Summer Transfer Speculation and Shit

[Power n Glory]

Yeah, of course. I'm not saying that it doesn't go on all throughout the game at different levels - I'm just saying that I disagree with this idea that City's money isn't quite as big of an advantage as we make it out to be. My personal view is that's it's every bit the advantage that it's made out to be, and probably more besides - not only can they casually build squad's that the rest of us can only dream of (which benefits them not only in terms of quality on the pitch, but also in terms of freshness and fitness across the season), but they can also systematically pick apart (or at least disrupt) a lot of their rivals at the same time.

That's the part I disagree with. It's not a superstar squad but the price tags has everyone thinking otherwise.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

That's the part I disagree with. It's not a superstar squad but the price tags has everyone thinking otherwise.

Silva, Navas, Toure, Nasri, Aguero

I'd say that's pretty star studded

[Power n Glory]

Silva, Navas, Toure, Nasri, Aguero

I'd say that's pretty star studded

Besides Aguero, we could have signed all of those guys. There not unattainable players. We had Nasri.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

It's accumulative though, besides Ronaldo, Messi there isn't a player we couldn't get individually but we couldn't have all those players in our squad collectively

[Power n Glory]

It's accumulative though, besides Ronaldo, Messi there isn't a player we couldn't get individually but we couldn't have all those players in our squad collectively

We had Cesc, Nasri, RVP, Adebayor, and Song in our squad at one point. Throw in Rosicky, Sagna and Theo, that’s a dangerous attack. The difference is, those guys weren’t bought for £20-£30m a piece. We just sold at that price to clubs like City.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Nasri is a star :wacko:

[I am invisible]

That's the part I disagree with. It's not a superstar squad but the price tags has everyone thinking otherwise.
On an individual basis (bar one or two) I totally agree - we can certainly find players of a similar standard, and probably for a lot less money than they've paid for theirs (point of fact: we did find several of their players for a lot less than they paid for them). But I still think the sheer size and depth of their squad is something that's beyond us, and most clubs. At some point, most of us have to start falling back on lesser options, whereas clubs like City can keep wheeling out players of nearly the same standard. It doesn't mean that it's impossible to compete with them, of course, but there's no denying that it's a big advantage. Most clubs would have to work incredibly hard and have everyone working right on top of their game to produce the sort of side that they can simply throw together with very little effort...

[I am invisible]

We had Cesc, Nasri, RVP, Adebayor, and Song in our squad at one point. Throw in Rosicky, Sagna and Theo, that’s a dangerous attack. The difference is, those guys weren’t bought for £20-£30m a piece. We just sold at that price to clubs like City.

True, although the other difference is that most of those guys were young, inexperienced project-players when they first came to this club, whereas the teams they moved to were getting players that were ready to go straight into their first team squads.

Going off on a slight tangent, when you look through that list, and chuck in some of the guys we still have, you can kind of see where we were trying to go with the infamous 'youth project' - if we could have kept everyone together, then we'd have a seriously good team right now! What a shame for the fans that the players had no patience (or loyalty), and the club had no backbone...

[Power n Glory]

On an individual basis (bar one or two) I totally agree - we can certainly find players of a similar standard, and probably for a lot less money than they've paid for theirs (point of fact: we did find several of their players for a lot less than they paid for them). But I still think the sheer size and depth of their squad is something that's beyond us, and most clubs. At some point, most of us have to start falling back on lesser options, whereas clubs like City can keep wheeling out players of nearly the same standard. It doesn't mean that it's impossible to compete with them, of course, but there's no denying that it's a big advantage. Most clubs would have to work incredibly hard and have everyone working right on top of their game to produce the sort of side that they can simply throw together with very little effort...

Yes, they do have a huge advantage being able to assemble a squad quickly and they have depth. They’ve been able to plug gaps quickly. It sure as hell worked to their advantage this year with the strikers on the bench. But they were lucky to win the title this year and we need to ready next year because I think they’ll squabble and complacency will set in. Money is a factor but it doesn’t always work out that way. Just look at Spurs.

[Power n Glory]

True, although the other difference is that most of those guys were young, inexperienced project-players when they first came to this club, whereas the teams they moved to were getting players that were ready to go straight into their first team squads.

Going off on a slight tangent, when you look through that list, and chuck in some of the guys we still have, you can kind of see where we were trying to go with the infamous 'youth project' - if we could have kept everyone together, then we'd have a seriously good team right now! What a shame for the fans that the players had no patience (or loyalty), and the club had no backbone...

It’s a shame we couldn’t keep that team together but when you have a club that are so inflexible with their policies and never learn from past mistake, what options do they have? They lost faith in the club and manager. We try to keep our players on the lowest salary for as long as possible, so the financial perks aren’t there either. Most former players that have left can look back with no regrets because we still haven’t won a trophy and showed them why it was a mistake to leave. Hopefully, we get things right this time around. We’re tying down players to contracts and I’m hoping for an active summer. We can’t rest on our laurels like last time. It’s a bit much to ask a player to commit the best of his playing years to a club with no ambition.

[I am invisible]

Yes, they do have a huge advantage being able to assemble a squad quickly and they have depth. They’ve been able to plug gaps quickly. It sure as hell worked to their advantage this year with the strikers on the bench. But they were lucky to win the title this year and we need to ready next year because I think they’ll squabble and complacency will set in. Money is a factor but it doesn’t always work out that way. Just look at Spurs.

Well, at least it looks like we're (finally) in a place where we can tell clubs like City where to go when they come sniffing around our players, so we have a fighting chance now. I suppose the encouraging thing is that we're only 7 points behind them with what we currently have, and have much more scope to improve (both in terms of the team and coaching), whereas they're looking at much smaller potential gains, no matter how crazy they go with the signings this summer?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Spurs would probably stumble upon a winning team if they sustained last summers spending over several years, which goes some way to rubber stamping invisible's point.

You guys have touched upon one of my biggest gripes if not the biggest gripe in Wenger's tenure....and that purporting the desire to 'keep the team together' and then selling our best players. You simply can't refuse to sign top players when you need them AND sell your best. You can sometimes do one or the other out of absolute necessity and in the interest of doing what is in the overall best interests of the club, but you cannot do both at the same time.

Wenger has dropped the 'keeping the team together' mantra for quite some time, so now that it has been wheeled out....I hope it is sincere. It is only because of Liverpool and to an extent Spuds sticking their heels in that we've seen, making a player stay not to be the doomsday scenario that many gooners would have previously had us believe. If your best players leave you have to royally extort the buying club. You have to charge enough to know you can readily in finance terms replace the departing player and enough for FFP to throw up every red flag they have. That way, clubs will only attempt to buy our best player(s) with extreme caution.

Admittedly this is the big draw of signing/developing top English talent. They usually don't give a scooby doo about swanning off abroad at an arbitrary time.

[GP]

Which players have Spurs kept hold of?

[LDG]

Which players have Spurs kept hold of?

Dawson.











:haha:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Which players have Spurs kept hold of?

I think Blink is referring to Bale and Modric who were kept an extra season more than many had expected and especially in the latter's case, despite the player protesting and sulking.

Mind you, we did the same thing with Cesc.

[Power n Glory]

I think you guys are overlooking the key part to Blink's post about royally extorting the other club. Spurs and Liverpool made sure transfer records were broken when selling off their star players.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Hmmm I disagree with Tottenham at least, I don't think the way they delayed on selling Bale actually helped their season in any way. Similar to the Cesc and Nasri window for us.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Nasri is a star :wacko:

yeah a star whom i get no small pleasure in saying won't be playing at the world cup this summer

merci Didier merci

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Greizemaan's been called up to the French squad for the world cup and I've got a strong feeling he's going to be the star of it ahead of the likes of Ribery and Benzema. We need to act now to get him otherwise we could be looking at paying double in a few months!!

[Maestro]

Greizemaan's been called up to the French squad for the world cup and I've got a strong feeling he's going to be the star of it ahead of the likes of Ribery and Benzema. We need to act now to get him otherwise we could be looking at paying double in a few months!!

:good:

my thoughts exactly. would love us to sign him, but don't think wenger is even looking in that direction.

[Unai Tea]

:good:

my thoughts exactly. would love us to sign him, but don't think wenger is even looking in that direction.

Have faith, I'm sure Wenger will nearly sign him.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Greizemaan's been called up to the French squad for the world cup and I've got a strong feeling he's going to be the star of it ahead of the likes of Ribery and Benzema. We need to act now to get him otherwise we could be looking at paying double in a few months!!

He'll have a buyout clause so it shouldn't make too much difference on that side of it.

[Power n Glory]

Hmmm I disagree with Tottenham at least, I don't think the way they delayed on selling Bale actually helped their season in any way. Similar to the Cesc and Nasri window for us.

How Spurs coped after the deal is not the point. We’ve already mocked them for blowing the money on flops. The point is, when a big club came knocking, they’ve milked them for every penny. They sold two of their star players (Modric and Bale), neither of them major internationals or Champs League players and they received a sum that dwarfs the sums we’ve sold for. They received £35m for Modric and that’s more than what we got for Cesc, Nasri and RVP. Throw in what they received for Bale and off the back off two transfers they’ve made more money than what we’ve received collectively off the sales of RVP, Song, Nasri, Cesc and Ade.

[Marc Overmars]

I'd say the figures we've got from selling have also been circumstantial, RVC and Nasri were in the last year of their contracts and we held on to Cesc for as long as we could with Barca and only Barca sniffing around every summer, they knew they held the cards in that deal.

As for Spurs, they were fortunate enough to have Real Madrid chasing their players, a club renowned for paying whatever it takes to land a player they fancy.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think Blink is referring to Bale and Modric who were kept an extra season more than many had expected and especially in the latter's case, despite the player protesting and sulking.

Mind you, we did the same thing with Cesc.


I think you guys are overlooking the key part to Blink's post about royally extorting the other club. Spurs and Liverpool made sure transfer records were broken when selling off their star players.
That is about the size of it yes. The fact remains, Nobody would have moaned had we sold Cesc for 80 million. As it turned out he went for less than his worth and hardly extortion. Nasri was fine but him and Cesc at the same time crippled us and we were tardy in replacing them properly.

Not to mention those clubs didn't sell to the red devil or domestic rivals.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

How Spurs coped after the deal is not the point. We’ve already mocked them for blowing the money on flops. The point is, when a big club came knocking, they’ve milked them for every penny. They sold two of their star players (Modric and Bale), neither of them major internationals or Champs League players and they received a sum that dwarfs the sums we’ve sold for. They received £35m for Modric and that’s more than what we got for Cesc, Nasri and RVP. Throw in what they received for Bale and off the back off two transfers they’ve made more money than what we’ve received collectively off the sales of RVP, Song, Nasri, Cesc and Ade.

I think it's very relevant. Levy was so determined to make sure they received a world record fee for Bale that he dragged it out for as long as he could to make it happen, regardless of how it is actually going to impact them for the season ahead. I'm not even talking about who they bought necessarily, I'm talking about how the determination to get a world record fee left them very little time to get any replacements in and by that time the destabilising affect on the club may have already sunk in substantially.

I think the Cesc one can go up to £35 million but that's three years ago now, I'm hoping we're now in a different era.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Taking it back to the premise of my point...my suggestion is that we cannot sell the best AND fail to replace them, whether or not people think we sold under duress or coerced into it. If we want to be competitive we have to not sell or replace and quite possibly both. I hope that is in line with the clubs intentions now.

[Power n Glory]

I think it's very relevant. Levy was so determined to make sure they received a world record fee for Bale that he dragged it out for as long as he could to make it happen, regardless of how it is actually going to impact them for the season ahead. I'm not even talking about who they bought necessarily, I'm talking about how the determination to get a world record fee left them very little time to get any replacements in and by that time the destabilising affect on the club may have already sunk in substantially.

I think the Cesc one can go up to £35 million but that's three years ago now, I'm hoping we're now in a different era.

How was it not going to effect them or impact their season? Would it have been better for them to sell earlier at a cut down price? It’s not as if dragged it out to the last minute, got the money but didn’t buy replacements. They bought replacements but bought badly. I don’t know if AVB had a say in who was bought but the managerial side of things had an effect on their season also. That club in general is a joke but they at least made sure they were paid well for their star players. I think our rivals have taken our star players on the cheap and too easily. We’ve had contract issues and that’s not helped the transfer fees but we shouldn’t be allowing players to run down their deals anyway. In fact, Cesc had years left on his deal but we still sold on the cheap when we should have taken Barca to the cleaners or told them to piss off.

[Niall_Quinn]

I have some HUGE (I mean blow your socks off, WTF, mega) transfer news concerning Arsenal. You are simply not going to believe who we are signing (virtually signed already in fact, deal done this week but announced after the World Cup). I can't say right now as the news is embargoed, but I'll be revealing the details on Twitter in July so please send me £5 via Paypal.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I have some HUGE (I mean blow your socks off, WTF, mega) transfer news concerning Arsenal. You are simply not going to believe who we are signing (virtually signed already in fact, deal done this week but announced after the World Cup). I can't say right now as the news is embargoed, but I'll be revealing the details on Twitter in July so please send me £5 via Paypal.

Oh by the way I've paid 10 grand into your account can I have that cure for cancer now?

[Özim]

I have some HUGE (I mean blow your socks off, WTF, mega) transfer news concerning Arsenal. You are simply not going to believe who we are signing (virtually signed already in fact, deal done this week but announced after the World Cup). I can't say right now as the news is embargoed, but I'll be revealing the details on Twitter in July so please send me £5 via Paypal.

What's your Paypal account?

[Özim]

Oh by the way I've paid 10 grand into your account can I have that cure for cancer now?

How did you know his account?

[I am invisible]

He'll have a buyout clause so it shouldn't make too much difference on that side of it.

Plus we have the clause in Vela's contract that we could offer to write-off, if they make us preferred buyers - that might be worth something to them?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

How did you know his account?

He's been blackmailing me for years

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Plus we have the clause in Vela's contract that we could offer to write-off, if they make us preferred buyers - that might be worth something to them?

The vulture she flies from Malaga to San Sebastian

[Niall_Quinn]

What's your Paypal account?

I will be revealing that on Twitter very soon - please keep checking back every hour.

[Power n Glory]

Reports saying we've activated the Vela buy back clause.

[Heisenberg]

Wouldn't be averse to that so long as it's not the only business we conduct. £3m isn't very much in football terms these days, especially if ends up playing a lot of games.

How has he done at Sociedad?

[Bury Da Bwoy]

Wouldn't be averse to that so long as it's not the only business we conduct. £3m isn't very much in football terms these days, especially if ends up playing a lot of games.

How has he done at Sociedad?
20 goals, 13 assists...i was shown today that only 9 other players had been involved in more goals and assists across the top 5 leagues

Suarez, ronaldo, messi, ibrahimovic, costa, reus, yaya, sturridge and alexis sanchez

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

20 goals, 13 assists...i was shown today that only 9 other players had been involved in more goals and assists across the top 5 leagues

Suarez, ronaldo, messi, ibrahimovic, costa, reus, yaya, sturridge and alexis sanchez

Were you previously Bury the dream? Random I know but just had to ask!?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

It kind of smacks of getting gervais rather than Hazard at Lille to me.....but 3 million really is peanuts. I still don't actually believe it though.

[I am invisible]

Where does he actually play for Sociedad - CF or as a wide striker?

[milla]

Where does he actually play for Sociedad - CF or as a wide striker?

Mostly wide right, occasionally as CF and left winger. :coffee:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Haven't seen him play but the stats are certainly impressive.


Would he start and if not, would he be happy with a bench role? Kind of the reason he left in the first place wasn't it?

[Bury Da Bwoy]

Were you previously Bury the dream? Random I know but just had to ask!?

Nah mate, my name is the title of a favourite song of mine

[I am invisible]

Haven't seen him play but the stats are certainly impressive.


Would he start and if not, would he be happy with a bench role? Kind of the reason he left in the first place wasn't it?
We have to start rotating more effectively anyway, if we ever want to seriously challenge, so it shouldn't be an issue if we get it right...

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

We have to start rotating more effectively anyway, if we ever want to seriously challenge, so it shouldn't be an issue if we get it right...

Sign him and Remy combined total of probably 15 million maximum, and then try and get in a top class midfield enforcer because Arteta certainly isn't


Aurier if we sign him shouldn't be more than about 7 million apparently


I'd be happy with that and a replacement for Vermaelen if he decides to clear off (which he probably will) and a backup goalkeeper if Fabianski goes (i'd still like him to stay but think that's not going to happen).

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Yeah let's buy Messi too.

[Munchies]

Yeah let's buy Messi too.

Rather have Ronaldo :coffee:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Is Vela wide right a better option than Walcott, Chamberlain, Gnabry and possibly Cazorla?

Is Vela wide left a better option than Podolski or Cazorla?

Wash and repeat for CF.....?

Those are the questions that need asking.... to play devil's advocate. It is a nominal fee so I wouldn't be incensed if it happened but he will command a tidy wage and if we're going to get anyone out of that club, please let it just be the better player they have in Griezmann! I do think a player like this guy is one of the missing pieces.

I agree with invisible that getting someone prolific from a wide area really will ease the burden on the CF and open the options up of who we go for there. It will be near to impossible to sign a world class forward this summer but we can easily get a forward capable of 15-20 league goals, make no mistake.


I hear Lescott, Ferdinand, Cashley are out of contract. Is there a bargain for us to be had here? :d We should not forget that in Sagna we will be losing a right back and somebody who is exceptional at stepping in at CB too....

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Nah mate, my name is the title of a favourite song of mine

Oh right my bad. Somebody on AHFC (an old board some of us were previously on) was called Bury the dream so I thought you might have been him!

[KSE Comedy Club]

Have faith, I'm sure Wenger will nearly sign him.

:lol:

[Munchies]

France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff has suffered yet another setback in his hopes of returning to fitness - after he injured himself whilst talking his dog for a walk.

The 27-year-old, once tipped to be the next Zinedine Zidane, has had an utterly torrid time with injuries in recent years, managing just 97 appearances for Lyon in the last four years before being released at the end of this season.

He failed to make Didier Deschamps World Cup squad, and now hopes of finding a new club this summer have been well and truly dashed after this rather unfortunate event

No transfer fee and injured. Sounds like the perfect player for us :lol:

[I am invisible]

Sign him and Remy combined total of probably 15 million maximum, and then try and get in a top class midfield enforcer because Arteta certainly isn't


Aurier if we sign him shouldn't be more than about 7 million apparently


I'd be happy with that and a replacement for Vermaelen if he decides to clear off (which he probably will) and a backup goalkeeper if Fabianski goes (i'd still like him to stay but think that's not going to happen).
I'd be happy with either (or both!) of Vela and Remy as bonus signings (i.e. a little something extra on top of anything else we were planning that we weren't expecting), but I'd be a little underwhelmed if that's all we did in terms of strengthening the attack? Don't get me wrong - both look decent players, and would add much needed depth and attributes to the attack that we're currently short on, so we'd still be better off with them than we are now - I just don't think either of them are what I would consider to be lone CFs (they could do a job there at a pinch, like Walcott, but not every week), and I'm not sure either of them have earned the 'world-class' tag yet? That's not necessarily an issue in itself, but I do feel that we need an injection of genuine world-class in the attack somewhere - I'm not as bothered as some whether it's through the middle or out wide, but we do need it somewhere, and I don't think those two on their own would represent enough...

[I am invisible]

Is Vela wide right a better option than Walcott, Chamberlain, Gnabry and possibly Cazorla?

Is Vela wide left a better option than Podolski or Cazorla?

Wash and repeat for CF.....?

Those are the questions that need asking.... to play devil's advocate. It is a nominal fee so I wouldn't be incensed if it happened but he will command a tidy wage and if we're going to get anyone out of that club, please let it just be the better player they have in Griezmann! I do think a player like this guy is one of the missing pieces.

I agree with invisible that getting someone prolific from a wide area really will ease the burden on the CF and open the options up of who we go for there. It will be near to impossible to sign a world class forward this summer but we can easily get a forward capable of 15-20 league goals, make no mistake.


I hear Lescott, Ferdinand, Cashley are out of contract. Is there a bargain for us to be had here? :d We should not forget that in Sagna we will be losing a right back and somebody who is exceptional at stepping in at CB too....
It might be worth raiding a couple of the relegated clubs for squad players? I keep hearing a lot of talk about Cardiff's keeper (Marshall, is it?), and someone like Hangeland could be a decent backup for Mertesacker?

Yes, we definitely need more goals from the wide areas - for me, Walcott's absence has been as much of a problem as out lack of CF options this year, and it's something I don't want to see us suffering from again (especially with so many available options out there at the moment). My other reason for wanting us to get another one or two wide men in is that I think the increased numbers in those areas would solve problems in other areas? For example, if we had 2 good options on each flank, then we could stop using Cazorla as a winger and have him and Ozil as our two options for the play-maker role, and that, in turn, might mean that we can start using Rosicky a little deeper, which might take a bit of the heat off of Arteta, etc. I'm also not sure whether I see Oxlade-Chamberlain staying wide or coming more central int he future, so it gives us a bit more scope to move him around too? I know people will point at guys like Gnabry, but he's only, what, 17 or 18 at the moment - by the time he's seriously knocking at Arsene's door, I expect players like Arteta, Rosicky and Cazorla may well have retired or moved on, so I don't think we need to look too far ahead there. And with someone like Podolski, I see him more as an attacking utility player, who sits between two areas (i.e. between wide attack and CF), and isn't really an ideal wide man.

[AFC Leveller]

We've been linked with Sanchez in the last couple od days. YES please! he would be a beast of a signing.

[selassie]

We've been linked with Sanchez in the last couple od days. YES please! he would be a beast of a signing.

Yeah I would love him here too...he's a very good player and I think he would fit in well here and do well in PL. I wouldn't mind Vela back here either but only as a squad option. He's massively improved in Spain and developed into a very good player but him alone would not be enough to improve our attack.

I see we have been linked to Benzema too...I would prefer him above any other player we have been linked with so far this summer, Benzema has world class potential IMHO and has had a good season at Real, there are rumours they will make him available for transfer if they are successful in their pursuit of Suarez.

[Marc Overmars]

Sanchez is pacey and comfortable playing from wide areas. Perfect for what we need.

Sign him up Wenget.

[AFC Leveller]

Yeah I would love him here too...he's a very good player and I think he would fit in well here and do well in PL. I wouldn't mind Vela back here either but only as a squad option. He's massively improved in Spain and developed into a very good player but him alone would not be enough to improve our attack.

I see we have been linked to Benzema too...I would prefer him above any other player we have been linked with so far this summer, Benzema has world class potential IMHO and has had a good season at Real, there are rumours they will make him available for transfer if they are successful in their pursuit of Suarez.

Benzema has so much potential but he's been waisted at Real and there were a lot of questions about his attitude and desire up util this season when Zidane sat down with him and told him to fix up.

Sanchez for me would be a great aquisition

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

It might be worth raiding a couple of the relegated clubs for squad players? I keep hearing a lot of talk about Cardiff's keeper (Marshall, is it?), and someone like Hangeland could be a decent backup for Mertesacker?

Yes, we definitely need more goals from the wide areas - for me, Walcott's absence has been as much of a problem as out lack of CF options this year, and it's something I don't want to see us suffering from again (especially with so many available options out there at the moment). My other reason for wanting us to get another one or two wide men in is that I think the increased numbers in those areas would solve problems in other areas? For example, if we had 2 good options on each flank, then we could stop using Cazorla as a winger and have him and Ozil as our two options for the play-maker role, and that, in turn, might mean that we can start using Rosicky a little deeper, which might take a bit of the heat off of Arteta, etc. I'm also not sure whether I see Oxlade-Chamberlain staying wide or coming more central int he future, so it gives us a bit more scope to move him around too? I know people will point at guys like Gnabry, but he's only, what, 17 or 18 at the moment - by the time he's seriously knocking at Arsene's door, I expect players like Arteta, Rosicky and Cazorla may well have retired or moved on, so I don't think we need to look too far ahead there. And with someone like Podolski, I see him more as an attacking utility player, who sits between two areas (i.e. between wide attack and CF), and isn't really an ideal wide man.


It might sound a little flippant but I think signing a competent reserve keeper really should be a formality. It's not necessarily an easy choice as the reserve becomes first choice with one injury to Sneezy, so he needs to be of a certain standard but it shouldn't take months of deliberating. There are plenty of competent keepers out there and though they all want first team they can't all turn down the lure of a big club.

I haven't noticed Marshall at all, though I hear he is statistically the best keeper in the league?!?....but actually I think it is quite common for a keeper in a team at the lower end of the league to have a keeper that is 'statistically' the best. I like Stekelenburg but there are many options.

With Gnabry I tend to ignore his age because he is that mature as a player. I think he has been rather unfortunate to not play more considering how he has performed when he has played so I wouldn't want to stock pile wingers with signing both Vela AND Remy.

The strategy imo should be to sign one top class wide player, ie Antoine Griezmann, who made the squad ahead of that tit Nasri lets not forget (though I think Nasri's omission in itself was strange) with world class potential and maybe another top class one like Remy if we must (and mainly him specifically because he won't command a hefty transfer fee).

The main draw of Vela, however tacitly expressed seems to be that he will command a nominal fee. However, if he isn't particularly better than what we have then we are just buying for the sake of it and that is why I don't think Wenger will.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Benzema is great and to me it seems most of his game is based on being in a deadly position at just the right time (though I think he looked a little more dynamic before joining Real).

Sanchez is awesome and as everyone else has said, can play anywhere in the front 3 so both would be excellent acquisitions.

Interesting to note that Sanchez is 5'7 and Benzema is 6'2......just putting it out there.

[I am invisible]

We've been linked with Sanchez in the last couple od days. YES please! he would be a beast of a signing.
Yeah, that's more like!

Interesting that we seem to be getting linked with wingers and wide forwards more than any other type of player at the moment - Vela, Sanchez, Pedro, Di Maria, and Giovinco all mentioned in the last couple of days, and then there's the older links to Remy, Griezmann, Draxler, Drmic, (before he signed for Leverkussen), Campbell, etc.

It does open up another interesting possibility for us, if we can't find the all-conquering, super-elite CF that we're after - perhaps we don't necessarily need to get more world-class into the attack through the CF role, if we could do it through the wide men? I'm not saying we should then go out and buy a shit CF - we still need someone good - but if we brought in someone like a Sanchez or a Griezmann, for example (or even a couple of players, if guys like Remy and Vela are available on the cheap), and you had them, Walcott and Ramsey buzzing around the guy in the middle, then maybe we could consider someone like a Mandzukic, or a Benteke, or a Bony, etc, who might not be our first picks, but who would still offer something different to Giroud, without losing his ability to bring the players around him into the attack?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Benzema is great and to me it seems most of his game is based on being in a deadly position at just the right time (though I think he looked a little more dynamic before joining Real).

Sanchez is awesome and as everyone else has said, can play anywhere in the front 3 so both would be excellent acquisitions.

Interesting to note that Sanchez is 5'7 and Benzema is 6'2......just putting it out there.

Benzema is whilst a much better player than Giroud too similar a type of player and what we need is someone who offers us something different and I don't think Alexis Sanchez is a realistic alternative because you'd have to ask yourself why would Barca sell him?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

We do, yet if Giroud had scored 5-10 more league goals than he did, I'm sure we wouldn't be so desperate to replace him. Aside from his other limitations like being slow, he does miss a fair amount of chances.

Sanchez wouldn't leave for cheap so the answer is money and the fact they might be looking for something different themselves? We could ask ourselves the same thing about why Real would sell Ozil and the answer is something like I've just alluded too. They were looking and had fond other options and we paid them a whole lot of gold. I'm not saying nothing else comes into the equation but money talks.

It's purely speculation though anyway.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

We do, yet if Giroud had scored 5-10 more league goals than he did, I'm sure we wouldn't be so desperate to replace him. Aside from his other limitations like being slow, he does miss a fair amount of chances.

Sanchez wouldn't leave for cheap so the answer is money and the fact they might be looking for something different themselves? We could ask ourselves the same thing about why Real would sell Ozil and the answer is something like I've just alluded too. They were looking and had fond other options and we paid them a whole lot of gold. I'm not saying nothing else comes into the equation but money talks.

It's purely speculation though anyway.

To be fair I don't think we need to replace Giroud, hes a more than able squad player in the same way that Sylvain Wiltord was the difference is we never played Wiltord game in, game out.
My personal preference would be to keep both Podolski and Giroud and add one or two striking options with one of the options having the versatility to play on the wing.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

That's what I meant by replace.....in the first team, not the club altogether!

[I am invisible]

Benzema is great and to me it seems most of his game is based on being in a deadly position at just the right time (though I think he looked a little more dynamic before joining Real).

Sanchez is awesome and as everyone else has said, can play anywhere in the front 3 so both would be excellent acquisitions.

Interesting to note that Sanchez is 5'7 and Benzema is 6'2......just putting it out there.
Do they even play the same roles? Whenever I've seen them, Sanchez has usually been on one of the flanks, and Benzema has been through the middle.

Both of which we need... just putting that out there too :coffee:

[Power n Glory]

It might sound a little flippant but I think signing a competent reserve keeper really should be a formality. It's not necessarily an easy choice as the reserve becomes first choice with one injury to Sneezy, so he needs to be of a certain standard but it shouldn't take months of deliberating. There are plenty of competent keepers out there and though they all want first team they can't all turn down the lure of a big club.

I haven't noticed Marshall at all, though I hear he is statistically the best keeper in the league?!?....but actually I think it is quite common for a keeper in a team at the lower end of the league to have a keeper that is 'statistically' the best. I like Stekelenburg but there are many options.

With Gnabry I tend to ignore his age because he is that mature as a player. I think he has been rather unfortunate to not play more considering how he has performed when he has played so I wouldn't want to stock pile wingers with signing both Vela AND Remy.

The strategy imo should be to sign one top class wide player, ie Antoine Griezmann, who made the squad ahead of that tit Nasri lets not forget (though I think Nasri's omission in itself was strange) with world class potential and maybe another top class one like Remy if we must (and mainly him specifically because he won't command a hefty transfer fee).

The main draw of Vela, however tacitly expressed seems to be that he will command a nominal fee. However, if he isn't particularly better than what we have then we are just buying for the sake of it and that is why I don't think Wenger will.

I think Vela would be a much better option over what we currently have on the flanks. We really don’t have that much when you look at it. Podolski isn’t a winger. Call him a wide number 9 forward. The same can be said about Theo but what separates him from Podolski is his pace and movement. Theo has the ability to stretch play, play off the shoulder and make runs behind the defenders. That’s two players that spend very little time with the ball at their feet and can’t dribble.

Cazorla doesn’t suit playing out wide and as he’s getting on we need to save his legs. He always comes inside and we really don’t need that from him. Ox is still a bit raw and Wenger doesn’t give Gnarby enough playing time because he’s more raw than Ox. We really need more options in that area. I don’t want to see players like Jack, Rosicky or Ramsey pushed out there if we start having injury problems.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I would agree we could do with another option wide. That said, I still think all the guys I've mentioned are more preferable than Vela, in spite of their varying idiosyncrasies in the position.

I would be so bold as to say that all Chamberlain or Gnabry need is a run of games in a wide position and they would both look good. Podolski isn't the most ideal but he will get you goals and his delivery is superb. Cazorla is as good and skilled a footballer as we have and Wenger likes one of the wide places to be taken up by a playmaker as we know. I don't always agree with the ideology but I think it works when Theo is on the field.

Griezmann looks like the most dynamic wide player I've seen in some time, in so much that he seems to be that balanced hybrid/composite mix of a player between being adept in a wide position but also dynamic and creative enough to play through the middle and thread balls through.

Like I've said I wouldn't be unhappy about Vela coming back but I would be if he was the ONLY one. To be honest I almost certain Wenger won't bring him back anyway.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

To be honest I almost certain Wenger won't bring him back anyway.

To be honest I think it's almost too good for someone like Wenger to turn down, a player that would cost any other club 20millon plus but cost us only 3million.
He will look at the difference between the amount we sold him to Sociedad to and the amount we re-signed him for as a fee for them developing him. My fear is that he will try and bring in Joel Campbell as another striking option rather than actually splash the cash on a finished product

Cazorla would have been 25 million had he not been playing for a club that wasnt in dire financial straits so we swooped in like vultures.

We clearly need more than just Vela but the reports that show we have triggered his clause seem more reliable than caughtoffside or goal.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Time will tell.

He is obviously worth more than 3 million but there isn't exactly a fight to get him. The sorts of clubs who'd pay 20 million upwards for him are probably looking at better players in any case.

It would seem strange spending a summer pursuing Higuain, Suarez and Ba, fail, only to trigger a clause a year later and bring back Vela and Joel Campbell.

[Marc Overmars]

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Vela came back and in fairness it wouldn't be the worst bit of business, providing he's part of a wider selection of players we're looking to bring in to sharpen up the attack.

Last summer doesn't have me believing we're going to be signing 2-3 worldies. We might get one but that's it, other signings will be like Vela and other bargains/unknowns Wenget likes to get.

[AFC Leveller]

Sanchez plays on the flanks for Barcelona but he is a centre forward for his country and looks a really good player there. I think he'd be a great frontman for us in our system as well as alongside Giroud if we decie to switch it up.

[Power n Glory]

Considering the numbers Vela has put up over the past three seasons, I think he’d be a solid addition to the squad. We’re not going to sign world class players all over the pitch and I don’t mind seeing smart business decisions mixed with an ambitious signing. Only Theo and Podolski can boast of a similar goalscoring record.

[AKBapologist]

I'd be happy with Vela for 3mill filling for Poldolski on the left. Left footed, pacey forwards have been something we've desperately missed.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Vela came back and in fairness it wouldn't be the worst bit of business, providing he's part of a wider selection of players we're looking to bring in to sharpen up the attack.

Last summer doesn't have me believing we're going to be signing 2-3 worldies. We might get one but that's it, other signings will be like Vela and other bargains/unknowns Wenget likes to get.

We shouldn't be convinced of anything and for good reason but there should be a level expectation from who the targets are at least based on last seasons targets (which we failed to get) and Gazidis' proclamations.

We didn't sign the top class forward or top class DCM so as far as I'm concerned the club should be looking at top players in those positions again even if not the same players. Whether we manage to sign them or not is another question but having gone through the season there's even more reason to make those signings as we have come up short in the league so proven if it wasn't already obvious that we do need those additions in the squad.

If the Vela deal is true and it is a matter of activating a clause of 3 million, then that is a formality and I expect something concrete in the way of communication out of the club this week. Otherwise it's probably a load of rubbish.

[Munchies]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnmZqCNIEAAPPoe.png


£££

[GP]

Dolla dolla bill, y'all.

Also, Vela has to actually want to come back. There's no guarantee he'll want to leave Spain.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnmZqCNIEAAPPoe.png


£££
Jesus that is actually a little bit disgusting.

But as we're top of the pile I'm totally fine with that.

[Munchies]

Dolla dolla bill, y'all.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVKiBhvqN4

[AFC Leveller]

Manchester City closing in on TRIPLE deal for Sagna, Mangala and Fernando
MANCHESTER CITY chief executive Ferran Soriano has confirmed the newly-crowned Premier League champions are close to announcing their summer signings.

Soriano also confirmed some players will leave the club this summer, including Joleon Lescott, who won't be offered a new contract after five years at the club and Garteth Barry, who is also out of contract after spending last season on loan at Everton.

Soriano: "The planning has been done already. We don't do this in the summer, we do this during the year.

"We know that some players will be leaving because their contracts are finishing. We have some new players coming.

"But it's fair to say that the base of our team is going to be the same.

"These players are players who are winning. Remember, we have only been working with Manuel Pellegrini for one year so we are sure next year it will be better.





Northern and Shell Copyright ©2014 Northern and Shell Media Publications. "Daily Express" is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

[Marc Overmars]

Sagan won't start ahead of Zabaleta. Maybe they want to use him as a CB? Either way, just :sick:

[Niall_Quinn]

Sagna can fuck himself if he whores out his arse to the gypos for cash. Shows what he ever thought of the fans here. Cunt.

[Niall_Quinn]

Also got a horrible feeling Barry could be coming the other way.

[Munchies]

Newcastle are threatening legal action against controversial TV presenter Richard Keys after he claimed Hatem Ben Arfa 'chinned' manager Alan Pardew. Sportsmail can reveal that Newcastle have already taken their complaint to the Barclays Premier League and Keys' employer, BeIn Sports.

:lol:

He was decent last season, but pretty shit now.

[Globalgunner]

:lol:

He was decent last season, but pretty shit now.
Deserves an award if he really chinned that tosser. Full marks to him

[AFC Leveller]

Sagna can fuck himself if he whores out his arse to the gypos for cash. Shows what he ever thought of the fans here. Cunt.

Yep. Would show a total lack of class and respect to the fans if he were to join those cunts.

[I am invisible]

It might sound a little flippant but I think signing a competent reserve keeper really should be a formality. It's not necessarily an easy choice as the reserve becomes first choice with one injury to Sneezy, so he needs to be of a certain standard but it shouldn't take months of deliberating. There are plenty of competent keepers out there and though they all want first team they can't all turn down the lure of a big club.

I haven't noticed Marshall at all, though I hear he is statistically the best keeper in the league?!?....but actually I think it is quite common for a keeper in a team at the lower end of the league to have a keeper that is 'statistically' the best. I like Stekelenburg but there are many options.

With Gnabry I tend to ignore his age because he is that mature as a player. I think he has been rather unfortunate to not play more considering how he has performed when he has played so I wouldn't want to stock pile wingers with signing both Vela AND Remy.

The strategy imo should be to sign one top class wide player, ie Antoine Griezmann, who made the squad ahead of that tit Nasri lets not forget (though I think Nasri's omission in itself was strange) with world class potential and maybe another top class one like Remy if we must (and mainly him specifically because he won't command a hefty transfer fee).

The main draw of Vela, however tacitly expressed seems to be that he will command a nominal fee. However, if he isn't particularly better than what we have then we are just buying for the sake of it and that is why I don't think Wenger will.

Vela and Remy would definitely be an either/or choice for me - we need to add someone to provide competition and cover for Walcott, and those two would fit the bill very well, but signing both would be excessive and unnecessary. As you say, if we do end up going for a couple of wide-men, then we need to be looking at one top-class player, like a Griezmann or a Sanchez, and one bonus player, who would still have to be of a certain quality, but who wouldn't break the bank because there's other areas of the side that need to money more. Ideally, I'd want one of those wide men to lean more towards being a more traditional winger, who's more about running with the ball, and the other to lean more towards being a wide striker like Walcott, who's more about getting on the end of things.

I don't actually think that would leave us with a ridiculous stockpile of wide men? We'd have plenty of players who can do a job there at a pinch, but with several of them (Cazorla, Ozil, Podolski, Rosicky) I really don't think that playing wide should be their primary role. The way I see it, we need a first team squad of maybe 27 or 28 players - sounds like a lot, but it's basically 2 good options for every position, plus 2 or 3 utility players who can cover a couple of roles for a bit of added depth. Based on that, and assuming that e're sticking with 433, then this is how I view our current options, and where I think we need to strengthen...

CF: Giroud, [?????]

(Utility CF/Wide striker: Podolski)

Wide striker: Walcott, [????]
Winger: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gnabry, [????]

AM/Playmaker: Ozil, Cazorla

(Utility AM/CM: Rosicky)

CM: Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta, [Diaby], [????]

(Utility CM/Fullback: Flamini)

RB: Jenkinson, [????]
LB: Gibbs, Monreal

CB: Koscielny, Mertesacker, [Vermaelen/????], [????]

GK: Szczesny, [Fabianski/????]

...I guess you could argue that this would leave us with maybe one too many wide players, but I've stuck an extra [????] next to Chamberlain and Gnabry because both of those guys are still quite raw, and also because I'm not sure whether Oclade-Chamberlain will staying there in the future or moving more central? I've also stuck an extra [????] in with the CMs, not because we're short on numbers, but because we can't rely on Diaby, Wilshere is still having injury issues, and because Arteta and our two utility options (Rosicky and Flamini) are all getting on a bit - this signing may not be critically urgent this summer, but it is something that we should at least be thinking about. Other than that though, I don't think that really leaves us with an excessively bloated squad?

[Power n Glory]

Yep. Would show a total lack of class and respect to the fans if he were to join those cunts.

We’ve had this happen to us so many times, it shouldn’t even be a talking point.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

We’ve had this happen to us so many times, it shouldn’t even be a talking point.

Personally not really fussed where he ends up, at the end of the day if this wasnt football it would be a no brainier for someone to go to a different employee to do the same job for more money. He's not going to go to PSG because 70% of his wages will go to the government unless he does a tax fiddle. Personally I'd be more annoyed if he joined City and we made no attempt to sign Micah Richards who would be an excellent full back and give us cover at centre back and is an Arsenal fan.

[Power n Glory]

When a player is out of contract, he's free to do whatever he wants.

Also, when your captain can leave you to play for Man Utd...this sort of thing is a drop in the ocean.

[Niall_Quinn]

Personally not really fussed where he ends up, at the end of the day if this wasnt football it would be a no brainier for someone to go to a different employee to do the same job for more money. He's not going to go to PSG because 70% of his wages will go to the government unless he does a tax fiddle. Personally I'd be more annoyed if he joined City and we made no attempt to sign Micah Richards who would be an excellent full back and give us cover at centre back and is an Arsenal fan.

This is true if we accept footballers are just doing a job and the whole club, fan thing is irrelevant and has no place in sport. By the same standard, as fans we should all just go and support the gypos now. They won, they will probably buy it again next year, it's a nobrainer for us to go and give our money to them and bask in the "glory". But why don't we do it?

Because there's more to football than business or jobs and frankly if the players have forgotten that we should cheer for the club but never cheer for them again. We shouldn't pay money to buy shirts with their name on the back, we should sit silently as their name is announced, we should sound a large MEH when they come around with their pens to sign autographs, we should tell our kids - hey, it's just a bloke who works for the club, no big deal. We should treat them the same way they increasingly treat us. Who sticks around through thick and thin? Who pumps the money into the club that makes the wheel turn and provides the cash to these greedy players in return for disrespect? Who really feels the affinity, who really has the ambition?

And in fact what about the club itself? What about the board? What do they think of the fans? I think we know only too well. So let's not cheer for them either. Which just leaves a name. Is that what we have as fans now - just the name?

Sagna is a nasty symptom of what the game has become, like Cashley before him and the lesbian and that vicious traitorous cunt van Cash Machine. And Sol Campbell, btw, which is why I never liked him. The hero Rooney would have swapped colours too had the fans not threatened to hound his arse.

Nope, there's more to real football than how much everyone can spend or take. The players at top clubs now get paid enough to set them up for several lives over regardless of who they play for. Decades back when they earned fuck all it was true that the career and earnings window was short. Now they are banking millions a year. So fuck them, this disloyalty and disrespect for the fans has nothing to do with ambition or security. It's just pure greed. Leaving a club where he'd start every game so he can sit on a bench for extra cash. What a fucking sad end to a career, the guy has no more respect for himself than he has for us.

In conclusion. Sagna - cunt. No doubt about it. Hope he trips over the bench and breaks his fucking legs.

Seriously - what a cunt.

[I am invisible]

Personally not really fussed where he ends up, at the end of the day if this wasnt football it would be a no brainier for someone to go to a different employee to do the same job for more money. He's not going to go to PSG because 70% of his wages will go to the government unless he does a tax fiddle. Personally I'd be more annoyed if he joined City and we made no attempt to sign Micah Richards who would be an excellent full back and give us cover at centre back and is an Arsenal fan.

I've never really liked this comparison between footballers and regular workers - for me, there's a world of difference between you or I going for a better job, where the extra few K/year you'd be earning could make a big difference to your quality of life, and a footballer who's already a millionaire moving to another club who will make him even more of a millionaire. In one sense, I know what you're saying is absolutely right - when you apply ruthless, objective logic to it, then it's a no-brainer: if you've got two jobs there, and one pays more, then you go with that one. But from a fan's POV, it just feels like footballers have the means to be a little more decent than that, and show a little bit more consideration to the supporters, especially when it's those supporters that have been paying your wages up until this point?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I think I'd agree with you if we were talking about a player who was London born and bred and had been a product of our youth system. But he didnt join us from Auxerre in 2007 as a life long boy hood fan, he joined us to play in a better league and have a better pay packet.
And that will be the case presumably for whoever we bring in to replace him.
I think when you consider the Money in the game it's almost absurd to expect footballers to have this purist mentality.
Sagna obviously still considers himself a top player, and as such he will want to join a top club and if he wants to remain in England why wouldn't he join a rival club if he feels he can get better money from them. Because he has played for Arsenal why would that necessarily make him a fan?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

But it just feels like footballers can afford to be a little more subjective, and show a little bit more consideration to the supporters than that, especially when it's those supporters that have been paying your wages up until this point?

The money we bring in as supporters wouldn't even touch the sides when it comes to paying the wage bill. Also reverse the argument, imagine your an English full back who had reached the age of 31 and has played for a club like Lille for seven years. You have run down your contract as your not impressed with the offer on the table, would you really turn down a mega bucks offer from Monaco where you have the chance to displace their first chance full back and double your money for a club that whilst you've been happy playing for, you have no emotional attachment to ?

[I am invisible]

I have no problem with him moving on, and going after one last big pay-day - I think he's earned that right after how he's performed for us over the years - I'm just saying that it would be nice if he could pick someone who isn't a direct rival in the same league. If he decides to go to PSG or Inter or Munich or somewhere, I'd shake his hand and wish him all the best...

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I have no problem with him moving on, and going after one last big pay-day - I think he's earned that right after how he's performed for us over the years - I'm just saying that it would be nice if he could pick someone who isn't a direct rival in the same league. If he decides to go to PSG or Inter or Munich or somewhere, I'd shake his hand and wish him all the best...

I agree and to be honest I think he would go to PSG if not for the top rate of tax, and there is no other big side abroad where he'd get the money.

[Niall_Quinn]

The money we bring in as supporters wouldn't even touch the sides when it comes to paying the wage bill.

Yes it does, it touches both sides and is funded in the main by the supporters. Apart from gate receipts, who buys the shirts, sandwiches and commemorative DVDs? Who pays to watch football on Sky Sports? Gardening enthusiasts? When Emirates Airlines shells out millions, where did the money come from (without going into too much gory detail)? Okay not just football supporters but in the main private individuals, it's not a gift. The payback is the huge advertising. But who would want to pay big to advertise in partnership with a club that has 500 supporters? It's the 60,000 in the stadium and the millions at home or abroad watching on TV that seals the deal. Absolutely the supporters generate the revenue - almost all of it. It would be nice in a while for somebody to say thanks, like Adams or Bergkamp managed. I don't think the "came from Auxerre" arguments holds up either. Who was Sagna before he came to Arsenal? What has occurred since that even puts him in a position to whore out to the gypos? Players forget all this when it comes to contract negotiations. They flit from being (supposedly) part of a club and all that entails one minute, to regular employees the next. It's as convenient as it is abusive. And if Sagna considers he's still a top player, why does he want to go and warm the gypo bench? Money. It's 100% money and a complete disregard of everything else that supports him in his privileged position.

[Niall_Quinn]

I have no problem with him moving on, and going after one last big pay-day - I think he's earned that right after how he's performed for us over the years - I'm just saying that it would be nice if he could pick someone who isn't a direct rival in the same league. If he decides to go to PSG or Inter or Munich or somewhere, I'd shake his hand and wish him all the best...

That's right, if he even gets a game he'll be running up and down cheering and hollering if our rivals score a goal against us. That's despicable. From now on players should just walk back to the centre circle if they score and say, shucks, just doing the job I was paid to do. No more of this running up to the fans to take the salute. Fuck them, if they are only employees and they'll hire out to the highest bidder then how can there be any loyalty in return? This is what players like Sagna are doing to the game. They are ripping the guts out of it for greed.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

So if I was a Doctor working for the NHS whose research had saved countless lives, I should feel that I would turn down an offer from a private company for untold financial reward and unlimited research funds because I owe a debt of gratitude to the tax payer?

[Power n Glory]

He’s out of contract. Is he supposed to stay here for the rest of his career and accept whatever is on the table? He’s honoured his contract and doesn’t have to sign another one. Like it or lump it.

[I am invisible]

I agree and to be honest I think he would go to PSG if not for the top rate of tax, and there is no other big side abroad where he'd get the money.
I don't know why I'm even getting upset by this anyway? We all know what footballers and clubs are like these days. We all know the supporters come about as low on everyone's priority list as it's possible to get. It's just annoying, because a lot of the time it feels like we get caught in the crossfire when players and clubs have their falling outs? It feels like some players pick rivals over other clubs to move to purely to spite their old club, when the reality is I doubt the people who run their old clubs could give less of a shit about where they move on to? The fans are the only ones who care - all the people running the clubs will see is that they've got a massive wage off the wage bill, replaced them with someone younger and cheaper, and will still rake in tens of millions a year in revenue, just for turning up!

[Niall_Quinn]

So if I was a Doctor working for the NHS whose research had saved countless lives, I should feel that I would turn down an offer from a private company for untold financial reward and unlimited research funds because I owe a debt of gratitude to the tax payer?

If you were working for the NHS and had a contract that offered untold financial reward and unlimited research funds (the equivalent of what Sagna earns right now in comparison to a REAL NHS doctor - which is where your argument dies), and you got an offer for even more from a private company and the new role was to destroy the NHS - I wouldn't respect you at all if you took it. However, if you moved to a private company that had no bitch with the NHS then okay, fine, sorry to see you go.

The reason he's a cunt is because he's going to a major rival, to likely sit on the bench. He'd rather sit on the bench for a rival (for a fortune) than play for us (for a fortune).

[I am invisible]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnmZqCNIEAAPPoe.png


£££

Wow! Looking at those figures, you have to wonder if top 4 even matters that much any more? £62m for finishing bottom - I think that's as much as Man U got for winning it last season?!!

[Niall_Quinn]

And Cardiff, Fulham and Norwich drop to a lower league with a £60mill advantage so the disparity filters down too. Way, way too much money in the top league and nowhere near enough elsewhere. That's what the Premier League has really brought, horrendous imbalance. And the football and players aren't even as good as the blokes who got paid £100 a week to play not so long ago (1960). If this salary cap has been carried forward to today they'd all be on a maximum of £800 per week, inflation adjusted. Rooney is now on £300,000 a week, that's 375 times the rate of inflation for an inferior product and an inferior player.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

He’s out of contract. Is he supposed to stay here for the rest of his career and accept whatever is on the table? He’s honoured his contract and doesn’t have to sign another one. Like it or lump it.

Pretty much...

Flamini did the same once upon a time and he's even back at the club without a whole lot of vitriol from most fans. The club didn't make an offer he was satisfied with.....and they stood firm (as we often do and as we did for age's with Walcott) and didn't want to improve it, so Sagna may have decided to move on. Part company and move on amicably. No shi* has been slung publicly by either side. City aren't even our direct rivals, they are just some team from up north who wear blue with fans who like to jump up and down with their arms linked together. The latest in a line of financially doped clubs... not the first and surely not the last.

Had he joined Spuds, I'd feel differently about it but he hasn't. I'd rather it wasn't a prem club he went to but good luck to him. Moreover, good luck to Wenger replacing him because he will need it. There needs to be an immediate replacement otherwise the criticism that will ensue will be quite justified.

[I am invisible]

Well, this lad Aurier sounds promising at least (from what I've read, anyway)? Supposedly built like an Olympic sprinter, good going forward as well as defending, and can cover LB and CB as well as playing RB. Young and cheap too, so he immediately passes the Arsenal-test.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Let's hope so for our sake. Hope he acclimatises quickly.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

It might be worth raiding a couple of the relegated clubs for squad players? I keep hearing a lot of talk about Cardiff's keeper (Marshall, is it?), and someone like Hangeland could be a decent backup for Mertesacker?

Yes, we definitely need more goals from the wide areas - for me, Walcott's absence has been as much of a problem as out lack of CF options this year, and it's something I don't want to see us suffering from again (especially with so many available options out there at the moment). My other reason for wanting us to get another one or two wide men in is that I think the increased numbers in those areas would solve problems in other areas? For example, if we had 2 good options on each flank, then we could stop using Cazorla as a winger and have him and Ozil as our two options for the play-maker role, and that, in turn, might mean that we can start using Rosicky a little deeper, which might take a bit of the heat off of Arteta, etc. I'm also not sure whether I see Oxlade-Chamberlain staying wide or coming more central int he future, so it gives us a bit more scope to move him around too? I know people will point at guys like Gnabry, but he's only, what, 17 or 18 at the moment - by the time he's seriously knocking at Arsene's door, I expect players like Arteta, Rosicky and Cazorla may well have retired or moved on, so I don't think we need to look too far ahead there. And with someone like Podolski, I see him more as an attacking utility player, who sits between two areas (i.e. between wide attack and CF), and isn't really an ideal wide man.

Hangeland??? He is a terrible player that is just getting worse each season. Caulker is the one we should go for, turning out to be an excellent centre back …as Mr Twitch predicted. And he bought Bale…so I'll give him that ;)

[GP]

as Mr Twitch predicted. And he bought Bale…so I'll give him that ;)

No he didn't.

[Munchies]

Aurier will miss 2 months or so in January due to the Nations Cup.

Don't feel comfortable with playing Jenkinson there. What if Jenks gets injured too?

[GP]

Diaby can play there

[Globalgunner]

Id have Caulker too. All the atrributes of a good CB. He would be cheapish. Maybe 10m. Even though some of it would probably go back to the Spuds. Hes young and the kind of player who will cost twice as much in a few years time. Stekelenburg too. Another player who would come cheap now his stock has fallen somehow but is still a top keeper IMO.

[Munchies]

Diaby can play there

Hope he leaves in the summer. He won't do fuck all next season

[GP]

Nah mate Diaby's here to stay.

He'll be manager when Arsene leaves.

[milla]

Nah mate Diaby's here to stay.

He'll be manager when Arsene leaves.

Diaby knows :gp:

[Munchies]

Manchester City agree to limit net spending on transfers to £50m this summer. [Sky Sports]

Only £50m ? :haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

Manchester City agree to limit net spending on transfers to £50m this summer. [Sky Sports]

Only £50m ? :haha:

Full article here.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/9314389/uefa-fine-manchester-city-60m-euros-and-restrict-champions-league-squad

Apparently they get most of the fine back and will have restrictions lifted in time for 2014/15 CL if they comply with conditions set down by UEFuck. I think that means provided the are able to sufficiently cook the books and give UEFuck a way to say the rules have been upheld (despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary), these heavy sanctions effectively turn into a PR slap on the wrist and a nice pay day for Platini. How could the gypos possibly satisfy the criteria before the start of the next CL without that criteria being deliberately designed to let them off any punishment. Got to hand it to the leeches and hand out crowd who run this sport, they have exceeded the limits of even the wildest farce.

Notice how the media is dutifully going along with it. The ones foolish enough to leave their comments section unlocked soon find out football fans think the exact opposite.

[Munchies]

Full article here.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/9314389/uefa-fine-manchester-city-60m-euros-and-restrict-champions-league-squad

Apparently they get most of the fine back and will have restrictions lifted in time for 2014/15 CL if they comply with conditions set down by UEFuck. I think that means provided the are able to sufficiently cook the books and give UEFuck a way to say the rules have been upheld (despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary), these heavy sanctions effectively turn into a PR slap on the wrist and a nice pay day for Platini. How could the gypos possibly satisfy the criteria before the start of the next CL without that criteria being deliberately designed to let them off any punishment. Got to hand it to the leeches and hand out crowd who run this sport, they have exceeded the limits of even the wildest farce.

Notice how the media is dutifully going along with it. The ones foolish enough to leave their comments section unlocked soon find out football fans think the exact opposite.

Yeah, just read that on a daily fail article:

UEFA announced the sanctions in a statement - but City will have £32m (40m euros) of the fine returned if the Premier League champions comply with spending controls agreed with UEFA.


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/05/16/article-2630779-1DE0F1C900000578-617_634x487.jpg

:yawn:

--
Didier Deschamps has filed a civil law suit against Samir Nasri's girlfriend after her foul-mouthed rant about the France boss for his decision to omit the Manchester City midfielder from his World Cup squad.

:haha: :bow:

[bunsco]

Nope, there's more to real football than how much everyone can spend or take. The players at top clubs now get paid enough to set them up for several lives over regardless of who they play for. Decades back when they earned fuck all it was true that the career and earnings window was short. Now they are banking millions a year. So fuck them, this disloyalty and disrespect for the fans has nothing to do with ambition or security. It's just pure greed. Leaving a club where he'd start every game so he can sit on a bench for extra cash. What a fucking sad end to a career, the guy has no more respect for himself than he has for us.

In conclusion. Sagna - cunt. No doubt about it. Hope he trips over the bench and breaks his fucking legs.

Seriously - what a cunt.


So Sagna is just supposed to hang around for most of his career 'hoping' to win something with us?

He only has a few years of top flight football left in him - the last 9 years have seen many a gift player effectively waste his time hanging around hoping WUM 'masterplan' will come to fruition, guess what, it never will.
so why not sod off to a club that will give him a fuck off big wage and have a much better chance at honours.
He must have sat here over recent seasons watching players go off to our rivals and within a year (RVP,NASRI,CLICHY), come away with honours, when they hang up their boots they can point to their medals and feel justified in their decision - stick on huge buck in the bank - to me , it's kind of a no brainer.

And even if we do win the FA cup, WUM is consistent in one thing - never taking advantage to move the club forward when given the opportunity. Trust me, if we win the cup it will end up being a crack cover of a win in the years to come....then again WUM might decided to surprise us.

Haven't we been here before?....

[GP]

You're right man, Wenger has never done anything to move the club forward.

[bunsco]

He’s out of contract. Is he supposed to stay here for the rest of his career and accept whatever is on the table? He’s honoured his contract and doesn’t have to sign another one. Like it or lump it.

:gp:

[bunsco]

You're right man, Wenger has never done anything to move the club forward.

Funny - in terms of moving the side forward on the field, getting the best out the resources at his disposal,freshening things up when we are obviously stagnating, addressing weaknesses every man and his dog but WUM can see, getting rid of the deadwood - you know the rest...

[Bury Da Bwoy]

£45 million for di maria?

Fook off madrid

[AFC Leveller]

Us and Liverpool after Bony according to the paps.

[I am invisible]

I like what I've seen of Bony - could be a really good signing for us, if we got a goal-scoring winger in too? Offers a lot of the best things that Giroud does in terms of his holding and link-up play, but looks more mobile and more comfortable running with the ball, and looks a little more ruthless in front of goal. Something like a Bony and Sanchez combo could be better than going all in for someone like Benzema or Balotelli?

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I like what I've seen of Bony - could be a really good signing for us, if we got a goal-scoring winger in too? Offers a lot of the best things that Giroud does in terms of his holding and link-up play, but looks more mobile and more comfortable running with the ball, and looks a little more ruthless in front of goal. Something like a Bony and Sanchez combo could be better than going all in for someone like Benzema or Balotelli?

Agree about Bony mate. He's a good age at only 25, can get even better and dare I say it, will have a resale value for a while which is something the club like :d. Looks really good in the air and he has the power of an Altidore/Anichebe but is proper player with it. I'd say he is a lot more composed in front of goal than players like Lukaku and Benteke too.

Benzema I think could cost up to twice the amount Balotelli would. If he wasn't such a fruit cake pursuing Balotelli would be a no brainer.

I'd like to humbly point out (lol) to anyone who suggested that we needed to wait till the end of the season to see how Diego Costa got on in the second half, that he carried on scoring and won the league with his club. Perhaps he will even add the CL to that. Better to sign a nutter who performs and proves his worth.

I know I know.....he's Chelsea's man.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

We're both "leading the race" to sign Milner, according to The Times.

No thanks.

[GP]

We're both "leading the race" to sign Milner, according to The Times.

No thanks.

Not it!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We're both "leading the race" to sign Milner, according to The Times.

No thanks.

We're both leading the race? I sense a problem with that story already.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Milner comes here and every single fucker involved in that deal should be dragged out into the town centre and shot.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Not a bad squad player/utility man/polly filler. But he would be an expensive one, though I don't know what his contract situation is.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

I'd take Milner.

There's a reason only Newcastle, Villa and Man City fans rate him. They know what he does for the team.

[Niall_Quinn]

Milner would have to take a pay cut from £200trillion a week to £25 - won't happen. At least that's what I'm telling myself. There are also vicious and hurtful rumours going around about Gareth Barry. I think the media can't stand the fact we won something so they are trying to piss us off with these terrifying stories.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

I can only hope he keeps doing whatever he's been doing to make those fans rate him elsewhere.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Wenger was once interested in Barry. Just saying.

His age will probably means that Wenger won't be interested any more though.

Vela, Barry, Kalou. Watch out world.

[selassie]

I'd take Milner.

There's a reason only Newcastle, Villa and Man City fans rate him. They know what he does for the team.

I'd take him too. He might not be "exotic" enough for some but he's a very solid player, he's basically a "jack" of all trades, he can pass, tackle, has a great engine, is very versatile. He would add a lot to our squad IMO and I could even see him working well in a Midfield partnership with Ramsey.

Moreover Milner has been very good in the big games for City, that is one thing I have noticed over the past couple of seasons.

[Power n Glory]

No, no, no! Why? James Milner? Another central midfield player that may also be able to play on the wing. Where would we play him? That’s just the wrong move for the summer. Waste of money unless we specifically need him for a role. I don’t want us to buy anyone just because they’re available and then try to slot them in. It causes unnecessary selection problems.

[I am invisible]

Agree with Power - even if I was a Milner fan (which I'm not), I don't see what problem he would solve for us? A totally unnecessary move in a summer where we already have maybe too much to get done as it is...

[Marc Overmars]

Milner. :lol:

It would be incredibly underwhelming but I don't think he's the worst player in the world really, though I would question the need for another midfielder like him.

[Kano]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bn9VmD8IcAAAuMs.jpg

[milla]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bn9VmD8IcAAAuMs.jpg

Great movie tbh. :coffee:

[AFC Leveller]

We dont need Milner or anyone like hm, we need real world class players (DCM, RB and striker) who can come in and make a difference straight away (like Ozil at the beginning).

[Munchies]

Bacary Sagna was officially approached by Man City yesterday and is holding talks with #MCFC in Manchester today. Story to come..... [Goal]

Not even yesterday could change his mind. Oh well. Enjoy the bench

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Agree with Power - even if I was a Milner fan (which I'm not), I don't see what problem he would solve for us? A totally unnecessary move in a summer where we already have maybe too much to get done as it is...

Versatile, decent on the wing, can put a great ball in for Giroud, great engine, hard worker, experienced winner as he's won several trophies, helps with home quota being imposed by UEFA. There's plenty of positives.

[Munchies]

Milner would be a good signing, but he says he wants a more central role, I can't see him having that here.

[Niall_Quinn]

Got to stop aiming low guys. And Milner is loooooooow.

[Globalgunner]

If he stops Arteta getting more game time, then OK, but hes not the DM we are looking for. However given that Walcott only plays 2 of every 5 matches and Wenger doesnt want to give Gnabry too much gametime then why not?

[I am invisible]

Versatile, decent on the wing, can put a great ball in for Giroud, great engine, hard worker, experienced winner as he's won several trophies, helps with home quota being imposed by UEFA. There's plenty of positives.

Plenty of positives, but I still don't think he would adequately solve any of our problems? I appreciate that we'll all have our own ideas of just what it is that we're lacking at the moment, but for me it's a CF, a goal-scoring winger / wide forward, a long-term successor to Arteta in defensive midfield, a 4th CB option (that we've lacked all year), maybe another CB (if Vermaelen leaves), a RB (to replace Sagna), and a GK (to replace Fabianski)... an that's just the bare minimum, IMO. The only positive on that list that comes close to adding something that I think we need is "decent on the wing", but even then I'd have a lot of players on my wish-list ahead of Milner for that job? Other than that, I don't really see him as a defensive midfielder, even if he does work hard, and he's obviously not a CF, a RB, a CB or GK. I suppose you could argue that he'd make a good utility player, and could cover a few of those areas at a pinch, but another utility player is a long, long way down my list of priorities right now. If we're looking for the first team, then what we need is more top-class specialists in their areas, and in terms of adding squad players I think we're mainly looking at defenders.

Is the home quota being imposed by Uefa really an issue for us (honest question - I don't know)? I would have thought we were well clear of that?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

I just don't think he's as bad as people make out. I wouldn't be overjoyed if we signed him but I wouldn't bash Wenger for it either.

[I am invisible]

Yeah, that's fair enough.

I don't think he's that bad either, to be honest - when I said I'm not a fan, I just meant that he's not really my cup of tea to watch, but I appreciate that he's effective. I think Ronaldo's a great player too, but can't stand watching him - his whole style of play just does nothing for me...

[Syn]

Milner would be a significant improvement on Arteta and Flamini. Don't know why he gets stick, probably because people don't understand his role. Man City won't sell him though because he's a good player and because they've got to satisfy the homegrown criteria.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Milner would be a significant improvement on Arteta and Flamini. Don't know why he gets stick, probably because people don't understand his role. Man City won't sell him though because he's a good player and because they've got to satisfy the homegrown criteria.

Wenger has said consistently he only wants to sign players better than what he has and offer us something else? Milner?

If Milner or Barry come anywhere near the Emirates other than part of an away team squad I'm going to torch the place to the ground with them inside

For me we need six players

A Centre back (Vermaelen isn't staying), a right back (ditto Sagna), a goalkeeper, a holding midfielder who can break up play and tackle well, a winger and a striker.

[AFC Leveller]

According to the Spanish press Cesc and Sanchez are both available this summer. Sanchez would be a great signing for us, just what need in fact. However, do people think we'd got for Fabregas too? Wenger still loves him to this day and he wont just sit there and watch him go to Man ure (hope not anyway).

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Versatile, decent on the wing, can put a great ball in for Giroud, great engine, hard worker, experienced winner as he's won several trophies, helps with home quota being imposed by UEFA. There's plenty of positives.

There are a small handful of players in the division who could have genuinely made it at at this level playing in any virtually any position except GK....

James Milner is one of them.

At 5'9 you don't want him as a CB ideally, but he has the all round footballing sensibilities to play anywhere IMO.


The question is simple though. If he's going to cost a lot and be on silly wages then obviously no thanks. But if he were to go for a modest fee on reasonable wages then he is exactly the sort of utility man you want in a squad. He's unlikely to complain, always professional and always gives his all. I remember watching a program years ago about the self agent program he was a part of (basically players who don't use agents/and or players who use ethical union reps to represent themselves). I was impressed at the time. Not a major consideration perhaps but at a club of ego's he's pretty much as humbled and professional as they come.

Imagine if Flamini was slightly younger, much better going forward and could play in more positions than he already can. That is what Milner is basically.

Wouldn't he be kind of effectively replacing Kallstrom who we actually managed to use more than once!

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

According to the Spanish press Cesc and Sanchez are both available this summer. Sanchez would be a great signing for us, just what need in fact. However, do people think we'd got for Fabregas too? Wenger still loves him to this day and he wont just sit there and watch him go to Man ure (hope not anyway).

Yes he would mate, lol!

[Bumble]

Milner is a decent all round player, versatile not a world beater but we aren't going to have 11 world beaters in the side but you always need this type of players around 100%ers. Anywhere around £5m is worth a punt anywhere near £10m and not worth it.

Sanchez from Barca has pace and directness that would be perfect for our attack. Liverpool had a great season (for them) as they attacked at pace and without Walcott this is something we cant do.

Fabregas is a quality player but think he might be a bit expensive for us considering how many other players we need to bring in. still think Richards would be a good cheap signing.

[Munchies]

I wouldn't want Fabregas here to be fair. He'd cost around £30m, and he isn't as fast or defensively good enough (like Arteta) to play with Ramsey. If he wants to be a squad player then sure. Ramsey is the main man in our midfield now, and the team should compliment him really.

---

Loads of reports saying that Yaya Toure is unhappy and wants to move back to Barca. Either it's true, or he just wants a massive pay hike.

Yaya Toure considering leaving Manchester City 'because the club failed to wish him happy birthday' :lol:



But Toure's agent Dimitry Seluk says the player feels disrespected by the club.

Speaking to the Sun, Seluk said: "Yaya is so upset he's thinking of leaving City. There are a number of things that have happened that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset. He must concentrate on the World Cup now. But City have treated him with disrespect and have really hurt him.

He added: "They don't know that money can't buy relationships – no Sheikh can buy a relationship. This isn't about money or a new contract – it's about human relationships and City have shown they don't respect him. I repeat, this is not about money. In fact, he would take less to return to Barcelona.

"What happened at his birthday meant the club don't care about him. It was proof. They can say whatever they want, 'Oh we like him but we forgot'.

"Forgot? About Yaya? The player who helped you to be two-times Premier League champions? The guy who helped you win the FA Cup and the League Cup?

"His birthday can be on a normal day and, in a normal team, his team-mates and club would at least give him good wishes.

"But when you win the title on May 11, a day later you go to Abu Dhabi and on May 13 you have a big party to celebrate the title and nobody comes to Yaya to say, 'Happy birthday', what more do you want?"

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoDyF6dIUAAUY0u.png

[KSE Comedy Club]

Some reports are linking us (making up probably) with a move for Ineista today...

[Grebbo]

Embarrassing stuff from Yaya, sheesh.

I'd take Cesc back just so I don't have to watch him play for a rival prem team. Can you imagine him playing with RVP at Manure?!
Haven't we got that clause where we can buy him for a fixed price of £25m? £25m for Cesc is a bargain in today's market.

[I am invisible]

What is it with footballers and the word disrespect? Every time something happens that they don't like, it's disrespect. It's like Chairmen and the word 'derisory', whenever someone makes a bid for one of their players? There are other words out there - can't we mix these things up a bit every now and then?

[KSE Comedy Club]

Yes I thought we had a buy back clause as well.

There is no way we should let Cesc go to another PL club. If it's not utd it will be citeh and that cannot be allowed to happen.

I also think we should be avoiding any African players. There's that Aurier chap and were linked with Bony but we cannot go back down the ACON road with players again. We need a consistent and strong challenge next season that is (on paper at least) sustainable.

And I have to say that Sagna has pissed me off a bit.

We've offered him a £90k pw, 3 year deal, which is a precedent for a player over 30 and yet he still looks likely to join citeh on a £100k pw deal.

Fuck you then!!

[KSE Comedy Club]

What is it with footballers and the word disrespect? Every time something happens that they don't like, it's disrespect. It's like Chairmen and the word 'derisory', whenever someone makes a bid for one of their players? There are other words out there - can't we mix these things up a bit every now and then?
The problem is these guys aren't all that intelligent it would seem so they use the same words everyone else does to make them seem like they are.

They clearly don't even know what those words mean.

[KSE Comedy Club]

So.....when exactly is/was Yaya's birthday??

How rude of Man Citeh and the players for forgetting his birthday in the space of 3 days of them winning the PL title and then flying to Abu Dhabi to celebrate said win.

It's almost like they had something else on their minds, which is incredibly selfish.....

[GP]

Yes I thought we had a buy back clause as well.

There is no way we should let Cesc go to another PL club. If it's not utd it will be citeh and that cannot be allowed to happen.

I also think we should be avoiding any African players. There's that Aurier chap and were linked with Bony but we cannot go back down the ACON road with players again. We need a consistent and strong challenge next season that is (on paper at least) sustainable.

And I have to say that Sagna has pissed me off a bit.

We've offered him a £90k pw, 3 year deal, which is a precedent for a player over 30 and yet he still looks likely to join citeh on a £100k pw deal.

Fuck you then!!

Apparently City have offered £150k

[I am invisible]

So.....when exactly is/was Yaya's birthday??

How rude of Man Citeh and the players for forgetting his birthday in the space of 3 days of them winning the PL title and then flying to Abu Dhabi to celebrate said win.

It's almost like they had something else on their minds, which is incredibly selfish.....

Yeah, I've seen some flimsy reasons for footballers trying to force moves in my time, but that's right up there with the best of them...

[I am invisible]

Yes I thought we had a buy back clause as well.

There is no way we should let Cesc go to another PL club. If it's not utd it will be citeh and that cannot be allowed to happen.

I also think we should be avoiding any African players. There's that Aurier chap and were linked with Bony but we cannot go back down the ACON road with players again. We need a consistent and strong challenge next season that is (on paper at least) sustainable.

And I have to say that Sagna has pissed me off a bit.

We've offered him a £90k pw, 3 year deal, which is a precedent for a player over 30 and yet he still looks likely to join citeh on a £100k pw deal.

Fuck you then!!

The ACON thing isn't ideal, but we can't be discounting African players completely because of it - at the most, I'd use it as a fairly obvious deciding criteria to choose between targets (if, for example, we end up looking at two equally good players for similar prices, and one is guaranteed to be absent for a month every couple of years and one isn't, then you'd have to go with the one that isn't). Before we get to that point though, our only thought should be looking at the best players we can get for the money we have - if we end up looking at an African lad who's better than the other options in his area, then we have ask ourselves what's going to be better for us: 19 months with the better African player, or 20 months with the inferior, non-African player (it's once every couple of years, so I've done the month-count over 2 seasons)?

And obviously if the non-African lad is better, then it's not an issue.

[I am invisible]

Embarrassing stuff from Yaya, sheesh.

I'd take Cesc back just so I don't have to watch him play for a rival prem team. Can you imagine him playing with RVP at Manure?!
Haven't we got that clause where we can buy him for a fixed price of £25m? £25m for Cesc is a bargain in today's market.

I honestly don't know what I'd do if we had the chance to sign Cesc back, even at the discounted rate? I guess it comes down to where we see him playing: in his old attacking midfield role, or a little deeper in CM?

[I am invisible]

The problem is these guys aren't all that intelligent it would seem so they use the same words everyone else does to make them seem like they are.

They clearly don't even know what those words mean.

I think they've all watched a few too many gangster movies, if you ask me - I bet if you went around and asked them what their favourite film is, 99% of them would say Scarface...

[Munchies]

Sagna was in Manchester yesterday, the deal is all but done really.

Seeing all the fans chanting that they want you to stay at the parade, the whole atmosphere at the club, but he'd rather be on a bench. Fair enough.

---
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoE-bqOIMAA4eng.jpg

[I am invisible]

Only 21 players allowed in their CL squad too - will he be one of them?

[Globalgunner]

Only 21 players allowed in their CL squad too - will he be one of them?

150k per week, Will he care?. Depending on how France do, this may well be his last international tournament too. I think he`s just after a last payday....Dont really blame him, though i hate the fact hes going to City

[I am invisible]

Well, it's done now anyway - time to stop giving any kind of thought to Sagna, and move on...

[Niall_Quinn]

Embarrassing stuff from Yaya, sheesh.

I'd take Cesc back just so I don't have to watch him play for a rival prem team. Can you imagine him playing with RVP at Manure?!
Haven't we got that clause where we can buy him for a fixed price of £25m? £25m for Cesc is a bargain in today's market.

That won't be from Toure, it'll be all his stupid agent.

So then, the World Cup has kicked off - here we go. There will also be some football I hear.

[Niall_Quinn]

The club bent over backwards trying to accommodate Sagna in sane fashion. 3 years and £15mill. Do you get that? 3 years at Arsenal and 15 mill! Club wanted him to stay, fans wanted him to stay, for almost two years a deal has been on the table and it has been constantly improved.

But no. It's not enough money, money, money.

We have now been cursed with being associated with the two greediest fullbacks in the history of football, Cashley Cole and Bacary Wonga. Fuck them both of course.

[Power n Glory]

:doh:

He's out of contract. Get over it. He's been a great service to the club. Show some gratitude and move on.

[Niall_Quinn]

:doh:

He's out of contract. Get over it. He's been a great service to the club. Show some gratitude and move on.

You really can't see the difference between a regular business with employees and a football club, can you?

The guy is offered a fabulous contract given his circumstances, knows he'll be first choice, spent the weekend dancing around with the FA Cup and having the fans chant for him to stay. In response he decides to go and warm the bench of our rivals?

Show some gratitude :haha:

Let me clue you in. Maybe it is all about contracts and the money for the modern player - and that's very sad if true. But believe me when I say, for some fans football is more than that. Much more.

You're not contracted to be an Arsenal fan next season. Why don't you support the gypos next year? Wouldn't that be the sensible option, in purely pragmatic terms? They'll probably buy the title again, they may progress in the CL, they'll get all the headlines and the plaudits. You'd get way more return on your investment. It makes no sense to stick with Arsenal when there's more on offer elsewhere.

But you won't go and support them, even though it makes practical sense. Perhaps, maybe, for you it's about more than just the money and the trophies? Is it?

Well all I'm saying is for some players that's not the case. It's ONLY about the money - as Sagna is clearly demonstrating. Fine, that's his decision and he's contractually entitled to it. But I'm entitled to my opinion as well, based on more than just a contract. I'm of the opinion he's a worthless cunt and a cancer on the game. And I doubt I'll be alone in thinking it. I can't see where gratitude comes into it. If he even gets on the pitch, the moment he steps out against us in that hated kit - where is the gratitude supposed to come from? Gratitude?

[Globalgunner]

:doh:

He's out of contract. Get over it. He's been a great service to the club. Show some gratitude and move on.

Hopefully this Aurier bloke will make us forget him quick, quick.

[Niall_Quinn]

Only 21 players allowed in their CL squad too - will he be one of them?

He won't care as long as he's getting his money.

[Niall_Quinn]

Hopefully this Aurier bloke will make us forget him quick, quick.

Well if the guy can cross a ball then memories will be as fleeting as Sagna's regard for this club and the fans.

[Globalgunner]

You really can't see the difference between a regular business with employees and a football club, can you?

The guy is offered a fabulous contract given his circumstances, knows he'll be first choice, spent the weekend dancing around with the FA Cup and having the fans chant for him to stay. In response he decides to go and warm the bench of our rivals?

Show some gratitude :haha:

Let me clue you in. Maybe it is all about contracts and the money for the modern player - and that's very sad if true. But believe me when I say, for some fans football is more than that. Much more.

You're not contracted to be an Arsenal fan next season. Why don't you support the gypos next year? Wouldn't that be the sensible option, in purely pragmatic terms? They'll probably buy the title again, they may progress in the CL, they'll get all the headlines and the plaudits. You'd get way more return on your investment. It makes no sense to stick with Arsenal when there's more on offer elsewhere.

But you won't go and support them, even though it makes practical sense. Perhaps, maybe, for you it's about more than just the money and the trophies? Is it?

Well all I'm saying is for some players that's not the case. It's ONLY about the money - as Sagna is clearly demonstrating. Fine, that's his decision and he's contractually entitled to it. But I'm entitled to my opinion as well, based on more than just a contract. I'm of the opinion he's a worthless cunt and a cancer on the game. And I doubt I'll be alone in thinking it. I can't see where gratitude comes into it. If he even gets on the pitch, the moment he steps out against us in that hated kit - where is the gratitude supposed to come from? Gratitude?

Footballers arent fans. Fans are irrational, so the same rules dont apply as with players. I get what your saying, but Sagna staying wont change whats happening around football in general. If city are already in peril of falling foul of FFP. Then why buy an ageing player who isnt a pressing need for them?. They do it just because they can. If they took 30 mins to look around the football world they could find a capable RB, 6 years younger than Sagna, who would be happy with 30k pw. It just shows that FFP is just an illusion. You let a billionaire club pay a paltry fine instead of barring them signing new players outright or kicking them out of the damn competition they just broke the rules for. That would be a proper penalty.

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoFM3haIAAEObnU.png

[Özim]

You really can't see the difference between a regular business with employees and a football club, can you?

The guy is offered a fabulous contract given his circumstances, knows he'll be first choice, spent the weekend dancing around with the FA Cup and having the fans chant for him to stay. In response he decides to go and warm the bench of our rivals?

Show some gratitude :haha:

Let me clue you in. Maybe it is all about contracts and the money for the modern player - and that's very sad if true. But believe me when I say, for some fans football is more than that. Much more.

You're not contracted to be an Arsenal fan next season. Why don't you support the gypos next year? Wouldn't that be the sensible option, in purely pragmatic terms? They'll probably buy the title again, they may progress in the CL, they'll get all the headlines and the plaudits. You'd get way more return on your investment. It makes no sense to stick with Arsenal when there's more on offer elsewhere.

But you won't go and support them, even though it makes practical sense. Perhaps, maybe, for you it's about more than just the money and the trophies? Is it?

Well all I'm saying is for some players that's not the case. It's ONLY about the money - as Sagna is clearly demonstrating. Fine, that's his decision and he's contractually entitled to it. But I'm entitled to my opinion as well, based on more than just a contract. I'm of the opinion he's a worthless cunt and a cancer on the game. And I doubt I'll be alone in thinking it. I can't see where gratitude comes into it. If he even gets on the pitch, the moment he steps out against us in that hated kit - where is the gratitude supposed to come from? Gratitude?

Did you think that about Sol Campbell when he was out of contract at Spurs and moved to us?

A player out of contract can do what he wants, if we don't offer him what he feels he needs then he's entitled to move. We sign players in contract all the time, does that make them c*nts?

[Niall_Quinn]

Did you think that about Sol Campbell when he was out of contract at Spurs and moved to us?

A player out of contract can do what he wants, if we don't offer him what he feels he needs then he's entitled to move. We sign players in contract all the time, does that make them c*nts?

Yep I did and I've said so several times in the past, including recently. He's a spud.

Depends on the circumstances. If I want to be PM first I have to get into politics, I don't just start at the top. Same for footballers so there's an understanding the top players will graduate to the top clubs over time. No issues there. Different thing entirely when you reach the top tier and then go to a rival for more money. It's not like these players are down to their last penny, they have millions anyway so they can well afford to give back some of the privilege they enjoy in the form of commitment and loyalty. A few do it, most don't. Just because it's the norm for players to put cash above all else, in a team game btw, not just some day job, doesn't mean we have to write off the principles. If everyone is doing it wrong then it's still wrong. Didn't buy Fabregas' bullshit about his boyhood club, certainly didn't by van Cash Machine's bullshit, we all know about Cashley Cole and they are just a few of the names. Once all the players abandon everything bar the cash then what sort of a club and team is left? It's just a bunch of mercenaries passing through. You can say you understand it and you could even push it to the extreme like some have done and ask the fans to be grateful for it ( :haha: ) but a whole chunk of what the game is supposed to be is gone and who can seriously think that's a good thing?

Why was every fan made up after the cup win? Because we have a trophy? Because we can brag to other fans? Hardly. Many said it, they've waited years to see the culmination of all those matches and match threads and newspaper reports and Maureen outbursts and everything else that goes into the game that's way beyond the cash. Week after week after week. This is what marks chavs and gypos out from the rest, they see these intangibles as commodities that can be bought and their disease is infecting the game. The net result of it all will be plastic teams, plastic players and plastic fans. That's where we are heading. Individuals like Sagna are greasing the tracks.

Anyway, Sagna's a gypo now so therefore a cunt by default. No other reason required.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoFM3haIAAEObnU.png

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 18m
My agent was trying to make a point here on my behalf, joke aside.It seems important for me to make a statement..i am going to do so.

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 6m
Everything dimitry said is true . He speaks for me . I will give an interview after world cup to explain

:wave:

[Niall_Quinn]

Footballers arent fans. Fans are irrational, so the same rules dont apply as with players. I get what your saying, but Sagna staying wont change whats happening around football in general. If city are already in peril of falling foul of FFP. Then why buy an ageing player who isnt a pressing need for them?. They do it just because they can. If they took 30 mins to look around the football world they could find a capable RB, 6 years younger than Sagna, who would be happy with 30k pw. It just shows that FFP is just an illusion. You let a billionaire club pay a paltry fine instead of barring them signing new players outright or kicking them out of the damn competition they just broke the rules for. That would be a proper penalty.

I don't expect the players to be as fanatical to the cause as the fans, it would be nice of they were fans too but I get the career element involved. Would be inspiring to see one of them say hey, I'm a rich guy, I play for a great club, we are back to winning trophies, the manager wants me, the fans want me, I'm first choice for the team, I have an International career, I'm going to the World Cup, I have a fashion model wife, drive a fancy sports car, life is grand and I'm staying at the club that helped me get all that and I'm sticking with the fans who paid for it and cheered me on through thick and thin.

He said, oh, more cash and all I have to do is sit on a bench? Playing for the fierce rivals of my current team you say? Okay, no problem, where do I sign? Adios SUCKERS!

Makes you feel a bit sick, especially the scenes of him parading around with the cup.

[Power n Glory]

You really can't see the difference between a regular business with employees and a football club, can you?

The guy is offered a fabulous contract given his circumstances, knows he'll be first choice, spent the weekend dancing around with the FA Cup and having the fans chant for him to stay. In response he decides to go and warm the bench of our rivals?

Show some gratitude :haha:

Let me clue you in. Maybe it is all about contracts and the money for the modern player - and that's very sad if true. But believe me when I say, for some fans football is more than that. Much more.

You're not contracted to be an Arsenal fan next season. Why don't you support the gypos next year? Wouldn't that be the sensible option, in purely pragmatic terms? They'll probably buy the title again, they may progress in the CL, they'll get all the headlines and the plaudits. You'd get way more return on your investment. It makes no sense to stick with Arsenal when there's more on offer elsewhere.

But you won't go and support them, even though it makes practical sense. Perhaps, maybe, for you it's about more than just the money and the trophies? Is it?

Well all I'm saying is for some players that's not the case. It's ONLY about the money - as Sagna is clearly demonstrating. Fine, that's his decision and he's contractually entitled to it. But I'm entitled to my opinion as well, based on more than just a contract. I'm of the opinion he's a worthless cunt and a cancer on the game. And I doubt I'll be alone in thinking it. I can't see where gratitude comes into it. If he even gets on the pitch, the moment he steps out against us in that hated kit - where is the gratitude supposed to come from? Gratitude?

As Globalgooner rightly points out, you need to work out the difference between a fan and a player. This blind rage is skewing your perspective. If all clubs and players operated on the principles you preach, there would be no transfer window and Sagna shouldn’t even be playing for us. He’d have stayed in France. If he’s agreed to stay with us for a number of years and fulfilled his contract, he’s done his service. He hasn’t agreed to play for us his whole career.

[Niall_Quinn]

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 18m
My agent was trying to make a point here on my behalf, joke aside.It seems important for me to make a statement..i am going to do so.

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 6m
Everything dimitry said is true . He speaks for me . I will give an interview after world cup to explain

:wave:

As I've always said - cunt of a human being, just another mercenary in a joke outfit stuffed with mercenaries, only in it for the cash, no respect for the game, and overrated too. The media's pandering and fawning is starting to look a little silly now - not that they'll reflect on that as they sharpen their knives.

[Niall_Quinn]

As Globalgooner rightly points out, you need to work out the difference between a fan and a player. This blind rage is skewing your perspective. If all clubs and players operated on the principles you preach, there would be no transfer window and Sagna shouldn’t even be playing for us. He’d have stayed in France. If he’s agreed to stay with us for a number of years and fulfilled his contract, he’s done his service. He hasn’t agreed to play for us his whole career.

Erm no, I thought I was supposed to be grateful?

And you should be too. You never said thanks to Global for providing you with a new argument when your own fell flat.

And you're sill not even in the vicinity of getting it. If Marketing had come along and offered him the chance of a lifetime then okay, you can start to understand it. But this is the gypos offering him a bag of cash to sit on a bench. But I suppose if he has so little respect for himself then he's hardly likely to have any for the club or the fans.

[Munchies]

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 18m
My agent was trying to make a point here on my behalf, joke aside.It seems important for me to make a statement..i am going to do so.

yaya toure ‏@Toure_yaya42 6m
Everything dimitry said is true . He speaks for me . I will give an interview after world cup to explain

:wave:

Lol. Just say you want more money ffs, no one cares :haha: . He should hire Rooney's agent, this guy looks like a fool.

Make a bid Arsene ;)

[Niall_Quinn]

Lol. Just say you want more money ffs, no one cares :haha: . He should hire Rooney's agent, this guy looks like a fool.

Make a bid Arsene ;)

If £190k a fucking week doesn't suit him then we're little bit out of our class in terms of mercenary fees. Still, we should table a £10,000,001 bid just for the fun of the gypos telling us we have no class.

[Power n Glory]

Erm no, I thought I was supposed to be grateful?

And you should be too. You never said thanks to Global for providing you with a new argument when your own fell flat.

And you're sill not even in the vicinity of getting it. If Marketing had come along and offered him the chance of a lifetime then okay, you can start to understand it. But this is the gypos offering him a bag of cash to sit on a bench. But I suppose if he has so little respect for himself then he's hardly likely to have any for the club or the fans.

My argument has always been he hasn’t signed a lifelong contract with us and regardless of who makes the point first, your argument has some obvious holes in it. If the game was based on what your arguing, there would be no contracts or club transfers. He’s helped us win our first cup in years and been a solid player for us. Not one of my favs but he’s gone about a move to another club in a professional way and hasn’t tried to get out of his contract early. I can’t really fault that. Not every player is going to finish their career with us. Wright didn’t, Parlour didn’t, Henry didn’t, Pires, Overmars, Petit…it’s a long list. I have no idea what role Sagna will play as City, but I know that Wenger usually starts to rotate and wind in players other 30 and has always been reluctant to offer the best possible deal. That’s his choice like it’s the players choice to accept that or move on. Some feel they still have life left with a top club.

[I am invisible]

Schneiderlin's been making noises about wanting to play for a CL club again. I think he'd be a good buy for someone (us?) - good tackler, good passer, has a good engine, and is PL ready...

[Niall_Quinn]

My argument has always been he hasn’t signed a lifelong contract with us and regardless of who makes the point first, your argument has some obvious holes in it. If the game was based on what your arguing, there would be no contracts or club transfers. He’s helped us win our first cup in years and been a solid player for us. Not one of my favs but he’s gone about a move to another club in a professional way and hasn’t tried to get out of his contract early. I can’t really fault that. Not every player is going to finish their career with us. Wright didn’t, Parlour didn’t, Henry didn’t, Pires, Overmars, Petit…it’s a long list. I have no idea what role Sagna will play as City, but I know that Wenger usually starts to rotate and wind in players other 30 and has always been reluctant to offer the best possible deal. That’s his choice like it’s the players choice to accept that or move on. Some feel they still have life left with a top club.

Are you his agent?

We offered him 3 years at £90K pw if the accounts are true. That means we broke the rules for him. Fine if he has time left at the top, that's what we offered him. You don't see any degrees in this do you? A contract is a contract, nothing else to be said. Business is business and I get the idea you feel it is naive and idealistic to imagine there's more to it than that. Maybe so, but only because more and more people are simply accepting money as the driving force behind everything. That's why we live in an unimaginably fucked up world by the way.

But in truth, I think we can do a lot better anyway and hope we do.

[Marc Overmars]

Amy Lewis ‏@SkySportsAmy 14m

Seluk says Toure wants "more attention from the club", adding "some clubs give flowers" and "it isn't about money"

:blink:

I thought Yaya seemed like a decent enough guy but this is embarrassing.

[Marc Overmars]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsEW7oafjE

:doh:

[Niall_Quinn]

tbf Roberto Carlos got a Bugatti Veyron from the club for his birthday, Toure didn't. The arabs can afford to buy a title but for some reason can't afford to buy Yaya a Bugatti. This is the level of disrespect Toure has to endure. I wonder how any of us would react if we had to suffer it? I can see how some people are going to spin this into Yaya being greedy and shit like that. But as he say's, it's not about the money, it's about respect. All Toure wants is respect and that's why he is speaking out like this via his agent. Undoubtedly it is the best way to get the respect he craves.

[Power n Glory]

Are you his agent?

We offered him 3 years at £90K pw if the accounts are true. That means we broke the rules for him. Fine if he has time left at the top, that's what we offered him. You don't see any degrees in this do you? A contract is a contract, nothing else to be said. Business is business and I get the idea you feel it is naive and idealistic to imagine there's more to it than that. Maybe so, but only because more and more people are simply accepting money as the driving force behind everything. That's why we live in an unimaginably fucked up world by the way.

But in truth, I think we can do a lot better anyway and hope we do.

When did we offer him £90k and a 3 year deal? Was that a last ditch move after negotiations stalled? Similar to the last minute offer for Theo? The damage may have already been done and he had already decided to move on. It happened with Cashley, it happened with Flamini and we were very close to losing Waloctt that way. Regardless of how the negotiations went, the player has a choice once his contract is over. If you want to talk greed, who could have tried to engineer a move away whilst under contract and sulked throughout the season leaving us with a useless player. Those are the degrees. From what your telling me, regardless of circumstances, if a player wants to leave a club, he’s a cunt. What does that make Henry, Cesc, Wright, Parlour, Bould, Pires, Petit….it’s a childish attitude.

You don’t know if money is the driving force behind Sagna’s move. He may want to win more cups and the title before he retires and this is his final contract. He’s given his peak years to Arsenal and I won’t begrudge him a move to bigger club. You don’t know if Wenger has him down as a main starter over the next couple of seasons either.

There isn’t a need to drag this into a ‘what’s wrong with the world’ argument but if we’re going down that route, I don’t see how it’s right for a corporation to have the sort of power to hold an employee for their career when they want to leave. Regardless of how much money a footballer earns, what you’re saying isn’t right.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Since when did City become a bigger club than us? :rolleyes:

Assuming that's where he's heading ie.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsEW7oafjE

:doh:

http://uploads.fcbarca.com/uploads/news-large/42318.jpg

He looks shady as fuck.

[Niall_Quinn]

From what your telling me, regardless of circumstances, if a player wants to leave a club, he’s a cunt.

And that's what you read is it? More of your selective reading and filling in the blanks with straw men. Plainly that's NOT what I said. I said there are degrees and you seem to be incapable of seeing them. Which is what you are demonstrating again. In fact it's you making the blanket statements. Your view is when the contract is up then that's that, nothing else matters. A purely economic and legal decision with no other relevant factors. Going all the way back to what I originally said, football is more than that. Or at least it used to be until the team and the fans became a distant second to the financial ambitions of the players. Complacency has allowed them away with it, your sort of complacency.

And then you do the slave thing when nobody mentioned that players should be forever bound to a club. Another straw man for a straw argument. I already said there's a huge difference between regular transfers and a player jumping ship for a direct rival. But you don't listen. In fact I think you probably don't read anything except your own posts.

[Niall_Quinn]

http://uploads.fcbarca.com/uploads/news-large/42318.jpg

He looks shady as fuck.

They both do. A gangster pimp and his whore.

[Niall_Quinn]

Since when did City become a bigger club than us? :rolleyes:

Assuming that's where he's heading ie.

Haven't you noticed how in awe of the gypos some gooners are these days? Everything about our club is small and shit, shit manager, shit players, Ozil stealing a living, Jack the guy who signed without fuss is a tosser that needs to be sold, etc, etc, etc. Meanwhile, Silva, best player in the world, apart from Kompany who is the best player in the world, apart from Toure who is the best player in the world, apart from Negredo (Wenger :doh: ) who is the best player in the world (or at least was until the media stopped prompting them to fawn). And when our players jump ship and leave for the big bucks - well hey, that's perfectly understandable and we should be grateful. Wenger's fault anyway, the stupid cunt only offered a £15 mill contract to a player nearing the end of his career. Wenger :doh: Entirely his fault Sagna is a greedy fuck.

[Power n Glory]

And that's what you read is it? More of your selective reading and filling in the blanks with straw men. Plainly that's NOT what I said. I said there are degrees and you seem to be incapable of seeing them. Which is what you are demonstrating again. In fact it's you making the blanket statements. Your view is when the contract is up then that's that, nothing else matters. A purely economic and legal decision with no other relevant factors. Going all the way back to what I originally said, football is more than that. Or at least it used to be until the team and the fans became a distant second to the financial ambitions of the players. Complacency has allowed them away with it, your sort of complacency.

And then you do the slave thing when nobody mentioned that players should be forever bound to a club. Another straw man for a straw argument. I already said there's a huge difference between regular transfers and a player jumping ship for a direct rival. But you don't listen. In fact I think you probably don't read anything except your own posts.

Don't take a short sentence from my post and then have the cheek to talk about being selective. I've read what you said and I disagree. Like it or lump it. Just sounds like you're throwing your toys out the pram because a player wants to leave. You're assuming it's all about money and not even considering it could be about winning the title before he retires.


Complacency has allowed them away with it, your sort of complacency.

Take your revolution somewhere else. It's falling on deaf ears. 'Complacency' what are you on about? Should we burn him at the stake? Fuck out of here. Tired of the rants.

[Niall_Quinn]

Don't take a short sentence from my post and then have the cheek to talk about being selective. I've read what you said and I disagree. Like it or lump it. Just sounds like you're throwing your toys out the pram because a player wants to leave. You're assuming it's all about money and not even considering it could be about winning the title before he retires.



Take your revolution somewhere else. It's falling on deaf ears. 'Complacency' what are you on about? Should we burn him at the stake? Fuck out of here. Tired of the rants.

I responded to the laughable conclusion you tried to engineer for me, the rest of your argument was just as artificial. I can't help it if you won't or can't read. Or put another way, no, I won't go over in detail the words you tried to put in my mouth. I'll just stick with what I said for myself. As for revolutions, that sums you up perfectly. You think it needs a (I assume undesirable?) revolution to row back one inch from your pragmatic, technical, lawyer's, horse's ass take on what normal human beings view as a team sport and an emotional, tribal, passion filled fan experience. You never cease in your extremist tendency to create polar views on behalf of people, regardless of what their actual views are. But it's easy to mimic, it's not like you are clever or anything.

You were the guy who pitched up suggesting we should be grateful. And then blamed Wenger :haha:

Seriously though.

[Power n Glory]

:doh: Do something with your life NQ. Quit preaching on Goonersweb about the woes of humanity.

[Power n Glory]

Or just kill yourself if it's that bad. :shrug:

We'll replace Sagna, he's done a great job for us. Life goes on.

[Munchies]

Sagna doesn't care, it's date night for him:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoGhP2HIQAAGsMU.png

[GP]

Her anus must be in a right state.

[Niall_Quinn]

:doh: Do something with your life NQ. Quit preaching on Goonersweb about the woes of humanity.

It's either that or endless moaning about how shit Wenger is and singing the virtues of players leaving for gypoland. Really tough choice but I'm going to stick with calling gypo players cunts and refusing to be grateful when our players jump ship to pull on gypo shirts.

[Munchies]

Her anus must be in a right state.

Thanks for that. Lol'd. :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Yaya. :lol:

He gets a birthday present of over 200k every week, what more does he want; Stevie Wonder singing to him?

[Özim]

Jack the guy who signed without fuss is a tosser that needs to be sold,

A good point well made, you just forgot to mention the most important point that he's sh*t as well, other than that spot on.

[milla]

Feking hell, we just won the FA Cup a few days ago and it is already gloom and doom over here. :coffee:

[Marc Overmars]

Her anus must be in a right state.

:haha:

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoHEKoHIMAEDmdN.png

Manchester United aim to gazump Liverpool in the race for Dnipro's Yevhen Konoplyanka [Mirror]

Remember seeing a vid of him on yt back when Liverpool were close to signing him, seems to have a good amount of pace on the wings. Wouldn't be a bad move for us either.

[Munchies]

Cesc Fabregas has been left out of a promo for Barcelona's new home kit... could it be a sign he is on the way out?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoHNw43IMAAgwaM.jpg

He's off

[Niall_Quinn]

A good point well made, you just forgot to mention the most important point that he's sh*t as well, other than that spot on.

Yeah, of course he's shit. He doesn't play for the gypos or chavs, he plays for us, inevitable conclusion, he's shit. We know already. All our players are shit, we get it.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I'm with NQ regards Sagna.

It's nothing to do with him being out of contract. Fair play to him for stayin till it was up, it doesn't happen often in modern times.

However the reason it pisses me off is that we broke wengers over 30 policy to try and persuade him to stay. Yes we kept on upping the wage offer, that's what negotiations are for, but we were never goin to offer silly money to him especially after goin completely against wengers own policy.

The fans were chanting for him to stay, the club wanted him to stay, wenger and the players wanted him to stay. We won the FA cup which gives us a real platform to push on from, and in the face of all that desire and gusto, you know the stuff that real football is about, Sagna decides to stick two fingers up to everyone and go to citeh for more money and to play less games.

You can try and argue that we don't know how they will use him but I can bet he will probably be playing half the amount of games he did for us. They are a rival club ffs, and he wants to earn more money and do less for it.

It's just a kick in the teeth to the fans mostly. If he went abroad then there would be no issue from anyone. But to jump on the Arab gravy train without any hesitation is what makes him a cunt.

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoI6kQ3IcAEJ37B.jpg

:doh:

[KSE Comedy Club]

Wow.

He's an unbelievable tosser.

enjoy your time in the reserves Yaya :lol:

[selassie]

Im with P'n'G on the Sagna saga. He's done his time here and its ended with a trophy. I got to admit I am a little surprised he is off to City but if he wants a real crack at the title before he retires then fair play to him.

The most important thing is we replace him with a comparable player, or of one of massive potential. We have been strongly linked with Serge Aurier of Toulouse who is supposed to be a great young talent, the the sooner we get that deal done the better as we have other areas we need to concentrate on strengthening .

[Power n Glory]

He'd be another face in the crowd at Barca. A very dumb move. They'll build around him at City. Never at Barca. It's like if Suarez where to join Real Madrid. He'd just be another player.

[Power n Glory]

Im with P'n'G on the Sagna saga. He's done his time here and its ended with a trophy. I got to admit I am a little surprised he is off to City but if he wants a real crack at the title before he retires then fair play to him.

The most important thing is we replace him with a comparable player, or of one of massive potential. We have been strongly linked with Serge Aurier of Toulouse who is supposed to be a great young talent, the the sooner we get that deal done the better as we have other areas we need to concentrate on strengthening .

:gp:

I'm hoping we sign a wingback that really adds to our attack on the right. Theo's role on the right has changed over the last two years and in order to play closer to the main striker, we need a wingback that can add to our wing play but also defend well so we're not vulnerable when going forwards. Sagna was solid on defence but wasn't the best going forwards. Very one footed, couldn't dribble and some poor crosses. But he really improved on the crossing since Giroud arrived. Can't complain about his defensive work. Hardly any worries when he played. Solid.

[Özim]

Yeah, of course he's shit. He doesn't play for the gypos or chavs, he plays for us, inevitable conclusion, he's shit. We know already. All our players are shit, we get it.

Well no that's not it, where did you get that nonsense from :unsure:

It's to do with his performances off the pitch, dedication and off field antics.

[Özim]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoI6kQ3IcAEJ37B.jpg

:doh:

More importantly has anyone worked with any vibrating tools in the last 30 years?

[I am invisible]

He'd be another face in the crowd at Barca. A very dumb move. They'll build around him at City. Never at Barca. It's like if Suarez where to join Real Madrid. He'd just be another player.

Maybe he just fancies the easy life and a bit of sunshine now he's on the wrong side of 30? Who knows.

[Power n Glory]

Maybe he just fancies the easy life and a bit of sunshine now he's on the wrong side of 30? Who knows.

Or maybe he really enjoys cake and it was the final insult. :shrug: If he wants the easy life and sunshine, just move to the US and play in the MLS.

[I am invisible]

...The most important thing is we replace him with a comparable player, or of one of massive potential. We have been strongly linked with Serge Aurier of Toulouse who is supposed to be a great young talent, the the sooner we get that deal done the better as we have other areas we need to concentrate on strengthening.

That's kind of where I'm at now - it'll piss me off if he ends up at City, but it's out of our hands, so it makes more sense to focus on who might be coming in. Aurier looks like the best RB we've been linked with so far, and it sounds like he's there for the taking at a relatively cheap price, so get it done quick and move on to the next problem...

[I am invisible]

Or maybe he really enjoys cake and it was the final insult. :shrugs: If he wants the easy life and sunshine, just move to the US and play in the MLS.

I wouldn't rule it out!

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I wouldn't rule it out!

It's all engineered because these players don't like living in Manchester, the money doesn't compensate for the rain and the slow paced drooling accent

[Marc Overmars]

Strange really, as he was a Busquets/Xavi type player when he was last with him. It's with City where he's really made his name, what makes him think he's going to be given that freedom to roam forward at Barca?

Still, it's pretty funny and destabalises City, so that's good.

[Kano]

Im with P'n'G on the Sagna saga. He's done his time here and its ended with a trophy. I got to admit I am a little surprised he is off to City but if he wants a real crack at the title before he retires then fair play to him.
He won't even be the best right back at the club. Minimal games for a maximum return. Says a lot about him.

[Munchies]

Funny thing is that it's really out of the blue. He's 31 now and is in the best form of his career.

If he wants more money, just hire Wazza's agent.

[Niall_Quinn]

Toure and Sagna, birds of a feather. All that shit players go on about, ambition, winning stuff, blah, blah - it's money and only money they give a shit about. There must be at least a few exceptions, but not these two, that's for sure. Toure earns a fortune, has a PL medal in his claw, he didn't get any of that single handedly, it was the result of a big operation involving many individuals. But his me, me, me to the exclusion of all else philosophy would never appreciate that. Time for the next big money move. Sagna earns a fortune, has a Cup medal in his claw, he didn't get any of it single handedly (that's for fucking sure), it was the result of a big operation involving many individuals. Me, me, me, show me the money.

Cashley Cole never shook his deserved reputation for pure greed. These two are part of the same club and hopefully their inestimable greed will be their legacy.

[Power n Glory]

It's no comparison. Toure can retire knowing he's won the CL, leagues and cups in La Liga and Premiership. Sagna only has the FA Cup to his name. Toure just signed a new deal and is now trying to use his agent to engineer a move away to another club. Sagna saw out his contract and declined Arsenal's offer. He's not even the highest paid player in the squad or even close to that bracket. In the prime of his career he's been on a low contract whilst seeing big deals rolled out to players that lack the same consistency. But they're rewarded because they're younger.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Toure and Sagna, birds of a feather. All that shit players go on about, ambition, winning stuff, blah, blah - it's money and only money they give a shit about

Not exactly fair, they care about all the things money can buy like alcohol, drugs, cars and gash

And anyone who feels compelled to reply Yaya Toure is a Muzza, so were the 9/11 hijackers they were still seen in nightclubs doing a copious amount of booze and blow and cavorting with hookers.

[Özim]

It's no comparison. Toure can retire knowing he's won the CL, leagues and cups in La Liga and Premiership. Sagna only has the FA Cup to his name. Toure just signed a new deal and is now trying to use his agent to engineer a move away to another club. Sagna saw out his contract and declined Arsenal's offer. He's not even the highest paid player in the squad or even close to that bracket. In the prime of his career he's been on a low contract whilst seeing big deals rolled out to players that lack the same consistency. But they're rewarded because they're younger.

Totally agree, but it's OK to give players like Wilshere big contracts when they've achived nothing apparently, he's a loyal soul after all (despite being handed big money contracts on a plate all his career).

[Özim]

Cashley Cole never shook his deserved reputation for pure greed. These two are part of the same club and hopefully their inestimable greed will be their legacy.

On the face of it Cole's move worked out well for him, financially and in footballing terms, if he'd stayed like you suggest he'd have precious little to show for it.

I guess he could have told his children he played in the CL for X amount of times in a row thanks to 4th place finishes.

[selassie]

He won't even be the best right back at the club. Minimal games for a maximum return. Says a lot about him.

Yeah, though I don't think there is really much separating him and Zabaleta.

I personally think Sagna will get his fair share of games there, City could also use him at Centre Back.

We might not like it but the reality is we're losing a very good established international player in Sagna.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Sagna isn't actually a City player yet. It may well happen but it hasn't yet. How sheepish will some of these comments look if he finds a resolution with us?

I don't think his crossing is anywhere near as bad as a lot of people seem to think on here or that Zabaletta is head and shoulders a cut above. He's not Maradonna with the ball going forward but he needn't be and has still been one of the best right backs in the league and most consistent Arsenal players for a decade. He's an defender and what we lose in a right back we will also be losing in a senior player and cover CB.

Aurier might be great but it isn't really fair to expect a player from France (who is only 21 and a year older than Chamberlain I hasten to add) to come in and immediately perform at a level the best right back in league over a long period of time has been performing at. If it doesn't work, there will inevitably be some fans foolish enough to zealously berate the player for falling short when the circumstances mean he has every right to find adapting a little difficult and not seamless.

Yaya's outburst is embarrassing and God knows what is going through his head. I can only think that he just totally believes all of his hype but a sterling player he is make no mistake. He hasn't actually really ever explicitly complained about his restrained role at Barca so the assumption that he would only enjoy going back to Barca on the premise he takes up a similar role to his current one at City is ultimately flawed.

I suspect he just likes the prestige, glitz, glam, sexy footy and all the other trimmings that comes with playing for a team like Barca. Unprecedented success, top wages, sunshine..... He's just the ultimate footballing diva, he's just usually less vocal about it than a few of the others like Ibra, Conartist, etc etc. He certainly doesn't have his brothers humility.

He's the sort of player you'd absolutely love at the club. If that sounds questionable on the basis of his character, then I'd suggest that his character is no more insane than Suarez'. Too bad his club don't need to remotely consider taking our money because he might just move to us to piss City off and feel appreciated. I'm sure Wenger won't forget his birthday, especially as he is already over 30.

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoMT8pqCAAIPXY2.jpg

:haha:

[fakeyank]

Sagna isn't actually a City player yet. It may well happen but it hasn't yet. How sheepish will some of these comments look if he finds a resolution with us?

I don't think his crossing is anywhere near as bad as a lot of people seem to think on here or that Zabaletta is head and shoulders a cut above. He's not Maradonna with the ball going forward but he needn't be and has still been one of the best right backs in the league and most consistent Arsenal players for a decade. He's an defender and what we lose in a right back we will also be losing in a senior player and cover CB.

Aurier might be great but it isn't really fair to expect a player from France (who is only 21 and a year older than Chamberlain I hasten to add) to come in and immediately perform at a level the best right back in league over a long period of time has been performing at. If it doesn't work, there will inevitably be some fans foolish enough to zealously berate the player for falling short when the circumstances mean he has every right to find adapting a little difficult and not seamless.

Yaya's outburst is embarrassing and God knows what is going through his head. I can only think that he just totally believes all of his hype but a sterling player he is make no mistake. He hasn't actually really ever explicitly complained about his restrained role at Barca so the assumption that he would only enjoy going back to Barca on the premise he takes up a similar role to his current one at City is ultimately flawed.

I suspect he just likes the prestige, glitz, glam, sexy footy and all the other trimmings that comes with playing for a team like Barca. Unprecedented success, top wages, sunshine..... He's just the ultimate footballing diva, he's just usually less vocal about it than a few of the others like Ibra, Conartist, etc etc. He certainly doesn't have his brothers humility.

He's the sort of player you'd absolutely love at the club. If that sounds questionable on the basis of his character, then I'd suggest that his character is no more insane than Suarez'. Too bad his club don't need to remotely consider taking our money because he might just move to us to piss City off and feel appreciated. I'm sure Wenger won't forget his birthday, especially as he is already over 30.

:gp:

Cant agree more on the highlighted part.

[Munchies]

We've released Ignasi Miquel, defender who joined from Barca

Ryo Myaichi to be released next

[Marc Overmars]

Project youth. :lol:

I remember that.

[Munchies]

Loads of reports saying that Kroos to United is agreed. £20m.

Bargain in the current transfer market.

[I am invisible]

Keeps them away from Fabs, I guess - couldn't stomach seeing him at one of our rivals too!

[Munchies]

Sagna has finalised terms with Manchester City [L'Equipe]

:wave:

[Marc Overmars]

Loads of reports saying that Kroos to United is agreed. £20m.

Bargain in the current transfer market.

Hope not but I fear LVG may actually know what he's doing in the transfer market unlike Moyes.

[Power n Glory]

Sagna isn't actually a City player yet. It may well happen but it hasn't yet. How sheepish will some of these comments look if he finds a resolution with us?

I don't think his crossing is anywhere near as bad as a lot of people seem to think on here or that Zabaletta is head and shoulders a cut above. He's not Maradonna with the ball going forward but he needn't be and has still been one of the best right backs in the league and most consistent Arsenal players for a decade. He's an defender and what we lose in a right back we will also be losing in a senior player and cover CB.

Aurier might be great but it isn't really fair to expect a player from France (who is only 21 and a year older than Chamberlain I hasten to add) to come in and immediately perform at a level the best right back in league over a long period of time has been performing at. If it doesn't work, there will inevitably be some fans foolish enough to zealously berate the player for falling short when the circumstances mean he has every right to find adapting a little difficult and not seamless.

Yaya's outburst is embarrassing and God knows what is going through his head. I can only think that he just totally believes all of his hype but a sterling player he is make no mistake. He hasn't actually really ever explicitly complained about his restrained role at Barca so the assumption that he would only enjoy going back to Barca on the premise he takes up a similar role to his current one at City is ultimately flawed.

I suspect he just likes the prestige, glitz, glam, sexy footy and all the other trimmings that comes with playing for a team like Barca. Unprecedented success, top wages, sunshine..... He's just the ultimate footballing diva, he's just usually less vocal about it than a few of the others like Ibra, Conartist, etc etc. He certainly doesn't have his brothers humility.

He's the sort of player you'd absolutely love at the club. If that sounds questionable on the basis of his character, then I'd suggest that his character is no more insane than Suarez'. Too bad his club don't need to remotely consider taking our money because he might just move to us to piss City off and feel appreciated. I'm sure Wenger won't forget his birthday, especially as he is already over 30.

Same discussions were being had here last year regarding Walcott. ‘He’s greedy, he’s rubbish, we don’t need him’ etc….look how that turned out. He eventually signed and people now see the value he brings to the squad. I don’t think Sagna will sign a new deal. It’s a little too late. I don’t know why the club continue to do things this way. It’s not the first time we’ve dragged our heels with the negotiations, left a deal on the table that was rejected ages ago, we play hardball with a take it or leave it proposal and that just sours the whole ordeal. The player ends up on the verge of leaving and we then offer last minute proposal at the death. It could be too late by then and we’re in a position where we have to sell for cheap or let them walk on a free. I remember Theo saying ages ago, during the contract negotiations in 2009, that they shouldn’t just assume he’d sign any deal presented. It took them ages to sit down with him to negotiate and that could have gone pear shaped.

Not all negotiations will run smoothly, but I wish we didn’t take such risks with important first team players whilst we have no back up. With Sagna, you’re right, we lose one of the league’s best RB and cover for CB and LB. We should really have the competition sitting on the bench. Sagna’s improved on his crossing and has always been granite at the back. I guessing we were hesitant about offering a new deal because he had the two broken legs. From what I understand, they initially offered him a two year deal with no wage increase. That was rejected very early and he must have had his mind set from then on. It’s frustrating to lose a player this way, especially when we don’t know how his replacement will cope. Monreal is an example. He can be so hit and miss and it leaves us exposed.