Morning all.
Cast your mind back, back to the spring/summer of 2013, what did the Arsenal squad really need at that time? A midfielder, defender or a striker?
Our attack consisted of Giroud, Podolski, Walcott, Sanogo and Miyaichi, so it isn’t much of a stretch to think that we probably needed an upgrade in that department and so it seems, did those responsible for recruitment, because for most of that spring, Arsenal were strongly linked to Argentinian striker Gonzolo Higuain. The Real Madrid centre-forward was 26, in his prime and a deal between both clubs seemed to be progressing smoothly as Real Madrid were preparing themselves to bid for Gareth Bale and were keen to balance the books.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Napoli entered the contest for Higuain and with the Real President sensing a bidding war, he increased the asking fee to around €40million. Arsenal went off in a huff whilst Higuain went to Southern Italy. Two years later Higuain moved from Napoli to Juventus for €90million, so in retrospect maybe Arsenal should have taken a longer view instead of getting the hump!
Earlier that May, I’d had a tip-off, from a reliable source, that Luis Suarez was available and had been offered to Arsenal twice via his agent, with the understanding that there was a buy-out clause of above £40million in his contract. After the situation with Higuain and then the sudden (possible) availability of Suarez the recruitment department heads at Arsenal were very much turned.
The signing of a goal-machine who was already Premier League proved was a very attractive prospect indeed. Yes he had questionable streak to his personality but he thrived on that, just as he did to the physicality of the English game. The added bonus was that he was only slightly more expensive than the Real Madrid man.
And so we waited for an opening bid from Arsenal, £41 million, £42 million perhaps, to get the ball rolling? Well we know what happened and maybe, one day, we’ll find who was the genius who dreamed that bid up? Anyway twelve months later Luis Suarez joined Barcelona for £65 million and another smart piece of business by our recruitment department was shown up for what it was. Somebody should have got their P45 perhaps?
So, with our transfer czars having so royally messed up on both Higuain and Suarez, adding to a poor start to the season, panic seemed to set in and a need to placate the fans became apparent and with that in mind a bid was made again to Real Madrid, this time for midfielder Mesut Ozil.
Now Ozil is a wonderfully gifted footballer and I’m not gonna lie, I was delighted when we signed him but at the time I wondered if we really needed him? Well not as much as we needed a quality striker and on reflection when you consider the midfielders we had at the time in Rosicky, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Flamini, Coquelin, Diaby, Oxlade-Chamberlain and even Eisfeld to the strikers we had, you could see clearly that our need was up front.
Aaron Ramsey went on to have his most effective and productive season to date, making late runs into the box and scoring a shed load of goals including the match winner in the 2014 FA Cup final. Mesut Ozil meanwhile spent most of the same season out wide whilst adapting to the rigours of English football and being accused of ‘nicking a living’ by some nameless moron, masquerading as a football journalist.
Of course when you have a talent like Mesut Ozil you have to play him centrally to get the best from him. From 2014-15 onwards he’s been our main man from midfield, but somebody had to be shifted and that somebody was Aaron Ramsey. Since then he’s been shifted here and he’s been shifted there in order to get him into the team and supporting Ozil.
We haven’t seen the 2013/14 Aaron Ramsey since, but at the Euro 2016 we witnessed just how effective he still is in that centrally attacking role where he became almost as important and influential as Gareth Bale during Wales’ successful tournament.
I wonder to this day what would this Arsenal team achieved had Arsenal signed Higuain or Suarez in 2013?
I very much doubt that Arsenal/Kroenke would have sanctioned the signing of Ozil as well as one of the two above but perhaps what if the club had gone for the striker instead of Mesut Ozil, would we now be seeing a much much better Aaron Ramsey as he’d have been able to build on what was a terrific season back in 203/14?
By AllezKev.
Morning Kev and all. Good post there Kev, food for thought.
In hindsight, signing Mesut Ozil was a waste of money. A great footballer but one who doesn’t fit in at Arsenal. We have plenty of very good players but because we don’t have a strong work ethic and true grafters in the side, his style of play weakens us imo. Stick him in a team with ten other players who work their socks off and he’d be a great addition to any team but all the time Arsene Wenger doesn’t instil such a way of playing, he’ll always be the first to be criticised.
Also, at the time, as you rightly point out, what the team needed was a top notch striker and had the club not been so tight, they’d have signed one. And regardless of the teams lack of work ethic, any player with the quality Ozil has needs someone to feed and he had no-one, not really. Certainly not anyone on his level.
Hope that makes sense. 😉
It,was an interesting period when as usual the self sustaining policy was being stretched to the limit.We were chasing a forward to solve our problems when really we needed more than that.This was the time of Walcott’s continual injuries and with Wilshere out as well we needed about 3 to make things right. Falling between stools is something that we are good at,is it Wenger,Gazidis,Law,,the board or Kroenke ?Whoever there appears to be a policy of patching gaps rather than a concerted effort to rebuild completely.
Potter, same as the seasons gone by. When did we last start a new season without the words ‘we still need a striker’ being typed on here? Same can be said re a CDM and a keeper. For so many years since the likes of Gilberto left and Campbell, I think we’ve all pretty much agreed we lacked a top notch spine in the team.
Excellent post Mr Allezkev.
Danny Higginbottom (spelling) is talking on S’s about how Conte signs players to suit the system he wants to play.
Unlike others who just sign good players and make then fit in.
How apt bearing in mind Kevs post…
Morning All
Morning Rico, yep we do seem to have an ad hoc approach to recruitment.
Thanks for the edit… ?
Good Morning Mr Adam. Your opinion and professional eye is always welcome.
🙂 Kev, I barely touched it… lol
Excellent post.
Unfortunately this bumbling ineptitude seems to be our trademark since David Dein’s departure. Anyone care to analyze last summers purchase of Perez, Mustafi and Xhaka ?
What interests me also about our purchase of Ozil is that we then missed out on Fabregas the following year. I know there were a lot of issues over his departure and i’m not sure the club would have taken him back, but he proven again this season what a good player he is in the EPL.
Good post Kev, if only …..
Steve. I think it’s tough to form a fair assessment of any of summer signings until a different manager comes in because right now, one isn’t being played, and the other two look as if they don’t always know what they are meant to be doing.
Holding looks good though… 😉
Everyone intentionally overlooks the fact that Ramsey is never going to be a player that a team can be built around. He is not good enough. Did you see how many times Southampton countered off Mr Ramsey’s bad passes or miss-control.
That is why Ozil was brought in.
Next year he is firmly on the bench.Carzola is back and the Pharaoh is a better CM than our Ramsey. Who honestly thinks Aaron is going to play in front of Jack or Iwobi at CAM?
This running around that he is good at means nothing when he can’t control the ball at the end of the run.
Ramsey needs to be sold in the next 2 seasons while he still has value.
Holding IS the real deal!!
Nice one Kev.
New player So? Wenger? I don’t think so!
After his 40 years of coaching there is NOTHING you can tell him about finding and signing players that are better than what we already have! He’s a busted flush and has been for a long while, imo.
Perhaps a new post, DoF will change things and also act as a lever for Wenger to pass on his way!
It is definitely time for a change. A new broom!
I don’t think we can rely on either Jack or Santi to be able to play a whole season and knowing our luck they will get injured at the same time. Agree about Holding and Elneny,Ramsey can stay or go as long as he is not first pick and only plays when he is suited to the opposition. If he chooses not to ,then cash in and replace.
Good subject Kev.
Wenger will never let anyone come in on Management side, because he cant exept failure this is why Ramsey Giroud Walcott will linger on for seasons. He knows if top man joins him half his signing will be gone. Same reason why he will still be here next season
Says it all Kev, too many bad, hesitant, reluctant decisions, when decisiveness was clearly needed in the T.Market, unprepared to pay the asking price has been a sentence we,ve heard over and over again, and will continue, he revealed himself he spends the club’s money in the transfer market as if it were his own in order to avoid making mistakes when buying players. We have laboured each year while our rivals have made significant strides to improve.
Shambles for a club of our size to still have not spent more than 20 million on a world class center forward,
Ramsey,s fantastic season we all thought we had a future world star in our ranks, scoring 16 goals that season, he,s only scored a further 17 in 3 seasons since, reflects his lack of form in recent seasons, whether he has been deployed in a deep-lying role and on the flanks, he has looked uncomfortable,
I think as he showed with wales he,s qualities ly in a more attacking role, maybe the arrival of Ozil in that no, 10 role stopped his progression somewhat,
To be named the clubs player of the month 4 months in a row between August and November, followed by the clubs player of the season, that 13/14 season, I truly thought he was one of the best midfielders in the world..
Is this when one should write BS in reply to your comment Crispen?
BS for sure.
Hi All:
I am absolutely convinced that it’s not the players but AW. Arsene coaches the qualities of players out of them. There are several examples here are a few: Xhaka before Arsenal was a player that drove the ball forward and also played long waited balls, this was a player that was constantly compared to Alonzo with his passing in Germany. He comes to Arsenal and he’s reduced to sideways passer. Those who don’t know Elneny at Basel and for Egypt was/ is an excellent passer and drove forward with the ball and often created shots for himself but at Arsenal he’s reduced to tiky football. Perez is an intelligent footballer who can’t supplant below average Walcott and Ramsey. Mustafi was actually a ball playing CB who made good long passes forward before Arsenal, etc, etc etc.
Ali on your point that if a top man came in most of the players will be gone, I think it’s the other way around. We will realize that most of the players are good if they are allowed to play to their abilities. Arsene is misusing them.
Neither do I Potter re Jack or Santi.
Would anyone sell Ozil and give Ramsey the role? Just a thought….
Obi. 100% agree with your comment.
It sickened me to read his comments this week that he has all but ridiculed the role of a D O F, rejected the thought of any restructuring within the club, unless it is he who says so, There it was in black and white, his refusal to relinquish any of his decision making powers, or is reluctance to embrace any change, you can clearly see there are vast differences of opinions and visions between Wenger and Gazidis,
The contract is all but signed, he surely wouldn,t be saying all he,s saying without knowing he has the backing of Kroenke, it looks like he,s firmly laying down the law, either we continue to do things his way or he,s off.
Normally it would be career suicide to take on a chief executive, but this is Arsene wenger and this is Arsenal, if Gazidis is unable to force his plans through, surely he will have every right to question his position. What is the point of a chief executive who doesn’t have any power, it,s all so tiresome and monotonous to the point of finding myself sadly apathetic and disinterested in the top four run in and i can,t get any gratification or enjoyment from recent victories.
we are a club crying out for a shake-up behind the scenes, change, a fresh approach, new ideas, but to hear him say in his own words, “Changes can go both ways, I cannot change myself now”, . You want to create a problem that I can’t see. I am who I am. That is it.
said it all for me…
Crispen, if Arsenal had completed the signing of either Higuain or Suarez, there is absolutely no way that the club would have sanctioned the signing of Ozil as well, so your point is totally flawed
Steve, agree completely on David Dein, he certainly got things done.
Thanks Andrew
Wavy cheers, it’s going to be an interesting summer mate
Fair comment Potter, but I was basing my point around the 2013/14 Aaron Ramsey, if he was still banging in the goals I think the general view of him would be different.
Dublin it does suggest that Arsene doesn’t seem to trust his own judgement, which is odd…
Dublin. Either that or he knows he’s going s has nothing to lose? Agree though re his interview, embarrassing…
Rico/Adam it’s ok to disagree lol….
But BS does fit the bill… ?
Perhaps if Ramsey hadn’t been shoved from pillar to post Kev as your wrote, he would have continued to bang the goals in. Also, Wenger has made a few public comments about Ramsey’s game which can’t have helped him..
🙂 Kev.
It,s probably too late now to start experimenting Rico, but Ozil at times this season did not deserve a starting position, he has been awful, maybe then he could,ve tried Ramsey in the no, 10 role, he would certainly benefit the most if Ozil were to leave, but saying that I think losing Ozil would send out a very negative message.
He could try it in pre season Dublin but I get your point. Not so sure about Ozil, there’s plenty of fans who wouldn’t care if he left imo.
Rico re selling Ozil and giving Ramsey the role. Ozil is not a #10 (traditional) he barely stays in that role and that’s half of the problem. Putting Ramsey there imho would be a disaster, I can see it now other teams would be in counter attack heaven. The dude barely holds on to the ball.
If we sell Ozil, Alexis should play that role. He was most effective for us when he played that role when Ozil got injured. With that he also doesnt have to come deep for the ball. Then play an actual legit striker upfront…..
Another option would be to get an actual DM like Casemiro or a Kante type and move Ozil into Santi’s role. This will work since we are playing wing backs because in effect they will do the defensive work.
I don’t know Obi, if the two midfielders behind Ramsey knew what they were doing and were drilled properly, Ramsey might do a good job imo…
Rico, if we recall the last World Cup, won so imperiously by Germany, I don’t think that Ozil was a regular?
Didn’t Loew leave him out of some games and play him wide in others?
Seems that Loew understood the strengths of Ozil better than Wenger.
Of course having the midfielders he had to choose from may have helped.
Kev. I don’t know as I didn’t watch the Euros, too boring…
But agree re Loew….
World Cup, Rico ?
He started all seven matches Kev…
Oops, sorry Kev.. ⚽️
You sure BT, I was sure he was left out of a couple… ?
Evening all and thanks…………………..Kev !!! 🙂
I`d keep Rambo and Ozil and ……….actually it will be easier for me to say the one`s who to ship out……….Sanogo, Gibbs, Walcott, Jenkinson, Debauchery !…..think thats it……I`ll just look on Arsenal squad page………..hold on a sec`………………….Nacho and Merts, that`ll do !. hahaha
You can add the mistake of not getting Higuan and Suarez to the long list of players nearly signed….pick any year !
Listening to talksport today that Dutch fitness coach whose always moaning about injuries was on and to tell the truth he made a lot of sense, he was mainly having a pop at Klopp……..it`s all down to fatigue !…………..and the fatigue is caused by the over training, some clubs training their players upto three times per day !…………………………Spuds and Bindippers play a similar pressing game, but the spuds have lasted longer this year because they have dropped over training !…………….it is a fine balance, just like it is a fine balance with tactics and formations !.
Also on TS today Jim Whites crew…..Perry and Bob were talkng about the memories of Shite Fart Lane seeing as the last game will be played there this weekend. Callers were reminiscing, but Perry talked about us winning there in the league cup semi-final in 87 and how the spuds thought they were going through and started playing spuds are going to wembley in the changing rooms which only helped charge our boys up !…………………………………..I also texted in to TS and said that us Gooners had just as many if not more great memories at the Lane as the spuds had, stating the obvious two league wins there but the bastards didn`t read my text out !……………..fair enough I did use some adult language ! hahaha
Played 5-a-side last night and ripped a calf after two minutes of the hour and quarter we play………Grrrrrrrr !
Went in goal and then got concussed by Keith The Gooner………bastard !………..couldn`t have knocked some spud out !……………..oh yeah I forgot, no spuds around !
As with concussion in the non EPL world………… I got up and went back in goal after remembering what day we were in !…………………….am feeling it today, feel like I need a neck brace, but cant be bothered to go to hospital, so the wife has lovingly offered to keep her hands strangling my neck instead ! hahaha
The crowd noise ……the players seem more passionate than todays lot, look how estatic they are !
Good old Rocky……
Evening Rico/Kev and All
Looking at the Chavs last season and now this
season..Change of manager worked..Like always.
Players are a funny old lot…Once they suss you out
who knows what turns up on the pitch.
Look at us lot…
We sign new players ie:
Zhagger,Musthavcrapper and The invisable man Perez
Three players that I thought would hit the ground running
and improve the team.But its still the same old chestnuts again.
Off form,System,Injures,Team Tactics God knows what.
The three at the back has helped Ramsey the Red Rover.
Playing three at the back stops one on ones …Thats it
Its not rocket stuff.
Two good midfielders who know the game would be
just as good.
Off to the pub to hear the wetspammers go on about
ending the yids season last friday.
Kev, just checked in case my memory was playing tricks, apparently he did…
Chavs not champions yet..
Evening Fred. Can’t be all the players who are off, must be something or someone else… lol
Enjoy the pub…
Though their U18s wrapped up the title earlier..
Can’t hit a barn door tonight Bt. Not yet anyway… lol
Night to you all.
Thanks for today’s post Kev…
Night Rico,..
I had forgot about it being on…lol
LC, 7:56… What a day and night that was…. in my top 3 of best ever Arsenal games ever… I reckon there was at least 10,000 in the park lane that night, I never as many jib in to those with tkts…! we totally took the piss that day in so many ways…! Still remember us all cheering on the Sunday after the 2nd leg that the replay was at the Lane after we’d lost the toss after the game…. Think we all wanted it there and not at Highbury for some reason…! The good old days…!
Chelsea 1 up
Ozil did play all the games at WC 2014. Loew started him wide on the right due to injuries. I remember Loew giving Wenger credit after the WC for making Ozil a better player because he, Loew, watched Ozil playing on the right at Arsenal and decided to play him there. I THINK he led the WC in chances created and was second on the team in tackles behind Lahm.
I watched the footage of Robbie from Arsenal Fan TV being surrounded & heckled outside of WHL. The whole precinct looks like it’s in a 1961 time warp, the buildings look tired & the fans look like they still act like they are back in the ’80’s, only most have have guts, grey hair or lost it now ?
Anyway, The Arsenal has had more success winning trophys @ Shite Hart Lame than the hotshit. ?
Big guts*
Oh &, nice post kev.
Also, just looking at Google map, Shite Hart Lame looks like it’s part of South Watford not North London.
The Tottenham area code if you phone the Club is won nothing?
Fair enough BT, the old memory is failing me… ?
Cheers Fred, Cocker and Gnarley…
Rico, it was a pleasure, I wish I had the enthusiasm to write more to help out but I’m fed up with feeling fed up…
Anyway, not long got in after a long shift and a bit of shopping in Tesco…
Granddaughter visiting later today, so I’ve gotta have everything in place for my little darling…. ?
Night All.
How old Kev ? . We had a three year old all day yesterday , she’s a diamond but even after a night’s sleep we are both zombies this morning. Those slide tubes at soft play , lost the skin off my elbow .
What to do with Ramsey? I say sell him! It has become a trend at arsenal where players up their game when they are playing for a contract. Theo does that every now and then and how many goals has Giroud scored after he signed? – and before December he always popped up as a super sub.
I don’t want to be fooled again. It’s good that he has started to ‘click’ but I wouldn’t bet on Ramsey being a vital player for a title winning team. There are better players with discipline – actually that is my main problem with Ramsey. Fame gets to his head and he starts showboating and doing flicks which more often backfires on him.
Marshall. Discipline – that’s my gripe with the entire team. Not many know what the word means imo, but then neither does Wenger because if he did, he’d have instilled some by now…
Morning all.
New post up now.