Our January Transfer Christmas List Special!
by bmasson11 on Dec 18, 2011 6:19 PM EST
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PrintIt's exactly one week until Christmas, and two weeks until the start of the January transfer window, so we all know what that means... RUMORS! It's our favorite love-hate relationship in football, who's going where, who's leaving who, and even though we bitch and moan constantly about them, we always love to hear some sight of good news about someone special possibly coming to Ashburton. So let's fire up the talk right now, who do we need? who should we get? and who should we sell off? Let the commencing begin!
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Some early thoughts...
Obviously we need some defensive depth, especially among our fullbacks. Vertonghen is a name that has come up, I personally like Leighton Baines myself but he probably won’t be sold. You can probably expect Cahill’s name to reappear from the grave again as well. A lot of news is being passed around about a possible bid for Yoann Gourcuff, whether it’s for a half season loan or an actual purchase, the odds look pretty slim though with Lyon making the CL final 16. And of course, there’s Hazard and Gotze. Both players currently are on teams who were knocked out of the CL, I’m not sure if they’re cup tied (someone can correct me on that), but the favorite choice looks to be Gotze, who is a massive admirer of Arsenal, whereas Hazard looks to be the subject of a massive bidding war this coming summer. As far as departures, Chamakh looks set to be on his way somewhere, and so does Arshavin possibly, leaving us looking for wing and striking help. Aside from Hazard, there could be a possibility this coming summer to where, depending on how Napoli does this year, of making a bid for Edinson Cavani.
There’s also a story on City’s Bitter and Blue stating the RVP is a potential transfer target… Get real son, and fuck off, he’s going to be red and white for some time…
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(cup tied)
Chuck Norris doesn't need a bat.
he just roundhouse kicks the ball out of the park.
by bearcatcardfan on Dec 18, 2011 7:52 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know why you'd discount the idea that RvP could be sold at some point
If he doesn’t extend it seems likely he’ll be gone before the start of next season. I can’t see any chance he’s sold mid-season, but if he doesn’t extend by the summer I highly doubt the club would let an asset that valuable potentially leave on a free. Odd’s are he’d bring back a fee similar to Cesc anyway, and if Arsenal are ever going to bid on a Hazard/Goetze level player they’ll probably need to sell someone to free up that type of cash.
by Stephen Schmidt on Dec 19, 2011 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
indeed, his contract is coming to a close
And Arsenal by policy never let good players go on free transfer. If the negotiations don’t progress RVP is gone next season.
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I believe I heard a bit ago that they haven't had any formal contract discussions yet.
It was around the time TV5 resigned. RVP said something along the lines that he wasn’t going to drag it out looking for offers. He would make a quick decision as soon as the club came to him with something. The way he made it sound was that he was expecting to get an acceptable offer and that he would re-sign. Basically that he was happy, the club was happy and there is no reason to think they would insult him with a ridiculously low offer that would make him have to consider other options.
The fact that the club simply hasn’t given him a contract yet was essentially the benign reason why has hasn’t re-signed.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
That is true, but his contract ends 2013. If discussions don't bear fruit this next summer, he's gone.
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They have the cash to bid for Hazard/Goetze regardless
it’s just a matter of actually using that cash… We have enough in the transfer kitty to make a decent sized bid for one of them at least
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2009 & 2011 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we made a transfer window profit even with all of our spending in the summer
So we still have a war chest. I don’t expect any Marquee signings though.
I'm pretty sure the selling of Nasri alone covered most of the incoming cost
Who was brought in?
Park
Mertesacker
Arteta
I believe that none of these players cost more than 10 Million. Well, maybe Arteta did, but I don’t really think so. If they each went for 8 Mil (I think Mert did) then Nasri, who went for about 24 Mil would cover them all. Plus, we have money from Cesc and Clichy. We most certainly got a large profit last summer.
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
i believe the total amount of Fab+Nasri's transfer fees used up was 44 million or thereabouts
Which leaves us about 10 mil left over.
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:15 PM EST up reply actions
Don't forget Clichy
He went for, something like 6 or 8 mil. That certainly covers one of those players
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
Wait, I'm missing something
How did you get to 44 Million?
I know I left out Ox and a couple other youngsters, but I still don’t see how it got up to THAT much. I expect some where along the 20-35 mil ball park, which is less then or equal to Fabregas’ cost. Who am I undervaluing?
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 12:21 PM EST up reply actions
From Arsenal Report:
Gervinho: 10.5 mil
Mikel Arteta: 10 mil
Per Mertesacker: 8 mil
AOC: 7 mil
Andre Santos: 6.2 mil
Park Chu-Young: 2.7 mil
Carl Jenkinson: 1 mil
total: 45.4 million euros
….plus Joel Campbell (1 mil) and a bunch of youth players we bought up, totalling around 1 mil but let’s not count that.
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
sorry, that is 45.4 POUNDS not euroes
that would be 54.2 million Euroes.
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:48 PM EST up reply actions
The fact that we spent THAT much on so many quick-fixes/stop-gaps/also-rans
Shows the direction this club is going with Wenger at the helm. Though I cannot say I am not more than surprised at how well some of these transfers have fared, we overpaid for the majority of these players, who are unlikely to be part of our future (based on how Wenger prefers youth and building internally) and missed out on other more cost effective transfers that were available throughout the summer. Basically if we knew we were willing to let go of Fab and Nasri, we should have worked on contingency plans immediately instead of allowing such a gigantic drop-off in talent to occur without suitable replacements.
by chicagomaroon on Dec 27, 2011 1:33 AM EST up reply actions
We weren't sure if Barcelona would be able to buy Cesc
and Nasri, given how poorly he played at the end of the year, was worth well less than what we got for him. Basically, Jack’s injury (and subsequent injuries in defense) have been has been our biggest setbacks this year. Arsene has given us plenty of talent.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
we overpaid?
mert was only 8 mil. Arteta was only 10 mil. Santos a couple mil. Those are highly reasonable prices, even if you ignore the state of the current market.
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Mert, Santos and Arteta are all likely to be here for a few years
So they really aren’t short term fixes. I believe all the players who were bought are under 30 so expect them to be here a while.
Also from Arsenal Report, Player sales:
Cesc Fabregas: 25.3 mil (but lets say 35 mil because that’s what we’ll get eventually)
Samir Nasri: 22 mil
Gael Clichy: 6.8 mil
Emmanuel Eboue: 3 mil
Armand Traore: 1.2 mil
Jay Emmanuel Thomas: 1.1 mil
total: 69.1 million pounds, or 82.5 million euroes
So in total we have 24 million pounds or so left over to use.
So i guess we DO have a lot of money to spend. We could get a star player for that.
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
So i guess we DO have a lot of money to spend. We could get a star player for that.
But we won’t
Thanks Wenger and Silent Stache
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
I think he gets more than Cesc
If he were to be sold.
Because I think he’s more valuable staying at Arsenal and leaving on a free. We don’t need the money, we’ve got lots of it left over from the Fabregas/Nasri transfers plus the profit we made in 2010.
Also, the Fabregas bidding was left to one team.
I’d much rather have a bidding war for RvP, if he’s to be sold.
Which I don’t think he will; I think he’ll sign a new contract.
AAARRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHAAAAAAVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN!
Dream goal!
by Aidan Gibson on Dec 19, 2011 8:40 PM EST up reply actions
The fab/nasri transfer money was just about used up in our last minute summer transfer
and we still have the stadium debt.
Not saying we don’t have money to spend, but it’s not all that.
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I'm not so sure he would be sold for as much
Barcelona desperately wanted Fabregas. They were willing to pay quite a pretty sum for him. At the moment, I feel that none of the teams really need a striker of RvP’s caliber, though they may want it. If you look at Man City, nope, Aguero, Dzeko. Barca has Villa, Messi, and they won’t be wanting to do much more business with Arsenal after hounding after Fabregas. Madrid has Ronaldo, who went there clearly unhappy with Man U. RvP could go to Russia, a la Etoo. However, that comes with the knowledge that he would be going to an inferior team and have even less of a chance at winning something like the Champion’s League.
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
Man City has shown no qualms about buying up talent, whether they need it or not.
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, but I think a player would hesitate at going to City now
At city, almost nobody but Silva and Hart are guaranteed time. Just look at Nasri.
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think they're going to care too much...
especially if they’re drinking bubbly out of the cup and getting paid a shit ton of money to play occasionally. Just look at Tevez, he doesn’t even have to play and he’s the highest paid player in the EPL, livin the life…
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2009 & 2011 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
And then I remembered he's suspended without pay...
But still, guys’ got some mad cash
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2009 & 2011 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
nobody would hesitate.
Every star player thinks they can make it as a starter for City. They see it as a challenge that they can surmount, that they want to surmount. Obviously not all of them can, but they don’t know that before they joined City.
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I feel that that is a bit of an exaggeration
I think the players are smart enough to know that it’s not just about talent that decides how often you play at city. Look at Tevez. He’s certainly good enough to get into some games. I think that someone would realize that being a great player on a decent team has benefits over being a highly paid average player on a great team. I think that a good number of players see a challenge that they can surmount in City, but that doesn’t mean that they want to surmount it.
what part of that would be an exaggeration?
Being known as one of the best in the world requires a player to play with the best.
I highly doubt any of the star players assembled by City thought, “Well I know I’m going to be a bench player, but as long as the pay is good it’s ok”
They all want to be among THE men in one of the most powerful teams.
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Yes, all the players on City's squad thought that when they were bought
However, surely that mindset must change now. It’s quite clearly been proven that nobody is safe on City’s bench. We didn’t know that last year, but I find it hard to believe that EVERY PLAYER would want to try to take that opportunity. I believe at least a few would rather keep their comfortable positions than be shipped to a team where they may only get bench time.
The type of players city buys pride themselves in their abilities
I doubt any of them are the type who want to keep their comfortable positions if there is a chance for further glory and trophies.
Plus, even though what you say is a perfectly smart way of thinking, don’t expect that players think the same way we do. They can be great footballers but not so savvy outside of that.
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I would hope for the next few years, I couldn't see why not...
This time around, we’re not dealing with the whole “DNA” issue thing again… but my gut feeling says he’ll resign
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As much as I generally hate to buy in to convenient, lazy media narratives
if Arsenal don’t win anything this year and don’t qualify for the CL, RVP will most likely be gone this summer. Arsenal have no incentives to offer him at that point – there are other teams that can offer shedloads of money, and if Arsenal don’t have Champions League games to play, RVP will find somewhere that does.
I have long wondered why there are in fact contracts in soccer, because players hold all the cards at this point. Why not make it official and only ever offer one year contracts?
At Arsenal, RvP is a HERO
If he goes anywhere else, he’d just be another great player
If he goes, he’ll be making boat loads of money and have a good reputation
If he stays, he’ll not as much, but still a ton of money, but be a legend.
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions
At Arsenal, Cesc was a hero and he left
Fans overestimate players’ attachment to clubs. Players are attached to money and winning things, in that order. Club loyalty doesn’t really exist any more.
I'm not talking about club loyalty
Though Cesc quite clearly had it for Barca
What I am talking about is fame. That is certainly something that players are looking for. And I’m not talking about that good soldier who never gets sold anywhere. I’m talking about the big name who makes a ton of money no matter where he goes, who stays and makes the biggest difference. The fact of the matter is, this Arsenal squad has been made with RvP in mind. It doesn’t have the other players to pull the quality (like Na$ri and Fabragas). So, yes, RvP could move, and win something in one of those moves. But he could also stay, play with a team that plays FOR him, enhances him, and is totally devoted to him, and still make a good dime at the end of the day. It really is a choice at this point which Robin wants more. Cash, or eternal endearment.
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 12:15 PM EST up reply actions
But my point is, that choice always, always ends up being "cash"
The paragraph you just wrote really does support my “fans overestimate players’ attachment to clubs” statement. I can almost guarantee you that RvP’s thought process around stay v. go this summer includes things like money, potential city in which to play, and money. And also money.
I don’t say this disparagingly – I’d do the same thing. It’s just a fact of modern athletes’ lives that, at the end of the day, they don’t really care where they ply their trade, as long as they hear fans singing their name – and top athletes always do, wherever they choose to go.
You are certainly right about the money thing and lack of loyalty to club
However, I’m not talking about club loyalty. I am talking about fame. It’s not about who sings your name, but how many, and how loud. And, though I can’t say that I know exactly how RvP thinks, I have a feeling that that is something important.
Then why did Cesc want to go to Barcelona?
Captain, there are doubt''s...
by Match Day 5 on Dec 20, 2011 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
There are 20 teams in the Premiership
That’s at least 600 players that play for top-ranked teams in England alone. Multiply that by the number of top leagues in Europe and you’ve got probably around 5,000 players for top teams. Cesc is one player of 5,000. So yes, as in anything, there will always be one or two who don’t hew to the model, but the overwhelming majority will choose money over legacy pretty much every time.
I'm sure you'll agree, though, that RVP is a lot more like Cesc
than some second string winger at Wolfsburg or Catania. Look at the nightmare that Eto’o got hinself into. He went after money and now has to have armed security around him all day. Meanwhile, at CRISIS CLUB Arsenal, Arshavin is jogging on anti-gravity treadmills and swimming in a bottomless pool. There’s more to a football life than $$$.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
What we don't know is if Eto'o is happy with his choice
Or closer to home, whether Nasri is happy with his choice, given that he’s been doing the soccer equivalent of riding the pine for most of the season. For all we know, Eto’o loves his life and is perfectly content. Whether that is because of the obscene money he makes, or whether he is genuinely content, we as outsiders can’t ever know. But he doesn’t seem too bothered by his choice.
It might be in his contract that he can't say anything bad about his time there
You know, that whole “professionalism” thing
^Ridin' the Recaro's!
I’ve always wondered why the hell these guys use frickin aftermarket racing seats as bench seats, it’s got to be so uncomfortable after awhile…
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If that article expects me to believe
that he woke up one morning and decided that he “…could give faith and hope to a region, and really create something” and it was only a mere coincidence that this also happened at the exact moment that Anzhi decided it should start handing out $20mil contracts than I am a sucker. Sour apple, perhaps. Maybe grape.
Here’s the thing, top guys like RVP, Cesc, Nasri, Eto’o, Ronaldo, etc. are gonna make money wherever they play. As someone else said, they have all the leverage to the point where multi-year contracts are almost meaningless now. Thus, for some players that means they can get rich. The only thing Nasri get’s at City that he couldn’t at Arsenal was money. Same thing with Eto’o. He’s delusional if he thinks hes doing anything for a warzone by flying in every other week to play kickball for an hour and a half. The only thing he gets out of playing for them is more money. However, for others, that means they can get something else. Cesc gets to play with the guy’s he grew up with. Giggs and Scholes are gods to their fans; Jack will have this chance as well. Maybe RVP wants a statue? Maybe he really enjoys the anti-gravity treadmill?
I just think that RVP is too unique and special of a player to lump him in with the “overwhelming majority” for whom a larger paycheck is the only legacy they will ever have the opportunity to pursue.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
by Match Day 5 on Dec 20, 2011 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
And on what do you base that?
I’m not trying to pick a fight, but what leads you to the conclusion that
RVP is too unique and special of a player to lump him in with the "overwhelming majority" for whom a larger paycheck is the only legacy they will ever have the opportunity to pursue
Do you know him? Do you know his motivations? I don’t, and obviously I’m basing what I said on a preponderance of admittedly anecdotal evidence, but if you have any actual knowledge as to RvP’s motivations that would indicate that a legacy would trump the desire for one last huge contract I would be interested in hearing it.
For the same reasons you believe Eto’o is “delusional” for saying what he says, I really honestly can’t and don’t believe a player – any player – when they do the kiss-the-badge-I-love-this-club routine.
I think that's unfair
I really honestly can’t and don’t believe a player – any player – when they do the kiss-the-badge-I-love-this-club routine.
That feels a bit harsh
I think it’s more a matter of we don’t know who we can trust with the club loyalty thing
That unfortunately includes RvP
It may be a bit harsh but it's also almost always right
But I also come at this from a backwards perspective – I root for laundry. Arsenal was a club before Fabregas left, and will continue to be a club after van Persie leaves. I don’t particularly care what sort of loyalty noises they make, because at the end of the day in modern sports loyalty means almost nothing.
And again, I’m not saying that is a bad thing – it’s just an operational reality. Both sides of the coin know this, and they both say what they think people want to hear, which is always true right up until it isn’t.
No, of course not. I enjoy these discussions.
For some dumb reason, all the teams I support are hundreds or thousands of miles away so I don’t usually have the opportunity to indulge like this with comrades. Usually, I’m stuck talking to d-bags who don;t understand why anyone wouldn’t root for the Yankees.
The only thing I know about RVP is what he says in interviews, what AW and other teammates say about him, and how I think he fits in historically both at Arsenal and in world football. I don’t think he comes across as someone who only wants to play for whoever pays him the most.
I guess what I’m talking about is not really what I think he will or won’t do (I’d be in Vegas right now if I had that power). I’m talking about how I think people should react when a decision is finally made. Given that Arsenal competes at the top levels, has first class facilities, and will feature him regularly as the focal point of the attack, the only missing element would be a wage commensurate with his talent. If he’s offered this but Inter or Madrid or Siberia comes along and offers him Monopoly money, well, I guess he can go with them but I would be genuinely shocked and disappointed. At some point, you don’t need 4 houses or 12 cars or whatever.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
by Match Day 5 on Dec 21, 2011 10:53 PM EST up reply actions
In my admittedly limited contact and conversations with professional athletes
They don’t see salary as the ability to buy four houses and 12 cars. They see salary as a measure of worth against their peers. So in that sense, it’s not that the annual salary number is enough to buy most Central American nations; it’s just that the salary number of an elite player must be greater than the salary number of other elite players in the same position.
With the Salary thing, you also have to remember that players don't play for forever
Players don’t play past 30 something (except Giggs) unless they are keepers. And if they are keepers, it’s early 40’s. That leaves half of a life to live without the huge pay. Now, some of these players will become announcers, commentators, coaches, etc, but most won’t. There just aren’t enough jobs in pro soccer management/media for every player. I doubt there’s even enough good jobs for every star player. And those that do get those jobs certainly get a wage decrease.
So, when players retire, they either have to figure out what else to do for the next 25+ years, or have enough money to live comfortably until they get into a post casket. I’m sure The player in their late 20’s (like RvP) are starting to ponder this. So, it makes sense to go for the ridiculous wages, even if you don’t want the
4 houses or 12 cars or whatever.
Your right on
but I think we’re talking about Elite Level players, the kind you don’t really want to leave your club. Sure the Diabys, Eboues, the Mertesackers are going to come and go and no one should really have a problem if they do. However, RVP is possibly entering Statue Level territory. I think he has more to gain by staying here and getting great money than by going to Madrid and making unspendable amounts of money.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
by Match Day 5 on Dec 23, 2011 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
Also, they win a lot.
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It's pretty typical for players of his age to make decisions based solely on money
His next contract will in all likelihood be his last significant one as a player, as he’ll be 29 at the start of next season. DNA issues aside, he’s still capable of playing for any club in the world and there will certainly be ones out there willing to pay him ridiculous amounts of money. While many fans will, I’d find it hard to fault him for holding out for an enormous raise.
by Stephen Schmidt on Dec 19, 2011 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
I guess I can see both of your guys' points
I’d hate to see him go though, it would be like watching Henry to Barca all over again, but… if that ends up being the case, where do you think he might go? And who do you think we could possibly bring in?
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IMO Henry to Barca was a huge win for Arsenal
What they have done with some of their transfer income is another matter, but the club knows when to let a player move on at his peak value.
by Stephen Schmidt on Dec 19, 2011 3:59 PM EST up reply actions
"Henry to Barca" on an emotional level...
You are correct though in Arsenal knowing to let players go at their peak value. Who knows, with RVP being made of glass, we could be getting the last bit of peak performance out of him
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"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
I'd imagine the decline starts very soon for him
The guy has been fantastic this year, but he’s already at the age where physical decline typically begins. Center forwards losing a step is far harder to make up for than most other areas of the pitch, and van Persie isn’t really a hold up style player. He’s going to be awfully tough to replace if he’s sold though.
by Stephen Schmidt on Dec 19, 2011 4:39 PM EST up reply actions
Combine his age with his overall physical condition and injury history
and I’d almost rather sell him on this summer. Better to sell one year too soon than one year too late.
van Persie's never been reliant on pace though
Even now, he doesn’t score from pace. He scores from exceptionally intelligent movement
AAARRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHAAAAAAVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN!
Dream goal!
by Aidan Gibson on Dec 19, 2011 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe not pace but definitely quickness
To get a half step on a defender or slip into a pocket between defenders.
He has a tremendous work rate, too
I believe it was the Dortmund coach who said he couldn’t believe how much work RvP puts into the Midfield and still finds a way to get a strikers goal
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah it was him.
It is something we’ve all seen. At one point he’ll drop deep and receive the ball next to Song then a move later he’ll score from deep inside the penalty box.
I think we might need to just get more depth
We’re stretched pretty thin at every position, and Arsene doesn’t seem willing to bring in the youngsters to get them prepared to play first-team football yet. So I’d be really happy to see a repeat of the summer window, where we bring in 4 guys (a couple defenders, a midfielder, and a striker) at $10MM per player. If Gibbs, Sagna, Jenks, Djourou, Wilshere and Santos all make good progress in their recoveries, AND if we avoid more injuries over the next few weeks, depth is much less of a concern.
If we’re going to spend big on one guy, Hazard is my pick. Add him and another central defender and I’d be happy.
Arshavin and Chamakh look to be gone, send them home please.
Chamakh is currently being looked at by Bordeaux again...
Second times a charm? I wish him all the well though. I don’t know about Arshavin though, there were some rumors during the summer that Zenit were either looking to take him back, or Anzhi was going to drop some cash on him, either way I wouldn’t care anymore, it’s too bad that he isn’t panning out to what he started off as, we’ll always remember the four goal match though…
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Lukas Podolski(or Fernando Llorente) and Xherdian Shiqiri
Though if I had my real wish it would be neymar and shiqiri. I don’t think we need anyone at the back we are just really unlucky right now
I don't want Neymar
He’s got stupid hair
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:39 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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by silverace99 on Dec 20, 2011 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
Well if he goes to Madrid, Mourinho wants to chop it off...
This could play to our advantage! lol
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But he is still the biggest talent in the world right now.
Say what you want, but he is an elite player already with nothing but potential.
Unfortunately we couldn’t even come close to matching his current wages at Santos, much less what he would demand elsewhere, and forget the transfer fee which will probably be Ronaldo-esque.
Barcelona pretty much made him look like a chump at the weekend
I’m not sure he’s quite elite yet. He’ll get there, but “biggest talent in the world” might be a bit of a reach.
How on Earth can he be considered the biggest talent in the world?
I’m guessing that was just a poor choice of words and was meant to be “best talent not playing in a major European league”. Even if that was the case, it’s still nothing but hype. Sure, he’s very talented. But what has he done to be considered elite outside of demonstrating the potential to be so in the future?
I’m not saying I think he’s a chump or that I’d pass on him if he was somehow available for a reasonable fee/wages, but I have no interest in paying best-in-the-world money for an unproven (at the highest level) commodity.
Watch him play. The kid has a Messi level ceiling. I can understand reservations since he has only played in Brazil but come on, he is undeniably good.
"messi" level ceiling?
An often used exaggeration.
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What young player has a greater potential than himl?
Gotze? Maybe, can’t think of anyone else.
Potential means nothing unless it's realized though
and I’m not a subscriber to the hype machine. Give him a couple years to show what he can do and maybe then I’ll call him “the biggest talent in the world”, but for now he’s pretty much just a kid with a lot of potential who has a bright future.
Nowadays, though,
it’s impossible to wait that long.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
by Match Day 5 on Dec 23, 2011 12:54 PM EST up reply actions
Talent develops at the same rate it always has
the media would like to anoint “The Next Messi” or “The Next Jordan” or whatever anytime they see a kid with some talent, but incessant media hype doesn’t help a kid realize potential. It’s only impossible to wait if you buy into that hype.
But the richer teams can afford to be wrong
while teams like us can’t. If we wait for a Neymar or a Hazard to be as good as the hype, he’ll either be too expensive or on ManCity. Meanwhile, we sign some talented youngsters but during their development period, everyone is screaming for the manager to go sign somebody else. Media, fans and owners just aren’t patient. They never will be.
Captain, there are doubt''s...
I worry about him becoming another Jose Antonio Reyes
AAARRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHAAAAAAVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN!
Dream goal!
by Aidan Gibson on Dec 21, 2011 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
I know very little about basketball but I know enough to make this analogy
Jose Antonio Reyes was the Kwame Brown to Thierry Henry’s Michael Jordan. By all accounts Henry pretty much broke Reyes’ spirit at Arsenal, because Henry saw Reyes’ potential and tried to get him to see it as well. Reyes has a more…delicate sort of psyche though and couldn’t deal with the constant hectoring and yelling at him in training. Too bad, too – I always liked and still like Reyes.
Reyes has become a pretty solid player in Spain. England just didn't agree with him.
He’s no Kwame Brown. Just a top prospect who ended up a good but not great player.
A signing I would like to see happen
A forward who is pretty young (20-22) who is good enough to fill in for RVP on occasion but is still growing into his own. Someone who can be an understudy of RVP and when RVP leaves, be it transfer or retirement, this forward would by that time be getting into his prime years. RVP had the benefit of having Henry and Bergkamp here when he came to the team and I think that really helped him go from a promising young forward into the player he is today. I don’t have any specific names which come to mind but spend a good sum of money 15 mil or so.
Nobody in the world is as good as RvP at the moment
I have a feeling Ox and Walcott are meant to be RvP’s understudy
by Adnan Ilyas on Dec 20, 2011 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Reus is between BVB and FC Bayern.
Probably for next summer anyway.
Managing Editor, OnceAMetro.com
by Ben Schneider on Dec 21, 2011 9:51 AM EST up reply actions
Brek Shea and his god awful hair...
Looks like Wenger is looking for loans instead of actual fullback purchases. I see where he’s coming from, why bring in like three or four defenseman when, when everybody comes back then you have a massive surplus and a bunch of money wasted. Shea has already been training with us for a month or so, he’s got three months until MLS starts back up, we might as well make an offer, but he won’t be playing on the wings that for sure. The other name that’s come up apparently is an actual purchase of Wayne Bridge. I’ve never really see Wayne Bridge play, all I know is that he earns 100k a week playing on loan for West Ham I believe… and that his wife slept with John Terry, payback’s a bitch, thoughts?
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2009 & 2011 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
Wayne Bridge doesn't play anywhere at the moment
He’s making £90,000 a week to basically do nothing. I’d be interested to see if he’d come to Arsenal, but not for that kind of money.
Must of been last year he went out on loan then...
Idk, now that you say that he isn’t playing anywhere at the moment, do we really want to pick up a guy who hasn’t played a game match in months? I vote no…
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2009 & 2011 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
"Victoria Concordia Crescit"
I'd pay his wages if we sent him to sp*rs
I would rather have his wife, just John Terry
Brek Shea is a midfielder that also plays the left wing.
I think you confused him with George John.
by hrothgar606 on Jan 7, 2012 8:39 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
A very good read on winter transfer possibilities on Arsenal Report
SBN Bloglist:
The Short Fuse (Arsenal, EPL)
Sactown Royalty (Kings, NBA)
Apparently BBC had a gossip report we're going to go after Pato.
Very unlikely but as far as dream signings go maybe the most realistic. I could actually somewhat see this happening if AC sign Tevez like they are favoured to.
Gotze apparently only want to play in Spain...
This is either a rumor out of the Guardian or the Daily Mail, so odds are it’s false. Either way I’d assume it’s false because 1.) No matter what, if us, Chelsea, or United flash more in wages than any Spanish club for him, he’s coming to England, and 2.) Who the hell in Spain is going to go after Gotze right now? Nether Madrid or Barca have much room for midfielders, Madrid is going to focus 24/7 on Neymar, and Barca can’t afford shit right now…
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2008 & 2010 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
I really, really, really, really, really, REALLY fucking want Götze at Arsenal. I absolutely love the guy. Put him at center mid…hes the kind of player we could build an entire generation cycle of our club around. Hazard is extremely talented and physically gifted but Götze is just pure class.
That being said, I see him staying at Dortmund a while.
This team will be the death of me.
by NYflyGUY on Jan 12, 2012 3:56 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
The difference between Gotze and Hazard is...
Dortmund can actually afford to keep Gotze in his native country long term, unlike Lille and Hazard. Dortmund draw one of the biggest crowds in Europe and their international fanbase is growing quickly, enough to where in a few years, I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if Dortmund would be on the same regular international level as Bayern. Neither players will come at a cheap price, but if anything, Hazard may be more easily accessible than Gotze is at this point, we all know Hazard is going to be out of France by the end of this summer, but Gotze could just as easily stay in Germany long term if he wanted to.
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2008 & 2010 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
The Bundesliga is also considered a stronger league then most
Unlike France’s. So players are not wanting to move out of there so much because they want to play against higher opposition. Not true in France.
Cahill to Chelsea, somewhere around 7 mil., confirmed by Owen Coyle...
It’s not January yet so it could still break down, but I doubt it. Chelsea need the CB help, and they’ll spend whatever it takes really. At least we don’t have to deal with Cahill to Arsenal rumors at all in the future… I’m content with the CB’s we’ve got anyways, the way Cahill has been playing this year has pretty much warranted us not going after him in the first place…
UMD Bulldogs: 2011 NCAA DI Men's Hockey Nat'l Champions; 2008 & 2010 NCAA DII Football Nat'l Champions
I do however want to rub it in Owen Coyle's face as I believe that 7 mil is less than what we offered in the summer.
That is what happens when you overestimate your players.
by Roa on Jan 8, 2012 8:54 AM EST up reply actions
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