It’s all on the line for Arsene Wenger
Panic.
Sheer abject panic. That is the only way I can describe the general tenor of the social media discussions around Arsenal right now.
This summer was supposed to be different. We were flush with cash we were told. New improved commercial deals, manageable debt, and other factors led to a record war chest being made available for the club to improve it’s squad.
Well, it’s July 22nd and it won’t be long before pitch forks and bonfires appear outside the Emirates based on our activities thus far. With addition by subtraction – the removal of 20 reserve and “deadwood” players and only the signing (on a free) of promising youngster Yaya Sanogo confirmed, Arsenal supporters are wondering if it is just going to be a case of more of the same.
Arsenal sure have been linked to a lot of players. Before the summer got underway Stevan Jovetic was strongly linked and it was pending on Arsenal’s ability to secure a top 4 spot. Well, with top 4 secured it never happened with Arsenal reportedly souring on the deal that Fiorentina wanted and the fact the JoJo really wanted a move to Juventus. However, La Viola were never going to let him go to Juve and Juve in turn signed Carlos Tevez. This left JoJo still available and perplexingly a player we wanted sat and languished until last week he was signed by Manchester City.
After the links to Jovetic went cold, Arsenal were linked with Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. Stories coming from sources in Argentina and Spain strongly hinted that Madrid and Arsenal had agreed to a fee of £23 million and the players father even went so far as to say the player and Arsenal had agreed to personal terms. So what happened? Well, not so fast. Reports are that Madrid moved the goal posts on the deal. Madrid looking to fund a move for (depending on who you believe) either Luis Suarez or Gareth Bale (my money is on Bale) and they want to get as much money from other deals to fund it. Don’t ask me why but it does look like both Spanish giants are trying to fund moves with sales these days as the Spanish financial turmoil embroils them as well.
So Higuain got off track and then back on track and then Real Madrid flirted with Napoli. It looks like Madrid and Napoli agreed to a transfer fee but Napoli and the player haven’t agreed terms. And that’s likely to be a stumbling block there. Napoli wants to own 100% of Higuain’s image rights. Madrid allows its players to own percentages of their rights to offset salaries. In this case Higuain owns 50% of his. He would stand to lose a huge chunk of revenue – especially out of his native Argentina if he did. Additionally, I personally think that Madrid are only talking with Napoli in an attempt to get Arsenal to move. Madrid know the players preference is Arsenal. Terms agreed and all that. This one is far from done.
Then there is Suarez. Ian Ayre confirmed Arsenal’s opening bid for the player. It was rejected. Rumours are that Arsenal are set to increase their bid to £40 million. Today’s Liverpool Echo Rumour Mill suggests that Liverpool could accept that.
While that seems hard to believe, consider this – Liverpool need to fund their renovations to Anfield. They’d likely have to do it with a mix of public and private funds. Additionally, they have their own transfer dealings to do and the ones they’ve done haven’t sent the Scousers proclaiming the second coming of Liverpool FC. £40 million does reportedly give Suarez the right to discuss terms with Arsenal. Doesn’t mean Liverpool have to accept it but considering he’s stated his desire to leave, he is suspended for about 6 games and the financial need of Liverpool its not hard to fathom their selling.
There are other deals lurking out there as well, Cesar, Williams and Bernard. But “lurking” is the key word in this sentence. Actually “lurking” could work for all the deals because none of them are complete.
And that’s where all the panic comes in. Now, forget for a moment that going from Arsenal’s previous thrift-store minded approach to the transfer market to shopping at Tiffanys takes a big mental jump in how you approach it – the turtlelike pace to our dealings is killing us all.
It’s make or break time. It’s nice we’re “in” for these players but a failure to bring any of them in will likely mean the frustration that grew last season will explode this season. There won’t be any wiggle room to say we tried. If signings aren’t had then all bets are off as to whether or not there will be enough good will for supporters to want Wenger to remain.
Surely, he has enough support for people to wait out until August 31 (actually Sept 2 this year) but if he doesn’t move and move substantially then it’s open season.
Why Wenger seems to hesitate is a mystery. But my whole thought is that when you spend £6-£15 million on a player and they wind up a wash its surely is met with some angst but if you fork out £25 million or more on a player and they wash up, it’s a more noticeable mistake. Look at City’s initial signings. Specifically look at Adebayor who was signed for £25 million and proved to NOT be worth every cent of it.
I do get that mentality. When you are in control and out there the last thing you want is to be proven wrong especially on such a big investment. But the targets we’re linked with aren’t of the Adebayor variety and in my opinion they are less risky than the ilk of our former striker.
The fact is Wenger has to weigh the fear of making a poor investment on making none at all. Do the pitfalls of one outweigh the pitfalls of the other That’s a decision the manager has to make.
Now some will be quick to point out the board’s role in all this. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am an ardent critic of the board and their policies, some of which have substantially crippled this club despite its modicum of success. However, when club CEO Ivan Gazidis informed the press, supporters and rest of the footballing world that Arsenal were prepared to spend and that they could now afford to go after some of the bigger names in the game.
While it was announced to a broad audience the message was intended for one person only – the manager himself. It seems at least to me that the board were no longer going bear the brunt of criticism around improving the squad. This message was intended to tell everyone – if we don’t spend – it’s because of one man.
Rightly or wrongly and whether you accept that analysis or not, Wenger is at a critical juncture and everyone is waiting to see what he does. With changes all around him there is a real opportunity for Arsenal to make substantial headway in being a force in English football again – if he only makes a few additions to the squad.
His core – the team that saw us through the end of the season is good. It’s solid and statements that we lack a spine are a gross misunderstanding of where the club are now. They are primed. The players are primed and ready to make a challenge. The general positivity and desire to build off of last season is an outward signal to the manager – let’s do this. Arsene has to meet their positivity with firm, positive action of his own. If he doesn’t he not only loses the fans but he runs the risk of losing his players.
It’s all on the line, he has to do something and soon.
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Hmmm. Here’s the merry-go-round latest:
Arsenal bidding for Suarez, and told he is NOT FOR SALE.
(yet we allegedly keep bidding)
Manchester United bidding for Ronaldo, and told he is NOT FOR SALE.
(yet they are still in pursuit)
Cheslea are bidding for Rooney, and told he is NOT FOR SALE.
(yet they keep bidding)
Manchester United bidding for Cesc, and told he is NOT FOR SALE.
(yet they keep bidding)
Real Madrid bidding for Bale, and told they do NOT want to SELL, but keep bidding
higher and higher than the 100 Million.
Sounds great. Sounds like nobody is going anywhere to me.
Suarez not going to Arsenal, as they aren’t going to help a club they are trying to catch, only Arsenal does that.
Ronaldo to United? Real doesn’t need money, why would they ever sell him?
Rooney is NOT going to any team in the EPL, United aren’t idiots, only Arsenal do that.
Cesc to United? Not sure… I think that could happen.
Real Madrid get Bale, for some insane amount of money… does Tottenham spend much of it on new players, or pull the Arsenal, and pocket almost all of it?
Sounds like a fantastic soap opera, unless you are an Arsenal supporter.
The managerial career of Michael Laudrup is one worth following. Football management is a fascinating example of life’s randomness, the intersection of chance and talent, that simply can’t be forecast.
He has cut his managerial teeth over the last 11 years in his native Denmark, played a nice one-two in Spain-Russia-Spain and then to his eventual home in the EPL with Swansea where he now catches our eye. Laudrup is unusual, he’s one of those players whose talent places him on the cusp of the games greats – admittedly without quite making a permanent nest in that company. What makes him unusual is that a man with the über creative force and talent of Laudrup has shown the persistence needed to succeed in management. That’s not to say that other creative types don’t try, they do, but few actually have the hard headedness required to stay the course until their recipe for success in management starts to emerge.
Laudrup’s recipe is emerging, he’s enjoyed a fine start at Swansea where the lower expectations have been rewarded with pleasing early results. He’s proven his eye for spotting talent which alongside the ability to shape a winning team is the most coveted of all managerial talents.
I think he’s right to now hunker down and stay another season at Swansea where he can further polish and test the team he’s shaping. Bigger fish can wait. His reputation and European connections guarantee him opportunities at some of the worlds biggest clubs if he continues to do well at Swansea. So one more year or even perhaps two would allow him developing time that will never be available again once he enters the management ranks of the elite clubs.
I wonder if anyone at Arsenal is watching? What Laudrup offers would seem to be a good fit post-Wenger. A man with a global reputation of playing football the way most can only dream, who has served an apprenticeship in Europe and the EPL, has demonstrated the ability to fashion a winning side with limited financial resources, and has an eye for spotting and honing talent.
why would Arsenal FC be watching any other manager?
I am 100% serious.
they have in Wenger, someone who doesn’t care if the club win trophies, uses limited resources to maintain a level of success that the board covet, (the financial success of CL qualifying)… and doesn’t complain when the club sells off its best assets to the highest bidder.
why would Laudrup waste his time at Arsenal? Why would Arsenal ever want Wenger to go?
If Laudrup wanted to go to an ELITE club, that elite club doesn’t include the likes of Arsenal FC. We are no longer considered an elite club by anyone, not other teams, not players, and not fans.
by the way, I think Laudrup is an excellent young manager, and if Arsenal were interested in WINNING, he’d be a good choice.
I’m not so sure the club is as cohesive in its thinking as you suggest Stag. Wenger is 63 and his position isn’t getting stronger. The sense that his retirement/exit is nearing is a growing phenomenon not a lessening one. His age, lack of trophies, the minority but vocal objections, the tarnished glow, the club’s increased revenue’s and hence reduced reliance on his ability to turn a profit amidst austerity all mean that the club hierarchy will have half an eye on what happens post-Wenger.
Of course some at the club will be happy for him to carry on longer, maybe even Stan… but that presupposes a few constants like CL football and the masses not revolting more visibly and collectively. Every year you get the sense the crowd is more fractious – expressing its anger more easily at seemingly trivial events like the boos over the weekend. That won’t go missed. Even Peter Hillwood the chairman has gone – a long-time and strong Wenger-ally.
A guy like Gazidis would be pondering the ‘what next’ question I’m sure. Once Wenger leaves the stage Gazidis role will grow enormously in prominence. He’s currently CEO in name but it’s an uncomfortable power sharing arrangement where Wenger commands enormous respect and the CEO has to carefully navigate around the managers views and wishes. Unless Wenger morphs to an executive role and selects the next manager I would think Gazidis will be an integral participant in anointing the next manager. The pendulum will swing and Gazidis will hold a stronger hand – there will be an acceptance that the CEO oversees the managers performance in word and deed. I can imagine that Gazidis will welcome that time… he’s relatively young and will have ambition and I doubt he enjoys his current role of being the fall guy and taking the stick for decisions that are largely Wenger’s. Hence you saw him exerting what pressure he could on Wenger at the end of the season – with his reference’s to Arsenal being able to buy/sign big names. Over to you Mr Wenger…
I was very excited at the thought of Arsenal bringing in Higuain, but am now embarassed to think that I allowed myself to believe that we would try to take advantage of the opportunity in the league this season. After being out maneuvered/outbid by Napoli it’s clear that we aren’t serious about or don’t know how to bring in proven reinforcements. I believe the Suarez “bid” is a smokescreen with nothing substantial behind it. We won’t pay that much, and it wouldn’t make sense for Liverpool to sell to us as they are trying to remove us from our lucrative CL place. It’s likely that there will be one or two value buys coming in, but not the type that will bring us significantly closer to the top three.
I don’t mean to sound too harsh as I like many of the players in the squad and believe we have a good core to build from. The problem is that that just makes things more frustrating when we halt construction. Arsene thinks we’re okay because we had a decent run-in at the end of last season; however, the team’s performances and record do not lie. We are good enough to finish somewhere between 4th and 6th right now depending on the competition. In fact, Arsenal’s best signing this season could be Madrid’s signing of Bale.
Maybe I’m just on the downswing of another emotional silly season roller coaster ride, but based on what I’ve seen this summer and over the last few seasons it feels like we’re in for another exciting race for 4th.
nope. you have it right. all the “potential signings” are BS.
the club made the same exact statements they make every Summer… before season ticket renewals, before the new kits come out… they check of the statements…
the suckers buy buy buy… and then we make claims we are in for every big name in the book, and we do absolutely nothing.
nothing.
nothing has changed.
nothing will.
we’ll win nothing.
we aren’t trying to win.
just make as much money as we possibly can as a club. AGAIN.
and we will.
to all you folks who think Arsenal are actually in for Suarez at 45 to 50 Million…
Here’s the latest from Wenger:
——————————————
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says if Real Madrid were to pay £105m to sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham it would make a “joke” of Financial Fair Play.
“It’s quite amazing that in the year where the Financial Fair Play comes in, the football world has gone completely crazy,” said Wenger.
“You wonder what kind of impact and effect it has on the football world. It looks like it has made everybody worse than before. It makes a joke of it.”
——————————————-
Does this sound like someone who is about to spend 50 Million on 1 player, when we’ve never come close to spending anything near that?
seriously?
He’s still waiting for Financial Fair Play to kick in.
What’s he going to do when Bale goes for 100 Mill? Tottenham will probably buy 4 or 5 players and greatly improve their overall squad, and we’ll go with Yaya Sonogo on a free.
105 million for bale is a joke. he’s certainly not worth that much; not worth more than cristiano ronaldo. it’s all politics with those clowns at real madrid.
i believe the deal for suarez is going to happen. brendan rodgers talking tough is all part of the game. liverpool are trying to get as much as they can can and arsenal are trying to pay as little as they can. eventually, a compromise will be made somewhere between 42 and 45 million gbp.
just watched arsenal vs napoli in the emirates cup. it was two games; one where arteta didn’t play and one where he did. it’s plain to see he’s the leader of this team, yet so many are ready to replace him. arsenal were getting bossed all over the field and losing 2-0 before pretty mikey came out, settled the team, and saved the day. it’s a different team when he’s out there.
in the two years that arteta has been at arsenal, i think the club have only won two games that he didn’t start. he was the undisputed leader in that 10-game unbeaten run at the end of last season. vermaelen’s departure meant arteta’s ascension in the team. he’s the first name on my team sheet every week. instead of trying to replace arteta when he’s at the peak of his powers, they should bring in a young, intelligent, and talented prodigy for him to mentor. ironically, his is the only player that doesn’t have a back-up. if pretty mikey goes down, arsenal are in trouble.
sorry Josh. Wenger stated today that we are no closer with Liverpool on Suarez… he feels spending big money on players is bad for the game, he intends to conduct business in a way that is not offensive to other teams, etc…
Oh, by the way, he said Arsenal can WIN THE LEAGUE without Suarez.
He is confident.
There is no chance in hell we buy this player for 40 45 or 50 million.
NONE.
We don’t spend that amount on players.
Hell, we don’t spend ANYTHING on players, unless we are forced to, like the 8-2 drubbing last year that forced the clubs hand…
What exactly do you think has changed with Wenger or at the club, that leads you to believe we would spend crazy money for 1 player?
Would make far more sense to spend 25 or 30 Million on 3 or 4 players.
A Keeper, CB, Full Back… and probably a striker.
So far, we have managed to secure Yaya Sonogo, on a FREE.
Looks like Gervinho is OFF to ROMA.
Bendtner is still on the books, and f’ing around, because nobody will pay his salary.
Same Arsenal. No chance on Suarez, who got a massive ovation from his home fans at Anfield…
the problem is, despite the big money bid for suarez, no one believes it’s real. it certainly goes against the arsenal grain. most believe arsenal offered a big money bid that they knew would be rejected, knowing it’s not enough, to create the illusion that they’re interested in spending big. we’ll see.
yup. that is a far more likely scenario, when it comes to the Arsenal FC, than actually bidding that amount of money for 1 player…
It’s as big a farce, as the elections in Zimbabwe!
Some four years ago on this forum I said that Arsene “has lost the plot” and I was bombarded by an unfathomable horde of AKB’s. Well, I am sticking to my guns four years later.
Get accustomed to:
Seeing Sagna playing regularly at CB this season unless Swansea is willing to part with Williams for under 10M.
Seeing Ryo and Gnabry terrorizing opposing defenders on the wings and forget about Bernard (brilliant young and upcoming world class Brazilian star). Who knows, you might also see Sanogo plying his wares out there a la Bendtner.
Not seeing Fellaini or Capoue, or for that matter, any other “true” DM plying his trade for AFC. The exception may be a last minute signing of Gustavo if we can get him on the cheap.
Seeing one (1) world class striker (Suarez, Lewandowski, Rooney) coming in to “appease the fans” if we are lucky and can actually find someone who can seal a transfer deal.
Seeing a couple of last ditch, uninspiring, underwhelming signings (to appease the fans of course).
Once again, IN ARSENE WE RUST.
Nuff said.
Carib, there is almost 0% chance we could get any of the “world class strikers” you mentioned…
Suarez? its a scam… we would NEVER pay 50 million GBP for one player. No way.
Lewandowski? where’d you come up with that one? United want him, and they can certainly pay more than Arsenal… so could Chelsea, ManCity, or about 10 other real powers. No way.
Rooney… LESS THAN ZERO chance. – United will NEVER sell one of their star players to
a rival in the EPL. It makes no sense to do so, as they don’t need or seek the money.
ONLY ARSENAL would hand the trophy to a rival, by selling them a star player…
About 2 weeks until Opening Day kick-off!
How has the Summer of Ar$enal buying gone so far? Yaya Sonogo from 2nd Division France!!
woot woot!
and we’ve cleared money off the books… a few of the misfits are gone…
and…
how many people said “THIS IS THE YEAR” Arsenal buy big…??
All the reasons to do so are there…
All the needs are there… and we are in such great position to do it this time!
what a sick joke.
move along… nothing to see here…
No news forthcoming apart from the anxiety heightening reports linking Fabregas to MUFC. I hope the combine of Suarez + Bernard + Fabregas (slightly older), or even one of them, playing in Red & White does not remain a part of only (my) dreams.
I think it would be fair to reserve judgement on the transfer activities till 2nd September.
Also, the pursual of Suarez, with the reasonably fair big money bid for him is no small matter, considering our history.
So, you think the Arsenal FC are going to spend 50 Million GBP on Suarez?
And that would be “good business”?
Bernard, would be an interesting acquisition… not sure if we’d offer enough money.
Fabregas – United are going to offer 40 Mill… we’d have to match it.
I would, if I were Arsenal, because he’d be our best player, and it keeps United from becoming even better than they are, as the easy winner of the league last year.
But we would NOT spend 40 Million on Fabregas either. We don’t pay that much money for players. It goes against Wenger’s beliefs… he makes stars (and then we sell them for massive profits)… we don’t buy them (since Bergkamp)
But keep dreaming…. seriously…. its all we have.
By the time September 2nd rolls around, its MUCH too late.
At that point, prices go UP, if we start poorly, because they’d be “panic buys”… right?
There is ALWAYS an excuse as to why Arsenal don’t spend money on proven talent.
rumor has man united prepping a 40 million pound bid for fabregas. i think it’s safe to say they really want that kid. that’s a lot of dough for barcelona to say no to. we’ll see.
Let’s you know how much they value his talents…
If they get him, they’ll be building their club around the 2 best players Arsenal have had (and sold) in the past 5 years….
You know what, I’d watch United every match if they had Fabregas and RVP. They’d be a joy to watch together, just like they were at Arsenal…
I’d take Fabregas running the show over the cheating, diving, biting racist any day!
But we’ll have first rights to Fabregas, right?
So we could still buy him for the 40 Mill?
If you think we’d spend 40 Million on a player you are crazy, let alone 50!
Interested in anyone who can recall instances where a club successfully resists the advances of a major club interested in buying their elite player.
Let’s not include those arrangements where a player stays for ‘one more season’. The one-more-season scenario is not uncommon, Wenger has used that strategy with a number of his players and so has Spurs recently with Luka Modrić. Sadly… it’s just a delay of the inevitable – not a successful rebuttal.
I can think of two instances.
1. Patrick Vieira: During his long career at Arsenal, which matches perfectly with our successful years, Patrick was pursued by Real Madrid and Manchester United. Wenger and Arsenal successfully deflected those advances and the player, as far as we know, never actually asked for a transfer. Success to Arsenal. Although interesting to note Vieira did eventually leave for Juventus largely as a result of Wenger’s annoyance at his ‘dalliances’ (according to Hillwood’s explanation “Vieira tweaked Wenger’s tail once too often”).
2. Franck Ribéry: Ribéry was signed by Bayern Munich before they reached their current status of behemoth. In 2009 a couple of years in to his time at Bayern he attracted the attention of the big boys and requested a transfer to Real. It looked like Bayern would struggle to keep him… but fascinatingly they did. They showed that German resolve and told the player to knuckle down and play. He did. Over the next few years they progressed as a club and became incredibly successful. Today they can compete with almost anyone for a signature and can retain their stars with increasing ease thanks to their heightened profile.
There might be more instances, I just can’t think of them. What it shows me is that if a player wants to go and is prepared to agitate it becomes incredibly hard for a club to retain him in the face of a club prepared to pay transfer fees in the elite range.
Can anyone else think of other cases?
i think it comes down to whether the player wants to leave his current club. there were plenty of clubs interested in henry but he declared, flatly, that he wasn’t interested in a move away from arsenal. at arsenal, henry believed he could win everything. with vieira, real madrid didn’t want to pay him like they paid the other superstars. in fact, vieira would have had to take a pay cut to go to real madrid, so he decided to stay at arsenal.
it also can depend on how much time a player has on their current contract. nasri, clichy, and van persie had only one year and didn’t express an interest in signing a new contract, so wenger had to sell or lose them for nothing in 12 months. those players went to the teams that offered the club and the player the most money. fabregas, hleb, song, and even anelka wanted to go and wenger isn’t big on having player stick around that don’t want to be there. they tend to be a cancer in the dressing room. then you have the likes of adebayor who presented a lucrative opportunity for the club. luis suarez has three years so there is no real need for liverpool to sell, unless they want the money or to get rid of the player, like arsenal did with adebayor or liverpool did with torres.
as for ribery, i’ve been around football for about 20 years and i don’t recall a time fc bayern weren’t considered a behemoth. real madrid is not much of a step up or step down from bayern, depending on your perspective. from the outside, they appear more of a circus than fc bayern. ribery has drawn interest from all the big clubs since the ’06 world cup. he strikes me as a player who’s enjoying his cult status at his current club, much like henry did at arsenal. also like henry, he believes he can win everything at his current club and isn’t looking for anything else. another player might be attracted to those bright madrid lights. it all depends.
Our squad has a solid look to it but it lacks a bit of necessary spice and the X-factor imo.
In the attacking threesome we have a solid group – Giroud, Podolski, Walcott, Sanogo – but for me Suarez would add the X-factor much like a Henry or a fit Van Persie (for 1 season) did in the past.
In midfield we have a plethora of mobile little-men – Cazorla, Arteta, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Rosicky. We don’t need more of the same genre nor understudies imo. We have heaps of these guys. Fellaini would add a genuine point of difference. And I think he’s good enough technically to work in an Arsenal team context. I wouldn’t be too concerned about who he would replace in a theoretical starting line-up because the reality is there are always players out injured/sick, rehab-ing, slightly off-form or needing resting. Fellaini’s adaptability means he could be moved around in the fluid Arsenal formation and make a massive nuisance of himself wherever he played. The other relevant point is several of our preferred starters are in the physically-fragile category. Take Wilshere and Rosicky out of the mix as options and the choices look worryingly thin. We could easily absorb Fellaini in to the squad without displacing other important contributors. On price, Josh I beg to differ – I think Fellaini is such a rare type of player that he attracts a high fee – particularly in the EPL.
One of the biggest upsides for Arsenal with Suarez and Fellaini is that they are both EPL ready – proven – good to go. There is no 1-year adjustment period necessary. They can handle the muscle and pace of the EPL and add something special in the CL as well. If we signed a player like Gonzalo Higuain there is a very real possibility he would need much of the first season to settle and adjust – like Podolski and Giroud. And let’s be honest, Higuain was not a name anyone mentioned as a desired target before Arsenal’s interest in recent weeks. His reputation and desirability in Arsenal fans eyes appears to have ballooned over recent weeks to unrealistic levels – as tends to happen with mob mentality. Let’s see how he goes at Napoli which in my opinion is an easier transition for a striker out of Spain that the EPL.
I’m a little more laid back on the defence. The FB situation is stronger than it has been for a long time with 2 worthy options on both the left and right. By Wenger standards CB has a good first choice duo in Mertesacker/Koscielny with Vermaelen adding competition/cover. Having a really good 4th choice option is often a big problem. Not many top players like being regarded as 4th choice. We have Miquel (20) complete with Barça DNA – he has been at Arsenal since he was 16. Wenger has also used Sagna as emergency cover at CB, he is a rugged defender and probably along with Mertesacker is the most defence-focused defender in the litter. With Jenkinson developing, and Sagna likely to be slowing a little with age and 2 serious leg breaks morphing him in to a utility FB/CB doesn’t seem the silliest idea. For those worried at his height (5, 9) let’s remember Carlos Puyol is about the same (5, 10). For me the only valid way to bring in better cover at CB is to buy a quality utility man like Bayern’s Gustavo who can play DM, LB and CB – but that doesn’t look likely and may jeopardise the Fellaini signing which is critical for impact imo.
Suarez, Fellaini and a guy like Júlio César would make us a competitor rather than just a participant.
The commenting on these posts is reminiscent of Arsenal America days. Longform writing with passionate reasoned opinions from everyone. (DAG – A REQUEST – for a change please let this post continue for a while, say until our first major signing, or the starting weekend of the season, which seems more likely to be the earlier of the two, while you continue to post your opinion here, in the forum under this article instead of a new article or through twitter rants.
I have warmed up to the idea of Suarez signing over time. We’re playing with fire on this one, but after all these years of playing passive observers to others taking risks, we might as well join the game of High Risk signings (which RvP was for MUFC) as has been rightly pointed out by Kiwi.
Both AFC and LFC are playing hardball on the fee. I have no doubt in my mind that Suarez would be sold this window. I even remember watching a leaked email by Ian Ayre to RM to come and get Suarez. The plot outlined in the mail was fun to read –
1. You bid for Suarez. We agree on a fee.
2. We act and publicly state that we don’t want to sell, like we did with El Nino
3. The player agitates for a move
4. We finally after some false posturing sell him
5. All parties get what they want.
The script seems to be followed to the tee till now, with the major exception of us being involved instead of RM.
As for our other signings, after failure to sign Higuain and Mata, etc., it seems to me that AW is certain of our weak negotiating and deal closing abilities, and has resigned to leave things for the last moment, thus limiting options of auctioning by selling teams. And I for one would not be surprised to see a couple of utilitarian signings just as the window is about to be shut on 2nd September. Liverpool, I suspect would sell-off Suarez much before that.
The Suarez situation hinges on the player starting to agitate for a move. Think back to Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie, all players Wenger wanted to keep, and yet ultimately the pursuing clubs got their man because the player got his head turned and wanted to go and the pursuing clubs stayed the race. Liverpool, Arsenal and Suarez are no different. It matters little that Liverpool are talking big – Wenger and Hillwood sometimes did as well. If the player agitates – and Suarez could stink the house out – Liverpool will be pressured into selling.
Arsenal might have picked this one right. This is in the elite category of player signings. So only the richest clubs are in the game. And of those rich clubs some are not interested having already got an über striker on their books. Of the remainder who may be interested some will be put off by the reputation of Suarez. This is why we only hear about Arsenal and Suarez. There may be another club lurking waiting to see how it unfolds but the price is really high for a guy with an unwanted edge. This is playing in to Arsenal’s favour, Liverpool would rather sell to a foreign club (like we would have preferred Van Persie to go foreign) but without a foreign club showing genuine interest your backed in to a corner with few options. There are similarities between Van Persie and Suarez. Van Persie was a high risk elite signing due to his awful injury record and similarly Suarez has high risk with his obnoxious behavioural issues. Manchester United waiting it out, Van Persie agitated – that’s what has to happen with Suarez.
The only other route is to pay OTT the way Real Madrid and Manchester City and Chelsea have done and in Real’s case continue to do as a strategy for acquiring elite players. I can’t see Arsenal doing that, and in this instance I think they’re right not to.
If Wenger wants Suarez and sees him as a pivotal signing that will shape the team and take it to ‘the next level’ I think their approach is correct.
I also agree and commend the concerted effort to clear the books of players whose Arsenal careers have expired. It’s not that they’re all bad players, it’s just that for various reasons their Arsenal careers have run their course. Better for all parties that they go.
What is mystifying is why we haven’t signed anyone. I can understand the delays with Suarez, but I would suggest there are other squad signings to make and one other elite signing needs to be made. Why not pay the 23 million pounds and sign Marouane Fellaini? Why not sign a veteran keeper or a serious keeper? Why not sign a quality utility defender?
It makes me recall when we signed Platt and Bergkamp. Both where elite signings. They changed the whole mentality of the club. Suarez and Fellaini would make a similar splash.
Also worthy to note and accept that elite signings carry the same risk of not working out as any other signing. Bergkamp was brilliant and legendary. Platt never gets a mention – in fact many fans who hopped on board during the Wenger years wouldn’t even know Platt played for us. When you’re at playing at the high stakes table you have to accept that there are Berkamp’s and Rooney’s and then there are the Platt’s and Veron’s. That’s life.
Marouane Fellaini would be a fascinating signing for Arsenal and Wenger. He’s really utilitarian and can play an influential role in defence, midfield and attack. I’m not sure how many players are quite like him. He’s a bit like Vieira in the sense that he can play multiple roles and hugely influence the game for the team he plays in.
The club has culled excess off the wage bill and removed the plague off the clubs gums.
Now add Suarez, Fellaini, a utility defender and an experienced keeper.
We’d then be in a position to compete…. again.
Not sure why you think Liverpool have to do anything… sure Arsenal will sell to a direct rival, to improve them… but Liverpool don’t have to, unless Arsenal want to completely over-pay, like Chelsea did for Torres.
Their owner already asked “what are they smoking at the Emirates”… and Wenger has already stated “we aren’t close to signing Suarez”…
So, this is the perfect smoke-screen for the club… they can say they were all-in for Suarez, and pursued him all Summer, but Liverpool wanted to much money, and then the season starts, and we don’t want to make panic buys….
Wenger has also already stated we can compete for the title, with or without signings.
We aren’t interested in buying … like every Summer… I think its all a game, with the club pissing all over the fans again…
LUCY pulling the ball away from CHARLIE BROWN, yet again.
For exactly the same reasons we sold when we didn’t have to with Fabregas and Nasri and Adebayor et al. If the player agitates… you’re in a no-win position as a club. Very few can sustain a belligerent position. You get what you can financially and bail out. Liverpool are in a worse position than we are. They have been declining for a long time. They can’t even compete for the CL positions – and their players know it. Even their stadium is small.
You’re reading what you want to Stag to build a narrative – Liverpool are doomed to lose their one star. Their owner can say what he likes, their manager is a light-weight who can only point to the 94,000 crowd in Australia as a reason to stay :-) Liverpool are a club with a great history – nothing more. At least Arsenal qualify for the CL and have a squad that is solid. Suarez will look at that and think that with him added to Arsenal’s existing squad and perhaps another elite signing… Arsenal could do something. And Wenger is on a different plane to Rogers.
I’ve been as critical of Arsenal and Wenger as many others. But I don’t believe this is a hoax by Arsenal/Wenger. They will lose face enormously if they can’t make an elite signing after the summer talk by Gazidis and Wenger.
I also think our squad is solid and the opposition is weaker than its been for many years with managerial changes. So Wenger will be a little bit excited by the possibilities. He’ll do it his way. I found it interesting when Gazidis said we would spend bi g but not necessarily on the players we would want!!! How jolly ironic – maybe he new Suarez was a key target and that it would split the fan base.
I think you’ve lost your mind Kiwi.
The only thing we have that Liverpool don’t, is a CL spot. 4th place.
I know that’s massive to Wenger and the board, but getting beat in the first knockout stage every season of the CL, is no big whoop. It’s about CASH. The fans can see this… its actually POINTLESS. We have ZERO chance in the CL. We never improve the team, and we are no closer to challenging for anything.
Liverpool do not have to sell the player at all.
They know he is their best player, and he is under contract for years to come.
What is he going to do? Bite someone else? The player has Zero leverage.
So, you think we are going to spend 50 Million GBP on one player, who can’t even play in 1/6th of the EPL season? Why would you possibly think the club would spend that kind of money?
Not a fecking chance in hell.
You think WHO is weaker? Chelsea with Mourinho? STRONGER.
Man City with Pellegrini and new signings? STRONGER.
Man United? They are the Champions by how many points last year? Everyone has to catch them.
If Tottenham are smart, they sell Bale for 85 Million, and bring in about 4 players at 20 million each.
This club is currently a JOKE. A laughing stock. Arsenal are not a challenger for any trophy of note, and they are not considered a threat by any team above them. Why the hell would they be?
We still need, like we have for about 5 years running… PROVEN STAR TALENT.
Fellaini would be a big start, but I don’t even think we’d spend 25 Mill, let alone 55 million on 1 player…
We’ll do NOTHING OF NOTE… a few patchwork buys … and we’ll need another ASS WHOOPING, like the 8-2 embarrassment to FORCE the club to do anything.
Absolutely NOTHING has changed. We have wasted another Summer, and the suckers all thought “this is the Summer”… because we have the big war chest, and the debt is down, and so on and so on and so on…
I have heard every tired piece of non-sense Arsenal put out there this Summer 10 times before… and there are suckers that keep eating it up, lapping it up, like lap dogs…
And they’ll trot out the same crap, support the club, and go support City or Chelsea, or Arsene has done so much for the club… and spending money is no guarantee of winning… the debt of the stadium is still present… Financial Fair Play is going to kick in soon…
stag, i agree with just about everything kiwi has said. and you really need to get off of this “money is everything” kick. regardless of what you say, everyone can see that wenger hates to lose more than he loves money.
liverpool are in the exact same position that arsenal have been in when losing their big players. liverpool people (former and current) can go in the media and say whatever they want but the bottom line is they are afraid that they are going to lose their star player. even their owner is tweeting about it. i like the fact that there are no arsenal people in the media talking about suarez. classy.
like kiwi says, many of the players arsenal sold agitated for moves. arsenal had to sell them to keep harmony in the dressing room. keeping harmony is more important than any one player, regardless of his talent. the exceptions, i think arsenal could have held on to are hleb and van persie. i believe hleb would have continued to work well for arsenal. his fiancé was the major player in his barcelona move.
i think van persie would have welcomed the arrivals of podolski and cazorla to replace gervinho and ramsey. it was plain to see that rvp was frustrated that these players were his team mates. robin just wants to play good football and win trophies. with gervinho and ramsey, it was plain to see that arsenal couldn’t play good football. arsenal would have been title challengers had he stayed. those calls are for wenger to make, not me.
i believe liverpool have no choice but to sell suarez. they’re hoping that real madrid make an offer for him, just like we hoped juventus would come for van persie last year; not going to happen. now, they’re just trying to get as much money as they can for him from arsenal. if arsenal are smart, they would hold tight at 40 million and one gbp. unless someone comes out of the woodwork, liverpool will accept that offer. that’s a lot of money. we’ll see.
josh. I don’t have to get off the “money is everything” kick…
Arsenal Football Club need to get off that kick.
We aren’t buying any player for 50 Million GBP.
Not a chance if f’n hell.
Sorry.
Liverpool don’t have to sell the player.
Arsenal SOLD because they WANTED TO. Not because they had to.
They wanted the PROFIT… and they took the money, and didn’t reinvest it.
Not only that, we sold RVP to ManU… for a pittance in today’s game.
24 Million for the best striker in the EPL…
LOSERS MENTALITY at its finest.
United will NEVER sell Rooney in the league.
He’s agitated for a move, how’s that working out for him?
Do United have to sell him too? No… they don’t have to do anything. He’s under contract.
Lewandowski hasn’t been sold… he’s been told NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
Play football, play out your contract, you are NOT going to Munich.
so, NO, its not a given that because a player agitates, you have to sell them.
We didn’t have to sell RVP at all.
I’d respectfully (always) submit that Suarez *isn’t* Van Persie more than he *is* Van Persie. For starters, no matter for whom, he won’t be playing in the Prem until somewhere around the end of September. And when he comes back, a guy who is evidently pretty mentally fragile will be under the rarely kind of microscope of the English media. Now escalate that a little more by moving him to the center of the eye in London?
Van Persie’s greatest enemy was his health. Suarez is being chased by more than that.
it’s interesting you mention david platt. he was a very good player. wenger just happened to make a couple of better ones. one was a young player with big potential he signed from milan named patrick vieira. the other was a defender from monaco named emmanuel petit. once the highbury crowd got a taste of that duo, they didn’t want anymore platt. in fairness, i always fancied platt to grimandi. but petit and vieira were better than both of them.
regarding fellaini, he’s very expensive. likewise, who would arsenal drop to facilitate him getting game time. the easy choice would be arteta, but he’s arsenal’s leader right now. fellaini might be a good player but would his presence destabilize the chemistry arsenal have right now? is he a better holding player than arteta? i’ve always advocated that this position is less about physicality and more about aptitude. personally, i believe an arteta protege is better than an arteta replacement. i’ve been pitching geoffery kondogbia all summer, especially after watching the u-20 world cup. he and paul pogba were phenomenal and young geoffery is already a pretty smart player. rumor had mourinho linked but i just heard a rumor that he’s more interested in bringing in sami khedira with him from real madrid.
kondogbia is a big, strong, intelligent kid with better than decent technique. likewise, at 20 years of age, he’d be more willing to learn his arsenal team mates and be a prodigy in his first bpl season. he’d also be cheaper than fellaini.
as for goal keepers, arsenal’s situation isn’t that bad. i think if arsenal are smart in other areas of the field, they could win a title with either szczesny or fabianski. both are good players that will push one another; especially after wenger dropped szczesny. we’ll see.
well, well, well… it only took 26 days in July, for this gem to be trotted out by
Arsene Wanker…. what a f*ckng muppet:
“We still have a strong squad but we are there on the market to try to strengthen our team. With or without additions we can be title challengers next season.”
WHAT A SAD JOKE.
THIS GUY REALLY NEEDS TO GET HELP, IF HE BELIEVES THIS… OR THINKS
THE SUPPORTERS ARE GOING TO BUY THIS SHITE.
stag, i’m not saying i don’t care who graces the arsenal shirt as long as they’re trying to win. i’m simply calling to your attention that everyone is different.
stress is the non-specific response to any demand placed on an individual (don’t ask how i remember that definition). “non-specific” is the key word, meaning everyone is different. i’ve seen vieira spit, choke and kick, bergkamp elbow, ashley cole kick a player in the back, zidane headbutt, cantona kung-fu kick, totti choke, di canio eye gouge, and henry handle the ball and blame the referee for not seeing it. we’ve even seen half an arsenal team, essentially, assault van nistlerooy so don’t say that arsenal players are different.
the one thing they all have in common is their will to win. these men will resort to whatever means are required to see victory. that team that jumped van nistlerooy made history and are commonly referred to as “the invincibles”. luis suarez has that winning quality about him. he’s also been known to occasionally bite. what are you going to do?
we’ve heard so many fans over the years crying about arsenal players with losing mentalities. suarez is no loser and he’s damn talented. i’ve seen him spark liverpool victories by his damn self. he’s too good for liverpool. he’s also too good to ignore.
if he were as much of a degenerate as the media has made him out to be, surely we would hear about it in his personal life. i think more people believe patrice evra’s an asshole than believe suarez is racist, or that van persie was a rapist. he may be mis-understood but he’s also maturing and has a family who seem to give him peace. i’d like to see him in arsenal red. like rvp, he’s too good to not want in your team. despite being suspended for 12 games last season, he still only barely missed out on the scoring title. the kid is badass and driven. we’ll see.
kick? players kick each other in soccer every game.
elbow? happens every game, with players swinging their arms around.
Zidane’s headbutt, was RIDICULOUS. He should have been banned for about 20 games.
Cantona WAS banned for many games.
with all that… did ANY of them repeat the offense?
ANY?
No. They didn’t. They took their ban, a moment of madness, and went on.
Sorry, Suarez is different. Maybe you don’t think so, or don’t see it, but BITING is worse than any of the incidents you mention, with the exception of perhaps Zidane’s.
But he went back and DID IT AGAIN.
Sorry, not buying the Evra is an a-hole excuse either.
Racism is simply NOT ACCEPTABLE in today’s society. Nor should it be.
I simply would never support an Arsenal team with this player wearing the shirt.
That fact that we have let how many star players go, for profit…. and have passed up on how many star players because the price tag was too much????
Yet we’re talking about 45 to 50 million for this piece of shite?
I’d be sick to my stomach… quite literally.
He’s misunderstood?
Sure.
i’m not condoning those acts of petulance from suarez or anyone else. i’m just pointing out that even the greatest players in recent history have their moments of madness. really passionate people tend to have embarrassing and regrettable moments when emotions are high. i think suarez is just really passionate about winning and he’s not insane.
in the chelsea game, liverpool were playing well but suarez conceded a penalty which put them behind. he tried to make amends and on an attempted turn late in the game, ivanovic defended well and suarez bit him out of frustration. he’s not insane. it was nothing against ivanovic. suarez was just desperate to win. arsenal could do with some desperation in the team and not just a collection semi-talented yet unmotivated clowns happy to collect a paycheck.
i agree that racism is unacceptable. what likely happened is a latin player who speaks almost no english used the term “negro”, a very common word used by latinos, while trying to wind up a player in a match. while the word negro might be taboo in the english speaking world, it’s just another five-letter word for our south american brethren.
the fa are cowardly douche bags for finding that kid guilty of racism. how many times have you heard south americans racially abuse black people? that’s typically reserved for our brethren of anglo-saxon descent (europe, north america, australia). evra knew that but saw the press anton ferdinand got last summer and had to get in on the act. suarez isn’t racist. the fa are idiots and evra, the only captain in world cup history to ever undermine his own country by leading a coup during the tournament, is a tool.
I don’t agree on the racism. and I don’t agree on the biting.
BITING an opponent in a fight, maybe? in a soccer match?
INSANITY. He did it twice.
Josh, who has EVER done that? Who thinks BITE MY OPPONENT?
We’ll never agree on this, nor the player…
I just draw the line with players, like I do with people… I don’t need them in my life or on a team I support.
He needs mental illness help… in my opinion.
and I pray he never wears an Arsenal shirt…
the idea that we would PAY 45 or 50 MILLION GBP for him, is utterly ridiculous.
by the way, how exactly would that comment go from Suarez to Evra…. it happened 12 TIMES from the reports I read…. so why would you be calling the person “negro” if that’s what he said?
negro this, hey negro? you negro? listen negro?
ANY way he said it, is not going to be complimentary… its going to be derogatory… and it is RACE BASED.
How is it not racist?
john terry, on the other hand, knows the english language and the culture. he was dead wrong and the fa were spot-on when they stapled his tail to the ceiling.
It appears that Wenger is trying to go old school and have a very small team. There is no way that he can do this and be competitive in the league and all competitions. The injuries are already starting to pile up and it’s only preseason. Vermaelen will be out for several months, Kocielny is injured and Monreal will miss time too. At least one more defender needs to come in regardless of any injuries. When was the last time Arsenal used only three central defenders in a year? And the only backup for Arteta was loaned out so the team is short there too. And still only one striker unless they want to play Walcott or Podolski up front which just creates limitations on other parts of the team. They’ve done a nice job of getting rid of some of the crap but players have to be brought in.
This year was probably Arsenal’s best chance to compete with all the change at the top, but Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham have all gotten stronger and I assume that Man U will as well at some point. When half the team is calling for new players there is something very wrong. If Arsenal aren’t careful they are going to find themselves with Liverpool looking up at the top.
I already decided last year that I wasn’t going to buy any merchandise from the club. I see no point in wasting my money on a team that appears to be more and more about just collecting money to sit on it. They just announced another sponsor (Sterling Bank) so money is definitely flowing in but not being used. The longer the wait goes on the more I am starting to think that I am not going to waste my time watching the team. Last year was hard enough and pretty aggravating and I don’t feel like repeating it so I really hope they fill out the team a bit.
“the team that saw us through the end of the season is good. It’s solid and statements that we lack a spine are a gross misunderstanding of where the club are now. They are primed. The players are primed and ready to make a challenge”
DAG. This current squad, is primed to do NOTHING OF NOTE.
Unless you think being competitive for the Top 4 is making a challenge.
I know Wenger does, and so does the board… but that’s because when you aren’t trying to win, you move the goal posts, and saying Top 4 is a trophy.
We need MAJOR improvements to “challenge” for an actual real life trophy.
Seeing what we’ve watched so far this “Off Season”… what exactly do you think has changed?
Why would anyone really think its different this Summer. They’re doing the exact same thing they do every year… linked to all kinds of names, saying we will spend big, have the money, are in good financial position…
fans re-up for season tickets, new kit comes out, and Arsene? Arsenal?
Crickets.
There’s a sucker born every minute and 2 to take’em…
i made a similar point in the previous thread. that point being wenger may lack certain qualities to expedite incoming transfers. that may have been a role that david dein played. it’s no coincidence that wenger has struggled to make transfers happen quickly since dein left. likewise, arsenal haven’t competed for any signatures, bar ramsey. meanwhile, other teams have come in and hijacked arsenal’s potentially big transfers.
concerning higuain, i don’t condone or condemn arsenal’s attitude towards that transfer. 23 million is more than reasonable but arsenal need to sign a top center forward. i wouldn’t pay 30 million for a backup striker who’s never played a day of bpl football but options at that position are dwindling. the kid wants to come to arsenal. he could refuse to go to napoli in an attempt to force madrid to accept arsenal’s offer. the problem is he, surely, remembers what happened when wesley sneijder tried to force the club’s hand. i’m hoping this one will be settled one way or the other by friday.
luis suarez, on the other hand, is worth 30 million. i thought the biting incident was funny but i’ve got a jaded sense of humor. the kid simply hates to lose and he’s proved willing to literally lie, cheat, steal, dive, bite, kick, and scratch to win. he’s a fighter and a winner. what team couldn’t do with one of those? he took one for the team by handling the ball in south africa. hey, the gloves come of when you’re trying to win a world cup. he got a red card and ghana got a penalty but his actions gave his team a chance to win. i’ve seen the same mean streak from players who’s images currently adorn the emirates’ walls. all that, and i haven’t even mentioned how talented the kid is. give me the choice between higuain and suarez and i’m taking suarez all day long. that’s just me.
give me suarez, kondogbia, and a central defender and arsenal are contenders for all trophies. this whole thread becomes moot.
So you don’t care who wears the kit? bites opponents? dives, cheats, racist… doesn’t matter, as long as he wants to win? really?
There isn’t anyone in Arsenal club history that has acted the way this jerk does ON THE PITCH.
I’d stop supporting the club if he ever transferred to Arsenal.
I’d rather we brought nobody in, than Suarez.
But again, that’s ME. That’s my personal opine. I don’t simply support the laundry. If the players are not good people, racist, thugs, etc…. I have trouble supporting them.
it’s NOT a mean streak… its INSANITY. There is as major difference.
You may need to consider that. The hot story is that Arsenal have submitted a revised bid of £42 million (£35 million + £7 million in add-ons)
DAG. I wouldn’t have to consider it at all.
I would NEVER support a team with an a-hole like that on it…
of all the players that we let go, players that we got outbid on… bids we had hijacked…
we offer over 40 Mill. GBP for this f*ckwit?
Seriously… lets me know all I need to know about the current people running the club into the ground… the phrase, “where has my Arsenal gone”… exemplifies the current situation perfectly…
We sell RVP to our biggest rival for 24 Million one season, and offer 40 Million for a f’n lunatic animal the next… ???
Please, someone tell me how that makes any sense at all…
How many players have we wanted and waited too long or failed to pay that little bit extra for… and we’re going all in for Luis Suarez…
Can’t play the first 6 matches, and has led Liverpool to what? He’s the future and face of Arsenal FC?
I’m utterly disgusted.
100% spot on. Of all the transfer opportunities miss over the year…please, no.
stag133 ..you better find a church team to support mate. i am pretty sure you are not a saint yourself.
reality check.
maybe get one yourself.
I’m under no illusion players or athletes are saints in ANY sport… but BITING an OPPONENT TWICE while ON THE PITCH, is a bit different in my book. So is blatant racism ON THE PITCH.
Yes, I guess having those type of crazy standards in teams I support, is odd, right?
Please, tell me who else bit an opponent, besides Mike Tyson?
I completely agree that the problem here is Wenger, and someone needs to remind that we live in a real world, not an ideal one. Like it or not, money has become a BIG factor in the game. Teams that generally performed better than Arsenal last season ( Man U, Man city, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Barca, Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG, etc) are already spending big to improve their squads, yet Wenger has refused to spend. I feel for those expecting him to sign Suarez cos its never going to happen. He’s using those ‘phantom’ bids to make fans feel he’s doing something. In the end, he will get some mediocre players in the last days of the transfer window and viola, we are back to were we were before, if not worse.
I think Wenger may be in denial about the level of animosity that will come his way if he doesn’t buy a star striker. It has become about more than the act of buying Higuain or Suarez, it’s become about 9 years if promises undelivered. For so many years now we were told one thing and delivered another. This year is the final year And if they don’t deliver, hell will unfold at the Emirates.
Nothing is on the line window has a long way to go haven’t you got anything to write about in the states we have enough trouble making bloggers trying to bring arsenal down over here with out you stick your nose in base ball
First it’s baseball all one word.
Second it’s less than a month to the season starts we have 5 fixtures in the span of 3 weeks – 2 for Champion’s League. Given that you want players bedded in before the start of the season so they don’t take time to gel with their new teammates – there is a lot on the line.
The opportunity for Arsenal to get back into challenging for titles – not the League or FA Cup but the Premier League title is now. Failure to add to a good core of players is going to be a huge issue for Wenger.
You may not like that Wenger isn’t looked as “untouchable” on this site. He is looked at fairly and he gets praise when it’s deserved and criticism when its warranted. This piece is neither – however it does argue that if he fails to do anything than the criticism and cries for him to be sacked might just be warranted.
Did you get some scarfs and the new kit G.Clarke?
The club love folks like you… just keep letting them know you will be there no matter what they do… that you’ll buy merchandise and tickets and concessions… that’s what they count on.
I know more than a few Season ticket holders… who are all quite anxious about what exactly has become of their Arsenal… and what the immediate future holds. There is quite a bit on the line in this transfer window.
Maybe you should check out the Cricket… or take a punt on the horses.
(though Godolphin is apparently shooting their horses up with drugs quite a bit!)
Ironically, you seem to have big problems with just the English language. Stick your nose in a book about basic grammar, before you get on the podium next time.