Arsenal have no room for new striker – says Wenger!

What what what did I just read? Either Arsene Wenger has been leading on Arsenal fans all summer, or he is just deflecting the media’s attention while he carries on his search for a top striker?

But the fact is that Le Prof has dropped a bombshell ahead of this weekends game against Liverpool. Let me just give you his quote: “I don’t count in numbers as the squad is too big.

“I am looking at no other areas apart from centre back, it’s about quality.”

So it looks like Mustafi is going to be our only other signing, and that was only forced upon him by the injury to Per Mertesacker! So how is that transfer progressing? Wenger was asked about that too, and he simply replied: “I cannot tell you.”

So, here we go again. We will have Giroud and Walcott as our main strikers, and it looks like Akpom will be staying as the extra cover while Danny Welbeck is out injured all season.

How does Wenger justify this stance? He went on to say: “We have stability. We have finished second last season and we all have the desire to improve as a team and we know we have to jump forward and
continue to improve.

“Pre-season was encouraging but now we go for points and want to transfer our confidence from pre-season into the Premier League season.”

We have stability. Oh that’s good. But we also need a better more consistent striker than Giroud or we are going to be also-rans once again. Unless Walcott suddenly becomes a genius centre-forward (yeah right) after pleading to be put back on the wing. Or Akpom will suddenly come of age and start banging them in.

This is going to really annoy Arsenal fans ahead of the Liverpool game, and Wenger must surely know that? There are only two weeks left of the transfer window, but one thing caught my eye today in an interview with the Everton manager Ronald Koeman, who was talking about the possibility of losing Lukaku. He finished by saying he will “will do business for three or four more players”.

All our rivals are showing real intent in the transfer market – except Arsenal!

Darren N.

38 Comments

    1. None. A player if didn’t command a fee would not be good enough because good players always have a price tag.

        1. Thank you jonm. Lewandowski to bayern, Sol Campbell to Arsenal, Pogba to Juventus, Khedira to Juventus… all free transfers. Youre saying these players are not good enough?

          Stop it with the £50 million madness. Price CAN be an indication of quality, but it can also just be an indication of hype, desperation, or a good bluff by the selling team.

          Ask Mahrez if his transfer fee paid by Leicester is a good indication of his quality.

  1. When rashford came into the United squad everyone was excited, but if arsenal bring through an iwobi or an akpom arsenal get slated.

    1. Rashford 18 Years old.
      1st EPL game 28th Feb. 2016.
      EPL 11 games. 5 goals.
      Europa 3 games – 2 goals
      FA Cup 4 games-1 goal.
      18 games. 8 goals.
      England 4 Games. 1 Goal.
      Youngest Englishman to score on debut.
      Youngest English player at a Euro.
      Lots of reason to be excited.

      1. Iwobi. Age 20.
        EPL 13 Games. Goals. 2
        FA Cup. 5 Games Goals 0
        League Cup 1 Game. Goals 0
        Europe. 2 games. Goals 0.
        21 Games. 2 Goals.
        Nigeria 2015. 2 Games. Goals 0
        2016 1 game. Goals 0.
        Good young player too.

        1. Strikers job is to score goals, Iwobi is not a striker so I’m not sure why the comparison you are making only focuses on goals.

            1. Really, because last time I checked Messi was playing as CF until Suarez put him on the right more permanently. obviously using the best player in the world as a comparison is ridiculous anyway.

          1. Congrats on mentioning a player commonly acknowledged on being a flop. Is that the level you’re setting for iwobi?

  2. Even if we truly can’t find a better striker than Giroud, we should still look to bring one in that offers similar to Giroud. Competition for one thing, then there’s that time when Giroud goes completely off the boil but still ends up being our preferred striker. I don’t know why he doesn’t try for Hernandez, even if it’s just for the option of playing him alongside Giroud in home games. He already say’s that he feels he never got a proper chance in England, and I’d say he’s probably the best of the most gettable strikers around. If he’s giving Walcott another chance, form aside, we can’t rely on his fitness. Then what happens when Giroud gets injured, he’s already missing the start, Akpom?. I pray that Janssen doesn’t come good, while some teams fans are waiting to see what there new strikers are like and hoping that they’re great, here’s me hoping totts one will fail. Also hoping Zlatan hasn’t got enough pace and finds the prem extremely tough compared to the French league. Come on Gazidas, do what Dein would have done and just get talking with Arsene about strikers, then surprise him by making one of them happen.

  3. It’s a worry because with respect to all of our striking options – Giroud, Welbeck, Walcott and Akpom I don’t think any of them would get into any of the top four sides.

    I have a very simple solution, get rid of Walcott and that frees up a space for us to sign a top class striker.

    We won’t win the league or the champions league with our current striking options. Not when you look at the manager’s Wenger has got to compete against. You had better believe that Mourinho and Guardiola (to name just two) will do whatever it takes to win the league.

    I feel for Ozil and Alexis because they must be banging their heads against a wall when they see that Giroud is our first choice striker. *I should say that I think Giroud is a very good striker, but he’s not consistent and his goalless spells will cost again this season.*

    Wenger will simply rely upon a desire and belief to win the title, like that can make up for a clinical 30 goals a season striker… Life as an Arsenal fan is probably the single most frustrating thing in life.

    1. Even by Walcott’s own admission he is no longer a striking option – he admits his only future (if at all) is on the wing. And Welbeck is not available therefore.

      The remaining striker options are Giroud, Akpom and Sanchez in an emergency. That is it.

      Translation: I hope Giroud has a great season.

      1. Wenger could just be playing the
        we don’t need a striker so you
        better drop your asking price card too.
        2 years ago he went into panic mode and bought
        Wellbeck for 16 mill and that has been a disaster.
        Chamakh Girvinho Podolski all failed terribly while Sanogo is a complete farce.
        Wengers eye for strikers is completely blind so to be fair signing
        the North Korean “No-one” and Asano the Japanese shirt salesman
        are probably the least damaging transfer options.
        Giroud is back next week too.
        Wenger has so much deadwood on the books already Mertesacker
        Gabriel Debuchy Wilshere Wellbeck Chambers Chamberlain Sanogo Asano
        I’m happy if he does not sign any more players ever.
        He is also under no pressure whatsoever to win the title.
        Just leave the funds for the new Manager.

    2. How are you down voted… most truthful comment of the day. People just done want to realise the truth?

  4. We are not even gonna challenge for the league (maybe at some stage as every season) and Wenger will have to go by the end of it, as well as dead wood like Walcott and Wilshere. We need to secure a top manager, and younger than Wenger of course.

  5. My prediction for the upcoming EPL season: I don’t know who will finish first or who will finish last but……

    At the end of the season Mourinho will still be the biggest @ssh%le on the planet.

    1. What ever happens I know
      Wenger will be 8 mill richer
      Mou will be 15 mill richer
      and they’ll both be able to shop
      at Waitrose, pay the Lecki
      drive the latest Mercedes
      and live on Caviar and Wine 🙂

  6. My take on the interview is that this is typical Arsene Wenger speak. We won’t know what or IF they are actually doing anything in the transfer market until they put it on Arsenal.com.

  7. It’s said now that the agent who tweeted deal agreed with Mustafi but not club, the man isn’t even his agent. Now Valencia are saying that Mustafi isn’t being sold, it’s Abdennour. He looked alright at Monaco but I was just getting used to this Mustafi signing. And Mustafi’s dad has said we have never received an interest from Arsenal. This is from Metro, so there is still legs in this story yet.

  8. ——————Cech————————————–Ospina ———————–
    Bellerin Koscielny Holding Monreal——Debuchy Chambers Bielik Gibbs
    ——-Cazorla–Xhaka—————————-Coquelin—-Elneny——–
    Ox———- Ozil———-Sanchez———Walcott(Campbell)—-Ramsey—-Iwobi—
    ————-Giroud—————————————Sanchez(Walcott)————-

    +Akpom, Campbell, Wilshere, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Martinez, Gnabry, Jenkinson

    What position looks weak here; IT’S EXACTLY LIKE FANS SAY, ST AND CB.

    However, our squad as a whole is very strong. I would field that second team and expect it to beat every team outside the top 10 on most occasions.

  9. The Sun is reporting that
    Mahrez Lacazette Mustafi
    are not needed because Wenger
    has signed former Gunners.
    Midfielder Jon Sammels 71
    Striker Charlie George 65
    Centre back Willie Young 64.

  10. Wenger said more than was quoted above as follows.

    When asked which areas he wanted to strengthen before the end of the transfer window, he replied: “No other specific areas [apart from centre back]. It really depends on the quality we find. If someone can strengthen our team in any position and gives us superior quality then we will do it.”

    Wenger knows we need a striker, so far he has bid on suarez, vardy and lacazette that we definately know about and there are probably others. Rumour has it that wenger wanted to keep RVP and run his contract out,

    Should wenger have replied that we desperatly need a striker? All that would do is put the price up.

    Wenger has said nothing more than in his previous statements. All we can hope is that he is seriously looking for a new striker.

    1. Jon I am not sure I agree with you. I think the playing of mind games where Wenger says we are not looking for a striker and then makes a bit behind the scenes for a striker has no beneficial impact on price IMO.

      Like you said we all know or think he made a bid for Lacazette and Vardy, do you think if he was to go to make an offer for Hernandez that Leverkusen would say “hey let’s lower the price Wenger just said in the media he wasn’t looking for a striker?”

      Everyone knows Wenger has one striker and everyone knows he is cheap and makes many approaches with lowball offers. I don’t think clubs are influenced by what managers say to the press. Leverkussen will have an idea based on today’s market what Hernandez is worth and if they are willing to sell him they will sell him at that price or in the price range.

      Same with a CD, even if Wenger said he will not buy a central defender, after Garbriel go injured, the moment he makes an offer for a CD that club will know he was just talking nonsense in the press and assume he wants a CD and that’s why is making them an offer.

      I have the impression that sometimes Wenger out thinks himself with all his complicated mind games and conflicting statements and actions.

  11. If Wenger said this then that’s it another season without winning anything without a Quality Striker .This is all about money and not about being able to find a Quality Striker. The Man should be Sacked now . Time Arsenal moved on Wenger is past his sell by date.

      1. Kroenke is never going to let Wenger go. Wenger is realizing his business plan and hitting target every year. Why sack the dude?

        Kroenke (and Wenger) will only change their behavior once the model brakes down and the value of Arsenal decreases. Problem is by that time it will be harder to “fix” the model.

  12. With no proper striker, we are in serious danger of losing Ozil, he is frustrated at making loads of assists, and having nobody to convert them, which is fully understable

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