January Transfer Speculation and Shit

[Gooner23]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6QzO6TCAAAHsBy.jpg


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6QxPM_CAAECVvK.jpg
https://twitter.com/Podolski10/status/550619200608563200

Well played Poldi. Wish this happened more often.

[Marc Overmars]

Poldi is a great guy but it's pretty obvious he has no future here.

[Bumble]

Have we signed any defensive players yet?

[Niall_Quinn]

Have we signed any defensive players yet?

No, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Harry Kane has 17 goals this season. WTF!??

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

No, he is French.

:d

[adzzzbatch]

Wenger on the Inter podolski bid:
The first proposal was farcical, after they came back a bit more serious, then we will see what happens now.

He'll be gone in a matter of days.

[RomfordPele]

We certainly move bloody quickly when it comes to shipping players out, don't we? Sanogo and Podolski nearly off our books already and it's only jan 2!

[Niall_Quinn]

Mirror is saying it's a loan deal for Pods with a £5mill option to make it permanent.

So we now know it's not a loan deal and it won't be £5mill. Narrows it down a bit.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

We certainly move bloody quickly when it comes to shipping players out, don't we? Sanogo and Podolski nearly off our books already and it's only jan 2!

Come on fella.....when do we ever bring in more than we ship out.....still can't work out why we didn't recall Jenkinson....we got Le Coq back swift enough

[Dicks and chicks]

Come on fella.....when do we ever bring in more than we ship out.....still can't work out why we didn't recall Jenkinson....we got Le Coq back swift enough

he's been our best player in the last 2 games

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6X3aRWIMAEmaEF.jpg

[Marc Overmars]

Poldi. :wave:

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6X8YlbIAAIupCU.jpg

:wave:

Wish him the best

[AFC Leveller]

Classic Wenger stuff right there. a couple of days ago he said it was a joke story and he wanted Poldi to stay!

anyway, will miss the pod and wish him all the best.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yep, another terribly mismanaged player. For the random appearances he was given he did well in terms of sticking the ball in the net. And he always had good things to say about the club. Sounds like Sanogo is next, though no loss there.

Next season we'll be trying to hang on to Alexis and Walcott while we listen to rumours about Kalou arriving on a free.

The media is trying to whip up some action on Cavani and Carvalho but who actually believes it? We waited 10 years for the famous handbrake to be released and instead of sprinting off down the track we are still idling along in mid pack. If this is what the stadium move has bought us, financial security and growth for the owners but fuck all in terms of making a serious charge then what a waste of time. As things stand our new financial muscle leaves us just as likely of dropping out of the top 4 as staying in it. I don't expect us to instantly win the title, but I do expect us to be giving some sign that we have more gears to play with. Instead we have a gearbox failure, a pit crew with hammers and chisels and a team boss working out how slow we need to go to maximise fuel efficiency. We're Ferrari. All image and no substance. Plus bloody fucking expensive.

[Injury Time]

Classic Wenger stuff right there. a couple of days ago he said it was a joke story and he wanted Poldi to stay!

anyway, will miss the pod and wish him all the best.
The joke's on us :pal: <_< :crying:, our twitter :rose:

[Transplanted Gooner]

Yep, another terribly mismanaged player. For the random appearances he was given he did well in terms of sticking the ball in the net. And he always had good things to say about the club.

He's been criminally underutilized by a dogmatic manager.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Absolutely loved him off the field.....

Hope he comes back and makes a contribution.

[adzzzbatch]

:wave:

Could strike the ball very well but I won't miss the lazy anonymous performances he used to put in.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Another utterly stupid decision by a clueless & inept manager.

There's really nothing else to comment about it.

:wave: poldi, good luck, you will be missed tbh.

[Marc Overmars]

Wenger was clearly never keen on him and it was disappointing to see him benched while we had consistently under performing attackers, that was the ultimate slap in the face. In fairness to Wenger though, I don't think Podolski was particularly great in the games he did play. I'm not really sure he did a great deal to suggest he could hold down a regular first team slot, so it's probably a good move for both parties.

Podolski's club career has never really taken off, which is odd considering his international record. A bit like Klose as well.

He's a great guy but a one dimensional striker IMO, wish him all the best and I hope he does enough to maybe give Wenger something to think about in the summer.

[GP]

He'll score a few goals out there and people will start wetting themselves saying how it was a mistake to let him go, despite him under performing for us.

Just like Gervais.

[Power n Glory]

Pod didn't suit playing on the left but what frustrates me most is how inflexible we were with his positioning and we made few attempts to adapt to his strengths. It's a problem we've had with other players so no surprises over here. No attempts to play him on the opposite wing, very few opportunities up front or at least playing with a strike partner. His work rate was poor and he couldn't dribble so he was never suited on the wing. But his strike rate was phenomenal and we should have found a way to get him more involved.

[adzzzbatch]

Wenger was clearly never keen on him and it was disappointing to see him benched while we had consistently under performing attackers, that was the ultimate slap in the face. In fairness to Wenger though, I don't think Podolski was particularly great in the games he did play. I'm not really sure he did a great deal to suggest he could hold down a regular first team slot, so it's probably a good move for both parties.

Podolski's club career has never really taken off, which is odd considering his international record. A bit like Klose as well.

He's a great guy but a one dimensional striker IMO, wish him all the best and I hope he does enough to maybe give Wenger something to think about in the summer.

It's gonna end up being a permanent deal, the loan was agreed now to give the two clubs more time to iron out the transfer to suit everyone.

[Marc Overmars]

I can't express in words my gratitude towards Arsenal fans for all they have done for me in my years in London! Please know my heart always holds a place for you. I've loved every minute playing for Arsenal & I hope I have left my mark on the club & fans alike. Hopefully we shall meet again! COYG #AFC #RedArmy #Fans #Poldi #Gunner #Thanks

-

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Fair play to him, hope he gets the game time there that he wasnt getting here. Sometimes his performances haven't been remarkable, but frankly this season especially we should have been bringing him from the bench when chasing games something we have seldomly done and he is a victim of Wenger's refusal to rotate his squad.

[selassie]

Pod didn't suit playing on the left but what frustrates me most is how inflexible we were with his positioning and we made few attempts to adapt to his strengths. It's a problem we've had with other players so no surprises over here. No attempts to play him on the opposite wing, very few opportunities up front or at least playing with a strike partner. His work rate was poor and he couldn't dribble so he was never suited on the wing. But his strike rate was phenomenal and we should have found a way to get him more involved.

Yep, I agree with this. Poldi is a very useful squad player who when plays normally scores. I suspect Wenger has dumped him because he can't justify having a player on 100k a week sitting on the bench.

Also with Theo returning, Giroud & Welbeck occupying the centre forward positions I think that might be another reason why he is surplus.

I personally think we should have kept him.

[Power n Glory]

Yep, I agree with this. Poldi is a very useful squad player who when plays normally scores. I suspect Wenger has dumped him because he can't justify having a player on 100k a week sitting on the bench.

Also with Theo returning, Giroud & Welbeck occupying the centre forward positions I think that might be another reason why he is surplus.

I personally think we should have kept him.

I think Theo is the next one out the door.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yep, I agree with this. Poldi is a very useful squad player who when plays normally scores. I suspect Wenger has dumped him because he can't justify having a player on 100k a week sitting on the bench.

Also with Theo returning, Giroud & Welbeck occupying the centre forward positions I think that might be another reason why he is surplus.

I personally think we should have kept him.

There's no point saying we have positions covered at Arsenal when every season most of the squad is in the treatment room.

[Niall_Quinn]

I think Theo is the next one out the door.

There will be plenty looking for the exit if we don't get some sort of direction from the people running the club. Players can make money anywhere, the better ones want to be at the top clubs. If we're going to be a top club then now is the time to start demonstrating that ambition. Ten years on hold waiting for the finances to take shape. Now what? Somebody better figure it out.

[Bumble]

I don't understand why when everyone knows when the window opens and where we need to strengthen that things haven't already been put in place. Even players on loan. Look how quick the podolski deal took. Why can't we do the same going the other way.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Arsenal's transfer policy increasingly at times looks like my dating policy......forever waiting for some broad that simply doesn't exist.

May as well shack with Fat Dave's Girlfriend's best mate......these kids ain't churning themselves out.

[Ernesto]

I can't believe we're selling Podolski. I understand Welbeck's injured, Giroud's suspended, Sanogo's shit, Campbell's too young and raw and yet, after all that, Podolski is still happy to sit on the bench and try and do a job for us when called upon.

With the exception of Welbeck, he's our hardest working striker and has a deadly left foot. Wenger was patient with Giroud (yeah, put in as many shit performances as you like, you'll still lead the line next week) but seemingly not so with Podolski.

Ah, it's frustrating. Proper Gooner and we're getting rid. Beginning to hate Wenger now.

[BOBN]

With the exception of Welbeck, he's our hardest working striker
Quit lying.

Laziest German i've seen in my life.

Utter flop, the Kraut Franny Jeffers.

[Zerlathon]

I can't believe we're selling Podolski. I understand Welbeck's injured, Giroud's suspended, Sanogo's shit, Campbell's too young and raw and yet, after all that, Podolski is still happy to sit on the bench and try and do a job for us when called upon.

With the exception of Welbeck, he's our hardest working striker and has a deadly left foot. Wenger was patient with Giroud (yeah, put in as many shit performances as you like, you'll still lead the line next week) but seemingly not so with Podolski.

Ah, it's frustrating. Proper Gooner and we're getting rid. Beginning to hate Wenger now.

I'll have to disagree with the highlighted part of your post.

He is a dangerous forward with a missile of a shot, but in terms of work rate, he is very much 1-way. If the ball is in the final 3rd, then yeah he'll fight for it. However you won't find Pods taking an interest in the ball if it is further away from the goal.

I like the Guy, and I still rate him highly as a forward. However the unfortunate reality is that the way we play just does not suite his style of play, the majority of our game is based on a team that can have goals coming from anywhere with everyone chipping in in both attack and defence. Pods would be more suited to a Team that wishes to use him as a focal point for their attack.

Both Pods and Ozil have the same "defensive" game (i.e. it doesn't exist). I'm really hoping that Wenger gets that midfield enforcer that can make up for Ozil's lack of defensive capabilities. Hopefully then we'll start getting the best out of him (I still think that Khadera is the best option, albeit the most expensive in terms of wages).

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2897085/Lukas-Podolski-takes-Twitter-dig-Lothar-Matthaus-five-marriages.html

LOL

[Maestro]

how good is Winston Reid? answers on a post card

[Injury Time]

how good is Winston Reid? answers in a plain brown envelope

Efa

[Maestro]

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2014/2015/winston_reid/126/126/905/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/gary_cahill/126/126/451/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/vincent_kompany/126/126/543/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/john_terry/126/126/72/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/laurent_koscielny/126/126/113/0/p#total_score/defence_score/tackles_won/total_duels_%/fouls_committed/cards_for_bad_tackles/tackles_lost/interceptions/blocks/clearances/defensive_errors/errors_leading_to_goal/aerial_duels_won/goals_scored/yellow_cards/red_cards#avg

[McNamara That Ghost...]

how good is Winston Reid? answers on a post card

Second class. Sorry.

[Maestro]

Second class. Sorry.

okay then, though that is our shopping bracket

[LDG]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150105/podolski-completes-inter-milan-loan-move

Officially confirmed.

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150105/podolski-completes-inter-milan-loan-move

Officially confirmed.

Would like to see them officially confirming someone other than Kalou coming in. Not long to go until midnight on the 31st I suppose.

[LDG]

We are always looking.

[Niall_Quinn]

If we find top, top, top quality we will maybe do something.

[LDG]

Do not forget, we have also Chambers who can play there.

[Maestro]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150105/podolski-completes-inter-milan-loan-move

Officially confirmed.

that counts as transfer activity, at least we're active

[Maestro]

If we find top, top, top quality we will maybe do something.

.....but as you know as well top, top, top quality does not move a lot in January

[Syn]

Definitely need to buy a new GK now. Sczcsesny caught smoking in the showers.

[Niall_Quinn]

More rumours but this seems about right in terms of being underwhelming. Some OAP journeyman who "can also play there". One of our top targets apparently.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2897933/Arsenal-target-Loic-Perrin-confirms-contacted-Emirates.html

[Marc Overmars]

Sky Sports News HQ ‏@SkySportsNewsHQ 30m30 minutes ago

BREAKING: Legia Warsaw say they have rejected an offer from Arsenal for Krystian Bielik. More on #SSNHQ. http://bit.ly/1fxuU8M

Who?

[LDG]

Who?

Krystian Bielik

[Niall_Quinn]

Who?

17 year old kid from Warsaw. 5 career appearances. His Wiki page is a single line mentioning his name, DOB and club. Guess the old bloke from St Etienne was too expensive.

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www.shop.inspirededucators.com/images/Bargain%20bin%20crate(1).jpg

[selassie]

More rumours but this seems about right in terms of being underwhelming. Some OAP journeyman who "can also play there". One of our top targets apparently.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2897933/Arsenal-target-Loic-Perrin-confirms-contacted-Emirates.html

Sadly...it's a very believable rumour. It saddens me that we still insist on having to shop in the bargain bin even though we are in a very healthy position financially.

We just seem intent on stockpiling the squad with junk.

[Globalgunner]

Sadly...it's a very believable rumour. It saddens me that we still insist on having to shop in the bargain bin even though we are in a very healthy position financially.

We just seem intent on stockpiling the squad with junk.

All these crap buys are Wengers personal contribution to propping up the French economy. Add paying Diaby 3m each year for the last 8 years. His knighthood is in the bag

[The Emirates Gallactico]

That Polish kid is meant to be well good so I'd be happy to get him as long as he isn't meant to the be the first choice DM we're all calling out for.

But seeing what Wenger's done to Chambers this season, he'll probably end up being the backup to Arteta for the rest of the season. :(


All these crap buys are Wengers personal contribution to propping up the French economy. Add paying Diaby 3m each year for the last 8 years. His knighthood is in the bag

He's actually already got the French equivalent of a knighthood (Legion of Honour). :lol:

[Globalgunner]

That Polish kid is meant to be well good so I'd be happy to get him as long as he isn't meant to the be the first choice DM we're all calling out for.

But seeing what Wenger's done to Chambers this season, he'll probably end up being the backup to Arteta for the rest of the season. :(



He's actually already got the French equivalent of a knighthood (Legion of Honour). :lol:

Damn! I guess then, he will be the 1st French king since Louis XVI. He`s certainly working towards something.

[Maestro]

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2014/2015/nemanja_matic/126/126/9284/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/fernandinho/126/126/4958/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/morgan_schneiderlin/126/126/724/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/alexandre_song/126/126/371/0/p|premier_league/2014/2015/victor_wanyama/126/126/5573/0/p#total_score/attack_score/defence_score/total_forward_passes/possession_score/pass_completion/tackles_won/aerial_duels_won/interceptions/blocks/clearances/defensive_errors/red_cards/yellow_cards#avg

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#champions_league/2014/2015/nemanja_matic/142/142/9284/33/p|champions_league/2014/2015/fernandinho/142/142/4958/0/p|champions_league/2014/2015/william_carvalho/142/142/12800/0/p|champions_league/2014/2015/mikel_arteta/142/142/398/0/p|champions_league/2014/2015/sergio_busquets/142/142/315/0/p#total_score/attack_score/defence_score/total_forward_passes/possession_score/pass_completion/tackles_won/aerial_duels_won/interceptions/blocks/clearances/defensive_errors/red_cards/yellow_cards#avg

sorry just bored, so playing compare dot com

[Niall_Quinn]

Looks like Messi is considering leaving, guess he doesn't get enough cash and adulation at Barca. I'm thinking that makes us favourites to sign him seeing as we are his favourite team and we almost signed him before and we have 22 gazillion quid in the bank (although most of that will be used in the general running of the club I hear). Still, on balance I;d say Messi will be an Arsenal player by the end of the month.

[Bumble]

Looks like Messi is considering leaving, guess he doesn't get enough cash and adulation at Barca. I'm thinking that makes us favourites to sign him seeing as we are his favourite team and we almost signed him before and we have 22 gazillion quid in the bank (although most of that will be used in the general running of the club I hear). Still, on balance I;d say Messi will be an Arsenal player by the end of the month.
we can partner him with Ronaldo too and Wenger wont have to worry about the defensive side of the business....

[Gooner23]

we can partner him with Ronaldo too and Wenger wont have to worry about the defensive side of the business....

He doesn't anyway!

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

City apparently in talks with Swansea regarding Bony for around £30m :wacko:

[fakeyank]

Wont they fall foul of Fair play rules with that price tag? They shipped Negredo for a reason..

[GP]

They don't give a shit about fair play rules.

[Marc Overmars]

United have reportedly offered Victor Valdes a contract. :unsure:

[selassie]

I think Theo is the next one out the door.

Yeah there could be something in this. He only has 1 and a half years left on his contract so we're going to need to sit him down very soon.

[Niall_Quinn]

Deal for the 17 year old kid is off, apparently. Our offer wasn't good enough. Surprising. Guess he'll be making his 6th professional appearance in Poland rather than London.

[Gooner23]

Deal for the 17 year old kid is off, apparently. Our offer wasn't good enough. Surprising. Guess he'll be making his 6th professional appearance in Poland rather than London.

I'm gutted.

[Globalgunner]

Deal for the 17 year old kid is off, apparently. Our offer wasn't good enough. Surprising. Guess he'll be making his 6th professional appearance in Poland rather than London.

Our bid was laughed off as a joke...No doubt we will be going back a bit more serious.

[Power n Glory]

Yeah there could be something in this. He only has 1 and a half years left on his contract so we're going to need to sit him down very soon.

It will go down to the wire again. The lack of first team action doesn't help. With Welbeck, Sanchez, Oz and Cazorla in the squad, I have a feeling we'll let Theo go.

[Niall_Quinn]

Our bid was laughed off as a joke...No doubt we will be going back a bit more serious.

We could use that pound we were going to spend on Suarez.

[Niall_Quinn]

It will go down to the wire again. The lack of first team action doesn't help. With Welbeck, Sanchez, Oz and Cazorla in the squad, I have a feeling we'll let Theo go.

Theo should outfox them and get a French passport.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Are we so brilliant all of a sudden we can lose Theo? I'd be very annoyed to say the least if we don't get him to re-sign. Imagine us pretending to try and replace him.....

[Maestro]

Are we so brilliant all of a sudden we can lose Theo? I'd be very annoyed to say the least if we don't get him to re-sign. Imagine us pretending to try and replace him.....

would you be willing to pay him circa £130k a week?

[Power n Glory]

would you be willing to pay him circa £130k a week?

I don't think Blink has that sort of money! :unsure:

Seriously, the wages shouldn't matter. It's not as if we'll replace Theo with another Sanchez type on the wing. We'll most likely see Danny Welbeck playing on the left just to squeeze him into the starting line up. That would be a step backwards!

[adzzzbatch]

would you be willing to pay him circa £130k a week?

He's done fuck all at Arsenal apart from renegotiate his contract every 18 months or so! Oh and get injured all the time.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

would you be willing to pay him circa £130k a week?

If that's what it costs, yes...... though where has that figure come from?

Are we messing with the grown folk here or are we still running around like punk kids?

[Maestro]

If that's what it costs, yes...... though where has that figure come from?

Are we messing with the grown folk here or are we still running around like punk kids?

just thought i would spice it up a bit, considering he's on about £100k right now. i'm sure his agent will play prick

in other news:

"Before winning the 2012/13 league title, we were getting ready to play against Lyon. Carlo Ancelotti was a bit tense, so Ibra approached him and asked him if he believed in Jesus. Ancelotti said yes, so Ibra told him: “Good, so you believe in me. You can relax!”

[Niall_Quinn]

would you be willing to pay him circa £130k a week?

That's the gypo/chav premium. They have players on much more than that stashed on the bench and this is the direction they are driving the game. If we want players of a quality above the average then £130k isn't at the high end of what those type of players demand these days (and can get elsewhere) This will be the net effect of ten years of finance building, the players and their agents will take most of it. Another gift from the comedy clubs and another reason why they are so, so bad for sport. Look at the Bony deal, £30mill when they already have a whole bunch of strikers. And I bet the wages will be ludicrous too. I don't think you can be prudent in this game any more if you want to win something. If you want to be prudent then you settle for second tier, which was not the deal sold to the fans when the whole stadium thing was proposed. Just a couple of years back £100K seemed a ludicrous amount for Theo. Things are so crazy now that £30K on top is almost nothing. It's a silly old game.

[Niall_Quinn]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/07/247CEEE300000578-2900987-The_player_s_agent_Dalibor_Lacina_confirmed_that_h e_expected_the-m-26_1420661327632.jpg

Bony's agent. I'm just saying...


Swansea are reportedly demanding £25m up-front plus £5m in add-ons for the prolific forward, while Bony wants to double his earnings to £120,000 a week.

For a bench recruit.

[Maestro]

That's the gypo/chav premium. They have players on much more than that stashed on the bench and this is the direction they are driving the game. If we want players of a quality above the average then £130k isn't at the high end of what those type of players demand these days (and can get elsewhere) This will be the net effect of ten years of finance building, the players and their agents will take most of it. Another gift from the comedy clubs and another reason why they are so, so bad for sport. Look at the Bony deal, £30mill when they already have a whole bunch of strikers. And I bet the wages will be ludicrous too. I don't think you can be prudent in this game any more if you want to win something. If you want to be prudent then you settle for second tier, which was not the deal sold to the fans when the whole stadium thing was proposed. Just a couple of years back £100K seemed a ludicrous amount for Theo. Things are so crazy now that £30K on top is almost nothing. It's a silly old game.

yep, it's a squeeze 'em for that max game. theo looks like he'll take £150k/week to go sit on the money bench and make up the ghel homegrown quota. i think the kid has it in him, got bench potential that one.

back to your valid point, unfortunately we have a spending-averse manager and board so can't see us winning anything of note for another ten years easy if the status quo prevails

[Maestro]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/07/247CEEE300000578-2900987-The_player_s_agent_Dalibor_Lacina_confirmed_that_h e_expected_the-m-26_1420661327632.jpg

Bony's agent. I'm just saying...



For a bench recruit.


they can suck a bony i tells ya, that's their whole village sorted out for generations

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

We signed Podolski on 100k a week wages from a league everybody gushes about in terms of being THE exemplary football Modus Operandi.....and from a team like Cologne who were never going to win anything of note in a million years.

There wasn't a whole lot of opposition to his wages then or even a couple years after when it was obvious that Wenger didn't really fancy him.

[Power n Glory]

A fair point.

[AFC Leveller]

We just cannot compete with City's finances but that is not the only reason we are far behind them. At the end of the day, they can only field 11 players and so can we and if our manager sorted himself out and stopped being french, he might have a chance.

[Globalgunner]

Ive only recently become a fan of Theo, as his early days were a mismash of so-so perfrmances. The only question is whether he justifies earning so much. If we step out of the illusory world of Chelsea and City and back into our own where we have to rank players on a hierarchy. I dont see why Theo should earn as much as say Sanchez or Ozil. If Wenger had the nous to use Podolski properly he could be a 15 goal a season player for us, but for that you would have to tinker with the team and have 2 ball winning DMs to make up for his own inability to chase back.
But I digress. the issue for Arsenal as a club is where we see our finances in 5 years time. We already spend more on wages than Chelsea so something is seriously wrong with our benchmarking of players. Will Wilshire, Ramsey and Theo all be on 180k/pw in 2 years time. If we win nothing for the next 5 years will they even stay?

There is something diabolically wrong with football finances that makes players earn so much, but at Arsenal we are clearly not the well run example that we try to portray to the world. Our finances would at least make sense if we won stuff with all that we spend.

[Power n Glory]

Our wage structure is flawed and it needs addressing. It's of our own making and born out of fear of the oil rich clubs and their financial power so we've devised a flawed counter strategy to try and stay ahead. Theo's case is a prime example of why it's flawed.

The idea is that we develop our own superstar players but on the cheap. Small tranfer fees and £40k-£60k a week here or there is nothing in today's market and shouldn't really hurt us. It sounds like a good idea at first. But when it gets to the point where we'd rather shun world class talent and avoid paying £150k a week so we can pay a few young developing players £50k-£60k, something has gone wrong somewhere.

We're gambling on potential and hoping they come good whilst sacrificing quality in the team. 'Buy cheap, you buy twice' is the saying. The youth project has been very expensive. A lot of people say the Board are tight fisted with money and don't like spending but I never believed that because the amount we'd spend on our wages for 'cheap' players. We've gone for quantity over quality. Blown a hole in our budget shopping at The Pound Shop under the impression we're getting value for money.

For all we've put into the youth project, we haven't got much out of it on the field. Theo is a rare case but still not at the 'Henry' level we were led to believe he'd become. That's why the talk of his wages makes some eyes water. But this is the problem you get when you try to accelerate too quickly. Start a 19-21 year old on £40k-50k wages so early and keep doling out long term deals with more money rising to £60k-£70k, you'll soon reach that £100K+ mark with a player that still hasn't reached his full potential but still young enough to reach it. Jack and Ramsey will hit that point soon as they are both on the £80k mark I think. What happens if injury slows their progress but they're due another contract? After so much time and investment, it makes it very hard to just let the player walk.

[selassie]

Are we so brilliant all of a sudden we can lose Theo? I'd be very annoyed to say the least if we don't get him to re-sign. Imagine us pretending to try and replace him.....

We need to keep Theo, he's one of our only players that actually delivers in the big games. His scoring record against the likes of Chelsea, City and United is very impressive TBF.

Moreover his number in general are very good, he's a 15+ goal, 10+ assists a season player, he'd cost a fortune to replace properly.

[Globalgunner]

Looks like the Bielek deal is in the bag. Just what we need a 17 year old DM
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/08/arsenal-krystian-bielik-legia-warsaw

He is also 6`2" so can do a job a a CB. 2 positions sorted at once. Any only £2.5m

[Niall_Quinn]

Looks like the Bielek deal is in the bag. Just what we need a 17 year old DM
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/08/arsenal-krystian-bielik-legia-warsaw

He is also 6`2" so can do a job a a CB. 2 positions sorted at once. Any only £3.5m

The 2.5mill could have been used to compete with the big boys in terms of wages for a proper player that could help us today, instead of helping whoever we loan this kid to next year. Now Wenger has his 17 year old prospect who will never play I guess we can call that a wrap for this transfer window. Unless Kalou is thinking of moving.

[Niall_Quinn]

A humorous look at Arsenal's transfer window. Very funny, worth the read.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11329541/Arsenal-transfer-news-and-rumours-Gunners-plan-incredible-64m-move-for-Isco.html

[Niall_Quinn]

Talks on the Campbell loan are "advanced" according to the Telegraph. What was Campbell all about? Signed just to be on loan for his career.

[Marc Overmars]

Valdes signs for United.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Would probably make more sense moving this thread to the Non Arsenal Area sub-forum.

[AFC Leveller]

Campbell is the Costa rican Park, he was signed for no fucking reason. the club chased his agent all around south america while we were about to lose Nasri and cesc and now it looks like it was all a waste of time.

[selassie]

Campbell is the Costa rican Park, he was signed for no fucking reason. the club chased his agent all around south america while we were about to lose Nasri and cesc and now it looks like it was all a waste of time.

:d classic arsenal!

[Niall_Quinn]

BTW, Kane is another one we almost signed.

[Power n Glory]

Campbell is the Costa rican Park, he was signed for no fucking reason. the club chased his agent all around south america while we were about to lose Nasri and cesc and now it looks like it was all a waste of time.

It's slightly worse than Park. I can chalk that deal up to a last minute impulse buy that we misjudged.

But Campbell's case is off because we must have had scouts watching him for a while and went to the trouble of loaning him out just so he could get a work permit. After finally getting one, we now don't want him. Reminds me of the Vela case. Add Ryo to that list along with Wellington Silva.

[Injury Time]

:tumbleweed:

[adzzzbatch]

What's this about a striker at atletico Madrid being linked with us?

[Bumble]

On the plus side we have signed Dennis Wises son Henry, to go on the books along with all 3 Beckham juniors and Frank Lampards nephew.

[AFC Leveller]

It's slightly worse than Park. I can chalk that deal up to a last minute impulse buy that we misjudged.

But Campbell's case is off because we must have had scouts watching him for a while and went to the trouble of loaning him out just so he could get a work permit. After finally getting one, we now don't want him. Reminds me of the Vela case. Add Ryo to that list along with Wellington Silva.

Human traficking by Wenger IMO, he'd do anything for money.

[AFC Leveller]

BTW, Kane is another one we almost signed.

That has got to be the biggest one we let slip through the net; forget ronaldo, messi, ibra, Kane is the last straw for me.

[Syn]

Wrinkly cunt scum

[Globalgunner]

That has got to be the biggest one we let slip through the net; forget ronaldo, messi, ibra, Kane is the last straw for me.Sanogo will prove to be the greater talent in the long run. I am 98% sure of it.

[Marc Overmars]

Poldi's heel turn.



Lukas Podolski has accused Arsène Wenger of a lack of respect following the striker’s departure from Arsenal during the January transfer window.

Podolski, who joined the club for £11m from Cologne in 2012 but who has now left on loan for Internazionale, said that the Arsenal manger did not get in contract or say goodbye to the departing striker.

Speaking to the Sun, Podolski said: “He [Wenger] said nothing to me. He did not call me or say goodbye. I don’t need flowers or a kiss from him. But it is about respect, about saying goodbye. For me respect is important. Maybe he had other problems with me.”

The German World Cup winner, who revealed that he had offers from other clubs, said that Wenger had told him before the transfer window opened that he did not want him to leave the club.

Podolski said he was happy in north London but felt he was not given a fair hearing by Wenger: “When you don’t get a chance you cannot show what you can do and the last five months I hardly played.”

Podolski has made just two starts this season, neither of which came in the Premier League, and said he knew his future lay away from the club when he scored twice against Galatasaray but failed to make the starting 11 for the next game against Newcastle.

Wenger has since rejected Podolski’s allegations saying that the two had spoken “many times”. “I deny it completely,” said Wenger. “We spoke many times. I had many conversations with him. Without my agreement, he couldn’t go on loan.”

Podolski, who came off the bench to make his debut for the Italian club in the midweek draw with Juventus, said that he opted for Roberto Mancini’s side following advice from the Brazil legend Ronaldo as well as conversation with the former Manchester City manager: “He went to great lengths to get me here and made my decision very easy.”

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Pods trying to make sure he never returns.

Well played.

[Niall_Quinn]

Poldi's heel turn.

What Podolski claims and what Wenger denies are different. Of course he spoke to him many times, anyone could have figured that out. But Podolski is saying Wenger didn't speak to him one last time to say goodbye. Bit shitty if that is true.

[Syn]

What Podolski claims and what Wenger denies are different. Of course he spoke to him many times, anyone could have figured that out. But Podolski is saying Wenger didn't speak to him one last time to say goodbye. Bit shitty if that is true.

Equally shitty to cry to the press about it. Is there no integrity in football any more? Everyone's a fanny. Fuck Podolski, he didn't work hard enough and Serie A against 38 year old CBs is his level.

[Niall_Quinn]

Equally shitty to cry to the press about it. Is there no integrity in football any more? Everyone's a fanny. Fuck Podolski, he didn't work hard enough and Serie A against 38 year old CBs is his level.

True enough, but Podolski is no longer our concern. Wenger is though, big time.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Citeh's Nastatic close to moving to Schalke.....loan deal with option to buy.....surely that kind of deal has Wenger written all over it.....another who would benefit from regular football??!!

[Maestro]

Citeh's Nastatic close to moving to Schalke.....loan deal with option to buy.....surely that kind of deal has Wenger written all over it.....another who would benefit from regular football??!!

that's just it, it doesn't have wenger written all over it. wenget is finished

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Although I respect him for not jumping on the pay whatever for whoever......he has definitely missed the boat on a worrying number of additions.....

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Surprised Podolski feels so affronted by it or even why he cares at this stage...but it doesn't reflect well on Wenger either.

He's not good enough to be the main man here but he was most definitely good enough to have played more minutes than he did.

[Niall_Quinn]

Surprised Podolski feels so affronted by it or even why he cares at this stage...but it doesn't reflect well on Wenger either.

He's not good enough to be the main man here but he was most definitely good enough to have played more minutes than he did.

Factor in the wages and it's been a costly waste. I wonder how the cost of prudence and all those second and third tier players stacks up against signing two or three genuine talents when we were closer to the top and could have pushed on? Prudence, youth, maybe it was a false economy.

[adzzzbatch]

Benik Afobe is reportedly set to leave Arsenal on a permanent basis without having made a single competitive appearance for the first-team.

The striker has been in scintillating form on loan at MK Dons this season, scoring 19 goals in 30 appearances, but is now in talks with an unnamed club over a transfer.

A player who showed tremendous promise as a schoolboy, he helped Arsenal U18s to win the Premier Academy League twice in succession, as well as featuring in the FA Youth Cup success of 2009.


:haha:

Project youth :haha:

[Globalgunner]

:haha:

Project youth :haha:

Benik Afobe is reportedly set to leave Arsenal on a permanent basis without having made a single competitive appearance for the first-team.

The striker has been in scintillating form on loan at MK Dons this season, scoring 19 goals in 30 appearances, but is now in talks with an unnamed club over a transfer.

A player who showed tremendous promise as a schoolboy, he helped Arsenal U18s to win the Premier Academy League twice in succession, as well as featuring in the FA Youth Cup success of 2009.

Basically he is miles better than Sanogo, but not French so no place for him. Could also be that he actually wants to play football, so is better off anywhere but here. While Sanogo is happy pretending to be a footballer once in a while.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

£30 million fee or so agreed between Citeh and Swansea for Bony.

SSN.

FFP. :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

Palace have made a loan offer for Sanogo. :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And on loan to Palace he has gone.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150113/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan

[adzzzbatch]

Palace and their Arsenal rejects :lol:

[AFC Leveller]

Pardew can never turn down a Frenchman.

[selassie]

We've spent most of this window shifting deadwood and haggling over that 17 year old Polish lad, some things never change.

[Niall_Quinn]

Most of the media now saying the Gundogan deal is almost done with fee ranging from £15mill through £25mill.

[Marc Overmars]

Hasn't Gundogan been crocked for like a year?

Sounds perfect for us.

[AFC Leveller]

Most of the media now saying the Gundogan deal is almost done with fee ranging from £15mill through £25mill.

Is he a DCM though? from the games ive seen him play against us, he looked more like an attacking CM.

[Niall_Quinn]

Is he a DCM though? from the games ive seen him play against us, he looked more like an attacking CM.

He's a deeper lying Fabregas clone who can cover at DCM, not a dedicated solution. And yes, injured a lot. But good player though, even if we don't strictly need him at all.

[Niall_Quinn]

Dinamo Zagreb believe they are close to agreeing terms with Arsenal over the sale of midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.
Talks have been ongoing since October with Arsenal jumping back and forth to various targets but Zagreb say they received an offer of £6million on Monday and are inching towards their valuation.

Midfielder, mostly attacking. Can cover at DM. Sounds like Wenger is almost trying to sign a DM but can't quite bring himself to do it.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Completely baffled by this Gundogen news. I have a Dortmund friend who's ITK and he's saying we've made an approach and all the other rags are starting to pick up on it now.

Whilst he's the sort of big name, high quality calibre player we all want Wenger to start signing he's clearly what we don't need. Another AM/CM ......... it's like they're crack to Wenger. Ramsey, Jack, Ozil, Santi, Rosicky ...... the list is endless.

Not to mention he's just coming off a year and a bit off with injury and there's no guarantee he'll recapture the same form that made him so good prior to that.

[fakeyank]

Heard about him but didnt know what position he played in.. remember him more from playing fifa than anything else. If he is not a defensive minded midfielder or a Central defender, we are pissing more money down the drain.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Heard about him but didnt know what position he played in.. remember him more from playing fifa than anything else. If he is not a defensive minded midfielder or a Central defender, we are pissing more money down the drain.

afaik he's basically a hybrid of a Wilshere and Ramsey, silky attacking midfielder but without perhaps the industry of the latter. Completely redundant to our needs at the moment. In fact the position we're most covered in.

It seems like the only person who's benefiting from our improved financial muscle is Wenger as it allows him to keep up his fetish of stockpiling AM's. :rolleyes:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I think Gundogan is as much an ACM as Khedira is.......so he wouldn't be a bad buy. That said, I'm not personally sure he is as good as his reputation suggests.

I always thought that were Wenger to be interested in a player like Schneiderlain he'd have bought him years ago when he would have cost peanuts....similarly with Mossa Sissoko so though we've been linked to the pair of them, I'd be surprised if it happened.

A 'but I thought he was an attacking midfielder'.....is probably the best we can expect. I won't be against it depending on the player and his attributes and I've been vocal about the fact I think both Khedira and Mossa Sissoko can play any midfield role you ask of them.

[Power n Glory]

I think Gundogan is as much an ACM as Khedira is.......so he wouldn't be a bad buy. That said, I'm not personally sure he is as good as his reputation suggests.

I always thought that were Wenger to be interested in a player like Schneiderlain he'd have bought him years ago when he would have cost peanuts....similarly with Mossa Sissoko so though we've been linked to the pair of them, I'd be surprised if it happened.

A 'but I thought he was an attacking midfielder'.....is probably the best we can expect. I won't be against it depending on the player and his attributes and I've been vocal about the fact I think both Khedira and Mossa Sissoko can play any midfield role you ask of them.

I'm more concerned about his injury record. CM/DM/ACM...it doesn't really matter how his role is defined. As long as he's no slouch, I'm sure he can take over from Arteta's role.

[fari]

And on loan to Palace he has gone.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150113/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan


i hope Sanogo can get better, history has shown that sometimes our players get better after playing for one of those hard nosed coaches

[Niall_Quinn]

"Arsenal have been given the green light to complete their move for Gustavo Almadovar after Guadalajara reportedly accepted a £3.2 million bid for the Mexican anchor man."

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

"Arsenal have been given the green light to complete their move for Gustavo Almadovar after Guadalajara reportedly accepted a £3.2 million bid for the Mexican anchor man."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk0wDbyKcSg

:lol:

[AFC Leveller]

Unless Wingor is planning on selling at least 2 of our current CMs, then i just cannot see us signing another one.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Fairly sure that Gundogan story has sprung from the Daily Star. :lol:

[Niall_Quinn]

Fairly sure that Gundogan story has sprung from the Daily Star. :lol:

It's true then.

Why aren't we seriously in the hunt for Hummels? We could at least drive up the fee for a rival and make FFP bite. Alleged football clubs like the chavs use the transfer system as a form of competition and now the gypos are doing it too. Why do we sit there like idiots waiting for everyone else to pick so we can sort through the leftovers? What's the point of this financial muscle if we have an after you approach to the market?

[selassie]

afaik he's basically a hybrid of a Wilshere and Ramsey, silky attacking midfielder but without perhaps the industry of the latter. Completely redundant to our needs at the moment. In fact the position we're most covered in.

It seems like the only person who's benefiting from our improved financial muscle is Wenger as it allows him to keep up his fetish of stockpiling AM's. :rolleyes:

If we are seriously in for Gundogan then it's a case of square pegs in round holes.

Oh and I agree with you re: Wenger's obsession with AM's. :d

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Our token teenager deal looks to be in the bag can we now trot along and get in someone who will have immediate impact (talk is Wumger had promised the Polish paper boy a place in first team as he has immediate plans)

[Munchies]

Dozy off to the MLS, Defoe to Sunderland:

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/8991_757665530976362_7484274393396325806_n.jpg?oh= f3727b1108b94bc7cc457c1922c184eb&oe=556818AD

http://oi38.tinypic.com/121y3ps.jpg

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7bLaO5IMAAq3hT.jpg

time is now :bow:

[adzzzbatch]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7bLaO5IMAAq3hT.jpg

time is now :bow:

There must be another eagle that looks like that. (http://eaglesthatlooklikearsenewenger.tumblr.com/)

[Niall_Quinn]

£20mill? What happened to the rest of it?

[Gooner23]

Only 20 mil? You couldn't make it up..

[Power n Glory]

£20m is too much to blow on a deadline day panic buy. You guys trust him with more even?

[Niall_Quinn]

£20m is too much to blow on a deadline day panic buy. You guys trust him with more even?

Whether it's blown or not, we used to hear the figure of £30mill every transfer window. Now we have money, it's £20mill. If we discovered oil and gold reserves under the car park a £10mill kitty would be announced.

[Dein-machine]

On the day that Van Gaal is given a £150 mill Jan kitty, Wenger is promising to work "night & day" to spend the £20 mill we have - great to see the stadium move has put us in the big league as promised.

[Power n Glory]

Whether it's blown or not, we used to hear the figure of £30mill every transfer window. Now we have money, it's £20mill. If we discovered oil and gold reserves under the car park a £10mill kitty would be announced.

Announced by who? The headline says £20m but Wenger doesn't say anything about. Come on dude, it's one paper making plucking a figure from thin air. You know how this works.

[Niall_Quinn]

Announced by who? The headline says £20m but Wenger doesn't say anything about. Come on dude, it's one paper making plucking a figure from thin air. You know how this works.

I know how it works, for sure. They pluck a figure every season. I'm not saying the £20mill is the real figure, I'm saying it's worrying the media guesstimate has gone down. I'd expect them to be saying Wenger has a £120mill kitty or something in that region, as they usually go with whatever makes the biggest headline. £20mill sounds very reserved for the media. Makes me wonder if the real budget is £17.50.

[Power n Glory]

I know how it works, for sure. They pluck a figure every season. I'm not saying the £20mill is the real figure, I'm saying it's worrying the media guesstimate has gone down. I'd expect them to be saying Wenger has a £120mill kitty or something in that region, as they usually go with whatever makes the biggest headline. £20mill sounds very reserved for the media. Makes me wonder if the real budget is £17.50.

Wenger has said he's looking to bring in one or two players. In this article and others. We know he won't bring in an attacking first team player so that figure comes from the going rate for a DM since we've just found out Arteta is out for 3 months.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger has said he's looking to bring in one or two players. In this article and others. We know he won't bring in an attacking first team player so that figure comes from the going rate for a DM since we've just found out Arteta is out for 3 months.

Which raises another, horrifying, issue. If it has taken Arteta to get injured for him to seriously talk about signings does it mean he thinks this squad would be good enough if Arteta had stayed fit?

[Power n Glory]

Of course. Just last week he said we wouldn't need new signings if everyone was fit. It's not a shock. We went into the season with no backup CB and we'd have no back up striker if Giroud didn't do us a favour and get injured.

[Marc Overmars]

Wenget says we are looking at defenders and didn't deny when asked about Winston Reid.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenget says we are looking at defenders and didn't deny when asked about Winston Reid.

He neither denied or confirmed and he will do something if it is possible. Unfortunately it is not possible in January. Also Diaby can play there.

[Niall_Quinn]

I can conjure images of Wenger hiding in the bushes at opposition training grounds looking at defenders. He looks and then he goes home, job done.

[Niall_Quinn]

Utd after Clyne - our fucking player! The nerve.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Yeah

[Dein-machine]

Which raises another, horrifying, issue. If it has taken Arteta to get injured for him to seriously talk about signings does it mean he thinks this squad would be good enough if Arteta had stayed fit?

Oh you'd better believe it, why not - He made him his captain!, a player that shouldn't be anywhere near an Arsenal shirt. Don't be so silly people say, a man being paid £8mill a year can't make the player needing replacing above anyone else, your captain.
Oh you'd better believe it again, we had to sell our last captain because he couldn't get a game ahead of a retired international who can't run or jump.
Trust me - only possible at the Arse.

[Chippy]

He neither denied or confirmed and he will do something if it is possible. Unfortunately it is not possible in January. Also Diaby can play there.
Where the fuck is Diaby? I thought he was ready to play a month ago?

[Marc Overmars]

He's been ready to play about 186 times over the past 8 years.

[KSE Comedy Club]

An ITK secret footballer, believed to be Dave kitson, has said on Twitter that we have agreed
A deal to sign Morgan schniederlin at the end of the season.



:coffee:

[Niall_Quinn]

An ITK secret footballer, believed to be Dave kitson, has said on Twitter that we have agreed
A deal to sign Morgan schniederlin at the end of the season.



:coffee:

I saw that too and it better be bullshit or else it means we are going through the rest of this season with no reinforcements in defensive midfield.

[Niall_Quinn]

Where the fuck is Diaby? I thought he was ready to play a month ago?

Diaby is as you know two weeks from being like a new signing, he had little bit setback that delayed him for 8 years.

[Niall_Quinn]

Media reporting West Ham want £8mill+ for Reid, a player with 6 months left on his contract.

[Power n Glory]

Sounds crazy but they know they can play that game when we have an obvious need for a CB.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

It's fair enough these days. If they sold him and thought they may lose out two league places, it's probably more than £8 million with how mental it is now.

[Chippy]

Diaby is as you know two weeks from being like a new signing, he had little bit setback that delayed him for 8 years.
:d

[Munchies]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30864921

The Gunners have been linked with a number of central defenders in the January transfer window, including West Ham's Winston Reid and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels, but Wenger says it is difficult to sign quality players.

"Why have we not signed a defender? We haven't found one. We are not the only ones working on the case," he said.

"It is not a supermarket where you go in and buy a defender. It is a market that is very restricted. The players who can strengthen the best 10 teams in Europe, you don't find many and it is the same for everybody.

"We are a big attraction, of course we are. If it was easy we would do it.

"We have made enquiries but then you have the second handicap - who wants to sell their best player, especially a central defender, in the middle of the season? They say, 'come back in June or July'."

:haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

Sounds like the DM is off the table.

[GP]

If he was on the table he'd fall of and break his leg haha lol

#FrenchCunt #£8million

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

It's exactly like a SUPERMARKET.....you go in to buy a leg of lamb.....and you come out with a loaf of bread instead.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's exactly like a SUPERMARKET.....you go in to buy a leg of lamb.....and you come out with a loaf of bread instead.

It's like a supermarket except in football you have agents running up to you saying please buy my player, a bit like assisted shopping.

[LDG]

It's exactly like a SUPERMARKET.....you go in to buy a leg of lamb.....and you come out with a loaf of bread instead.

Lidl bit cheapskate.

[Master Splinter]

on if this result changes his plans for the transfer window…



We are still looking, yes.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150118/wenger-on-victory-cazorla-and-coquelin

:haha:

[Gooner23]

on if he’s made any progress in the window…
Unfortunately no, but if you have a good idea, you can text me somewhere to the club!

:haha:

[Marc Overmars]

Gabriel Paulista has said he's in talks with us.

Any good Maccy?

[Maestro]

Wenget please capitalise on the feel good factor and go out there, buy good experience in CB and DM positions

aaaggghhhhrrrr!!!!!!

[Niall_Quinn]

Do you expect him to kill Diaby? I think people quickly forget about Diaby and instead telephone suggestions to the club which is little bit disrespectful to the player.

[Maestro]

Do you expect him to kill Diaby? I think people quickly forget about Diaby and instead telephone suggestions to the club which is little bit disrespectful to the player.

i really don't do myself any favours, completely forgot we have Abou ..who can as well also play there

[fakeyank]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/9652706/transfer-news-arsenal-interested-in-villarreal-defender-gabriel-paulista-say-sky-sources

Dont know how good he is.. any GWers who has seen him regularly?

[Niall_Quinn]

Know precisely nothing about him, if that helps.

[Marc Overmars]

We've made Campbell available for loan. :faint:

Guessing he'll be flogged in the summer.

[AFC Leveller]

Know precisely nothing about him, if that helps.

Great name though.

[Niall_Quinn]

We've made Campbell available for loan. :faint:

Guessing he'll be flogged in the summer.

A loan with an £8mill option to buy. Would have thought Campbell's energy and willingness would be a good thing to have in certain situations but maybe it's not us getting rid of him, maybe he sees no future and wants to go. Weird business nonetheless.

[Bumble]

£8m good price for someone who doesn't play.

anyway less than 2 weeks to go and now Coq is playing well and we won at City with a new found discipline..... anyone think we wont actually strengthen now as everything will seem rosy until Kos breaks down 3rd Feb.

Wenger is a lucky manager though, Coq wouldn't be here if we didn't run out of midfielders and Flamini would be playing instead and he is toilet. Welbeck wouldn't have been signed either had Giroud not got injured and I think Welbeck is a good player. Seems very reactionary.

[Niall_Quinn]

Sounds like we'll land a CB but are waiting until the summer for the DM.

[Master Splinter]

If WUMger lets 3 forwards go in one window, his WUMmery will be ascending to a new level.

We lose players all the time and it's usually concentrated in one area. As soon as he flogs the next one, Giroud and Walcott will die again. We're always short of numbers, so letting 3 go and getting no-one in is just psychotic self-harm. Akpom doesn't seem to be an option either at the moment because he's barely played two minutes.

[Niall_Quinn]

We are supposedly in talks with Roma for Destro, a 10 goal a season striker who can also play wide left or right. Can't recall ever seeing him play. Cover for Giroud I suppose. Underwhelming if true.

[Özim]

Shame about Campbell, decent prospect, which we'd have got rid of Sanogo with an option to buy rather than Campbell.

[Niall_Quinn]

Shame about Campbell, decent prospect, which we'd have got rid of Sanogo with an option to buy rather than Campbell.

Very decent prospect who will do well once he settles at a club that actually wants him.

[Niall_Quinn]

We want £12mill from WHU for Jenks. Prelude to a swap for Reid?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Tactical loan out to Villa for Campbell I say, when we've played them twice.

Not really arsed. Even in a striker crisis Wenger is obviously very unlikely to play him.

[Niall_Quinn]

Sounds like we've agreed the fee for Paulista. Will be interesting to see how we get around the work permit problem.

[Munchies]

Any La liga watchers have an idea of how good of a player he is?

Never heard of him

[Munchies]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B734AUQCYAAd9cx.jpg

[Globalgunner]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B734AUQCYAAd9cx.jpg

Yippee!!!
Who is he?
Seriously, hope he`s not the last coming through this window. The race for 4th will be stiffer than ever this year.

[Dein-machine]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B734AUQCYAAd9cx.jpg

Why are we posting pictures of our under 14 academy signings

[Alpha]

Any La liga watchers have an idea of how good of a player he is?

Never heard of him

Paulista is a good player . Very aggressive and a bit similar to Kos . But question mark is why he is not a regular in Brazil team yet ?

[Globalgunner]

Paulista is a good player . Very aggressive and a bit similar to Kos . But question mark is why he is not a regular in Brazil team yet ?

Cos nobody in Brazil has yet sussed out that David Luis is crap and Dante is even worse

[fakeyank]

Is he even going to get a work permit? From whatever I have read, it seems highly unlikely.. so the question is, why are we even trying to sign him!?!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Yeah he will get one. We will just pull the old 'due to the amount of talent in the Brazil team it is very hard for him to win caps'.

And hope nobody saw the 1-7.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb218/commentsjunkie/animated/addnvkfds.gif

[Munchies]

@GuillemBalague
On Grabriel/Arsenal: despite earlier reports in Spanish/UK press, deal not done. Arsenal won't pay €20m of his clause. Not even €17
https://twitter.com/GuillemBalague/status/558039225124548613


Identify player.
Find out asking price.
Haggle until another team bids

Wenget :bow:

[Niall_Quinn]

We won't even stretch to 17 Euro? What's that, 15 quid?

[Japan Shaking All Over]

We want £12mill from WHU for Jenks. Prelude to a swap for Reid?

Didn't think of that at all and reckon you could be right......couldn't blame Fat Sam for trying that angle unless he wants to paid in pies

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Shame about Campbell, decent prospect, which we'd have got rid of Sanogo with an option to buy rather than Campbell.

With players returning, Campbell's options are scarce at best but I would have liked to have seen more.....still Wenger knows it's best to get rid of as many players as possible before bringing any more in.....to be fair they are all fringe and you only hope he is planning ahead for summer clear out, my concern is he always clears out and doesn't replace

[Niall_Quinn]

Didn't think of that at all and reckon you could be right......couldn't blame Fat Sam for trying that angle unless he wants to paid in pies

Sounds like we have gone for the most difficult option and will be trying to land a defender who flat out does not qualify for a work permit, has no experience of this league and is twice the price :good:

[Gooner23]

He gets my vote.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Paulista looks like it could happen.

Wenger :bow:

[Marc Overmars]

Wenget says it's 50-50 but it's strange to hear him speak candidly about a potential signing.

It's on!

[AFC Leveller]

Sounds like we have gone for the most difficult option and will be trying to land a defender who flat out does not qualify for a work permit, has no experience of this league and is twice the price :good:

Yep, exactly my thoughts. Reid would be the best option for us in every department.

Classic Wuming.

[Bumble]

Although a bit worrying that the Paulista hasn't played an international for Brazil yet when they are reknowned for the quality defenders. But I read somewhere that Villareal hadn't lost for 20 games or something so must be doing something right I guess.
Apparently the work permit rules are going to change from the summer, and if you spend over £10m then a player will be subject to different rules.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Although a bit worrying that the Paulista hasn't played an international for Brazil yet when they are reknowned for the quality defenders. But I read somewhere that Villareal hadn't lost for 20 games or something so must be doing something right I guess.

Wouldn't look too much into it. We all know Scolari was a complete donkey when it came to team selection .... persisting with Fred, not calling up the likes of Coutinho, Lucas Moura, Miranda etc and making idiots like David Luiz central to his plans. Favoritism was a major factor in Brazil's teams under Scolari.

Normally I would prefer Reid but tbh I haven't seen Paulista enough and his recent achievement with Villareal is very impressive to say the least. Looks like he has far more potential and is a couple of years younger to boot. Quite happy though am ever so slightly perturbed that no one else seems to be interested though that obviously isn't always a valid issue (see Kos).

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Well let's be honest, anything would be better than our 3rd choice centre back, no-one.

[AFC Leveller]

If you look at AW's record, he doesnt believe in haivng more than 2 good CBs, he has two starters and then a shit back up and a youngster.

our 3rd choice CBs down the years included Cygan, Senderos, Djourou, Upson, Grimandi,Luzhniy, Stepanovs etc.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Time for Santos to come home

[Master Splinter]

Winston Reid?

He's this year's Scott Dann, Christopher Samba or Dejan Lovren.

An aggressive, GHELlish, flavour-of-the month pub-teamer.

[Niall_Quinn]

Winston Reid?

He's this year's Scott Dann, Christopher Samba or Dejan Lovren.

An aggressive, GHELlish, flavour-of-the month pub-teamer.

But he could play this season, which might not be the case with the guy we are after. Let's hope the clock doesn't run out on the deal as we try to get special dispensation form the Home Office (because there was no other available defender anywhere in the world that was eligible to play without the work permit issues)

[Marc Overmars]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B792IMlCIAAgTGz.jpg

[Power n Glory]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B792IMlCIAAgTGz.jpg

Seems like he has a solid record but it's a different league. I respect what they do other in La Liga but I think buying a defender from another league is risky for a January window. I'd prefer Reid. This guy might be really good given time but I think he'll struggle in our backline. The language barrier is another issue.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B792IMlCIAAgTGz.jpg

Very reassuring.

He's in good company there; Laporte and Godin are quality and Utd are apparently after Otamendi for double what Paulista is allegedly going to cost us.

Valid point about the English thing but I think he'll be able to pick enough of it up in a few months to at least communicate at a basic level with his team mates. Bear in mind as well he's probably going to be on the bench at the start; he's not going to immediately replace BFG. Besides, Bellerin and Nacho speak Spanish.

[Niall_Quinn]

The Martin Odegaard transfer is a new low in football, £80,000 per week for a 16 year old kid who has been in the professional game for a grand total of one year and played a whopping 23 times in the Norwegian (who?) league. There's nothing this kid could have possibly done to warrant a fraction of that. Every bastard who can kick a ball is a "wonderkid" these days but the only wonder is where the game is going to end up and how much the fans will have to eventually fork over for the privilege of watching these children.

[Niall_Quinn]

The Martin Odegaard transfer is a new low in football, £80,000 per week for a 16 year old kid who has been in the professional game for a grand total of one year and played a whopping 23 times in the Norwegian (who?) league. There's nothing this kid could have possibly done to warrant a fraction of that. Every bastard who can kick a ball is a "wonderkid" these days but the only wonder is where the game is going to end up and how much the fans will have to eventually fork over for the privilege of watching these children.

EDIT. Apparently his father got a job at Real as part of the deal :doh:

[Munchies]

80k/week ?!???

:doh:

[The Emirates Gallactico]

80k/week ?!???

:doh:

Yeah 2.5 million a year. :doh:

Had to offer it to beat of strong competition from Bayern as well.


Tbh the player himself is an idiot. Should have gone to Ajax or another Belgian/Dutch club known for working with young players.

Chances are we won't ever hear from him again and he'll get lost in Real Madrid's BS.

[-Xs-]

Wenget says it's 50-50 but it's strange to hear him speak candidly about a potential signing.

It's on!

He knows we wont get him. Then when fans complain that we didn't sign cover at the back, he'll point to this transfer, claiming he tried, but couldn't due to work permit issues.

[Grebbo]

Tbh the player himself is an idiot. Should have gone to Ajax or another Belgian/Dutch club known for working with young players.

Chances are we won't ever hear from him again and he'll get lost in Real Madrid's BS.

An idiot? No... he could get a career ending injury at any time. He'd be an idiot not to go to RM for £80k pw.

If it doesn't work out he can drop down a level and he'd still only be 20 ish (not sure how long his contract is).

[adzzzbatch]

united want paulista, no doubt we'll bend over backwards in order to help them get their man.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

He looks a bit like Keown.

Wonder if he's an aggressive nutter like him too.

[Power n Glory]

An idiot? No... he could get a career ending injury at any time. He'd be an idiot not to go to RM for £80k pw.

If it doesn't work out he can drop down a level and he'd still only be 20 ish (not sure how long his contract is).

That's a another way of looking at it. Very true. He has enough time on his hands to sort his career out if things go wrong at Real.

[Niall_Quinn]

Having to hire the parents isn't the greatest development we've seen in the game. Says a lot about the parents and their idea of what sport is. Hope it doesn't rub off on the kid.

[Power n Glory]

Having to hire the parents isn't the greatest development we've seen in the game. Says a lot about the parents and their idea of what sport is. Hope it doesn't rub off on the kid.

We can't judge. If I could hook my parents up with a job so there set for life, I would.

Wouldn't you?

[The Emirates Gallactico]

Another one of "Wenger's misses" :coffee:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30945201


Arsene Wenger: Visa denied Arsenal's Angel Di Maria move

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he was unsuccessful in signing a 17-year-old Angel Di Maria due to work permit regulations.
The Frenchman wants restrictions for non-European Union players to be scrapped as he tries to sign centre-half Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal.
He suggested Home Office criteria prevented him from signing Manchester United's Di Maria nine years ago.
"We wanted him to come here," said Gunners boss Wenger.

Di Maria, 26, signed for Manchester United from Real Madrid for a British record £59.7m in August.
Wenger said: "We had identified Di Maria when he was 17 in an international competition.
"But he went to Portugal, and from Portugal he went to Spain. Why? Because he could not get a work permit for England, so that meant you could only get him to England once he was worth a huge amount of money."

Wenger needs Home Office approval if he is to complete the signing of Paulista because the 24-year-old is yet to represent Brazil.
The Gunners boss has criticised proposals to reduce the number of non-European Union passport holders in the English game next season.
He said: "Ideally it would open completely, and anyone could come in."
Currently, the work permit requirement for non-EU passport holders is that they have to be an international from a country ranked within Fifa's top 70 and have played 75 per cent of their country's international matches in the last two years.
In order to sign Paulista, they would have to convince the Home Office that the defender was an "exceptional talent".
The Football Association wants to reduce the number of non-EU players within English football by up to 50%.

But Wenger thinks scrapping the regulations would be better for young English players.
"You could close completely the borders of the country and play only with English players. What will that do? That will kill the attractiveness of the Premier League worldwide.

"The second option is to say 'look we have the best league in the world, so let's produce the best players in the world'.
"One thing is for sure, if you put a young player with top-level players, he has more chance to develop. If you put him with average players he has more chance to remain average."


Add him to the Ronaldo, Ibramhaovic, Yaya Toure, Messi etc etc pile. :coffee:


Mind you, I do remember a false rumour spread by a certain "dead poster" about us being interested and signing Di Maria back in 2007 right before he moved to Benfica so there may be some truth to this after all. :ninja:

[Niall_Quinn]

van Moyes is trying to hijack the Paulista deal, apparently. He's a player the overrated Dutch charlatan has wanted for a long time, in fact ever since we expressed an interest. He's also signing Hummels, Pogba, Cavani, Messi, so a very busy window for the arch incompetent.

[Power n Glory]

How the hell did we get work permits for Song and Denilson? We must have been slipping someone the brown paper bag to get those guys over. Without a doubt that guys been fired now because we're getting no favours on the work permits.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

God I hate that Van Moyes, Van Morrison, Van Winkle......in fact vans in General can go do one

[Japan Shaking All Over]

How the hell did we get work permits for Song and Denilson? We must have been slipping someone the brown paper bag to get those guys over. Without a doubt that guys been fired now because we're getting no favours on the work permits.

Oi George Graham.....got another job for you

[AFC Leveller]

Reports saying Paulista is left out of Villareal's squad for tomorrow's game.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Sky sports reporting Paulista fee agreed.......15 mil euros+Campbell on loan.......work permit still to be sorted but Villareal reporting done deal on their website so we can be optimistic....can't we?

[Niall_Quinn]

Sky sports reporting Paulista fee agreed.......15 mil euros+Campbell on loan.......work permit still to be sorted but Villareal reporting done deal on their website so we can be optimistic....can't we?

Can only assume we have sorted the work permit before spending 15mill? Crazy if we haven't.

[AFC Leveller]

Can only assume we have sorted the work permit before spending 15mill? Crazy if we haven't.

Hope he is good, have never seen him play like many on here so cant pass judgment.

Merts most likely to lose out although kos is in and out cos of injuries so we shuld have decent cover now.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

If his club are reporting it as a done deal then it's a formality.

We got him.

Let's see how he is....

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Villareal won tonight....with clean sheet to boot.....hope we got right guy!!!

[KSE Comedy Club]

So as we have now loaned out 3 strikers, does that mean we can expect 1 back in return?

[Niall_Quinn]

Made up story in the DM about Coq. Apparently he's waiting to see if Wenger recalls a player who doesn't play in his position before agreeing a new contract. Makes sense and I'm absolutely sure Coq would ring up the DM and tell them all this before today's game.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2925102/Francis-Coquelin-waiting-Jack-Wilshere-return-signing-new-Arsenal-deal.html

[AFC Leveller]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/25/25072BF500000578-2925406-image-a-1_1422183603596.jpg