Frankly we can buy 5 world class players and it wont make a difference. I can see Wenger playing them out of position and employing tactics which increase tippy tappy efficiency and not goal efficiency. Add to that our defensive frailties to set pieces and we will fighting for 4th place trophy again.
Enthusiasm
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
Ben Arfa is a free agent, he has had a great season for Nice. He is the type of player to produce something out of nothing and can actually beat defenders, unlike many of our wingers/attackers.
My concern with Cazorla is that he's 31 (32 in December) and has just done his cruciate, so I'm not sure to what extent we can really count on him as a member of the starting XI throughout a long season from now on? No question about his ability at this level - just his durability. If we add another sentral midfielder this summer, which looks pretty nailed on at this point, then I'd be tempted to use him as a top-quality utility man, providing cover in centre mid when needed, but also competition and cover for Özil behind the striker - I think he's good enough to seamlessly switch between the two roles without breaking stride. However, it then becomes a question of whether Cazorla will be happy with that kind of sparing, utility role, or whether he might think he still has a few years at the top level left in him back in Spain? I wouldn't be at all surprised if he fancied one last move back home.Originally Posted by Toronto Gooner
And I can see that same sort of thing happening throughout the squad...
If we sign a proper striker this summer, then what will Giroud or Walcott make of it? Unless the new player turns out to be a complete dud, it would surely spell the end of their hopes of being guaranteed first-choice CF. Will they then start considering a move while they still have some good years left?
With another decent CM probably coming in, on top of Elneny in January, Wilshere returning to fitness (hahalol), Coquelin and Cazorla (if he stays) then maybe Ramsey might start looking at and decide that it's not going to happen for him in centre mid at Arsenal? Again, I could actually see a role for him as an alternative to Özil behind the striker, and I'm not as against him playing on the right as some, but would Ramsey be happy with that? I'm not convinced.
There's been talk about Ox maybe going back to Southampton, if the stories are to be believed? I know Wenger would be against it, but, again, you've got to think about what the player might do. He's always seen himself as more of a central midfielder than a winger, and with competition starting to look pretty strong in both areas, he may decide that he needs a move to stop his career sliding into obscurity?
Ospina sounds like he's unhappy on the bench, Wenger doesn't seem to really fancy Campbell for some reason (should have added him to the list above), Özil and Sanchez are both stalling on their contract talks...
All of which brings me back to what I was saying earlier about Wenger and his target of 3 players - I'm sure he's come up with that thinking that the only losses that he'll be looking at from the current squad will be Welbeck, Arteta, Rosicky, Flamini and probably Debuchy, but I can see our needs and vacancies being a lot more fluid than that as the summer rolls on.
I think a CF, a CM and a RB are pretty much nailed on, whatever happens with everyone else - those are gaping holes in the squad that need to be filled.
I'd like to see a new CB come in regardless, if someone good enough is there for the taking, although I think we might have another year's grace to sort that one out? (Kos, Merts, Gabriel, Chambers, occasionally Monreal, and maybe even one of the younger players like Bielik(?) will probably be enough to see us through another season, if it comes to it.)
LB is also a slight concern, but, again, I don't think it's critical just yet. Monreal still has another good couple of years in him, and Gibbs seems happy enough as his understudy. The problem comes when Monreal needs replacing as first choice, because I'm not convinced Gibbs is up to it.
Beyond that, I think Walcott is probably done at Arsenal now - he'll be well aware of what the fans think of him after this year, and losing his spot in the England squad will have stung him. He doesn't strike me as the sort of player that will look at himself and think that he has to do better - I think he'll ultimately blame the fact that he hasn't been given enough chances as a CF and decide that it's everybody else's fault. Chuck in the likely arrival of a new striker, who will hopefully walk straight into the starting XI, and I just don't see him sticking around, whatever Wenger might say about wanting to keep him. His wages might be a stumbling block, but with this new TV money that's flooded into the Prem, I'm not even sure that's quite the issue that it was?
Would he need to be replaced with a big signing? I think it depends on the signing. If someone like a Mhiktaryan or a Mahrez were genuinely be available, then I think that's the kind of player that you make room for, but then I also think that our wide options are already looking a lot healthier than they were at the start of the season, with the emergence of Iwobi and Campbell? Toral sounds like he's done about as much as he can to impress on his loan spells, so he could be an option, and I'm also hearing a lot of big talk about Chris Willock being on the cusp of the senior squad? I'm not quite as worried about this area as others.
Ramsey and Ox I'm not too fussed about either way at the moment - happy to keep them around, as long as they're nowhere near CM, but I honestly wouldn't care much if they wanted out either. I'd also be happy to promote a youth player or loanee to replace them, providing we're talking about someone of at least a similar(ish) level to Iwobi (who already looks more useful than both of them).
Sanchez and Özil are the big ones - chuck whatever money it takes at them to keep them happy, because I have almost no faith in our scouts and negotiating team being able to arrange top-quality replacements for them on top of everything else! Just bringing in Wenger's original 3 players will probably push them to their very limits!
I am wayyyy too hungover to read all that
If you don’t send this signature to ten people, you will become a Spurs fan.
Get in Gotze/Isco for Cazorla
@honigstein
bit of a twist in the Xhaka story. official bid has now come in much lower than Gladbach expected after negotiations with 3rd parties.
https://twitter.com/honigstein/statu...rc=twsrc%5Etfw
Arsenal bid of €25m revealed for Granit Xhaka; Gladbach want €40m [BILD]
Max Eberl "There is an offer. With an offer in this range we cant talk seriously"
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
It's a fair bid, if true.Arsenal bid of €25m revealed for Granit Xhaka; Gladbach want €40m [BILD]
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