Summer Transfer Speculation and Shit.

[Dein-machine]

Probably right. But if by some miracle Wenger twigs and discovers you can rotate the team and pick the starting eleven based on the match and the opposition it's more than possible to take advantage of every player while having a rock solid core. If we're signing Cech then that's the first element of the core. Kos is the second. I can't imagine Schneiderlin is in the same league as Vidal so no screwing around, get the best and that's the third element. Finally the fourth, the top tier striker. Then we have a squad that wins the league and competes in Europe. We already know what we have and how it won't be enough so that needs to change and therefore Wenger needs to change. Is he still dicking around or is he serious this time? It can be done, just needs the commitment from the guys who have final say.

Cech, Vidal & Higuiun - we play 4-1-4-1 against the lesser opponents with full backs told to bomb on to add width, Rambo & Sanchez cutting in from wide midfield rolls, Ozil & Santi pulling the strings with Vidal backing up. Then against the better opposition & away games in Europe we revert to 4-2-3-1, bring in Coq to play alongside Vidal as the 2, Sanchez, Ozil, Rambo/Santi as the 3. Only give Bellerin the license to bomb on because we don't want Rambo or Santi playing too wide. When he goes one of the 2 DM's gives cover.

2 different teams but with only 1 change. In the games where we get a decent lead we should be rotating as much as possible to give others a chance & to rest players but like for like swaps to keep the system in place. Give the quality youngsters like Zelalem & Bielik the chance ahead of the likes of Arteta, Flamini & Rosicky. There is nothing these guys can show us that we havent already seen - we have no idea how good Bielik or Zelalem could be.

[Bumble]

More Koscienly to Real shit. Apparently they're going to table a 21 million bid with him set to replace the departing Ramos.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...on-bid-5943221

Fuck off you clowns.

Give us Varane, Bale and 100 million and then we'll start talking.

That's greedy, I would just take Bale for Koscielny straight swap.

[Marc Overmars]

United are apparently interested in Sergio Ramos.

[AFC Leveller]

When was the last time AW signed a world class CM? I honestly dont think he ever has! Ozil, Cazorla etc are not CM, they are number 10s so they dont count. Nearly all our CM were either young unknowns or players with potential (Vieira, Edu, Cesc, Flamini, Ramsey, Petit was a LB etc(, i dont think AW want to invest heavily in a CM, esp since we have our fair share already.

[Dein-machine]

When was the last time AW signed a world class CM? I honestly dont think he ever has! Ozil, Cazorla etc are not CM, they are number 10s so they dont count. Nearly all our CM were either young unknowns or players with potential (Vieira, Edu, Cesc, Flamini, Ramsey, Petit was a LB etc(, i dont think AW want to invest heavily in a CM, esp since we have our fair share already.

But you can say that about 9 positions on the pitch. Cech may be on the way but when has he ever signed a world class goalkeeper, or right back, left back, CB etc etc. He bought RVP & Henry who werent world class at the time. The only players acquired during his reign who were world class when we bought them are Ozil & Sanchez, possibly chuck in Arshavin before we ruined him This has only happened in the last few years because he has finally realised that his managerial powers arent quite what he thought they were & he cant compete with mediocre players. Lets wait & see if he has finally seen though Alexis that we need quality to compete.

[AFC Leveller]

But you can say that about 9 positions on the pitch. Cech may be on the way but when has he ever signed a world class goalkeeper, or right back, left back, CB etc etc. He bought RVP & Henry who werent world class at the time. The only players acquired during his reign who were world class when we bought them are Ozil & Sanchez, possibly chuck in Arshavin before we ruined him This has only happened in the last few years because he has finally realised that his managerial powers arent quite what he thought they were & he cant compete with mediocre players. Lets wait & see if he has finally seen though Alexis that we need quality to compete.

We have signed established internationals in all other positions (Lauren, Grimandi, Campbell, Merts, Koscielny (to an extent), Sagna, Silvinho, Nacho, Pires, Freddie etc).

[Power n Glory]

We have signed established internationals in all other positions (Lauren, Grimandi, Campbell, Merts, Koscielny (to an extent), Sagna, Silvinho, Nacho, Pires, Freddie etc).

Arteta is the only CM we’ve spent £10m on. Everyone else has been under. Excluding the Highbury years we’ve been buying really young and developing them into that role. Song, Denilson, Coquelin, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cesc, Flamini....you’re is right, it’s a position he doesn’t want to invest in. It’s not a massive sum of money but he will spend on experienced players in other positions - wingbacks (Monreal, Debuchy, Sagna) CB’s (Kos, Merts, Sol, Verm) attackers (Nasri, Arshavin, Hleb, Cazrola) - but he hasn’t done the same with the DM/CM positions. Arteta is the only one that had some real experience behind him before playing there. Rosicky should have been playing as a CM or AM when he first arrived but was shunted out on the wing.

[Marc Overmars]

Liverpool close to signing Clyne.

[Penguin]

This feels like deja vu with the Khedira debate but... if we did sign Vidal (which we wont) it would be to play alongside Coquelin or another holding midfielder, not as the DM. Vidal has never played as the deepest midfielder as far as I know, and nor should he as it would be a massive waste of his talents. Pirlo plays behind him for Juve sweeping up and giving Vidal the freedom to do his thing. It's the same reason why Vieira and Yaya Toure always had Gilberto and Fernando next to them. They're far too good to be bogged down with too much defensive responsibilities.

It might work if we try to imitate Juve with Santi sitting deep like Pirlo, but they play a 4-3-1-2 formation with another energetic box to box midfielder (Pogba/Marchisio) to make up for it, and even the player at the tip of the midfield puts in a lot of work when they aren't on the ball. Pirlo is a very intelligent player tactically and has been a deep lying CM all his life, whereas Santi has done it for about half a season with Coquelin never leaving his post beside him. It wont work with our personnel or formation.

I'm with PnG, I really can't see Wenger signing a CM this summer.

[Niall_Quinn]

It might work if we try to imitate Juve with Santi sitting deep like Pirlo, but they play a 4-3-1-2 formation with another energetic box to box midfielder (Pogba/Marchisio) to make up for it, and even the player at the tip of the midfield puts in a lot of work when they aren't on the ball. Pirlo is a very intelligent player tactically and has been a deep lying CM all his life, whereas Santi has done it for about half a season with Coquelin never leaving his post beside him. It wont work with our personnel or formation.

Disagree, Ramsey is the box to box midfielder, Alexis will do more work than any two you could pick from the Juve team and Jack/ Santi/ Coq could all play deeper. Jack could rotate with Ramsey, actually there's a whole bunch of possible permutations. We've just got used to seeing Wenger shoehorning his favourites into the starting eleven. If he knocks that on the head and expands his thinking then we have so many possibilities. They may or may not work, but with the talented individuals we have it's worth trying.