Summer Transfer Speculation and Shit.

[Marc Overmars]

They dont grow on trees....but we are sitting around waiting for one to grow on a tree (unless they are too grown and a Chelsea or City want them)

Were gonna have to do some of the legwork, the last bit, and I know its ugly for a grand club like ours, but coaching/nurturing ....like we used to, from top potential to world class.

We are finished if you think potential is beneath us.

Again, I completely agree. I can accept the likes of Benzema and Cavani being difficult to attain but as mentioned there wasn't a wide selection of ready made worldies available. So why not look elsewhere for players who might be in the tier below but possibly take their game on to the next level with us? There's nothing wrong with it and I certainly wouldn't have been crying had we signed someone like Martial, although granted his price and pedigree don't correlate, but that's the transfer market for you, I'm sure United have seen enough of him to take an educated punt though.

The problem 6-7 years ago was we invested too much time and money in players with potential and that's where we went wrong. Now we are in a position where we should be able to cherry pick the talent we want, which is the perfect platform to build from.

I just can't accept Wenger doing nothing and settling for what he has because he knows it can deliver the bare minimum. Fear of failure and laziness as far as I'm concerned. What happened to the bloke who could turn coal into a diamond?

[dostoy]

Overall I am not surprised.

I said on here weeks ago that numerically we are not short anywhere. I just could not see Wenger signing a striker when we have a few here and Sanogo and Akpom on loan.

He was not going to sign a defensive midfielder when we have Coquelin, he gave Arteta a years contract, and with Flamini still here.

If Cech and Ospina get injured then we are in the shit.

The football world has moved on a long way since we last won the PL, Wenger cannot or will not accept that.

I have said before on here many times and even started a thread about it, we will never win the PL title with Wenger in charge and it could be 2020 before he leaves.

One thing is certain though, we will be buying players in January 2016 because we will be struggling to get into the top four by then.

It has been proven that Wenger is more interested in the balance sheet bottom line than winning titles on the pitch and that will NEVER change.

He still has the safest job in european football though and it will be 2020 at least before we get a new manager.

[Power n Glory]

I still think there is upside in Welbeck, I am not suggesting he will turn into a world class player but I think he has the potential to improve his numbers and surpass Giroud.

Welbeck isn't the solution, he's a good player with the potential to be very good but he won't win us the major prizes IMO.

I don't know where Welbeck will fit in. He needs a good run up front and has potential but he's swimming against the tide. I wasn't impressed with his outing for us last season whilst Giroud was out injured. He should have scored more goals. Played something like 10+ games in the league and Champs League and only scored twice in the league and a brace in the CL. A total of 4 goals. Maybe he needed to adapt but I'm sure if Walcott or Sanchez had a 10+ game run up front they'd do a lot better. Theo scored same amount of goals in two games. But you'll never see Theo get that same amount of time up front. Sanchez is another one that only had a game or two up front and for me, I feel he'd be a superstar striker.

Correction - Welbeck scored a hatrick in the Co. So 5 goals whilst Ground was injured but a very long run of no goals. He really needed this preseason to show his worth.

[Power n Glory]

What happened to Draxler? He went to Schalke this season and we were linked with him for a while.

[Dein-machine]

We signed Mesut off the back of beating the Spuds I believe.

But made the offer after losing at home to Villa.

[Kano]

It's a strange one because I don't think he trusts the strike force he has regardless of what he says. If he felt Giroud was good enough he'd have never tabled a bid for Higuain and Saurez two years ago. He has no faith in Theo either because he was dropped for the opening three games and has never given him a sustained run up front despite saying he's a striker. Welbeck is injured and he's not being trusted up front either....it doesn't look like he trusts his strike force at all. But he doesn't want to pay for another striker he's unsure of so he's putting the weight on our midfield for goals.

As you say, it's on his head a day we'll see where the pieces fall at the end of the season. But this is no surprise to me. The signs were there and I remember seeing this sort of thing before our new sponsorship money.

I really don’t think there is a ‘wait and see’ about this group, as depressing as that sounds. For two consecutive seasons our failings have occurred in one area - the top 8 teams in the league. 17 points in 13/14, 14 last season. We can beat the lesser teams consistently, no problem. When it comes to facing up to the better organised teams, better prepared with higher quality players, we do not have enough. It’s the same thing we see in the CL each season when we have to step up in quality. We can beat the shitkickers all day long, the bigger boys, not so much.

That is why it was essential not just to buy a striker but to re-balance the issues in our squad, none of which have been addressed. So there is no reason to think that this group of players, who have consistently failed to fix this problem will suddenly find an upturn. Even last seasons supposed ‘turn around’ was built on beating the lesser teams in the league, while we continued to struggle against the top 8. That is not going to change until we have a new manager and fix the balance and mental problems with this team which have dragged on for seasons.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Logic would say he'd call the signing off after making people happy by beating the Spuds. I don't think it matters why or how he was signed really, we signed him and that in itself I am happy with.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't know where Welbeck will fit in. He needs a good run up front and has potential but he's swimming against the tide. I wasn't impressed with his outing for us last season whilst Giroud was out injured. He should have scored more goals. Played something like 10+ games in the league and Champs League and only scored twice in the league and a brace in the CL. A total of 4 goals. Maybe he needed to adapt but I'm sure if Walcott or Sanchez had a 10+ game run up front they'd do a lot better. Theo scored same amount of goals in two games. But you'll never see Theo get that same amount of time up front. Sanchez is another one that only had a game or two up front and for me, I feel he'd be a superstar striker.

Correction - Welbeck scored a hatrick in the Co. So 5 goals whilst Ground was injured but a very long run of no goals. He really needed this preseason to show his worth.

It's going to need more than just sticking Alexis or Walcott up front and giving them 10+ games. That's a start but Wenger will then have to learn that the opposition has sussed his possession, patience, possession, patience 1980 tactics and he'll have to come up with a whole range of play books to counter and exploit the various types of opposition we will be up against as the season winds on. And then he'll have to do the same again for the CL. On top of that he'll have to tear up the last 10 years and start playing players in their most effective positions, rotating the squad, giving the players solid instructions and duties. Can you see him doing it?

[Niall_Quinn]

What happened to Draxler? He went to Schalke this season and we were linked with him for a while.

It was probably Welbeck that happened. We were looking at Draxler when RvC was on the way out. Then he got injured.

[Dein-machine]

Oh good, a grown up to talk to. Hello

I'm a bit surprised because the last 2 years, since the new deals have been in place, we have been spending proper money. This summer Cech was a good signing, we all knew we could do with more up front but we've done nothing. Now, I realise it's not like going down Sainsbury's and buying bananas, which do grow on trees, but that's why Wenger gets the big bucks (I forget exactly how much he gets paid as no-one ever mentions it on here).

But yeah, I seriously doubt, deep down, he thinks Giroud and Welbeck are good enough to win you the title. Maybe he thinks we have enough goals in midfield and maybe he's right, in theory Ramsey and Sanchez should be able to get us goals, Walcott too. There's been little evidence of that so far but it is early days and we all know we're capable of better. Whether it's good enough...well, we'll see.

In any competitive sport or business environent, for a boss to go into a new season or a new tender promising the fans or shareholders that they will do everything in their power to compete to win it, whilst knowing that his players or machinery are not good enough, to then have the opportunity before that season or tender due to a large sum of money being available to rectify that - but then do nothing!. You say you seriously doubt that he thinks Giroud or Welbeck are good enough, we know that he doesn't have a clue who to put uptop because of what he did at the end of last year & already this, but a striker is a critical part of the starting 11 - it is unbelievable to think you go into a new season without having a proven goalscorer whilst trying to compete in the P.L.
In the business world you would lose your job immediately over such gross negligence - Wenger has been doing this for 10 years, we don't have to wait & see as you suggest - the deja vue syndrome strikes again. Pre-season posters inc me where saying that unless Wenger really has changed we would see another poor transfer window, a league campaign where we struggle to keep pace, the constant tippy tappy approach that even Barca realised was no longer winning games & another disappointing early exit from the Champions League. 2 months later - all of the above is already looking true, we await the inevitable in the C.L.. What do you expect to see when you say "we'll see"?