Winter Transfer Speculation and Shit.

[BOBN]

You could use this one...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/olivier-giroud-wanted-luis-suarez-2281784


"When the name of Suarez was circulating, I honestly thought it was a good thing for the team. We could have complemented each other," Giroud told L'Equipe .

"Suarez would have been a cannon... and he can also play out wide."

However, Giroud didn't look quite so fondly upon the chase for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain.

"It would have been difficult for me with a different player.

"We (Giroud and Higuain) would have been in direct competition because he is a pure central striker. Of course, at the time, it would have bothered me a bit. But I was not afraid of competition."
:lol:

This guys a fraud. So he was cool with Suarez because he can play wide but he wants no parts of any regular striker. No wonder he misses so many chances, its what cowards do.

Oh yeah I forgot....he was misquoted :violin:

[GP]

Shut up.

[Power n Glory]

He was keen on Suarez because we'd play him on the flanks but he wasn't keen on Higuain because it would have been a fight for his place.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

:lol:

This guys a fraud. So he was cool with Suarez because he can play wide but he wants no parts of any regular striker. No wonder he misses so many chances, its what cowards do.

Oh yeah I forgot....he was misquoted :violin:


But I was not afraid of competition

Does not compute. :lol::lol:


lol BOBN. Never change.

[KSE Comedy Club]

You could use this one...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/olivier-giroud-wanted-luis-suarez-2281784
Thanks GP :tiphat:

Knew it was horse twaddle.

[GP]

Thanks GP :tiphat:

Knew it was horse twaddle.

Sure, but the WUMs will still use it against him.

[BOBN]

Jose not being able to get the best out of him doesn't prove anything because he doesn't have a rep for taming wild players.
Thank you. These guys just parrot what Sky Sports tells them.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Well yeh GP

True.....true

[Master Splinter]

Balotelli has missed two pelanties this season.

A Must Not Get.

[BOBN]

Does not compute. :lol::lol:


lol BOBN. Never change.
"Hey darling, I sucked off the postman earlier, but I still love you"

If you cant identify the key facts in that statement, I dont know what to tell you

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Bendy isn't a badly behaved player at Arsenal. In fact, Wenger has gotten the best out of problem players like Ade, Anelka and RVP. They had bad reps before joining us. Jose not being able to get the best out of him doesn't prove anything because he doesn't have a rep for taming wild players. He handles problematic players in a different way to Wenger and usually turfs them to the side and out of his team because he's a disciplinarian with an ego. Wasn't there a player revolt at Madrid?

Arsenal might be the right sort of environment for him and Wenger could be good for him. Wenger has never once had a player on his hands that out right dislikes him and disrespects him in public. Balotelli may learn a lot from him.


Arsenal was the making of the Behemoth that is Adebayor, so he wasn't such a big problem till he was sold and was just chuffed to be sharing a field with a legend like Henry.

RvP had a quick temper and a high opinion of himself as most Dutch players of his ilk do. However, coming to a big club and spending several years watching his teams games from a tv screen in a medics bed gave him time to subdue his temper as it would any player.

Anelka was as quiet as a mouse and hardly spoke a word of English. He wasn't any actual trouble at all apart from the fact he soon wanted out.

I don't think Wenger has had anything like the character of Balotelli to deal with in all his years. It was one of my main concerns about his pursuit of Suarez. Wenger can play Good cop and Silent cop.You might argue Bould or Aker's can play Bad cop but Balotteli barely knew who Wilshere was when he came here.....I doubt he has any deference or care for Bould.

I suspect that Wenger would be fantastic for Balotelli's career but he would not be as so for Arsenal's.

[Power n Glory]

"Hey darling, I sucked off the postman earlier, but I still love you"

If you cant identify the key facts in that statement, I dont know what to tell you

:lol:

[Power n Glory]

Arsenal was the making of the Behemoth that is Adebayor, so he wasn't such a big problem till he was sold and was just chuffed to be sharing a field with a legend like Henry.

RvP had a quick temper and a high opinion of himself as most Dutch players of his ilk do. However, coming to a big club and spending several years watching his teams games from a tv screen in a medics bed gave him time to subdue his temper as it would any player.

Anelka was as quiet as a mouse and hardly spoke a word of English. He wasn't any actual trouble at all apart from the fact he soon wanted out.

I don't think Wenger has had anything like the character of Balotelli to deal with in all his years. It was one of my main concerns about his pursuit of Suarez. Wenger can play Good cop and Silent cop.You might argue Bould or Aker's can play Bad cop but Balotteli barely knew who Wilshere was when he came here.....I doubt he has any deference or care for Bould.

I suspect that Wenger would be fantastic for Balotelli's career but he would not be as so for Arsenal's.

Why would Anelka need to speak English when Wenger spoke French and most of his team mates spoke French?

We'll agree to disagree but you have no idea what sort of players RVP, Ade, Anelka would have been if they were at other clubs. It's unfair to say we created the beast that is Ade. We could have tamed that side of his character when he left it was unleashed!

Balotelli may require a different sort of manager to coach him. Most players still respect Wenger regardless if they left badly and never have a bad word to say.

[BOBN]

I don't think Wenger has had anything like the character of Balotelli to deal with in all his years. It was one of my main concerns about his pursuit of Suarez. Wenger can play Good cop and Silent cop.You might argue Bould or Aker's can play Bad cop but Balotteli barely knew who Wilshere was when he came here.....I doubt he has any deference or care for Bould.
He probably wont know Bould, but youd need to be a real football connoisseur to know who Wilshere is unless you are subject to the English media.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

No way on Balotelli.

Talented yes but an absolute liability. When you're battling in the trenches trying to dig out a result the last thing you want is him leading your line.

Mancini couldn't tame him and Mario's basically his adopted son.

No way.

[Özim]

I don't blame Giroud for not wanting a top striker to come in, if one did he'd never get his place back and he knows it.

He's not top quality, everyone knows that, even him. He's a backup striker playing as a 1st teamer, so it's logical he wouldn't be keen to see competition come in because he'd have doubts he could compete.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Ive seen Morata linked with us a few times the last few days

Cant see it happening tbh but would he be worth a punt?

[milla]

With Bendy out for a few weeks, a new CF is a must IMO. :coffee:

[I am invisible]

Balotelli could certainly be a ticking time-bomb, waiting to blow up in our faces, but you never know how these things might work out? He's always played under strict disciplinarians so far in his career, so he might respond well to more of a father figure? Would be nice to get Thierry back at the club to give him notes too!

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Why would Anelka need to speak English when Wenger spoke French and most of his team mates spoke French?

We'll agree to disagree but you have no idea what sort of players RVP, Ade, Anelka would have been if they were at other clubs. It's unfair to say we created the beast that is Ade. We could have tamed that side of his character when he left it was unleashed!

Balotelli may require a different sort of manager to coach him. Most players still respect Wenger regardless if they left badly and never have a bad word to say.

I didn't say Anelka needed to speak English, although clearly the manager and the rest of the French contingent aren't the only persons at a football club, it served him well to speak to. The point I was making was that Anelka was quiet, to himself and hardly any trouble at all.

I don't actually consider players who want to leave a football club as being trouble necessarily. Not on that basis alone and Balotelli was not trouble at City simply because he wanted out of the place.

I do have an idea how RvP, Ade and ANelka would have been at other clubs, even if it is still just an opinion, but it is not based on a mere whim. RvP would have had his injury problems where ever he was at. I think the breadth of his injuries allowed him time to mature and the sheer time that has passed.

I was intimating that Ade became a wally whilst with us, not because of us. His good fortune quickly went to his head (ability wise and money wise)....that is different from being an inherently troublesome player from the off which he wasn't at the time.

Anelka is no real trouble he is just a little dour, private and a journeyman and he probably would have been that way whether he started with us or anyone else.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

He probably wont know Bould, but youd need to be a real football connoisseur to know who Wilshere is unless you are subject to the English media.

Even if that is true, Messi, Cesc and all manner of others were commenting on his ability and qualities years ago. Even if one believes he does not live up to the hype (which is another argument entirely) he was most definitely a player who's stock was quickly rising and who most of the football world knew about, even at the time.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

Let's hope this thread brings more joy than the other one :rose: .

If we only sign one player, I hope its a striker.

I think we need a CB and Diego Costa looks decent…or I'd sign the Athletico Madrid striker scouts…they seem to nail it every time…if there's the option of a striker from the prem…I'd take Michu or Benteke. Both injured…but making their returns.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Michu is out for another 6 weeks at least

No good for us right now

[Ollie the Optimist]

Bentekke :haha:


no

[KSE Comedy Club]

Mourihnojijomnoo has said that Mata and Essien can leave in January.

Think we should go for Mata but still need a striker too

[GP]

He'll never sell us Mata.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Wouldn't sell us a cold, the bloke.

[GP]

Because he's a cunt.

[KSE Comedy Club]

He'll never sell us Mata.

I know.

He really is a cunt

[BOBN]

Think we should go for Mata but still need a striker too
One of the most overrated players in Europe. Thankfully we dodged a bullet.

Hes a C-level Spaniard. An Iberian Stewart Downing.

[BOBN]

Jose Mourinho has told Juan Mata he can quit Chelsea after his furious reaction to today’s 53rd minute substitution at St Mary's.

Mata ignored Mourinho when he walked off the pitch at Southampton and then slammed a seat in the visiting team dug out as he vented his frustrations.
Mata, supposedly one of the nicest and most humble footballers, and Mourinho cannot 'tame' him.

As I said, people just parrot what Sky Sports tell them. Its sweet really.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

Mata, supposedly one of the nicest and most humble footballers, and Mourinho cannot 'tame' him.

As I said, people just parrot what Sky Sports tell them. Its sweet really.

Maybe he shouldn't have snubbed us for Chelsea…but I'd welcome him with open arms!

[Penguin]

Is there a place for him here now that we have Ozil?

[GP]

He'll never sell us Mata.

:gp:

Wouldn't even let us BORROW shit like Ba

[KSE Comedy Club]

One of the most overrated players in Europe. Thankfully we dodged a bullet.

Hes a C-level Spaniard. An Iberian Stewart Downing.
Are you on crack?!?

He was chavs best player before Jose came back.

[Power n Glory]

Balotelli could certainly be a ticking time-bomb, waiting to blow up in our faces, but you never know how these things might work out? He's always played under strict disciplinarians so far in his career, so he might respond well to more of a father figure? Would be nice to get Thierry back at the club to give him notes too!

:gp: Along the same lines of what I'm thinking.

[KSE Comedy Club]

The Sun (ahem) say we are close to a shock £2m deal for Berbatov.

Not sure how I feel about that if true. He was a good player at Man U, but now......meh, I don't know :shrug:

[Power n Glory]

Mata, supposedly one of the nicest and most humble footballers, and Mourinho cannot 'tame' him.

As I said, people just parrot what Sky Sports tell them. Its sweet really.

Yep, read that last night and thought the same thing. He's good at rallying his troops and inner circle players but if you're not in his circle he can potential throw gas on the fire.

Wenger can be a bit too soft on his players when performances start slacking and can lack that ruthless edge but that style also keeps a good team spirit and environment. The Bendy situation could have been disruptive but it's been handled well. He knows how to defuse a situation and I'll give him credit for that.

[JonasTC]

Wouldnt want Berbatov here, he is an uber cunt, then i'd rather want Balotelli.

[AFC Leveller]

We dont need Mata as we have 5 attacking midfielders already. Ba would be nice, cheap and short termy. Chelsea wont sell him to us anyway so i dont know why im talking about him.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I thought the chavs just trumped our Mata bid or offer of wages so I don't hold that against him. It would be a lot of money for a player we seemingly don't need. Very good player though he may be.

If we actually coughed up enough of the treasury for him, we would effectively be signing Chelsea's best player. There's something rather poetic about that even if he isn't a priority.

On Balotteli as Yellow Ribs said Mancini was that father figure to him (as expressed by the both of them) and he still couldn't really handle him.

Berbatov would be a strange one if there was any credibility to it. I thought we should have had a proper look a year or so ago. Not so sure now but he would be better than nothing, although that isn't saying much.

[Power n Glory]

I didn't say Anelka needed to speak English, although clearly the manager and the rest of the French contingent aren't the only persons at a football club, it served him well to speak to. The point I was making was that Anelka was quiet, to himself and hardly any trouble at all.

I don't actually consider players who want to leave a football club as being trouble necessarily. Not on that basis alone and Balotelli was not trouble at City simply because he wanted out of the place.

I do have an idea how RvP, Ade and ANelka would have been at other clubs, even if it is still just an opinion, but it is not based on a mere whim. RvP would have had his injury problems where ever he was at. I think the breadth of his injuries allowed him time to mature and the sheer time that has passed.

I was intimating that Ade became a wally whilst with us, not because of us. His good fortune quickly went to his head (ability wise and money wise)....that is different from being an inherently troublesome player from the off which he wasn't at the time.

Anelka is no real trouble he is just a little dour, private and a journeyman and he probably would have been that way whether he started with us or anyone else.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1903616-world-footballs-20-biggest-prima-donnas

:lol: Been reading this. Quite a few players on that list Wenger has managed. Who knows if Mario can fit in at Arsenal but I wouldn't hold up Arsene's style as a stumbling block. If anything, Mario needs to avoid managers like Mourinho and Mancini. Egos will clash.

Anelka was quiet whilst with us and no trouble. But why? It seems unfair to not credit Wenger for that.

He was only young when here but Anelka's reputation as a deadly striker is based off what he did here over 10 years. No other club has gotten that sort performance from him. The same goes for Adebayor. They both grew too big for their boots but that has a lot to do with big clubs knocking and us not being a big enough club.

Who knows if Wenger is interested in a character like Balotelli and nobody can say for sure if he'd be able to control him but it's worth a punt. So far he looks like the best striker we know that's available this winter.

[Power n Glory]

I thought the chavs just trumped our Mata bid or offer of wages so I don't hold that against him. It would be a lot of money for a player we seemingly don't need. Very good player though he may be.

If we actually coughed up enough of the treasury for him, we would effectively be signing Chelsea's best player. There's something rather poetic about that even if he isn't a priority.

On Balotteli as Yellow Ribs said Mancini was that father figure to him (as expressed by the both of them) and he still couldn't really handle him.

Berbatov would be a strange one if there was any credibility to it. I thought we should have had a proper look a year or so ago. Not so sure now but he would be better than nothing, although that isn't saying much.

Mancini handled things badly with Joe Hart and Tevez. The City team were constantly fighting and that's the sort of environment he breeded. He was overly critical. He publicly said Nasri was training at 50 per cent and Nasri went to the papers to dispute this and say Wenger was the best coach he worked with. His only regret was not having more talks with him before leaving Arsenal. Wow! How bad is that? As said, nobody leaves Arsenal with a bad word to say about Wenger. The don't agree with the 'if Mancini/Jose' comparisons because those two coaches can really rub players the wrong way. Mancini didn't have a cool head and tried to attack his own player in training. That's why he's been sacked from City. Team spirit was low.

[BOBN]

Are you on crack?!?

He was chavs best player before Jose came back.
And they finished below us. Says it all really.

Hazard is better than him, Oscar is better than him, Willian is better than him. But according to some in the media hes "Chelseas most talented player".

Hes a pass and move player, no real magic. People in Spain know the deal. I remember just before it looked like we were getting him, Sid Lowe described him as "less talented than Reyes". Plus hes lazy and slow. Hes basically benefitted from being Spanish, theyre in fashion right now.

[GP]

Willian :haha:

[BOBN]

Willian :haha:
At being an effective team player yeah. I want my lazy and slow players to be magicians. Matas sheer talent is C-level.

I remember watching a Mata compilation called "season of genius" so some nonsense and about 2 minutes they ran out of material so started showing him taking corners :haha: and laying 5 yard passes to Oscar/Hazard who proceeded to score wondergoals.

Hes not better than Rosicky nevermind the others, dont want

[GP]

:lol:

2/10

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Mancini lost it at City towards the end but it doesn't change the fact that based on his and Balotelli's own words, their relationship was akin to father and son, yet Mancini still couldn't get a tune out of him consistently. Tevez's behaviour was ridiculous at City so I sympathise with Mancini on him.

The problem with Mario over here is that he is a troubled kid well out of his surroundings and easily provoked on and off the field. I suspect the trouble that follows him will be prevalent wherever he is in his career and particularly outside of Italy and Italy is the only place he seems to be able to make any sense of.....or rather puts up with because after all, it is his home.


I happen to recall Wenger being very complimentary about Balotelli throughout his career and on more than one occasion. However, even if the relationship between him and Wenger is ostensibly pacified in comparison to that he shared with others, I don't see why the other stuff he gets caught up in will cease. The disciplinary issues, the fact he is a loose cannon easily wound up by the opposition, the stuff in the media....It just seems to be one thing after another.

Mancini had the luxury of not having to rely on Mario. In fact he could have sought to sell him much sooner than he did and it is a wonder he didn't considering. Again, I believe it was his personal relationship and sense of responsibility for him that perhaps stopped him from doing so imo. He had rich pickings and had better forwards at his disposal anyway, so Mancini was never going to yield or pander to Balotelli's ego 100%. The Italian style of coaching is generally a little more authoritative. Respect is expected as a matter of course.

If Balotelli were to lose his way, Wenger would simply 'rest' him or he would pick up a suspicious injury before shortly selling him, but that isn't what we really want....a talented player for a brief time, like a flash in the pan who we just quickly sell on because he is unmanageable.

Unlike Mancini's City, Wenger wouldn't have the luxury of not having to rely on Balotelli either, so him going off on one would potentially be catastrophic.

[Ollie the Optimist]

is "willian is a better player then Mata" using the same logic as "Cabaye is a level above any of our midfielders" or is this a completely new type of stupidity?

[Power n Glory]

Citing Mancini's relationship with Balotelli doesn't help at all. He could be a shit father as well as manager for all we know. He fell out with all of his players and there were rumours of a revolt against him. Dzeko, Hart, Nasri, Tevez, Bellamy....it's a long list and you'd never hear about Wenger having such volatile relationships with his players. Never happens. Mancini is a bad example.

[GP]

is "willian is a better player then Mata" using the same logic as "Cabaye is a level above any of our midfielders" or is this a completely new type of stupidity?

It's the same level of WUMing, really.

Remember, this is the guy who thinks Kolo Toure is the best defender in world football.

[BOBN]

Citing Mancini's relationship with Balotelli doesn't help at all. He could be a shit father as well as manager for all we know. He fell out with all of his players and there were rumours of a revolt against him. Dzeko, Hart, Nasri, Tevez, Bellamy....it's a long list and you'd never hear about Wenger having such volatile relationships with his players. Never happens. Mancini is a bad example.

Mancini is a known egomanic and petulant character.

[Power n Glory]

Mancini is a known egomanic and petulant character.

Totally. He clashed with too many players and the environment he created at that club was problematic. It's easy managing players with big egos but he really couldn't handle it.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Mancini lost it at City towards the end but it doesn't change the fact that based on his and Balotelli's own words, their relationship was akin to father and son, yet Mancini still couldn't get a tune out of him consistently. Tevez's behaviour was ridiculous at City so I sympathise with Mancini on him.

The problem with Mario over here is that he is a troubled kid well out of his surroundings and easily provoked on and off the field. I suspect the trouble that follows him will be prevalent wherever he is in his career and particularly outside of Italy and Italy is the only place he seems to be able to make any sense of.....or rather puts up with because after all, it is his home.


I happen to recall Wenger being very complimentary about Balotelli throughout his career and on more than one occasion. However, even if the relationship between him and Wenger is ostensibly pacified in comparison to that he shared with others, I don't see why the other stuff he gets caught up in will cease. The disciplinary issues, the fact he is a loose cannon easily wound up by the opposition, the stuff in the media....It just seems to be one thing after another.

Mancini had the luxury of not having to rely on Mario. In fact he could have sought to sell him much sooner than he did and it is a wonder he didn't considering. Again, I believe it was his personal relationship and sense of responsibility for him that perhaps stopped him from doing so imo. He had rich pickings and had better forwards at his disposal anyway, so Mancini was never going to yield or pander to Balotelli's ego 100%. The Italian style of coaching is generally a little more authoritative. Respect is expected as a matter of course.

If Balotelli were to lose his way, Wenger would simply 'rest' him or he would pick up a suspicious injury before shortly selling him, but that isn't what we really want....a talented player for a brief time, like a flash in the pan who we just quickly sell on because he is unmanageable.

Unlike Mancini's City, Wenger wouldn't have the luxury of not having to rely on Balotelli either, so him going off on one would potentially be catastrophic.

Excellent post.

Not many would disagree and fail to see the importance of the Balotelli/Mancini relationship.

[Power n Glory]

:lol: Is that even neccessary? Very petulant.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

You need to stop taking drugs. Very paranoid.

[Power n Glory]

Blink's a good poster and I hear his concerns but a father/son relationship doesn't equal a good partnership. Calling anyone a 'thicko' who disagrees is childish. There is no need for it. You can add your thoughts without insults.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Citing Mancini's relationship with Balotelli doesn't help at all. He could be a shit father as well as manager for all we know. He fell out with all of his players and there were rumours of a revolt against him. Dzeko, Hart, Nasri, Tevez, Bellamy....it's a long list and you'd never hear about Wenger having such volatile relationships with his players. Never happens. Mancini is a bad example.

Even if that is true, there is no real precedent for any pacifists being able to tame Balotelli, or any type of manager really. Good or bad fatherly-son relationship, that they had a relationship of that nature at all tells you there was somewhat of a deeper bond there. Yet in spite of that you got to a point where you always felt Mancini was fighting a losing battle.

Furthermore, in the Mario vs Mancini (feels like I'm talking about some infamous mafia court case) debate, both have been at fault, though in my view more so Balotelli, given the fact that one is the others boss and the frequency in which Mario stepped out of line. There were some huge ego's at City to control who were artificially and quickly assembled unlike our Invincibles... but I agree that Mancini had started to lose the plot and make his position untenable.

He wouldn't be my first choice but if Wenger ever tamed him, I would be bloody impressed. I would be happy to be wrong as I rate him, not that it's likely to happen.

I know many think it is pointless to debate any player who we aren't literally moments away from signing but transfer talk time really would be a ghost town if we only discussed players likely to sign or even occurrences likely to happen.

[Globalgunner]

Balotelli, it's a no brainer for me as he is basically, the most talented and more importantly, the only quality striker available in the known football world. Don't forget that we are in desperate need of his quality as I can see our bid for honours stalling if we refuse to improve the squad. Also and this is important. Balotelli himself is fast running out of options. Outside ourselves and the 2 Spanish giants, there are really no A grade clubs left that the can go to. In England he would feel at home and free of the racist B.S in Italy.
It's a big risk I know especially as he would easily be our highest earner, I believe he was on 180k at City, so there's that, but if available, even on loan, I think we should.

[footloose, the wanderer]

Loan would be good if possible with a view to permanent deal.

[milla]

Loan would be good if possible with a view to permanent deal.

Apparently Milan wouldn't mind selling him for good. The owner wants to raise some cash and isn't happy with Balotelli antics in Milan.

[GP]

I'll trust Wenger's judgement.

If he think he's worth the hassle I'll get behind him.

[I_Killed_Kenny]

gotta say I am a big fan of Balotelli's. yes he is a nutter but is top top talent. no one can tame him but I think he is worth it. considering he may be available for around 20m I think its a great deal ( I just pulled that figure out of air btw). costa is smashing it right now but release clause of what, £38m????

[Globalgunner]

25m to buy and 10mpa in salary. Job done.

GIROUD :pal:

[I_Killed_Kenny]

Also whats wrong with having a bit of a nutter in our team? flamini is a bit of a cunt and we need more cunts. balotelli takes no shit so wont be intimidated by defenders giving it and that will pass through the team as well. may give everyone a fighting edge

[selassie]

The Sun (ahem) say we are close to a shock £2m deal for Berbatov.

Not sure how I feel about that if true. He was a good player at Man U, but now......meh, I don't know :shrug:

He'll do as a stop gap, would be a very nice signing IMHO and a good squad addition once we sort a worldie in the summer.

Would be happy with this.

[Marc Overmars]

Balotelli is a pretty explosive striker who would add a new dimension to our game, he's also strong and tenacious enough to do the work Bif does in terms of hold up play. He's undoubtedly a lunatic but sometimes it's easy to forget he's only 23. He doesn't need 'taming', he just needs to settle down somewhere and play for a club who appreciates and accepts him for who he is. What does taming even mean anyway? Rooney has needed it for 10 years but it hasn't stopped him being one of the best in the league, sometimes it's these eccentricities that give a player their edge.

We won't be getting him anyway. He'll go to Chelsea if he ever decides to come back here.

[selassie]

Loan would be good if possible with a view to permanent deal.

That would be safest and best option but I am not so sure Milan would entertain that. I think Balotelli has "world class abilities", I also think he is a headcase both on and off the pitch and he is what he is.

I don't think he can and will change.

If he kept his wild antics off the pitch, and kept on the "right side of the law" then I think he would be a world class addition. This boy will score 25+ a season for us if he is feeding off Ozil, Ramsey et al.

[milla]

Balotelli is a pretty explosive striker who would add a new dimension to our game, he's also strong and tenacious enough to do the work Bif does in terms of hold up play. He's undoubtedly a lunatic but sometimes it's easy to forget he's only 23. He doesn't need 'taming', he just needs to settle down somewhere and play for a club who appreciates and accepts him for who he is. What does taming even mean anyway? Rooney has needed it for 10 years but it hasn't stopped him being one of the best in the league, sometimes it's these eccentricities that give a player their edge.

We won't be getting him anyway. He'll go to Chelsea if he ever decides to come back here.

He would never go Chelsea, not as long as Mourinho is managing the club.

[Grebbo]

No way will we go for Balotelli. Too much much work required to get him on track and we need ready made players with their heads screwed on in Jan not projects.

I think we'll sign Berbatov.

[Dr Singh]

Interesting thoughts on the striker options we are left with.

Balotelli is someone I'd be hesitant to sign. There's no question that he's talented, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard, and he doesn't. His best ever goal scoring league return is 13, and he's only got into double figures twice in the league after seven years of playing for clubs like Inter, City and Milan. Having said that he's still obviously still young, so can't be blamed too much for his poor return so far. Our squad right now is actually a model of professionalism, hard work, teamwork, and team spirit. Non of these are words I'd associate with Ballotelli. I'd far rather go for someone like Benteke who smashed in 23 goals in his debut season last year for a struggling Villa, despite being on a bit of a current drought.

Pragmatically, signing Berbatov for 2m and then going all out for Costa/Falcao over summer would obviously be the best idea, and would certainly be my preferred choice all things considered if we can't get a superstar in now.

Morata on loan I wouldn't bother with. What can you expect from a kid in a new league, only here for a few months? I'd be far more interested in a permanent deal, purely based on how highly rated he is.

Pato I'd hate us to sign, for reasons I've explained previously on GW.

[fakeyank]

Berba would be a great and realistic buy this January. Whoever it is, lets conclude the deal ASAP. No point dilly dallying around like muppets till the last minute! Berba will give us the extra edge when we look clueless around the opposing box. Sure, he can be lazy but for all that talent, I can look past that!

[fakeyank]

And WHY havent we got Sanga signed on an extension yet?!! If we let him leave on a free, it will be stand out among the many shit decisions our club has taken in the last few years. Sagna has been tremendous this season and us not having a super deal for him seems stupid and senseless!

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Balotelli, it's a no brainer for me as he is basically, the most talented and more importantly, the only quality striker available in the known football world. Don't forget that we are in desperate need of his quality as I can see our bid for honours stalling if we refuse to improve the squad. Also and this is important. Balotelli himself is fast running out of options. Outside ourselves and the 2 Spanish giants, there are really no A grade clubs left that the can go to. In England he would feel at home and free of the racist B.S in Italy.
It's a big risk I know especially as he would easily be our highest earner, I believe he was on 180k at City, so there's that, but if available, even on loan, I think we should.
That's a little OTT don't you think....
There's nothing to be gained from AC's point of view from a loan deal.... and as much as we think he is some desperate lost soul just waiting for Wenger to turn him into Pele, he has openly stated how much he loves AC Milan many times and before he was back there he was quite candid about that too. He's not exactly seeking a way out and with his undying love for our media I'd suggest getting him over here would be slightly more difficult than a few think.


gotta say I am a big fan of Balotelli's. yes he is a nutter but is top top talent. no one can tame him but I think he is worth it. considering he may be available for around 20m I think its a great deal ( I just pulled that figure out of air btw). costa is smashing it right now but release clause of what, £38m????

Costa's clause fee is 32 million of your Queen's gold nuggets gov'nor.

[Dr Singh]

One thing I do love about Balotelli - that technique!

There are some good youtube vids of Man City training - him vs Joe Hart from outside the box. No one was smashing it as consistently, ferociously and emphatically past the GK more often than Balotelli.

I'd LOVE to watch a similar sort of training session with our team. I reckon Chamberlain, Poldi and Rambo would be pelting the goal. I'd love to see if Walcott really does bury free kicks in training like you'd assume he does.

[Power n Glory]

That's a little OTT don't you think....
There's nothing to be gained from AC's point of view from a loan deal.... and as much as we think he is some desperate lost soul just waiting for Wenger to turn him into Pele, he has openly stated how much he loves AC Milan many times and before he was back there he was quite candid about that too. He's not exactly seeking a way out and with his undying love for our media I'd suggest getting him over here would be slightly more difficult than a few think.



Costa's clause fee is 32 million of your Queen's gold nuggets gov'nor.

Costa is no saint and comes with baggage as well. He's just as much of a risk.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Every promo/training session/clip I see Chamberlain in, he looks like he is banging them in from all over the place. With the recent hype around Barkley I have actually been wondering how people feel the two compare.

I would be slightly concerned about Berbatov's ability to keep up with our counter attacks.....such is the lethargy of his game at times these days. I'd still take him over nobody though, because if you give him the ball in front of goal, he is capable of coming up with that little bit of skill, footwork or a strike to make the difference.

[I_Killed_Kenny]

Costa's clause fee is 32 million of your Queen's gold nuggets gov'nor.

Cheers for that blink. Even at 32m i would still take balo. Someone has said about his strike rate not being great but as also pointed out, he is young. Plus was he a starter at all those teams? He wasnt a definate at city and still got a 1 in 2 record for them i think. Proven to hold his own in the prem. Physically strong, tekkers, eye for goal. Can play lone man.

I dont think he is project at all. He will come in and get right in there. Unlike a costa or someone who will need the time to adjust. Cant afford that if we are going for title this year.

[Marc Overmars]

Every promo/training session/clip I see Chamberlain in, he looks like he is banging them in from all over the place. With the recent hype around Barkley I have actually been wondering how people feel the two compare.


I think they're fairly similar. Both quite powerful runners and physically very strong for their age. Barkley is playing in his natural position though while Oxlade was cutting his teeth on the right before his injury. Would be good to have him back ASAP because he's more direct than our other midfielders, so he'd add something new and fresh hopefully.

[milla]

Costa is no saint and comes with baggage as well. He's just as much of a risk.

Costa is a petulant, just as bad if not worse than Balotelli.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTeVf0I_JmA

Watch 01:05, dirty fucker and I am not Ramos's fan at all.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Costa is no saint and comes with baggage as well. He's just as much of a risk.

I would politely disagree with the final part mate, but yes I hear Costa struggled with disciplinary problems last season, which doesn't seem such a big deal this season.

I don't want to make it sound like I want holy than thou players all toeing the line.....but I just think when you get a player who is pretty much disruptive in area of his football on and off the field, collectively it just amounts to too much.

I think a lot of what Dr Singh mentioned about team spirit and the camaraderie amongst the group rings true. The other day Mertesacker blasted Ozil in full view of everybody. Ozil didn't try and challenge him about it, he just accepted it, apologised and everybody moved on.

It would be a shame to have a player who turned something like that into a bigger thing than it needed to be. We don't need mutiny amongst the ranks or factions emerging and I like the feeling of unity you get within the club these days. This is just a small example.

[I_Killed_Kenny]

Every promo/training session/clip I see Chamberlain in, he looks like he is banging them in from all over the place. With the recent hype around Barkley I have actually been wondering how people feel the two compare.

I would be slightly concerned about Berbatov's ability to keep up with our counter attacks.....such is the lethargy of his game at times these days. I'd still take him over nobody though, because if you give him the ball in front of goal, he is capable of coming up with that little bit of skill, footwork or a strike to make the difference.

My concern too. Great on the ball but fast counter attack? Nope. Yes he cud feed the likes of theo for that but thats if he is fit. And esseentially we want someone to score not play the ozil role which berbs is good at. If we dont play with theo, gnabs, pods or chambo then we have no pace at all with berba

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

And cheers. Quite enjoyed seeing Costa mug off Ramos who is well on course to break the record for red cards in La Liga. No he actually is, look it up.

[Dr Singh]

Never seen that video of Costa. Quite enjoyed it in a bizarre way. Costa comes with a reputation of being a monster to play AGAINST. Balotelli has a reputation of being terrible to play WITH. Costa is the type of guy you want in your team for sure, like Suarez. Balotelli? I'm not so sure.

Very surprised people would rather have Balotelli here over Costa. I get that he hasn't played EPL football, but he's a big nasty bloke and certainly looks like he'd have no trouble settling into the EPL from the little I've seen.

[Dr Singh]

My concern too. Great on the ball but fast counter attack? Nope. Yes he cud feed the likes of theo for that but thats if he is fit. And esseentially we want someone to score not play the ozil role which berbs is good at. If we dont play with theo, gnabs, pods or chambo then we have no pace at all with berba

I think we'd be signing Berba purely as an alternative for Giroud. They are both pretty damn slow, but Berba is light years quicker mentally.

I don't want to turn this into a comparison between the two (Giroud comes out on top for me), but quick thinkers are devastating on the counter attack generally. Arsenal fans need no finer example thank Dennis Bergkamp to remember that.

I'd also disagree that he will clash with Ozil. He does drop deep, he still maintains his position as the focal point of an attack. He'd be lethal if flanked with Poldi and Theo for me.

[Power n Glory]

Costa doesn't seem that impressive. I can't see him pulling out anything special when teams park the bus. I could be wrong but that's just how I feel. Balotelli is a risk but he has the potential to be a sensational striker. I can't see Costa leaving sunny Spain for England. We also need a player that will have an immediate impact. I have my doubts about Costa.

[Power n Glory]

Cheers for that blink. Even at 32m i would still take balo. Someone has said about his strike rate not being great but as also pointed out, he is young. Plus was he a starter at all those teams? He wasnt a definate at city and still got a 1 in 2 record for them i think. Proven to hold his own in the prem. Physically strong, tekkers, eye for goal. Can play lone man.

I dont think he is project at all. He will come in and get right in there. Unlike a costa or someone who will need the time to adjust. Cant afford that if we are going for title this year.

I agree.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I sorta want him at Liverpool.

Him and Suarez, if only for a few months, could be proper :popcorn:-worthy.

[JonasTC]

Costa only has a bad rep on the field (and its got alot better this season, as far as i know), have never heard of him being a nutcase off the field. Isnt he just kinda like Suarez? Doing anything to win on the field, even if it means acting crazy?

Balotelli just needs to grow up, i think most of his stupid shit will go away with age. Wouldnt mind him here, i think he will become a beast when he gets older and sorts out his childish behavour.

[fakeyank]

:lol:

Are we debating Costa again? :haha:

This is the winter transfer speculation thread and there is no chance in hell he will be coming here. Let's talk about realistic targets please... ktnx!

[selassie]

Costa doesn't seem that impressive. I can't see him pulling out anything special when teams park the bus. I could be wrong but that's just how I feel. Balotelli is a risk but he has the potential to be a sensational striker. I can't see Costa leaving sunny Spain for England. We also need a player that will have an immediate impact. I have my doubts about Costa.

This.

They would both represent quite sizeable gambles given their transfer fees but I would prefer Balotelli if given the choice.

[milla]

Costa only has a bad rep on the field (and its got alot better this season, as far as i know), have never heard of him being a nutcase off the field. Isnt he just kinda like Suarez? Doing anything to win on the field, even if it means acting crazy?

Balotelli just needs to grow up, i think most of his stupid shit will go away with age. Wouldnt mind him here, i think he will become a beast when he gets older and sorts out his childish behavour.

Yes, however Costa has only been on this shore for one and the half year. Balotelli is raised in Italy at a big Italian club, it is only natural that he gets a lot of attention off the pitch.

[Globalgunner]

That's a little OTT don't you think....
There's nothing to be gained from AC's point of view from a loan deal.... and as much as we think he is some desperate lost soul just waiting for Wenger to turn him into Pele, he has openly stated how much he loves AC Milan many times and before he was back there he was quite candid about that too. He's not exactly seeking a way out and with his undying love for our media I'd suggest getting him over here would be slightly more difficult than a few think.



Costa's clause fee is 32 million of your Queen's gold nuggets gov'nor.

Its just a little egging of the pie, but seriously if you had to list the 20 best strikers in the world right now, 18 or 19 of them would be unobtainable for varied reasons. Balotelli is definitely in the top 20 and also unobtainable except, if the rumours are true Milan might want to sell. thats the reason for the statement.

[saintnickle]

:lol:

Are we debating Costa again? :haha:

This is the winter transfer speculation thread and there is no chance in hell he will be coming here. Let's talk about realistic targets please... ktnx!
The only real target will be Berbatov ,hes within out price range just.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

Where have the rumours come from re: Balotelli…obviously I have missed something there! His talent is undeniable…wanted him when he played at Inter…but Man City came up with the money…I think the ship has sailed for a while at least…he's playing for the club he loves and supports and is doing brilliantly for them…the fans love him…don't see him giving that up for anything. Not many clubs 'bigger' than AC Milan and not sure anything can top playing for the club you support!! So as much as I would love to see Balotelli play for us…(really quite an outrageous talent at times) I don't think it will happen in the next couple of years at least…(unless flamini could have a word).

[Globalgunner]

Where have the rumours come from re: Balotelli…obviously I have missed something there! His talent is undeniable…wanted him when he played at Inter…but Man City came up with the money…I think the ship has sailed for a while at least…he's playing for the club he loves and supports and is doing brilliantly for them…the fans love him…don't see him giving that up for anything. Not many clubs 'bigger' than AC Milan and not sure anything can top playing for the club you support!! So as much as I would love to see Balotelli play for us…(really quite an outrageous talent at times) I don't think it will happen in the next couple of years at least…(unless flamini could have a word).

Same place most rumours come from, which some agent stirring up shit
I don't think Balotelli wants to leave per se, but Milan are absolutely dogshit right now, and quite broke , plus Silvio will likely get 10 years in the knick soon and there is a love hate relationship going on with the current leadership in Milan and Mario. Berlusconi put his daughter in charge and she is making a tits nest of the place from what's being reported.

[Munchies]

https://www.facebook.com/berbatov.bg

Scroll slightly down, look what he's put on his own official page :lol:

Not bad for £2m I guess, he really wants to come here :haha:

[milla]

https://www.facebook.com/berbatov.bg

Scroll slightly down, look what he's put on his own official page :lol:

Not bad for £2m I guess, he really wants to come here :haha:

It's a done deal tbh. :coffee:

[Marc Overmars]

That's pretty cheeky if it's his own personal account! The page could be run by his people though.

Always thought highly of Berbatov, the guy has some serious ability. New lease of life playing for a big club again could do him good.

[Munchies]

Yeah, didn't think the Fulham move was particularly that good at the time, when he was still a decent player at United albeit frozen out.

Liverpool are close to signing Salah from Basel for £9m also, more or less a done deal. From what I saw of him in the Europa League, he was pretty good.

[GP]

What are we looking at on the facebook page?

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Yeah, didn't think the Fulham move was particularly that good at the time, when he was still a decent player at United albeit frozen out.

Liverpool are close to signing Salah from Basel for £9m also, more or less a done deal. From what I saw of him in the Europa League, he was pretty good.

From this guy: @SamuelRhodes_?

Cause he's yet another fake, even though we probably will sign him. Know sod all about him..... Maccy?!

[Grebbo]

Is that Berbatov's official Facebook? If so then done deal.

[Munchies]

What are we looking at on the facebook page?

He's put a vid of how , if he joined, he could help Arsenal win the title
--

Al Jazeera are going with the Salah deal , think he was watching a recent game of yours ?

[milla]

Yeah, didn't think the Fulham move was particularly that good at the time, when he was still a decent player at United albeit frozen out.

Liverpool are close to signing Salah from Basel for £9m also, more or less a done deal. From what I saw of him in the Europa League, he was pretty good.

Basel is still in CL, why would Salah go to Liverpool now? Make no sense imo.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Basel is still in CL, why would Salah go to Liverpool now? Make no sense imo.

Because they're in the Europa League.

[fakeyank]

Because they're in the Europa League.

Then why would he go to a club that will playing in the very same league next season? :lol:

[Munchies]

Then why would he go to a club that will playing in the very same league next season? :lol:

This :haha:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Then why would he go to a club that will playing in the very same league next season? :lol:

Because he'd rather play in the BLitW rather than the Toblerone Championship.

Also, money.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

From this guy: @SamuelRhodes_?

Cause he's yet another fake, even though we probably will sign him. Know sod all about him..... Maccy?!

I only know what has been seen from the Champions League and Europa League. He's fast and he has pace. Motd will love him.

And he's the destroyer of Chelsea. :bow:

I'll see if Federer can provide any insight.

[BOBN]

Balotelli is someone I'd be hesitant to sign. There's no question that he's talented, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard
Sounds nice, but its simply not true.


Our squad right now is actually a model of professionalism, hard work, teamwork, and team spirit. Non of these are words I'd associate with Ballotelli....

...Pragmatically, signing Berbatov for 2m and then going all out for Costa/Falcao over summer would obviously be the best idea, and would certainly be my preferred choice

signing Berbatov

Berbatov
:haha:

[JonasTC]

btw what happend to Lewandowski? Wasnt he gonna tell the world he is going to Bayern on Jan. 1st?.... Szscesny and Poldi make some magic :bow:

[KSE Comedy Club]

Read the comments under the video on his facebook page.

Someone says that his account was hacked and that vid/article was posted.

Still I find it odd that it hasn't been removed if that is the case :shrug:

[Injury Time]

Berbatov...really? Can't imagine us ending slagging him off for being a lazy c%#t. :blink:

[Ollie the Optimist]

signing Henry back on loan would be better then signing Berbatov. he's lazy, selfish and not what the team needs.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I don't know. For £2m as stop gap till we can land a permanent target in the summer, its not too bad.

He would probably be more motivated if he were to play for us.

You can tell he fucking hates being at Fulham

[Marc Overmars]

signing Henry back on loan would be better then signing Berbatov. he's lazy, selfish and not what the team needs.

Yeah but Henry is shit.

[Munchies]

Chelsea bid £50m for Higuain (telegraph)

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

FFP :haha:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

If that's true it's just a sign of how prepostorous Chelsea have become. What was the point in Eto'o then? And what about Lukaku when he returns?

Ba is definitely out and quite possible Schurle as I think Mourinho quite fancies Torres. Most likely outside any realistic possiblity but if they're going to cast them of, I wouldn't mind taking a punt of Schurle. I think he'll be quite good in our setup and would fit in with our German contingent.

50 million is ridicolous though for Higuain ... good player but he's worth about half of that at tops.

[GP]

It's pointless even considering any Chelsea players coming to us.

[AKBapologist]

Arsenal prepare to match Diego Costas release clause (daily star)

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

:lol:

Are we debating Costa again? :haha:

This is the winter transfer speculation thread and there is no chance in hell he will be coming here. Let's talk about realistic targets please... ktnx!

Is Balotelli any more likelier to come?

[JonasTC]

Arsenal prepare to match Diego Costas release clause (daily star)

According to Fakeyank, who got alot of inside knowledge, thats is impossible and laughable!!!11one. His inside knowledge were laughing off the rumours of Özil joining us aswell... Very credible!

[BOBN]

Chelsea bid £50m for Higuain (telegraph)
This is crazy. Why didnt they just go for him in the summer? He has 9 in 16 league games. Its not like hes pulled up trees.

Anyway I dont mind if they get him, for £50m they could do better.

[BOBN]

The Blues have reportedly already had a £50million bid turned down by Napoli but are lining up an even bigger offer, according to The Telegraph.

Napoli clearly have no desire to sell the Argentina striker, who has nine goals in 16 Serie A games this season after his switch to Italy in the summer.

But Chelsea look set to test their resolve and could part-fund a huge bid – in excess of the £50m they paid for Fernando Torres – by selling Kevin De Bruyne who could fetch £25m from Wolfsburg.


What? 25 million for De Bruyne? Ok im done. Whew, nearly forgot all these were fairytales

[Dein-machine]

i'm not sure the striker we need is going to ba available in Jan, if they are it will be for silly money. Rather than the lacklustre Berbatov, I like the look of Jay Rodrigez at Saints, young, good feet, pacy, very good in the air & at least he sounds Spanish.

[PGFC]

Meh, Now Sanogo is back in training again, he's like a new striker :ilt:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

It's pointless even considering any Chelsea players coming to us.

Yeah I know.

It's just frustrating seeing these young talented strikers suffer there whilst we're desperately looking for one. Imagine how good we would be with Lukaku and Schurle reinforcing Giroud. League would be ours. :cloud9:

I can understand the likes of Eto'o and Higuain going there but it still baffles me that young talented players like those two, Van Ginkel, De Bruyne etc all decide to opt for that place ahead of clubs like ours.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think it depends on who we see as our target. If our target has a release clause which we are willing to meet, he's not going to be any easier to get this summer.

If it is someone else and he costs up to 5 million more (for example) because we signed him in January rather than June, then that is probably a risk worth taking if said player is going to;

a) Significantly increase our chances of winning the league or finishing higher up the table (and technically speaking you earn more money with each ascending position, ie 2nd place earns more than 3rd place)
b) Give us a better chance of going further in the FA Cup and/or CL and allow us to generally not play certain players into the ground.

Paying over the odds is a very real concern in January but it is relative and different for each player, naturally. I do like the idea of a player actually getting a pre season before his first full season too, albeit truncated.

[Maestro]

"Arsene Wenger today claimed that Arsenal's January transfer plans depend on the severity of Nicklas Bendtner's ankle injury."

Seriously

[Marc Overmars]

WUMger at his best there.

[Özim]

When he got interviewed by the BBC the other day they were asking him about and even suggested he would be signing a striker, he was quick to refute this suggesting that's not what he meant, he just meant he has two players injured at the moment.

I'm not convinced he feels the need to sign anyone at this stage.

[Heisenberg]

He's usually like this, I wouldn't read much into it

[GP]

Are people still listening to what Wenger says about transfers?

After 17 years?

[Maestro]

Highest Order WUM

Hope it's to throw media and rivals. If, however, he is contemplating not reinforcing our attack then that's culpable incompetence of the highest order.

[BOBN]

Yeah lets relax. I consider Wenger the grand master WUM and my teacher.

[Maestro]

:lol:

[Letters]

Are people still listening to what Wenger says about transfers?

After 17 years?
No, silly! If the press are reporting him as indicating he might sign someone then it's all press nonsense or Wenger lying.
If he press are reporting him as indicating he won't sign anyone it's the Gospel truth and shows how useless Wenger is.

[Zerlathon]

Yeah I know.

It's just frustrating seeing these young talented strikers suffer there whilst we're desperately looking for one. Imagine how good we would be with Lukaku and Schurle reinforcing Giroud. League would be ours. :cloud9:

I can understand the likes of Eto'o and Higuain going there but it still baffles me that young talented players like those two, Van Ginkel, De Bruyne etc all decide to opt for that place ahead of clubs like ours.

It's the money, that's all there is to it...

[WMUG]

No, silly! If the press are reporting him as indicating he might sign someone then it's all press nonsense or Wenger lying.
If he press are reporting him as indicating he won't sign anyone it's the Gospel truth and shows how useless Wenger is.

The funny thing is, it probably is about as true as the Gospel.

:patrice:

[Özim]

No, silly! If the press are reporting him as indicating he might sign someone then it's all press nonsense or Wenger lying.
If he press are reporting him as indicating he won't sign anyone it's the Gospel truth and shows how useless Wenger is.

Wenger might be a lot of things but he's not a bumbling idiot.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

i'm not sure the striker we need is going to ba available in Jan, if they are it will be for silly money. Rather than the lacklustre Berbatov, I like the look of Jay Rodrigez at Saints, young, good feet, pacy, very good in the air & at least he sounds Spanish.
Never heard of a Spaniard called Rodriguez…a portuguese or brazilian perhaps ;) I'll think we'll go for Benteke personally…he's purposely played poorly after coming bk from injury to get his transfer price down :)

[fakeyank]

Is Balotelli any more likelier to come?

Likelier than Costa or Reus or Suarez! Milan is under serious shit footballistically and financially plus Balotelli has been a disruption at every team he has been at.. it is likely that person with his mentality will have problems in any club he is at.

My statement above does not make it seem like he is realistic.. there is a 5% chance of it happening while Reus, Suarez, Costa are 0%.. no freaking chance! Honestly, Berba is a good short term fix for our team and I hope we seriously try and get him.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I hope wenger is on the WUM re: bendtner or not signing anyone, however, I'm still a bit worried that he thinks we've got enough.

Because we haven't, even with everyone fit, we still need another option for strength.

I just hope he doesn't waste 2-3 weeks of football to decide what to do

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Likelier than Costa or Reus or Suarez! Milan is under serious shit footballistically and financially plus Balotelli has been a disruption at every team he has been at.. it is likely that person with his mentality will have problems in any club he is at.

My statement above does not make it seem like he is realistic.. there is a 5% chance of it happening while Reus, Suarez, Costa are 0%.. no freaking chance! Honestly, Berba is a good short term fix for our team and I hope we seriously try and get him.

Well that's exactly it then. We could have our pick of players in the Championship, doesn't mean it is likely to happen. So purely on the likelihood of events it is no more silly discussing Messi coming here than it is a 30 year old midfielder in League 2. Neither is remotely likely.

Clearly we use this thread to predominantly discuss targets we would like....and thus make a case for them. Within reason of course. Costa is within reason whether you think it will happen or not because his release clause is 32 million which is a fact. We have that money and more some for a signing. It's also fact that we bid 40 million for a forward less than 6 months ago. How can you then equate Costa coming here to 0% probability. Basically you are saying it is impossible (technically speaking) and it clearly isn't impossible.

Doesn't mean it is likely to happen but look around....there's no transfer anyone can say is likely to happen because we aren't privy to that knowledge. There is not a single player anybody has mentioned in the entire thread that I am convinced we will sign but I can still discuss the merits of each player. Most of debates are football debates anyway rather than financial ones, which is a far more interesting debate to have imo.

[fakeyank]

My opinion is that this thread is to discuss speculations in papers and print media rather than discuss targets we like. I could be wrong but IMO reading something about the qualities of Messi, Costa, Ronaldo for 5-6 pages makes no sense. I would rather see discussions around players we realistically have a chance of getting. Again, thats my opinion.. I feel like this is a meeting I have with my analysts- lot of beating around the bush i.e. main issues and rarely anyone hitting the nail on the coffin.

[KSE Comedy Club]

My opinion is that this thread is to discuss speculations in papers and print media rather than discuss targets we like. I could be wrong but IMO reading something about the qualities of Messi, Costa, Ronaldo for 5-6 pages makes no sense. I would rather see discussions around players we realistically have a chance of getting. Again, thats my opinion.. I feel like this is a meeting I have with my analysts- lot of beating around the bush i.e. main issues and rarely anyone hitting the nail on the coffin.

Try asking them to hit the nail on the head instead.

You might get better results :)

[Munchies]

Bendtner out for 2 months

[KSE Comedy Club]

:lol:

Oh yeh....shit!

[Marc Overmars]

I guess we won't be able to sell him now. :lol:

At least he'll be gone in the summer, finally.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

My opinion is that this thread is to discuss speculations in papers and print media rather than discuss targets we like. I could be wrong but IMO reading something about the qualities of Messi, Costa, Ronaldo for 5-6 pages makes no sense. I would rather see discussions around players we realistically have a chance of getting. Again, thats my opinion.. I feel like this is a meeting I have with my analysts- lot of beating around the bush i.e. main issues and rarely anyone hitting the nail on the coffin.

I'm not going to say you're wrong mate per se as each of us are entitled to want whatever we want from these threads and there has been no shortage of Balotelli talk since he was mentioned.

This isn't a thread where people exclusively state targets they like (which isn't precisely what I said). I'd suggest that is why Messi and Cronaldo aren't discussed in any real capacity. I'm sure it isn't just that nobody here likes either of them. Have you read a paper recently? Costa has been linked to us for weeks on end in the papers....even before silly season started with the window opening. In fact that's why he has been discussed more than many others...because we have already been linked with him for weeks before recently. From that point of view he is more relevant than anyone to discuss.

If we want Costa, we can have him. He has a clause that is within our budget. Messi does not. Will we sign him? Almost definitely not. Can we sign him? Yes we can.

If we want Balotelli, we can have him. Will we sign him? Almost definitely not. Can we sign him? Yes we can.

That is a slightly curious analogy given that we are actually discussing the merits of a solution rather than the scope of the problem in itself. You've made your meetings sound less productive than Goonersweb's transfer speculation thread. That is some feat.

[JonasTC]

Mario Mandzukic are being mentioned in the media, if Lewandowski goes to Bayern. Not sure if he's an upgrade, but it would mean that we have 2 similiar strikers so we can rotate and our team doesnt get hurt if one of them gets injuried.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lewandowski to Bayern Munich in the summer all but confirmed now.

:faint:

[Penguin]

They might as well have confirmed it a year ago. :lol:

[Dr Singh]

I'd take Mandzukic without a second thought. He was the main striker used by an all conquering team last season though, so there's zero chance of this happening in January (obviously), and probably a 10% chance of this happening in summer seeing as everyone is currently talking about percentages.

Gutted Lewandowski has signed for Bayern. I certainly think we may have had a chance if we'd thrown about 20-25m at Dortmund on Jan 1st. His friendship with Szczesny and possible thrill at playing for the EPL leaders with Ozil, Cazorla etc supplying him could have been irresistible. He'll never receive the hero worshiping at Bayern he would have gotten at Arsenal.

Anyway everyone's denying the Berbatov deal now and I can't help but feel we would have signed him by now if we wanted him. Perhaps Wenger has other plans.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Like the sound of Manduzicl but its all pie in the sky surely, fuelled by the Lewdo story???

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Manduzicl. :bow:

[milla]

Anyway everyone's denying the Berbatov deal now and I can't help but feel we would have signed him by now if we wanted him. Perhaps Wenger has other plans.

Sanogo has been training with the first team for a few days now, should be ready for the Villa game next week. :coffee:

[fakeyank]

I'd take Mandzukic without a second thought. He was the main striker used by an all conquering team last season though, so there's zero chance of this happening in January (obviously), and probably a 10% chance of this happening in summer seeing as everyone is currently talking about percentages.

Gutted Lewandowski has signed for Bayern. I certainly think we may have had a chance if we'd thrown about 20-25m at Dortmund on Jan 1st. His friendship with Szczesny and possible thrill at playing for the EPL leaders with Ozil, Cazorla etc supplying him could have been irresistible. He'll never receive the hero worshiping at Bayern he would have gotten at Arsenal.

Anyway everyone's denying the Berbatov deal now and I can't help but feel we would have signed him by now if we wanted him. Perhaps Wenger has other plans.

We also have Nikky B who can play there

[KSE Comedy Club]

Jackson Martinez wants to come to us reportedly.

Worth a bid I reckon

[JonasTC]

http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/04/jackson-martinez-im-an-arsenal-fan-and-would-love-to-sign-for-the-gunners-4249227/

Just to add to Jeebus comment.

Have no idea what interview they are quoting from, so could just be media bs. But would they really fake something like that?

[milla]

Jackson Martinez wants to come to us reportedly.

Worth a bid I reckon

He has EUR30 million release clause in his contract, a bit risky for someone from Portugese league. :coffee:

[JonasTC]

Dno if its risky, most hyped players comming out of Porto have kept doing well at other european clubs... Especially Columbians :D

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Manduzicl. :bow:

Good, see youve heard of him as well.....

[Power n Glory]

Like the sound of Manduzicl but its all pie in the sky surely, fuelled by the Lewdo story???

Sounds like it. Was just reading an article about the move saying how Lewandowski might not even start many games because Pep really likes Mandzukic and also experiments with the false 9. The German league has been made weaker by Bayern. They said their were fears that the league would become like the Spanish league. Klopp said he was more worried about it becoming like the Scottish league.

[I am invisible]

Jackson Martinez wants to come to us reportedly.

Worth a bid I reckon
He does seem pretty desperate to join doesn't he? Can't say I've ever really followed him though, so my opinion's not worth much here - looks impressive in the few clips I've seen, but then doesn't everyone? I will say that he looks like he gets a good variety of goals (very strong in the air!) and improvises well in tight spots, and he certainly has the athletic build to handle the lone striker role - good at holding the ball up, although I'm not too sure about his passing and laying-off? Would need to see him actually playing to know what his all-round output is like across 90 minutes, and whether he's right for us? Anyone actually watched him play enough to have an informed opinion?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I'd echoes those thoughts mate.....

Not a big fan of Mandzukic myself, although he seems popular amongst many. He's not one to leave things to chance and seems to anticipate and judge the flight of the ball well but I don't think there's any thing special about him. I thought we wanted a forward that could come up with a little bit of magic now and then? Mandzukic definitely isn't that guy but I don't know what sort of fee we are talking to be fair....

Martinez could be a real live wire over here and certainly has more finesse.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I know we don't give a monkeys about them and all that.....but Manure absolutely cannot be allowed to sign Vidal from Juve. Not that I see it happening mind.....

Remarkable player. In fact, Marchisio, Pogba and Vidal are an impressive triumvirate over there.

[JonasTC]

The problem with Juventus, is they dont have the money to keep their players if the big clubs are comming in, even we can "out-salary" all their players. The president said a couple of weeks ago that they couldnt afford to offer Pogba more 70k/week, so he was probably going to move on sooner or later in his career.

So even tho' United are super shit right now and Juventus are winning their league, they could just double Vidals wages and he would probably not say no.

[I am invisible]

Just watching Sky sports news - apparently Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick and Giggs (and Fabio, but who cares) are all out of contract in the summer, and probably free to talk to other clubs! They're also yet to open talks with Rooney, and van Persie may also be unhappy there (if you believe the rumours)?! This could really get out of hand fast for Man U if they don't get on top of it...

[Grebbo]

The problem with Juventus, is they dont have the money to keep their players if the big clubs are comming in, even we can "out-salary" all their players. The president said a couple of weeks ago that they couldnt afford to offer Pogba more 70k/week, so he was probably going to move on sooner or later in his career.

So even tho' United are super shit right now and Juventus are winning their league, they could just double Vidals wages and he would probably not say no.

I think any club that employs Tevez pays decent wages!

The trouble Man U have is they're going to have to pay mental money in both wages and transfer fees to get the top players to join them this month. They are fucking desperate and everyone knows it!

[Grebbo]

Just watching Sky sports news - apparently Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick and Giggs (and Fabio, but who cares) are all out of contract in the summer, and probably free to talk to other clubs! They're also yet to open talks with Rooney, and van Persie may also be unhappy there (if you believe the rumours)?! This could really get out of hand fast for Man U if they don't get on top of it...

Fergie knew exactly what he was doing with the timing of his retirement. Man U needs to build a new team and spend £200m on the right players e.g. not Fellatio

[Niall_Quinn]

Fergie beat Liverpool's record and retired as the most successful British manager of all time. I don't think there's much more to it than that.

[JonasTC]

I actually think getting rid of those players will do wonders for Moyes. Most of them have egos that only Ferguson could handle.

[Niall_Quinn]

I actually think getting rid of those players will do wonders for Moyes. Most of them have egos that only Ferguson could handle.

Agreed, he could produce mediocre results for a lot less money. Like he did at Everton all those years.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

The problem with Juventus, is they dont have the money to keep their players if the big clubs are comming in, even we can "out-salary" all their players. The president said a couple of weeks ago that they couldnt afford to offer Pogba more 70k/week, so he was probably going to move on sooner or later in his career.

So even tho' United are super shit right now and Juventus are winning their league, they could just double Vidals wages and he would probably not say no.
Interesting view. I'm pretty sure we can double Costa's wages as well but a lot of people seem to think there's no reason we would even consider us.

At least Manure won't be getting Pogba back.....least I don't envisage it.


As a left field, kind of random thought.....anyone considered bringing Morrison over here? No, not Clinton, the other one.....

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Fergie beat Liverpool's record and retired as the most successful British manager of all time. I don't think there's much more to it than that.
I would concur....

[GP]

Interesting view. I'm pretty sure we can double Costa's wages as well but a lot of people seem to think there's no reason we would even consider us.

At least Manure won't be getting Pogba back.....least I don't envisage it.


As a left field, kind of random thought.....anyone considered bringing Morrison over here? No, not Clinton, the other one.....

Jim? Van?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

He can have the stadium announcers job....

[GP]

I honestly don't know who you mean. Obviously not the one at west ham.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Already he sounds shit as none of us know who the hell your talking about.

I cant say I've ever heard the name Morrison linked with anything other than shopping, let alone 'great football player'

[Edinburgh Gooner]

Ravel Morrison? He's only looked good in a shit team.

[GP]

He's also mentally deranged.

He's not even worth considering.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

lol..... It was a fanciful notion I only entertained for two reasons.

a) Alex Ferguson's comments on the level of his ability
b) That skill he did in training. My word! I've seldom seen anything more unbelievable with a football....

[I am invisible]

Isn't he meant to be a bit of a nut job?

[Dein-machine]

Class him in the same leahue as Taraabt & Ben Artha. Skill level is very good but not a team player. They'll score a wonder goal every now & then but will continually give the ball away which only get noticed by the home fans.
Anyway, we are not short in midfield - its a livewire,goalscorer we need. Satruday proved we are far better when we play with pace, without Theo it needs addressing NOW.

[Marc Overmars]

It's time to drop another 40m at Madrid's door.

For Di Maria.

[milla]

It's time to drop another 40m at Madrid's door.

For Di Maria.

Di Maria will not cost that much but definitely a big YES. Definitely an upgrade on either side of WF roles :gp:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BdUjt23CQAADs9r.jpg

Di Maria to the Real Madrid booboys yesterday. :lol:

:wave:

[Dein-machine]

Di Maria it is then - who's going to ring them?

[Maestro]

he wants out, the fans want him out

should test Madrid's resolve, even on loan ....he needs to showcase to make the Argie WC squad

[Ollie the Optimist]

if we somehow managed to get Di Maria, or even morata, it would severely piss off spurs again given their "special relationship" with spurs.


what you waiting for Arsene?

[Heisenberg]

Assuming we did try to get Di Maria, how much is he going to cost?

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Is Di Maria the type of player who could win/change a game on his own, or does he rely on the players around him playing well?

Is he consistent enough to be worth a no-doubt massive outlay?

And in any case, I thought you guys wanted/needed a goalscorer even before Walcott's injury. If you got Di Maria, could you see yourselves getting both?

Up next on Twenty Questions...

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Assuming we did try to get Di Maria, how much is he going to cost?

£25 million, something like that.

And CIB, er, well I suppose he can be a match winner due to being very talented but he's not a prolific goalscorer, it's true. He is really what English football imagines when they talk about wingers, he has a fantastic delivery from crosses, which serves us little purpose whatsoever. :coffee:

[JonasTC]

He still have 4 year left on his contract, but i dont know his situation in Madrid, i've heard they're trying to offload him to get some cash in? But i dont think he will be more expensive than Özil, sooo a random guess is 35ish??

[Globalgunner]

Di maria for 35m and Morata on loan. Job done. Cue Arsenal fans buying up all the tissue paper at Asda.

[Niall_Quinn]

We're after Draxler in the Summer and that will probably knock £30-£40mill out of the budget when all is wrapped up. Can't see another £30mill going out in Jan, but hope it does. Would love Di Maria here.

[Syn]

We're waiting to see a proper return from the £42m man. And he's only going to get better in the second half of the season. With Gnabry making rapid progress as well and Podolski and Ox back, we're already in much better shape than the first half of the season. Absolutely no point even discussing a £30m+ signing in the next two windows. Wenger doesn't operate like that. We wouldn't have bothered with Ozil if he didn't feel his job was on the line.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

According some rag online Draxler's had a tour of our training ground and was left impressed by it. :unsure:

http://www.fanatix.com/news/arsenal-transfer-news-german-wonderkid-tours-gunners-training-ground/174610/

[Gooner23]

Don't think we'd spend that much money on essentially an understudy, albeit very talented one, to Ozil and Cazorla.

If we're going to spunk that much money on a player, it should be a top striker.

[Marc Overmars]

Think Draxler would be a long term replacement for Rosicky.

[I am invisible]

I get the feeling Draxler is going to be a pretty big deal in a few years - we might not need him right now, but if the club / manager feel that he's going to be one of the next big things in the game then I guess you have to act when the opportunity is there.

That being said, this wreaks of ground work for a summer move to me - I would be shocked if we saw anything happen in January...

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Hmmm, we wouldn't pay in excess of 30 mill for Higuain so would we pay that for Di Maria?

I like Di Maria and Draxler but I'm not sure either are going to come in and make the difference we need..... they, like Ozil would need a little time to adjust too. Should we really spend that amount of money just because we think Real don't want a player. Shouldn't it be more because we think the player will take us to the next level?

I also don't like the idea we address the area we are well covered in and might still be left with no centre forward if Giroud goes down or if he decides he doesn't want to score again.....

[milla]

£25 million, something like that.

And CIB, er, well I suppose he can be a match winner due to being very talented but he's not a prolific goalscorer, it's true. He is really what English football imagines when they talk about wingers, he has a fantastic delivery from crosses , which serves us little purpose whatsoever. :coffee:

Plus extreme dribbling skill at pace. Definitely an upgrade over any English wide forwards. :coffee:

[Power n Glory]

Di Maria’s dribbling ability is a huge plus for us. It’s why I think he’ll have an immediate impact. We need dribblers on the wing. Walcott and Pod didn’t dribble enough and focus on off the ball movement, players like Cazorla, Jack and Rosicky drift too far in field and play the short intricate passing game supporting the middle attack instead of attacking our opponents wingbacks. Gervinho had an immediate impact with his dribbling ability but would always let himself down with the final ball. Di Maria would be a serious upgrade.

[Grebbo]

Why don't the Madrid fans like Di Maria? Is he just out of form?

[GP]

Why don't the Madrid fans like Di Maria? Is he just out of form?

They are all cunts.

[Zak]

I have a feeling we will end up with Kalou lol.

Griezzman would be a great signing but can't see it happening.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

I have a feeling we will end up with Kalou lol.

Griezzman would be a great signing but can't see it happening.

:ilt:

[Master Splinter]

We are definitely getting Kalou.

He'll be partnered by Marica.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

According some rag online Draxler's had a tour of our training ground and was left impressed by it. :unsure:

http://www.fanatix.com/news/arsenal-transfer-news-german-wonderkid-tours-gunners-training-ground/174610/

He's quality and a Must Get!

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Di Maria’s dribbling ability is a huge plus for us. It’s why I think he’ll have an immediate impact. We need dribblers on the wing. Walcott and Pod didn’t dribble enough and focus on off the ball movement, players like Cazorla, Jack and Rosicky drift too far in field and play the short intricate passing game supporting the middle attack instead of attacking our opponents wingbacks. Gervinho had an immediate impact with his dribbling ability but would always let himself down with the final ball. Di Maria would be a serious upgrade.

I would tend to agree with that PGTips..... although I'm still not convinced Di Maria's overall impact on the left would be greater than Cazorla's when he is on form. Mind you, it needn't be, but if we are spending 30 odd million on Maria, we should expect his contribution to be significantly greater than Podolski, Cazorla, Ozil or anyone else we can play wide left currently.

Isn't Jackson Martinez' clause at 38 million? Did somebody say that the other day?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

And yes Zak, for a long while I was convinced Wenger was desperate to sign Kalou.....fortunately I think the fever has left his system finally.

[I am invisible]

£34m, I heard? Probably closer to 38m in euros...

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Oh right. Sounds like one of the better options available. Who can second guess Wenger though....

[Power n Glory]

I would tend to agree with that PGTips..... although I'm still not convinced Di Maria's overall impact on the left would be greater than Cazorla's when he is on form. Mind you, it needn't be, but if we are spending 30 odd million on Maria, we should expect his contribution to be significantly greater than Podolski, Cazorla, Ozil or anyone else we can play wide left currently.

Isn't Jackson Martinez' clause at 38 million? Did somebody say that the other day?

:lol: PGtips!

We're unlikely to get Di Maria when we have Cazorla. Wenger likes his wide playmakers or wide strikers. Cazorla is a fantastic player and I say he'd do more damage playing in the middle because he doesn't drive at defenders with his runs and take them on. But there isn't a place for him there so Wenger will keep him on the left.

[Master Splinter]

In theory, Gnabry and Oxlade are skillful, pacy dribblers. With Podolski, Cazorla and Ozil (and of course Theo when he returns) all being productive players capable of doing good jobs out wide too, I'd say signing another winger is not even on Wenger's mind.

A striker who is quick, fast and has pace and is therefore able to stretch opposing backlines and give us a completely different option up front is required. Even with Theo fit, this was a necessity. If Sanogo wasn't always dead, he might have genuinely been a useful, if erratic, option. But with one proven provider of goals now out, getting someone who will bring the goals, pace and be a viable alternative to Giroud is essential if we don't want to regret throwing away promising positions in all competitions.

If we can find a bargain that will do a decent job, that's not the end of the world, but why not splash the cash that the club has mainly stashed in the last ten years? Even if we end up overspending on someone not quite in the elite bracket of strikers or if a player ends up being a misfit in our system, it's still better that we actually tried rather than another season of letting an opportunity slip by and getting left behind by oil-fuelled clubs.

Even the least technical striker ever would score in our team anyway, so just go mental Wenget.

[I am invisible]

As for the cash, I don't think we should have any qualms about spending big again. This isn't like the days where, we might have had money, but where we had to sell all our best players for 8 years to get it, and if we'd spent it it would have been gone for good - we'll now be getting an extra £70m a season from Emirates and Puma, and we can now spend a fair amount knowing that it will be back in the account every summer. Obviously that doesn't mean we can now spend infinite sums like some clubs, but by the same token the thought of spending £30-40m on a single player on a fairly regular basis shouldn't cause anyone to break out in cold sweats - providing we stay in the top spots, this should be the new reality for us now...

[Niall_Quinn]

I have a feeling we will end up with Kalou lol.

Griezzman would be a great signing but can't see it happening.

Same here - I think Wenger will go for a stop gap and Kalou fits the bill (in Wenger's mind at least). In reality Kalou is shit but statistically he may be brilliant, I haven't checked.

Also, I believe Wenger will be after Draxler with a view to converting him to a striker (or a goalkeeper)

[Niall_Quinn]

£34m, I heard? Probably closer to 38m in euros...

That's way too much for Kalou, ridiculous in fact.

[Grebbo]

Exclusive: Arsenal Close to Sealing £24m Massive Coup Deal to Sign Barcelona Attacker Pedro

Emirates Stadium side look likely to snap up unhappy Nou Camp star.

Arsenal are in late stage talks with Barcelona as Arsene Wenger seeks to secure a deal to sign Spanish international attacker Pedro.

CaughtOffside understands that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been seeking to lure 26 year old Nou Camp star Pedro to the Emirates Stadium for some weeks and it appears that the North London club are closing in a deal to capture the adaptable attacker.

Pedro has struggled to retain a foothold in Barcelona’s starting eleven under new boss Gerardo Martino and is said to be unhappy with his limited role in first team matters and Wenger’s persistence may well have led to the Tenerife born forward feeling a move to Arsenal would be beneficial to his career.

Martino has handed Pedro just ten La Liga starts this term and arguably even that total has been assisted by the injury suffered by Lionel Messi and Barcelona appear ready to consider offers for the long term servant of the Catalan club.

Wenger is willing to offer €30m (£24m) for Pedro, a fee that Barcelona appear ready to consider.

:rolleyes:

[GP]

Caught Offside :lol:

[JonasTC]

Seriously... I know that most media just makes up the transfer rumours for views/hits, but some of them are so ridiculous that it shouldnt be legal :D

[Niall_Quinn]

How do you think they make up the fee? FIFA 14?

[Xhaka Can’t]

Do you remember when muppets paid 49p a minute to call an 0898 number to hear this shite?

[Marc Overmars]

Do you remember when muppets paid 49p a minute to call an 0898 number to hear this shite?

:haha:

I remember teletext used to have those hotlines. Back then when the internet was still in it's infancy you never really knew what was shite and whether someone was actually ITK.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

:haha:

I remember teletext used to have those hotlines. Back then when the internet was still in it's infancy you never really knew what was shite and whether someone was actually ITK.

Teletext :bow::bow:

channel 310 for the football updates. If you didn't have a radio, it was the only way to get football updates.

[Niall_Quinn]

:haha:

I remember teletext used to have those hotlines. Back then when the internet was still in it's infancy you never really knew what was shite and whether someone was actually ITK.

Luckily it has all changed now that Twitter is here.

[Niall_Quinn]

Teletext :bow::bow:

channel 310 for the football updates. If you didn't have a radio, it was the only way to get football updates.

Remembering it was 310 is a bit sad. And do you also remember hoping all the key news was on the one page because it took several days for the system to cycle through all those pages to get to page 2?

Even so, Teletext was a lot, lot better than Twitter.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

:lol: PGtips!

.

PG:coffee: :d

[Dein-machine]

We're waiting to see a proper return from the £42m man. And he's only going to get better in the second half of the season. With Gnabry making rapid progress as well and Podolski and Ox back, we're already in much better shape than the first half of the season. Absolutely no point even discussing a £30m+ signing in the next two windows. Wenger doesn't operate like that. We wouldn't have bothered with Ozil if he didn't feel his job was on the line.

We're not in better shape in the striking dept. We have got away with the fact that we really only have 1 out & out striker in Giroud. Podolski is not, nor is Walcott & please don't anyone mention Bendtner. We are now aware that Giroud is very hit & miss, mostly miss, & now with Theo out we're actually worse off than when we started. I agree that " Wenger doesn't operate like that" which is the main reason we've won fuck all recently but even his own players ( Arteta ) are saying that we need more firepower. Whilst I don't want us to pay "ransom" money for any player, if he wants to win things THIS year he needs to act. We know we can score goals from midfiled but without pace & finishing power upfront we will not beat the better teams. His problem is that the good start has raised expectancy levels - none of us are now looking at a top 4 as being a good year, to finish 4th would only prove he didn't have the squad to see it through. At the start of the year, especially after the Villa game we would have all taken top 4.

[selassie]

Do you remember when muppets paid 49p a minute to call an 0898 number to hear this shite?

:haha:

[milla]

Do you remember when muppets paid 49p a minute to call an 0898 number to hear this shite?

What a brilliant money making scheme :lol:

[Özim]

We're being linked with Morata again, although I'm not sure he's what we need considering he's not scored many for Real and is very young (from what I've seen of him I haven't been particularly impressed so I'm not sure why people are raving about him), Real supposedly don't want to let anyone go in January either.

Surely we can do better than him, would prefer Martinez.

[Ralpheroo72]

We wont sign anyone. Crazy money, and Wenger just has to look at Arshavin for poor value for money.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Martinez seems a bit too eager to sign for us, which for some reason seems quite concerning to me. Plus Porto won't let him go unless it's silly money and for his age and experience that doesn't seem worthwhile.

I dunno, I actually think getting someone talented like Morata on loan for the season to supplement Giroud, Bendtner and Podolski is probably the best option until we aim for a more long term target this summer. Someone like Kevin Volland or whoever Arsene has been secretly scouting.

Either way we need to do it now instead of waiting till the last minute as usual. Force the issue and be proactive.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

He can't play in the Champions League with Porto and therefore secure playing for Colombia so I could see why he is pushing for a move (I think he actually could play in the CL for us).

He's a bit of a tank.

[Özim]

We're being linked with Ntep. :unsure:

Yeah I haven't heard of him either.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/transfer-news-arsenal-eye-8m-deal-for-auxerre-striker-paulgeorges-ntep-as-salomon-kalou-stays-at-lille-9048459.html

The Telegraph reckon we're unlikely to sign anyone due to lack of availability, probably why it would have been a good idea to make sure we signed a striker in the summer, but hey ho.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10559638/Arsenal-unlikely-to-sign-new-striker-in-January-transfer-window.html

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Martinez seems a bit too eager to sign for us, which for some reason seems quite concerning to me. Plus Porto won't let him go unless it's silly money and for his age and experience that doesn't seem worthwhile.

I dunno, I actually think getting someone talented like Morata on loan for the season to supplement Giroud, Bendtner and Podolski is probably the best option until we aim for a more long term target this summer. Someone like Kevin Volland or whoever Arsene has been secretly scouting.

Either way we need to do it now instead of waiting till the last minute as usual. Force the issue and be proactive.

Isn't Martinez exactly the sort of long term target we would ideally be going for if it was the summer now. How can a player be too eager to join us. How can that work against him?

He's at a good age, scores lots of goals, obviously got a bit of guile about him and he has a clause that we are capable of meeting.

I don't know much about Morata but he is the sort of signing that could have no effect whatsoever if he fails to settle quickly. Emphasis should go towards getting a player who is really going to have an influence rather than concentrating on getting a cheap option.

[Özim]

Got to agree, Morata is a bit of a pet project, he's barely scoring for Real and they have a really potent attack and when I have seen him he's missed his chances to score, he's not what we need at the moment, we need someone ready to come in and score goals.

[I am invisible]

Wenger's first choice is obviously Costa, who I think he's been convinced is worth his price tag - but as we all know the problem is that he isn't available now, and may or may not even want to sign for us when he is? Martinez, on the other hand, is available now, for a similar fee, and is willing, but I'm guessing the fact that we haven't made an offer yet must mean that we're not 100% convinced by him? I guess the dilemma is whether we should go for a guaranteed signing now, who we're not 100% convinced by, or a signing who we are 100% convinced by, but who we'll have to wait for and are not guaranteed to get? Not sure where I sit on that one, to be honest?

[Grebbo]

January's just a case of take what you can get. We're not going to get a top striker in Jan, especially not with clubs like Chelsea also desperate for a striker.

I'd be happy with Berbatov and some young unknown tbh.

Look at Man U - absolute shit this season and face missing out on top 4. They're desperate for players and have bags of cash but they're going to have trouble signing top players in Jan.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think that if he continues as he started then Costa is effectively now or never. At his scoring rate he is going to cause a bidding war in the summer which we will almost certainly get priced out of.

Fortunately for us Ozil was a player Wenger fantasised about for years on end and actually tried to sign a couple times.

Sections of the media are predicting some mass exodus from France because of the new 75% tax on the well off, but the best players over there are at clubs that don't need to let them go easily.

I know we don't think our scope of top quality options is enormous now, but I don't actually think it will be much bigger in the summer either and complicated by the proximity in time to the world cup.

[Dr Singh]

Not sure why people doubt Martinez? His record speaks for itself, and Porto have had some insane strikers over the years. I think both him and Costa would be sure things in the EPL. Both are 6'1-6'2 and look very strong. Martinez seems quicker with guile whereas Costa seems more aggressive and ruthless.

If Martinez wants to come and is available for 30m, we should be biting their hands off. If Costa doesn't want to leave then fair play to him. We have options and it would be pretty unforgivable if we don't take one of them.

[Syn]

Will bet anyone we won't make a £25m+ signing in the next two transfer windows. Forget your Martinez and Costas. Doubt we'll get anyone in January, and in the summer we'll look for a Giroud-profile signing; decent pedigree for around £15-20m who's a bit quicker. #ITK

[JonasTC]

I'll take you up on that bet, im quite sure we will make a 25m+ signing in the summer :)

[Marc Overmars]

Don't expect to see anything done this month but I do fancy us to go big again in the summer.

[Syn]

The stakes are e-respect. May the best man win.