Summer Transfer Speculation and Shit

[selassie]

I'd even take him at 30million. IMO Wenger would develop him into a bonafide World Class Striker. Balotelli has massive upside.

He comes with baggage but I wouldn't say he is a trouble maker, he's just very eccentric.

I personally believe he's worth the risk.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Sure, why not?

We definitely need more depth.

Both would be good....bit of noise about Mario flying around. The thought of him at Arsenal scares the shit out of me....(are we capable of putting up with his mood swings etc!)

Saying that the thought of him at Arsenal probably scares the shot out of PL defences too....reckon he would love to take it to Citeh!

[Power n Glory]

I think the point is that a central midfielder is not the most pressing of concerns and I think that is pretty hard to argue with given the dearth of quality at Centre forward. We had a rookie who should have been out on loan lining up against possibly the best Bayern side of all time.....not to mention an impending departure at right back & cover CB, a our captain and still no stand out DM of note.

Arsene likes a lot of players and would be willing to bring them in...at a PRICE. He isn't the sort of Texas-hold em player that bluffs....... He has a price for a player....and he is seldom willing to exceed it. He will play the game, but he is often telling the truth about not exceeding the value he has for any given player.

I as much as anyone else would love Cesc back I want as far as saying that I believed Cesc to be a superior player to Ozil at the start of the season(there weren't too many agreeing then)... but I don't want us to sign a midfielder at the expense of a world class forward (I know there are hardly many around) or other positions we really need to strengthen in. That said, there's no doubt that Cesc back here is the stuff of dream but I am still sceptical about the whole thing.

Barca and Cesc have said next to nothing so far. It's all the media circus chomping at the bit so far....

It doesn’t look like there are many world class strikers around which is why I think we should sign Cesc. I can’t see Wenger tabling a bid for Cavani or any striker rated around the £50m, so I think it’s more likely we’ll go for someone like Bony or Remy. If that’s the case, we should be looking to add to our midfield because I’m far from convinced by what was on display last season. The final third passing was disappointing and I worry about the sort of service our new striker will receive. True, we need players to make more runs behind defenders but there should also be an understanding between our creative players and strikers regarding movement.

Our creative players should be signalling where they want the striker and hitting the ball into space anticipating the run. If it doesn’t pull off the first time, at least Giroud knows the type of ball that will be played and what they’re capable of. Instead, it’s Giroud that’s anticipating the runs of our players and trying to sneak in a pass with his flicks when someone like Ramsey or Wilshere make late runs into the box.

Giroud isn’t the most mobile of strikers but he can move when he wants to and I recall smart and intelligent movement when he first arrived. Now it seems as though everyone is looking for him to be our creative outlet. Cazorla and Ozil should be willing him on to make runs into space and building that trust so he knows they’ll deliver the ball he wants. Cesc was great at that and we need that back in the team. Cazorla and Ozil didn’t do enough to demonstrate their superior vision. It didn’t help Giroud and they just kept feeding him short passes so he’d attempt another flick on. If we don’t buy Cesc, we’ll need more players to really step there game up so our forward players aren’t feeding off scraps.

[I am invisible]

I really would love to see Wenger manage Balotelli.

Must get.

I actually have a sneaky feeling that Wenger is exactly what Balotelli needs? The general opinion seems to be that he wouldn't be able to tame him, but the way I see it, Balotelli has worked under strict disciplinarians for most of his career so far, and it hasn't done a damn thing to calm him down, so maybe he'll respond better to the the mentor / father figure approach? Someone who he feels is treating him more like an adult instead of a naughty child (even if that's how he acts)...

[AFC Leveller]

Having Cesc in your midfield is a huge plus no matetr who else you have in there. He has the highest number of assists in the last 2 season in la liga....despite being in a team with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi etc.

Cesc, Ozil, Ramsey, Theo and Ox/Cazorla/Remy/Pod would be an incredible midfield.

[Power n Glory]

I actually have a sneaky feeling that Wenger is exactly what Balotelli needs? The general opinion seems to be that he wouldn't be able to tame him, but the way I see it, Balotelli has worked under strict disciplinarians for most of his career so far, and it hasn't done a damn thing to calm him down, so maybe he'll respond better to the the mentor / father figure approach? Someone who he feels is treating him more like an adult instead of a naughty child (even if that's how he acts)...

A different approach could work. It's enough of a challenge for Wenger as well.

[selassie]

A different approach could work. It's enough of a challenge for Wenger as well.

Yep, agree with ya both.

[Munchies]

ON THIS DAY: Manchester United announced they had agreed a fee with Cardiff to sign Aaron Ramsey. (3rd June, 2008)

[I am invisible]

A different approach could work. It's enough of a challenge for Wenger as well.

He'd certainly have his work cut out, although I see a few parallels with van Persie here, who was also a bit of a hot head in his early years, so he does have a bit of experience in this area? I just have a feeling that Balotelli is one of those troublesome players who would actually respond well to being given a bit of trust and responsibility - you know what footballers are like with their need for "respect"...

[Grebbo]

Not sure what everyone's seeing in Balotelli tbh. He doesn't have enough talent to justify all of the shit we'll have to put up with.

I'd rather have a cheaper striker eg Remy and buy Cesc. Cesc just needs someone with a bit of pace up front and he'll feed him all day long.