Daily Bits and Bobs

Transfer plans going well then.. Wenger turns to France for next big signing…?

Posted on by rico
Well done chaps and chapesses......
Well done chaps and chapesses……

Morning all.

Just eight days left in this transfer window and it seems that the man Arsene Wenger wanted to sure up our defence, is now not for sale. No doubt all the faffing around with the transfer fee has made Valencia think ‘enough is enough Arsenal’, you’re not having him.

Guillem Balague, the man who believes he knows all there is to know in Spain says:

The coaching staff at Valencia think Mustafi will not go, and this is the same message being made by Valencia.

They insist the only way Mustafi will be allowed to leave is if Arsenal trigger his €50m (£43.1m) buy-out clause, which I think everybody will agree is too much money for him.

So that’s it then, I think we can be sure Arsene Wenger wouldn’t spend that amount of money on a defender regardless of how good or bad he might be and in this particular case, Balague has said the player isn’t good enough to play for Arsenal. There’s still time for the two clubs to thrash out a deal yet.

But in all honesty, this transfer window is one in a long list of disastrous ones for Arsenal and the odds of us ending up champions this season must be dropping by the day. Matchbook.com have all the details.

I really don’t understand why Arsene Wenger leaves things so late in the summer. He must have known which players he wanted a long time ago and leaving things so late, when every other knows we are desperate, will only increase a transfer fee. WBA have plonked a £25 million price tag on Jonny Evans now apparently and that’s probably because they know what a terrible situation we are in. There’s no way Evans is worth that amount of money but to sell him now would leave Pulis needing a replacement and he’ll want as much money as he can because this late in the day, only big money will get players through the door.

For some reason though Arsene Wenger seems to think that late deals is the best way because he feels he can snatch a bargain but clearly, this simply isn’t the way to do business. Would Pep, Mourinho, Klopp, Conte etc etc behave in such a way? The answer is simply no as their transfer business so far have proved and Wenger won’t ever convince me that a few players who other clubs have snapped up wouldn’t have made our squad a much stronger. Yet they were clearly not good enough in his eyes.

There’s been no plan, no ambition, no urgency and no desire by the manager or club to make this current squad a stronger one. Joel Campbell, who showed great promise last season, when he got the chance that is, but he’s now gone. Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky have gone too as has Hayden. Akpom, the only out and out striker bar Ollie in the squad hasn’t even been used during the first two games. Not even the man from Japan will be our striker saviour, as he isn’t going be given a Visa. Mertesacker and Gabriel won’t be seen until Christmas at best, neither will Welbeck….

Holding and Xhaka are very good additions but imo, right now our squad is not as strong as it was last season and even then Arsene Wenger couldn’t win the league.

Fat chance of him winning it this season either….

PS – this is so so funny, it’s by Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian:

Whenever Arsène Wenger is asked how Calum Chambers ended up at Arsenal, he simply shrugs his shoulders, shuffles his feet, claims he doesn’t know and attempts to direct his interrogator’s gaze towards Rob Holding. Isn’t Holding just the cutest? But so he never has to play Chambers in central defence again, or remind people that he parted with actual cash money for the former Southampton starlet, Wenger is on the lookout for a new centre-back.

rico

381 thoughts on “Transfer plans going well then.. Wenger turns to France for next big signing…?”

  1. frednerk says:

    Wonder why Arsene was as quick
    as a flash to get Vardy in.
    Is because it was for 20mil or
    that we needed a forward?

  3. Wavy says:

    What angers me re Chambers is that having bought him as a raw teenager, it would seem that good old Arsene has not managed to improve the boy at all. He should be our next CD but he’s made no progress. No progress at all. Is it because Wenger is obsessed with midfielders and forwards rather than he is about producing a good ‘locksmith’ at the back. Or rather he just doesn’t have the ability to coach good defensive habits into a young, willing and adaptable child?
    Perhaps he needs to employ a defensive coach. No names who would fit his ‘yes man’ demands come to mind. None at all! All Wenger’s boats are burned and he is the drowning man in the water. Will he survive………..watch this space……….!

    Morning all. Bright and sunny here, but will it last?

  4. Lee says:

    European annual salary bills in Euros

    Barca 340.3
    Real 289
    chavs 289
    psg 254.8
    manure 253.7
    citeh 242.5
    Arsenal 240
    Bayern 227.3
    dippers 207.5
    juve 198.4
    AC 168.3 (2015)
    roma 136
    spuds 126.2
    Dortmund 117.9
    inter 113.9
    scalke 109
    athletico 105
    villa 105
    everton 97.5
    Marseille 96.8

  5. crispen says:

    That bloody Wenger he should have known that two out of his top three CBs would be injured in preseason…. what a useless coach.

  9. Lee says:

    Or known that the injury prone Wilshere, Walcott, Rosicky, Ox and ,Arteta would pick up injuries last season, I mean who would of thought it?

  12. teebajj says:

    Chambers just isn’t good enough to play at center back or for Arsenal
    Mere watching him play alone, he’s got “Clumsy” written all over him

  13. Elton says:

    sadly, all this talk of central defenders means that even if we do land one, we will only be in the same position as before the pre-season games. I thought the idea of buying players was to strengthen the side not run flat out just to stand still or worse go backwards. Something needs to be done and done today

  16. teebajj says:

    As for Wenger, “even a good dancer knows when to leave the dance floor”. I am a huge fan of Arsene, but I never thought I would admit his time is up. Enough !!!.

  17. kelsey says:

    Arsene Wenger has been told that he will have to pay £25 million for defender Jonny Evans. The Northern Irishman moved to West Brom last summer for a fee of around £6 million but now his club want almost four times that for the centre back

    I don’t agree with Wenger often but this is a crazy price for a United reject.

    Rico, I bet if we had done all our business quickly and we knew last season the two priorities, and kept it quiet we could have bought atthe right price.We are now actually desperate, loaded with cash, we as fans are being told there are unlimited funds, so are you really surprised with the negotiating team and the facts I have mentioned that we can’t put a deal together.

    What concerns me is not only the manager but the whole set up from kroenke down. We still have to pay off the stadium until 2031 as well, even though there are favourable rates.If we payed off early there would be penalties.

    Still not convinced the Mustafi deal is dead.

    Any of you in business will surely see that practically everything we do is toytally bizarre and not business like.

  18. Lee says:

    Chambers is a year older than Holding, who from what I’ve seen so far is a much better defender…

    Should of bought Clyne as Rico stated at the time…. Chambers hasn’t been vfm at £16m, not at all.

  19. tsgh says:

    Good read as always Rico…
    Wath do buy me gold nose as big as the one on the jumbo 😛

    Unfortunately Chambers was another example of AW being to rely on his scouts instead of him doing his own work…
    Chambers is not a CB nor a RB; albeit he played very well against us in the away lose but imho it had more to do with Tadic than Chambers doing well on the sainst rhs…

    Same can be said about Gabriel…even as someone who likes stats, I thought Gabriel was very suspect especially based on his potential to compliment Kosser

  23. tsgh says:

    Actually it was Davis who played in front of Chambers that January evening and not Tadic… Santi played on the lhs and he flopped

  25. frednerk says:

    Are we saying then.. Chambers is pants.
    When Chambers came into the team
    he was very good.
    Holding looked good against Leicester.
    Young central defenders have a lot to
    learn..Top players love to play against
    youngsters..it’s unfair to label this lad
    as not good enough.
    Think back to big tone,every time he
    made a mistake,
    It was like being at a Donkey Sanctuary.

    Take off of that 240 Lee
    £7.40ph X 37.5 X 52 =£14,040.
    Ex employee Arsenal Football Club

  27. rico says:

    Thanks Ts..

    I reckon Holding looks far more composed than Chambers and I do wish the latter would stop pushing and shoving opposition players…

  28. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    AW was in for Vardy simply because of the low cost fee for him.

    This showed that at the end of the day, even though he has managed over 1000 games AW gives fuck all on the player he chooses for the team. If we from here could see that Vardy will not fit in with the team’s tactics and AFC style he still went for a 29 year old who will not be able to adapt to our playing style.

    Whenever a coach goes for a style he buys players who fit in with that style….not make do with square pegs in round holes.

    Imo I think we dodged a bullet with Vardy.

    But we lost a good defender in not going for Mustafi who I feel would have been a great addition to our squad.

  30. kelsey says:

    Actually all three players we bought from Southampton have a lot of add ons to their original price.

    I would hate to think what Walcott has cost us aainst return.

    Chambers didn’t and isn’t getting the rght apprenticesip but my gut feeling is hat h is an average player

    The Ox providing he starts to look up and be more awar has still got a good chance to make it,but e needs to play regularly and not get injured

  31. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Chambers is a good player…..and he will come good. but he needs an older head beside him. one who shows him and guides him.

    And supporters who don’t hit him on the head when he does mistakes.

    TA06 did mistakes and was labelled a donkey. He learned from them and moved on.

    Chambers is no different.

  36. rico says:

    🙂 Lee…

    Scott, I just think the defensive coaches aren’t good for Chambers, or anyone really as no-one really improves. Even Bellerin has his moments..

  37. frednerk says:

    Most defenders are told from
    the coaches touch tight,the habit
    with young defenders is to use
    arms length,so not turned.
    Holding was doing it
    Its part of defending

  39. bradster says:

    Hi all,

    We have a perfect coach for the 2 of them over the next 6 months, I’m thinking of Merts and he has plenty of time to guide them and possibly read the game better.

    What happened to Wenger’s interest in Ginter at the start of the window? Paper talk?

  41. scottfromoz says:

    Back then, it was an different game entirely.
    Round ball….that’s about as far as the comparisons go.
    Id love to see Merts race Adams over 20 yards…..there would be an inch between them.

  42. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Rico you are right…..we have technically sound defenders. Bellerin, Kos, Gabi, Nacho, Chambers, Holding, Gibbs, Per…..are all high technical level. What they lack is tactical nous in defending situations…..something which can be taught only by the right coaches who have been through it themselves.

    AW does not teach tactics….many players have said it….and imo lack of tactical awareness is holding the players back and sets everyone thinking that this and that player are not up to standard. This is a mistaken opinion…..given the right coaching all of them will improve.

  43. bradster says:

    We all saw that Chamber’s is at sea at CB. I’m sure he only started learning the role at Arsenal and from the worst coaches of it judging by how we defend.
    For Mane’s goal particularly, that should’ve been Monreal’s man first and Chambers as cover, not the other way around. If in the right place, he would’ve offered the space out wide and not allow him to cut inside, even if to give away a foul outside the box.

  47. Hell Raising Devil says:

    brad…..Bruce and Pallister were tactically top defenders. Why??? simply because they knew their limits and worked on them. yes they were technically poor and slow….so what did they do?? they hugged each other and defended near the penalty area not on the halfway line. Plus when one went to attack the ball the other dropped behind him.

    does not need a genius to work that out.

    And AW knows this….but since he wants to play the Barca-expansive tiki taka style he throws tactics out of the window to implement it.

  48. scottfromoz says:

    We will never know, Lee, but it’s impossible to really be sure as the players and play in general was much slower back then.
    Either way, its much tougher on defenders these days.

  49. Lewis says:

    Good day all.

    I don’t think we need to be going after chambers guys, with the right coaching he could be a good defender. He sadly hasn’t been given the tools to take his game forward, that’s not his fault.

    He should be out on loan making the mistakes and learning first team football at other clubs, instead he is hung out to dry by our out of touch manager who hasn’t a clue how to set up a defensive unit.

  54. Lee says:

    Calum Chambers has been told his Arsenal career is almost certainly over by Ian Wright after he was dropped for Saturday’s crucial match against Leicester.

    After his performance in last weekend’s defeat against Liverpool, Chambers was axed from the heart of the Gunners’ defence, with Wenger preferring to stick with the even younger and less experienced Rob Holding, who signed from Bolton earlier in the summer.

    Having been with Arsenal for three years now and failed to make a significant impression, Wright feels it is time for Chambers to move on and believes it’s just as important for Wenger to stop stockpiling players of Chambers’ ilk, as it is to bring in new faces.

    He told BT Sport: ‘Calum Chambers has been here three years and then Rob Holding comes in from Bolton who haven’t been doing that well and he’s at the heart of their defence.

    ‘For him to come in and get picked ahead of him, Calum must look to move on.

    ‘Everyone talks about Arsenal bringing players in but they need to stop stockpiling players as well and freshen things up. We know how he feels about Calum Chambers now.’

  58. Joaquim Moreira says:

    I think AW hope Monaco not reach the Champions League…(and there are others teams drop off today and tomorrow and probably wants to balance their budget)
    I think Moustafi don’t leave Valencia (he was played yesterday)
    We still in the market until the 31st august, which I think it’s not a good politic because at that time, we had 3 games in the League and there are players unknow his future. And we go again there on January…

  59. rico says:

    Not heard that before Adam…

    But I couldn’t imagine Merts breaking forward with pace and scoring like Adams did against Everton the year we won the league….. 😉

  64. Hell Raising Devil says:

    we have scored some memorable goals and some of them goals of the century….but this is the goal that no matter how much I see it I just want to see it again and again.

    the last sentence by the commentator….and he has turned Tony Adams into a better footballer.

    Is it the same AW we have today??? the one who cant undo his zip???

  65. Lee says:

    “Is it the same AW we have today??? the one who cant undo his zip???”

    This made me laugh out loud! 🙂

  67. M. Hall says:

    What role does Steve Bould have in coaching then? Surely he should be the one sorting out the defenders.
    I don’t think Mustafi is good enough anyway, we are clutching at straws.
    Arsene should have done all his business at the end of last season, Merts isn’t good enough and needed replacing anyway. Plus we needed another striker.
    Instead of parking his backside in French TV studios in June, Arsene should have been doing his job.
    Other clubs smell blood now, and will hold out for more money, so his tightarse ways have backfired.

  68. rico says:

    MH – welcome. I strongly suspect Wenger doesn’t let him near the defence and certainly wouldn’t listen to any suggestions about who he could sign to improve it…

  69. Wavy says:

    Backfired? His tight arsed ways have solidified! He just won’t be able or prepared to do anything. That’s what happens when you’re constipated. You really really want to go but you just can’t. So you’re stuck with a lump or in this instance several lumps that you can’t be rid of. When they have gone then regular services may well return to normal.
    The old boy needs a few doses of syrup (hahaha, I see what of said there,) of figs to loosen his wallet up as well as his tight arsed ways!

  71. Micko says:

    Guillem Ballague, he’s a walking marketing gimmick is that bloke.

    Fact is, Kozzer had trained all week prior to the Liverpool game and had to watch from the stands, we were in the mire, Wenger could have taken him to one side and asked him to steady the ship for maybe 60 minutes but chose to go with two 21 year olds instead, it’s nuts !

    Agreed Lee, Big Tone would make Merts look glacial……..ok not very hard I know !

  72. Lee says:

    “Theo Walcott and Sergio Ramos started careers around same time but Walcott has scored only 20% more than Ramos..”

    From another site, did make me chuckle!

  73. Obi says:

    Laughable Mustafi is not good enough… Ok. But Stone is a 50m player? I have watched the guy at both club/ national levels – he’s good especially at the price of 35m, he’s at most 2 seasons from WC. On Chambers, why does he perform better at the country level and not club level, just think about that? First AW yoyo the kid then hangs him dry. Second think about the different partnerships chambers has been a part of at Arsnal, hardly a stable situation and third some of the things we blame chambers is actually due to other senior players been out of position as it has ready been said by Devil, Bradster and Lewis. Give the kid a chance. He was then Holding after his first couple of games too.

  74. bradster says:

    I also wonder what happened to Wenger’s early interest in Popadopoulous, he is a solid defender for me.
    I still say let’s hijack Chelsea, Man U or City plans for a defender if we are looking to pay 35 mil for Mustafi.

  75. arsenal11730 says:

    Good afternoon Chaps and Lassies. How about a bid for Phil Jones at Manu. Seems Stoke are on the case. Cheers

  78. rico says:

    Do you reckon we’ll sign one then though Brad… I’m beginning to doubt it…

    I saw a story about a Griezmann and Alexis swap….

  86. Bradster says:

    I think we’ll get a defender but a bargain bucket player that a team is trying to get rid of.
    Maybe even Bony at a clearance sale price next week.

  87. tsgh says:

    Where is goonie these days btw…

    Did anyone catch the bvb09 game last night.. what a fluid play by Tuchel?

    Dev what do you think of Breel Embolo? P.E.A mk2 in the making I think… shame he plays for Sc04

  88. scottfromoz says:

    Aaahhhhh time enhances memories lol.
    Seriously, he broke away at speed, Rico?
    I watched that and you could time him with a calendar bahahahahaha.
    Both slow as wet weeks but there’s a massive difference-there’s a hell of a lot more pacey players in every side these days.
    Has anyone got the footage of Michael Owen turning on Big Tony??
    Give him a blonde wig, take 10 kilos off, throw In A German accent and we have identical twins lol.
    Morning all.

  89. scottfromoz says:

    August 24 and we are still pondering/hoping about possible signings.
    It really is the same crap every year, now.
    If Wenger comes up with nothing, god help him!!

  92. potter says:

    Who have Roma got then that we can take on loan ? I believe that players that get knocked out in the qualifiers can still play for another club in the later rounds.

  93. potter says:

    Or maybe not !
    I just tried to read the rules , they are as clear as mud albeit I am tired and ready for bed.

  94. allezkev says:

    So, if what I read on Arseblog is correct, Arsenal paid a proportion of Debuchys wages when he was on loan last season.
    And it seems that Arsenal are paying some of Campbell’s wages whilst he’s on loan at Sporting…

    If Debuchy is so stressed out by not playing then why doesn’t he take a pay cut?

  108. Lee says:

    The fact that Sanogo remains an Arsenal player and Joel Campbell is sent out on loan is a sackable offence imo.

    It just epitomises what a shit manager Wenger has become….. or maybe Stan sanctioned it?

  109. scottfromoz says:

    Rico, it’s bloody racism.
    I can’t either lol.
    Morning you miserable lot,
    The weather here is as dirty as you guys ever cop.
    Luckily, though, we only get it a few times a year 🙂

  110. rico says:

    Certainly does, what other manager in the PL would employ Sanogo? None I’d say, in fact he’s not even good enough for the Championship…

  124. Lee says:

    “His transfer dealings are a disgrace, he can’t get the best from his team on the pitch and his tactics are boring and predictable.”

    This.

  126. kelsey says:

    good Morning

    For an elite club I would say we are in totaldisarray.

    After several negotiations Roma accepted to pay Szsney’s wages even though it was proportioned last season, and there is a clause that Roma have the option to buy him at the end of the season.

    What’s with Debuchy.2 years at the club we paid between 11 to 14 million for him, and two deals at 3 million have fallen through this Summer to offload him.

    Our whole transfer/loan/wage structure is a bloody joke.

  131. Lee says:

    4yrs & 8 days since we sold RvP and still not replaced him! I suppose there’s been no strikers available….

  135. kelsey says:

    I tell you what Lee I reckon I could do just as bad a job at only 4 million a year.

    Say we do well this season and win something will Wenger change ? Most probably no but he might stay on for the extra two years.

    If we do badly he and he alone is to blame yet does anyone really care at Board level.There is still thousands of people who want season tickets.The figures vary but at least 10000.They must be mad.

    Whatever happens it’s a win win situation for Kroenke and Co.

    Our luck we will get united reject Evans as our only buy.

    I keep hoping things will change but to no avail

  140. Wath says:

    27yrs Lee, where does the time fly…! Never tire of watching the Bear jumping up and down on the pitch like a man possessed when Smudge scores the first one…!

  148. tsgh says:

    IG and Law… I don’t know who replaced Fox but his showing at Aston Villa clearly showed why our transfers have been shambolic since Stan brought Law, IG and Fox to the club…
    Saying that it is always easier to play AW.

    Morning Rico and all btw…

  149. tsgh says:

    A must read to understand why we bomb at transfers and have done since Dick and Fox arrived.

    It was very easy to finger Fox because there was no AW to be blamed at Aston Villa for any disastrous decisions made…

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/tom-foxs-disastrous-aston-villa-7579308

    One conspiracy I read following Ozil’s signing was that Stan had to get involved as AW did not want to pay the full fee and Stan had to force Aw to part with the clubs money… :)… yeah right if that wa true then Father Christmas is definitely a proper person…

  150. kelsey says:

    I always say that the club know that all of us and I are not going to leave and support another team. The AFC we grew up and loved is no longer there. It’s hard to take but it’s the truth.

  153. kelsey says:

    tsgh

    I was living in Spain at the time and the general census of opinion was that the bank were putting real pressure on RM and had to sell someone to partly fund the buying of Bale.Ozil fell in our lap at the eleventh hour/Might not be true but it makes sense.

  154. kelsey says:

    Mr Wenger,

    You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

  155. potter says:

    A good read from Arseblog but it’s not saying much other than be careful of replacing Wenger. It’s an interesting thought that Wenger is in fact the one that is keeping the football side of the club as bouyant as it is. I think we all accept that whilst Stan is in charge of the purse the philosophy of the club won’t change. Perhaps a new man might change things on the pitch however that’s as far as it’s likely to go. but then a lot of us have been saying this for years.

  156. tsgh says:

    Kel- that was the story behind the move…

    The late move was also due to RM wanting another club especially Jose to come in with more money for a bidding war whilst Ozil only wanted to play under AW as 3 years before that Ozil and Khedira had both opted for RM because of better tax breaks…
    Following the EU and IMF tax modifications such players could not enjoy such lucrative tax breaks with their clubs taking the hit…

  158. scottfromoz says:

    Kelsey, I agree 100% Real had to sell, as did Barca when selling Sanchez to Fund Suarez.
    So eo we all want Arsenal to be in that position….where we must sell before buying because the banks won’t fund us?
    Do we all appreciate the fact that, when those clubs HAD to spend and get cash immediately, the club they approached was Arsenal, and why?
    Because we could pay the same day.
    Why is that??
    The very reason people complain….we don’t spend what we don’t have, or we don’t get ourselves in a position where money is short.
    There must be a balance between what Wenger does, and what people want him to do, because IMO, the middle ground is where we should be.

  160. rico says:

    I heard that too Kelsey. I guess it depends on which side of the fence one sits as to which story we are too believe but I’m inclined to believe the ‘he fell into our lap’ theory..

    Potter, agree there, Stan will always be Stand, but as far as the football goes which is really all that many fans care about, there’s no reason to believe that things wouldn’t be much better with a fresh face in the dugout…

  161. Joseph says:

    Get david dein back in someone who know how to complete a deal. our club is a complete laughting stock at the minute, wenger get your cheque book out stop the excuses, this club is rotten to the core.

  162. Joseph says:

    scared to retire wenger, just do every arsenal fans a favour get out of our club and into a mental institution where you belong.

  163. kelsey says:

    I am a pro Dein man but he is now in his seventies,is extremely wealthy and doesn’t need the hassle.

    He remains very close friends with Wenger, the socialise together and holiday together yet Dein’s son was instrumental in the Fabregas transfer to Barca and also involved with RVP’s transfer. All very strange.

  164. Adam says:

    ThenTV companies run football these days. Friday night games ffs?
    Most aspects of the game defy logic and most of the fun comes from watching the big bucks team fail. Wenger is certainly yesterday’s man but where our club and most of the others are heading is anyone’s guess. Judging by the amount of selfie-obsessed tourists at the home games and the increasingly thin long-term supporters that you see these days I think the writing is on the wall.
    Once you lose the soul of the game it leaves it open to parasites like Kroenke to suck the remaining lifeblood out of the increasingly fatty carcass.

  165. tsgh says:

    Kelsey- DD set up his son from a position of a humble solicitor to a decent football agent by way of knowing the terms of the deals the club was signing young players like Clichy and RvP to…
    It always amazes me how fans worship DD when what DD did with his son could be considered inside trading in some sectors…
    Then again most father’s in DD’s position might do the same for their son…

  169. rico says:

    All the good David Dein did for Arsenal gets forgotten because of his son’s transfer dealings. Odd.

    If Dein jnr hadn’t have got the deals done, someone else would….

  170. tsgh says:

    Odd how Darren only has 3 players on his books and guess what they are all ex- Arsenal players…
    the only way he could have become an agent was via the inside knowledge from his father which in effect contributed to our current mediocre status.

  172. rico says:

    Let’s not forget the relationship David Dein had with the players and his son would no doubt have had a similar one. He was after all, Thierry Henrys best man…

  174. Wath says:

    DD did a lot of good for the Club make no mistake and he was/is a football man and an Arsenal man who got deals done, his problem was he was greedy and wanted to be Chairman and saw Stan as a way of making that happen, it all backfired terribly and we lost a man who had his finger on the pulse of the footballing side of things within the club and he has never been replaced.

  177. rico says:

    The Wenger and Dein situation is different imo Scott. And as much as he introduced Kroenke to the club, who did he sell his shares to?

    The good which Wenger did doesn’t get forgotten, but he’s the only one who has undone all that good by the way he plays the game and many other things too…

  179. scottfromoz says:

    Latest rumour, Joe Says et yo block Arsenals move for Phil Jones.
    Unbelievable.
    Someone on a blog nominates the guy as a player we should possibly chase, and this is where it ends up?

  180. rico says:

    Why Scott? Wasn’t it the other board members who sold out to Kroenke, they could have said no as they did the year before…

    The worst thing David Dein did was to tell Wenger to stay after Dein was pushed out….

  181. Adam says:

    Rico. Not for publication unfortunately. Next time we speak though. 🙂
    Dein was good for Arsenal but fell out with Danny and Hill-Wood. His son was and probably still is, an opportunist with excellent connections. He didn’t do anything illegal as far as I know. But he took advantage of loose contractual details.

  187. kelsey says:

    I don’t think any of us will ever find out what happened in the boardroo, and I doubt AW will write a book about his time at Arsenal when he eventually retires.

    I know this much that if you have a vast business (i.e.Arsenal Club) and you are chairman or majority shareholder you DELEGATE, it doesn’t actually matter about your football knowledge.We obviously either don’t have very good people in laws and Gazidis or Wenger has complete control over absolutely everything.

    Not a healthy situation.

  188. ScottfromOz says:

    Stan is ultimately responsible for everything at Arsenal.
    He may not be at fault for day to day decisions, but he is responsible.
    That’s a fact.

  194. ScottfromOz says:

    On Arsene, if he goes at seasons end, we may get better, we may get worse…..it’ll come down to the club making the right choice.
    On Stan, though, I can’t see how we could passively do worse.

  196. ScottfromOz says:

    True, Lee.
    My worry is that I’m right, and once Arsene is gone, we are still screwed.
    Time will tell, and I hope i’m wrong.

  199. arsenal11730 says:

    Will be interesting to see if AW shows signs of desperation and overpays for couple players. He surely feels the vibes are negative and increasing even within the WOB crowd.
    AST may come out with a statement once window closes offering no support for AW and asking for change within the club Boardroom included. This next week will be fascinating to watch.

  200. Lee says:

    Surely there’s managers out there that would do miles better than Wenger? I mean look at that list of annual salary bills I posted yesterday, there’s teams with a fraction of our salary bill that piss all over us…..

    Wenger has been a failure in Europe throughout his whole career, we can do better than him definitely…

    Arsenal FC was here long before him and will be here long after him, he just needs to go, his time is up

  201. Le Coq Monster says:

    Afternoon all !.

    Fcuk !…………spill the beans Adam………dont leave us all in suspenders ! 😀

    Not sure if we will ever go from strength to strength whilst the Kroenkes are in charge, Rico !………………….only a manager of great tactical knowledge will make us competitive, one which will identify our weaknesses and buy accordingly !……..trouble is, the “one(s)” which have that ability are at other clubs !. 🙁

  202. arsenal11730 says:

    Lee – I agree:
    Look up North to Old Trafford. Since LVG left and JM arrived the place has been invigorated. AW is a great manager but the young bucks are more flexible and have outpaced him. London Colney is stale and needs some fresh air.

  203. ScottfromOz says:

    Lee, because there is no way we will ever have a worse owner.
    How do you know we will do better after Arsene leaves, when that’s a 50/50 call at best.

  204. Lee says:

    Simeone
    Tuchel
    Allegri

    All these managers operate on a lower budget than Wenger, are more successful in Europe and their domestic leagues plus they all get paid considerably less than him. There’s no need to be fearful of change, there’s a bloody strong possibility we might end up with a more balanced squad that play attractive football that leads to wining popper silverware.

    Wenger is done as a competitive manager and has been for several years now.

  205. ScottfromOz says:

    We beat teams with much bigger wage bill, So that’s hardly a point to hang our hats on.
    A new owner will demand success.
    That will either make or break Arsene, if he’s still around.

  207. Le Coq Monster says:

    Only way we will thrive if Kroenke goes (and I doubt that will ever happpen) is if we have a one owner the likes of Chavs/Citeh`s one`s…………..Usmanov !…..or richer !.
    If Kroenke were to sell ( god that thought makes me so aroused and I only have the dog as company ! hahaha) to just another majority shareholder we will be in the same position !………………………….we need a one owner !

  208. Lee says:

    Do you not think one of those managers would do better job than Wenger?

    There’s loads of managers that would do a better job than Wenger, with this squad right now…

    50/50 that’s bollocks imo.

  209. potter says:

    I don’t have any faith in Gazidis or Kroenke x 2 to make a good decision on who to replace him with. This is why they haven’t done it because they have not got the guts . They are like the kid on the diving board that won’t take the step into the unknown they are much happier staying where they are.
    There will be pain when it happens and not only will we lose the manager but probably some of the team too and they will be the ones that we need to keep. It will be a rebuild from top to bottom . Primorac and Arsene’s coaching crowd will go too and only then we might see the faces and names come back that should never have been cut off in the first place. It might rekindle the passion in the real fans and maybe they will ban selfies in the crowd and get back to having the club as a place to watch football.

  210. Le Coq Monster says:

    Looking at Lee`s list from yesterday……………….how comes BM are so succesfull ?………even Manshafter and Mansour City are not that great deal ahead of us in annual wage bill and not forgetting we have more cash in the bank that all of them !…………………is it too easy to say that it`s because Wenger doesn`t spend the fcuking money on proper talent and also that compared to the more technical coaches he is Hackney Marshes standard…………..that`s how I see it, so simple it`s probably true !.

  211. Le Coq Monster says:

    Part of his list and the one`s in catching distance………….if Kroenke hadn`t taken his £3M we could have paid better wages than Citeh !. hahaha

    psg 254.8
    manure 253.7
    citeh 242.5
    Arsenal 240
    Bayern 227.3

  212. Lee says:

    We beat teams with a bigger wage bills? Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manure how have we faired generally against them? How successful have they been in the last 10 years?

    It’s a massive point, Wenger has a massive budget available but it’s terribly distributed down to him, a proper manager would be ruthless and get a more balanced squad.

  213. ScottfromOz says:

    Lee, for every manager you think will do better, I can name ten that won’t.
    I’d say 50/50 is being generous.

  214. ScottfromOz says:

    How did Citeh, Chelksi and Utd go last season?
    If you’re going to use the past, then let’s go back further than ten years, hey???
    Don’t select a period that you know suits your argument.
    Stick to last season, or go back throughout Weners tenure.

  215. ScottfromOz says:

    I say again, give us a manager with an ounce of ambition, and he will demand Arsene perform, and if he doesn’t, Arsene will be sacked.
    Then, we will know exactly what’s held us back over the years.
    If Arsene goes now and we perform, then we will also know.

  216. Lee says:

    The three I listed piss all over Wenger and there’s loads more that do too. You can’t have any faith in his management can you, surely not? I don’t comprehend why you defend him so?

    Has he got compromising photographs of you or something? 🙂

  217. Lee says:

    “give us a manager with an ounce of ambition” exactly Scott, you’ve finally seen the fucking light!

    Roughly what did Arsenal win last season?

    In the last 10yrs chavs 3 manure 5 and Citeh 2 Premier League titles,plus Chavs and Manure have won the CL…….

  218. Adam says:

    As we see every day, Arsene has become a very divisive figure within the Arsenal fraternity. I always thought that next January would bring either the beginning of the curtain coming down or the realisation that he is still a brilliant manager. My personal point of view is that Pep announcing he was leaving BM meant that the planets had aligned rather nicely but, alas, it was not to be. I can only imagine where we would be now if he had taken over. Perhaps without our single point. But I doubt we would be in the state we are now. Even with Stan as our owner.

  221. kelsey says:

    So much agreement on here and many other blogs, it’s just that with some the penny has recently just dropped.

    We have to look at the NOW situation and the Future. These things need planning.

    Firstly we have to look at the real cause of so many injuries.is it physique, is it the coaching (or lack of it) or even the pitch when at Home.

    Initially we needed two or three top class players to supplement the team and in turn they would be mentors to the younger players and the three good players we have would play better.
    That should and could have been done last Summer and this..

    Now we have the likelyhood that Mertesacker and Cazorla are on their last season.Wilshere to me has glass ankles and I just can’t see him remaining injury free.Gabriel is distinctly average IMO

    Have another season of forth is atrophy and Ozil,Sanchez and kos in all probability will want to leave which they may do,but an astute manager will know if a player is really committed to the club.

    Then you have players like Ramsey and Walcott. in Ramset’s case it was seen at The Euros he plays better for his country because he is in his favoured position and as far as Walcott is concerned we need to ditch him now whilst he still has value.

    There are so many uncertainies a bit like Brexit and I doubt Wenger has the ability now to be more ruthless and motivate his players.Most probably he should have gone after the Cup Final in 2014.

    When the time comes I just hope he has no influence who replaces him,but we need a totally different approach as now we are predictable practically every game.

  222. Obi says:

    Hello All:

    Please guys am missing something. If we look at the wage bill and the fact that AW himself has said on numerous occasions that there is money available for him to spend and that Stan has “never” denied him funds, then we know that its not a money issue. Then it comes down to having a balance team, tactics, selection, motivation, coaching etc. Is Stan in charge of that? Wenger’s job is to win and Stan’s job is to make money. Obviously one has been more successful than the other. I have always been flabbergasted that the invincible never won the CL who was there then? If the debate is if we had a choice of which one should go its, 100% AW. The game has past him by; really, a manager that don’t want input from no one… Smh.

  223. rico says:

    Afternoon all…

    Still the Stan v Arsene debate then 🙂

    Hopefully this time next season we’ll see change….. And it won’t be Stan…. lol

  224. Herb's Army says:

    Arsenal’s “slow death”
    Arsenal fans are a pretty neutered bunch at the moment. Impotent men and women howling at the moon as any semblance of soul is stripped from the club, and all that will be left is some hulking corporate sponsorship behemoth that ensures brands can be seen worldwide through television. We have an owner who said there is no point getting involved in sports if you want to win. We have a chief executive who says that winning the Champions League is not an aim, merely to be seen to be behaving in the right way as a football club. If there is no ambition there, Ozil will leave, Sanchez will leave, and we’ll be left with a squad of Walcotts! Media trained, polite yes men who will happily pick up their massive wage, knowing there is no pressure on them. No responsibility to win.

    We have a manager who has the audacity to say to the fans that he has concerns about 600 people’s jobs. This isn’t even his job! His job is to produce a winning football team. Wenger is the master of strawmen arguments, and deflecting any criticism. I wonder, when Wenger who has made AT LEAST £100 million from Arsenal football club in wages and bonuses etc, said his ridiculous statement about 600 people, why none of the journalists asked him how many of them were on zero hour contracts? Why, If he cared about them so much, isn’t he fronting an campaign for this be abolished at the club? He hasn’t done this because it is just another excuse he has cooked up that protects him and makes him seem like a martyr. As if he is behaving in the right way.

    Unless the fans can mobilise in an effective way, rather than ranting mindlessly on ArsenalFan TV, nothing will change. We have all the symptoms of inertia and obsolescence. We have seen a summer of the same mistakes of almost every summer we can remember from recent memory. This has reached a point now that it seems it isn’t because of the ineptitude of the club. I think it is to do with a conscious decision by the club. I don’t believe they actually want to sign another defender. I don’t think they actually want to sign a striker. It is very easy to say you want to, and through media mouthpieces, make it seem like you are doing business.

    We are seeing the slow death of a football club, which is very sad.
    John Matrix AFC.

    Hi Rico and the House.

    I think the above article should be uppermost in our thoughts.

  225. tsgh says:

    Taking aside Leicester and Montpellier, all the 4 or 5 major leagues have finished according to their annual wage bills apart from the odd City, Chelsea, Barca, RM interchanging positions.
    Putting aside the emotions, these are hard facts that can’t be disputed.. That is why rightly or wrong IG can sit at the AGM and say AW and Arsenal over-achieve almost yearly…and so the argument that another manager can come in and do better is really baseless.. unless another Leicester FC story happens…

  226. tsgh says:

    How many folks on here will admit they were screaming for AW to show ambition and pay Theo whatever he needed to keep him? lol. Hindsight is a beautiful thing as they say…

  227. Lee says:

    So TS you don’t think another manager could take over Wenger’s position at Arsenal, with this current squad and annual salary allowance and do a better job?? I certainly do…

  228. rico says:

    Afternoon Herb, when are you going to write a post for HH? No pressure of course…. 😉

    Good comment and are you referring to the Arseblog article?

  232. rico says:

    I guess you mean me Ts because yes, I wanted him to stay and sign the contract but there’s no way he should be on what he’s earning….

    However, now, I wouldn’t be at all upset if he was sold… As someone said earlier, a better coach would have made a better Theo Walcott…. imo of course…. He needed teaching at 16 years old, not left to improve on his own which he clearly hasn’t….

  233. Herb's Army says:

    Not me, TSGH. I can say in all honesty, I’ve never rated Walcott. How did Wenger – with ‘an eye’ for special talent – miss Gareth Bale? Maybe he just got hypnotised by Walcott’s wizardry!!! 😀

  236. Le Coq Monster says:

    Good artical Herb.
    It hit`s home, I think we will not buy now, although I was optimistic before the window opened as the talk and signs from Wenger were possitive, but like the article says, he or the club can make it look like it`s going to happen and the classic reality is that he looks at players but has his own valuation of them so wont budge on price ……..but he did look !
    I`m waiting for the next perrenial excuse of the fatigue syndrome after we have had to play league games after CL games !…………like the cure for agoraphobia, it is just around the corner !

  239. Le Coq Monster says:

    This is what I cant get my head around, Lee !……………………………all the Bundeliga teams pay less than us, yet we cant attract the likes of Draxler or Reus or Aubanggang or others !…………….what the fucks going on ?……….are these Germnas not interested in wages and only loyalty to their clubs unless it`s BM involved ?.

  240. Herb's Army says:

    Hi Cornwall,

    Hope you’re well, enjoying reading your contribution.
    Yes mate, despite Terry’s unflappable positivity and his love for Arsene, the club are an absolute mess with no discernible serious leadership.

  243. Le Coq Monster says:

    Liam Brady was sent to scout Theo, but came back raving about Bale !………….now whose opinion would you take on a player…..Wenger or one of Arsenal`s greatest ever talents ?. Obviously he didn`t listen to Liam…………………..does he ever listen to anyone ? 😀

  244. tsgh says:

    Le Coq… I have travelled to watch BVB for a number of years now; the EPl is very over rated and not as attractive to Germans as we think it should be…
    Food at stadiums are better as well and cheaper….

    I can travel from Southampton, previously Gatwick to watch BVB at Freisburg via Bern and it will cost less than catch the train to London Victoria and then to Euston and then to Newcastle…

  245. Le Coq Monster says:

    Gillingham beat Watford last night after extra time, so taking in fatigue crap and all it should be a piece of piss on Saturday !. 😀

  246. Micko says:

    Gawd, there’s so much pessimism on here or should I say realism.

    Herb, the word is rudderless.

    Tsgh…c’mon now, people in glass houses and all that.

  247. tsgh says:

    Lee, I honestly believe a new manager is needed to bring a new direction which is needed; but to say a new manager will have immediate success is being optimistic.

    My fear is that we are coasting to such an extent that if Aw leaves we will be like Barca before Rijkaard took over…

    We football fans are fickle…

    you see the pundits will be lauding Jose soon saying he has done better than LVG even though LVG was never given tye support he needs…

  248. Le Coq Monster says:

    TS
    I love BVB…………….if only we can have some arrangement with them like a palyer exchange……………..Sanogo for Reus and Aubangang………….knowing Wenger he`d expect some money as well !. hahaha

  249. Herb's Army says:

    This is the same manager who went to Lille and bought Gervinho whilst completely ignoring the obvious talent of Eden Hazard, Cornwall, so why should we be surprised.
    It’s almost as if all those ‘special’ abilities he had are locked in a vault at Highbury, and no-one has a clue how to get them back.

  250. tsgh says:

    Le Coq re Theo… AW also wanted Bale, it was DD who forced AW to buy Theo…

    Saying that Bale was one game away from being shipped to the lower leagues by ‘arry. It just took an injury and Bale to be moved from LB to LW before his talent was realised…

  255. kelsey says:

    I second Herb.I have never rated Walcott even at 16 going to The World Cup and brought back the wrong flavour ice cream for some of the squad.

    In nearly 11 years show me not a season, just 6 or 8 consecutive games when he performed well.

  263. tsgh says:

    so true Micko… nobody with proper footballing know-how has been given responsibility for transfers…
    Our negotiators balls-up Cahill, Cabaye, P.E.A and several other deals in the past…

    Those responsible are so shite at their job AW even has to step in to sell players who want out so that our club got a better deals

  264. Adam says:

    Herb. Same here. We can’t stand the owner and can raise not an iota of enthusiasm for his rich, spoilt son. Our negotiating teams are useless as they can’t close a sale, even given 100 days to do so. Ivan is so completely inept that he tells lies every time he opens his mouth and is Wenger’s puppet. Our manager himself is a deluded has-been who has lost all his once-great appeal and should have signed Gareth Bale instead of Theo. And don’t get me started on the poor quality of the fish and chips in the stadium. 🙂
    Apart from that, the transfer window hasn’t closed yet.

  266. tsgh says:

    Grimandi was a scout…

    Personally, the one I want out immediately is Primorac… he has the ‘cushtiest’ job at the club.
    He is the one who is meant to sit up in the stand during games and provide advise but he keeps flopping or AW ignores him…

    Herb we could have afforded both but Bale was a LB and we had Trore and Clichy at that time… as we say hindsight is a beautiful think…

  272. Herb's Army says:

    But TSGH, Wenger is renowned for mis-placing players and playing them out of position, and surely with our perennial injury problems, out of pure desperation, Bale would have got his opportunity down Arsenal’s left wing, a position Wenger hasn’t addressed since Pires left ten years ago.

  274. potter says:

    The chinese chippy on Gillespie road used to be good but since the heart attack I steer clear of it now.

  275. kelsey says:

    I mean this in the best possible taste but judging by all Wengers interviews and quotes since The Window opened, when he goes off tangent or contradicts himself all the time, perhaps he is actually losing it mentally.

    I know quite a bit about mental health, though I don’t like the term, but there are definite signs that he is not well.

  279. tsgh says:

    Kelsey- The original AW was kidnapped and replaced by Comical Ali… Wath and Kev will tell you. 🙂

    That is the reason why the current AW can’t do up his zips as he spent 55+ years in the desert where he needed no rain coat ; whilst teh proper one who was kidnapped just after 2005 was born in Strasbourg and raised in Duttlenheim

  283. Micko says:

    So basically Adam, Arsene is the CEO and Ivan just tows the line.

    Herb, next your be trying to tell us he went to Dortmund to look at Goetze and came back with Eisfeld.

    Back to Southampton rico ?

  284. tsgh says:

    Micko, who does the tactics then is it IG? 🙂

    Rico- you know even if we had bough Bale we would have sold him the moment he came good

  288. kelsey says:

    I make that about 20 that have left this Summer, obviously the instructions are to save.Is Charles Dickens related to Wenger.?

    Reading the comments it’s better to laugh about this farce than jump out of the window (unless you live in a ground floor flat)

  290. allezkev says:

    Adam, I’ve heard that the pie n mash at the Emirates is quite stunning…

    Most people are stunned by how much it costs…

  291. allezkev says:

    Arsenal have made Calum Chambers available on loan but are not willing to sell the defender on a permanent deal.

    The England Under 21 international is set to leave the Emirates on a temporary basis before the transfer deadline next Wednesday.

    Despite the club’s lack of fit centre backs, manager Arsene Wenger has decided Chambers needs regular game time.

  292. Micko says:

    And continued to say the move was unlikely to happen before the weekend in the event of Kozzer picking up an injury between now and Saturday !

  294. tsgh says:

    Interesing stats:-
    Players worth £20M+ signed since 2004:
    $hi££y- 22 players
    Ch£lkski- 18 players
    Yanited- 15 players
    LFC -14 players
    Arsenal- 3 players only..

    And not forgetting scumbugs down the road have bought 3 players above £20m; if one considers gross spending then the scums have spent more than us as well over the last 8 years

    One on the brainwashed side would say AW truly is a genius to maintain such stature… 😛

  295. Obi says:

    Herb @5:06….out of pure desperation, Bale would have got his opportunity down Arsenal’s left wing, a position Wenger hasn’t addressed since Pires left ten years ago.

    you summed it all up. A club that operates out of desperation, a club that is unbalance, a club that does not address its needs.

  297. tsgh says:

    No disrespect but short memory folks- when Bale was available we had Gibbs, Clichy, Troare plus Silva, vela, Lansbury, Hleb all capable of playing on the lhs…

    It’s all well us saying AW did not buy bale but when he signed for Tottenham and we got Theo we bought we had the better deal…

  299. tsgh says:

    Ble got 3 injuries within the first 3 months of joiningthe scums and also missed the rest of the season from December according to wiki…

    In fact up until his last season at Spurs bale’s injury record was almost as many as Diaby albeit he was only missing 3 or so months only…

    There are signings AW should have made but based on info and form of both players Aw bought the right player… the same can be said of Reyes vs Ronaldo…

  300. Micko says:

    I remember us going straight for the juglular and putting a cheeky little bid in for Reyes, Sevilla’s President came straight back with a statement like it wasn’t enough to buy one of his boots, some things never change lol.

    As for Ronaldo, I’ll let Arsene bore you to death with that one.

  301. Rick says:

    In tonights draw for the 3rd round of the League Cup we have bean drawn away to Notts F with the game to be played on the 19th / 20th Sept.

    Tomorrow the draw for the Champ League takes place and we will play games on 13th or 14th Sept and the 27th or 28th of Sept. In total the First team are playing 6 games in 18 days.

    In the same period the U23 have 3Games and the U19’s play 2Champ league game But because we have one of the youngest squade’s in the league you can take it for granted the same team will play the 5game’s.

    During the last month the academy have loaned out 2 C/H and a right back and at the moment some of the young defenders are out of their depth.

    It is my opinion that tonights news that Chambers is going on loan is plain stupidity. At the moment they are screwing up Ben Sheaf by playing him out of his best position why can’t they give Chambers playing time and play Ben in midfield in the U23’s
    By the Way The U23’s are playing Liverpool at the Emerates on friday night and it is live on the Arsenal player so watch it if you can

    Very tired now sorry for any mistakes Rant over
    Good night to you all

  302. Wath says:

    A very entitled rant Rick, the way Sheaf being messed around is scandalous and highlights the mish mash way we treating players and persisting with this bullshit of trying to make do and play players out of their best positions…. WTF is going on….!?!?

  303. allezkev says:

    Nice one Rick, Nottm Forest away has Sheffield Weds away from 12 months ago, written all over it…

    Personally I think that Chambers needs to get away from Arsenal and get some different coaching because he isn’t developing, much as Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t developed or Theo Walcott or probably even Wilshere and Gibbs…

    Bielik and Holding will play in the Forest game I reckon…
    As will Akpom, Zelalem, Willock, The Jeff, Maitland-Niles, Ospina, and the usual cup candidates…

    Wath, I just think our academy is going through a bit of a dip.
    I blame the scouts, or what scouts we have…
    Why are we not scouting all over England and the rest of the U.K. and Ireland..?
    Instead of just inside the M25, it’s bollocks mate…

    And focus on bringing in some fcuking defenders instead of converting midfielders all the stupid time. Fcuk me it ain’t rocket science…

  304. allezkev says:

    Rick, I reckon we could have some joy, scouting in the Greater Manchester area…

    I mean, City and United will just buy buy buy, in fact that Cnut Mourinho will probably wreck the United academy, here’s hoping…

  305. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Here we have a bit of rain but later on a thunderstorm is predicted.

    I wonder if the rain ever manages to wash away some cobwebs and skeletons at the Ems. It will leave everyone there with a clear vision no doubt.

    Another two new names on the block…..Toprak (Bayer) and Lukas Peres (Deportivo) both 27 years old. Toprak has a release clause of less than Eur20m and Peres has a Eur20m. Right up AW street. Toprak is 6ft 3′ while Peres is nearly 6ft and fast.

    Shall I say better them than nothing??? imo they are good solid buys who can make the ship stable. Plus they are in the right age.

    Some of the clubs who failed to qualify for CL have some good solid players. Was AW waiting for the qualifiers then to make his moves??? Granted his choices were two (acc to journos)…Griezman and Mustafi. But seeing that these two are out of reach then AW can and may go for players who ply their trade in Roma, RB Salzburg, Villareal and Ajax.

    AW relies too much on stats. But what stats don’t tell you is the players’ mental state and psychology in dealing with in game situations. If I had to play against 17 year old kids all the time as a winger my stats would be awesome. But if I play against players with an average age of 27 my stats would be highly different.

    Only 6 days left. Will we do some business???

  306. kelsey says:

    Good Morning

    It is interesting to learn that Mourinho wished to block the move of Petr Cech to us but was over ridden by Abramovich.

    However Mourinho has today told answer that he would block anymove for Phil Jones as we have enquired.Why we need him and where he would play is another matter.

    So Chambers is another to go out on loan which usually means the kiss of death.

    How many first team players that aren’t injury prone or injured have we got.

    The schedule above is quite daunting .

  308. Lee says:

    What about scouting the teams that have been knocked out of the CL by failing to win their qualifiers? Roma?

    There must be a glut of CB’s on mainland Europe, surely?

    Weren’t we linked to Lucas Perez a while ago?

    Devil which CB and striker would you realistically go for?

  310. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Bonjour Lee

    Ideally I would go Mustafi (CB) and Aubemayang (CF). Sell Theo and Campbell and get Griezmann

    That would give us a forward line of Griezmann, Alexis and Aubemayang. Enough for Mourinho to shit in his cornflakes and eat it absentmindedly.

    I would have loved Ben Yeder to join as well

    Perez I would not mind.

    But given the money and choice I would have gone for the former mentioned trio

  311. kelsey says:

    Every year it’s the same though Granit was bought early though not our highest priority.
    The weeks roll on, player after player we want the talks beak down, panic sets in, price goes up and again Wenger goes against his principles.He always says players currently in the PL are overpriced and foreign players need a 6 month bedding in period.
    We as a club are far too transparent when they say we have as much money as the manager needs which is total bollox.

    Wind the clock back 15/20 years and he wants an unknown Anelka and then boast about the big profit though his brother/agent didn’t help and of course he still thinks he will find another Henry. Dream on.

  312. Lee says:

    That front line gets my juices flowing!

    To think that we can afford them…..

    Ozil supplying behind them…..

  314. Adam says:

    Morning Rico and all.
    It’s fine proclaiming that players are overpriced but it’s a matter of time too isn’t it? I am sure that Wenger would have thought Aguero was too much money when City bought him. The Martial and deBruyne fees would also very likely have incurred Arsene’s righteous and parsimonious wrath. The list goes on. Not every big money move appears value but, I bet most Arsenal fans would have liked those three and they don’t seem so overpriced now do they?
    Seems to me that backing your opinion in the transfer market takes a bit of courage bur you will never get it right all the time.
    Shevchenko anyone?

  322. kelsey says:

    The trouble as I see it is if god forbid we buy anyone over 20 million the fans will be apeased .it won’t be the real players we should have targetted it, just buying anyone will make some happy but not me.

  324. Lee says:

    We should be setting our sights higher than “better than nothing!” it’s bloody embarrassing what’s going on at Arsenal….

  328. Hell Raising Devil says:

    yes Lee I agree….we should be setting our sights higher.

    but at least its better than nothing.

    At £16.9 (Eur20) million, Perez is within AW’s mentality. He is totally different to Ollie, can play CF, is very mobile and has a good speed in him. Plus he can play on the wings as well.

    I always said that AW will never sell Ollie unless he gets like for like. That is why I wanted Draxler for the CF position as he can play with his back to the goal and get others in the game. The way our team play is set up Ollie is a very important cog.

    Last year the problem was not Ollie…..it was the others who did not score enough. Aaron, Cazorla, Ozil, Ox and Theo all contributed very little to scoring goals when played.

    That is why when I read that AW had bid for Higuian etc etc and he put forward Ollie as part of the deal I did not believe what I read.

    We wait and see how Perez will settle in now.

  330. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I agree Rico and the situation as it is and as it will be is not ideal.

    However what do you propose…..having only Theo on the wing with no competition???

    We need bodies.

    We need a minimum of 2 GK, 8 defenders, 4 CDM, 2 AM, 4 lateral forwards/wingers and two CF. Plus a player who can play anywhere in defence, a player who can play anywhere in MF and a player who can play in all forward roles.

    What do you propose……staying with Theo and nothing else OR buy Perez and have more options?

    As I said….Perez is better than nothing. And for all we know he may settle down quite well and prove to be a masterstroke.

  331. rico says:

    I prefer Walcott at another club, and a proper out and out winger signed Devil….

    Not just him though, there’s a few who really should be moved on but no, Wenger just makes do…

    Arsenal have far too many average players on massive wages, players who if they were at any other top club, would have been moved on….

  332. ScottfromOz says:

    Morning all.
    Whilst people were questioning the delayed start to the season of our French players, we were also criticising Wenger for bringing Ramsey back to soon, leading to an injury.
    Sensational stuff lol

  334. ScottfromOz says:

    Let’s get Draxler!!!
    3 years ago I named him as one to follow.
    He’s a star and would be superb for us.

  335. Lee says:

    Didn’t nearly all the other French players that played in the final play for their respective clubs though?

  336. rico says:

    Southampton are chasing Lille attacker Sofiane Boufal, according to various reports.

    The Guardian in England claims the Saints are in talks over a £21m deal for the gifted Boufal, who has also been tracked by Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Watford, with an agreement close

    But French newspaper L’Equipe is slightly more cautious, reporting the two clubs are roughly 6m euros apart in their valuation

  337. Scott says:

    Rico, everyone was.
    Lee, we have a long season ahead so they needed to be rested imo.
    Watch your favourite, Giroud, bang 25 in this season 🙂

  342. Lee says:

    If he had a more balanced squad and trusted them all, there’d be no need to over play players…. instead he has his favourites shoe horns them into the team, relies on injury prone players, has faith in sub-standard players which really isn’t a great recipe.

  345. Wath says:

    Dear Mr Coleman,

    You may very well have a valid point regarding Aaron Ramsey, however, you do not pay his wages WE Arsenal Football Club take care of that so…………… Go Do Oneeeeeeeeeeeeee

  346. potter says:

    Coleman getting his excuses in early , remember Ramsey got two yellows and missed their last game so actually had 5 weeks and 2 days between his last game for Wales 1/7 and his first for The Arsenal 7/8 , he then pulled his hamstring 7 days later on the 14/8. The French players though played on the 10 /7 , 9 days later.

  348. allezkev says:

    Whenever you read a critique of Wenger and Arsenal in the media, the fact that Arsenal haven’t won the League in 12 years is always trotted out…

    I wonder if those same journos do likewise when writing about other clubs or do they only dig out Arsenal…?

    Everton for example, haven’t won a league title for 29 years, they’re a big club but you never hear that fact trotted out…

    Liverpool, a big club and a wealthy club, who spend more than Arsenal in the transfer market, haven’t won a league title since 1990, that’s 26 years. How often do we hear that mentioned?

    And then we have the darlings of the media, Middlesex Hotspurs, who haven’t won a league title for some 55 years, outrageous, but hardly ever mentioned…

    55 fcuking years, it’s half a century, but the media say zilch….

    Morning All
    Morning Rico…

  351. ScottfromOz says:

    Some players are more injury prone than others.
    Some players work a hell of a lot harder week to week than others…..it makes them prone to injury.
    It ain’t always Wengers fault.

  359. Lee says:

    Who gambled last season on Rosicky, Flamini and Arteta’s fitness? One injury to Coquelin and we were knackered, how did that pan out?

  360. ScottfromOz says:

    Arteta and Rosicky were fine when they joined us.
    Diaby and Jack-same.
    Name me one crock we bought.
    You made the comment.
    Not loanees.
    Purchases.

  362. tsgh says:

    Good morning Rico and all…

    We all love Ozil, but it must be said he is the lowest scoring elite no.10 in world football…
    Before, folks start thinking I am bashing him, please recall I always defend Ozil with stats about his work rate etc. when he was flavour of the mouth for bashing…

    Dev- we can’t get P.E.A because of the way we treated him 3 years ago…
    Embolo of Schalke is proving an interesting option…

  363. Lee says:

    Arteta had been out for 300 days with cruciate ligament damage a couple of seasons before we bought him….

    Who hangs on to the players Scott? Surely that’s extremely relevant? Is it Stan?

  366. kelsey says:

    I am watching Everton very closely with their new found investor Mustafi.I small a rat there somewhere. Why did he sell to Usmanov.

    Rosicky was not injury prone in Germany.Arteta was at Everton

    So the goal is to charge the fans as much as they can, finish forth regularly, then cock it up in the CL and maintain a top four position in the injury league.

  368. tsgh says:

    From an outsiders point of view, I think the decision to sell an injury-prone player is not always up to us. The club hierarchy have to make the decision to either let contracts run down or it will be up to the player to decide he can get better i.e injury free as a free agent…

    Speaking to someone who was a close relation of one of our French scouts a few years back, he mentioned that we could not get rid of one big injury prone player because in most cases the clubs felt that it made financial sense to keep an injury player than just pay off that said players remaining contract.

    So if you have a player with 2 years left on his contract, the club money men i.e IG have to decide if paying £6m to the player to work is better than just keeping the player in the hope that he can play 20 or 25 games in that period..
    So again just blaming AW for keeping injury players as another form of poor judgement is a bit of nonsense.

  370. Lee says:

    Why not get the player fit, cut your losses then sell them? Take Diaby he was at Arsenal for 9yrs, had 40 injuries and played just 124 times.

    God knows how much he cost us? Surely he could of been moved on earlier?

  372. tsgh says:

    SO true re. Diaby.. but the think with Diaby is that every top French footballing man thought he would become the next Zidane…

    Look at Pogba as an example… if Diaby was fit Pogba can’t lace his boots but I guess one’s Dna or luck defnes one’s future sometimes…
    RvP also had similar issues until he luckily discovered he could not take certain types of protein…He even went as far as seeing that horse intestine woman in Romanian for help…

  374. Lee says:

    I get it that you risk selling a player that goes on an injury free period but ffs look at Diaby and how much he drained from Arsenal!

  375. Lee says:

    TS don’t get me wrong I thought Diaby when fit was a good player but we’re a football club not a charity….

  376. bradster says:

    Morning all,

    My problem is that most sides have a perma crocks but only one in the team. We seem to have a number of them at a time.
    My reasoning is because we buy the smaller more frail type footballers and are not the fittest of squads.

  377. tsgh says:

    Lee- I am not defending AW but merely putting things in context… or trying to put myself into his position…I bet AW takes the views of medics at the club before contracts are renewed…; if he overrules medics reports then insurance would not pay the salaries etc…
    simple question. if you were a player on £50k at 26 y.o and injured will you say to your manager that out of the goodness of my heart I will just rip up my contract and walk away.. knowing you can’t have access to the doctors to get better and find another club afterwards?

    In all cases with Diaby he got better before he was offered an extension…; in Birchoff’s case doctors advised AW the player will never make it as a top player due to injury and he was released…

    All from my layman’s opinion btw…

  379. tsgh says:

    I find it funny when football fans make assertions implying footballers can just be discarded when they get injured….

    If one puts everyday life as an example… a regular football supporter e.g builder or plumber without major lawyers behind him will not just walk away from a job if he got injured at work…; Likewise his employers will not just give him his p45 and expect a call from one of those no win no pay lawyers…

  380. kelsey says:

    tsgh @ 11.02. I have read your comment a few times and I am afraid it doesn’t make sense.If you substiturte football for business one has to make a decision if a player has repetitous injuries and he is on a good salary if one should settle with him to pay him off as the likely hood is that the player will have no real value to another club.
    Having said that one can’t gereralise as no two cases are the same and Wenger is known for his loyalty which often gets in the way of his judgement.

  381. tsgh says:

    Kelsey- I agree Aw shows favouritism to certain players but with big contracts, I am certain there are mechanism in place to not cost the club money unnecessarily…

    Before players are signed or a contract is extended, underwriters will like to see that they are medically fit..
    As I said my views are coming from a non- football point of view so it may make no sense… but common sense tells me that for a contract to be cancelled, 3 parties have to come to a favourable agreement…
    I bet the lawyers and agents will put clauses into contracts to protect their respective clients..

    As an example, if a player went on holiday played footie with his mates and got injured or did some sort of water sport and got injured long term then it will be up to the club to invoke the relevant clauses; on the other hand if the player managed to walk and come to pre-season training and then claimed a sprint in training caused that injury then it will be up to the medics to prove otherwise and if negligent enough then the club can either fine or sack the said player…

    My only gripe is that those injury prone players hold up squad players but I am 100% certain insurance covers most of the salaries of injured players

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