Winter Transfer Despair and Bafflement.

[Niall_Quinn]

Possibly the most ridiculous fake football news yet?

Mesut Ozil could pen a new deal at Arsenal if Arsene Wenger allows him to step into the No 10 jersey which is currently filled by Jack Wilshere.

The German, who currently wears the No 11 shirt, is out of contract next summer and is seeking a £300,000-a-week deal to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

And, according to The Sun, Ozil would be prepared to put pen to paper if Wilshere relinquishes his squad number in order to boost his brand.

How, exactly does a shirt number boost your brand when you have the option to move to a serious club?

[Cripps]

Please don't be true

[Xhaka Can’t]

First rule with Arsenal’s current management:

If it’s shit, it’s true.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Beyond caring. I just hope there is an injunction in whatever performance incentive clauses appear in his Contract. That if he’s a lazy cunt, Steve Bould gets to kick him in the nuts

[Niall_Quinn]

It's a media wind-up, isn't it? The smoke will be Ozil demanding a central role, or something like that. The fire created by the media is the shirt number so they can try to stir the pot with Jack who is also negotiating his future. Journos looking to create some free news. If we get Ozil/ Wilshere dressing room bust-up headlines next then we'll know it's a stitch-up.

Anyway, last I heard the club had issued a take it or leave it 240K offer. Same with Alexis. And both of them go to 300 if we win the Top 4 World Cup. So that's probably where they are getting the 300k figure from. Fake News. Lying scumbags. All normal, nothing to see here.

Ozil to Utd in January seems to be the most likely outcome. Utd just told Maureen he has to sell if he wants to buy. And suddenly Fellaini is told he can push off.

[Niall_Quinn]

Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley, who has worked for the club for over 35 years, is on the brink of leaving the Premier League outfit.

Rowley has contacted scouting colleagues at other clubs to tell them that he's had enough. A club spokesman said on Wednesday night that his future still had to be finalised.

However it seems Rowley — despite a long partnership with manager Arsene Wenger, who made him chief scout in 1996 — has been made the scapegoat for Arsenal's recent poor record in the transfer market.

Somebody else is always to blame.

[Niall_Quinn]

Another interesting bit:

The upheaval to the Arsenal scouting system has seen chief executive Ivan Gazidis oversee the recruitment operation, sharing his time between offices at the club and at the training ground.


Arsenal, who bought German data firm StatDNA in 2012, will also be beefing up their analytics operation to have a bigger 'Moneyball' type influence on their transfer dealings. It looked like Wenger staying for another two seasons prevented a modernisation which was planned by Gazidis to have taken place last summer.


But Rowley's imminent departure following chief transfer negotiator Dick Law stepping down and the arrival of Team Sky legal chief Huss Fahmy suggests Gazidis is getting his way at last.

Ivan finding ways to skirt around the dinosaur?

[Cripps]

Somebody else is always to blame.

Hopefully Grimandi leaves. Responsible for the conveyor belt of crap that arrived during the banter era.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

And we all know that whilst Wenger stays changes to coaching are deck chairs on the Titanic, when he goes you suspect most will go with him.

[Cripps]

You look at most his back room staff, they've been there for donkeys years. Fergie used to spice things up and refresh every so often.