Summer Transfer Speculation and Shit.

[Letters]

Seems to me the truth is Wenger doesn't want to spend the money at his disposal, it's not his style, he wants to put faith in the players he has and believes they are good enough to win everything.

But the minute the new financial deals were in place he went out and bought Ozil and then Sanchez.
Over those 2 summers we outspent pretty much everyone.

My take on this summer is he tried to get a player who would properly push us on and failed. We can blame him for that, we should do if the result is we don't challenge. But what I don't blame him for is not signing either a kid or another Giroud-level striker (who isn't as bad out as ou make out, but isn't going to win you the league), just for the sake of signing another playa. We've got plenty of playa, and IMO we're not far off a squad that can properly challenge. Another journeyman wouldn't have pushed us on.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Giroud has goal stats that would be very good if you were playing for a mid table side, but to state that there were only one or two players out there that would be an improvement on him is risible. Transfers are a risk, you may end up in a situation where you have spent a lot for a dud but if you want to challenge for the title it's not a risk we should be shying away from.

Who is to say whether Icardi, Dybala, Martinez, Lacazette would have proved to be significant improvements but if you accept that there is a problem with Giroud and that there are players out there with the potential to offer you something more, you are paid 8million a year to take that risk and go over the market odds to get that player....if Wenger cannot take that risk he needs to hand the baton to someone who can.

I actually don't believe he had any intention of signing a striker until a) he realised that the goals weren't coming on the pitch and b) he realised the extent of welbecks injuries and makes comments in post match interviews that he hadn't previously made like "you always look to bring more goals into your team".
This for me sums up my belief that Wenger approaches the market reactively rather than proactively, he waits for a deal to fall in his lap rather than actively pursuing one.

Whether we should have signed schneiderlin or not is a different matter but to leave Coquelin as our only bona fide defensive midfielder suggests prevarication, oh if I buy this player it will kill Coquelin, not necessarily and even if it did who gives a fuck? He's there to be ruthless and win the team titles not to nurse his players egos.

So the lack of activity sums Wenger up, complacent in believing a side that did not challenge for the title last season could do so this season without significant strengthening based purely on the back of a strong second half of the season when there was no real pressure on us anyway and when we had the opportunity to finish higher than third for the first time in ten years which would have really laid a marker for this seasons aspirations we flounder.



This bares the hallmarks of a man who has admitted he has only felt real pressure to keep us in the top four.

[Power n Glory]

The problem is whether it's Theo or Sanchez you use in that position you are requiring a period of adaptation that especially with goals not being forthcoming from other areas of the team you are asking for trouble. Don't get me wrong I was also one of those who believed we'd be signing Sanchez as a striker.

That's nothing new. We may have required that for a new signing anyway and with Giroud not exactly firing on all cylinders, I say it's worth the risk. It's not ideal but I'd rather that then wait to see if Giroud picks his game up. He's been out of sorts since preseason and shouldn't have been starting the opening games for us.

[Kano]

But the minute the new financial deals were in place he went out and bought Ozil and then Sanchez.
Over those 2 summers we outspent pretty much everyone.

My take on this summer is he tried to get a player who would properly push us on and failed. We can blame him for that, we should do if the result is we don't challenge. But what I don't blame him for is not signing either a kid or another Giroud-level striker (who isn't as bad out as ou make out, but isn't going to win you the league), just for the sake of signing another playa. We've got plenty of playa, and IMO we're not far off a squad that can properly challenge. Another journeyman wouldn't have pushed us on.

That's a very narrow view of the situation. Getting a striker was not the only position we needed to address as a priority. To suggest there was no-one on the market as good as or better than Coq is ridiculous. Wenger made the call that a guy who hasn't even played a full season of football and three ageing midfielders were sufficient. Likewise on the wing, we have no-one who naturally plays that position which is why fans are always complaining about lack of width. They all want to stay in the middle. The manager has decided that this squad is enough, even though they've shown no progression over the past two seasons in the league.

[I am invisible]

That's nothing new. We may have required that for a new signing anyway and with Giroud not exactly firing on all cylinders, I say it's worth the risk. It's not ideal but I'd rather that then wait to see if Giroud picks his game up. He's been out of sorts since preseason and shouldn't have been starting the opening games for us.

In some ways, this ties in with what we were saying in the other thread [about how the game has changed because of the new offside laws, and how defensive lines have started to sit deeper] - maybe Sanchez and Walcott are already being used as strikers where they currently are? Maybe wide attack is just where you have to play that type of striker in a lot of games now, because there's no room in the middle? Put an unglamorous battering-ram like Giroud or Welbeck in the middle to push the CBs around, and have your wide forwards follow in behind to pounce on any gaps that they make (or overlap on the counter if anyone's stupid enough to play high)?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

That's nothing new. We may have required that for a new signing anyway and with Giroud not exactly firing on all cylinders, I say it's worth the risk. It's not ideal but I'd rather that then wait to see if Giroud picks his game up. He's been out of sorts since preseason and shouldn't have been starting the opening games for us.

Oh I definitely agree, I think we have to do that now...I'm just saying ideally we shouldn't be in the position where that is our only realistic option.
To be honest if Wenger wasn't going to buy a striker I'd have preferred us to start with Sanchez up top in pre season. I think the only reason Wenger doesn't do it is because he thinks sticking Walcott on the left will leave Monreal too exposed...my answer to that?? Don't play Monreal hes too fucking slow and is he really that good to begin with?.

[Letters]

I disagree, IMO striker was the priority, it's definitely our weakest position.

[Kano]

I disagree, IMO striker was the priority, it's definitely our weakest position.

You are honestly of the belief that a player with less than a years experience in the Prem is sufficient enough? Along with two midfielders who rarely get a game and Cazorla who isn't able to pitch in with defending much. Wilshere is always injured, Ramsey plays out wide or behind the strikers (in the last game) so who else is there? We look good on paper in terms of numbers but when you analyse things we haven't got much there.

And saying it is a priority to get a striker is one thing but not realising it is a requirement at all to help out Coq is quite an oversight. We realised early on probably getting the 'star' striker we wanted wasn't happening, so why weren't other areas of concern addressed?

[Letters]

I'm pretty happy with our squad in general apart from up front.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm getting used to the idea of being 2% away again. Make do and mend will have to get us through the season now, and considering how much the manager and players get paid you'd have to hope they can make at least a semi-decent effort at the title.