14 Oct 2014 22:41:28
Lukaku to Everton £28m.

Balotelli to Liverpool £16m.

Welbeck to Arsenal £16m.

Who has done the best business?

I think Lukaku is decent, 15 goals in 31 games last season, represents a good buy, but I think £28m is a lot of money.

Balotelli, for me, is a bit of a waste.
Too moody, too stroppy, too lazy, although maybe reserve judgement until Sturridge returns.

Slightly biased, but I think we have had the best purchase.
Good player, works hard, 4 goals in about 7 games, team player and suited to our style of play.

{Ed007's Note - That's not slightly biased, it's sheer lunacy! Man Utd robbed you getting £16 million for him, teams like Hull, Crystal Palace and Leicester valued him in the £3-5 million bracket - you could have signed Shane Long and saved £4m or got Samaras on a free. Welbeck is just the latest in a long line of awful Wenger buys when it comes to strikers.

1.) 14 Oct 2014
14 Oct 2014 23:09:49
007, not sure if your serious or not.

{Ed007's Note - Serious? I am a card-carrying misanthropic sociopath, I despise the entire human race simply because Danny Welbeck is part of it. The SAW films were actually based on my diaries of what I would like to do to Welbeck.}

2.) 14 Oct 2014
14 Oct 2014 23:11:29
Lol - love how much Ed007 hates on Welbeck

{Ed007's Note - How any Englishman person can slag Scottish football when you have players like Welbeck playing in the top league and the national team astounds me. As I used to say to Utd fans, if Welbeck was playing for a Stoke, Wigan or Liverpool would you want to sign him? Did you ever watch a Man Utd game and think to yourself 'I wish we could sign Welbeck, that would be a great move'.}

3.) 14 Oct 2014
Ed, Dags let's ask the same question in May!
Things may look a little different by then personally I think all three will look very good value for money by then but time will tell.

4.) 15 Oct 2014
14 Oct 2014 23:25:58
Harsh Ed, harsh.

Whilst I rate Long and Samaras, Welbeck is 3 years younger than Long and 5 younger than Samaras.

Samaras is unproven in Prem League, has a poor International record (1 goal every 8 games), and at 29, youth is not on his side.

Long is decent, has a good record, but has arguably stepped up from Hull to Southampton for £12m, but has yet to score for The Saints.

Welbeck, 3 years younger, established International, like Long, has scored 4 goals in 7 for Arsenal, and only £4m more.

I accept your case for Shane Long.
Samaras? No way Ed, lol.

{Ed007's Note - No wonder you like Welbeck if you rate Samaras! He was one of the biggest waste of a jersey in 99% of his games for Celtic. I suppose it depends what your ambitions are, Arsenal will never win the league with Danny Welbeck in the team, Dags. Barcelona or Madrid could sign Welbeck and it wouldn't just be bad for them, Spanish football as a whole would suffer and probably end up on a par with the Hungarian league. Dr Fuentes couldn't even help Welbeck.}

5.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 02:12:04
Lol Ed,
Dr Fuentes was innocent of all charges (he probably bribed the panel :-) ).

Harsh on Welbeck mate, we needed somebody to help Giroud, and I think Welbeck could be the perfect player, bearing in mind we could never hope to sign the likes of Suarez, Aguero and Costa, which is a sad statement in itself, possibly adding weight to your theory of us never hoping to win the league.

{Ed007's Note - You could have signed Suarez, you've signed cracking players like Ozil and Sanchez then blow it with signing Welbeck, Arsenal need(ed) an out and out striker, an old fashioned poacher just to stick chances away, Welbeck will never be a prolific scorer. Apart from price do you not think Lukaku would have been a better fit, someone to get on the end of chances and someone Wenger could mould and improve, I just can't see Welbeck improve and he has nowhere near the raw talent of Lukaku. Now as a Celtic supporter you'll understand how hard this is for me to type, Naismith from Everton would do a better job than Welbeck.
Wenger went into 'Galacticos' territory with Ozil and Sanchez then went to Poundland for a striker, it's one of the oddest tranfers in recent times to me.
Is there any truth that Wenger wanted a double deal of Welbeck and Anderson but Anderson's injury suffered in pre-season scuppered it as he wouldn't have passed the medical? You could soon become the new Everton with the amount of Utd rejects in the team.}

6.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 09:16:31
Harsh.

None of us wanted Welbeck when he signed but he has given his all in every game and actually proved he could do a job at Arsenal.

England Stats are 30 games 11 goals (mainly playing out wide)
Arsenal Stats are 7 games 4 goals

I think slagging him off - like most of us did at the beginning was a mistake and it will be interesting to see how he develops.

Scottish football is a joke I'm afraid, why do players in that league come to England?
Swansea and Cardiff saw the light and Welsh football has come on leaps and bounds because of it.

I admire what Celtic have done in the past seasons but it looks like it is all going to pot (mainly down to investment, but is that because nobody is interested on a European base of what happens up there?)

Celtic are crying out for a player like Welbeck so stop piping up!

Also Lukaku is doing pants this year - and didn't turn up in the World Cup - where is the "raw talent" there?

7.) 15 Oct 2014
Agree 100% Rob!

Ed001 Give that Scottish ed a detention please for winding up Dags

{Ed001's Note - how can you agree 100%? He doesn't even have a clue about Swansea and Cardiff. Saw the light? They never played in Welsh league football, there wasn't a Welsh league for them when they started. So they never saw the light, they just never had a choice. How Welsh football can be said to have come on leaps and bounds because of it, when it is so weak and desperate for them to join it, I don't understand.}

8.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 11:26:07
I think I just got into rant mode - Welsh football has definately improved since swansea and cardiff got promoted into the higher divisions.

The squad as a whole seem to be having younger more up and coming players playing more often etc.

But I have no idea really like you said

9.) 15 Oct 2014
Ed007 are you one of those scotishmen who cannot get over the fact that your so called good teams would not finish in the playoffs in our division 2

{Ed007's Note - Are you one of those Englishmen that thinks English football is the be all and end all of football because of TV money but whose clubs consistently flop when it comes to playing big teams in Europe?
And don't pretend you know anything about League 2 football, Arsenal supporters like you are far too pompous, sanctmonious and arrogant to watch lower league football, you can't do much glory hunting in the lower leagues and the fans down in those leagues make far too much noise and show far too much passion for Arsenal fans, the noise would put you off your prawn sandwich.
Do you have a nice hearty round of applause, when Arsenal score, but not too loud in case you wake anyone up, give each other a pat on the back whilst waving your half Arsenal/Tottenham scarf and saying 'By jove old bean that was a fine kick by the number 10 player there, now time for tiffen before I leave 40 mins early to get home for X-Factor.'
How does it feel to be a customer rather than a supporter and who did you cheer on before it became fashionable to buy an Arsenal season ticket just because they cost so much? No doubt you'll be a Man City or Chelsea fan in the next few years, probably City, they're stadium is like a morgue as well so you should feel at home there. The Arsenal crowd make the House of Lords look like a Millwall Jolly Boys outing. Your club means nothing except a name on a football coupon to most people.
All people in Scotland remember of your wee team is you needed to cheat to get past Celtic in the 2009 CL qualifiers, everyone knows how rotten to the core your club is, no matter how much you like to feel sorry for yourselves, nobody else does because nobody else cares, you're nothing but a small London club to outsiders. Most big clubs have ambitions higher than finishing fourth in their league, it's called pride in your club, as a customer you probably don't understand that, enjoy even more years of mediocrity, unless you do switch to supporting a bigger club like Chelsea or City. If you don't get satisfaction from a shop you take your CUSTOM elsewhere, will you do the same with your team, gloryhunting is a fickle business.
If you watch Arsenal regularly because they're local fair enough but which big team do you support, I take a keen interest in Hamilton Accies, my local team, but Celtic are my passion, if Arsenal are your Accies who's your Celtic? Is it Chelsea? Man Utd? Everton?}

10.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 09:36:34
Ed007,

I honestly think Welbeck will do a decent job for us.
Everybody judges him as a Manchester United player, but he was constantly played out of position, and is now enjoying his role as a number 9.

Time will tell Ed.

{Ed007's Note - Arsenal don't need a player to do a decent job, they need someone who will play consistently well.}

11.) 15 Oct 2014
Ed I think your being a bit harsh on Welbeck. He might not have proven himself thus far, for United or Arsenal, but for United he mainly played out on the wing. At Arsenal he will get his chances up top, and I for one am quite excited to see how he does after a decent run of games. Whilst at United, I actually did think he looked good so am happy with the move. He is young, has lungs of steel and doesn't stop running. I also love the British core in the team which he adds to.

Would I have loved Cavani, Costa, Falcao, Benzema? etc.of course. Do I think Welbeck can be of enough quality?. let's wait and see shall we :)

Peace out

{Ed007's Note - You're admitting he's not proven himself at Utd or Arsenal so how am I being harsh, he's 24 ths year. Running about like headless chicken for 90 mins doesn't make you a good footballer.}

12.) 15 Oct 2014
It has improved, but that is because the Welsh have got into football, not really due to Swansea and Cardiff, though they are feeling the benefits.

It was more to do with Mark Hughes and then Gary Speed, plus the TV coverage of the game, converting them from a rugby nation towards a football one.

The rise of Gareth Bale is certainly becoming a major factor in the sport's popularity as well.

But their league is still woeful, because they have no decent teams in it.

13.) 15 Oct 2014
Neither are amazing buys. but welbeck seems the best. if lukaku was 16 million it would be him but he was 28 million which now seems a lot of cash. remy was the best signing at 8 - 10 million

i would still go and get cavani if we get chance in jan or the summer

14.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 12:45:55
Ed007,

Would you like a cuddle? something has obviously rattled your cage.

Welbeck is an upgrade on Sonogo and has a decent start to his career with Arsenal. that's fact. Is he world class? Not yet. Will he be? Who knows?

Your attack on Maidstone Gunner and Arsenal fans as a whole seems to derive from a hatred for our club and its supporters, where does that come from? I was of the opinion that you were here to edit the site and provide an insight in to football that fans do not have through your network of contacts, not slag off the sites users or individuals from certain clubs. Shame reall.

{Ed007's Note - A cuddle from you? Mate if you seen me you me be so much in awe of me you wouldn't be able to speak never mind move to hug me, I'm well out of most common people's league. People pay me just to be seen in my company knowing the advantages it brings to their miserable lives.
I don't dislike Arsenal in the slightest but I do dislike idiotic sanctimonious ar$eholes trying to have a pop at me over sommthing that had nothing to do with the thread, why have a pop at Ssottish football at all in the thread?
I was of the opinion that I'm not here to take random digs on any subject that pops into someone's pea sized brain, it works both ways, I suppose I could have just blocked him for trolling.}

15.) 15 Oct 2014
Ed001, missed the welsh bit sorry, agree 90%,

Still give james bond 007 detention he is behaving very badly!

16.) 15 Oct 2014
15 Oct 2014 15:40:52
Is Ed007 Joey Barton? Angryyyyy and fairly abusive for no reason. Chill Ed

17.) 17 Oct 2014
16 Oct 2014 23:31:56
Still not sure if 007 is serious or not?

We can't help it if the EPL is the best league?
I sometimes watch lower league football and particular enjoy it when the 'irn-Bru celtics' play the 'see you jimmy Rangers'

{Ed007's Note - Who told you the EPL was the best league? The Bundesliga is the best league in the world and has been for a good few years now, from the way the game is governed, the way clubs are ran, the way fans are treated and the attendance levels, the high quality of their youth systms and player production level, all the way to the product on the park are all infinitely better than anything anyone in England can offer. Without Sly's dirty money the EPL would be in big trouble, the Bundesliga doesn't rely on TV money anywhere near as much as English teams, TV money isn't even the biggest income stream to German clubs.
If you want to know if I was serious or not ask Dags, I'd imagine he'll know the answer, but I'm deadly serious regarding the best league debate, I've been talking about the Bundesliga most of the day on the Celtic site as well.
Read up on it yourself, if you're not aware of the set up etc, and you will be amazed at the difference between the English and German league, the most important (to me anyway) is the way fans are generally treated and appreciated by the clubs, this season an adult season ticket for Bayern Munich cost £109.65, it went up from £104 this season and £67 for disabled supporters. Without anyone falling out with me how can Arsenal justify charging Munich fans £132 for a CL match?}