No transfer fee and injured. Sounds like the perfect player for usFrance midfielder Yoann Gourcuff has suffered yet another setback in his hopes of returning to fitness - after he injured himself whilst talking his dog for a walk.
The 27-year-old, once tipped to be the next Zinedine Zidane, has had an utterly torrid time with injuries in recent years, managing just 97 appearances for Lyon in the last four years before being released at the end of this season.
He failed to make Didier Deschamps World Cup squad, and now hopes of finding a new club this summer have been well and truly dashed after this rather unfortunate event![]()
I'd be happy with either (or both!) of Vela and Remy as bonus signings (i.e. a little something extra on top of anything else we were planning that we weren't expecting), but I'd be a little underwhelmed if that's all we did in terms of strengthening the attack? Don't get me wrong - both look decent players, and would add much needed depth and attributes to the attack that we're currently short on, so we'd still be better off with them than we are now - I just don't think either of them are what I would consider to be lone CFs (they could do a job there at a pinch, like Walcott, but not every week), and I'm not sure either of them have earned the 'world-class' tag yet? That's not necessarily an issue in itself, but I do feel that we need an injection of genuine world-class in the attack somewhere - I'm not as bothered as some whether it's through the middle or out wide, but we do need it somewhere, and I don't think those two on their own would represent enough...
It might be worth raiding a couple of the relegated clubs for squad players? I keep hearing a lot of talk about Cardiff's keeper (Marshall, is it?), and someone like Hangeland could be a decent backup for Mertesacker?
Yes, we definitely need more goals from the wide areas - for me, Walcott's absence has been as much of a problem as out lack of CF options this year, and it's something I don't want to see us suffering from again (especially with so many available options out there at the moment). My other reason for wanting us to get another one or two wide men in is that I think the increased numbers in those areas would solve problems in other areas? For example, if we had 2 good options on each flank, then we could stop using Cazorla as a winger and have him and Ozil as our two options for the play-maker role, and that, in turn, might mean that we can start using Rosicky a little deeper, which might take a bit of the heat off of Arteta, etc. I'm also not sure whether I see Oxlade-Chamberlain staying wide or coming more central int he future, so it gives us a bit more scope to move him around too? I know people will point at guys like Gnabry, but he's only, what, 17 or 18 at the moment - by the time he's seriously knocking at Arsene's door, I expect players like Arteta, Rosicky and Cazorla may well have retired or moved on, so I don't think we need to look too far ahead there. And with someone like Podolski, I see him more as an attacking utility player, who sits between two areas (i.e. between wide attack and CF), and isn't really an ideal wide man.
We've been linked with Sanchez in the last couple od days. YES please! he would be a beast of a signing.
Yeah I would love him here too...he's a very good player and I think he would fit in well here and do well in PL. I wouldn't mind Vela back here either but only as a squad option. He's massively improved in Spain and developed into a very good player but him alone would not be enough to improve our attack.
I see we have been linked to Benzema too...I would prefer him above any other player we have been linked with so far this summer, Benzema has world class potential IMHO and has had a good season at Real, there are rumours they will make him available for transfer if they are successful in their pursuit of Suarez.
Sanchez is pacey and comfortable playing from wide areas. Perfect for what we need.
Sign him up Wenget.
It might sound a little flippant but I think signing a competent reserve keeper really should be a formality. It's not necessarily an easy choice as the reserve becomes first choice with one injury to Sneezy, so he needs to be of a certain standard but it shouldn't take months of deliberating. There are plenty of competent keepers out there and though they all want first team they can't all turn down the lure of a big club.
I haven't noticed Marshall at all, though I hear he is statistically the best keeper in the league?!?....but actually I think it is quite common for a keeper in a team at the lower end of the league to have a keeper that is 'statistically' the best. I like Stekelenburg but there are many options.
With Gnabry I tend to ignore his age because he is that mature as a player. I think he has been rather unfortunate to not play more considering how he has performed when he has played so I wouldn't want to stock pile wingers with signing both Vela AND Remy.
The strategy imo should be to sign one top class wide player, ie Antoine Griezmann, who made the squad ahead of that tit Nasri lets not forget (though I think Nasri's omission in itself was strange) with world class potential and maybe another top class one like Remy if we must (and mainly him specifically because he won't command a hefty transfer fee).
The main draw of Vela, however tacitly expressed seems to be that he will command a nominal fee. However, if he isn't particularly better than what we have then we are just buying for the sake of it and that is why I don't think Wenger will.