Summer Transfer Misery 2017/18

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Do I think it's conceivable that had there been a more independent minded and competent chief executive who was in place before Kroenke became majority share holder who had spent years building a relationship with Kroenke they could have gone to him directly before the end of last season could have persuaded him not to have just blindly hand Wenger a new deal in light of the fact that arguably his ability to deliver for the club financially was under question (one of Wengers main selling points to Kroenke before he even met him)....yes I do think it's conceivable.

You realise don't you that Wenger is a bit different from ordinary managers in the level of responsibility he assumes at the club?

We don't have any kind of structure and a new manager is not going to want to put one in place, most of them are head coaches. Therefore who puts the structure in place?. It's going to be the chief executive isn't it....it's certainly not going to be Kroenke.

You're talking to me as an individual not as the hive mind for Goonersweb, I've made it clear how I've felt Wenger should go for six years.

I was well aware of Wenger having very little in the way of checks and balances on him, because we saw people like Dein, Fiszman and Edelman leave the club or in the case of Fiszman snuff it.

But Arsenal isn't a state owned entity and Wenger is not Nicolae Ceaucescu and this is not Steau Bucharest. He was allowed to take all that responsibility by men with no footballing knowledge who just wanted to defer their own responsibility and Gazidis is just another in a long line of people who are culpable in that respect.

But to your question who cares if Gazidis is a clown or not, well we all will once Wenger goes.

[Power n Glory]

I think that's kind of straightforward.

For all the shit we give Kroenke on here, he's not a stupid or ignorant man - you don't typically become that rich by being so. He knows full well that it's Wenger who's essentially built the modern day Arsenal and transformed the club into the global brand and powerhouse it is right and in the process has been the one responsible for making the shareholders obscenely rich. So bearing that in mind, Kroneke is clearly going to pay more heed and attention to Wenger's wishes rather than Gazidis' - he's been the money maker.

It's not that hard to understand. Wenger is the golden goose. When you hear the way Stan talked about extracting value from the market, you can see why he loves Wenger so much. If we're bought out by a guy that worships Wenger, it's going to a take a lot for the smoke to clear and see that he's lost a step. It's the same with Usmanov as well. With all his takeover bid talk, he hasn't got a bad word to say about Wenger and he lays the blame on all the people around Wenger running the club. So imagine if he took over the club? Wenger would keep his job and we'd probably see a few internal changes which would make no difference to what we're seeing now. So even campaigning for a new owner is pointless unless the owner is not smitten with Wenger and can see he has lost his touch.

[Niall_Quinn]

Spuds joining the chase for Lemar.

Utd have made enquiries to Alexis' representatives about a possible move. That's just Maureen rubbing salt I suppose.

[Power n Glory]

Do I think it's conceivable that had there been a more independent minded and competent chief executive who was in place before Kroenke became majority share holder who had spent years building a relationship with Kroenke they could have gone to him directly before the end of last season could have persuaded him not to have just blindly hand Wenger a new deal in light of the fact that arguably his ability to deliver for the club financially was under question (one of Wengers main selling points to Kroenke before he even met him)....yes I do think it's conceivable.

You realise don't you that Wenger is a bit different from ordinary managers in the level of responsibility he assumes at the club?

We don't have any kind of structure and a new manager is not going to want to put one in place, most of them are head coaches. Therefore who puts the structure in place?. It's going to be the chief executive isn't it....it's certainly not going to be Kroenke.

You're talking to me as an individual not as the hive mind for Goonersweb, I've made it clear how I've felt Wenger should go for six years.

I was well aware of Wenger having very little in the way of checks and balances on him, because we saw people like Dein, Fiszman and Edelman leave the club or in the case of Fiszman snuff it.

But Arsenal isn't a state owned entity and Wenger is not Nicolae Ceaucescu and this is not Steau Bucharest. He was allowed to take all that responsibility by men with no footballing knowledge who just wanted to defer their own responsibility and Gazidis is just another in a long line of people who are culpable in that respect.

But to your question who cares if Gazidis is a clown or not, well we all will once Wenger goes.

This is a pointless debate. We started this conversation because of what's been said on Le Grove and Arseblog about Gazidis trying to make a power move. It obviously looks like it has failed, but it looks like there was an attempt and the owner was having none of it.

We don't have any kind of structure and a new manager is not going to want to put one in place, most of them are head coaches. Therefore who puts the structure in place?. It's going to be the chief executive isn't it....it's certainly not going to be Kroenke.

This is where you have to connect the dots when rumours of a Director of Football started circulating and Wenger shooting the idea down. You've got a bad memory because we've had this discussion before about structural changes. From the appointment of Jonker as new Youth Academy coach, to the new medical staff members, scouts and even a new lawyer and the introduction of new tech like the GPS vests, StatDNA . Those are structural changes coming from Gazidis, along with the new sponsorship deals. But it doesn't make a difference if the manager fails to utilise what he's given.

GPS vests in training say our players are in the red zone and close to breaking down....Wenger keeps playing them regardless. £200m to spend in the transfer window....Wenger comes back with a profit instead of spending what's given. The man resists change. We'll see how this develops but we'll probably here more about what's going on behind the scenes.

[Niall_Quinn]

What are you two on about? Does any of this have anything to do with transfers?

Here we are on the verge of signing Mbappe, Arsenio, Lemar, Van Djik, Draxler and Jonny Evans signing and you two are banging on about fantasy stuff.

[hobson's choice]

What are you two on about? Does any of this have anything to do with transfers?

Here we are on the verge of signing Mbappe, Arsenio, Lemar, Van Djik, Draxler and Jonny Evans signing and you two are banging on about fantasy stuff.

Don't forget we still Ramsey, the greatest footballer ever

[selassie]

6 years today since the 8-2 spanking at Old Trafford. Not a whole lot of change since then really, we even have a better squad now and we're somehow worse off. Terrible, terrible manager. You know some fans were actually pleased he stayed on?

Wenger is like a washed up retired ex boxing champion who steps into the ring with a current world champion and offers to take him on blindfolded with both his hands tied behind his back.

On a serious note I have no idea how he judges his own current performance if he does that at all? The fact that he had to go grovelling & pleading to the owner to extend his contract says as much about how much he rates his ability as it does the state of the leadership of our club.

[Power n Glory]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...sing-room.html

Inside Arsenal's broken dressing room: Arsene Wenger stays silent after Liverpool debacle while angry players moan that training never changes

Arsenal suffered a demoralising 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield
The Gunners have lost back-to-back games and sit 16th in the Premier League
Pressure is building on Arsene Wenger after number of fans walked out


Another defeat, another virtually silent dressing room. If there was ever a time to air some home truths then Anfield’s away facilities at around 6pm on Sunday was it.

Petr Cech is understood to have had a few choice words to say — but by and large, yet again, it was a morgue. Lifeless. The biggest apology arrived on social media by Mesut Ozil. It’s easier that way.

The players do care. They’ve clashed in the dressing room before, particularly after their humiliating 5-1 loss at Bayern Munich in February.

But their manager’s reluctance to engage in confrontation has seemingly rubbed off on Arsenal’s underperforming stars.

Arsene Wenger was within his rights to unleash hell after the 4-0 defeat by Liverpool. But he didn’t, instead choosing to bottle up his feelings and retreat into the international break.

To his players and staff, however, it was not surprising.

This summer was supposed to be the time for change at the Emirates. But those behind the scenes say nothing has really altered.

Yes, there have been some new appointments. Jens Lehmann has joined the coaching staff, and Darren Burgess has become the head of high performance. Tony Colbert, a long-term Wenger aide, has joined the technical staff despite having a background in fitness coaching.

But all staff appointments go through Wenger. And despite the change in faces, the club’s training sessions — on the pitch and off it — are largely the same, much to the players’ disapproval. They have been going through the same old routine for years. No wonder they are producing the same old results.

Lehmann’s training field duties are unclear, and assistant manager Steve Bould’s input in training is understood to be minimal. Wenger remains king and his crown is not slipping.

Players feared as much when the 67-year-old signed his new two-year deal at the end of last season. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s determination to leave speaks volumes. Arsenal have offered him a contract worth £180,000 a week, yet he is still keen to leave this week, with London rivals Chelsea the likely destination. The chances of him earning more elsewhere seem remote. What does that tell you?

Alexis Sanchez wants out, too. Sportsmail understands his representatives have now told Arsenal officials that the striker will not sign a new deal under any circumstances. Arsenal have offered him £300,000 a week.

Even those players who aren’t actively seeking moves fear Arsenal will only rediscover their glory days once Wenger leaves.

That’s not to say those disgruntled players don’t have respect for their manager. They do. But they no longer believe the Frenchman will make the changes necessary to put Arsenal back on track.

The Gunners have three days to strengthen their squad, but the focus is on selling players.

Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez could yet leave for Inter Milan and Deportivo, respectively. How can over £50million worth of talent be deemed surplus to requirements just a year after they signed?

Similarly, why did Wenger drop £52m record signing Alexandre Lacazette for Sunday’s shambolic effort at Anfield? It’s a decision that left his team-mates scratching their heads.

It is conceivable that Arsenal will finish the summer transfer window having recouped more than they have spent.

Perhaps things might improve. The club’s transfer fixer Dick Law is almost certain to leave before next summer, with former Team Sky contract guru Huss Fahmy, who joined the club in June, set to lead player negotiations.

But many at the club believe only one change will finally spark a true switch in direction.

The Arsenal board were split over whether Wenger should have been allowed to sign a new deal over the summer.

But majority shareholder Stan Kroenke holds the cards and he’s pro-Wenger. Very pro-Wenger. But there’ll be a few ‘I told you so’ faces around him right now.

Kroenke will back his manager for now but he’ll be taking a keener interest than ever given the restlessness from supporters and those on the board.

Arsenal sacking Wenger remains an unthinkable concept. But another season without Champions League football, and Kroenke could have a question to answer.

What a joke. You can only hope Wenger was offered a new contract under certain conditions. 3 games in and it looks like a complete mess. Despite moving a few pawns on the chessboard, we're seeing the same process.

[Gooner23]

All so very predictable.

[Niall_Quinn]

Klopp, the man our gutless and incomprehensibly greedy owners never even glanced at when he left Dortmund, is ready to spend big at the tail end of the transfer window to take full advantage of the momentum he is generating at Liverpool. He's the perfect opposite of the old fool we have running our club. Wenger treats momentum like a life and death game of whackamole. Wherever the curse of momentum surfaces, Wenger goes full guns to destroy it, even when he's forced into public displays of insanity.

Lacazette is just the latest example in a chain of catastrophic decisions stretching back a decade. You spend 44 million of the club's money on France's top scoring striker, your signing puts in a couple of competent performances as he finds his feet in a new league. Lacazette seemed to be settling well and is one of the few players that won't have had a chance to get fed up of Wenger yet. His confidence and enthusiasm would have been high. How has Wenger countered this?

In the Stoke game he subbed him when we needed a goal. And in the first game against supposed title rivals (don't laugh) he benches him and, when he eventually brings him on, sticks him on the left. Mission accomplished. Lacazette will likely be feeling as shitty and confused as everyone else at the club.

Oh and Wenger did the same with Kolasinac. The fans were liking what they saw so Wenger stomped all over that.

Momentum. His mortal enemy.