15 Aug 2013 14:05:53
Just heard from my mate, who works in football in south america that we weren't prepared to pay Gustavo more than Wolfsburg. This would have been the swaying factor. He's been raised in Germany, and wanted more money to leave. Can't blame him. Pretty gutted as he's exactly what we need.
According to him, and I happen to agree, Arsenal are more keen to be seen to be trying to do business, than they are to actually push big deals through. Wenger is under instruction to cut £300k a week off of the wage bill this summer, and spend no more than £30m net on players.
I don't see this being far from the truth. We are, and have been for some time, a business striving to clear debts. Unless there's significant putting money where their mouths are, I'll fail to believe we were ever in the running for even higher earners like Suarez. PS. Still no keeper. I fear the worst.

1.) 15 Aug 2013
Absolutely, we have managed to finish 4th for the last couple of seasons, by the skin of our teeth. The squad is threadbare. This has always been a fault of Wenger, even in the trophy winning years we never had a squad large enough to compete in all competitions. Abu Diaby & Vermaelen are out for the foreseeable future. Monreal is injured & now there are doubts over Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott & possibly Sagna. With the exception of Ramsey who withdrew through injury, virtually every likely starter against Villa, played last night. We have a difficult tie away to Fenerbache on Weds, followed by Fulham away the following weekend. Even if we make signings in the next 18 days, they will not have time to bed in. Since Dein & Fiszman departed, Wenger has run the club into the ground. Driven by purely by profit, at the cost of the playing side of the club. You would have though stubborn Wenger would have learnt from the 8-2 thrashing by Man U. Alas, it seems not. At best I see a couple of cheap unknown young players being brought in. I am certain we could have signed, Ceasar, Williams, Fellaini, Nani & Gustavo, if we were prepared to pay the prices & give them the contracts they asked for. We are no longer even able to sell for top prices, having allowed contracts to run down & not being tough enough, we have sold the likes of RVP, Fabregas & Nasri for relatively low fees & look what these 3 players have won since leaving us. We need Usmanov, Dein & Laudrup. Its horrible starting a season with virtually zero belief that we will challenge for a trophy & even 4th place is starting to look a tall order. I keep hoping that i'm wrong & that I will wake up & see that Suarez has arrived or Rooney or Fellaini, but these are false hopes. Wenger is living on past glories & its time for change. I can see a draw against Villa, an away defeat to Fenerbache & a draw away to Fulham, followed by a draw at home to Fenerbache. This will leave us out of the CL & struggling to reach top 4, all by the end of August! Wenger & co are letting us down big time.

2.) 15 Aug 2013
Im of the opinion that wenger is so entwined and loyal to AFC that he is covering for a tight wad owner and a CEO who spouts what we want to hear but ultimately does what Stan wants. Look at Kroenke's american teams, totally average with no drive to do anything. I can only deduce then that its wenger who is stopping us becoming that average mid table team. With buying cheap players and, on the whole, making them better he is the one keeping us top 4. I can't see any alternative reason for it. He has his faults, of course, but no matter what you think of him wenger has forgotten more than AVB and rogers know about football. My mate whos a spud tells me wenger is a top class manager and he thinks he gets 10-15% out of AFC players that isn't really there in terms of talent. Trouble is its so hard to know what is happening as wenger won't bad mouth the owner and silent stan never speaks! also I don't believe a word gazidis says. It wouldn't bother me if he left tomorrow, It would be a sit up and take notice moment if Wenger walked away. cheers for reading and i'm AFC forever, not pro wenger just looking at the cold facts I hope.