How many players (and what positions) do Arsenal need to sign in the summer?

[montyb123]

My name is Ben & I run a new(ish) blog called Straight Talking Gooners dedicated to news and opinion about Arsenal Football Club.
If fellow Arsenal fans could spread the word about my blog that would be much appreciated.

Please visit my website http://straightalkingooners.com/, like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-Talking-Gooners/153947191323932, or follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/talkingooners.

I do not intend to spam these forums, so from now on I promise to contribute useful material. :P

The main focus of this post is to find out who you guys think that we should sign in the summer. We know that Wenger is closing in on Lukas Podolski from FC Koln, but I am unsure as to where we go from there. If I was Wenger I would look very closely at signing a world-class attacking midfielder - somebody like Mario Gotze. The club should be able to generate at least a little bit of money if we sell Bendtner, Chamakh and Vela, so let us just hope that it gets put to good use!

I would argue that defensively we are very much sorted. Vermaelen, Koscielny and Mertesacker are all great centre-backs (Djourou offers good cover) and Sagna is outstanding. We are yet to see enough from Santos because of his injury, but I think that Gibbs has a lot of potential.

[Flavs]

I do not intend to spam these forums
.

Too late

[Flavs]

Also by what measuring stick can people state that this Goat kid is world class?

[GP]

I don't think we need a lot. We need a striker, but Wenger looks to be sorting that.

Some creativity in midfield wouldn't go amiss. Goetze might provide that, but I honestly don't know a lot about him.

Plus, with Jack back and The Ox coming good, we have a very strong squad. Lots to be happy about at the moment.

[Kano]

two strikers and a cb at least. we'll be lucky if we get more than one of note in though.

[Flavs]

two strikers and a cb at least. we'll be lucky if we get more than one of note in though.

We could just use Podolski, Campbell and Bartley for that

Wenger :dance:

[GP]

We don't need a CB. Not really.

[Flavs]

We don't need a CB. Not really.

Agreed. We have 6 for pity's sake although knowing Wenger he will sell Bartley, loan out Miguel and then we will get 2 injuries

[Cripps_orig]

Keeper - Almunia and Fabianski are shit. We need someone putting pressure on Sir Chesney cos hes getting complacent.

Right back - Only as cover. Sagna is the best in the world but if hes out, we only have Jenkinson and hes pretty shit

Centre Back - Verm and Mert are good enough, Kos seems to have stepped up and hope he continues as he is. The rest arent good enough. One more needed.

Left back - Jury still out on Gibbs and Santos. Both decent going forward. Suspect defensively. Cheeky bid for Jose Enrique?

Attacking midfielder - Goetze and/or Hazard. Song can sit. Wilshere if he isnt dead can be that extra man and one of these 2 as the AM.

Striker - Apart from RVP, we have no one. Podolski looks to be that guy plus he can play on the left.

A minimum of 6 players.

Do that and we walk the league. Do what Wenger usually does and it'll be the same old shit next season. No chance for a trophy come March but we'll win a few games under no pressure and it will convince him and some fans we wont need to buy again the following summer. Its a vicious cycle

[Marc Overmars]

A striker certainly. Possibly a creative midfielder as well.

Happy with the numbers in defence.

To be honest I'd welcome anyone because knowing our luck with injuries we're going to need as many players as we can get.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Need about 4 if we want to challenge for things and about 6 if we want to win things.

We need

GK as Fab and Manuel are both gone at the end of the season on free's.

CB, The AJAX dude

Cm, HAzard, Gotze. Ricardo Montivilio.

DM, Y'villa

Foward Poldoski

ST I can see AW going for Kalou who is on a free

[Syn]

We need these 6 players to play 32+ league games in the season: Szczesny, Vermaelen, Sagna, Song, Wilshere, Van Persie

This season has been played with 1 striker. Need to buy 3 players: striker, striker, defensive-mid. The rest I'm happy giving the youth a go.

[server too busy!]

I'd go for Vertonghen, Goetze, Podolski and M'Vila, maybe Ba as well.

[KESSLER]

The starting 11 is good enough and will only get better as they play more together.

Get rid of the shit on the bench, Chamakh, Park, Arshavin, DJ etc and replace them with proper players

[Syn]

The starting 11 is good enough and will only get better as they play more together.

Get rid of the shit on the bench, Chamakh, Park, Arshavin, DJ etc and replace them with proper players

That's it. Need to follow the Man Utd model - don't really need many star names just fill the squad with 20 solid players. We don't need any flashy signings, just get more players in like Arteta, Mertesacker and Santos...but in the right positions.

[BOBN]

I'd go for Vertonghen, Goetze, Podolski and M'Vila, maybe Ba as well.
that'll do.

wilshere wouldnt get a game with them about.

[Marc Overmars]

Yeah, squad game these days and we need stronger options for when the inevitable bout of injuries hit and kill our season.

The squad is littered with no hopers who can be replaced. Almunia, Dennis Bendtner, Fat Fuck, Denilson, Squid, Chamakh, Park - that's a whole lot of funds to free up there.

[Dennis Bendtner]

At least Almunia and Dennis' contracts are up. Hope the Russians have an option to re-sign Arshavin. Hope someone extremely generous takes the rest. Fucking Park, what the fuck.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Do we think Eisfeld will ever play for us?

[Marc Overmars]

:lol:

Probably a few CC games tops.

Sold to a 2nd division German side in 2 years imho.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Forward is the only real glaring hole in the squad. It could be that after playing the whole season RvP is starting to look slightly jaded, just like Worcestershire did at this point last year.

If YFB and Arshavin leave, LPod will count as a twofer (Wenger will love that).

We may have other holes, but nowhere near as glaring. Rosicky's recent form has made me realise that we haven't really had a proper Flaminiesque streetfighting ball winner for a while (Wheelchair does try to get stuck in). We have been linked to M'Vila again, but of course - lazy journo bs, pinch of salt and so on.

I can understand the desire for a creative midfielder, but there is creativity in the squad, and the lesson of Fabregas ought to teach us the value of spreading the load more evenly.

[Syn]

^

That reminds me - I really don't think we made enough use of Benayoun. Had a cracking game against Tottenham and then hasn't been on the pitch since. And didn't play much before that. I'd definitely play him over Gervinho right now, but not over Oxlade.

[GP]

^

That reminds me - I really don't think we made enough use of Benayoun.

He needs Saturdays off innit?

[Syn]

:lol:

That's true enough.

[IBK]

Forward is the only real glaring hole in the squad. It could be that after playing the whole season RvP is starting to look slightly jaded, just like Worcestershire did at this point last year.

If YFB and Arshavin leave, LPod will count as a twofer (Wenger will love that).

We may have other holes, but nowhere near as glaring. Rosicky's recent form has made me realise that we haven't really had a proper Flaminiesque streetfighting ball winner for a while (Wheelchair does try to get stuck in). We have been linked to M'Vila again, but of course - lazy journo bs, pinch of salt and so on.

I can understand the desire for a creative midfielder, but there is creativity in the squad, and the lesson of Fabregas ought to teach us the value of spreading the load more evenly.

Good point.

We need a striker and a DM. In the cold light of day Bendtner on loan was a mistake. I see no chance for Chamakh to turn things around, and Park was this seasons Amoaury Bishoff (Wenger doesn't seem to be able to help himself...). We could even do with 2 strikers, but we won't get them, and Podolski would be good enough for me.

A replacement for Song if he's injured/tired is the other glaring hole.

We could do with an understudy for Sczezny too.

[Fist of Lehmann]

^

That reminds me - I really don't think we made enough use of Benayoun. Had a cracking game against Tottenham and then hasn't been on the pitch since. And didn't play much before that. I'd definitely play him over Gervinho right now, but not over Oxlade.Agree. The only thing I would say against that is that Gervinho keeps the width, while YFB keeps it narrow. Tactically it worked against Totts a) because they played 4-4-2 and ii) Krancjar didn't keep the width (and is rubbish).

On the other hand, Wenger seems more than willing to play Rosicky or Ramsey out wide over Benyanoun.

[fakeyank]

Everyone wants a striker but where is he going to play? Podolski is coming but is he really effective on the left/right? This is assuming RVP is not sold to the highest bidder.. I believe we need to change our system to 4-4-2 to get the best out of current players. Assuming we play 4-3-3, we need a striker as back up to RVP and two quick wingers as Gerv and Walcott are both proving hit and miss (for me).. though Walcott looks lesser and lesser like a headless chicken these days.

As for other areas, definitely need a RB cover for Sagna.. our back up is a 19 year old fan, not yet Arsenal level.

I'd also want to see a replacement or back up for Song. We have Coq and Frimpong as back up.. while a lot of people rate them, I dont think they have the ability of Song. IMO, I'd get Flamini back to fill up that position.

[GP]

4-4-2 sucks cock. No one plays that any more.

[Cripps_orig]

Everyone wants a striker but where is he going to play? Podolski is coming but is he really effective on the left/right? This is assuming RVP is not sold to the highest bidder.. I believe we need to change our system to 4-4-2 to get the best out of current players. Assuming we play 4-3-3, we need a striker as back up to RVP and two quick wingers as Gerv and Walcott are both proving hit and miss (for me).. though Walcott looks lesser and lesser like a headless chicken these days.

As for other areas, definitely need a RB cover for Sagna.. our back up is a 19 year old fan, not yet Arsenal level.

I'd also want to see a replacement or back up for Song. We have Coq and Frimpong as back up.. while a lot of people rate them, I dont think they have the ability of Song. IMO, I'd get Flamini back to fill up that position.

This

Go back to 4-4-2

Man Utd play it and they are top. Its what made us the best team in England all those years ago.

[IBK]

Everyone wants a striker but where is he going to play? Podolski is coming but is he really effective on the left/right? This is assuming RVP is not sold to the highest bidder.. I believe we need to change our system to 4-4-2 to get the best out of current players. Assuming we play 4-3-3, we need a striker as back up to RVP and two quick wingers as Gerv and Walcott are both proving hit and miss (for me).. though Walcott looks lesser and lesser like a headless chicken these days.

As for other areas, definitely need a RB cover for Sagna.. our back up is a 19 year old fan, not yet Arsenal level.

I'd also want to see a replacement or back up for Song. We have Coq and Frimpong as back up.. while a lot of people rate them, I dont think they have the ability of Song. IMO, I'd get Flamini back to fill up that position.

I think you answered your own question. Plus it gives us a 2 up front option if we're chasing a game. Like I say, fack knows why we got rid of Bendy, in hindsight.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Everyone wants a striker but where is he going to play? Podolski is coming but is he really effective on the left/right? This is assuming RVP is not sold to the highest bidder.. I believe we need to change our system to 4-4-2 to get the best out of current players. Assuming we play 4-3-3, we need a striker as back up to RVP and two quick wingers as Gerv and Walcott are both proving hit and miss (for me).. though Walcott looks lesser and lesser like a headless chicken these days.

As for other areas, definitely need a RB cover for Sagna.. our back up is a 19 year old fan, not yet Arsenal level.

I'd also want to see a replacement or back up for Song. We have Coq and Frimpong as back up.. while a lot of people rate them, I dont think they have the ability of Song. IMO, I'd get Flamini back to fill up that position.

Podolski goes apeshit for Germany when he is played on the left.

(This is to Cripps too) And 4-4-2. :lol: Man Utd can get away with it to a certain extent because they still carry that fear factor around with them in the Premier League. For us, we'd end up getting dominated in most games, in midfield. Man Utd have shown what happens when you play that way in Europe though.

As for it being the formation that won us the title, well it didn't win us the title the following season, when teams figured out better ways of how to deal with us.

[Syn]

Like I say, fack knows why we got rid of Bendy, in hindsight.

http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xhhaym

I (http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xhhaym)t's because of shit like that. He misses 5 chances a game and that stupid hands-covering-face shocked look after every times. He thinks he's much better than he is - and normally I'd be the first to say that's just bullshit but you can actually see it with how he plays. A lot of people said lets see how he performs with a run of games - we're seeing it at Sunderland.

Is it hyperbole to say I'd rather we put Vermaelen up front?

[Marc Overmars]

Gotze has signed a new deal with Dortmund.

So we can rule out signing him this summer.

[GP]

I think you answered your own question. Plus it gives us a 2 up front option if we're chasing a game. Like I say, fack knows why we got rid of Bendy, in hindsight.

It's because he's massively shit.

[fakeyank]

Podolski goes apeshit for Germany when he is played on the left.

(This is to Cripps too) And 4-4-2. :lol: Man Utd can get away with it to a certain extent because they still carry that fear factor around with them in the Premier League. For us, we'd end up getting dominated in most games, in midfield. Man Utd have shown what happens when you play that way in Europe though.

As for it being the formation that won us the title, well it didn't win us the title the following season, when teams figured out better ways of how to deal with us.

And we have won what with the 4-3-3? Teams figured 4-3-3 before we even excelled at it! :lol:

[Syn]

I never know where the lines are in this formation talk. What did we use to play a few years back with Henry and them lot, 4-4-1-1? Is it really so different to what we're doing now? The football is obviously, but it's more or less the same structure. We've got Arteta and Song as the sitting CMs. Rosicky (or last season, Fabregas) in the free role behind the striker. Theo and Gerv are nearly putting in the shift required from a RM or a LM rather than being pure wingers/forwards. 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1....it all works but just need the right players in the right positions. Less of this Ramsey on the left stuff.

Jack goes straight into the no.10 position next season as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if he hasn't scored goals before, he'd better start netting. I guess Ramsey has been the biggest disappointment this season - and I realise that's harsh because it's only his first real full season, but I expected him to be a bit lighter on his feet and less shit in front of goal. I suppose Cesc had the same problem at his age.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And we have won what with the 4-3-3? Teams figured 4-3-3 before we even excelled at it! :lol:

We have inferior players now. 4-4-2 is ok if you have two particularly dominating players in midfield (they will have to cope with being outnumbered in midfield); we don't have two of those players, so it'd be suicidal.

4-3-3 is the standard model now, football has changed.

[fakeyank]

I never know where the lines are in this formation talk. What did we use to play a few years back with Henry and them lot, 4-4-1-1? Is it really so different to what we're doing now? The football is obviously, but it's more or less the same structure. We've got Arteta and Song as the sitting CMs. Rosicky (or last season, Fabregas) in the free role behind the striker. Theo and Gerv are nearly putting in the shift required from a RM or a LM rather than being pure wingers/forwards. 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1....it all works but just need the right players in the right positions. Less of this Ramsey on the left stuff.

Jack goes straight into the no.10 position next season as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if he hasn't scored goals before, he'd better start netting. I guess Ramsey has been the biggest disappointment this season - and I realise that's harsh because it's only his first real full season, but I expected him to be a bit lighter on his feet and less shit in front of goal. I suppose Cesc had the same problem at his age.

I find the difference in the fact that in a 4-4-2 there are 2 bodies up front (not on the wings) attacking the opposition box. It could be that one of the two strikers plays a little behind the other but when you see crosses flying into the box, you have two strikers at least. Right now, we only see RVP and some other token player running in.

Look at City's formation this season to see a very good example of a 4-4-2.

[fakeyank]

We have inferior players now. 4-4-2 is ok if you have two particularly dominating players in midfield (they will have to cope with being outnumbered in midfield); we don't have two of those players, so it'd be suicidal.

4-3-3 is the standard model now, football has changed.

In 07/08 season, we played with a 4-4-2 with Cesc and Flamini (both not the dominating midfielder in the mold of PV4 and Petit), we did really well with that formation having Dudu and Ade tearing teams up. It all went downhill once Tiny shattered dudu's career**

I do not agree that 4-3-3 is the standard model now. The top two teams in England- City and Utd both play a 4-4-2. It is about playing to a teams strength and I think Arsenal will do much better with a 4-4-2 rather than a 4-3-3.

[Syn]

In 07/08 season, we played with a 4-4-2 with Cesc and Flamini (both not the dominating midfielder in the mold of PV4 and Petit), we did really well with that formation having Dudu and Ade tearing teams up. It all went downhill once Tiny shattered dudu's career**

07/08 was surely a 4-5-1. At best a 4-4-1-1 with Cesc as a second striker and Eboue as our right midfielder. Eduardo only started to play a bit more after the new year and while there were a couple of games where we played a proper 2 up front, they were few and far between.

I don't really know what Man City's looks like...I haven't followed them closely enough. But with Man Utd, I think there's just as much a case for calling it a 4-4-2 as a 4-3-3/4-5-1...which was my original point about this formation talk. The line is very fine and it's not really a big deal. The more important issue is who plays rather than where they play.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

In 07/08 season, we played with a 4-4-2 with Cesc and Flamini (both not the dominating midfielder in the mold of PV4 and Petit), we did really well with that formation having Dudu and Ade tearing teams up. It all went downhill once Tiny shattered dudu's career**

I do not agree that 4-3-3 is the standard model now. The top two teams in England- City and Utd both play a 4-4-2. It is about playing to a teams strength and I think Arsenal will do much better with a 4-4-2 rather than a 4-3-3.

we have not had the players in the last 3 seasons to play 442, and its not effective as it use to be, look at spurs when they came to us had to change in when they went 3-2 down because it became in effective.

the mancs can get a way with it they have the players to do it but the mancs also change it up a bit.

The system we play now is fine, its when the injuries hit we look bad. we deffo need am alternative to RVP so he can be rotated at times.

[Cripps_orig]

We havent had the players to play 4-3-3 either yet we still do

[fakeyank]

We havent had the players to play 4-3-3 either yet we still do

:gp:

And charlie, I think we do have the players to play 4-4-2. We have wasted the careers of many strikers at our club- Chamakh, Eduardo, Bendtner, Vela, Park by sticking them on the wings. I can see Chamakh, Eduardo and Bendy doing a terrific job with a strike partner. You put them lone up front or on the wings, they are liabilities. We look good in a 4-3-3 now just coz we have a world class talent like RVP.. hell forbid, he gets injured and you will notice the headless chicken syndrome set in!

[Gubby Allen]

We could sign Barcelona, but there would still be other issues to address before we could bank on any success.

[Cripps_orig]

Like buying the Spanish FA, UEFA and FIFA?

[milla]

:gp:

And charlie, I think we do have the players to play 4-4-2. We have wasted the careers of many strikers at our club- Chamakh, Eduardo, Bendtner, Vela, Park by sticking them on the wings. I can see Chamakh, Eduardo and Bendy doing a terrific job with a strike partner. You put them lone up front or on the wings, they are liabilities. We look good in a 4-3-3 now just coz we have a world class talent like RVP.. hell forbid, he gets injured and you will notice the headless chicken syndrome set in!

If we recall our on loan strikers, we will be more than able to play 4-4-2/4-4-1-1. Also Song/Rosicky/Jack/Diaby/Arteta are good enough to play the midfield role in this formation. :coffee:

[cricketsi]

Like buying the Spanish FA, UEFA and FIFA?
:lol: