Arsenal are just TWO players from winning Title? But who?

It seems like years that I have been listening to Arsenal fans saying that Arsene Wenger’s team is just two players short of winning the title. Even after the Gunners splashed out this summer the general consensus was that we desperately needed a beast of a defensive midfielder and another centre-back to complete the puzzle. Other suggestions were a top class striker and a better-than-Szczesny goalkeeper.

Our arrivals last summer included Sanchez and Welbeck (striker?) and Ospina to replace Fabianski, while the winter brought us the Angel Gabriel and (very luckily) the return of Francis Coquelin. That sounds like all the boxes were ticked, but yet it is still being said we need two more top class arrivals to make sure of being crowned Premier League Champions.

According to the ex-Gunner Charlie Nicholas the players we need are Morgan Schneiderlin and Raphael Varane. He said on Sky Sports: “I still think they’re two players away from being the real deal but I think Wenger is getting close to identifying who those players are,”

“He’s identified the actual areas that need addressing for the first time and that’s what makes me a lot more confident that, finally, he’s nailed down what the future of this club is.

“It’s the defence and the protection of the defence that need attention – he recognises that now.

“Coquelin has done really well but I would like another holding midfield player to come in, perhaps a Schneiderlin type of player.

“Arsene has brought Gabriel in and maybe he’s thinking ‘I’ve got a replacement for Mertesacker here’. But there’s certainly a case for bringing in a big name at centre-half this summer.

“Ideally, if the situation arose, I’d like to go and get Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, that’s who I’d really love Arsenal to get.”

Not many would disagree with his choices, but for me I would make Petr Cech the foremost target, with Schneiderlin a close second, but who would YOU choose as the two players that we need?

Tags Nicholas Schneirderlin Varane

35 Comments

  1. Cech and Schiederlin for me. Off topic…does anyone have an idea if there are sports bars in the Hague that show premier league matches? I am going to the Netherlands in May and I’ll be there until the seasons ends. I have no clue how I’d be watching arsenal matches. Help? Anyone?

    1. Goal keepers. In all honestey Ospina Sczney and martinez are 3 fantastics keepers for any club. In that department we don’t need any.

      Defenders. In Boss GaBBY Per and Chambers we have 4 CB. I don’t understand the theory of another CB. We have and Old head like per. Good once like Boss and gabbY. Young like Chambers and thats a perfect combination.

      LB. We have a war at LB. I call it and in house war. That is what we all wanted. great competition from Gibbs and nacho. Gabrille can also play LB. No LB needed.

      RB. we are overloaded in this position. need no explanation.

      DM . I trust Only COq in that role. Flamini use to be good in 2006. lol we need another . In certain games away from home we may need 2 DM s like Coq and Morgan.

      Midfield . We have enough midfielders in the club. Jack rambo Santi and Ozil. That is 2 box 2 box and 2 advance playmakers. There is also rosisky. we are really good.

      Wingers. we have enough wide players at the club. We also have the likes of wellington Silva who is a terrific hard working lad with good pace and skills. No signing.

      Striker. I am happy with Giroud. Infact very happy. He will still be my number 1 striker next season. We may add lacazette to vary our game as he is completely different from giroud. Don’t forget danny welbeck who will improve. Giroud has so welbeck will.

      PLAYERS IN. MORGAN SCHINIDERLIN and ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE.

      Players Out.
      Podolski. terrible at Inter and now on the bench at Inter. Where are all those blaming Wenger for benching him. Not good eneough am sorry.

      Flamini when he needed him most he left us in the first place. Anyways good bye. But right now Coq has set the standards. No disrespect but flamini is not on that level.

      Arteta I hate the idea of having a captain on the bench. I don’t see him starting again ever ever ever ever. So i wish him all the best. Great servant to the club. If we get another Dm his chnaces become even more complicated.

      Diaby As a club you can’t accuse us of not trying to be supportive. I think him going to a less physical league will do him a hell of good.

      sanogo. Another loan or sold. 4 choice at palace. so can’t be back up at Arsenal. impossible.

      1. I’d have to agree with you after reading your comment. However, if there are uncertainties regarding Szcesney’s future, and Cech becomes available, we should go for him. But another holding midfielder like Shneiderlin or Kondogbia is a must.

      2. arteta stays, to sure up things and posession.

        “lacazette may come in” – you wish . but stranger things have happened.

      3. Mert and chambers are a very long way from top class …. So mert out and scher in ….. Need to get rid of Walcott at 100k a week he’s a toxic asset we do have some potential but wellbeck for reasons I don’t fully understand is going to perennially disappoint so would like to see another quality attacker there … And a kondogbia type in midfield is essential …. Can gve Gibbs one more season to prove himself though am beginning to have my doubts …But fully agree on the rest

      4. A realistic appraisal there. I think however that with 2 years to run on his contract Wenger has to start playing the hand he has got rather than go for another round of team upheaval/reshuffles. People tend to overlook the fact that we have essentially renewed the entire team since opening day of the season 2013 – only Kos and Giroud from that team are more or less automatic starters now. The idea that greater improvements are possible from keeping what you have with some tweaks rather than another transfer window of cutting and pasting new prospects/big names is not often considered. I also think we need to think about the squad as a whole and the likely impact on individuals when these names are banded around. You cannot pack out your squad with top class talent without something giving. Cannot see how a Cech transfer would work unless we got rid of both WS and DO and promote Martinez and Hoddart. Schneiderlin in and bench Coquelin? If Mourinho thought MS was 1% better than FC he would drop FC in a heartbeat and not worry about the other longer term consequences – he never does. Wenger will decide if FC is good enough or not, if he thinks he is then back him up with an understudy who has happy to be a squad player. However, to my mind MS could not do what FC is doing at present and he would be a Ramsey/Wilshere replacement. MS is not a specialist DM imo. The likes of Dybala in, ostensively as a Podolski replacement, is a simpler proposition although I think it would also mean Theo being closer to the exit door. Dybala would not only replace Podolski in the squad but would also be an option to OG – we know Wenger loves these versatile types. Personally I think it will be Draxler and not Dybala.

    2. In: Schar, Schneiderlin, Lacazette
      Out: Chambers (Loan), Jenkinson (Loan), Hayden (Loan), Flamini, Diaby, Zelalem (Loan), Bielik (Loan), Gnabry (Loan), Campbell, Miyaichi, Podolski, Sanogo, Akpom (Loan)

      All those loans with a recall clause in case of emergencies…

  2. I think another striker that can play differently to Giroud and is a genuine striker and not a Sanchez or Welbeck style wide forward.

    A genuine power midfielder for the box to box midfield position.

  3. Schneiderlin and Lacazette. I think depending on the opposition Schneiderlin can play either with our next to Coq and I’m hoping Lacazette will be the real deal. We’d have real quality multiple times across every position.

  4. I think we are stocked at the back, from
    CB
    Boss_Gab
    Per_Cham
    Deb_mon. (For emergency)
    RB.
    Deb_Bel_Jenko

    LB
    Mon_Gibbo.

    So let’s go for Schneiderlin and a young but magnificent out and out striker like Dybala or lacazette to compete with G rude.

  5. My wish list:
    Out: mert, pod, campell, flamini, (maybe arteta)
    In: cavani/reus/lewandoski/higuan, Schneiderlin/sissoko, young cb
    If wallcot and schz do leave then sign sterling/m. locus/dyabala, and cech

    1. Try cham as dm, he isn’t fast enough for rb/cb… I think he can make a good dm

    2. except for schneiderlin and reus none of them are an improvement or even realistic and why would you wanna get rid of per?!

  6. I think we should all be serious and not to be jostling with players names. The boss is correct to say we are 2 top quality players away from winning the Premier title. However, I want him to make it 3 first team quality players he will bring-in in the summer and winter transfer window. Right? The boss will likely not sign all those Morgan Scheinderlin and Raphael Varane. And most players linked in the press media to Arsenal. Definitely, another top CB (Chris Smalling)? a top holding midfielder and a top new striker-cf will be needed at Arsenal for next season campaign. How about Alexandre Lacazette? Is he a cf? Harry Kane and Charlie Austin cost price may be too high for the boss to afford, being they are English players. For that top midfield enforcer, I have not pin a name into my thought. Having said this my opinion, I believe the boss will of course offload some fringe first team Gunners too.

  7. ## marquee signing##
    Forwards/striker
    Out= podolski,ryo,sanogoo
    In= ##dybalya ##

    Cm
    Out= Diaby
    In= Morgan sansone is one of the best young cm across Europe this season he is doing very well for Montpellier and still only 20

    Dm
    Out=arteta flamini
    In= ##schnederlin ##

    Full back
    Out= jenkinson
    In Young Lb= Jordan amouvi French under 21 ranked the best left back across Europe this season (whoscored)plays for nice won’t cost much

  8. I always get sick of hearing the same song about Arsenal being short of players etc. It is true we need some players but just for squad depth and in case of emergency but not because we are short. There is nothing which would have stopped us winning EPL if we didn’t have a lot of injuries. Our team is capable of winning EPL and even CL providing we don’t get serious injuries. That is why we need at least 2 utility players that can play across the back line and midfield. The business of always thinking our team is short that is why we don’t win is stupid and unrealistic. Where are Chelsea and Man city much better than Arsenal? Let us have faith in our team and stop always yearning even for sub-standard players simply because we have heard about them or seen them on u-tube. We have now even banished the fear of big teams so I don’t see why we can’t stand up to anybody. Only two things were holding us back: nerves and injuries. Now that we have overcome both the sky is the limit.

    1. Jesus the number of 4th place junkies on this site is ridiciculous … Need to be slightly realistic if we are to get back to being winners Chelsea? comptois over ospina Zuma over chambers matic over coq (sorry coq has made a huge difference to us but partly bcse flamini and arteta were so poor) fab over Ramsey hazard over Walcott or wellbeck costas over giroud ….. Nerves and injuries LOL

  9. All depends;
    Does Rocisky leave? Due to wanting more game time.
    Do we actually let Diaby go? On the bases he isn’t getting any fitter nor younger.
    Do we let Jenkinson go? On the bases we have Debuchy and Bellerin.
    Do we let Flamini and Arteta or one go? On the bases of the emergence of Coquelin.
    Do we sell or offer Wallcott a new deal?

    Once all of this is decided, we need to look at when we are really poor and not playing well. What are we lacking?

    I sense in them games we lack a commanding CD and a top finisher. Saying that, Gabriel Chambers should challenge Kos and one other (per is dispensable). If so than Varane, Laporte would mean good business.

    Giroud isn’t a natural finisher but is an instinctive player which works for how we play. Nonetheless Akpom, Sanago would believe they can compete next season. I still feel we need a 30goal a season player.

    This leaves someone needing to compete with Coquelin as a whole season resting on his performances is asking too much. Although it leaves wenger with a dilemma on the type of player to bring in, I still think we need one.

    Than you have the situation of what the market does and what you must!
    Does Sterling become available, do Chelsea want to do business for cech, is Saurez happy at Barca, do RM sell bale…..

    Interesting summer ahead…

  10. For me I would love Schneiderlin and Lacazette

    We need at least two top quality players in each position. In DM we have top quality player in Coquelin and striker we have top quality player in Giroud. We just need two more.

    Welbeck needs to work on his finishing and ball holding, but as a winger he is very good.

    Schneiderlin or kondogbia and Lacazette or Dybala
    will do it.

    Now if Wenger gets extras like Subotic, Cech, Khedira, Gundogan, etc I won’t complain but first and most importantly we need another top DM and striker

    We will be amazing imho

  11. We have a wealth of players but we still fall just a bit short of really competing for the champions league and winning the premier league. On our best days we can compete with anyone in Europe and it was a real shame we lost so badly to Monaco in the first leg.

  12. No, we need to stock up at LB, Monreal may be decent – but how long can he keep it up. Gibbs is a walking Mummy and is nothing special. If Gaya becomes available and is as good as he is supposed to be, it is better to get him and let him push, because he will get a chance. Gibbs will get injured, Monreal may need a rest or get injured. They need someone else there to cover and push. We are not safe in this position.

    Why are we all so delusional about quantity over quality? If the upgrade is available, then we should be trying to upgrade. Improving is necessary if you want to win the title or Europe. We are still not solid enough to do this.

    1. I honestly dont anticipate the likes of Lacazette or Dybala leaving there respected clubs to share the striker role @ any club, including Arsenal. The Epl in addition to domestic cups and Champions League is a gruelung season, and inuries do occur along the way but such young, expensive players often demand assurances of there anticipated roles in the 1st team. Again just cant see it happening with Girouds recent form. Perhaps Danny Mings, or Benteke when Villa are relegated.

      Le Prof will sign either MS or Wanyama.

      The BFG probably played his best game of the year against Pool this last fixture but I still believe his days as 1st choice CB are numbered. Gab will pass him this summer and it will be up to Arsene how he anticipates the Germans future role @ the club. Will BFG be content with a back up role. Still think Arsenal should sign a Mings or Wimmer to add young squad depth to this position.

      Sign Cech, sell Woj.

      The wildcards are Theo and Jack. Rumors are just that but if Man City offer 30M for Wilshere and Walcott refuses to sign a reasonable contract extension and is sold, the likes of Reus, Varane, and Cavani will be well within the budget.

  13. If we buy 2.

    1. Schneiderlin
    2. Lacazette

    If buy more
    3. Chech
    4. Schar
    5. Young LB – Mings / Amavi

    We should stick to 3-4 maximum, not to upset the current situation team too much.

  14. Reus Hummels Khedira and Cech. Not sure if this would put us in a violation of home grown rule.
    70M for those 4 players?

    If we can cash in on Jenkinson for 10M do it.

    Chambers, Gnarby, Sanogo all on loan.

  15. Tired of people suggesting we need schneiderlin, if we replaced him with flamini i wouldn’t be disappointed but kondogbia and wanyama are much better dm in my opinion. Coming from a gooner in st. Lucia

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