Morning all.
I can’t find anything from old ‘Chips’ on the official website but the back pages are all running with this Arsenal story.
The club posted cash reserves of £100.5m, having seen their football financial turnover rise from £158m to £191m, thanks mainly to the new Premier League TV deal. (The Mail)
Sir Chips is alleged to have said:
We have continued to invest in the region of key players. Francis Coquelin, Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud have all signed new contracts, while we have taken up options to extend the contracts of Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla.
Further work is required in the area of contract renewals and we will continue to invest rationally in our squad retention.
As expected, increased Premier League broadcasting revenues have had a direct impact on player costs both in terms of transfer prices and player wage demands.
While these are market forces that have contributed directly over time to the success of the Premier League, I would sound a note of caution in light of the very material contractual commitments to future wages that clubs are taking on.
In other words, Arsenal are more wealthy than ever before but they aren’t going to break the bank just to keep Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. To be honest, the way Mesut Ozil is playing these days, neither would I. I’m sure we all knew when he arrived that he wasn’t going to be a tough tackler but even so, his body language these days stinks. I’d be furious if I was one of his team-mates, I really would and I know I keep typing it but Arsene Wenger needs to drop him. He should have dropped him for the Bayern game because that would have sent out a huge message to the player but it seems he’s undropable….. (is there such a word? I don’t care, I like it and it’s now mine.)
Not only is he undropable, but seldom is he substituted either yet others on the pitch who have had a good game are being changed. It really is terrible management! As is the continual playing of Alex Iwobi, it’s crazy because he’s no work-horse either so starting both is like giving the opposition a two man advantage. We all know Wenger likes to play an attacking game but neither of those two are really having an impact yet Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez watch on and they too must wonder why on earth they aren’t playing.
Such actions remind me of my school days whilst doing PE as was called back then. There was often one or two who’d be the teachers pet and they’d be picked for whatever the sport was that we were playing but regardless of how good some of the kids were, they weren’t picked, and all because their face didn’t fit. But at this level of sport it’s very different. A PE teacher doesn’t go out and buy the players he or she wants in their team, they are just handed them as they are pupils but Arsene Wenger signs who he wants to make his team work. He’s the one who tell us every single transfer window that he’ll only buy someone better than who he has, a special player who can offer something to the team, or that kind of thing so why not play the players he does sign, especially in the case of the Spaniard?
The funny thing is though, he’s one of the four options on the official site for player of the month.
Perez might be an attacking player but he works hard for the team, he doesn’t shy away from a tackle, nor is he afraid to track back and defend when the situation arises and I truly believe Arsene Wenger has missed a serious trick by not playing him more often.
Still, I guess like one of those poor kids back at school, he’s not a teachers pet. I was, I got picked for every sport….. 🙂
Finally, the under 23’s battered Chelsea last night. Here’s a report of the match from Jeorge Bird.
I’ve spoken to Lee and we can use his pvt jet Rico……………… sorted…..!
Great news Wath!
Perez, Ox, Welbz, Xhaka should all be permanent to the end of the season. Drop Coq, Ozil, Iwobi and Gabriel.
There’s room in there for Elneny too…
Definitely – but he’s injured at the moment. I think he is quality.
I really like him too. Hope he’s fit for Anfield..
Would love to see Elneny, Xhaka and Ox in the middle with Perez, Welbeck and Alexis up front…
Win all day long with that sort of speed and cutting edge. I think Perez is very talented.
We agree again Db..
It’s most odd that AW doesn’t try them together.
Can’t understand it either. Why spend 17m on a sub? I watched him lots in Spain – he scored very well crafted goals against all the top teams and his overall work rate was outstanding. Makes little sense – especially as almost every appearance has produced a goal.
Beggars belief really…
He will be looking to leave.
Well the next two or three league games are crucial, so let’s hope they are all fit and up for the challenge. They can’t like the poor publicity, whether they let Wenger take the flak or not, so they need to prove a few points (and get some too).
I agree Ozil should be out, Monreal, Coq and Gabriel too.
If Spurs are having a wobble, we can put some distance between us and them, but I think we all agree the title is Chelski’s. The two Manchesters are also vying for 2nd place, so it’s that fab 4th spot that we are fighting for as per usual.
Not if he gets a good run between now and the end of the season hopefully Meerkat..
DB, I watched Perez a lot too at Depotivo and not only his goal scoring, but his toughness/ strength, especially against ” the big teams” was exceptional. I will actually play him upfront because he’s more effective and still tracks back.
All year we have been saying that AW doesn’t know his best 11, but if all are healthy:
Perez
Welbeck – Sanchez – 1 of the passengers
Ox – Elneny
Gibbs – Mustafi – Kos – Bellerin
Sanchez needs to play in the 10 role because whether as a striker or winger he’s coming deep to get the ball, since there’s no Santi, that makes the attack very stagnated. Play him where it makes it easier to receive the ball – his best year for us was when he played the 10. Even when Ozil plays, Ozil drift from the 10 position way too much to hug the lines thus we play without a “playmaker”.
Hi Rico and HH.
Amazing how dead things become when we don’t have a game!
Does anyone think we’ll be a football force in 10 years time?
I’m having serious doubts.
I wrote a letter (yes, not an email, y’know that envelope that has a stamp attached) to Arsene Wenger last week about a lot of the comments above….don’t expect to get a reply though?
Agree with many comments about Perez, Welbeck, Sanchez etc.
They could easily afford the 300k that Sanchez is apparently asking for……
Hi Herb, it is dead. But I guess all that’s to be said, has been said…
Obi, surely Alexis goes deep to collect the ball because the players behind him aren’t doing enough, I’d prefer he stays where he is but gets a better service whic e might with Welbeck and Perez either side of him and the Ox behind him…
Guess so, Rico, feels like we’ve all contributed to a sort of Post Mortem.
Sure does Herb.
Good point Rico about the service; but Perez as a striker is exceptional and Welbeck has good movement. Sanchez’s movement is also exceptional and with his ball-huging aside …lol – if you move, Sanchez will find you, he’s a very good passer.
I think that Arsenal will get better in 10yrs. We have probably seen the worst. Three reasons, first, the TV money will continue to increase. Whatever manager comes in will want to succeed, because in order for Stan to be happy, he has to at least make top 4 for that 60m CL payout. Second, if Stan sells, whoever buys will have ambition because thats the reason for buying. Third, the fan base will continue to increase because the “traditional” fans are not leaving, but the “tourist” will continue to attend because it’s London. So there you have it money, ambition and fans the basic foundation of a club. After that it’s just a good manager and players.
In all fairness Obi, I think if that three play together they might switch and swap as the game goes just as Bobby and Freddie did as they are all intelligent players.
Surely things can’t get any worse eh….
Maybe Obi, but Arsenal have a wage ceiling that they’re not prepared to break, so the top players will go to clubs that will pay them above and beyond.
If we don’t qualify for CL, the club will adjust it’s budget and bring in even cheaper players on much lower wages.
There’ll be plenty more Chamakh’s and no Sanchez’s or Ozil’s.
Herb, did you have any joy setting up a new account so that your comments get through moderation?
I don’t know how to do it Rico.
Herb, try creating a free gmail email account and use that to log in instead of your current login details.. Then, if you’d like me too I can set up your new WordPress account keeping your name Herbs Army…
It could be because you have a link attached to your user name Herb, if you remove that it might solve the issues.
Evening all and thanks Teacher`s Pet !………………….. I have a Le Cox`s apple for you !
🙂
About bloody time !………..I can disagree with Obi for once !……………..well, apart from the Sanogo Stalking thingy ! 🙂
A new manager(s) may make thing`s better in the next 10 years, but that depends on quite a few thing`s…..the main one….who we get !………..but it`s all a shot in the dark for me as I cant see anything getting better in thye next 10 years if we stilll have the same unambitious owner !……………..then there`s the credible threat of Spuds and W Ham with their new stadiums taking them to the next level……our level !……………..but with the added bonus of having owners who are fanatic fans who want to win trophies not just make a profit like our owner !……………….somewhere in the next ten years it will not just be ……….The Two Mancs and Chavs but Bindippers, Spuds and WHam !…………..maybe even Everton as their owner…..former Arsenal shareholder ……………..wants to build a new ground aswell !……………………if we cant compete now, what chance we got then ?
Kroenke Out !
Thank Fcuk for the FA Cup is all I say !………….something we always have a chance in due to the unfixed draw system unlike the fixed and seeded CL system !………………………and being a wimp, I love nothing more than getting a non league team to make our chances easier ! hahaha
🙂 Lc, you read it then… lol
Evening all.
Seriously, do we really know Kroenke? All the time Wenger has all the power at the club, we don’t really know what he’s about do we?
Maybe once Wenger has gone, well know a lot more and if our fears prove to be right, then I’m sure the septic will face a rough ride….
Evening Adam.
I think we should blame Kroenke for being so rich Rico.
Let’s just blame him, period Adam.
I reckon so. Especially that storm the other day.
Old Doris… lol
I’d love him gone though Adam, a man a million miles away isn’t good…
So true Rico.
I don’t blame him for playing Ramsey on the left though Adam…. 😉
No. That was completely understandable Rico, as was Arshavin at centre forward. 🙂
? Adam
Kroenke has a track record in USA though. Not particularly good either. No reason it will be any better.
Arsene always keeps you guessing Rico. 🙂
Good point Potter but is he under as much pressure over there as he could/would be here?
Not sure about guessing Adam… 😉
The Arshavin Centre Forward Episode !……………………………….now if he`d have had Santi on his shoulders underneath a long shirt, it might have worked !.
TV time for me guys so I’ll bid a very good night….
Catch up tomorrow…..
Nighty
Herb makes a point which fits in well with my Kroenke rants…………………if we dont get CL football the player buying and wage budget will shrink accordingly due to our self sustainability practice……………………Manshafter Std lose CL place and break the world record transfer fee !………………..the big 3 money spenders of the EPL will not be miserly with no CL……….infact they will do the opposite and buy/pay more so that they can compete !…………………..that in a nut shell tells us why Kroenke is OUR problem !………………………not a penny/dime put into Arsenal under his shift and I doubt he ever will and if we are to compete, then that is an enormous major obstacle !……………….up the creek without a paddle !.
Night Rico.
Don’t get it, how is Kroenke the problem when Wenger himself said he has never denied him funds? We can’t judge Kroenke based on his American teams because the rules are different. All of the teams have a salary cap, players are traded or drafted, not bought out right. To the extend he can be judged, it could be resigning his own free agents and his drafts. Additionally, his team until the Rams moved to LA are not in attractive or big draw cities, many of these free agent wants the money and big city lifestyle. And from all accounts, he hires people and allows them to do their jobs, he don’t micro manage.
LC, based on Stan’s business model, he will invest if he thinks the team is falling out of the ideal money place – top 4, for an example Arshavin, Ozil, Sanchez etc. So if it happens that we fall from the top 4 the investment will be greater, because he want the extra money that comes with the extra games.
Herb, to Stan this is a business, hence the problem. That wage structure work only if it helping him make money. However if he fall out of the top 4 it’s no longer as profitable as he wants. The decision then will be to sell or reinvest for the business to be profitable. If we all agree that Stan is not a football man/ fan, then at the point where it’s no longer a lucrative business he will cash out. A new owner will not pay 2 to 3 billion for the team to be mid table, so both scenarios will be good for the fans.
Good day fellow Arsenal fans. I would like to actually defend Ozil and say I would not drop him whatsoever. His body language is the same whether we win or lose. That’s Mesut Ozil.
Why I would like to defend him is because we all know the type of player he is and what needs to happen for him to do what he does best. Do any of you think that is happening? He needs runners. He needs to be collecting the ball in the final third. He actually needs player to pass the ball to his feet.
For example in the Bayern game I counted about two passes that Ozil got too his feet. The other 10 or so were very wayward and he chased them but the went off the pitch. How can Ozil be blamed for that? Put yourself in his shoes. You stay up the field where ur most dangerous and every pass you get is over hit or misdirected. You drop back into your own half to try and get into the game and then nobody is available in front of you to pass.
I think we should pay more attention to the service that Ozil is getting which is making him look bad and it’s not for lack of effort because he chases every wayward pass in his direction.
Ozil was actually the top or second top tackler in the Bayern first half. Is that his job? No. But he still did it so again blaming him for lack of effort is feeble.
Imagine Ozil with a Kante behind him tackling and giving him the ball to feet. When he looks up he sees Hazard, Pedro and Costa all making runs not to mention Alonso and Moses. He would be racking up 40 assists a season.
Just analyse the game a bit better and don’t let his body language determine how he played. Let the service that he gets and the runners available determine that. He’s not a Messi or Ronaldo that will beat 3 or 4 players. He’s more of a Pirlo but higher up the field. He’s been Germany’s player of the year for the past few years bar once and look at the array of talent Germany have.
Ozil is a genius. He has the best touch and vision in our team. He just needs the ball to his feet and runners.
Thanks for reading
Geziah, I think Ozil is the most talented footballer in England, and easily.
I’ve defended him relentlessly, but agains Chelsea, he gave up on two 50/50 challenges in the last five minutes and that cannot be defended at all.
Rico, do you want me to liven things up 🙂 🙂 🙂
Scott. At what other top club does their talented attacking player go into 50/50 challenges? Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Hazard, Robben, Mata, Mane, Griezeman. None of those do it and we would love anyone of them at arsenal so to drop Ozil based on that would be very harsh.
Not saying it’s a good thing just saying it’s not something to drop him for. We should have 10 other players doing that. Ozil is a luxury player that’s why we spent £42M for him at that time.
Geziah, This is the PL and the physicality is much different to that of other leagues.
Players can not hide.
I do agree with you on Ozil needing players making intelligent runs as I’ve said the same thing since he joined us, but we lack that, unfortunately, and that can make Ozil look average.
That issue is down to other players and I accept that, but above all else, I rate effort and work rate in players.
Just my opinion.
Is Ozil a player to build a side around?
Give him the right striker and offer him the cover so he can get about his business and it could work.
It’s require quite a few changes, no question.
He’s good enough and that’s without question, but he’d really need the right players around him, as well as committing long term.
I don’t see it happening, personally.
You have a point Scott and here’s a quote from one of the most intelligent footballers in the game.
Speaking in 2014, he was praised by fellow German teammate Phillip Lahm, who said Ozil will be “devastating” for Arsenal next season. Lahm told Goal, “Anybody who has played with Mesut will tell you how intelligent he is as a player.” He continued, “His vision is probably the best I have ever seen and that is why it is so important to have the right striker ahead of him. He is a dream for strikers and you saw that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Karim] Benzema when he was at Madrid. If Arsenal can find the right striker who is fast and makes intelligent runs – then Mesut will be devastating next season.”
Additionally, I remember a stat saying something like Ozil has started in nearly every game for Germany in the past how many years so you could argue that yes he is a player to build a team around. You could even argue that the German team for the past 6 years or so was built around him as he was the only ever present player. Will Arsenal go out and get the right players to build the team around him? To be frank no they won’t.
But to have such a genius of a player not being complemented correctly is criminal.
We all know that if u make the right run Ozil will pick you out. That is no debate. So we just need to get the right players to make these runs. Who knows maybe starting Welbeck, Sanchez and Perez in front of Ozil will make him do what he does best. Maybe even playing Gibbs and Bellerin together also for their forward runs. Then if Xhaka does his job from deep and whoever is playing beside him the. Ozil will be what makes him Ozil.
He has been labelled as the best number 10 in the world before and that there is no other player like him. No copy not even a bad copy.
Geziah, thebonenpkayer yet to be given a decent chance in front of Ozil is Perez, and everything we’ve seen suggests we have a player capable of making smart runs.
Why isn’t he starting?
Who really knows but thus far, he’s been wasted and if he does get a chance and thrives, and makes Ozil look better, then why it’s taken so long will remain an even bigger mystery.
“The one player” is how that first sentence should read…
Just watching MotD, and saw Fabregas run the show for Chelsea.
At what £30 million, he certainly seems to be a more effective player than the more expensive Mesut Ozil.
Hi Kev;
Look at what he has around him, though 🙂
That’s true Scott, and he has a better manager as well. ?
Lol
Morning Kev, Scott and all…
I’m having a day off… 😉
Bludger 🙂 🙂
I had one of those yesterday Rico… ?
Off to work in a minute… ?
You deserve one every now and again Kev… 😉
Afternoon Rico. It’s hard to feel much enthusiasm for the club these days. It has that end-of-an-era feel about it, though whether that is in fact the case is anybody’s guess.
Afternoon Adam. I have no enthusiasm whatsoever…. still, at least there’s a rugby match to watch in a while…
I will not tolerate complacency, especially from the England rugby team… ?
I feel genuinely concerned about Arsenal’s immediate and long term future.
At this moment in time, the club are nothing more than a megalomaniac’s on-going experiment, because no other manager plays so many players out of their natural position. And even when it inevitably ends in comically depressing disaster, he is allowed to repeat it time after time without any ever pausing the ridiculous merry-go-round and asking: ‘Arsene, what the **** are you doing?’
No manager in history has placed so much over-exaggerated faith in so many ordinary players, and his egotistical obsession to prove everyone wrong is sheer lunacy.
He’s allegedly a very intelligent man who is fluent in seven languages. He knows he is despised by many Arsenal fans and he feels the toxic atmosphere at the Emirates, so it begs the question as to why he hangs around.
Yes of course there’s the financial rewards, but he doesn’t need money. What has happened to his professional pride and integrity?
I think it’s fair to say that since the stadium move, the only project the club has under-taken is massive asset-stripping, and vastly over-rewarding the mediocre. Does no-one do checks and balances at Arsenal?
People will point at Ozil, Sanchez and Xhaka as big money signings, but I say so what? They’re part of a dysfunctional club going nowhere, all because Wenger is the modern day Nero.
Has any other manager in the history of football been allowed to repeatedly make the same basic mistakes? Has any other manager been allowed to make so many poor errors of judgement?
A man so disconnected from the fan-base that he thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to tell us that he almost signed every world superstar under the sun. That’s all very well, but what about those he should have signed?
Liverpool were prepared to accept £15m for Xavi Alonso, Wenger only wanted to pay £13m. He then had his best season for Liverpool before going to RM for £30m.
Bolton wanted £8-10m for Gary Cahill, Wenger only offered £5m, six months later Chelsea bought him for £7m.
Dennis Bergkamp was constantly in contact with Wenger, raving about young prospect Christian Erikson who Tottenham signed for £12m.
The biggest embarrassment was Wenger’s insulting offer for Luis Suarez, who realistically Arsenal could have bought for somewhere in the range of £45-50m.
And the latest revelation that N’Golo Kante has long been on Wenger’s radar, and he tried to sign him. The question there is how on earth did he end up choosing Leicester over Arsenal?
Imagine the impact those five players would have and how differently Arsenal would be set up with a proper football manager.
As of this moment, I believe Wenger will sign another contract because he has nothing else in life and he is scared of retirement.
Arsenal are at a major cross-road, one that they’ve been at for a while but have refused to address.
If Arsenal miss out on CL qualification, which is a very real possibility, they will need one of the biggest transfer windows in the club’s entire history, and I just don’t think the current regime are capable of delivering what the fans want, and Arsenal’s decline could progress at an alarming rate.
Something radical has to change, because as it stands, Arsenal serve no purpose in football, or to their supporters.
For the level of change we need to see, Arsenal’s stock needs to plunge dramatically. We will have to fall to re-build, and that must be done without Kroenke. The poison needs rooting out, and I would gladly accept mid-table or flirtation with relegation for a couple of seasons to replace Kroenke with an ambitious owner who actually knows how football works, and wants to be at Arsenal games.
Wenger is a big problem that needs resolving urgently, but Kroenke is at the very heart of Arsenal’s overall issues.
As long as Stan Kroenke controls Arsenal, the club will never be a major football force, and it will be decades before they recover.
Currently Arsenal are lions acting like mice, and many heads need to roll.
Can’t believe what I’m seeing from our rugger 15!
I’ll wager there are no old Etonians playing in this game. A bit too ruff, wot!
Perhaps our coach will introduce touch less rugby as a training drill? To toughen them up!! Soft sods. Oh no, it’s a non contact sport!! They’ll love it!
Sorry, where are my manners?!
Good Afternoon Rico and everyone visiting the House.
You watched Chelsea I have just watched Barca beat Atletico 2-1 iniesta is ageing and they haven’t replaced Xavi .However Greizman. Was kept very quiet by Pique. They should not have sold Cesc either.
HCAA; 4.31pm
Herb, get to the point man, for Gods sake, and stop sitting on the fence… ?
Sorry Kev. 😀
Hahaha..true Kev…………………..Herb will get splinters !
Not forgetting, Herb !…………………………he let the Arsenal supporting Harry Kane leave our club when he was 9 years old !………………….how could he not see the potential ?
On a good note…………..we are in the FA Cup semi final, have to wait to see who we`ve got after the other teams play their quarters !.
Blame Cornwall, Kev, he did ask what I think should be done…
Hi Cornwall.
I have mixed feelings about the FA Cup. I like it because it was our first major trophy, but it has become so de-valued because of CL.
Wenger doesn’t even try to win it unless it’s a desperate last ditch go-to salvage job, as in 2014, when it was a perfect deflection from him surrendering the PL title.
I give credit to Wenger for his first three FA Cup triumphs, because two of them were part of ‘doubles’, and it still meant something. It’s fair to say that Arsenal, among other top clubs have been guilty of treating the FA Cup quite disrespectfully since the introduction of CL qualification, as well as the CL and FA Cup fixtures often being within days of each other. Even when faced with a hopeless situation in the CL, Wenger still disregards the FA Cup.
I personally think the fourth CL qualifier should be the FA Cup winners, because winning a trophy should always be more important than finishing second, third or fourth, and it would give the trophy its sense of gravitas back.
Morning all.
Top post Herb, but one thing-the only thing-I disagree with is the Suarez issue.
We offered what was required to allow negotiations with the player, as that was in his contract.
Why offer 5-10 million more than was required?
It wasn’t by any means our one and only offer Ron a Liverpool, but we had absolutely every right to make that as it was above what was required, albeit one pound more but still, it should’ve started negotiations.
Where we went wrong was not having the balls to demand Liverpool start negotiations as we’d meet our part of the deal, but I believe Suarez himself had no desire to join us else he’d have made that same demand.
Sorry to rant but so many Arsenal fans crucify Wenger over this when it’s factually incorrect.
As I said, the others-ridiculously Scrooge like decisions have been made.
Eriksen for one was an Arsenal style player when he was 18-19 years old so how we missed him is crazy.
Draxler-what would he have cost 3-4 years back?
Hazard at 18??
One of the very worst situations was Schwarzer-still playing bloody good football and we dithered over a million pounds when he was going for 2-3 only.
A few weeks ages lol
So many players we’ve missed out on over just a relatively small amount of money.
Surely the world and his wife knows the 40 million and 1 pound bid was one of the most provocative and derogatory things our manager had the gall to stand over, it was just plain classless, and backfired. If Ozil was worth 42, Suarez was easily worth 52.
Suarez had desire to join us,
Before Barca Came in, He was Very keen on coming to us. Banished to train on his own, his agent told him we were interested, he was keen. Contract negotiations were in place. Wenger got the hump, when the media caught wind of the “1 pound” and refused to budge on it.
Jonahon, sorry, but I fail to see how offering more would’ve changed a thing.
Their owner came out and said the guys going nowhere and they wouldn’t negotiate so the rest is just a non event.
If Suarez wanted out, as you say, why didn’t he demand negotiations begin after the trigger for the clause had been met?
No way in the world he wanted to head to us.
Nowhere did I suggest he wasn’t worth more, though.
It triggered the clause.
The final transfer fee, if it happened, would’ve been decided on later and it would have been much more but the fact is it was a legitimate amount to offer to allow the club to speak to the player.
That is fact.
To say it was provocative and derogatory is just wrong but so be it.
I to thought the extra £1 was an insulting thing to do. Why not offer £41-45 million then we wouldn’t have looked so silly…
It’s like leaving a £1 tip in a restaurant, you just wouldn’t do it….
Morning all..
Hi Rico,
Is that the biggest issue people had though?
Most seem to think it was an irrelevant offer and asked why we didn’t offer much more but it was enough to do allow negotiations.
It didn’t matter as that little bastard got to where he wanted.
Hi Scott.
Turn the offer around. What if Chelsea made a similar offer for Alexis if he had a get out clause, you’d be livid, as would most fans I’m sure.
The word ‘derogatory’ is imo the perfect one….
Why is he a ‘bastard’ – he did little wrong imo…. apart from biting people and falling over in the penalty box….
He’s a little bastard because he bit an took Dive lol.
Nothing to with how he handle this issue.
If Chelsea offered enough to trigger a buyout clause what could I say??
Not much to say, really.
Morning everyone.
It was an insulting offer, Scott, and Liverpool laughed at us along with the rest of the football world.
It didn’t trigger anything, because we never got near to offering a contract.
Maybe his dream move was Barcelona, but if Arsenal had offered between £45-50m, I believe that would have secured his signature, and his presence would have been like a shock-wave through the club.
We’d have won the PL in 2014 without a shadow of doubt, and given the CL a real go too.
It was only a few weeks after the Suarez fiasco that he parted with £42.5m for a player we didn’t need, which makes the whole situation look even more ridiculous.
Wenger’s MO is plugging gaps that don’t exist whilst ignoring the glaringly obvious.
Morning Rico. I believe that Suarez wanted to come, if for no other reason than he said so. Gerrard spoke against the move to him and said that he should move to a bigger, more ambitious club.
He would only have ended up on the bloody wing anyway.
Morning Herb, Adam..
I too believe he wanted a move to us, I really do.
I have to go to the dentist so catch up in an hour or so…
Morning Herb. I think your point about us not needing Ozil is nteresting as a friend and I were discussing it a few evenings ago. Then again, I think we had the same discussion when Wenger bought Nasri.
Now, if any of you can’t accept the facts as laid out here, then there really is no point, is there?
I’ve said it for a while now-now matter what wenger does in the eyes of plenty, it’s wrong.
https://www.google.com.au/amp/www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/transfer-news-release-clause-in-luis-suarez-contract-was-activated-by-arsenal-but-liverpool-owner-9164948.html%3Famp
On Ozil, I only know of one single person who showed any doubts about Ozil as a signing.
He’s been proven 100% correct.
He said that, in time, Arsenal fans would turn on the man due to his body language.
Ginge, you were spot on.
No hindsight in that opinion, and I could be wrong, but I really don’t remember anything but joy from Arsenal fans at the time.
Re your last Herb, imagine Ozil and Suarez in the team though… 😉
The benefits of wifi at the dentist eh… lol
Hahaha Rico.
Shaddup and spit lol
Suarez or Aguero in front of Ozil-it’s a 30-35 goal partnership!!!
No one is denying the get out clause wasn’t met, just saying that the way the club went about activating it was dreadfully embarrassing…
Hi Adam.
We were all painfully aware that we needed a WC striker, which surely was the whole point of bidding for Suarez. But Wenger ruined any chance of that with his derisory offer, and obviously he hadn’t thought far enough ahead to have an alternative to Suarez, so again he handicapped us.
Ozil literally fell into Wenger’s lap because RM had bought Bale that summer, and they just didn’t need him.
I’m sure you remember the familiar storm that was building, Adam, after our shocking opening day 3-1 defeat at home against Villa. Wenger knew Ozil’s reputation alone would placate the fans and buy him more time, and so it has. Even with his shiny expensive marquee signing he surrendered the PL title, and it hasn’t improved our fortunes since, so it has to go down as a huge waste of money. I know this is blasphemous, but I’d rather have Christian Erikson or Dele Ali over Ozil.
It really is difficult to understand why Wenger buys certain players, and what football game is being played out in his head where he magically fits it all into place, and yet in reality it is all such a huge mess.
Rico. I would have thought that negotiations should be kept confidential. But I guess it was Liverpool who leaked the ‘extra £1’ thing to heap embarrassment on Arsenal.
And keep Suarez of course.
Now that would be dynamic, Rico.
But we both know there’s no way Wenger would have bought both in the same window.
I know Herb, but the sad thing is, we could have afforded to couldn’t we….
Herb. Yes, that’s true. I had only seen Ozil at Real Madrid where he was good. On occasion he has been good for us too but we’ve never really had a settled team around him, particularly in midfield where we have been flaky for years. He also looks physically marginal for the PL to me. He’s certainly a very good player and great – sometimes. But hardly consistent. I do wonder what a new manager would do with him.
Can’t blame them really Adam…
Without a doubt Rico, the club are just too cowardly to speculate and really go for it.
New post up guys…
Agree Herb and that’s the difference between us and a truly ambitious club..
Morning all.
Our transfers also show what is wrong with the club. What business has Wenger got quoting the prices. His job is to give IG and whoever should be in-charge of negotiations (Dick Law, I think) a list of the players he wants and then IG and Law tracks them and make negotiations. Wenger is a thrifty tight fisted git. He always offers less than the required market value then comes out to say how he ‘almost’ signed so and so.
He should be involved in price negotiations. The best he’d do is call us a player and tell him he’d like to sign him at the arsenal and let the transfer department do the rest.