After a sunny few days in Spain I'm back and annoyingly we've not hit the International break although that may be a blessing in disguise. On Sunday we played out a 1-1 draw with Leicester away on what proved to a thoroughly frustrating afternoon.
After just 20 minutes we took the lead through Alexis Sanchez with his first Premier League goal and his second Arsenal goal following his crucial finish against Besiktas. Cazorla picked the ball up on the edge of the box and scooped it over the defence to Sanogo who through a complete fluke somehow found Sanchez who smashed it past the keeper and defenders. As we looked to build on out lead Koscielny clashed heads and was rushed back on sporting a rather interesting piece of headgear. This decision proved costly bearing in mind it was a head injury. Leicester broke and the defence was at sixes and sevens allowing a simple header past SZCZ.
The rest of the game was utterly frustrating with Arsenal struggling to get any fluidity going. There were some particularly poor performances from Sanogo who I'll come to in a bit and Ramsey who was definitely off. Chambers who replaced Koscielny almost instantly after the equaliser played well in general but showed a moment of inexperience as instead of standing his man up went sliding in and allowed the player to simply drag it back across him only to shoot into the side netting. SZCZ made a huge save in the second half one on one and we simply failed to create anything.
The frustration on social media was clear to see as people called upon the manager to buy a striker after Sanogo's poor showing. I hate to put a young player down but he's clearly not ready for the step up to lead the line and I can't help but feel he needs to clear his head and get some game time in the so called "lesser" competitions.
As deadline day began fans were horrified to learn that Arsene Wenger had flown to Rome to referee a charity match. As the day wore on, news of Arsenal moves was non-existant until out of the blue Danny Welbeck was having a medical with us and the move was confirmed for around £16m. I'm not sure what to make of him as a player but United fans were particularly disappointed with the move. His work rate is evident and I do think with the right service when we get going that he could bang a few in for us.
However much more worrying was our lack of movement for a centre half. We are currently just one injury away from being worse than bare bones. Quite how we can go into a season with 6 fit first team defenders is beyond mind boggling. Chambers is the only senior (at age 19) stand in we have. Following that we have nobody. Arguably the player who was most likely to make the step up Ignasi Miquel has been sold, leaving us from either a) a makeshift back four with possibly the likes of Flamini in there or b) promoting a youngster.
I refuse to believe there was nobody available for the manager to sign and we are taking a huge gamble from now until January banking out our defence staying fit which let's face it we don't have the best track record of doing. However it's done now and this is our team so we may as well get behind them and see where we end up. I'll be back next week with a preview of the City game. Until then.
Showing posts with label transfer news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transfer news. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Transfers In: Ozil and Viviano
What a whirlwind 48 hours for Arsenal fans. Beating Tottenham in derby who had at that point spent £100m on 7 new players. They didn't really get going and we restricted them to mainly off-target long shots. Olivier Giroud scored in his third PL game in a row, that's every league game so far this season. It was a gritty hard fought win but well worth it and who wouldn't have taken that beforehand. It also shut a lot of big-mouthed spurs fans up who had been spouting all season.
In a cheeky press-conference after the game with a sly smile that Arsenal fans have seen many times, Wenger said: "We might have a good surprise for you". Following Bales departure everything kicked into gear and rumours started about Mesut Ozil. Deadline day promised to be a good one.
Before anything else we signed a goalkeeper on loan from Palermo who spent last season at Fiorentina. Emiliano Viviano is 27 and a keeper I know very little about but from what I saw he kept something like 11 clean sheets in 32 games. That's a fine season and if he provides some good competition for our current keeper then great.
Then our attention turned to the signing of Mesut Ozil. Various media outlets suggested it was done at around 6pm but like many until I saw official confirmation I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. We waited and waited and waited, Sky prolonged it and then with around half an hour left it was official much to the excitement of Arsenal fans everywhere, no less outside the Emirates.
As the Sky reporter was eager to point out this has destroyed our record transfer fee beforehand by £27.5m almost tripling our fee for Arshavin. But there is no doubt that he is worth every penny of it, a player who is easily within the top 10 midfielders in the world and a player who was described by Jose Mourinho as the best CAM in the world. He is a player who's close control, technical ability and reading of the game is second to none and also the player with the most assists across Europes top 5 leagues for the last 3 years.
He is a totally unselfish player and is more than happy to set up others. I can see him doing great things behind our striker.
Now it's not all sunshine and rainbows. We didn't get another striker and there are questions that need to be asked about how we conducted our business and Ozil isn't going to suddenly make us title contenders. But this is more a statement of intent from Arsenal that we are coming back and we are willing to spend the top money to get the top players. Sky reported last night that it was a combination of Wenger, Gazidis and (yes, believe it or not) Kronke. Kronke and Gazidis really wanted to get this one in and I really hope that is true and it shows backing from the businessmen and hopefully is a sign of windows to come.
What makes this signing even more prevalent for me an Arsenal is that we bought him with money that we earned. We weren't given it by a rich owner, we made it as a club and as a business.
But for now all I am excited about is seeing Mesut Özil in an Arsenal shirt. COYG!
In a cheeky press-conference after the game with a sly smile that Arsenal fans have seen many times, Wenger said: "We might have a good surprise for you". Following Bales departure everything kicked into gear and rumours started about Mesut Ozil. Deadline day promised to be a good one.
Before anything else we signed a goalkeeper on loan from Palermo who spent last season at Fiorentina. Emiliano Viviano is 27 and a keeper I know very little about but from what I saw he kept something like 11 clean sheets in 32 games. That's a fine season and if he provides some good competition for our current keeper then great.
Then our attention turned to the signing of Mesut Ozil. Various media outlets suggested it was done at around 6pm but like many until I saw official confirmation I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. We waited and waited and waited, Sky prolonged it and then with around half an hour left it was official much to the excitement of Arsenal fans everywhere, no less outside the Emirates.
As the Sky reporter was eager to point out this has destroyed our record transfer fee beforehand by £27.5m almost tripling our fee for Arshavin. But there is no doubt that he is worth every penny of it, a player who is easily within the top 10 midfielders in the world and a player who was described by Jose Mourinho as the best CAM in the world. He is a player who's close control, technical ability and reading of the game is second to none and also the player with the most assists across Europes top 5 leagues for the last 3 years.
He is a totally unselfish player and is more than happy to set up others. I can see him doing great things behind our striker.
Now it's not all sunshine and rainbows. We didn't get another striker and there are questions that need to be asked about how we conducted our business and Ozil isn't going to suddenly make us title contenders. But this is more a statement of intent from Arsenal that we are coming back and we are willing to spend the top money to get the top players. Sky reported last night that it was a combination of Wenger, Gazidis and (yes, believe it or not) Kronke. Kronke and Gazidis really wanted to get this one in and I really hope that is true and it shows backing from the businessmen and hopefully is a sign of windows to come.
What makes this signing even more prevalent for me an Arsenal is that we bought him with money that we earned. We weren't given it by a rich owner, we made it as a club and as a business.
But for now all I am excited about is seeing Mesut Özil in an Arsenal shirt. COYG!
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Transfer update
Another solid win on Tuesday and we're in the Champions League group stage for a sixteenth consecutive year. Quite an achievement however you look at it and we should be pleased with the teams performance. But we're far from looking rosy. The team is stretched to it's limits and we look as active in the transfer market as a corpse.
The word from ex and current players is that the signings will come with Lee Dixon saying there will be 2 big names, Liam Brady saying there could some surprises and Arteta again re-iterating that the signings will happen. But the longer this goes on the more and more Arsenal fans are feeling that the wool has been pulled over their eyes and that nothing will happen. Realistically who would be surprised?
There has been much talk in recent weeks about a potential raid on Real Madrid following the supposedly imminent transfer of monkey man from the Spuds. By my count we have been linked with 4 players: Benzema, Di Maria, Casillas and Ozil. Now Benzema and Ozil have both said they are staying put, no surprise really. Di Maria has remained quiet and is a player I rate highly as a playmaker and a winger. Casillas is obviously a top drawer keeper. But really can you see us even bothering with either of them?
I don't buy any of this it takes time or its hard rubbish, look at what Tottenham have done without CL football, if they can do it why can't we? Are we really that scared to pay big money? The frustration amongst fans is understandable and if we don't buy which is looking more and more likely by the minute I personally can see a poisonous atmosphere at the Emirates all season. I can't understand the manager, he knows how the fans feel and he knows who'll get it in the neck should we not sign. If it's his ignorance and stubbornness then he needs to go. But I still can't help but feel the powers higher up are the ones using him as their scapegoat. Look at when we spent £14.5m on Bergkamp back in the day when that was an astronomical figure, what has happened that manager?
A lot of questions in this post I know and questions that should we fail to sign anyone will need to be answered otherwise it could be a long and painful season for Arsenal fans.
The word from ex and current players is that the signings will come with Lee Dixon saying there will be 2 big names, Liam Brady saying there could some surprises and Arteta again re-iterating that the signings will happen. But the longer this goes on the more and more Arsenal fans are feeling that the wool has been pulled over their eyes and that nothing will happen. Realistically who would be surprised?
There has been much talk in recent weeks about a potential raid on Real Madrid following the supposedly imminent transfer of monkey man from the Spuds. By my count we have been linked with 4 players: Benzema, Di Maria, Casillas and Ozil. Now Benzema and Ozil have both said they are staying put, no surprise really. Di Maria has remained quiet and is a player I rate highly as a playmaker and a winger. Casillas is obviously a top drawer keeper. But really can you see us even bothering with either of them?
I don't buy any of this it takes time or its hard rubbish, look at what Tottenham have done without CL football, if they can do it why can't we? Are we really that scared to pay big money? The frustration amongst fans is understandable and if we don't buy which is looking more and more likely by the minute I personally can see a poisonous atmosphere at the Emirates all season. I can't understand the manager, he knows how the fans feel and he knows who'll get it in the neck should we not sign. If it's his ignorance and stubbornness then he needs to go. But I still can't help but feel the powers higher up are the ones using him as their scapegoat. Look at when we spent £14.5m on Bergkamp back in the day when that was an astronomical figure, what has happened that manager?
A lot of questions in this post I know and questions that should we fail to sign anyone will need to be answered otherwise it could be a long and painful season for Arsenal fans.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Arsenal Latest
It's been a very quiet few weeks in terms of Arsenal news. The team flew out to Jakarta for the first leg of our Asian Pre-Season tour. Aside from being a huge money spinner for the club it's fantastic to see just how excited the fans over their get and it's only right that they get their chance to see the team.
In other news we've released our new Away kit and its a very nice yellow and blue number which is supposedly a tribute to the Invincibles. I much prefer it to the purple kit we played in last season and compared to some of the monstrosities Nike have rolled out over the years its certainly not a bad way to end our manufacturing deal with them.
Right now onto the less than concrete news on transfer business. We'll start with players leaving first. The news from Germany was initially good, Francis Coquelin has joined Freiburg on a season-long loan. I like Coquelin and I think he's certainly got some talent so if he gets games out there then it can only be a good thing. Then the news from Germany then turned bad with Bendtner's requests supposedly wide of the mark for Eintracht Frankfurt who have now ended all negotiations. This is not the first time this has happened so maybe its time he realises that he isn't worth what he thinks. I must admit its hard to see why nobody would want to pay a weed smoking, shisha puffing, reckless driving, party animal...
Other possibly positive transfer news for us is that Santos could be on his way back to Brazil and to Flamengo, a club where he previously played. However with the Brazilian window closing soon a deal has to be pushed through sharpish. I think some of the criticism of him has been a little harsh and he has been used as a scapegoat but that said he's never really been an Arsenal quality player. I think it would be best for all parties if he returned to his homeland.
OK now onto in's and really the biggest story since my last post has been the news that Arsenal have reported had a £30m bid turned down for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Now initially I thought this was just some very unsubtle brinksmanship from the club by trying to force through the Higuain deal by bidding for a player that Madrid are reportedly interested in. But if reports are to be believed we're supposedly returning with a higher bid in order to try and lure the wantaway striker from Anfield.
Whatever the intentions this is a very un-Arsenal like move. Firstly if it was to try and drive the Higuain deal through it definitely didn't work as everything has gone quite on that front. Ancelotti is supposedly meeting him on Monday to convince him to stay and quite honestly I think any chance of seeing him in an Arsenal top next season has gone. Suarez has certainly divided opinion amongst Arsenal fans with some hoping that he will join and provide the firepower that we need up front. Others find him repulsive and would hate to see him in an Arsenal shirt.
Now there's no doubt that he's a top class striker and on his day he's unstoppable. There's also no doubt that he has had his problems, racism, biting and even pre-dating his Liverpool career he's always been a bit of a mental case. Personally I'd love to see him sign to not only provide the goals upfront but also because he's a nasty bastard. Something we've missed since the Viera, Keown and Adams era. They weren't afraid to get mean when they needed too and let's face it they had their own problems. Viera has one of the worst disciplinary records in the history of the league. Adams had his problems with drink but both players delivered on the pitch and contributed to the teams overall success.
I don't fall into the mentality of many Arsenal fans who seem to think we're better than signing someone like that, if he puts in a shift and does his job then I don't see a problem. Now I want to say I'm not condoning racism or aggressive behaviour such as biting on the pitch, far from it. But a bit of spirit and fight wouldn't go amiss. However there is a problem with such a player, he is currently serving a 10 match ban for biting Ivanovic and still has 6 to serve. If he joined us there's no doubt that the FA will uphold the ban and they certainly have his number. If he causes problems again what the ban be that time? 15, 20 matches? That's a big risk to take for a £30m plus investment.
I personally don't think we'll sign Suarez but stranger things have happened and at the moment all we can do is wait and see. For those of you on twitter, give me a follow for more Arsenal related nonsese @fisher_mr.
In other news we've released our new Away kit and its a very nice yellow and blue number which is supposedly a tribute to the Invincibles. I much prefer it to the purple kit we played in last season and compared to some of the monstrosities Nike have rolled out over the years its certainly not a bad way to end our manufacturing deal with them.
Right now onto the less than concrete news on transfer business. We'll start with players leaving first. The news from Germany was initially good, Francis Coquelin has joined Freiburg on a season-long loan. I like Coquelin and I think he's certainly got some talent so if he gets games out there then it can only be a good thing. Then the news from Germany then turned bad with Bendtner's requests supposedly wide of the mark for Eintracht Frankfurt who have now ended all negotiations. This is not the first time this has happened so maybe its time he realises that he isn't worth what he thinks. I must admit its hard to see why nobody would want to pay a weed smoking, shisha puffing, reckless driving, party animal...
Other possibly positive transfer news for us is that Santos could be on his way back to Brazil and to Flamengo, a club where he previously played. However with the Brazilian window closing soon a deal has to be pushed through sharpish. I think some of the criticism of him has been a little harsh and he has been used as a scapegoat but that said he's never really been an Arsenal quality player. I think it would be best for all parties if he returned to his homeland.
OK now onto in's and really the biggest story since my last post has been the news that Arsenal have reported had a £30m bid turned down for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Now initially I thought this was just some very unsubtle brinksmanship from the club by trying to force through the Higuain deal by bidding for a player that Madrid are reportedly interested in. But if reports are to be believed we're supposedly returning with a higher bid in order to try and lure the wantaway striker from Anfield.
Whatever the intentions this is a very un-Arsenal like move. Firstly if it was to try and drive the Higuain deal through it definitely didn't work as everything has gone quite on that front. Ancelotti is supposedly meeting him on Monday to convince him to stay and quite honestly I think any chance of seeing him in an Arsenal top next season has gone. Suarez has certainly divided opinion amongst Arsenal fans with some hoping that he will join and provide the firepower that we need up front. Others find him repulsive and would hate to see him in an Arsenal shirt.
Now there's no doubt that he's a top class striker and on his day he's unstoppable. There's also no doubt that he has had his problems, racism, biting and even pre-dating his Liverpool career he's always been a bit of a mental case. Personally I'd love to see him sign to not only provide the goals upfront but also because he's a nasty bastard. Something we've missed since the Viera, Keown and Adams era. They weren't afraid to get mean when they needed too and let's face it they had their own problems. Viera has one of the worst disciplinary records in the history of the league. Adams had his problems with drink but both players delivered on the pitch and contributed to the teams overall success.
I don't fall into the mentality of many Arsenal fans who seem to think we're better than signing someone like that, if he puts in a shift and does his job then I don't see a problem. Now I want to say I'm not condoning racism or aggressive behaviour such as biting on the pitch, far from it. But a bit of spirit and fight wouldn't go amiss. However there is a problem with such a player, he is currently serving a 10 match ban for biting Ivanovic and still has 6 to serve. If he joined us there's no doubt that the FA will uphold the ban and they certainly have his number. If he causes problems again what the ban be that time? 15, 20 matches? That's a big risk to take for a £30m plus investment.
I personally don't think we'll sign Suarez but stranger things have happened and at the moment all we can do is wait and see. For those of you on twitter, give me a follow for more Arsenal related nonsese @fisher_mr.
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
One Out and One In
Morning all, it's been a while since my last post and that's because well, really nothing has been happening in terms of Arsenal. More media speculation, a "leaked" away kit and a bit more speculation pretty much sums it up. However with the UK window officially opening yesterday (yes players can sign beforehand but nothing is official until the 1st) the transfer cogs are turning and Arsenal have been busy.
After releasing a number of player already this season we've followed that up with a loan leading to a permanent deal for Johan Djourou for Bundesliga side Hamburg. Now many of you will be well aware of how critical I have been of Djourou but it's important to remember that he's been hampered by injury and he did have spells where he looked good. But due a combination of reasons, it just didn't work out for him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and I wish him all the best in future, especially following his comments about just wanting to play.
Now onto what we've all been waiting for A SIGNING, as in an OFFICIAL SIGNING. It's not the world class striker we've all been waiting for but its a start. 20 year old, French striker Yaya Sanogo has joined from Auxerre on a free. Now many will say this is a typical Wenger signing but I think this time it actually makes sense. With Bendtner seemingly on his way and well who really knows with Chamakh we won't have depth up front and I think it's important to have young talent coming through. There is minimal risk as its a free and according to those who watch French football he's a decent enough prospect. Like many of you I'm sure I don't know much about him so I've put together this little fact file.
Yaya Sanogo
Age: 20
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Position: Striker
Former Clubs: CO Les Ulis, Auxerre
International Career: 49 apps for French U16-U21
Career Goals: 43 in 49
Those are some impressive stats in terms of goals and if his development continues at a nice rate we could have a very tidy striker on our hands.
In terms of other transfer news the usual Higuain stories are floating around but I'm still rather skeptical about the deal going through. Interestingly German media reported yesterday we had a £19.7m bid turned down for Leverkusen defensive midfielder Lars Bender and although there has been no confirmation of the bis from either side Leverkusen did say in a statement that he wasn't for sale at any price, which as we all know means nothing in the transfer window.
So we're finally starting to see things happen and although stories linking us with world class players should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't think that's the last of our activity in this window.
Until next time.
After releasing a number of player already this season we've followed that up with a loan leading to a permanent deal for Johan Djourou for Bundesliga side Hamburg. Now many of you will be well aware of how critical I have been of Djourou but it's important to remember that he's been hampered by injury and he did have spells where he looked good. But due a combination of reasons, it just didn't work out for him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and I wish him all the best in future, especially following his comments about just wanting to play.
Now onto what we've all been waiting for A SIGNING, as in an OFFICIAL SIGNING. It's not the world class striker we've all been waiting for but its a start. 20 year old, French striker Yaya Sanogo has joined from Auxerre on a free. Now many will say this is a typical Wenger signing but I think this time it actually makes sense. With Bendtner seemingly on his way and well who really knows with Chamakh we won't have depth up front and I think it's important to have young talent coming through. There is minimal risk as its a free and according to those who watch French football he's a decent enough prospect. Like many of you I'm sure I don't know much about him so I've put together this little fact file.
Yaya Sanogo
Age: 20
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Position: Striker
Former Clubs: CO Les Ulis, Auxerre
International Career: 49 apps for French U16-U21
Career Goals: 43 in 49
Those are some impressive stats in terms of goals and if his development continues at a nice rate we could have a very tidy striker on our hands.
In terms of other transfer news the usual Higuain stories are floating around but I'm still rather skeptical about the deal going through. Interestingly German media reported yesterday we had a £19.7m bid turned down for Leverkusen defensive midfielder Lars Bender and although there has been no confirmation of the bis from either side Leverkusen did say in a statement that he wasn't for sale at any price, which as we all know means nothing in the transfer window.
So we're finally starting to see things happen and although stories linking us with world class players should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't think that's the last of our activity in this window.
Until next time.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Ivan Gazidis: All talk and no walk?
So there hasn't been much going on in the Arsenal world as I'm sure you know, the usual crazy rumours from people who are blatantly making up a complete load of bullshit. Over the past few days I've seen reports linking us with more players than you can count. We've gone from the ridiculous: "Arsenal trigger £22m release clause in Fellaini's contract" to the even more ridiculous "Wenger to spend £40m on Lewandowksi". Now anyone with any common sense will know that both of these statements are going to be well wide of the mark but the fact that it only takes one person to come out with a rumour for it spiral out of control is a sad fact of the off-season.
That said, going back to the post last week about this being an enormous summer for Arsene and the pressure being on, Ivan Gazidis was interviewed in the Mirror the other day talking about Arsenal's new "financial firepower". Again this goes back Arsenal showing intent and making it public that the money is there and it is at Wengers disposal. As a natural skeptic I'm still not sure he's ready to spend it or will spend it, which makes his position vulnerable should be fall further behind this season. Have a read here Gazidis Interview with John Cross.
So naturally with all this money that we have available fans, including myself, are starting to wonder just who (if anybody) we'll be spending it on. Of course the rumours about Higauin are flying all over the media and depending which paper you read we've either: agreed a deal, made contact with his agent, have a gentleman's agreement for him to sign or have not even registered our interest. Personally I doubt we've made contact with his agent yet, that's not really our style. Reports are also suggesting Madrid aren't willing to sell until they have a new manager in place along with Juventus being strongly linked with the striker. Honestly at the moment I believe he will end up at Juventus but that's just the way I think.
Aside from that potential-in's range from older keepers to young strikers and everything in between so I'm not going into detail. However Arsenal have confirmed the departure/release of Squillaci, Denilson and Arshavin. Now I've never really be a fan of any of them but I don't I'll ever forget the moment when Arshavin fired his shot past Victor Valdes at the Emirates and I'm sure it's a moment that will stay with many Arsenal fans to come. I wish these three players all the best in the future, they all have their qualities and abilities but they just weren't in the frame at Arsenal.
Those 3 players have on the plus side freed up £175k-a-week which hopefully will be re-invested in players although with Arsenal you never really know. But between now and my next post we'll be linked with more players, there will be more outlandish statements and we will have signed more players that we've never heard of. Until then enjoy the summer.
That said, going back to the post last week about this being an enormous summer for Arsene and the pressure being on, Ivan Gazidis was interviewed in the Mirror the other day talking about Arsenal's new "financial firepower". Again this goes back Arsenal showing intent and making it public that the money is there and it is at Wengers disposal. As a natural skeptic I'm still not sure he's ready to spend it or will spend it, which makes his position vulnerable should be fall further behind this season. Have a read here Gazidis Interview with John Cross.
So naturally with all this money that we have available fans, including myself, are starting to wonder just who (if anybody) we'll be spending it on. Of course the rumours about Higauin are flying all over the media and depending which paper you read we've either: agreed a deal, made contact with his agent, have a gentleman's agreement for him to sign or have not even registered our interest. Personally I doubt we've made contact with his agent yet, that's not really our style. Reports are also suggesting Madrid aren't willing to sell until they have a new manager in place along with Juventus being strongly linked with the striker. Honestly at the moment I believe he will end up at Juventus but that's just the way I think.
Aside from that potential-in's range from older keepers to young strikers and everything in between so I'm not going into detail. However Arsenal have confirmed the departure/release of Squillaci, Denilson and Arshavin. Now I've never really be a fan of any of them but I don't I'll ever forget the moment when Arshavin fired his shot past Victor Valdes at the Emirates and I'm sure it's a moment that will stay with many Arsenal fans to come. I wish these three players all the best in the future, they all have their qualities and abilities but they just weren't in the frame at Arsenal.
Those 3 players have on the plus side freed up £175k-a-week which hopefully will be re-invested in players although with Arsenal you never really know. But between now and my next post we'll be linked with more players, there will be more outlandish statements and we will have signed more players that we've never heard of. Until then enjoy the summer.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Wenger's last chance?
It's been a while since the season ended in fantastic style for us gooners, pipping our rivals to the final Champions League space on the last day. But as many have pointed out, we aren't a club that should be content with 4th and as the rumour mill has started we've been linked with everyone under the sun. I'll deal with these links at a later date but this summer is of vital importance for Arsène Wenger. After a difficult season the pressure is on and with one year left on his contract his actions this summer could dictate whether we start the 2014/15 season looking for a new manager.
The spotlight is on Wenger after it was revealed by himself and the board that we have money to spend and a lot of it. The reported £70m war chest according to various papers. With the fans demanding the money be invested in top quality players Wenger must be very careful about how he spends this money. If he barely invests at all he has shot himself in the foot if we fail to compete next season and there is no reason to suggest why continuing with the same squad would make any difference to our standings. If we invests very little then once again he is in the same boat. If he invests all of it and we finish 4th again, he at least has the defence of he invested the money he was given.
Now of course spending £70m on any old player is not the way to go about building a team that can challenge, it needs to invested in the best quality players in the positions we need. What those positions are I will leave for another post. Along with who we have been linked with. At the moment there is very little point speculating whilst the media are in a post-season frenzy, once things have calmed down I will do another potential ins and outs similar to last season.
So this is a pivotal summer for our manager as he has the pressure heaped on him from all angles, but managers get paid to deal with the pressure so we can only wait and see what his course of action is. Until next time.
The spotlight is on Wenger after it was revealed by himself and the board that we have money to spend and a lot of it. The reported £70m war chest according to various papers. With the fans demanding the money be invested in top quality players Wenger must be very careful about how he spends this money. If he barely invests at all he has shot himself in the foot if we fail to compete next season and there is no reason to suggest why continuing with the same squad would make any difference to our standings. If we invests very little then once again he is in the same boat. If he invests all of it and we finish 4th again, he at least has the defence of he invested the money he was given.
Now of course spending £70m on any old player is not the way to go about building a team that can challenge, it needs to invested in the best quality players in the positions we need. What those positions are I will leave for another post. Along with who we have been linked with. At the moment there is very little point speculating whilst the media are in a post-season frenzy, once things have calmed down I will do another potential ins and outs similar to last season.
So this is a pivotal summer for our manager as he has the pressure heaped on him from all angles, but managers get paid to deal with the pressure so we can only wait and see what his course of action is. Until next time.
Friday, 1 February 2013
Stoke City (H)
For a long, long time it looked as if we weren't going to make a signing and then when it finally came, it was somewhat underwhelming. Despite Gibbs' injury I wouldn't have had a left back at the top of the list of urgent signings, but at least it shows intent to bolster the defence. Nacho Monreal is a Spanish international and now former Malaga player, I must admit I know very little about him but he comes highly rated by those in Spain and I hear he's fast, technical but also aggressive. Time will tell how good a signing he will turn out to be.
So ahead of our highly anticipated Rugby League match against Stoke tomorrow, news from the Emirates seems to be that Vermaelen is a doubt although we see the return of Arteta. Obviously we're without Gibbs so I think the team will look something like: SZCZ, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Wilshere, Arteta, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski, Giroud.
Now Stoke only have one away win all season, so lets hope this stat continues. They also have an away goal difference of -8. Defensively they haven't been all at it this season. So obviously the main dangers are Crouch, Walters and Jones should he play. In the middle of the park they also have N'Zonzi who is unpredictable if anything.
This fixture now has a history of being a bit fiery so I expect a good atmosphere tomorrow and hopefully 3 points. COYG!
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Stoke City
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Potential Ins
After the potential outs post the other day I'm following it up with a potential ins post. One of the three players I touted to leave has already gone, albeit on a loan deal, but gone for the season none the less. With Chamakh gone for now, strikers are on the bill and there are a lot of them out there. We'll start it from a story that just will not die at the moment:
David Villa
We have been heavily linked with David Villa, he's out of favour at Barcelona and just wants to play football at the minute. But there are issues with Spain's leading scorer joining us. Firstly I've heard that his wife is pregnant meaning that a move now would be totally out of the question. Secondly, I struggle to see how he would fit it. We have Walcott who is starting to play upfront, Giroud who is doing well. It would be unfair to have Giroud as our 3rd choice striker but Villa wants to play. Finally I've heard from other sources that he is reluctant to leave Spain.
Chance: Unlikely
Adrian Lopez
This young man from Atletico Madrid seems much more like a Wenger signing, he's young, versatile and clearly talented. He netted 19 goals for Atletico last season, even though he wasn't playing as a striker. The move would also suit him as he is down the pecking order at Madrid with strikers such as Falcao and as a young player he wants to play. The issue with this deal appears to be the fee for him, he has a £15m buy out clause but we are apparently only offering £12m at the moment. Expect this one to rumble on.
Chance: Possible
Eduardo Vargas
This is an interesting one that has cropped up in only the last few days. After a £11.5m move from Universidad de Chile, Vargas has really struggled to make an impact in Serie A without netting a single goal in 16 appearances for Napoli. Reports suggest that a loan would suit Napoli and we have been linked. I'm not entirely sure a loan is what we are looking for but he does seem like a typical Arsenal player. That said reports suggest Sao Paulo are also interested in the striker and to be honest, if they make a bid I can see him moving.
Chance: Unlikely
Arsenal fans are none the wiser it seems at the moment, with Wenger stating one thing one day and then a different thing the next. We seem to be interested in making a couple of signings but there appears to be no effort on our part, leading many fans including myself worried that we may not sign anyone. Till next time, have a good week.
David Villa
We have been heavily linked with David Villa, he's out of favour at Barcelona and just wants to play football at the minute. But there are issues with Spain's leading scorer joining us. Firstly I've heard that his wife is pregnant meaning that a move now would be totally out of the question. Secondly, I struggle to see how he would fit it. We have Walcott who is starting to play upfront, Giroud who is doing well. It would be unfair to have Giroud as our 3rd choice striker but Villa wants to play. Finally I've heard from other sources that he is reluctant to leave Spain.
Chance: Unlikely
Adrian Lopez
This young man from Atletico Madrid seems much more like a Wenger signing, he's young, versatile and clearly talented. He netted 19 goals for Atletico last season, even though he wasn't playing as a striker. The move would also suit him as he is down the pecking order at Madrid with strikers such as Falcao and as a young player he wants to play. The issue with this deal appears to be the fee for him, he has a £15m buy out clause but we are apparently only offering £12m at the moment. Expect this one to rumble on.
Chance: Possible
Eduardo Vargas
This is an interesting one that has cropped up in only the last few days. After a £11.5m move from Universidad de Chile, Vargas has really struggled to make an impact in Serie A without netting a single goal in 16 appearances for Napoli. Reports suggest that a loan would suit Napoli and we have been linked. I'm not entirely sure a loan is what we are looking for but he does seem like a typical Arsenal player. That said reports suggest Sao Paulo are also interested in the striker and to be honest, if they make a bid I can see him moving.
Chance: Unlikely
Arsenal fans are none the wiser it seems at the moment, with Wenger stating one thing one day and then a different thing the next. We seem to be interested in making a couple of signings but there appears to be no effort on our part, leading many fans including myself worried that we may not sign anyone. Till next time, have a good week.
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