Arsenal Rumours Archive May 15 2012

 

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15 May 2012 22:21:07
Yann M'Vila just been interviewed in France says he will make his decision on his future this Sunday after the final league Match.

GoonerDan

Believable24 Unbelievable3

Ithink he will come to us. We gona need two more signing after him AM and defender that can play all four back positions
Ohio gooners

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15 May 2012 16:55:01
I have no clue what happen's tomorrow, but in the case of Vieira, Henry, Fab, Hleb, Flamini and Nasri, we gave the players the power, and they screwed us.

If we are a big club, we go in and control the negotiations. Paint the picture very clearly. When healthy, we were unplayable at times this season. We are maturing, and Arsene seems ready to spend.

If these things sound promising to Robin, great. If not, thanks for your service. Never should a club have to make a promise to a player other than they'll get a fair shot at playing, and a steady paycheck when it's due. The rest, the player owes to the club.

How many summers now do we have to sit here and feel like a top player for us has the club hostage. This is bulls**t. People lose respect for clubs when players step all over them like they have been to us.

This in no way reflects what I think RVP's intent is. I think, and hope he stays. Regardless, I'm tired of us limping into the transfer windows acting like a victim.

And if he does walk, well that's an additional 30m to reinvest. How many clubs around Europe were better than us this season...I can count a few. Did they have RVP?

My point being, if he walks, we move on, reinvest, buy class, and stop moaning like the damn victim. Did ManU do that when CR7 left? no....neither should we regardless of who wants to go...

At an administrative level, time for Arsenal to start acting like Arsenal again....I.G., most of this is for you pal...buck up, or ship out

US Gooner

Believable18 Unbelievable5

I don't see how we can sit there on one hand and say we need to do whatever we can to keep RVP and then on another hand say he's not bigger than the club. The club is only as good as the players who rep us so if we keep selling our best ones then we suck. We should be doing absolutely everything possible to keep RVP, if it means matching another offer then that's precisely what we should do.

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US Gooner...Couldn't agree more. As much as I'd like RVP to stay and lead us again next season, we have to be realistic as a club. We were loyal through all his injury marred seasons, paying a steady wage and giving him treatment and chances to play. If he decides that the pastures are greener elsewhere, we have to be ready to take the money we can get and reinvest in "world class" quality talent. Unfortunately players leave clubs all the time, and with RVP's injury record being what it is, there is nothing saying he would play more than 10-15 games next season anyway. Plus, the man isn't young anymore either. It's time to say this is our vision, this is our plan, don't like it, good luck elsewhere.

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Well said US gooner

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I think Viera and Henry gave everything for the club and then they needed new adventure and that was the main reason for their departure. The case with the others(+ Van Persi) is very different, they owe much to the club...

BGGOONER

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If he moves, and I hope dont. The board have got to spend on quality, no more gap year players.
We want proven quality, experienced players, someone like Ribery, Robben, schneider.

A GOONER

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Very well said!

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Thierry never screwed us mate, he left us on the back of his worst arsenal season, blighted by injuries, out of all the players you listed, he's the only one who truly loved and still loves us.

D

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US Gooner (stan) If you were RVP would you stick with Arsenal? Also if he does walk i dont think that 30 mil will be reinvested (did you start supporting Arsenal this year?), when has player transfer ever been re-invested in the last 4-5 years? Learn to live with the pain and cheer for the 4th spot.

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Although i agree with your post. i think that times have changed and the top top players are able to hold there clubs to ransom. all because of the wages Man city pay. it convinces any top player that that is what they should be getting. football is the loser for it. wage caps and transfer caps please.

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If the man wants to go then we should let him leave with our blessings. I think he owes us out of the loyalty we showed to him ... but these days there's not much loyalty about. However, we got great money for Kolo, Ade, Cesc, Nasri and even Hleb ... if we get 20 - 30M for RvP we should invest ... Arteta may have replaced Nasri ... we never replaced Cesc ... we should at least re-invest the transfer monies on 2/3 class players ... I still hope RvP stays.

It says a lot when Mancini covets half of our team ... did they not bid for Koscielny in January ?

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Henry has a statue at our stadium. Not one negative thing can be said about him, that will linger longer than 5 seconds...anyone that thinks his leaving us was 'ditching' us etc..they have a short memory.

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I appreciate you think I'm Kroenke...I would absolutely LOVE to be a billionaire, so here's to wishful thinking...and the Spuds in the Europa league

US Gooner

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No, they didnt.

And I get the impression that mancini doesnt mind buying our players, because it weakens us whilst strengthening his own team at the same time.

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Well said US gooner - let's remember who we are - last season was a shambles and was lost before the transfer window closed
ppp

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A player can only take us soo far, much like a manager at times.

Henry was 29 when he left us...still had 2-3 good years in him, but he wanted to win the champions league and he did so his move was justified.

Cesc wanted to go home, he went there and won the spanish supercup, the club world cup, the uefa super cup and possibly the copa del rey...

surely he will win the other two trophies in a team like barcelona, its only a matter of time. once again his move was justified.

nasri - well i dislike the critter, but whatever his motive he won a title, so why are we judging him? that is what we humans are born to do...win...and the point of football is to win. Well done to samir...but i will never like you.

now if wenger and arsenal dont spend then how can we blame persie for wanting to win? did the club stand by him when he was injured? yes they did. but does that mean he should be blackmailed and stay for sentimental reasons and possibly not win anything just cause he owes us? NO

the point is to win...if arsenal dont show ambition why should a player worth twice his contract and world class label settle for less.

we want to be financially stable and all that jazz, being the 4th richest club in the world. we pay players like djourou who would be thrown out of a stoke team for his rubbish defense.

we need to wake up...make our voices heard...its our club...we dont like something say it...not agree to whatever is being told to us.

We all knew how hard this season was going to be...but if wenger and the board do the same as last year, im sorry i dont have fool written all over me.

great stuff for 3rd...but if thats our target, im not going to accept it...call me what you want..but we are capable of more.

Its time we voiced our opinions and if wenger does not change its time for him to go...as mourinho once said...if you aint first there is no prize in coming second.

wenger needs to show ambition, drive to bring better players sell our junk...and move in the right direction. loaning players out and having a 34 man squad who are not worthy to play for blackburn does not excite me. btw they beat us.

so think of it whichever way you want...yes this season was a success as it was a failure before the first month was over...but if we are to settle for the same from now on, then the rest of you can gladly buy the expensive tickets and see the likes of djourou and squillachi try tame messi...for me id rather save my money and spend it on something usefull like a bag of chips...worth the same in value as those two players.

lakerville

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If RVP won't sign then there is a sign we won't become an ambitious club again. Selling has to stop NOW! 3rd and 4th is not enough!

DrchoGooner

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I agree that Ivan Gazidis has had a couple of extremely rocky seasons even if many things were out of his control. The end of the last transfer window was a shambles, and the fact that good performances came from some of the men hastily brought in does not negate that fact. Gazidis and Wenger both need to accept that irrationality of this market and allow for the petty games clubs and agents play to draw out transfers. Targets need be be identified now, the bidding needs to begin as the transfer window opens, and all planned movement needs to be completed before the last 2 weeks of the window. After that, opportunistic sales and purchases can be strategized on a foundation of sound planning and stability.

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This post is spot on. We want to win titles RVP, stay or go. No more pleading please. As a club we're far bigger than that.

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Viera and Henry didn't screw us they went when we were ready for them to leave

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Again people are placing the blame at the wrong doorstep...listen at the end of the say no player is bigger than a club...i would love RVP to stay especially since he has started to understand the movement of a striker...but if he wants to leave good luck to him...
Whether you choose to accept it or not we have been a club in transition for a very long time and I think we are slowly starting to get back into gear (in terms of financial muscle et al) ...
anybody who knows the club's history knows the club has almost always been v prudent on how it spends its money ..it is part of the DNA...that does not mean we dont go for players but we have always adopted a prudent and considered view to it all..
That said, the arrival of limitless financial power by other clubs have changed the focus slightly ...Make no mistake
ALL Mgrs want to get the best and brightest but only the great ones know how to do this within the constraints of a club...Fergie/Arsene are among a few ...
I believe the club in the past have wanted to adopt a similar strategy to that seen in ManUtd and Borussia in terms youth development but not always found the right mix with experience and proven quality players...thsi is starting to change i think and as Gooner one can only be positive about this...
Sure we have had a terrible season (in spite of the 3rd place) but my job as a supporter is to : support and i will do this no matter what...

Remember: acceptance of the current status quo is not always an acceptance of mediocrity...

ES

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Great post,I totally agree on everything

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15 May 2012 16:31:11
Arsenal have the 4th highest wage bill in the premier league, so, whilst we are outperforming ourselves by finishing 3rd, do you think our players represent honest value for money? Baring in mind we have a wage cap that prevents us from competing with city/utd/chelsea/spurs - realistically, how many players need to leave arsenal for us to drop our wage outgoings to a level where we can buy big money players..

If you consider the players that people often list on here to be dropped from the team and sold..

Squillachi, djourou, arshavin, chamack, almunia, bendtner, vela, denilson.....

Your looking at 400k+ a week money saved, + the money brought in from sales (with the exception of almunia who is now a free man)..

Now, if Arsenal DID do such a clear out (which I personally think is not going to happen. 2 players sold maximum, the rest back out on loan) - where do you think the money would go? 2 million pounds a month in wages to spare, and for arguements sake, 20 million in the bank.

To buy m'vila, lets say he will leave for 25 million. Well with his wages ontop of that, 100?k a week (driven up by other clubs wanting him) - your not left with much left from the money made from all the sales and wages saved from 5-6 players..

Is m'villa worth more than 6 players?

For a football fan that wants to see his team be the best, of course its worth it. But for a business that wants to make, and save, money..?

When I thought about this..it made me think that this summer wasnt going to be as exciting on the transfer front, as it should be. We did buy podolski, but dont forget we sold nasri for twice the amount, and nasri had higher wages. We sold fabregas for almost 3 times the amount, and he had higher wages aswell.

Everytime Arsenal do a transfer, its money saved and profit gained. When the dividends are paid out, we are back to square one again. Sell to buy.

Arsene wenger is doing an incredible job when you consider the financial restraints he has at Arsenal. If he was at a rich club, I truely believe he would be winning the league and the champions league no problem at all.

cheers

Believable20 Unbelievable4

Our wages are far higher than spurs, and only a few mil shy of utd's

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I thought we dont give dividends.

Ash

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Nice post. our whole wage structure needs sorting out. to many on 50,000 who should be 15000.

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I agree with this post ... BUT ... who signed these players and awarded them their contracts ? I think the time has come when we need fewer players of greater quality ... even if that means utility players like Vertonghen. Surely better value than Djourou and Squillachi combined and probably not as expensive wages

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I have to say, that is the best post i've seen in ages. I love this club and will support it whatever the circumstances but i somtimes feel cheated cause the board won't come out and tell the truth while Arsene is left out to dry.

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AW is just as responsible for the wage clogging in the post invincibles era as the board is. He believes that greater (relative) equality in wages leads to better team chemistry. I understand the sentiment, but I think that at a certain amount of money the marginal benefit of more money per week as a means of in-game motivation diminishes to nil. Look at Carlos bloody Tevez. Hunger is something that can't be solved on a spreadsheet, but I think AW has to embrace a more starkly tiered wage structure to ensure that there is stable quality in the first team and also enough turnover in the squad to reward hunger and promise performance related wage advancement.

Also, I think M'vila is going to be offered 90k a week at most. That's the current ceiling, and while it'll be broken for RVP it won't be dismantled for a young DM with no Champion's League experience.

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This was a very good post. Do you also have any information on the rumours of Asmanov fiinally getting his place on the board. He is buying more shares, which may tip the opposition to him, and as a man even more rich than Kronke ( who appears unwilling to spend his his money) Asmanov has previously indicated his desire to spend his money because of his love for Arsenal. Richer than even Abramovich, a 100 million would be nothing to him. Comments by Wenger suggest that something is in the air.

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15 May 2012 16:11:56
Does anyone else think that Wenger should offer a one year contract to Del Piero? The guy has said England would interest him and that he isn't looking for insane wages. I know he is 37, but pace was never part of his game (and he showed he still has what it takes this season), and he is part of that ultra slick kind of forward of the Dennis Bergkamp variety. Would offer more than Bendtner/Chamakh etc. and is a class act and could have the kind of impact Raul had when he teamed up with Klaas at Schalke, plus experience to give to the young un's.
GunnerBob

Believable13 Unbelievable22

One of very few italian players i like, he seems to be a true gentleman, i think he got 1-2 more seasons on top level

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No. but maybe Gattuso would be worth a year. while Coch and Frimpong mature. cheaper than mvila!

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Yes gattuso would give us extra experience would love to see him in an arsenal shirt..del Piero would not come as Wenger would only offer pay as you play deal

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Wenger's theories on the aging process of players would seem to rule out Del Piero and probably Gattuso, who has played very little for Milan for a couple seasons now. I think that Wenger's really only comfortable with outfielders up to the age of 35, and he needs to see consistent fitness to take a punt, otherwise we would have worked harder to give Hargreaves a job.

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Would be a great signing. He has scored some important goals for Juve this season and still can make the difference in the final 20 mins of a game, something we needed in many games this season. However I also think that any interview given to the Italian Press that is not live and recorded is suspect and he may be off to the US with an off season loan move back to Milan each year.
GoonerDan

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15 May 2012 14:59:07
Could be nothing but we are favourites to sign victor moses on sky bet.

Believable16 Unbelievable16

Seems about right. Hazard to city, kagawa to united and moses to arsenal :/

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Ha ha this is funny, if it ends up happening it'll take me back to when we signed chris kiwomya and john hartson, i thought we'd moved on from these sort of players

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I would see Hoilett in instead of Moses. He seems more exciting and I think he pushes Walcott a lot harder in terms of straight line speed. With the both of them costing a pittance I'd take the one that cost a little more in wages anyway.

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15 May 2012 14:53:30
Hey ed.
There has been rumours that arsenal have put in a bid for kagawa. But it is probably too late because he is already united bound.
Do you know anything about this? {Ed002's Note - No. Sorry.}

Believable14 Unbelievable15

Yes mate its true... We have indeed bid for kagawa. Whether its too late or not, i have no idea

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15 May 2012 14:49:38
Hey ed.
About a week ago i heard it was 99% certain that after the west brom game we would be signing m'vila.
But im yet to hear any news of the transfer going through.
Do you think we will sign him? {Ed002's Note - Probably but I am not 99% certain.}

Believable14 Unbelievable5

There's still one game to play in the French league so I doubt it will happen until after this coming weekend.

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You heard it wrong mate. I think it wont be unitil ligue 1 finishes since rennes are involved in a fight for europa place. The tussle was on till this weekend, not sure how the results have panned out though.

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I heard the deal was already in place with everything agreed but aw is trying to get arsenal a better deal which could spoil it

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I think with United seeming to prefer Javi Martinez, we're the only major team to have a glaring need for DMs and we'll go all out for a signing we've been aching for since last season. Even if it takes a little wiggle in negotiations, with other teams moving into periods of relative conservatism for the new rules we have a good head start.

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15 May 2012 14:33:59
Ed tomorrow is the meeting between wenger and rvp.ed do you think rvp will ask wenger to make big money signings {Ed002's Note - I am not psychic - and my guess would be no better than yours. What do you think?}

Believable6 Unbelievable8

I think wenger will offer him a good wage incentive to stay, but nothing more. I think Rvp will goto juventus or inter this summer.

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I think its going to be more like this;
persie; 'boss im getting towards the last few years of my career and i really want to win some trophies with arsenal, what are our chances of this happening next season?'
wenger; 'well, i understand what your trying to say. i also want to win trophies, and next year we wont be able to do it without you. i am sure with the current squad and a couple of additions we will definately be in with a good shout.'
persie; 'if thats the case boss, then we have to buy some quality players, im very happy with the signing of podolski but we still need a couple top quality signings. if you bring in 2/3 top class signings then i will be convinced we are going in the right direction and will have success next season and will therefore sign a new deal. but not till after key signings are made.'
wenger; 'yes i will definately look into that. we have a few key targets and we are working on getting those deals done, hopefully they are upto your satisfaction.'
persie; 'thanks boss, lets bring success to arsenal, and make it the best club it once was.'
wenger; 'yes that is definately the aim. lets hope everything works out the way we plan. good luck at the euros im sure you'll do well.'
Waq
lol if this is how it turns out then WOW.

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No I think unlike Cesc and Samir, Arsene won't sell him Jack replaces Cesc and Samir really wasn't very good for us...I think RVP will push for 3 or 4 big(ish) signings and will sign a contract...M'vila,Vertonghen/Sakho then Kagawa/Erikson and/or Giroud/Suarez/Lewandowski is sign...Hopefully;)

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15 May 2012 14:38:06
To All my fellow gooners - do you guys believe that AFC will come to a stand-still if RVP left? I would like him to stay but if he decides to leave then AFC will move on as we have always done! The spirit of Arsenal is unmatched! As long as we get a replacement i am not too worried about one man leaving bcos not much happnened to us when king Henry left. Cmon ya gooners !

Believable23 Unbelievable6

Yes, except we failed to win anything ever since! And we never do replace our "world class" players with other ones - always a "promising youngster" or an "over the hill freebie"

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Haha indeed. 'not much happened to us when king henry left'..well, your right there...nothing at all happened of note. We've won no trophies, and signed no superstars. You are right to suggest that life goes on..and as we can see, we finished 3rd this year without cesc, who was our 'star' player. But we still havent won anything...and in 30 years time, people arent going to remember us finishing 3rd, 20 points behind the league winner.

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I agree we haven't won anyghing in the last few years and part of the reason for that is that we haven't replaced our top players. However if people out there dont understand and appreciate the difference between "buying" success and " achieving " success then its quite unfortunate. Any person could create a team and win the title with half a billion pound. I believe in the "arsenal" way and our patience will be rewarded when the financial fair play rules come in. Teams like Man-u, chelski and city would not be dominating anymore. Long live the philosophy and ethics of arsenal.

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If RVP leaves then we buy Giroud and possibly one of the more promising CAM options, maybe a Belhanda or something. I think it could be messy, but it would result in the same young, hungry team we all know and love, possibly with more room to grow into contention as united and city's squads age.

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15 May 2012 14:31:00
What do you all think about going for Darren Bent
I think we can get him cheaper than a lot if names on this site and knows the premier league, your thoughts??

Believable8 Unbelievable22

Just no, never

real-goon

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Now no But of seasons ago yes I think If Wenger had brought a couple of years ago in January Transfer market we would have won the league as RVP was injured and didn't have goal scorer.

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Ugh. I support arsenal because they would never resort to thumping balls into the channels for the dross that is Darren Bent.

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Cheaper than most others named on this site

do you not realise that being English immediately results in a 1000% price hike? (case in point Jones/Downing/Carroll/Henderson)

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15 May 2012 14:14:49
As good as it may be to buy big names...think about this...
Wouldn't it be great, if we kept our stingy ways and won the league?
It would really show the big teams how its done. Makin profits of 10-30 mil every year is unbelievable in the Premier League and whats even more phenominal is that we have secured 3rd place with these methods, i think with a few smart signings and some luck with injuries this league could be ours.
I know it isn't the most realistic post, but could you imagine lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the season with no big money signings and wages of 250k per week? People will be taking pay cuts to join us.

It'll be like showing a kid who can juggle a soccer ball, how to juggle it with your heels, eyes closed. (if that makes sense).

Seriously, i don't think Wenger has been far off, if all the Adebayors, Nasri's, Fabregas' etc. had stayed, we would be guaranteed champions with the Wenger ways, which has gotten me thinking that the Wenger idea isn't wrong, its the players who leave that keep it all up.

Not that i condone stingy methods with no spending, we obviously do need to buy a few big names if we want to win something, but just imagine if we win it by doing it the Arsenal way.

But anyway, one day when we win the league, the Arsenal way, i will say 'i told you so' and no other teams fans can say boo because we didn't do it with money, we did it with class.

We did it the right way.

Nick.

Believable16 Unbelievable11

Problem is we pay the benchwarmers far too much (and some of our first teamers as well), which is why we can't move them on. How about actually sitting them down and making it clear the big paydays come after they win something? If we payed our lesser players the kind of wages they would expect at other clubs, we couild easily afford a few stars on higher money commensurate with their ability

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Players can leave but atleast replace them, no one is asking wenger to spend 40 mill and buy aguero.

we had mata for 20 odd mill last year and we all know what happened. He's been chelsea best player this season.
Imagine him instead of walcott and poldi on the other side with persie up front...but instead we got gerv...who looked good but all he is = walcott - walcotts left leg = gerv

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It would be amazing if we won the league without spending big money on transfers. Thats exactly the mentality our board and manager has. Thats why we havent won a trophy for 7 years. So yeh, you carry on thinking that m8....

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But if we are beinging honest we havent even been close to winning the league our stingy way isnt working, i personally think Champions league might be a better shout as if we can get past group stages you only need your players to but in some big performances for like 7 games i think, whereas this league you need to be preety consistant and good all year round

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Mate spending 10-15MILL is nothing big in the era we live. Its still nothing as compared what others pay for... spending 10-15mill on a player and we can still achieve that and I dont think anyone can question the price tags then

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15 May 2012 13:40:41
Starting to hear strong rumours that we are in for Luuk De Jong from FC Twente as a replacement for Bendtner.

North Carolina Gooner.

Believable10 Unbelievable17

Would be a solid signing, certainly someone who could grow with us. I'm always a bit hesitant to buy a striker from the Eredivisie though, since it's a free scoring league. Strikers from there don't always produce in the PL.

Also, NC Gooner, where in NC are you from? I actually go to school right outside of Greensboro.

Ty

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Yeah because van nistlerooy and Roy mackaiy (spelling), never made it. Oh yeah and a certain Suarez.

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TY rvp came form the dutch league and look at him now

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Can understand what Ty is saying cos afonso alves flopped

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And van persie...and bergkamp..

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I'm from Raleigh.

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Yes, obviously RVP and van Nistelrooy is/was quite good. But they are people on the opposite end of the spectrum too. Look at Bryan Ruiz, scored 35 in 65 for FC Twente, then scored only 2 in 30 for Fulham. I don't think Suarez is as big of a success as everyone thinks...only had 11 league goals this year.

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Huntelaar had some growing pains too after leaving the eredivisie, but he was a pure finisher. It really depends on the player, as flair players seem to retain their overall impact yet take more time to adjust to scoring freely again, but pure forwards are in a kind of sink or swim situation and end up being a pretty big gamble. The benefits of it paying off are fairly obvious, but even the best case scenario of a bad adjustment would be dirk kuyt, who makes me shudder every time he shanks a ball in the area.

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15 May 2012 13:26:00
Ryo:

"I want to become their best player and be the sort of player who can carry them in games,"

"I hope I can win a place in the first team when I go back to Arsenal."

Hope Wenger gives him a shot next season and not out on loan. Would like to see him as backup to Podolski on the left.

Believable24 Unbelievable3

He has the work ethic to thrive...much like wilshere and the ox...its a shame we dont have more of them...or they are still to shine in a few years...

sad to have players like gerv who dont track back.

even chamakh plays with more spirit even thou he lacks talent.

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I think Ryo spends one more year out on loan because otherwise we have an overload of wingers, and Ox is definitely the next young thing to get a long runout in the league. If we offload both park and chamakh and only bring in poldi in attack, there's a chance ryo stays to insure against an injury crisis. He does look pretty damn good, though.

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15 May 2012 12:41:57
Anyone else here think that we should have a look at Nilmar?
Quality, don't think he'd want to play in the Spanish 2nd division, it would drop his price, i think he would have a great impact coming off the bench.
Nick. {Ed002's Note - Nilmar is likely to move to Roma, Galatasary, Fiorentina or his favoured Sao Paulo.}

Believable3 Unbelievable14

Maybe diego lopez as a back up for szczesny as he also won't want to play in spanish second league. maybe rossi from villareal also

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15 May 2012 12:11:52
Adebayor return?

Ur thoughts plz!

Believable9 Unbelievable32

Adebayor was a disgrace to Arsenal football club. Neither would I want or think he would come back. No Chance.

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Sure!
How about we bring Nasri back too?
Sorry mate but Adebayor isn't welcome here anymore, simple as that.
Nick.

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Adebayor? pffft no chance, he's already turned his back on arsenal so why would arsenal want him back? if van persie goes then arsenal will look to sign benzima from real madrid

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I heard that he has chilled down alot now and where as he use to have this big ego he is actually a nice bloke? is there too much friction from when he left i dont know but there is no doubting he is a good striker and i think if he came out and publically apoligised then i would take him back, dont know if RVP would play alongside him though?

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Ide sooner see kaba diawara back than him!

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Adebayor is pretty much the opposite of what we need. He needs a close, high striking partner to put away the chances he makes with his height because he's never been a natural finisher, which pretty much makes him irrelevant if we keep playing a relatively tight midfield three. He's also gangly strolling garbage when he's in a bad mood, and bringing him into a poisonous atmosphere like the emirates would make him an expensive waste of time.

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15 May 2012 12:08:45
Ed do u think wenger will sign mvilla and vertongen?plz tell me {Ed002's Note - I would have had them "nailed on" two weeks ago but Vertonghen is looking less likely right now. M'Vila is there for the taking.}

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15 May 2012 12:05:12
Im very nervous over RVP's future and I can't wait to hear the outcome of these initial talks tomorrow. Ed, with your knowledge do you see him moving or staying in your eyes? Everyone else what do you think?
I cant quite make my mind up I believe he loves the club a lot however a small part of me still thinks/worries he may be lured away and that the love for the club may not be enough.

AFC 21 {Ed002's Note - I have said all along I really expect him to stay.}

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Ed do you think we'd keep him for the next season even if he refused to sign a new contract?

iceman {Ed002's Note - I don't know and I would rather hope he will sign the contract.}

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15 May 2012 11:45:38
Also heard that Wenger is looking at Ki from Celtic. 6m would be enough for the man voted South Korea's best player, at 22. Great range of passing but doesn't suit the SPL's physical nature of play, but shines in the European games.

kev88

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Sorry mate but unless they have set the SPL alight, even more than Jelavic did then their not up to Arsenal standard. I have saw Ki loads of times and he is decent but just is not Premier league standard let alone AFC standard.
BR

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Doubt it mate, I truly believe ki would be a hit. He was dubbed the Asian Stevie G when he was a teenager. And for someone at Celtic to be voted better than Ji sung Park, and Park Chu Young, who is at Arsenal, must go to show he has talent

kev88

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Celtic seem to rate him pretty highly, but I can't imagine him coming in as more than a squad player and he'd certainly be too pricey in that regard. Asian players need to spend time in high tempo, highly technical, or physical leagues before there's any proof they'll be able to survive the dreaded wet windy night in stoke, and in the SPL Ki's performances certainly don't have the ring of truth that Kagawa's do.

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15 May 2012 10:46:08
Hi guys
just read, demba ba is looking to quit magpies..He has been on a roll dis season..d guy is a true veteran. He is strong, skilled, robust and disciplined...i am pretty sure he would definitely be eyeing at the europian championship!

I would really love to see him play at arsenal...if rvp stays on then ba along wid ryo and ox would add tremendous depth to our attack!!
for once our bench strength might look good...


Eds - Wat do u think? Will Wenger be interested in him or would he still prefer giroud over him? {Ed002's Note - I have no idea what Wenger will think about this. Sorry.}

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For whatever high fee he would cost (wages as well) and his injury record i don't think he is worth it.
seemingly he is offers more than park/chamakh (who doesn't!) but when he was firing for newcastle they were playing to him, since pappa cisse has rocked up his own game has suffered, it would be the same here with rvp and i don't think he would move to a club in this point in his career to clearly be the number 2 unless it was on mega money which doesn't sound like us.

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15 May 2012 10:00:26
I've seen younes belhanda's name mentioned a few times here and there as a possible signing- he looks very talented; we're in desperate need of some flair in my opinion, but i must question buying another african player who will be gone for 6 important weeks every other season. and many times it isnt just a case of them going for 6 weeks and coming straight back into the team; it totally disrupts the rythm of the team and the player. Gervinho was just starting to look like he was fitting in and adapting to the pace of the league; he comes back from the acon and he's worse than he was before. would rather we spent a bit more money on christian eriksen who looks as good, if not better.

AG {Ed002's Note - And a player who has been valued at 30M euros.}

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Looks like Inter are making moves for him.....AW better be quick if he wants him.

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15 May 2012 09:55:05
Arsenal to sign Victor Moses and Junior Hoilett, who are both out of contract this summer however the gunners are set to lose out on Eden Hazard and Shinji Kagawa who are both Manchester bound.

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15 May 2012 08:53:04
I really think we should consider cashing in on Walcott and picking up Hoilett to replace hime. Hoilett has a similar number of goals and assists this season playing in a far inferior team so surely he could do better than Theo. Ed do you have any idea what sort of figure the compensation for Hoilett would be? Thanks

SJ {Ed002's Note - It can either be negotiated with Blackburn or passed to a third party for assessment - Perhaps £1.5M or a little more.}

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Hoilett is good but NOT better than Theo...remember Barca identified Theo as the danger man for Arsenal.
i would sign Hoilett as he is on a free but would you spend 10-15-20million on buying him???

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The point being that he is on a free, possibly with some meager compensation. Walcott's pace makes him a menace and a weapon, but Hoilett has the better touch and would be just as if not more dangerous when defenses drop deep to starve Theo out. Walcott's turnovers and dispossessions alone this season make him a clear situational player, and not a 40 game starter, unless he grows some extra feet. Or just one that he can trap the damn ball with.

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15 May 2012 08:50:25
Don't see what all the big fuss about us losing out on Hazard is. He's spoiled, wants big wages, and is yet to achieve anything at the real top level of the game. Besides, we've got Chamberlain who is a much better/more proven player at 18, than hazard was. Mind you, last season Gervinho pulled out much better stats than Hazard. So if we get M'Vila, Vertonghen (in no way is his transfer to Tiny Totts confirmed) and Podolsi, Ive heard from Le Grove that we are very much in for another very exciting player. Wonder who that could be.

Row Z

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All Speculation. Hazard by no means is an inferior player. he has won the league title and personal awards which are not just handed out for fun. He has performed to win.

Can you say the same about our arsenal players? besides persie and flashes from the Ox, none of our other players have had a consistent season like hazard.

dont hate the player...yes his ethics may not line with a club like ours but theres no denying his talent. he may not be messi good but he can certainly achieve a level similar to ronaldo in terms of gameplay

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15 May 2012 05:23:43
ed...how about possibilities do we get Kyriakos papadopoulus from schalke 04..cheap,young and quite qualities player..will be good signing to arsenal..wil begood backup for our back four..

asiangunners.. {Ed002's Note - There is no intereest, so slim at best.}

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15 May 2012 05:03:35
I see people posting we need another striker?

Guiseppe Rossi

Villareal relagated so i doubt he would want to play in the 2nd division, and so what if he is injured proven goal scorer that can be picked up cheaply

INS:
Podolski 11 Million
Rossi 8 Million
M'Vila/De Jong

OUTS:
Almunia,Squid,djourou,gervinho,diaby,chamakh,bendtner,vela,denilson. Maybe loan out Jenks and Ramsey IMO

Northern Gooner

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From Wikipedia:"Rossi reinjured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee in training on 13 April 2012 and will out for further 10 months"

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If sagna gets injured ,jenks is cover, I would give Gervinho one more season.

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Two serious injuries in a year, i doubt we will go for rossi,

most of the villareal team will stay in spain and move to other teams, with malaga willing to pay alot more then we can. Also taxes are lower there.

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Y not go for nilmar then he would be cheaper and more of an exciting player

VP.10

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15 May 2012 01:25:21
So after Wenger's time in Japan he is perhaps any Japanese person's ideal manager, but in the era of Ji Sung Park United is the Asian continent's favorite team. Shinji Kagawa at United basically lines up behind Wayne Rooney for the second striker role, but at Arsenal he's just as likely to get shunted out to the left to make room for more ball-playing central midfielders. He's used to a dynamic young dressing room and a slightly cultish tactical philosophy, but he also seems to have a voracious desire to win and an unbreakable work ethic. Given the - slightly far-fetched - possibility that we match United's bid for Shinji Kagawa, Who do you think wins? Eds? Anyone?

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I think ManUtd as Alex Ferguson made a personal check on him.
They spend more on players to increase their title chances.

With Dortmund winning over the last couple of years i magine he (Kagawa) wants to continue just like that.

As much as i love Arsenal. I think ManU will pip us again next year because i don't see Wenger spending on further 3 or 4 quality players (needed to win titles).

Stefan

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Exactly. There is in contest. Man utd all day long. Unfortunately.

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Boy that is mighty depressing.

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14 May 2012 21:03:52
Eds is there any interest in muniain from Bilbao as I rate him very highly and feel he could be that creative spark from midfield we ve been missing! {Ed002's Note - Muniain was touted around the clubs on behalf of Bilbao in January - and the two clubs in England that were approached were Chelsea and Manchester United. The asking price was 40M euros. They won't get it because I don't think clubs would risk half of that on a player who is young and has had some off field issues. If the price comes down to a reasonable level I can see interest from several English clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool. Roma interest is still there and rumours abound of Juventus and Malaga interest but perhaps an eventual move to Barcelona beckons.}

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Hes from catalonia isnt he...if barcelona called for him. he'd probably stay there till retirement.

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He's Basque - all Athletic players are. From Pamplona.

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14 May 2012 23:38:13
The Podfather, we welcome you to The Arsenal.

Ben

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14 May 2012 23:34:22
would it really be the end of the world if rvp was to leave!

arsenal under wenger have a style of play that dictates we will always create chances so a good forward will score no matter what. podolski has similar playing style to rvp so maybe wenger has looked early for a possible replacement - ideally every arsenal fan would like them upfront together but you cant always get what you want.

rvp is looking at his last big contract, he will want promises of top calibre footballers coming to the emirates and the ambition to win trophies not finish 3rd and qualify for the champions league every season. our trophy cabinet has been bare for the last 7 years, we have lost quality players every season and replaced them with youngsters who have through no fault of their own lost confidence and the winning mentality the great arsenal teams had under wengers early years.

wenger will have to break the mould to keep rvp, he must have learned from last years fiasco. yes, we have quality youngsters coming through but we also need quality proven players, top draw players who can handle big games and kill off lesser teams. the youngsters should be bedded in slowly to let them get the feel of the pace in the premiership rather than putting them in the cauldron and losing their confidence.

you can name every player we have sold in the last seven years - we have not replaced them with like for like players - our trophy cabinet tells us that.

personally i think rvp will stay even for another season, he is playing coy with the board because he wants to see ambition, wenger will have to spend this season or we will end up without a trophy and the reality of losing our best players every season without replacing them.

we do not need to break the bank like others but we should be looking at success over 'maximum' profit.

GS

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Whichever way you look at it, if not this summer then in Jan or next summer we will have to buy his replacement. Is that Podolski? Could be. Would I prefer someone like a taller Aguero? Yes, but will we spend that?

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Yes, yes it would

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The reality is with us and has been for a number of years. The board will balance any offers for RVP against a fan backlash and loss of income for a temporary period. Once we start winning RVP will not be greatly missed ala Fabregas, Nasri and Clichy. Of those three we miss Fabregas the most and his ability to unlock defences at crucial times. If Podolski bangs in 30 we will be hailing a new hero this time next year. However our squad quality diminishes a little more each year

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If RVP wont sign a new contract the board will have to sell him. What company would take a 25m loss (plus his current wages for next season) and let him go free?
Yet again the board have let a contract run down on a top player and the club are left in a venerable position.

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