (and montpellier) directors have an issue with needing money but simultaneously and inexplicably overpricing their players (40m for cabella!). although wenger would appear duty-bound to spending our money in france, I am sure he will not be ripped off by them. I get the feeling there could be a deal in the works where gervinho goes one way and gonalons with possibly grenier coming the other
gonalons, although not revered in the same way the bender brothers are, is statistically right up there with the best dms in the world, he's affordable and available. it makes sense.
that said, schneiderlin was statistically the best dm in the prem last season. I would love it if we did a deal for him where denilson went the other way. two birds, one stone, and a fantastic addition to the team, already prem adapted.
the cazorla deal, and the nacho deal, have revitalised some faith in wenger and his ability to get value for money, quality, and in 24 hours if needs be :)
as for ashley williams - for me, he'd be an amazing addition. statistically one of the best cbs in the prem, but all you need to do is watch him to see what he's all about. i'd compare this directly to the cahill-to-chelsea situation. he's older, but that may work in our favour with regards to him being rotated instead of 1005 first choice. either way, I hope this deal happens.
as for forwards - this is the one area I have zero spider senses. for me, jovetic is basically a carbon copy of ruiz but maybe with a bit more pace. he' not worth £25m and if fiorentina are going to be stupid then they may very well lose a good deal.
real madrid are likely to sign bale, and now rumours of suarez going there are surfacing. this could spell the end for higuain and di maria - two players I would love us to sign. some people don't quite get how good higuain is. shame on you! personal fav of mine for about 5 years now, but one thing to consider - he scores 1 in 4 shots. that's beaten only by (off the top of my head) messi and falcao. it's unbelievable. giroud is currently on about 1 in 8-10 shots. theo is 1 goal in 4. 3 shots or something.
this means theo is the most clinical forward in the prem, and higuain is the most clinical forward in europe behind those two mentioned. if we signed him it would be a massive coup.
we do need a winger and i'd have di maria all day long, but there hasn't been a single rumour about him so that's just spec on my part!
as for changes at the club - well, on weds it was announced that hill-wood is stepping aside. yesterday it was announced that he was yet to make a decision. imo the guy needs to move on and I hope he does, and thanks for everything. for me, he's part of the reason there is so much distance between the fans and the club, as well as a lot of other things I cba going into. but I hope he does step down.
that leads me on to another point I wanted to raise. the arsenal supporters trust have had two reports commissioned that have assessed the way the club is run and these have been presented to gazidis. it would appear they are tuned in to how bayern are doing things and want more of the same at afc. I haven't started reading the reports properly, but the governance and ownership of the club have been brought into question, as well as the lack of footballing professionals at board level, lack of fan representation at board level, and a direct questioning of the lack of balance between financial and footballing success.
it is crystal clear you can run a club differently to the way we do, buy and pay the world's best players, not charge high prices and still have a sustainable model - the wool is no longer over peoples' eyes.
google 'arsenal supporters trust governance report' and get searching, you will find what i'm talking about.
what will actually happen this summer is a mystery as usual but it would seem that this summer will see the start of some really positive changes at the club.
Metal
The rumour mill suggests Di Maria to United. And Ashley Williams? Really?
AJH
Yep. It is a Rumour Mill after all!
Metal.
Hands down the best post I have EVER read on here.
So long, yet I could not fault any of it. Spot on mate.
Only thing I disagree with is Higuain as I'm not a fan but I don't actually know enough of him to be honest so I'm going to go ahead and take your word for it now + those stats don't lie!
Bring it on!
Very intelligent post. I am giving you a round of applause, sadly no emoticon to show it.
Cheers Block 5!
AJH - with the additions we need to make elsewhere, I think there is about a 1% chance of us forking out for someone like Di Maria haha, shame though! Such a class act.
As for Williams - what's not to like? That he plays for Swansea? Williams has improved no end in the last 2 years - he's big, pacey, strong - imo he dicks on per and Verm. His last ditch tackling is on a par with the best in the league. In fact he is one of the best in the league. Let's take on-form defenders, who are the best in the prem? Rio, Vidic, Terry, Kompany, Koscielny, Vermaelen - then who? There is nobody better left to pick than Williams.
He's at the age as well where he will be looking at one last big contract at the top end of football - I imagine if he got his dream move, he would play like his life depended on it - he already does at Swansea.
I truly believe that a lot of the 'eh?!' sort of reaction to the Williams rumours is unfortunate - what do people want? Subotic? It's not going to happen. Who is better in the league, who would join us? Nobody. And how many AFC fans would be happy if Wenger goes and spends another £10m on a foreign player who hasn't played in a league like this? Koscielny needed a whole year to settle. So did Per - and it has cost us. We want players who are happy to join the squad, happy to compete for a position, and who are already prem adapted. I don't think there is a better option out there, so if we go for him, I'm behind it all the way :)
31 May 2013 21:03:15
Id take Cesc back in a heartbeat. We could build our Midfield around him as he is truly a world class player. It saddens me watching old clips of him for Arsenal. He was that good and imo is wasted at Barca.
Gonalons/Ramsey - Wilshere/Arteta
Ox/Walcott - Fabregas - Cazorla/Podolski
Great strength in depth to Rotate. With the addition of a top Striker, f**** off holding mid and reliable Gk we are back in business to challenge a Chelsea, Man U and Man C sides who are all changing managers and personnel. Imo this will be our best chance for a few years at a top 2 finish.
Fabregas - £25m
Gonalons - £10m
Cesar - £5m
Rooney (Dare I Say) - £25m
Is that too much to ask for?
Detroit Gooner
Totally agree and posted similar team earlier
SY4
In. A. Heart. Beat.
31 May 2013 20:38:44
on twitter cesc fabregas could be signing for us soon.
bookies have also slashed odds on us signing our former captain.
here's hoping!
31 May 2013 20:29:36
Random question - what does everyone make of those arsenal kits doing the rounds, the puma ones?
Or just google images Arsenal Puma Kit and scroll until you find them.
IMO they are possibly the nicest kits I've ever seen, of any team!
Cesc's name would look nice on the back of that
Hang on, aren't you the same person, malaga gooner?
metal and charlie that is {Ed027's Note - NO!
They look good but those are mocks by a fan.
Once that deal goes live I will DEF buy a shirt even if it looks like crap, which I'm sure it won't, AND. A pair of trainers to say thank you Puma.
. everyone does the same and it will be more money next time!
31 May 2013 20:02:40
"There is some interest from the Premier League and my representatives are looking at the offers now. I would be keen for a move to London at some point in the future, "
-Stevan Jovetic
Hopefully he means us, and not Chelsea.
I hope he means Chelsea.
So you would reject the chance for our club to sign a great striker with a tremendous future ahead of him?
I fail to see the logic of calling for Arsene to spend money, but then rejecting the opportunity of signing a player that, not only the club wants, but would also favour a move to the club.
But hey, that's only my opinion.
It's because I do not rate him in the slightest.
I want the club to spend money, but on the RIGHT players to improve us.
Jovetic is another shouldda, wouldda, couldda. He is in no way a proven finisher. His stats are far from impressive.
There are better strikers available, at better prices and more in line with what we need.
But that's just my opinion.
Agree completely NI.
31 May 2013 19:07:31
how would you feel if nasri took a 50% wage cut in order to rejoin us?
I have a few queries:
1. Is Fabregas joining him?
2. Is Santi staying?
3. Is he going to apologize to the fans and to Wenger?
If all of the answers are yes, then sure, why not?!
Every one deserves a second chance and some learn the hard way that the grass isn't always greener
I'd welcome him back and feel he'd appreciate the club a whole lot more
Dandan
I posted the first reply. How come my name isn't at the bottom?
{Ed033's Note - Either you weren't logged in or we have an error somewhere with one of our posting forms. The first reply has your name below now.
Alright, thanks Ed!
{Ed033's Note - If we have an error somewhere, we haven't found it yet
He was showing great potential under Wenger, still think he is a great player but needs some guidance. If he sorts his attitude out then yeah I would welcome him back
No for me, I dot not like traitors.
if he left to go to spain, italy, russia or wherever for money, I would not care one bit. but to a club, who have constantly drained us of our talent no way.
he can now go and be a mercenary. his journey is complete.
I would not take van pursey back if it ever came to that.
its not about second chances, its about respect. to go to a team in the same division, is not going to happen.
Spurs are not going to sell any of their players to premier league rivals. since the berbatov to united scenario where they absolutely went mental on their chairman.
so for all those who say but we don't even compete with united. its not about that, its about weakening your own position. some get it some don't.
31 May 2013 18:51:57
Just read that the deadline for renewing season tickets has been extended by 6 days and they've had to improve the terms of the ticket exchange.
This either indicates something has gone wrong in the renewal process or the take up has been poor with a lot of people failing to renew.
Can't see it being a system failure so have to assume that the number of people failing to renew is higher than they expected. If that's right then surely someone in the club has to be asking why!
People will have their own reasons for not renewing but surely this must tell the board that the people they see as customers (what we call fans) have had enough of mediorcity and we want to be challenging for silverware again
Surely under this kind of pressure the board must spend any money they have - if they don't then they run the risk of the situation being worse next year and spiralling downwards until they get us seriously back into a trophy hunt
The longer the spiral continues the harder (and more expensive) it will be to arrest.
Hope the board turn some rumours into fact and they spend instead of doing nothing
We don't have a god given right to win things but we are THE Arsenal and we should be challenging for silverware closely.
Cmon Stan, Ivan etc - do the business!
I like hearing this. As awful as it sounds, board needs a good ole kick up the backside
I don't think they would be that bothered about people NOT renewing due to the amount of people on the waiting list who would take up any allocation of available season tickets
An awful lot of people hadn't even received any renewal email or post until today, leaving them just a week to make up their minds. On the issue of the season ticket waiting list, I've been hearing its almost gone, over the last 4 years they've burned through a hell of a lot of it - I know plenty of people who waited only a year or two, where it used to be 10 or more
I called up twice yesterday and LITERALLY got straight through.
Previous deadline days it would normally take aaaaaaaages to get through.
#no one is calling.
No one want to pay top dollar for a penny show. we all want value for money.
as the above poster said, it used to be a 10 year waiting list. i'm not sure about the waiting time now, but clearly not everyone agrees with the direction of the club.
31 May 2013 18:15:13
Gervinho is staying at Arsenal fact, from the horse's mouth so to speak :) I think fans need to get off his back, and let him play. Hazard said he was the best player he had ever played with, so that must mean something, even in France.
I am sorry if this comes across as pedantic, but Hazard didn't explicitly say Gervinho is the best player he's ever played with (although at that time he actually probably was) - what he said was that Gerv has the best movement of any player he's ever played with.
And tbh, Gerv has the best movement out of all the forwards in the squad right now. The problem is he seems to have lost his ability to play at a high level. You can rely on Gerv to get into the best position possible and then miss! That said, he was good at the start of the season.
Everyone should be exceedingly careful about hoping usmanov takes over. There are a lot of details of his dirty money transactions which will come spilling out at a succesful takeover. This will either fail him passing the fit and proper test or mire the club in both financial and criminal tanglings for a long time.
Greening
what are you on about re usmanov? he is the richest man in this country and holds major stakes in quite a few forbes 500 companies namely
there are no issues with abramowich so why should there be any issues with usmanov.
stop talking crap you have no idea what you are on about.
31 May 2013 18:04:09
I f Arsenal don't make any significent signings the fans show really make there feelings known to the board and Arsene Wenger only protests and not buying season tickets will force the present owners to sell the club to usmanov. I have a horrible feeling we ain't going to spend any money again.
31 May 2013 17:35:22
So far it's looking like:
Cesar
Williams
Wanyama
Fabregas
Villa
Can't say I'd have many complaints. Would prefer a better GK though.
31 May 2013 17:32:09
Eds, Any truth in the following?
Arsenal have tabled a bid of 12m for Victor Wanyama.
David Villa will choose between Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham. {Ed027's Note - 1st one is possible, as we agreed a fee last summer. & I don't know about Villa
31 May 2013 17:27:45
The likes of Walcott and Jack have stepped up since Cesc left why put them back in his shadow by resigning him, he was our history not our future.
Holmesy
His return would not make them any worse, in fact having a teammate like him could only help them play better.
Have they really stepped up? Jack has just stayed injury free and its about time Theo improved.
I think it would give them a confidence boost knowing a player like Cesc played for them, Theo would score more and Jack and Cesc would compliment each other.
Look at all the top teams in europe they have at least 3 quality strikers and more than 4 quality mids, so why should we be different? I believe if cesc came back we would have much needed depth in our midfield, let's say Jack and Santi both pick up injuries what then? Remember cesc is a versatile player can play anywhere in the mid or up front, who wouldn't want a quality player like that in their squad?
31 May 2013 17:24:08
The club have announced the release of 10 academy players, now let's have the release of the first team members out of contract. We all know about Arshavin and the 2 keepers plus Squillacci, but why not strike deals with the likes of Denilson, Park, Bendtner, Chamakh, Djourou, and Diaby. Yes I know it is possible to get a small transfer fee for some of these players but come on take the slight hit, free the wages and squad places. We're kidding ourselves if we think some club is going ring up and offer cash for Bendtner. So please board just do the right thing and rid our club of these.
Onto the board, H-W looks very likely to be leaving and this for me opens up a great debate. The next appointment of Chairman will indicate how our club is being run. At present it's run by mainly Gazidis, with H-W just a figure head who makes insulting comments about the fans. Before Gazidis it was Fizman and Dein who ran the club. Given the current gulf between the fans and the board ( a gulf only likely to widen without massive and top draw investment in players) I can see the board appointing Gazidis as Chairman and moving his deputies up into his titled roles. This would I imagine only infuriate some supporters even more, but as the option would be to appoint a fan favourite who doesn't actually have any power I for one don't see a neutral appointment. For me Gazidis has done a very good job insecuring massive increases in our sponsorship and commercial deals as the old ones have run out and all this without on pitch success to aid him. So from a club stability perspective I don't mind Gazidis being Chairman, the white elephant in the boardroom happens to be the UK's richest man in Usmanov and whether he manages to secure his 30% and force a place on the board therefore upsetting the whoever the board have planned for chairman.
Cesc will he? Won't he? Do we want him? Don't we want him? All mute points for me, I really don't see Barcelona letting him go not after spending 3 seasons chasing him and spending 35M on him. They owe us a fortune for him also and we have first refusal. So let's argue we say no, they manage to get 25M for him at least 15M of that comes to us in what's owed. They then have to replace him, and Thiago also wants out due to lack of first team chances he is worth 15M. So for 25M they need to replace Cesc and Thiago. Who out there is best midfielder in this price range who can play there system without the need for adapting CESC! So why sell him? Sell Thiago add in buy back clause and use the money to offset Neymars cost and wage along with selling Sanchez.
Sorry for long post. Looking forward to next summer to see Wenger move upstairs ( or to PSG ), and the management and coaching team of Begkamp, Henry.
Holmesy
31 May 2013 16:50:50
Hey eds could you not post my last post, only I didn't finish typing it before I hit send like an person.
Cheers! {Ed027's Note - It might already be through, sorry, I can delte it for you if you want? ( just reply to it and say delete this or something, then i'll remove it)
31 May 2013 16:45:54
Cesc Fabregas and Arsenal's Spanish Armada
I don't like to spend much time on rumors, but this one is different. Cesc, after all, is one of us--or was until his desire to play for Pep grew too strong to resist. Having sated that desire and with Pep gone, having won a league championship, but having struggled a bit with form and playing-time in a crowded midfield, we may just see the return of our one-time captain. I'm sure we all understand the financials, but let's review quickly: sold for £35m with the right of first refusal, a 50% take of a transfer to any other team, and a buy-back clause somewhere in the realm of £25m. If he does return, we'll have rented a player out at a profit of £10-15m. If he goes to, say Man U, for £50m (not an outlandish fee), we'd net £25m, which we could turn and and invest in other pla.
31 May 2013 16:32:35
edd why is Maarten Stekelenburg available for only 3mil when he has a contract which expires in 2015 really this is cheap as chips for a quality goalkeeper reminds me of van der sar surely wenger must be interested in a international goalie with experience and is the dutch first choice goalie ahead of krul and vorm
31 May 2013 16:24:31
if man city offered us 30mill for santi and we signed cesc how would people feel about that.
No. We can sign Cesc without selling Santi.
I agree with Ted
I guess the joy of having Cesc back would out way the disappointment of Santi leaving. Love Santi, but Cesc controls games on a more regular basis.
Flybo
Horrible!
I'd do it in a flash. If the right player comes along who can improve your squad you take him. And cesc was is and will always be an improvement on cazorla
The time has come to hold onto our best players- that's what I hoped has/is changing this summer. So we can have both (if the cesc deal ever came off- which I doubt) in our team and start to build a squad to challenge for honours.
So we would more than double our money on cazorla. Add the money barca still owe us for Cesc leaving approx 5-10 mill left to pay.
I'd drive santi up to the etihad. No brainer
Tired of making opponents stronger
Room for both in a 433 formation
I think we build a team round Cesc, Jack and Cazorla rotating in a team with a CDM of Arteta, Rambo plus a Beast who can play.
Then pace and interchanging play from front 3
SY4
31 May 2013 15:56:04
My first 'official' post.
Eds, what do you think will happen this summer?
Post a brief step-by-step of what you think will happen, covering as much as you can. Ownership, Boardroom, Manager (?) and Transfers.
Come on stick your necks out, just a personal thought sharing what you know and what you estimate ;)
1) I think we'll get a take over bid from Usmanov or a consortium led by him. Personally can't see it coming to fruition or being completed before the end of August. I fear it may disrupt our Transfer Window.
2) I can see more changes in the coaching setup. Maybe some former players returning in some capacity.
3)
Sagna and Vermaelen to stay.
Schwarzer on a 1 year deal.
A CB with EPL experience. Winston Reid for some reason.
Wanyama.
Starting ST.
Youngsters. Sanogo, Crowley etc.
4) Positive Wenger will stay.
I'm sure 90% of that is wrong, as Arsenal are hard to predict. But come on have a guess guys.
31 May 2013 16:12:40
Just a question.
Do Tottenham not have a scouting system of their own?
Arsenal were or are now linked to these players
Lloris, Dembele, Dempsey, Belhanda, Villa
As soon as we are mentioned with someone it seems within a week Tottenham show an interest!
They signed the first three.
Are they going to sign the next two?
To be fair, most of them are well known players its not like picking a hidden gem out of 1000's of gems.
To be fair we are linked with every player going. So Spurs wouldn't have many options if they didn't sign some of our 'targets'.
31 May 2013 16:12:10
i think arteta has earned the right to be the clubs captain next season.
he held together a sinking ship.
tommy v never had a drop in form he just did not want to be at the club after we sold rvp.
i have lost all respect for tommy.
lets get the best price possible for him and get players in that want to play for the club.
And how have you deduced that? He recently came out and said he wants to stay and fight for his spot in the team.
I agree that he should no longer be captain, but to say he doesn't care for the club is ludicrous.
TV has already said he wants to fight for his place. So he does want to play for us.
31 May 2013 16:04:51
After releasing 10 kids who won't quite cut it at Arsenal we seriously need to ship out 10 squad players:
Bendtner £3m+
Gervinho £4m+
Arshavin - Released
Squillaci - Released
Denilson £2m+ or release
Santos - Release
Park Chu - Release
Djourou - Hannover £3m+
Chamakh - £3m+
Mannone - Release
With my rough estimates if we sold / released this players we'd save £400k a week. That translates to just under 21million a year in wages!
Yes because its that easy just to 'release' people. lol
if we could just 'release' that easily we probably would have
noobGooner
I don't think Mannone will be released.
And Forhead won't go.
31 May 2013 15:46:34
I would love Cesc back, wouldn't we all? But when you think about it, its not too feasible.
First of all, how do you fit Cesc, Jack and Santi in the same team? Santi is wasted on the wing and makes us look defensively weak on the side he plays. He needs to play centrally, they all do, and if we played them that way then we would play the most entertaining football in the league and score loads.
Defensively though, we would look weak, have other teams managed it? Yes, but its still a risk that we would be taking.
That has to be balanced though with the fact that we have first refusal. If Barcelona tell us we are about to accept a £25mill bid for Cesc, he is yours for that amount if you want him, then what do we do?
Either we let him go, and all but give up any chance of resigning him in his career, or we buy him.
Buying him puts us in the position I mentioned, how does he fit in?
Who becomes captain?
I would love to see Cesc return. but how we would fit them all in I don't know. Its a problem I would love to see Arsenal have, but not if it restricted us from purchasing players in areas we more desperately need to strengthen.
Comment how you would build your team around Cesc!
As much as I would love for him to return I would definately not give him the captaincy. Always said he was given it only as a way of keeping him (not that it worked) and he was not captain material. That responsiblity should lie with someone actually capable of being and becoming a great captain.
It is a squad game now. More than ever. If the likes of Chelsea, Barca, Madrid and City can deal with these issues so can we.
You don't have to worry about cramming everyone into the lineup. If Cesc was to come back I'd put Jack on the bench in a heart beat. Santi too. You play your best 11.
Our biggest problem is not having good enough players on the bench to play a rotation system. Our best players are then over worked a la Wilshere and Santi. As a result they are playing but not as good as they would if they had a game here or there off.
A better 'squad' will help us keep the team fresh, reduce injuries, compensate for loss of form and get further in competitions, which will create more fixtures. And in return more opportunities for game time.
Look how may games Chelsea played this season and they reached the Semi Final in both the League Cup and the FA Cup, finished 3rd in the EPL and won the Europa League. Imagine we had to play those fixtures. We'd be playing Squillaci, recalling Santos from loan etc.
I don't think our job as fans is to worry about the players feeling if they are dropped to the bench etc.
Firstly it won't happen.
But if it did I think you'd have to buy a proper def mid if you want to play two of Jack, Santi and Cesc in the same team. Having Ramsey or Arteta there too would be too attacking.
Its a squad game and I'd think mostly you'd leave one on the bench but what an option off the bench it would be!
Something like:
Giroud
Pod Theo
Cesc Cazorla/Wilshere
CDM
or this sometimes:
Giroud
Cazorla Cesc Walcott
CDM/Arteta Jack/Ramsey
Who in the Arsenal team would you say is capable of being a great captain?
Vermaelen for me is not a great pick, at the moment he isn't even first choice.
Wilshere is a possibility? Maybe too young? Gerrard was young and I fully agree with the idea that if you are good enough you are old enough.
It would be a nice problem to have, I would play;
Striker
Cazorla Fabregas Walcott
Wilshere DM
I agree that Cazorla's best position isn't there but he played well there at the end of the season. And if we sign somebody like Jovetic upfront or even Podolski there they will interchange positions allowing Fabregas and Jovetic to move about as well. If we added somebody like Gonalons to that midfield as well we would have a top squad, particularly with options like Ramsey and Arteta also being able to be introduced. One of out main problems has been strength in depth and this could address that.
No one would have guaranteed place in the first team. If Arsenal wants to win trophies then the squad needs to be deep and competitive. Competition breeds success as simple as that.
31 May 2013 15:16:07
Not sure when or who the interview was with but wenger said about a player that was not happy after moving over seas and then he said he thought CESC would come back 1 day.
i think i'm going to have a bet on him coming home this window.
31 May 2013 15:14:27
Aw Eds my first proper post back and it doesn't make it through, bummer!
Is it floating around there somewhere? Most posts since have come through - and posts sent 4 hours after have.
CCCmmmmooooonnnnnn :) {Ed027's Note - Is it this mate:
Hi everyone,
Not sure where to start but I just wanted to touch on a few things.
Firstly, wages. People are worried we will not be competitive on wages with regards to signings (as well as the players). I am not worried about this - we brought Podolski in on near enough £100kpw before he'd stepped foot on the pitch for us. We offered RVP in excess of £150kpw and the same with Nasri. I think the signs are there that we are changing our mentality. What it would appear the focus is on is not increasing our actual wage bill, but distributing it differently - this takes time, and we need to shift players.
-Gervinho is garnering a lot of interest, namely from Turkey, France and Italy. He may well go.
-Chamakh has interest also, mostly from France.
-Bendnter seems to always have interest.
-Yesterday we released about 10 players including Henderson, Meade, Eastmond and Watt.
-Squid's contract is up.
-Arshavin has said his goodbyes via twitter already.
-Denilson could easily find himself at a lower prem club, if not then abroad.
-Djourou is wanted by Hannover and wants to stay.
I am confident that we will see a lot of movement with regards to players leaving this summer - freeing up those wages.
-Santos is likely to be released
As for players coming in - well, your guess is as good as mine. Back in Feb/March 2011 when I was called Raz I did some triangulation and used my noodle a bit and shared on here that we would definitely be signing Giroud - it happened. Don't ask me why, and of course there is always doubt until an official announcement, but I believe the same is happening regarding Gonalons. It would seem the Lyon (and Montpellier) directors have an issue with needing money but simultaneously and inexplicably overpricing their players (40m for Cabella!). Although Wenger would appear duty-bound to spending our money in France, I am sure he will not be ripped off by them. I get the feeling there could be a deal in the works where Gervinho goes one way and Gonalons with possibly Grenier coming the other
Gonalons, although not revered in the same way the Bender brothers are, is statistically right up there with the best DMs in the world, he's affordable and available. It makes sense.
That said, Schneiderlin was statistically the best DM in the prem last season. I would love it if we did a deal for him where Denilson went the other way. Two birds, one stone, and a fantastic addition to the team, already prem adapted.
The Cazorla deal, and the Nacho deal, have revitalised some faith in Wenger and his ability to get value for money, quality, and in 24 hours if needs be :)
As for Ashley Williams - for me, he'd be an amazing addition. Statistically one of the best CBs in the prem, but all you need to do is watch him to see what he's all about. I'd compare this directly to the Cahill-to-Chelsea situation. He's older, but that may work in our favour with regards to him being rotated instead of 1005 first choice. Either way, I hope this deal happens.
As for forwards - this is the one area I have zero spider senses. For me, Jovetic is basically a carbon copy of Ruiz but maybe with a bit more pace. He' not worth £25m and if Fiorentina are going to be stupid then they may very well lose a good deal.
Real Madrid are likely to sign Bale, and now rumours of Suarez going there are surfacing. This could spell the end for Higuain and Di Maria - two players I would LOVE us to sign. Some people don't quite get how good Higuain is.. shame on you! Personal fav of mine for about 5 years now, but one thing to consider - he scores 1 in 4 shots. That's beaten only by (off the top of my head) Messi and Falcao. It's unbelievable. Giroud is currently on about 1 in 8-10 shots. Theo is 1 goal in 4. 3 shots or something.
This means Theo is the most clinical forward in the prem, and Higuain is the most clinical forward in Europe behind those two mentioned. If we signed him it would be a massive coup.
We do need a winger and I'd have Di Maria all day long, but there hasn't been a single rumour about him so that's just spec on my part!
As for changes at the club - well, on weds it was announced that Hill-Wood is stepping aside. Yesterday it was announced that he was yet to make a decision. IMO the guy needs to move on and I hope he does, and thanks for everything. For me, he's part of the reason there is so much distance between the fans and the club, as well as alot of other things I cba going into. But I hope he does step down.
That leads me on to another point I wanted to raise. The Arsenal Supporters Trust have had two reports commissioned that have assessed the way the club is run and these have been presented to Gazidis. It would appear they are tuned in to how Bayern are doing things and want more of the same at AFC. I haven't started reading the reports properly, but the governance and ownership of the club have been brought into question, as well as the lack of footballing professionals at board level, lack of fan representation at board level, and a direct questioning of the lack of balance between financial and footballing success.
It is crystal clear you can run a club differently to the way we do, buy and pay the world's best players, not charge high prices and still have a sustainable model - the wool is no longer over peoples' eyes.
Google 'Arsenal Supporters Trust Governance Report' and get searching, you will find what I'm talking about.
What will actually happen this summer is a mystery as usual but it would seem that this summer will see the start of some really positive changes at the club.
Thanks Ed! {Ed027's Note - No worries, don't remember going past that, I would of known lol
Good post Metal
Can we stop looking at statistics. A couple of years ago I read an article and it showed Denilson was statistically better than Xavi.
I think stats also show that Ramsey is the best midfielder in the PL too.
Very good post metal!
Just a question eds can Arsenal release a player like Santos when he has something like 2 years left on his contract? {Ed029's Note - Yes mate but it will be expensive.}
Raz, out of curiosity. Why do you call ypurself metal now? And are there other long time posters who go by different names now? Are Ben, Ms Arsenal and the guy who played golf with Liam Brady still around?
Nice to see you post mate
Fab
Excellent post! You've done your research.
Completely agree with your point that we can compete with the big spenders on wages. It is our structure that is the problem. We have four or five players out on loan that could cover wages of a really top end signing.
I really hope we don't sign Gonalons. Not because he's bad, but because I have my heart set on Wanyama. He is EXACTLY what we need. A monster. He's come on leaps and bounds too. Developing rapidly. Lacks no confidence, and is a work horse. I watch Celtic every week btw.
Re:- Ashley Williams. A fantastic player, in the mold of what we need. I just don't think we need to buy him. Coming back to Wanyama. He plays CB almost as good as he does CDM. He was virtually impregnable against Barca along with Efe. Two birds one stone here.
Re:- Jovetic. Couldn't agree more. Seriously over hyped. People seem to think he's a world beater because the media wax lyrical about him. He's not, far from it. Technically very good but nowhere near worth £20m. He is very like Ruiz actually now you mention it.
If Bayern can run their club the way it's run, BVB too, then we need to work harder to marry both the business side of the game with the footballing side. Both those teams made a mockery of the football world this season. Don't get me wrong I knew it was coming, but this will have opened the eyes of many more. I'd be glad to send Hill-Wood on his way. Criminally out of touch.
We agree on virtually everything. Higuain! Yes! I didn't know his stats were THAT impressive but it just goes to show. What we need in one word - Clinical.
Overall, an excellent post. Hopefully we get what we want come the end of the summer. Maybe a Fabregas shaped surprise too :)
31 May 2013 14:08:39
mmmm stefan defour! if you know anything about football you will know who he is, great young player we chased for along time! looked like he was going to united then got a serious serious injury! realy good player back then but don't know about know!
31 May 2013 13:30:12
Anyone remember Miss Arsenal, I loved her posts back then. Whatever happened to her?
And Cammy!
Ike and ezdee
Cammy is here still! i'm just keeping tabs on you fellow gooners!
too much in fighting and ganging up on eds. ed02 was brilliant until certain knobs upset him. no need! its a rumour site!
anyways. still better than spurs, still top 4 and going to compete for the league now we have the best manager in the league!
get on it boys! massive odds for us to win the league!
telling yas! get on it!
cammy out!
xxx
I think miss arsenal moved to the states with her boyfriend and obviously forgot about us. : (
And the Gooner who played Golf with Liam Brady
Lwi
She could've remembered us from time to time :)
31 May 2013 13:25:40
hi sy4,
with regards to arteta I think he is 1 of the unsung heroes last season, I am not saying he should be dropped.
for me a successful team will play close to 60 games in a season.
i think are game plan against the so called top 4 should be different. its obvious from past results that when we try to play football against them we get beaten.
arsene strategy is all ways to attack what ever the cost.
let me put it like this would we not be better to come away with an extra 6-7 points at the end of the season rather than trying to play football and getting hammered. we play in a competition that is 38 games long.
regards
I don't want the GG days back but want the Invincible football back
May be we need to play different against top 3 but want us to play good football and win
Difficult balance with all the sugar daddies out there
We don't do either today so something has to change
I agree about Arteta as voted him as my player of the season.
SY4
31 May 2013 13:17:59
Here is a couple of questions for all (Ed's included).
I know getting Cesc back is a long-shot, but try to answer honestly.
1) Do you want Cesc back?
2) If He comes back who does he replace?
3)What happens about the Captain armband?
4) What number does he wear?
5) How much should he be on (Wage)?
6) How much would you pay for him? {Ed027's Note - Yes, Nobody, stick with Vermaelen, which ever is available, same wage he was on before, same amount Barca paid
1. Yes.
2. Denilson.
3. Sagna if he stays, TV5 if not.
4. Who cares?
5. Higher than Walcott
6. As much as it takes!
1. yes
2. anyone
3. he gets it
4. 4
5. same as what barca payed him or more
6. 100million he is priceless
Bergkamp5353
31 May 2013 15:35:45
1. YES
2. Rosicky (can only play 15-20 games a season now)
3. Vermaelen if he regains spot, if not then Cesc.
4. Doesn't matter.
5. 100-120k a week seems fair
6. £25m
Detroit Gooner
1 yes
2 enough players are leaving
3 verm is captain now, cesc will understand
4 doesn't matter
5 as much as it takes
6 however much it takes 30mil on him is better than 15mil on 2 unknowns
1) Yes, badly
2) Nobody - we have a reshuffle, top rotation option and amazing options from the bench. E. g. Dm, Wilshere, Santi. Cesc on, Santi off. Just like Chelsea where Mata, Oscar, Lamps and Hazard do not always start together but they all rotate. Essential if we want to win anything.
3) Captain should probably be Arteta, Per of Jack
4) No idea, really not a big deal
5) Competitive wages - whatever he was on last time at least
6) Apparently the clause is £20m euros. So that. But pay up to what they paid.
:)
1, not really,
2, no one he can be sub,
3, the new CB (hopefully either Skrtel or Rami)
4, 44
5, same as Ramsey
6, no more than 15M he is after all a part time sub at his current club hardly setting world alight.
Holmesy
Thanks for all your reply's!
I would say;
1. Yes of course
2. I like what Metal said about rotation.
3. Captain should be Verm, But I agree Cesc hopefully would understand.
4. I don't think Mert should give up his number so possibly 23?.
5. 100k - 150k sounds right
6. Use the release clause.
Thanks guys.
31 May 2013 13:09:05
So Suarez cites his image being destroyed so that's why he wants to leave England, the only person that's done anything to damage your image Luis is you you stupid arse kart. looks like the Liverpool players are as delusional as the fans haha. wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool came after Theo with the money they get from selling the Vampire.
1404
They can have him for 40m. He scored 21 goals from the wing, and Bale scored 26. So if Bale is worth 65m, then Walcott is worth 40m.
Just my opinion, but I really rate the guy.
31 May 2013 11:35:11
Banter please Eds.
On hearing the news Ljungberg has become an Ambassador for the club it got me thinking about how much I would give to have Pires and Ljungberg back in their prime at the club (and most of the invincibles to be honest).
We need similar wingers, ones who have pace, know how to time their runs and get into the box at the perfect moment.
Are there any comparable wingers out there that anyone can think of? The game seems to have moved away from 442 so wingers have slightly different roles, but there must be one or two gems out there.
Lavezzi and hulk both have pace and are great goalscorers
Bergkamp5353
Robbery - Robben and Ribery for bayern! So leathal on the counter attack. I've been saying for ages we miss 4-4-2. Only problem, we used to have a rock solid defence with campbell and toure who soaked up pressure and released to viera. Not this heart in your mouth last ditch, any minute someones going to f**k up style we have now.
31 May 2013 11:33:21
In an interview with a French media today, Lyon midfield Cl�ment Grenier said that he is considering a move that can help him to progress and that he is not looking for money!
Then he said that with his young age, he would like to be under AW responsibility and would consider a move to Arsenal!
Ii is looking more and more serious with AW confirming interest and the player being motivated to.
Grenier have a great future and is very talented, I am sure he can be a good signing!
Cheers to all Gunners fans
Cesar is just that a shot stopper watching his games with OPR I didn't rate him at all, arsenal need a solid GK mingolet has been consistent in a dire team, wenger needs to get him in not cesar if he loves London so much then go to west ham, crystal palace have been promoted he could go there and relegate them not us
31 May 2013 11:29:10
Do we need Julio Cesar is he better than what we got?
What does anyone think about that?
Not at all. Cesar is only a shot stopper and we already have Szezza who is one of the best shot stoppers in the business. Ceasr got shown up many times in his time in the premiership, more so than Shezza ever has.
Now Mingolet is the one we need to compete for the No. 1 jersey.
Szczesny is one of the best shot stoppers in the business?
Are we talking about the same Polish Arsenal keeper? Maybe one of us is thinking about Fabianski.
I'm not sure there is a keeper in a top 20 club in Europe that concedes as many free kicks as "Shezza" does.
Chess. I honestly think you need to reassess your admiration of Szczesny!
He is fantastic at blocking shots i. e. throwing himself at point blankers - in fact he saves a huge amount like that.
But other than that, I honestly can't think of an easier keeper to score against from 10 yards or more. Fabianski is by far a better shot stopper.
Also, Szczesny lacks conviction when he comes for the ball. Go on youtube and type in Koscielny clearance vs Newcastle - it is worrying how bad Szcz actually is - he wasn't even within 1-2 feet of reaching the ball with his hands when Kone broke free - without Kos's acrobatics we'd be out of the top 4 and it would have been Szcz's ineptitude that would have cost us.
His distribution is also totally wack. His kicking is horrible, his throws aren't much better.
Honestly, he has had a very bad season and the simple fact that Wenger ACTUALLY dropped him should say it all. We've needed a proper first choice keeper for a long time and this season hasn't changed many people's opinions on that!
Nope I will stick to my guns. Shezza is the best keeper we have had since Seaman. The only issues I have with him is his distribution is horrendous and he is far to cocky, trying Cryuff turns and such. These things are easily rectified.
People forget he is only 23 and was behind a horrible defence for half the season. As soon as we buy a DMF and keep our defence strong (replace Mertesacker with someone quicker and who can jump) then he will not be so exposed.
I have huge faith the Szezney and think he is an excellent keeper. Fabianski is as error prone as Shezza, even more so in fact, he just had 5 good games. Mannone, let's no go there.
Not Newcastle, Wigan. duh!
31 May 2013 11:12:05
Paul
I was fairly impressed with the way we finished the season. Not massively, but fairly.
The positives - we were getting wins when the quality of our football wasn't great, grinding them out. This is a continuation of what we saw a lot last season, something we aren't famed for, and I'm not surprised considering Ramsey's presence in the team, not at RW. I still can't work him out but he was vital in the run in.
- we went on a mad unbeaten run! Very pleasing.
The negs - we didn't face a single top 4 team during that time, and all things considered, probably wouldn't have finished top 4 if we'd had to. That was very worrying. We lost to Spurs and drew to Everton, it's not good enough.
Still, I was like a kid on xmas day going into the last game because the fact that we could still have finished 3rd if Everton had beaten Chelsea was just unreal! I was so excited. Shame it didn't happen but we got over the line despite spending about 90% of the season outside the top 4 so I was relieved.
I think our lack of star quality showed though, as it always does. The team was tired, they had to dig deep and the football was not good.
Chelsea played double the amount of games as we did in the last 5 weeks, with a smaller squad, and won them all - at the start of the season, AFC fans were saying Chelsea wouldn't finish top 4 due to too many new players bedding in. Then they said after a change of manager they wouldn't do it. Then they said due a fixture pile up they wouldn't do it.
So I would say I am relieved we finished top 4, but the gap between us and United was embarrassing and this is possibly my least favourite season ever as a fan!
We drew with United too?
I know what you mean. After about 20 mins of the final whistle against Newcastle, the conclusion of a pretty average season kicked in again. But to me it's been coming. A season where we genuinely struggle to stay in the top 4.
I was pleased with the run in like you said. Frustrating as its the form needed to win a title not 4th place.
Ramsey once given that extended run in his natural position was excellent. Grew with every game.
Fortunately in that last 3rd we didn't suffer in influx of injuries. Our lack of strengh in depth showed again.
Be an interesting summer. Lots of speculation already. Transfer and wages expected to be big, well bigger than usual. Hearing a number of players being let go is quite ruthless. Something we have been a bit shy of in previous years. Financial year end today so maybe in the next few weeks things might start to gather pace.
It's a summer where no big loses are expected player wise. Although I've got a sneaky feeling once Pelligrini is confirmed as city manager he will try and sign Cazorla. Twice before they have worked together and maybe he will feel 3rd time lucky and they will win something together.
Guess who's back. Back again. Metal's back. With his friends.
Howdy fella. Hope the new job and London move are all good.
Hackney Gooner
Thanks Hackney!
Paul, I agree Ramsey was really good once he was back in his position (s)! I think last year it was just a mystery as to how any midfielder could be that bad at RW. it's just about being good at football. but he was not good there. A good run in the middle has done him a lot of good. Still some way to go mind, but he was very impressive.
I still think we missed a trick with Coutinho, and I am willing to bet that he will be rated at about £40m by the end of next season. Remember this post people!
I don't even think Santi's passing is an pinpoint as his, sad to say, but that's how good I think Coutinho actually is.
As for Santi - Pelligrini can try all he likes, he won't get anywhere with Santi. Santi had 'good' stats with him - but he's had a career best with us and Wenger allows him so much more freedom on the pitch, something Santi commented on a few months after joining. It's typical of a hollywood manager like that guy to start posturing about signing whoever he wants, but he won't get anywhere. Santi's gone. If anything, he's likely to take Isco with him, what do you reckon?
P. s. Eds I hope my main post comes through at some point. sent it at about half 11 :) {Ed027's Note - Should be in
Yes Isco to city or possibly Madrid as think they will go a bit mental with transfers this summer.
31 May 2013 11:07:32
who the hell would pay ARSHAVIN 400K a WEEK! honestly, some people.
31 May 2013 11:05:11
if chelsea get jovetic we could always go for lukaku.
31 May 2013 11:03:55
What would I pay?
Torres- 15m
Carrlol- 12m
Anderson- 7m
Allen- 7m
Downing- 10m
Aquillani- 5m
Lescott- 8m
hargreaves- ask him to come out of retirement
Bentley- 5m
Wright-Phillips- 3.5m
And assemble the worst team in the premier league?!
Paul
31 May 2013 13:39:02
Add to that Fabianski, Almunia, Djorou, Giroud, Gervinho, Bendtner, Chamackh, Santos, Vermalean, Squilacci, etc for a combined fee of £10.5m.
Bas!cs.
You forgot Charlie Adam.
You can't put Giroud and Vermaelen in the same category as that lot. Maybe not even Gervinho.
31 May 2013 10:56:45
great, now arsenal can concede 3 goals vs tottenham too.
31 May 2013 10:44:48
First nani, then rooney and now hernandez?
Who next, carrick?
31 May 2013 09:52:46
i want to talk about the quality of our play.
i have seen posts from both sides of the argument and here is my take.
i think the quality of our play is no way near as good as past seasons.
has any 1 noticed we get into the oppositions half and a high % of the time we pass the ball backwards or play the square ball.
we just do not seem to have that extra bit of quality to make things happen as much as we use to.
i am not sure if this is because we do not have the quality in midfield or is it because are forward line is not showing enough flair which we have been use to in the past under wenger.
for me the only bit of flare we had last season was santi and tommy and earlier in the season when diaby showed flashes of what he can do. rosicky was out most of the season and is getting to the stage in his career where he will find it hard to play 30-40 games, the injurys have taken their toll on his career.
when you look at our forward line over the last 20 years we always had a world class forward and all though our goals have been shared out a lot more last season any team that win things will have a prolific goal scorer.
for me wenger is finding it hard to find a happy medium from the back right through to the forward line, I put this down to us being constant in transition and not having dm.
the fact are we go up against teams that are above us in the pl and the midfield loose the battle every time, this is down to not having good enough players to compete against these sides.
i all so think last season was the 1st time under wenger we played more like a GEORGE GRAHAM team.
not sure if this makes sense to any of you i'm on the wacky as I am writing this.
thoughts please
I agree with the fact our quality has dropped from season past. In my opinion I feel this is due to our midfielders not getting into the box enough. Santi likes to stick to the edge of the box to deploy his 'pretend to shoot shuffle' and pass to the wing again, Ramsey does his 'running around a lot' business but never ends up in the box, and Arteta is obviously our version of a DM. To be fair Wilshere makes a solid effort to get in the box, but for play to improve I think this is an area we must look at first.
Don't know what you mean by the "wacky" but a logical post CC.
Clearly our quality of play isn't up to par as we finished 4th. (Not acceptable)
Our midfield is SO CLOSE. Santi in my eyes is a great creator. He has vision like Fabregas, great skill/ close control, and can score.
What can I say about Jack that hasn't been said, he's Mr. Arsenal.
We NEED a world class DM. It's such a critical role in any winning side. I won't waste time speculating on targets, but we will allow our creative players to flourish with a strong DM (that includes Arteta. whole other post. )
if we only buy 1 player and its a top top DM, our entire team improves.
Long post, sorry
Been contributing daily for a couple years. signing off for the first time.
Matt (original, I know)
The quality is there. Ramsey, wilshere, ox, have shown me big game mentality.
so have per and kos. I still want tommy v and i'm sure he can give the other two a fight.
Im not sure which DM or if we are after a DM.
Pogba, gonalons, wanyama, capoue, and on and on. we seem to be linked with many, yet none arrive.
Song had a fallout with pique on the parade bus, unless that incident was fabricated by the papers. But would song solve our problem?
The reason our attacking play suffers, is due to our entire team defending. we basically counter now.
final ball from the wings, absolutely poor. too many 1-2's and trying to walk the ball into the net.
Jovetic, Higuain? don't hold your breath.
RB? perhaps we are planning on using andre santos there. just to be clear, I think its a risk having him anywhere within a 5 mile radius, that is how risky he is.
hopefully this season we will have continuity.
also I am wondering why we have done nothing, while.
Barcelona : Buy neymar, will replace valdes, and will def buy a defender
Bayern : buy Gotze, probably a striker.
Dortmund: buy defender sokratis Pa. will probably replace gotze with Christian Eriks. and will most likely replace lewandowski with dzeko
Juventus: sign llorente on a free, will send bendtner back, are linked with higuain and jovetic
Chelsea: wrapped up the Andre Schurrle deal, wrapped up manager and will complete deals soon.
City : will sign pellegrini soon, probably get isco, cavani and god knows who else.
Utd : will sign a striker for some reason, some everton players and get kicking,
Spurs : will look to keep bale, sign a striker and kick on. atleast they are actively in transfer talk
Arsenal : looking at kids, only linked to non existent players, jovetic was a done deal, yet he looks likely to join another team, Napoli is being mentioned now.
we will wait and wait for the bargain, the players will go, and then we are left to actual bargains no one wants.
31 May 2013 08:11:15
They're good for a defender - the level of skill, composure and concentration required is much much greater in midfield. Verm messes up and gives the ball away enough against a forward on his own who can't tackle, in midfield where quite often opposition will close down from three different sides he wouldn't have a chance. If he was good enough to play in midfield he'd play in midfield.
AG
Exactly AG
31 May 2013 07:56:46
Spanish newspaper stated Villa erns 8m euros a year and Barca still owe Valencia 10m for the signing. He will be 32 in December. Spanish expert on a web site said Cesc will not me leaving Barca. But they will buy the Liverpool keeper if both party's agree. The media in this country haven't mentioned this. km
I hope we don't sign Villa. At his age there will be no sell on fee and his wages would be high. The funds could be spent better elsewhere.
31 May 2013 00:17:25
So Fabregas will not leave Barca this season, but he may next season.
We really need to show ambition this transfer window, not for Fabregas, but for the fans and for the team. If we don't spend now, when will we?
And, if we spend now, and challenge for trophies this year, Cesc coming back would be a nice bonus.
Agree 100%
31 May 2013 08:30:57
And by all accounts, Cesc, RVP and Nasri weren't leaving us either, so I for one am not believing that.
If it is his wish to leave them then naturally I would like to think he'd come back here. It would be like the board letting another club have yet another one of our star players all over again if we don't bring him back.
My faith in our board is as expected a big fat ZERO.
Fabregas will leave IF having another bit part season will have an affect on his involvement with the national team. No player of his standard will wan to be warming the bench in a World Cup year.
31 May 2013 00:14:40
Sorry, and another point, why are people not thinking Verms for DM? His weakness is on the line, his passing, tackling, heading and shooting is good, plus he has a presence. I guess really Arteta has done such a good job a la Alonso, maybe that's why? I don't want Verms to leave, he's one of the only loyal ones left
Baggins
Sorry, now is not the time to experiment. We need a DMf with a proven track record. No playing around. Get Lars Bender
Zzzzzzz the millionth time that's been suggested.
Paul
Erm, rue now IS time to experiment. during the off season when we have friendlies and stuff.
I could play def mid in friendlies and look good given you'd have plenty of time on the ball and be under little pressure.
First PL game where we are getting closed down he will have much less time, get mugged a few times and everyone will be saying why didn't we sign a proper def mid instead of Ashley Williams or whoever.
31 May 2013 00:10:00
For all those saying we have the creativity in Ramsay I think you are being a bit naive Carzola yes, wlishere and Rosicky when fit. However, Cesc was the passer - his pass rate at Barca is still around 88%, and his ability to unlock defenses makes Ramsay look Championship levels. And I like Ramsay, Cesc is on another planet.
Baggins
Comparing Ramsey and Fabregas isn't fair.
Ramsey IS creative at times, he's still young and will improve (as he was in the second half of the season)
. Ramsey is young? He is the same age with Ilkay Gundogan of Borussia and he is already a beast. Larse Bender and Maxime Gonalons are only a year older and they too are phenomenal. Sorry, if Ramsey is not good enough now its definitely not because of his age. Paul Pogba is 3 years his junior but have you seen how mature his game is?
Again comparing ramsey with those players is unfair, ramsey pretty much had to start his career again and build himself back up after a horrific injury, has any of those players you mentioned done that, It is of my opinion that had ramsey not had that injury he would be as good as those players mentioned!
Gc
Ramsey IS good enough. end of. moving him back to a deeper role was a strike of genius. now he has more time on the ball his long passing can be used effectively. I personally think his range of passing is extraudinary his long balls are great and over the next year as he develops this role and begins to learn to dictate play and learn to pick the ball up and run we will be seeing a more complete player who will be key to our midfield.
comparing ramsey and fabregas isn't fair. they are different players now. ramsey sits back in cm whilst fab is used as a false number 9 most of the time.
So Ian wright was a terrible player because he didn't make it until he was over 25.
Same as drogba
31 May 2013 11:50:22
You have to remember Ramseys growth was stunted by about 12-18 months from that horrific injury, same with Wilshere.
30 May 2013 23:47:16
Cesar
Jenkinson. Kos Per. Gibbs
Cazorla. Arteta. Fab
(rotate with Jack and Arteta rotates with Rambo plus a Beast to allow for a 4 4 2 )
Theo. Rooney. Pod.
Midfield works hard and puts pressure on ball but creativity from all 3 rather than just 1 which is our problem.
Up front we can interchange again. Drop deep and attack with pace.
The bench would be strong plus we could play 4 4 2 also which I think Giroud would prefer as not mobile enough for 4 3 3
Fullbacks may need to be a little more disciplined so one always offers protection.
Thoughts?
SY4
Sy4, I think not having a proper dm restricts us from giving our full backs proper freedom to attack.
i like your signings but if we added lars bender to the team it would give us stability at the back.
I agree with CC here. A DMF is a must this window. And I don't mean some unheard of, 18year old striker-turned MDF from Azerbaijan. I mean and experienced and talented DMF
CC
So exchange Arteta with a CDM who can still spread the ball about - I like that.
I responded to you yesterday but I think it dropped off the page by home time.
SY4
30 May 2013 23:38:42
who would you like to play for the 1st game of next season.
i want Manchester United away
Norwich at home.
SPUDS (Bale FC) We need a good start to the season, and what's better than 3 points.
Oh hello Charlie, strange dnt u think how metal disappears then u do, even stranger that u both then make a return on the same day lol uncle buck? Who is that? Oh u mean the young juvenile delinquent who attempted to start an argument like no name, yourself and laker was put in his place? Yeh I sorta remember him I think.
Was that another name from u?
Tell me do u pretend to be all these people because u need someone to agree with your posts or because u spout so much garbage u need a few names to hide behind? Ohh I do wonder how many u have, 2? 3?
I see u want us away first game of the season aswel, me too! Its a banker! i'm disappointed we let u get a point at the museum but u did need them I guess, plus it was nice for the fans in the stand to see your players give 100% for once!
Ohh I wait eagerly for your witty reply but even more eagerly for what name your gunna sign off with.
Chris the REDman
U lot really need to lighten up a bit, its only banter yet u (all of u I mean charlie) and certain others really do take it to heart
Charlie, Manchester United away would be the worst fixture possible! it's almost a guaranteed defeat, it's the last thing we need!
Hi, don't know who that guy is, but first of all, the Eds have confirmed about a billion times that CC and myself are not the same people.
I was Raz, then I was Metal Gooner, because like Thomas Rosicky I love heavy metal amongst other things, so I'm Metal Gooner.
CC is not me, and I am sure the Eds have confirmed he's not Malaga either.
If you are astute enough to remember us 'both disappearing' at the same time you should be able to remember the numerous times it has been said by the EDS that we are different!
And yes, it has been said in my absence, I have seen it.
I wanted a break from the page, I wanted to enjoy the football and talk about it less - I don't know why CC decided to leave, or when he decided to leave, but, let's just say Le Grove comments are full of persons, or people who know an awful lot about corporate finance etc but would rather make you feel stupid for not having their knowledge than simply pass it on.
Either way, your coincidence is exactly that i'm afraid!
I am sure we will beat Man United away!
Metal and I are not the same person he can spell and use punctuation.
im just an old hippy from the old country.
what difference does it make anyway.
who cares.
Lol put us in our place. only a deluded utd fan. now that father time has decided to stop the clock, I would like to see how the real world treats your team.
the season has not even started and your cocky. shows how much class the fans of your team display.
your team is a team of pensioners, who just cashed in on their funeral plans. I look forward to the games against you.
i also look forward to all the I told you so.
Hi metal I do not think it is the hardest game.
i do not rate moyes and I think he will struggle as will utd.
i have been waiting for them to fall apart and they will.
HAPPY DAYS
30 May 2013 23:25:28
Hi all,
I hope you don't mind but I am going nuts now that the summer is upon us, so wanted to come back after some time away (and maybbbe the odd anon post) and enjoy some discussion with you all.
I hope everyone is good.
Metal
Welcome back mate you have been missed.
Welcome back
Some time away! Where you been, Guantanamo bay? :-)
Good to have you back metal
Flybo
Gentlemen,
Good to have you back!
Gunners4Life, In AW we trust!
31 May 2013 07:12:24
Hey Metal,
Great to see you back fella, hope all's good with you.
I did wonder whether some of the essay lengh posts might belong to you. Welcome back Metal. Now you and CC are back I'd like to know your thoughts on the way we finished the season
Like 1 big happy family again, ha
i was over the moon paul.
we made the best of the situation we were in.
it will mean nothing if we don't build on it next season.
just to add about the players reaction at the end of the newcastle game. I think we forget the 3 thousand fans that traveled up there to the game, what would fans prefer they just walked of the pitch and did not thank the loyal away supporters who go week in week out.
i was proud of the boys
Paul - nope, no essays, but thanks for thinking of me :D