"Thomas Vermaelen may leave" - Wenger

[Xhaka Can’t]

It pretty much looks nailed on now that Wenger has come out with this statement. I wish this wasn't the case. I appreciate TV wanting to play all the time, but he is the type of player we need to maintain depth in the squad.

[GP]

Yeh, I'd prefer he stay, but he's just not as good as the other two.

I guess he just wants to play on the regular. I can respect that.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

If it is Man Utd he goes to, in all likelihood he would be swapping one bench for another.

However I don't know much cover he really provides for us any more. Injured more often than not and his goalscoring exploits have gone out the window too.

[Keith]

Do we still own Djourou?

[GP]

No

[I am invisible]

I have no objection to letting Vermaelen go if we get a good (ideally young) replacement in, but letting him go to Man U shouldn't be on the table - aside from the fact that they're a massive bunch of cunnies, I think van Gaal is trying to implement the same 3 CB system that he used with Holland, and Vermaelen, as a guy who can play CB and LB, would be a good fit for that.

Ideal scenario: we dick ManUre around until deadline day, and then sell Tommy to Barca.

[Penguin]

Thing is, Vermaelen wont break up the Mertecielny partnership unless one of them gets injured, and he will lose his place as soon as the injured one is back. And he knows it. He probably made up his mind about leaving over 9 months ago.

Wenger wont want him to leave but he wont stand in his way and force him to stay either. Vermaelen could easily have kicked up a fuss about not getting playing time last season, especially since it was world cup year. But he didn't, and he admirably kept his mouth shut and dodged awkward questions in interviews so he wouldn't disrupt our season. He deserves a move, but NOT to Man United.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Thing is, Vermaelen wont break up the Mertecielny partnership unless one of them gets injured, and he will lose his place as soon as the injured one is back. And he knows it. He probably made up his mind about leaving over 9 months ago.

Wenger wont want him to leave but he wont stand in his way and force him to stay either. Vermaelen could easily have kicked up a fuss about not getting playing time last season, especially since it was world cup year. But he didn't, and he admirably kept his mouth shut and dodged awkward questions in interviews so he wouldn't disrupt our season. He deserves a move, but NOT to Man United.

i think wenger got the memo that selling our players to a rival is not kosher otherwise i tend to think he'd be playing for United already. If he goes to Barca, he goes....so far this summer i think Wenger has earned enough credibility that if he sells him that we will get in a replacement so i am not too fussed either way.

[Ollie the Optimist]

he never once complained last season, kept his head down and did what he had to do for the team. Even if he goes to united, still will have respect for him, hasn't forced his move, hasn't bitched in the press and always gave 100%. Read somewhere this morning that it could be a swap deal with Smalling. Wouldn't be too bad.

Also this would hardly be strengthening united. Just imagine a Phil Jones and Vermaelen partnership.

[cricketsi]

No
http://www.arsenal.com/first-team/players/johan-djourou

It seems as though the official website are not quite ready to give him up though...

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

If Wenger is happy to sign somebody of at least equal standing / ability then fine, let him go over Manure. I will wish him well (relatively) and he won't be a 'cunt'.... at lest not to me. As mentioned, he hasn't bitched, but I do think bitching is quite rich and ironic, when nobody can deny, even the player himself that he does not deserve to be in the bleeding team.

Does Wenger really want to give himself more work to do though? Yes he is unhappy on the bench...any decent pro on a bench shouldn't be completely happy, bleeding heck. I'm tired of letting players go remotely unhappy. Why not just have a continually revolving door for the lads on the bench like some sort of camp conga that doesn't want to stop.

Better roll your socks up Chambers. Probably be playing all the time.

[Syn]

Agreed, the guy hasn't said a bad word or bitched to the press about the lack of playing time, even though it cost him a chance to keep his WC starting spot. Id prefer if he didn't go to man utd because I still think he's better than any of their poor selection of CBs. But it seems Van Gaal rates him and he looks almost certain to go that way.

Think we'll replace him but only with a versatile signing. Either a player that plays CB and RB or a holding midfield player that can drop back to CB, like Song or Mascherano. Apparently Carvalho can do that.

[Niall_Quinn]

Obviously no way we should sell him (or anyone) to Utd. Should go without saying. If he's off he'll find a team overseas hopefully. Neither do we want any of that shite at Utd coming the other way. They don't have anyone we need, except the last guy we sold them.

[GP]

Obviously no way we should sell him (or anyone) to Utd. Should go without saying. If he's off he'll find a team overseas hopefully. Neither do we want any of that shite at Utd coming the other way. They don't have anyone we need, except the last guy we sold them.

Don't need him either.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Small chatter that Wenger says no deal to a Utd move and that may open door to Barca coming in for him.....if he goes we need someone new in....have heard we could rival Utd for Hummels signature and even though we have the fritz factor I can't see that being a move that would create harmony with the existing starters! Neither of them would want to go to bench and you don't bring 30 mil of talent in to do that either!!!

[GP]

Hummels would be cool. If you're light in a certain position, might as well aim as high as you can.

[selassie]

Off to Barca? On Sky Sports "Live Transfer updates", Barca have bid 10mill for Tommy V.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Best for all parties as long as we sign in a replacement. Can't go into the new season with the green Chambers as third choice.

[selassie]

Best for all parties as long as we sign in a replacement. Can't go into the new season with the green Chambers as third choice.

Yep, pretty much how I feel, we def need to replace him.

[fakeyank]

Straight swap for Billong Song then? :run:

[Maestro]

Best for all parties as long as we sign in a replacement. Can't go into the new season with the green Chambers as third choice.

Yep, sad to lose him but quite happy he's leaving the country completely and not ending up in Manchester. Our immediate job now is to replace him adequately.

[Niall_Quinn]

Another captain bites the dust. He worked for the team, kept his mouth shut and got on with it when he lost his starting place, and we won't be seeing him in that monstrosity Utd call a kit. So good luck to him in Spain. Who will be captain now? Rooney? Yet another decision for the genius van Gaal to make.

[Xhaka Can’t]

In a move that show the world his true brilliance, he'll name himself Captain.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Hummels!? :lol: Wenger will never pay what it costs to get him. I know he signed EERRzill but Hummel's isn't going to lead the assist charts and I'm a big fan of his.

Frankly....if we can't get a replacement of equal standing for 10 mill then why let Vermaelen leave for that amount anyway...

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Well we can't really rely on Vermaelen being there as third choice based on past history, so why keep him?

I have no problems with this transfer whatsoever although it is funny that Barca spend years and years delaying on signing a centreback and the one they opt for turns out to be Vermaelen. :lol:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

On the basis of a sketchy injury history and woes we might say why keep, Theo, Diaby, Wilshere, Gibbs or Rosicky.

Actually they signed one (a seasoned pro) already from a Spanish club who's name I forget so Vermaelen would be at least their second this summer.

[Syn]

I'm assuming he's not going to bring in 2 players now even if Vermaelen leaves...but the internet heroes suggest we're planning one a £20m+ move. If that's the case I think Arsenal should accept the bid and put the £10m into the fund to buy a top defensive mid that could drop back for CB cover, in a similar way we used Song.

If Wenger wants a proper CM that can't fill in at CB (like Khedira) then he has got to get an experienced CB for back up. I'm fine with Chambers as the back up CB and then another makeshift option like Carvalho. Unless you're Chelsea or Man City you can't have established quality everywhere. Man Utd won the title a couple of years back with similar inexperienced back-ups at CB. If Wenger thinks Chambers is ready then go all out for the midfield signing. Just don't gamble on the shitty £3m Squillaci moves because that does no-one any favours.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

And to think Chamber is the England U19 Captain..... I know it won't be for much longer but still. Incredible rise really and he may yet start the season. Good old arse...

[McNamara That Ghost...]

On the basis of a sketchy injury history and woes we might say why keep, Theo, Diaby, Wilshere, Gibbs or Rosicky.

Actually they signed one (a seasoned pro) already from a Spanish club who's name I forget so Vermaelen would be at least their second this summer.

I'm not talking about them though. Although if I were we have many options for midfield in contrast to defence, where we have had Vermaelen and that's predicating on the rare occasions he is there. Plus take in to account the want of the player to leave for regular football and then compare that to another season where he'll be thinking he's mainly going to be on the bench; it's probably only going to help demotivate.

Also, on Mathieu, he's mainly a full back. He can play centreback but only really in the same way Mascherano can.

[Bumble]

We are being linked with Agger now, not totally sure an injury prone CB is the way to go. I am surprised we didn't go for Hangerland only because he was free and has PL experience to go with Chambers and that would be the four. Then we could have used the money to push the boat for the defensive midfielder. When TV leaves I cant see us signing a big name CB unless they were to become first choice as I think defensively it makes less sense to rotate as they need to build up an understanding with the keeper and each other something Kos and Mert have done well. Either bring in another young CB or a very experienced CB (Rio wouldn't have been the worst signing either)

[Injury Time]

We are being linked with Agger now, not totally sure an injury prone CB is the way to go. I am surprised we didn't go for Hangerland only because he was free and has PL experience to go with Chambers and that would be the four. Then we could have used the money to push the boat for the defensive midfielder. When TV leaves I cant see us signing a big name CB unless they were to become first choice as I think defensively it makes less sense to rotate as they need to build up an understanding with the keeper and each other something Kos and Mert have done well. Either bring in another young CB or a very experienced CB (Rio wouldn't have been the worst signing either)

:blink:

[Özim]

Well we can't really rely on Vermaelen being there as third choice based on past history, so why keep him?

I have no problems with this transfer whatsoever although it is funny that Barca spend years and years delaying on signing a centreback and the one they opt for turns out to be Vermaelen. :lol:


Barca are making some strange signings, Luiz for a ridiculous amount (he has talent but he's not been that great and isn't worth the money they paid), Mathieu a 30 year old for 16 million and now it seems Vermaelen a guy who let's face it hasn't pulled out any trees and has been a bit of a liability at time.

They'd have been better off putting that money together and signing a top class centre half.

[LDG]

Barca are making some strange signings, Luiz for a ridiculous amount (he has talent but he's not been that great and isn't worth the money they paid), Mathieu a 30 year old for 16 million and now it seems Vermaelen a guy who let's face it hasn't pulled out any trees and has been a bit of a liability at time.

They'd have been better off putting that money together and signing a top class centre half.

Luiz went to PSG didn't he?

[Özim]

Luiz went to PSG didn't he?

My mistake, thought he went to Barca for some reason.

Point still stands though, the two defenders aren't exactly long term top class options.

[selassie]

We are being linked with Agger now, not totally sure an injury prone CB is the way to go. I am surprised we didn't go for Hangerland only because he was free and has PL experience to go with Chambers and that would be the four. Then we could have used the money to push the boat for the defensive midfielder. When TV leaves I cant see us signing a big name CB unless they were to become first choice as I think defensively it makes less sense to rotate as they need to build up an understanding with the keeper and each other something Kos and Mert have done well. Either bring in another young CB or a very experienced CB (Rio wouldn't have been the worst signing either)

Agger is essentially Vermaelen MKII, a crock who has been on the slide for a few seasons.

I think Agger would be a bad move, our new number 3 needs to be someone reliable and someone who will really push our current CB's. Whoever we get is likely to play a fair few games.

We've been lucky with Kos and Merts, if either of them pick up a long term injury then we are up "shit creek" without a paddle right now.

CB and CM are two positions that need immediate attention IMO.

[Power n Glory]

We should just keep Vermaelen.

[Syn]

Play him defensive mid.

[selassie]

We should just keep Vermaelen.

Yeah I rather we kept him but it sounds like he definitely wants out. I am just glad we are not entertaining the idea of him going to United, rumour is we have refused to do business with them.

[Power n Glory]

Yeah I rather we kept him but it sounds like he definitely wants out. I am just glad we are not entertaining the idea of him going to United, rumour is we have refused to do business with them.

Damn right! That should be the official stance when it comes to selling our players.

I think we need to learn how to rotate our players or we'll keep crossing this road. But I hope we convince him to stay another season because I have a feeling Kos and Merts won't feature like they did last season. They've both had long seasons and we're lucky last year with injuries.

[Marc Overmars]

I think I'd rather keep him as well then let him walk next year. Though it's good we have the opportunity to sell to Barca rather than United now.

[Penguin]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of verbal agreement at some point last season between Wenger and Tommy to let him go. If there was there's no chance of Wenger going back on his word. Arsene has always been respectful to his players and I think he'll let Vermaelen go, even if he wants to keep him.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I'm not talking about them though. Although if I were we have many options for midfield in contrast to defence, where we have had Vermaelen and that's predicating on the rare occasions he is there. Plus take in to account the want of the player to leave for regular football and then compare that to another season where he'll be thinking he's mainly going to be on the bench; it's probably only going to help demotivate.

Also, on Mathieu, he's mainly a full back. He can play centreback but only really in the same way Mascherano can.


If we have less defensive options then that is even more reason not to sell Vermaelen and replacing him won't be easy.....that is, if we want somebody of his level or better. Even if you think we should sell him it's not a case of there being every reason to sell him and no reason to keep him.

I imagine it's demotivating being on the bench but I imagine it is also demotivating knowing deep down your current level isn't good enough to be first choice for any top team or signing for a mediocre team to ensure you get first team football. Or it could simply be a source of motivation to get back to a better level?

It's not a given he will be and remain a 1st choice for Barca. He won't be happy but you can reasonably expect Vermaelen to be professional about it. I don't imagine he was that pleased with the club selling his best mate RvP to Manure but he kept his counsel pretty well then too.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

He isn't an option as far as I am concerned, on the recent rare occasions he has come on, the mistakes in his game come with him. Can we really say he is a reliable third option?

I very much doubt he would start for Barcelona too but there is a certain ego attached with players when it comes to signing for a new team, I'd guess he'd be thinking he'll be given a fair chance to start, even if it doesn't actually turn out to be the case.

Plus at some point we will have to sell players, as much fun as it has been seeing us buy four players very early on, we're no different to any other club - we can't keep buying without somebody going. I think based on the limited contribution Vermaelen has given and when he has of what quality it has been, I think he should go.

[Xhaka Can’t]

The more I read, the more I think Wenger should go back to TV with some sort of plan they can both buy into that has him seeing out his contract here. With the amount of matches we face assuming CL qualification, it can't be that hard

[I am invisible]

The more I read, the more I think Wenger should go back to TV with some sort of plan they can both buy into that has him seeing out his contract here. With the amount of matches we face assuming CL qualification, it can't be that hard

We could adopt a '2 games on, 1 game off' rotation for the 3 CBs throughout the season?

Game 1: Koscielny - Mertesacker
Game 2: Koscielny - Vermaelen
Game 3: Vermaelen - Mertesacker

If everyone stays fit, then they'd probably get 30-40 games each following that system, and should stay nice and rested?

[Injury Time]

We could adopt a '2 games on, 1 game off' rotation for the 3 CBs throughout the season?

Game 1: Koscielny - Mertesacker
Game 2: Koscielny - Vermaelen
Game 3: Vermaelen - Mertesacker

If everyone stays fit, then they'd probably get 30-40 games each following that system, and should stay nice and rested?
Guess if you are happy with Win 1 lose 2...

[Syn]

We could adopt a '2 games on, 1 game off' rotation for the 3 CBs throughout the season?

Game 1: Koscielny - Mertesacker
Game 2: Koscielny - Vermaelen
Game 3: Vermaelen - Mertesacker

If everyone stays fit, then they'd probably get 30-40 games each following that system, and should stay nice and rested?

Wenger did rotate in areas where he felt he had depth last year. But Vermaelen only got a few starts when Mertesacker had the sniffles or Koscielny was out. Wenger just doesn't fancy him any more. I reckon he'd sooner play Chambers than Vermaelen.

[I am invisible]

Obviously the above would also apply to anyone we might replace Vermaelen with - it's just a simple way of keeping 3 players happy when there's only 2 places up for grabs...

[LDG]

If TV5 had learned by now that to play CB you have to be a bit more disciplined, then I'm sure he would have gotten more game time.

As it is, the lad kept on rushing up field whenever it took his fancy, rather than taking a calculated gamble a la Koscielny.

Furthermore, he always leaves the left flank exposed.

I just think for a CB with so much promise, he's failed to build or progress on the early promise.

Shame, but Wenger clearly doesn't fancy him else he would have gotten more game time.

[Power n Glory]

Verm has annoying habits but are they that bad that he’s uncoachable? Can’t someone just tell him to stop charging forwards and to communicate and look around before diving into a challenge? I seriously doubt we’ll spend good money on a 3rd choice CB (Hummels), which leaves us with the cheap option and that worries me. We could potentially bring in a player that can’t be trusted to play at all. We’ve seen it happen before. If we can’t coach the faults out of Verm you’ve got to worry about the next guy we bring in. If it’s someone with no Prem experience, we could be in for a rough ride.

But if we’re looking to spend big on a 3rd choice CB, which I highly doubt, we’d still have to get past this rotation issue. I just can’t see Wenger rotating first choice players so frequently. It’s always been a problem. It’s just not wise to keep playing a player until he breaksdown. If he doesn’t Verm to do the job then why offer him a new contract at the last minute? It just seems more sensible to keep him and he can go on a free next year.

[LDG]

I do wonder how much influence RVC has had on Vermaelen too. They're best buds apparently, so I wouldn't be surprised whether there has been some undercurrent there too.

Afterall, RVC is a complete and utter cunt.

[GP]

Literally worse than Hitler.

[Penguin]

Is it really worth £10m to keep Vermaelen for one season? It would only be worth that If keeping him directly results in getting us a trophy, which I doubt considering his performances over the last two seasons. I'd personally rather let him go now and use the money to invest in a better CB.

It's actually a good opportunity to build some depth in our defense. We've got out 4th choice sorted out in Chambers, but we need a reliable, experienced player that can genuinely push Mertecienly for a place in the side, and possibly even keep him out of the side. Vermaelen will never do that because, let's face it, he's at least a level below Mertecielny and hardly inspires confidence when he does play anyway.

I don't mean we should or will sign someone like Hummels, who is out of our price range and would expect to start every game. But if there aren't any £15-20m options out there that are better than Vermaelen then I'll eat my dog.

[LDG]

Is it really worth £10m to keep Vermaelen for one season? It would only be worth that If keeping him directly results in getting us a trophy, which I doubt considering his performances over the last two seasons. I'd personally rather let him go now and use the money to invest in a better CB.

It's actually a good opportunity to build some depth in our defense. We've got out 4th choice sorted out in Chambers, but we need a reliable, experienced player that can genuinely push Mertecienly for a place in the side, and possibly even keep him out of the side. Vermaelen will never do that because, let's face it, he's at least a level below Mertecielny and hardly inspires confidence when he does play anyway.

I don't mean we should or will sign someone like Hummels, who is out of our price range and would expect to start every game. But if there aren't any £15-20m options out there that are better than Vermaelen then I'll eat my dog.

Harsh on your missus.

Ahem.


I agree though.

[Penguin]

:lol:

[fakeyank]

Harsh on your missus.

Ahem.


I agree though.

:haha: :haha:

[Power n Glory]

Is it really worth £10m to keep Vermaelen for one season? It would only be worth that If keeping him directly results in getting us a trophy, which I doubt considering his performances over the last two seasons. I'd personally rather let him go now and use the money to invest in a better CB.

It's actually a good opportunity to build some depth in our defense. We've got out 4th choice sorted out in Chambers, but we need a reliable, experienced player that can genuinely push Mertecienly for a place in the side, and possibly even keep him out of the side. Vermaelen will never do that because, let's face it, he's at least a level below Mertecielny and hardly inspires confidence when he does play anyway.

I don't mean we should or will sign someone like Hummels, who is out of our price range and would expect to start every game. But if there aren't any £15-20m options out there that are better than Vermaelen then I'll eat my dog.

There should be but I’m not sure if we’ll sign a good one. If we’re looking at someone with Prem experience then I’m all for it but if we’re looking at players from overseas, then that’s an issue for me. We don’t have the best of track records when it comes to signing CB’s.

[Syn]

Just watched the Wenger press conference from today. Don't think we'll sell him to Man Utd, or at least we'd need some serious money. In which case you've got to question why they don't pay £10m more and land Hummels. The rumour of the £10m Barcelona offer seems to be where we're trying to push him.

The right move for him is undoubtedly Man Utd. He'd be their best CB, and if Van Gaal goes with 3 at the back, he might be allowed some freedom to push forward. At Barcelona, he can't guarantee he'd start but even if he did, they'd go with somebody new next season or so. You never get stability there, but at Man Utd if he finds the form he had before the long injury, he can be a key player for years.

[GP]

He's still only 28. He's still a really good player. If he can stay injury free someone's getting a bargain.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

He isn't an option as far as I am concerned, on the recent rare occasions he has come on, the mistakes in his game come with him. Can we really say he is a reliable third option?

I very much doubt he would start for Barcelona too but there is a certain ego attached with players when it comes to signing for a new team, I'd guess he'd be thinking he'll be given a fair chance to start, even if it doesn't actually turn out to be the case.

Plus at some point we will have to sell players, as much fun as it has been seeing us buy four players very early on, we're no different to any other club - we can't keep buying without somebody going. I think based on the limited contribution Vermaelen has given and when he has of what quality it has been, I think he should go.

I think P n G has already alluded to it but the premise is simple. If it benefits us in footballing terms to sell him, then by all means sell him and replace with somebody of equal standing or better. If that is not in our thinking or it is not feasible or realistic to do that at this stage then we are simply needlessly weakening the squad when we already have other positions to fill.

Unless we are happy to finish 4th and aren't really intending on challenging for the league or CL.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

And we aren't going to spend 15-20 million on a third/fourth choice lads. If Wenger spends that it is on a first teamer.... and I am not convinced he believes somebody needs to come in over Mertersacker and Koscielny.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I think P n G has already alluded to it but the premise is simple. If it benefits us in footballing terms to sell him, then by all means sell him and replace with somebody of equal standing or better. If that is not in our thinking or it is not feasible or realistic to do that at this stage then we are simply needlessly weakening the squad when we already have other positions to fill.

Unless we are happy to finish 4th and aren't really intending on challenging for the league or CL.

Well this is it, in my mind finding somebody of equal standing or better isn't going to take much doing - certainly in terms of usefulness to us.

I think the second line is rather odd too; if you think selling a third choice centreback (if that now) is some kind of indicator of lacking will to aim higher then I doubt whether you'll ever truly believe we'e striving for anything else than fourth.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And we aren't going to spend 15-20 million on a third/fourth choice lads.

He already has, I think.

[selassie]

Sounds like Tommy V is definitely leaving then. I am with P'n'G and Blink on this, if we sell we need to replace him properly. I would also under no circumstances sell him to Man Utd or any other domestic rival. If he is unhappy and has to sit in the reserves then so be it.

In terms of replacements if we do sell him, well I think we should be looking at Nastasic of City if he is available and on the market, I highly doubt they would sell him to us but it would be worth a try. The lad at West Ham is pretty decent too, Winston Reid.

[Munchies]

Twitter reporting that it's to Barca.

£10.3m

Not bad!

[GP]

Vermaelen can fuck himself. Fuckin barca cunt.

[Gooner23]

Twitter reporting that it's to Barca.

£10.3m

Not bad!

Good to know from such a reliable source.

[mastermind84]

been stealing a living for most of his time at Arsenal. Any money they get for him is a positive. Absolute wasteman.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

He already has, I think.

Well 12 million isn't quite 15-20 though it could be. I'd also argue Chambers is clearly earmarked as a future first teamer, though at 19 and as a new recruit, he isn't expected to be now and rightly so.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Well this is it, in my mind finding somebody of equal standing or better isn't going to take much doing - certainly in terms of usefulness to us.

I think the second line is rather odd too; if you think selling a third choice centreback (if that now) is some kind of indicator of lacking will to aim higher then I doubt whether you'll ever truly believe we'e striving for anything else than fourth.

So which CB's are of equal standing or better who aren't going to cost a disproportionate amount to the role we are asking them to play?

Yes I do, selling players who need replacing which you then don't replace is what then? I'm alluding to a general will to improve the squad, lest we think the third choice CB is the only acquisition needed. Nothing too odd about it really.

[Power n Glory]

So which CB's are of equal standing or better who aren't going to cost a disproportionate amount to the role we are asking them to play?

Yes I do, selling players who need replacing which you then don't replace is what then? I'm alluding to a general will to improve the squad, lest we think the third choice CB is the only acquisition needed. Nothing too odd about it really.

Exactly. It's not going to be easy to find someone that won't cost a fortune and is Prem ready. If we buy someone from overseas, we have to consider the adaption to the Prem phase and how much time will a third choice CB get.

If Kos or Mers picks up an injury this year, we'd need someone ready to go and we can't afford to bring in someone that's shocked by the pace and physicality of the Prem. Verm has his faults but if we can't coach him to reel it in, how are we going to coach a newbie to adapt quickly to the league?

A prem based player is probably the best option but we'd be looking at a premium fee and I just can't see us spending that much for a third choice player. We can't really gamble on the CB position. Our defence is the reason why we had a good run last year. I'd like us to build on it and make smart moves so we're not in vulnerable position come January where we're discussing this again like we did last season when short on strikers.

[Penguin]

We needed another 3rd choice CB regardless of whether Vermaelen stays or not IMO. He's nothing more than a 4th choice CB for me as he'll never seriously challenge Merts or Kos for a place because he's not good enough. We need more than 'just' a back-up to make up the numbers or we'll be fucked if either of those two picks up a long term injury.


And we aren't going to spend 15-20 million on a third/fourth choice lads. If Wenger spends that it is on a first teamer.... and I am not convinced he believes somebody needs to come in over Mertersacker and Koscielny.
It would be £5-10m net after selling Vermaelen which I don't think is unreasonable considering we would (ideally) be investing in a better, longer term player. Even if he wasn't willing to go that high, remember that we bought Mertesacker, Koscielny and even Vermaelen himself for £10m or less. Vidic and Kompany costed £7m! It's hard to believe that we can't find someone at least as good as Vermaelen.


If Kos or Mers picks up an injury this year, we'd need someone ready to go and we can't afford to bring in someone that's shocked by the pace and physicality of the Prem. Verm has his faults but if we can't coach him to reel it in, how are we going to coach a newbie to adapt quickly to the league?
If Kos or Merts get injured we're fucked anyway, Vermaelen has shown that he isn't up to it time and time again. It's always a risk to bring in a player from another league but you have to put faith in your scouting network and judgment of a player.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Vermaelen can fuck himself. Fuckin barca cunt.
:lol:

[Power n Glory]

We needed another 3rd choice CB regardless of whether Vermaelen stays or not IMO. He's nothing more than a 4th choice CB for me as he'll never seriously challenge Merts or Kos for a place because he's not good enough. We need more than 'just' a back-up to make up the numbers or we'll be fucked if either of those two picks up a long term injury.


It would be £5-10m net after selling Vermaelen which I don't think is unreasonable considering we would (ideally) be investing in a better, longer term player. Even if he wasn't willing to go that high, remember that we bought Mertesacker, Koscielny and even Vermaelen himself for £10m or less. Vidic and Kompany costed £7m! It's hard to believe that we can't find someone at least as good as Vermaelen.


If Kos or Merts get injured we're fucked anyway, Vermaelen has shown that he isn't up to it time and time again. It's always a risk to bring in a player from another league but you have to put faith in your scouting network and judgment of a player.

Yes, our scouting network. Squallaci and Santos should be clear reminder of how bad it can go when looking for a defender. Jenkinson and Monreal aren't that bad but you see the reaction on here to their performances. Verm is really not that bad. He's not as bad as Squallaci and Djourou who were just awful.

Kos and Merts took a season to adjust and they had their fair share of critics before they settled, including myself, but it took game time for them to develop and finding the right combination. A 3rd choice won't get that much game time to find his stride so I'm not confident about our scouts finding an unknown player that's undervalued.

Yes, I agree we need back up on defence but we're talking about selling Verm before we have a player in the squad that we know can cope. That's just backwards to me. I don't think Wenger will sell. I hope not. Bulk up before trimming fat, especially when we look wafer thin in that area.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

So which CB's are of equal standing or better who aren't going to cost a disproportionate amount to the role we are asking them to play?

Yes I do, selling players who need replacing which you then don't replace is what then? I'm alluding to a general will to improve the squad, lest we think the third choice CB is the only acquisition needed. Nothing too odd about it really.

Well I didn't expect Wenger to pick Chambers as the next centreback for us but I dunno, somebody like Hoewedes? Maybe it'd cost a little bit too much and he has always been at Schalke but perhaps somebody of that ilk, not outstanding but solid enough. I'm not sure anybody will describe Vermaelen as solid, I'm not even sure how you describe Vermaelen as a defender.

We probably have a different idea of how we improve the squad; you think keeping a guy who may be pretty good (I think he has been full of errors and have no confidence him for quite some time), that is often injured is more beneficial to us than somebody who may be slightly inferior (again I don't think they would be because I don't rate Vermaelen much for us now) but is there able to help more often.

If we were talking about first team players like we have sold and replaced with inferior quality then I could understand but for a guy that I can't see has contributed to us in any meaningful way other than coming on for a couple of minutes at the end of a game.

If Wenger trusted him to contribute when he was there to play he would have played Vermaelen with any of Koscielny or Mertesacker. As we have seen - Koscielny and Vermaelen together is often horrendous, Vermaelen and Mertesacker is better but still not anywhere near Koscielny and Mertesacker and for that reaso we've seen that Wenger won't break up Koscielny and Mertesacker barring injury but maybe he would if he had a more trusted option there, inferior quality or whatever it may be and thus he might not need to play them together all the time.

[Power n Glory]

Well I didn't expect Wenger to pick Chambers as the next centreback for us but I dunno, somebody like Hoewedes? Maybe it'd cost a little bit too much and he has always been at Schalke but perhaps somebody of that ilk, not outstanding but solid enough. I'm not sure anybody will describe Vemaelen as solid, I'm not even sure how you describe Vermaelen as a defender.

We probably have a different idea of how we improve the squad; you think keeping a guy who may be pretty good (I think he has been full of errors and have no confidence him for quite some time), that is often injured is more beneficial to us than somebody who may be slightly inferior (again I don't think they would be because I don't rate Vermaelen at all for us now) but is there able to help more often.

If we were talking about first team players like we have sold and replaced with inferior quality then I could understand but for a guy that I can't see has contributed to us in
any meaningful way other than coming on for a couple of minutes at the end of the game, a game that is nearing to be won cannot be of helpfulness to us.

If Wenger trusted him to contribute when he was there to play he would have played Vermaelen with any of Koscielny or Mertesacker. As we have seen - Koscielny and Vermaelen together is often horrendous, Vermaelen and Mertesacker is better but still not anywhere near Koscielny and Mertesacker and for that reaso we've seen that Wenger won't break up Koscielny and Mertesacker barring injury but maybe he would if he had a more trusted option there, inferior quality or whatever it may be and thus he might not need to play them together all the time.

Come on Mac, we’ve seen worse players. Djourou, Squillaci, Silvestre, Senderos, Cygan….are we putting Verm in that bracket where they’d most certainly cost us a game? I wouldn’t put him at that level where he can’t even be trusted to play 10 minutes. We’ve seen far worse. Nobodies saying he’s a great player or that he can’t be replaced. I’m just not confident about the player we’ll sign in his place when we’re pushed for time and in a panic. Which is why I say we keep him for one more season. We’ve spent well in this window but I can’t see Wenger splashing money on another defender that’s first team quality. He’ll either go for a veteran, someone young and untested or someone cheap from overseas. That’s what he’s done in the past.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Come on Mac, we’ve seen worse players. Djourou, Squillaci, Silvestre, Senderos, Cygan….are we putting Verm in that bracket where they’d most certainly cost us a game? I wouldn’t put him at that level where he can’t even be trusted to play 10 minutes. We’ve seen far worse. Nobodies saying he’s a great player or that he can’t be replaced. I’m just not confident about the player we’ll sign in his place when we’re pushed for time and in a panic. Which is why I say we keep him for one more season. We’ve spent well in this window but I can’t see Wenger splashing money on another defender that’s first team quality. He’ll either go for a veteran, someone young and untested or someone cheap from overseas. That’s what he’s done in the past.

That's exactly what is happening, isn't it? He's often only coming on for a couple of minutes; when he does play meaninful minutes I reckon we probably don't go on to win. I think his influence causes panic in the team, he himself makes reckless errors more than most and I don't see how he can be considered first team quality, when he is not considered by Wenger, clearly to be first team quality.

Personally I take it as good thing that Man Utd and Barcelona are looking to buy our bench players now, not our first team players.

[Power n Glory]

That's exactly what is happening, isn't it? He's often only coming on for a couple of minutes; when he does play meaninful minutes I reckon we probably don't go on to win. I think his influence causes panic in the team, he himself makes reckless errors more than most and I don't see how he can be considered first team quality, when he is not considered by Wenger, clearly to be first team quality.

Personally I take it as good thing that Man Utd and Barcelona are looking to buy our bench players now, not our first team players.

Silvestre, Djouriou and Squillaci level? Did he cost us serious points last year as back up? I don't recall him being that bad.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I'm not saying he is at that kind of level but he isn't contributing in the way I think a third choice guy should; he makes plenty of reckless mistakes, positional discipline is not exactly his forté and he often gets injured. That to me isn't helping the squad.

[LDG]

I think this works both ways.

He hasn't wanted to be at the club for some time, and Wenger doesn't see him as first choice.

It's not like we're making a huge error here. We have our first choice CB's who happen to be pretty decent, and who are better than Verms. We just need a solid back up. Doesn't need to be a record breaking signing. Just a steady eddie type. Unless of course, Miquel is being bought on...which wouldn't be the worst thing.

[Power n Glory]

I'm not saying he is at that kind of level but he isn't contributing in the way I think a third choice guy should; he makes plenty of reckless mistakes, positional discipline is not exactly his forté and he often gets injured. That to me isn't helping the squad.

Verm’s contribution is debatable. But losing a player and then going a mad last minute dash to find a replacement is something we should be looking to avoid. That’s something we all should be able to agree on and you must admit, we put ourselves in a poor negotiating position if we sell then go to the market with little time left on the clock. If there are plenty of better options that can contribute more than Verm, why haven’t we signed them already or why can’t we do the deal before he goes? That’s my main concern. Because if we sell now and look later, clubs may smell the desperation and then try to hold us to ransom and knowing Wenger, he won’t have a bar of it. That means we’ll either gamble on an internal option or go for a cheap player that’s worse than Verm.

[Penguin]

We can't be afraid to sign players in case they'll flop. Look at the names I posted that costed £10m or less, they are world class CBs. Nastasic is another one that only cost £12m, Gary Cahill cost £7m - there are players out there.

When we have actually invested in CBs (Vermaelen, Kos and Merts) we have generally done well. I don't include the names you mentioned in that, Squillaci (£4m), Sylvestre (£750k), Djourou (free), and Senderos (£2.5m) were all bargain bucket signings. Senderos and Djourou were inexperienced youths and the other two were just there to make up the numbers. Even in today's market you can buy an experienced CB for £10-15m.

What's there to lose? If Vermaelen was a reliable back-up I would agree that we shouldn't play around, but he isn't. He has major injury problems so he isn't even available half the time, and when he does play he's usually a liability. Even if we don't find a potential worldie, which would obviously be difficult, it shouldn't be hard to find a solid, reliable back-up. Which would be an instant upgrade on Tommy.

[Power n Glory]

We can't be afraid to sign players in case they'll flop. Look at the names I posted that costed £10m or less, they are world class CBs. Nastasic is another one that only cost £12m, Gary Cahill cost £7m - there are players out there.

When we have actually invested in CBs (Vermaelen, Kos and Merts) we have generally done well. I don't include the names you mentioned in that, Squillaci (£4m), Sylvestre (£750k), Djourou (free), and Senderos (£2.5m) were all bargain bucket signings. Senderos and Djourou were inexperienced youths and the other two were just there to make up the numbers. Even in today's market you can buy an experienced CB for £10-15m.

What's there to lose? If Vermaelen was a reliable back-up I would agree that we shouldn't play around, but he isn't. He has major injury problems so he isn't even available half the time, and when he does play he's usually a liability. Even if we don't find a potential worldie, which would obviously be difficult, it shouldn't be hard to find a solid, reliable back-up. Which would be an instant upgrade on Tommy.

So why can’t we sign them before we sell so we don’t leave ourselves vulnerable? That’s the question you should be asking yourself.

[Penguin]

Ok I do agree with you on that, we definitely need bring someone in first. I'm pretty sure Wenger knew all summer that Vermaelen was leaving so I hope he has one or two targets lined up

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Verm’s contribution is debatable. But losing a player and then going a mad last minute dash to find a replacement is something we should be looking to avoid. That’s something we all should be able to agree on and you must admit, we put ourselves in a poor negotiating position if we sell then go to the market with little time left on the clock. If there are plenty of better options that can contribute more than Verm, why haven’t we signed them already or why can’t we do the deal before he goes? That’s my main concern. Because if we sell now and look later, clubs may smell the desperation and then try to hold us to ransom and knowing Wenger, he won’t have a bar of it. That means we’ll either gamble on an internal option or go for a cheap player that’s worse than Verm.

I don't think it would be a mad dash, I expect Wenger has thought Vermaelen would leave for some time now but it may be the case we were awaiting another offer, probably so it would be outside of England. Yes it apparently doesn't leave a huge amount of time but I would reckon he already knows what he is going to do.

If it came to it and we sold Vermaelen with no apparent replacement then that wouldn't be ideal but so far as I am concerned we aren't talking about super quality we could probably replace him at the next available opportunity.

And due to that I don't think we would be in a position of being held to ransom.

[AKBapologist]

David Ornstien (BBC) #AFC & #FCB agree fee around £15m for Vermaelen. Terms & medical over weekend. #MUFC ended interest after refusing player swap #bbcsportsday

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pretty good business tbf.

[Power n Glory]

I don't think it would be a mad dash, I expect Wenger has thought Vermaelen would leave for some time now but it may be the case we were awaiting another offer, probably so it would be outside of England. Yes it apparently doesn't leave a huge amount of time but I would reckon he already knows what he is going to do.

If it came to it and we sold Vermaelen with no apparent replacement then that wouldn't be ideal but so far as I am concerned we aren't talking about super quality we could probably replace him at the next available opportunity.

And due to that I don't think we would be in a position of being held to ransom.

Even if we’re not talking super quality, another Prem team won’t part with their first team CB for chump change and they’ll push the price up on us. If that happens, then I fear we’d leave ourselves short or go with a cheap option presented by the same scouts that gave us Kallstrom. ;) If we sell, I hope we’ve got the green light on a player that we’ve researched and know he’s capable. It’s very difficult to find a mid level player that’s solid yet happy to be third choice.

[Niall_Quinn]

Prefer Tommy's way of leaving the club to Cesc's. Whatever happens from here, we must at no point in the season be left in a position where Monreal is the only option to play CB.

[Gooner23]

Hopefully the Emirates Cup showed Wenger that Monreal should never play CB again.

15 mil for Verms to Barca is a decent deal providing we re-invest.

[BOBN]

David Ornstien (BBC) #AFC & #FCB agree fee around £15m for Vermaelen. Terms & medical over weekend. #MUFC ended interest after refusing player swap #bbcsportsday

Mancs hadnt bargained for the new tough guy Wumger.

Glad to be rid of the most overrated foreign centreback ive ever seen in this country. Give our tough sounding monikers like "Verminator" and "Corporal Jenkinson" before theyve been earnt friends :doh:

[LDG]

It's ok, we've got Lieutenant Chalmers :bow:

[Bumble]

David Ornstien (BBC) #AFC & #FCB agree fee around £15m for Vermaelen. Terms & medical over weekend. #MUFC ended interest after refusing player swap #bbcsportsday
any idea what players we asked for in exchange? wenger was probably being cheeky and asked for rooney.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Smalling or Jones was the speculation I saw, an instant fix for the CB vacancy.

Happier with £15m from Barca if so. I don't think Jones is that terrible a player but neither has hit the heights expected of them, could be a case of overrated Englishman syndrome.

[Bumble]

Smalling or Jones was the speculation I saw, an instant fix for the CB vacancy.

Happier with £15m from Barca if so. I don't think Jones is that terrible a player but neither has hit the heights expected of them, could be a case of overrated Englishman syndrome.
think jones will be good but not surprised united weren't interested as he cost a fair amount I think.

[Özim]

Wow dream move for Vermaelen, who would have thought a player of his ability would get a move like this, it's Song and Hleb allover again, Barca never learn.

Really don't understand why Barca wanted him, maybe they want to keep their leaky defence intact.

[Marc Overmars]

15m is cracking business tbh, good move for all parties.

Hopefully we have a new CB lined up.

[Özim]

15m is cracking business tbh, good move for all parties.

Hopefully we have a new CB lined up.

Yup good for all, except Barca. :lol:

[Penguin]

Wow dream move for Vermaelen, who would have thought a player of his ability would get a move like this, it's Song and Hleb allover again, Barca never learn.

Really don't understand why Barca wanted him, maybe they want to keep their leaky defence intact.

Not sure why Barca keep coming back to us, even the biggest signings from us (Henry and Cesc) weren't very successful there. Now they're even signing our squaddies :lol:

[Bumble]

Not sure why Barca keep coming back to us, even the biggest signings from us (Henry and Cesc) weren't very successful there. Now they're even signing our squaddies :lol:

I suppose while they have messi, xavi and iniesta it doesn't really matter the rest of the team well plus suarez and neymar.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20140809/vermaelen-agrees-to-join-barcelona

:wave:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

:wave:

Good luck Tommy, hope you have a good career in Spain.


Don't have a bad word to say about him. Utmost professional and carried himself with dignity even after he lost his place in the team.

[GP]

:wave:

https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBg_aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXJtOC5zdGF0aWNmbGlja3 IuY29tLzcxOTUvNjgwMzMxNzM5Ml9kZWE0ZjBjZjYwX3ouanBn FIQIFIAKABYAEgA&s=asGgcf9Rd1VdY1NNAJZqWyhC-CacgfGFbDHZMyfXogY

[Marc Overmars]

:wave:

Good luck Verminator.

Get a new CB in Wenget, don't gamble on Chambers to cover both RB and CB.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lg0rai5Pl8

favourite Vermaelen moment

Cheerio mate and best of luck to you!

[Master Splinter]

:wave:

Wish him well.

Fond memories of an excellent first season. Shame the injuries destabilised his form. He didn't recover it and we were rightly critical of his mistakes, but he was never as bad the hyperbole merchants (fans, non-fans and WUMs) have subsequently made out.

Hope he makes up for his RVC assists by putting Sanchez and Sanogo through on goal if we meet them.

[Injury Time]

:wave:

Wish him well.

Fond memories of an excellent first season. Shame the injuries destabilised his form. He didn't recover it and we were rightly critical of his mistakes, but he was never as bad the hyperbole merchants (fans, non-fans and WUMs) have subsequently made out.

Hope he makes up for his RVC assists by putting Sanchez and Sanogo through on goal if we meet them.
We'll let him score against us in chumps league as a leaving gift more like...

[Munchies]

He has been a class act throughout and I wish him the best.

:wave:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BunR5heIEAAtotj.jpg

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuoRtNeIMAED1S9.jpg


Good luck @T_Vermaelen05 at #Barca. Wishing you all the best in the future. I will miss you.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Good luck Tommy! Wenger must have someone lined up

[hobson's choice]

Cant believe Barca thinks this guy is a good defender. Glad to see him gone.

[The Verminator]

Cant believe Barca thinks this guy is a good defender. Glad to see him gone.

He was immense in his first couple of seasons. Injuries and confidence issues have hampered him since. Thought he provided very good backup last season.

We definitely need a new defender now and I need a new username. :(

[fakeyank]

Good luck Tommy V.. :wave:

Should have done a straight swap for Song Billong



:run:

[mastermind84]

He was immense in his first couple of seasons. Injuries and confidence issues have hampered him since. Thought he provided very good backup last season.

We definitely need a new defender now and I need a new username. :(

he was an immense goal scorer from central defense.

Was always a wasteman defender.

[GP]

Good luck Tommy V.. :wave:

Should have done a straight swap for Song Billong



:run:

You should straight swap oxygen for chlorine haha lol jk

[BOBN]

:wave:

Wish him well.

Fond memories of an excellent first season. Shame the injuries destabilised his form. He didn't recover it and we were rightly critical of his mistakes, but he was never as bad the hyperbole merchants (fans, non-fans and WUMs) have subsequently made out.

Hope he makes up for his RVC assists by putting Sanchez and Sanogo through on goal if we meet them.
It is a Spring afternoon in 2012. Championship standard and paceless Adel Taarabt recieves the ball in
a harmless position with his back to goal. The central defender is goal side and comfortably positioned.

Does he A) Relax, get a cigar out and watch Taarabt harmlessly pop the ball back into midfield as hes too slow and basic to do anything else with it.

Or B) lunge in like a fooking thick fraud, missing ball and man and give him a free run on goal?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mhKH57rdGw

Btw this was before his nasty-wasty destabilising injury problems. Unless there was some injury to the brain I dont know about.

That was the day anybody would have realised hes 100% done, exposed, found out. But no, you non-fans and hyperbole merchants (hyping up his shyt goals in his first season) kept defending him and protecting him, to the detriment of the club.

Shame on you friend.

[Power n Glory]

He's had some dumb moments but I can't understand why someone couldn't pull him aside and tell him to stop charging up field all the time and trying to lunge in any time the ball is close.

But only concern about the move is his replacement. I hope we have it lined up.

[mastermind84]

It is a Spring afternoon in 2012. Championship standard and paceless Adel Taarabt recieves the ball in
a harmless position with his back to goal. The central defender is goal side and comfortably positioned.

Does he A) Relax, get a cigar out and watch Taarabt harmlessly pop the ball back into midfield as hes too slow and basic to do anything else with it.

Or B) lunge in like a fooking thick fraud, missing ball and man and give him a free run on goal?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mhKH57rdGw

Btw this was before his nasty-wasty destabilising injury problems. Unless there was some injury to the brain I dont know about.

That was the day anybody would have realised hes 100% done, exposed, found out. But no, you non-fans and hyperbole merchants (hyping up his shyt goals in his first season) kept defending him and protecting him, to the detriment of the club.

Shame on you friend.
excellent post

this was the day I started to really question Wengere's mental aptitude.. Embarrassing defending from an embarrassing defender. Thank god Wenger dropped him last year and then got rid of him.

[mastermind84]

He's had some dumb moments but I can't understand why someone couldn't pull him aside and tell him to stop charging up field all the time and trying to lunge in any time the ball is close.

But only concern about the move is his replacement. I hope we have it lined up.

you dont think the staff noticed this and told him to stop it? Vermaelen's just too stupid to change. Not Arsenal's problem anymore.

[BOBN]

excellent post

this was the day I started to really question Wengere's mental aptitude.. Embarrassing defending from an embarrassing defender. Thank god Wenger dropped him last year and then got rid of him.
Good post young man.

Those were the dark days I did indeed begin to question Wenger. Second only to the time he nearly signed Joe Cole.

I am grateful to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher gangbanging him on live TV during the Spurs game. Thats when public opinion changed and maybe even Wenger got shamed into dropping him (because it was actually one of his better games by his standards).

[Ollie the Optimist]

Barcelona have announced that Vermaelen has a thigh injury and will be out for an indefinite period of time.


Arsene just sold an injured player for 15 million. Thats up there with selling song for 16 million. Outstanding trolling

[Globalgunner]

Hope we've been paid up front this time as Barca have a nasty habit of welching on debts or at least paying up late. I think they probably still owe us for Overmars and Petit

[Bumble]

Hope we've been paid up front this time as Bbarca have a nasty habit of welching on debts
I wonder if part of the fee is games based though.... as any sensible deal should be

although as you say barca don't always pay up but perhaps we can have more of there rejects next year to make up for it.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

This is the way to leave a club.

Doesn't go to a rival, doesn't sulk, doesn't insult fans on the way out, releases a statement thanking everyone during his time.

He'll get a massive round of applause when we face Barca next.

[mastermind84]

Barcelona have announced that Vermaelen has a thigh injury and will be out for an indefinite period of time.


Arsene just sold an injured player for 15 million. Thats up there with selling song for 16 million. Outstanding trolling
he was injured at the world cup

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Well I didn't expect Wenger to pick Chambers as the next centreback for us but I dunno, somebody like Hoewedes? Maybe it'd cost a little bit too much and he has always been at Schalke but perhaps somebody of that ilk, not outstanding but solid enough. I'm not sure anybody will describe Vermaelen as solid, I'm not even sure how you describe Vermaelen as a defender.

We probably have a different idea of how we improve the squad; you think keeping a guy who may be pretty good (I think he has been full of errors and have no confidence him for quite some time), that is often injured is more beneficial to us than somebody who may be slightly inferior (again I don't think they would be because I don't rate Vermaelen much for us now) but is there able to help more often.

If we were talking about first team players like we have sold and replaced with inferior quality then I could understand but for a guy that I can't see has contributed to us in any meaningful way other than coming on for a couple of minutes at the end of a game.

If Wenger trusted him to contribute when he was there to play he would have played Vermaelen with any of Koscielny or Mertesacker. As we have seen - Koscielny and Vermaelen together is often horrendous, Vermaelen and Mertesacker is better but still not anywhere near Koscielny and Mertesacker and for that reaso we've seen that Wenger won't break up Koscielny and Mertesacker barring injury but maybe he would if he had a more trusted option there, inferior quality or whatever it may be and thus he might not need to play them together all the time.

In spite of our discrepancies as to where Vermaelen is as a player ( I would suggest that the interest from Manure and Barca suggests he hasn't been quite as faulty) we are still effectively talking about the difference between having 3 CB's or having 4CB's with Vermaelen. Losing him drops the numbers down, even if you don't even see him as a defender any more (which I think is harsh).

We suddenly have 3 CB's and one of those is not even really a recognised CB and merely 19. The lad himself says he doesn't know his best position as does his manager. If we remain beyond the transfer window in the same position I'd have ask a few questions about the process here. As precocious a talent as Chambers is (and I really like what little I've seen) we will be placing unnecessary pressure on him, even without being first team. At the moment he will most certainly start the season and you only have to look at Rambo and Wilshere to be reminded that the rise of a big young talent isn't all plain sailing. You might argue we shouldn't really be in a position where Chambers has started the season as it is.

I think the squad is lacking 3 players, 2 of those major (DM and CF)....and in fairness CB is the one position that isn't so major but nevertheless it is a position that needs filling imo......and now rather than January or next summer..... and with a very apt player at that.

[mastermind84]

Good post young man.

Those were the dark days I did indeed begin to question Wenger. Second only to the time he nearly signed Joe Cole.

I am grateful to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher gangbanging him on live TV during the Spurs game. Thats when public opinion changed and maybe even Wenger got shamed into dropping him (because it was actually one of his better games by his standards).
it was easy, I was responding to an outstanding post. It was like a tap-in, imho.

All I remember was his first match against Chelsea when he let in that own goal and kept fouling in bad positions. And also Drogba doing him with ease. Then his dire performance where Barcelona played 2 balls down his side knowing he wouldnt be there, and it leading to two Zlatan goals. (Zlatan's first goals in the knockout round, ffs).

Clown defender who I am glad the club got rid of.

[Penguin]

Wenger's comments don't fill me with confidence...



on replacing Vermaelen…
What it does in my head is [make me think that] Chambers is among the best three and if I can find another one I will do it. But to find another one of that quality will not be easy because... Vermaelen left us and had the choice between two massive clubs. That means these clubs have looked everywhere as well and that means it's not easy to find.

on looking for a fourth-choice centre back…
You make your position with your performance and you have to accept that. With the boys who have chosen to live in a competitive world, who plays? I cannot tell you. But maybe a guy who can play in two or three different positions would be a better asset for us.

on Chambers challenging Mertesacker…
He can challenge both centre backs and that's what you want. You cannot play with two centre backs the whole season; that means he will play. You saw Monreal who played one or two games at centre back and he did well.

Does he actually think Nacho played well? I hope he's just WUMming us, we need a replacement and we need him now.

[Power n Glory]

That's a worry. Didn't Kos pick up an small injury on Sunday? We can't afford to leave ourselves short but it looks as if that's what will happen. Monreal and Chambers will be the back cb's.

[saintnickle]

Wenger's comments don't fill me with confidence...



Does he actually think Nacho played well? I hope he's just WUMming us, we need a replacement and we need him now.

Im telling you that we will go into the season ONCE MORE with 2-3 players short .What seriously is stopping wenger from spending more than the 35m he has this window and last summer??.I thought we had 100m waiting to be used to give us the push we need to mount a sustainable challenge on the league and he has left us with one CB one DM and one striker short of challenging.Why save money ??And when are we saving it for??We all know no one will be bought in january..jeez that is plainly obvious after last january's debacle

[I am invisible]

There are merits to this idea of making up the cover with a smaller number of players who can cover multiple positions (namely in terms of keeping everyone happier with the amount of games they're getting, and hopefully keeping them a little fitter, sharper and more motivated through the regular game time), but if that is the plan then I still feel we're short at least one more multi-functional player on the defensive side of things - my preference would be for either a DM who can cover CB when needed, or, if we're planning on making Chambers a DM, then a CB who can possibly cover another area (LB would be nice).

The obvious downside of course is that we'll always be one or two players closer to a critical injury list than we would be with higher numbers - a lot will depend on Shad, if that's the path we end up going down...

[Globalgunner]

Im telling you that we will go into the season ONCE MORE with 2-3 players short .What seriously is stopping wenger from spending more than the 35m he has this window and last summer??.I thought we had 100m waiting to be used to give us the push we need to mount a sustainable challenge on the league and he has left us with one CB one DM and one striker short of challenging.Why save money ??And when are we saving it for??We all know no one will be bought in january..jeez that is plainly obvious after last january's debacle

Do you expect Wenger to go into a new season without a ready made excuse for not winning the league do you? " We were short at the back and lost a key defender for crucial parts of the season"

[Marc Overmars]

We need to get another Chambers-esque defender in. Someone young for us to develop and who won't mind being an understudy.

At the moment I find it senseless for us to have Chambers as the only back up not only for CB but RB too.

Get it sorted please Wenget.

[fakeyank]

Need to bring back Song Billong tbh..

[Globalgunner]

We missed out on Caulker who went to QPR for 8m i think. Yes a spud....but people have recovered from worse afflictions. He was only 22 and played a whole season in the PL last year