Where the **** is Gazidis? by Gooner100
Here we go again! A classic song, but not a feeling many of us Gooners want to keep repeating.
A pre season that started so well with Lacazette nailed and Kolasinac brought in under the radar. It looked like we were going in the right direction! Roll forward a few weeks, two games in, all is not looking so great. A week from the end of the transfer season and we’ve stalled, big time. Lemar and Mahrez, relative no-brainers for most, have become the usual press talk with really little likelihood of either happening. Mbappe was a fantasy. Others we perhaps ought to covet like Van Dijk look to be heading elsewhere.
The crisis with Sanchez is yet to play out. Will he go and leave us with fewer quality options, will he stay, who knows. Ox’s future is still to be resolved. Rumours abound about Mustafi.
Assuming you subscribe to the view that we expected more this season. Assuming you take a perspective that says Wenger got a hiding last season so why on earth wouldn’t he be going for it this season, rather than risk a repeat. Assuming you recognise the steps Man United and City have taken to rebuild their squads. Then the question is surely, simply, what the hell is Wenger playing at?
Well, my perspective is that the real culprits for this are the board. Again it’s Kroenke. Again it’s Gazidis. Kroenke is an investor that’s clear. Accept it. However Gazidis is not. He is there to steer the club. To escalate issues and ensure resolution. To intervene when it’s clearly needed. Not to accept another Groundhog Day. In two years Wenger will be gone, this is the year to rebuild to remove the risk of the next manager going backwards. To put us back amongst the elite and then build on it.
Wenger loves Arsenal. That’s clear. Debate it all you want but it’s not about the money, he’s got more than he’ll ever need. Equally Wenger wants to succeed. He’s done it all, but never the Champions League. He’s been overtaken by younger newer PL managers and his nemesis (Mourinho) is about to do it all over again. Never has there been a better time to spend big, take a chance, forget the economics and push on. Can Wenger still do it as our manager? I believe with the right squad there is no doubt.
However as I say we’ve stalled. The squad’s too big. The players that are there for the taking, are not being nailed. The negotiations are stalling. The action needed is not being taken. A crazy situation that I’m sure even the average guy in the street could have predicted.
Why? Well one explanation is it’s all Wenger’s fault. Too simple in my view. Whilst not completely wrong, it’s his big flaw, making decisions, throwing away potential, recognising the investment is never going to deliver a return. Wenger is a loyal man. He loves to see kids realise their potential. He thrives on making a Thierry. Making all those stars like Fabregas, Clichy, Van Persie, Sagna… too many to mention. He values hope over pragmatism. Loyalty over financial return. He sees the spec of gold in the rock face and hopes to uncover a rich vein and he continues to dig.
He simply cannot reconcile this dream of what could be, with the need to be ruthless and cut his luck. It’s the reason we have an overblown squad. Potential that’s never quite delivered on the dream Arsene had or the possibilities he saw. Not bad qualities, but ultimately not outright ruthless winning characteristics.
So that’s why I hold the board and in particular the smooth-talking but otherwise apathetic Gazidis to account. The club and the board should have steered this season’s activities. They should have made the tough decisions. Gazidis should have forced the transfers, in or out. The board should have been the bad guys that made it happen for us and Arsene. Gazidis should have ensured the funds were there through challenging discussions with Kroenke. Gazidis has failed to help Wenger by removing the personal and deeply held conflict he faces.
The board should have done what any responsible owner or advisor ought to do where they have a great leader but someone who has a flaw. They have failed to recognise the person, the character, the decisions that were needed to be made. The influence they should have exerted, irrespective of the difficult conversations that may have occurred at the Emirates, have seemingly been sadly lacking.
It’s not all over. I’m always an optimist where AFC are concerned. We’ve a week to go. The worst case is we’re two quality players better off. The team is not firing on all cylinders so ought to improve. But wherever this season goes, and hey it might be stellar (I’m no PL manager!) my view is the Board at AFC should give a lot of thought to their own performance so far this season and how they could have ensured the outlook was that much more certain.
If there was a league for the PL boards I think AFC would be mid table, at best. Oh for the days of an AFC board with character and decisive, fully invested personalities…like David Dein.
AFC board, you’ve got a week to get your act together and sort this mess….please take it!
by Rob (Gooner100)
oh gooner 100
…as much as i find u quite irritating at times in your comments this post is relevant
i would of course counter with…how much power is ivan given , yes we understand how club hierarchies work, but many including board members have said wengers power is near absolute . the transparency for fans is minimal so what can we do…go on what we hear an see.
might not agree but like your post fair play 🙂
Who do we hear the “Wenger has too much power” from?
Wenger?
People in power at AFC?
Or people looking in from the outside? That outside may be the front door looking in rather than the street view we common folk have but are they in the know??
I will counter what you said with what has actually happened to AFC, dates included.
Dein left AFC in 07 due to personal issues with the board.
in 07 Usmanov and Silent Stan got AFC Shares.
July 08 Nasri signs for AFC after he signed a new contract with his old club, forcing AFC to pay more.
Nov 08 Gazidis was hired as CEO, Deins old role.
1st transfer for AFC with Gazidis at AFC was Arshavin, record signing and a flop. Wenger wanted this player so kinda Wengers fault and also a 1st impression. 08/09 spend = £~36 million
09/10 spend just under £11 mil in total on Vermaelen (£10.8mil)
In 09 Law was hired to help Gazidis in transfer dealings.
10/11 season spend was around £20 million, £11.25 was highest fee for player paid. (still less than season that Gazidis joined part way through!!!)
11/12 season = ~£59 million, highest fee for player paid was £12.5 for The Ox.
2011 Nasri was sold after Wenger had said AFC wouldn’t sell Nasri and Cesc in same year.
12/13 season = £50.4 million, highest transfer was Cazorla for £17 mil, £2mil more than Arshavin and although ‘only’ 2 years, inflation has happened a LOT, also want to note we missed on out Cazorla 12 months prior to this due to bidding a couple million short penny pinching, opposite to Nasri coming to us!
2013 interview with Nasri confirmed BOARD sold him, not Wenger.
June 2013 RvP confirmed it was the BOARD that sold him, after Wenger had indicated he wanted to make him play to his contract.
13/14 season = ~£45 million, highest fee was record breaking Ozil at £42.5.
Do you not see the change?
The drop in spending from the summer window Gazidis arrived?
Players pointing to the BOARD at how they messed them around in transfers?
Wenger has too much power according to who?
While I see your point I think it’s been made pretty clear by everyone Wenger has complete control when it comes to footballing matters at arsenal and as Charlie Nicholas said a few seasons back it is arsene who decides to buy or walk away for example holding was told of arsenal’s interest in him and it took three weeks for Wenger to agree to sign him for £2million, that’s not exactly a lot of money to arsenal is it. While I agree Ivan and the rest of the regime are to blame Wenger is very much complicit in the disgrace that is our football club at the moment.
He has the power to disagree with the board and he hasn’t done that in the interest of the club and that alone in doing nothing is as culpable. Guys like Conte, Mourinho, Pep and the likes actually come out and say they want more transfers, they want more activity, they want to be given this and that. Has Wenger ever speak out in order to pressure on the men above? You know the reason is because he wants to domake it his own way and that itself is enough to hold him accountable. At the end of the day he is sole person in a position to put himself on the line and demand from the board and hasn’t done that, hence fans consider him guilty as much as the board or owner. I scratch your back and you scratch mine.
Arshavin was not a flop when he arrived, he very quickly became a fan favourite, remember the chant “we have Arshavin f??? Adebeyor”
I do not know what went wrong, same as chamach, scored for fun when he arrived then went downhill.
Yes it was gazidis who decided to play monreal as a CB.
Don’t be so rediculous!
Don’t be so gullible
Point is, Wenger isn’t responsible for EVERYTHING, yes he has faults but failing to sign his targets may not be one of them but Gazidis instead, which I agree with.
Always licking that old man’s back.. Wenger has a lot of power, previously stated so. He buys whoever he wants and doesn’t buy whoever he doesn’t want.. this is his team from the players to staffs. He has constantly failed so no reason to defend the specialist in “that stuff”
Prob Gadzis fault Theo on high high wages too; arsenal can’t even give him away.
That damn Gadzis let contracts run down for our best players also; don’t even try and blame wenger.
Why is Gadzis wanting between £10 and £15 million or no sale for Gibbs? Ivan was stupid for paying gibbs a career backup high wages.
Gadzis also makes the dumbest team selection playing half the team out of position.
What we truly need is Wenger to
1. Extend his contract
2. Be given more power in decisions
3. Negotiate player contracts
4. Be given adequate transfer kitty
5. Make his own lineup decisions
Poor wenger, making over £8 million a year and hardly any say so in club; Ivan Gadzis has all the power. Thats why Arsenal have new director of football this year, ivan always gets his way right?
Love your sarcasm,brilliant post
Sarcasm is only as good as the accuracy of the information/ideas.
The key things all you Wenger haters do not understand is that this game is no longer about football, but about money.
Look at Monaco: they created a great batch of players, and then Pep and other came calling with oil money. Wenger wants to buy, but a lad barely out of his teens costs over 50 million! Without oil money or crooked money, how can Wenger buy?
Personally I think that the failure of Arsenal to compete for the EPL for more than 10 years is the fault of all involved; Wenger, Gadzidis, Kroenke, the players, coaching staff, transfer/contract negotiators and the fans.
I know this post will not be popular but those fans who constantly make excuses for Wenger and the board and are satisfied with what they have seen over the last 10 years has continued to give licence for the club to allow the team to slowly deteriorate over that time. We once used to compete for the title until the last few games of the season whilst now it is effectively game over by mid February.
Oh yes what is going to happen next year if Sanchez, Ozil and the Ox leave for free? Do you really think the club will spend £150 mil plus replacing them?
let go ox for free. we can find someone better in january
do anybody think we have a chance with asensio ?
Not we don’t have a chance, he has a 500€ release clause I believe. He would an amazing player to have though.
Love the last paragraph,you’re so right but even if they did I wouldn’t trust Wenger to spend it.
Criticize where it is due.The Lemar deal was agreed at £55 involving add ons.Monaco changed their asking price to £65.Emmanuel Gianelli(not sure of his name) may not be the most reliable but everything happens for a reason.There was a reason why he said Arsenal would sign Lemar.Wenger was prepared to break our transfer record again for Lemar.Even the media reported there was a breakthrough.It’s not the first time these thing happen behind the scenes.Deals can be agreed but things change anytime anyday..It’s not Wenger’s fault that Monaco changed to ask for £65.
The main thing I’d like to stress on is that Wenger’s tactical set up of players is poor and his decisions are terrible.He doesn’t combine players very well and I feel he makes some players too much of a main stay in his team even when they are poor which doesn’t create competition to bring out the best in players.He also sold Gabriel who for all his mistakes has better defensive skills in terms of tackling,1 v1,interceptions and others than Mertesacker,Holding and Chambers.
I also don’t like how people are stating players we shpuld sign without giving thought if we need them or not.You usually hear people saying”sign Lemar,Draxler and Seri and we’re good to go”.Such is the state of our club that this poor mentality has eaten into the fans.Season after season we see players which are not what we need being signed.This season we needed a CM,LB and a CF.We’ve had two but when you consider Wilshere,Ramsey and Cazorla(injured) in the team we are very ok at CM.What we lack is a player who is a combination of attack and defense like Renato Sanches,Leon Goretzka etc.I urge Wenger to go for a mix.
But for now our highest priority should be a top quality CB who is good at basic competent defending.We need to buy what we need first so a move for a CB and possibly a DM makes sense.The rest of our probliems greatly lie with Wenger’s tactics.
Good news:Ox Chambo is close to agreeing a £125,000 a week deal with Arsenal.
Barca are also about to sue Neymar for an £8.5 breach of contract.
Ok
It’s not only about economics any more with ticket pricing and tv income this club has. We could spend 100 million pounds if AFC wanted to. We could spend 200 million if our very freaking rich owner would also sponsor us, if only with low interest loans. You can get 4 awesome players for this amount and you will have a real tittle challenge, or at least a future. Is Gazidis trying to save up money for when Wenger leaves to build a new team??! Hard to watch this stuff there doing or not doing at the Emirates.. I would love to spend more then would be healthy, normally, to finally have a tittle challenge, don’t care about a few seasons of relegation football or EL any more.
We have way over 200m profits spread here and there, we can match PSG or City this window because FFP will look at your books every two years so with next years expected profits we can match anyone in Europe, but it’s rediculous to think two players can cost more than a club in the bottom half of the EPL I would think twice before I pay over 100M only if it guarantees me CL title
I don’t think Gazidis is saving up to rebuild after Wenger although it is a funny thought XD
I would guess that Gazidis is still learning and lack of experience catches him out.
I would guess he is also the one getting the PUMA kit deal which turned out to be poor when other teams renewed that side.
Also the stadium/shirt sponsorship deal was pathetic, last time it was done was in 2012, many years after Gazidis took over.
Gazidis is clueless about money in the EPL, he is constantly asking for too little in sponsorships, asks for too much for our own players and undervalues transfer targets.
Man City got the guy who done transfers for Barca and look at how they get better deals, better person for the job.
I would love to see Gazidis sacked and for Silent Stan to hire some kickass marketing pro for sponsorships and transfer wizard for getting dealings done, expand the professionals we have for all roles and not lumber all financial things together and give it to someone who has no qualification to do transfers other than being a City fan and working in the states where sport is done differently.
Wenger has absolute power.
Gazidis is under Wenger.so d blame is absolutely Wenger’s.
Hi Chuks, you must be a high or middle rank employee at the Emirates to have that knowledge…any proof ? or is it just the usual uninformed WOB rubbish ?
Read any statement the club gives out about Wenger, there’s your proof. Wenger Out
Ha! Ha! Ask a firm about itself, and then believe what it says.
The reality is that Arsenal cannot even compete with Chelsea or ManCity, let alone Man U for funds from owners. PSG is now funded by a country that is one of the largest exporters of LPG with also among the world’s largest reserves.
Soon money will flow to Everton and the Saints. Also Palace and several other clubs.
Arsenal needs a money man in a game that mostly won or lost with how much money is being spent. Man U will win the double this year…. then maybe even maybe the Champions League if they get one or two more players to get over PSG. Real will get weaker and Bacra is weaker already, and both need to reload, but to do so they have to compete with PSG and Man U.
Blaming Wenger is madness. Only his name and influence has kept us going this long. When leaves the team had better get a proper tycoon to help us, or Arsenal will fall below the top six too.
Don’t blame Wenger? Are you seriously yet to realize the power that Wenger has at the club? Probably the only footballing brain there and that’s scary. The least he can do is play players in their natural positions and stop being sentimental. Sentiments costs every season with the FA Cup to cover the cracks. It’s time to start being ruthless for the good of the club and stop giving contracts period to players contributed to our failings season after season. Starting with Chamberlain, nothing to show for in 6 years especially when you have someone like Reiss Nelson breaking through. Walcott joke of a 10 years, Welbeck living off his Old Trafford goal with no improvement whatsoever. Bellerin without pace is average, makes me think why aren’t we in for Aurier an Arsenal fan yet Spurs can afford him with a £800M stadium to pay for. You now this wait until the last 2 weeks of the window to get special deals is flawed. Why not get what we need before the season starts regardless while getting rid of deadwood at the same time leaving room for last minute additions that would make us even better? We had 1 of if not the highest possession rate to lose a game against Stoke in the Premier Leagues history. How is that improvement?
Total ignorance, are you for real????
The team made up is not the team of targets that Wenger has identified over the years, this is the team made up of 3rd or 4th choices.
Look at how long he wanted Lacazette and while Wenger wanted him, the board bought Welbeck (Wenger only wanted loan and said so himself, his words!!), Perez who Wenger never trusted and happy to get rid off for a financial loss… then finally who Wenger wanted. Imagine the team Wenger would have if the past 10 years we wasn’t reading about how we missed this great talent or that great talent because we couldn’t afford him?? If we didn’t sell the talent we had… Just think of how different the squad could be! Or is that too complicated for you?
Wenger makes mistakes but so does Pep at City, look at the team they had last season and they didn’t win the EPL or FA Cup?
Yes I’m for real and I guess Cech was the only player we could have got the season when Leciester City won the title right? Arsenal Football Club aren’t broke, haven’t been since we got Özil from Madrid at least 4 years ago. One of the richest teams in world sports. We lose targets because of low balling numerous amount of times. Not bashing Wenger but he had plenty of opportunities to right the ship both on and off the pitch.
Well said
that guy you replying will go extra miles just to defend Wenger’s incompetence.
The whole team is made of Wenger’s choices, bidding below asking prices, beginning of the window he was busy 24/7 in the market just to bring Sead and buying Laca, although the team is full of deadwoods. All blames on him, no one else is bringing this club down than him, he is the mastermind of Arsenal destruction
What is the rational for Wenger not playing Perez, given his performances when he did play compared to the players Wenger preferred over him?
Wait till we see Perez’s performances under Koeman if Everton buy him!
Completely delusional article! I’ll now easily debunk it with one very simple example.
The writer says “Can Wenger still do it as our manager? I believe with the right squad there is no doubt.” So clearly, if Wenger had quality options available, he’s be successful.
Now a very simple example from the recent defeat at Stoke, proves the writer to be factually wrong, and that new signings, and all the money in the world, would make ZERO difference to Wenger’s approach. At LWB we had Bellerin playing, which was completely wrong, and no need for it. The only reason to play someone so out of position, would be down to a lack of options available. But this wasn’t the case. Despite what the writer says, Wenger did have the right squad on the day to overcome this problem. Before using an out of form RB/RWB (Bellerin), at LWB, Wenger actually had FOUR options available that were naturally suited to the LWB role. These were Ox, Kolasinac, Monreal, and Gibbs.
There was no reason for Bellerin to be playing there, and it had nothing to do with money, or buying new players, or injuries. It was a a conscious decision by Wenger, to choose the worst option available. One could argue, maybe Wenger was experimenting, maybe he wanted to see if Bellerin could do a job on the other side of the pitch. Now I haven’t got a problem with any manager experimenting, but you do not do it against top class teams, or really difficult away fixtures. Do it against weak opposition, or in Europe, or the domestic cups. It was a stupid gamble, that Wenger didn’t even need to make!
Don’t forget Monreal at CB!!!??
Also, you could set your watch to Wenger’s substitution pattern.
People make mistakes.
Look at how people was creaming their pants over Pep and he made mistakes, didn’t win the EPL did he? How about the FA Cup, who knocked City out again… I can’t quite recall.
“It was a conscious decision by Wenger, to choose the worst option available.”
That was regarding Bellerin right?
So you forgot how he should have been awarded that penalty? Did you see him play RWB the week before? He played better as a LB in formation swap and ultimately the goal from Stoke was Monreal’s fault for hesitating.
The issue wasn’t the LWB for the goal but the RWB! They came down AFCs right (Their left), and it didn’t go over to Bellerins side.
So Bellerin had a penalty decision ignored and wasn’t at fault for the goal and you QQ about it…
Oh as for saying Ox is naturally suited to LWB… LOLZ!!!!!!!!!! He is awful in that role and that is why against the foxes Bellerin went into the LB role while Ox went into RB, even though Ox started as LWB.
Do you even watch football?
Do you watch arsenal, this isn’t an uncommon mistake, how many times have players been shoe horned into the starting 11? How many times have we been exposed as being naive? How many times has Wenger blamed lack of fight,the defence,not finishing chances? Well its your team arsene do you job and manage it.
@Midkemma
Your comments yet again, prove to be lacking of any real knowledge of Arsenal, Wenger, and I suggest you go and watch the games for once.
Ox is clearly a good option at WB because he’s been playing very well there, and has been awful in almost every other position. Clearly you haven’t seen him play there, because he’s done really well, shown consistency for the first time in his career, and is a way better option at LWB than Bellerin. Bellerin has been poor for a while, and should be dropped. But I’m not so sure why you’re even focusing on Bellerin though? Why didn’t Monreal, or Kolasinac play there? They’re surely a better option than even the Ox? Conveniently, you don’t mention those two in regards to the LWB role.
Lastly, you say that people make mistakes. I agree, that’s just part of life. But when someone keeps making the same mistakes, over, and over again, and makes really simplistic mistakes that shouldn’t have even been considered for one second, then you know you have someone on your hands who is awful at their job.
It’s never Wenger’s fault apparently. He can’t coach a side to defend or score but not his fault.
I heard his ring tone is It wasn’t me but Shaggy
I still can’t get over the fact Arsene drops one CB for another CB when we’re meant to be in difficulties with this area. Then after it back-fires he starts talking about how Holding had confidence issues rolling on from the Leic game. Brilliant Arsene, treating them like nerve stricken children is a great way to prepare for battle. If only Sun Tzu had you on his side.
Simple answer is Wenger’s loyalty is greater than fans suffering. How stubborn he is and not even care how we fans feel and suffer. We wanted superstars in our squad. We can’t even compare with clubs like Chelsea, man utd, Liverpool and spyds. We have lost our image. We can’t even be positive about us winning any championship or cup except FA Cup. We won community shield because Chelsea played with 10 players and without their top players.
I dont understand how hard it’s to make decision to sell average players. He could have sold till now all if he would have started from day one of transfer period. Wenger is losing his image in front of fans. I fear he will lose his respect with remaining fans as well.
He has to change his mentality and spend big. How is it not possible to offload Walcott, Welbz, Wilshire , el neny and monreal. Why can’t he spend big and buy lemar/mahrez, monalas/van Dijk, goretzka and William Carvalho.
I think this must be last season of Cech. Why can’t Wenger learn from his compatriots mou,pep,Koeman,Conte and Klopp . How well they improved defensively and playing right players at right position.
Now that EPL started why to play the players out of position. I don’t want monreal to play in CB position. He must be backup from sead. Iwobi must be backup for ozil. He must substitute Ozil when he doesn’t look in game. He must keep el neny and Ramsey as backup for Santi or buy goretzka/golovin in CM position. He must buy one CDM probably gueye or William Carvalho and keep coq as backup. He must start giving chance to Ospina as Cech looks out of his peak time.
Instead of jens Lehmann it should have been Thierry for assistant coach. I am wandering why don’t we have a director who can make decisions about transfers.
I can’t see arsenal loosing to small teams and hammered by big teams. Wish jardim or pep replaces Wenger one day and Thierry or Viera as assistant coach.
When you see all those photos of the lads laughing, smiling and effing around during training, that says it all . . . Arsenal Football Boys Club! The place where you can relax and don’t have to earn your time, just need to be a favorite of the manager.
“Simple answer is Wenger’s loyalty is greater than fans suffering”
That is why Holding was dropped? Wengers Loyalty after Holding had a poor game?
“I am wandering why don’t we have a director who can make decisions about transfers.”
Because we have a CEO who does that freaking role, guess who he is called… Gazidis.
“He has to change his mentality and spend big.”
So you are a fake fan?
If not then get off your fat backside and look at the club you supposingly support.
Have a look at transfers and the dates of changes at AFC. For example, AFC spending dropped to about 1/3 of the season before in Gazidis first full season as CEO.
Your spouting that BS is just reinforcing the wrong thing, it is a mindless blame the bandwagon and it makes me sick, I thought AFC supporters cared about the club but all I see is people repeating what other people have said and have no freaking idea where the stigma comes from.
Of course all gooners care about the club, we just differ on who is to blame. The majority shareholder is to blame without doubt, he is involved because he wants to make money,he employed gazidis who’s job it is to make him money, he has also kept le fraud in employment who’s employed to make sure the team are competitive on the pitch in all competitions via coaching and tactics neither of which he does. We are out thought, out battled and getting weaker with every season. The board are just as responsible as Wenger is, they are incompetent just as much as Wenger is, the sooner they all go the better.
Lazy fanz, then?
Dropping Holding makes us forgive all his cluelessness? When Ramsey was playing sh*t, he wasn’t dropped and the manager could substitute anyone else just to keep Ramsey in the team. A lot of factors has contributed to our downfall, and at least 80% made by Wenger
Gadizis wanted to hire a Director of football remember? Who was the one who pouted and whined and complained about the position?
Thats right Midkemma you guessed it Gadizis!
Wenger dnt like to spend big.he is scared to pay 65m for lemar.go and get your man…..its not his style.then if he buys lemar,benzema he cant win title.other team knows his tactics very well.the american owner knows only wenger will act like a doll.he can sell ox and buy mahrez.wenger is not a tacnician to win epl.and the board is not ambitious. No action, only speak.
A little over a week left in the transfer window and guess what. Debuchy, Gibbs, Perez, Walcott, Chamberlain, Chambers, Welbeck, Campbell and Coquelin are still here. A club serious about any title aspirations would not have these players on their books. Talk about shooting our selves in the foot, heading to our third game of the season with a squad that’s overstocked with bang average players which won’t allow us to get further needed additions. Joke! Even some of the players that are good enough to stay shouldn’t be starters either, backups at best. We should have been going for Aurier whom we should have signed instead of Debuchy back in 2014, Bellerin needs to learn from the bench. Aurier is one of the best RB’s in the world and if Spurs get him will be massively improving on Walker for half the price. If Southampton are willing to sell Van Dijk we should be ahead in that line with no excuses. Where’s Lemar? Seems everyone got their pickings from Monaco except The Arsenal. We are crying out for someone to compliment Xhaka and we’re allowing someone like Seri to stroll all the way to Barcelona without even a fight. We bitch about why Alexis and Özil haven’t signed and throw negativity their way, what is the club doing to lock them down? Hey guys guess what we’ll go again with the same bunch that finished 5th, will you please extend? Joke! Oh but Spurs lost as well and City dropped points, seriously! Already depending on others failures for us to succeed, poor mentality, poor planning and quite frankly beyond frustration.
Yes we have a lot of dead wood but please don’t include Welbeck among them as the lad always plays his heart out where defenders panic when he runs at them so I repeat show Danny some respect please..
Shame the goalkeepers don’t panic when Welbeck has a chance on goal though!
PS – I know he is a tryer but he is not of sufficient quality for a side with pretentions of challenging for the EPL. I mean Man U got rid and I can’t see Chelsea or Man City buying him if we put him up for sale.
I don’t know we have Welbeck, Chambers, Walcott, Chamberlain, Campbell and Coquelin on the sale list. I will be glad if you can take these players away from from arsenal since you don’t want them. Just 30m each and you can have Campbell for free because he is injured right now.
Arsenal are rubbish and undeserving of success.
Watching the manager being ripped to pieces by the press and fans, feeling the toxic atmosphere of the Emirates as we struggle yet again. Those are the things that are going to be entertaining.
Certainly better than the crap they call football.
72% possession and still lose the game against stoke.
Arsenal reward failure and mediocrity
That is why he got a new deal..
True word
“Arsenal are rubbish and undeserving of success.”
What have you been drinking, dirty oil? Cheap vodka? Pray tell us!
FYI Arsenal and Wenger have been the purest combo of football at the elite level for over a decade, but without cheating via oil and other klepto money, of course they cannot get a Messi, Ronaldo, etc. Maybe not even a Lemar.
Lets be real here
FROM THE MAN HIMSELF:
Arsene Wenger has claimed Arsenal are being forced to pay over the odds for players
Premier League clubs have splashed the cash this summer, spending in excess of £1billion following their new mega-money television deals.
Supporters had hoped more big-name signings would follow with Monaco winger Thomas Lemar linked with a move to the Emirates for weeks.
However, Arsene Wenger has suggested the Gunners will not do any more business as he feels Premier League clubs are being forced to pay over the odds.
“I am very pleased with our market because we bought good players who can integrate with our style of play, that’s what we want,” Wenger said.
“On the other hand, it is very difficult.
“Today, the prices are out of proportion. The transfer market has become very demanding today.
“There is no transfer market anymore because the price depends only on the identity of the buyer.
“When you are English, you have straight away 50 per cent [extra] on the price of a player and that makes it difficult to act.”
Arsenal have already had two bids for Monaco winger Lemar rejected and the Gunners’ focus has instead turned to trimming their squad.
“I expect to sell players first. I expect players to go because we have too many players,” Wenger said last week.
“It’s not manageable and many clubs are in this situation.”
This is one of my problems with Wenger he always says “I am not buying because the prices are inflated” and then another year passes and the prices climb higher. Funny though Arsenal don’t receive inflated prices for our players.
If Wenger can’t handle the pressure of paying the market prices, which are high,he should look for another job as he is dragging the club down. Perhaps he can go to America, a veteran over-the-hill-manager managing second rate and over-the-hill players.
Wenger didn’t say he wasn’t buying, you inserted that and saying it as a fact, it isn’t it is BS. Wenger said and I quote “that makes it difficult to act.”
Wenger also says stuff like unlikely unless an exceptional player becomes available… he has bought when that happened.
“If Wenger can’t handle the pressure of paying the market prices,”
I bet he can and I bet you are just repeating something you have read without looking into it right? Like a complete moron?
Wenger had no Dein when he signed Nasri and Wenger was made to pay more for Nasri as Nasri helped his old club out by signing a new deal to help them get a higher fee.
It took AFC over 3 years to pay that for a player again, the changing factor was Gazidis was hired to be the CEO, the role Dein done and Dein was the man who done transfers.
Sorry Midkemma but actions speak louder than words. What has happened over the past 10 years? I think it is you are believing the spin coming out of the club blindly without aalising what is going on. It is pople like you that I blame for giving AW licence to carry on. No doubt you think that his tactics are good as well.
Hehehe only Arsenal are lamenting the prices are over the top but those who buy players, win big trophies and we are left with the FA cup and Emirates cup. Every year prices goes up, does it mean we won’t buy any more class players? Did he think the prices will stick like it’s 1999?
People always say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and AKBs in here always defend the old clueless one.. wake up Arsene fc supporters, let’s all support one Arsenal fc.. even the Arsene these people worship is an employee of Arsenal fc
YOU dear writer are one of the MANY problems at the moment. Stop making excuses for wenger he has actually said he doesn’t want to pay the inflated prices, he’s a control freak YOU are helping to ruin our club
You are part of the problem.
Blame Wenger for everything, I am waiting to hear AFC fans blame Wenger for global warming next!
Dein done the transfers, dein left AFC.
Wenger signed Nasri before Gazidis arrived, for an inflated fee.
Gazidis arrives and we get known for penny pinching.
Stupid people screamed “The world isn’t round” and so many stupid people screamed it that people believed it. Doesn’t make it true.
Your stupid “Wenger is to blame for everything, he kills baby seals, lets start a stupid crusade against him” may get a lot of support and it may have a lot of other stupid people screaming the same thing, doesn’t make it true!
Wow still a wenger supporter. Where were I after the stoke game
Who’s fault was it for playing 2 LB at CB
And the right back at LWB
Who’s fault was it for not players no Perez more
Who dropped Sanchez last year costing us the CL place
Gazadis
Lmfao
Hehehe, you guy is so determined, so Dein did everything before, and now Gazidiz, so what’s Wenger’s role if he ain’t even good at preparing the line up alone? No tactical awareness, nothing at all. But always getting that new improved contracts, what’s so good in him?
Mourinho comes, wins trophies, leaves. Comes back, wins trophies again and leaves, does the same and now he is here, just won Europa last season but Wenger is yet to land that EPL title we are all waiting for, what’s so good about your master??
Wenger will not get as much time as he did last year before fans reach breaking point and turn on him again. If Liverpool and Chelsea games are a disaster, this could get ugly quickly. Oh, but don’t expect him to be getting sacked of course.
When you survive a 10-2 slaughtering in UCL you can survive anything.
Enos Stanley Kroenke is an American business entrepreneur. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Denver Nuggets of the NBA (crap), Colorado Avalanche of the NHL (crap), Colorado Rapids of Major League (crap), Los Angeles Rams of the NFL (crap). Net worth: 7.5 billion USD (2017).
You think this guy is FOCUSED on Arsenal being a top club??? Really? So why would he be more focused on Arsenal over the other sheit sports organizations he owns???
Both Wenger and the Board are telling bigb porkies to the Fans. We were told there was a 120M
warchest available this summer. They spent 52m and got a another player free. They sold 2 players and got 21m aprox and they will sell at least 2 to 3 more this will cover the 52m so where is the 120m. Still in the Bank waiting for dividend day that were it is. It time for the Arsenal Fans to wake up and get rid of these porkie telling XXX.
Wenger is bound to back up what AFC say, they pay him well enough to bleat the same bleats the board give out.
Kinda why we have to focus on Gazidis, the guy is not good enough to lead AFC back to the top, we need a top man in to do that.
Oh and who do you think will be the one choosing Wengers replacement? The CEO will and that is Gazidis.
AFC supporters have 2 years to moan about Gazidis and to try and make a difference and get a top man into that job before Wenger gets to bypass that pathetic CEO and renew another contract OR we live groundhog day over again, WengerOut petitions which achieve nothing but unhappy fans.
You honestly think Gadizis will choose Wengers replacement and not Arsene himself?
Actually you probably do believe that. Gadizis is a dirtbag douce just like Kronke, i despise both.
Who will be first to win premier league; Pep, Jose, or Arsene?
I’m guessing you’ll blame oil money, man utd spending like its going out of style, or wait for it,
The Gadizis!
Like dude is criminal evil genius or something. Poor poor Arsene all stuck under Gadizis’s thumb, wenger an indentured servant to The Arsenal.
Quick someone call the Batman, Superman, and Godzilla to remove Gadizis from power!
Just something to think about and to kick around…Arsenal would be a great club if
AW was replaced, the Directors left
The team was totally replaced…because they’re all AW’s players and thus mediocre
We could find another T. Henry, Vieira , Pires and co
We could use all the money to buy the best players in the world
Just these small changes would GUARANTEE a continuous stream of PL and EC wins
Shame our club would still be stuck with its c..p fan base
T. Henry, Vieira, Pires… they was Wenger players.
Welbroke was signed by Gazidis, Wenger said himself he only wanted Welbeck on loan.
Perez is a board signing, Wenger gave him zero trust… Unlike the bags of trust he gave TH14 to start scoring.
Vieira was bought because Wenger told Dein that if he wants Wenger to manage AFC then he needs to get Vieira now. Dein done it. Got Vieira and that convinced Wenger to sign for us.
The team now is made up from missed targets, not Wenger picked players, Wenger picked players moved to other clubs as they paid more for them.
Have a look at the ownership of AFC, the old board and their disgusting tactics to increase share prices and the time of that happening. How Dein left because he wanted AFC to keep investing in players by having a rich investor but the board wanted to save money for the stadium debts.
Have a look at when Dein left the role of CEO at AFC and have a look at when Gazidis took the role of CEO at AFC.
Or you can ignore all that and keep bleating what the media prints and the media will keep printing it because it gets read and people bleat about it like sheeple and the cycle continues.
Cr*p fanbase? You mean mugged off fanbase yeah?
The only thing I hate for is being loyal to a fault. Why cant he come out like Conte so that fans will know who to focus our grievance. l personally don’t believe their a war chest or stash of money anywhere for buying new players. If it true we have over 100m, that is over 50m left to buy Lemar if Wenger so want him. I think we truly need to sell surplus players to buy new one.
Having people pointing the finger at each other usually causes more harm internally, we do not want the board and manager to be more focused on finger pointing than doing their job, I do feel though that Gazidis is happy to finger point towards Wenger to cover his own inability to do a top job.
Plus Wenger is paid nicely, I do not think Silent Stan would have kept him and pay him so nicely if he was causing disruption for his business. If Wenger wants to do the best he can then he has to keep his job for a start…
Wenger has said though that he wouldn’t have bought Welbeck, Wenger wanted Welbeck on loan with an option to buy but Gazidis got talked into buying him even though Wengers instructions of loan only.
Wenger has spoken about missed players, this could be him letting us fans know that he did want the top talent like us supporters wanted that top talent but AFC didn’t get them.
Wenger has spoken out but not a lot of people care to remember or if they do then they put it down to Wenger speaking out his own a**hole, it helps blinker them to the idea of Wenger is to blame for EVERYTHING.
Randomly I have read that Monaco might be willing to consider selling Lemar as the player himself appears to have kept his stance of wanting to leave, Monaco unable to convince him otherwise. Maybe AFC will panic Lemar with the rest of the funds?
According to reports, Wenger has had to fight tooth and nail to stop Enos selling Alexis. People go on about Wenger, and fair enough, he does make some bewildering decisions, but Enos certainly sticks his oar in, when it comes to buying and selling players, and he is responsible for Wenger being there in the first place. I cannot understand why any of the board sold to Enos – the idea was always to have no one with a majority share holding, and although Enos backed the new stadium, if the original shareholders wanted to sell up, I’m sure they could’ve found others to sell to, who would’ve also done so, without giving anyone a majority shareholding. Enos is the problem – it doesn’t matter what manager we get in, we will never be successful with him, it’s just a shame that he started being ok with losing, by losing the first letter of his name, then even the old board would’ve realised what he was.
Looks like Wenger is defending himself here with ID as MIDKEMMA. I am not against Wenger but circumstances making more frustrated than bwfore. We want our team to succeed in EPL and champions league. I would love to see Wenger lifting both titles but it’s looking now very difficult than before. We had that chance last year and before that year. I hope we win EPL at least this year. As a fan, I am very frustrated with our teams lose. I have to bare the taunting of my colleagues. They always make jokes of our team which is why I get frustrated.
“Assuming you recognise the steps Man United and City have taken to rebuild their squads. Then the question is surely, simply, what the hell is Wenger playing at?”
The question is whether the Wenger-haters here know how much United and City have spent. United have more money and more titles, and that makes sense.
City have oil money and thaaaaaaaaat makes sense.
Chelsea have oil money. PSG LPG money with a country now relying on them for PR.
What does Arsenal have to compete with the top ten teams in the world? Why does an Alexis type player want to go to Man City or PSG? Because MONEY=TITLES usually.
For all the Arsenal fans who dare to attack Wenger, I suggest finding sponsorships for the club first. Can some influential Arsenal fan in London get a Chinese billionaire to buy the club? Or, can all the Arsenal fans buy shares so that there is enough money to balance out ManCity money, after all these fans are the richest in England, right?
Basically, rich Arsenal fans, pay up or admire the work Wenger has done so far in a time when kleptocrats are funding many other big clubs.
C’mon now, confess; stevie bould is that you defending the specialist?
Naw, I am Maureen, with lots of oil money, ya suckers! Ooops, I am le-Pepe with even more oil money, ya dolts!
(Funny thing: Arsenal “fanz” are real losers if they cannot figure out that our team cannot compete when transfer budgets for the competition is beyond our team’s reach.)
Getting Ozil was ingenious. Getting Alexis was ingenious. Then… the spending walls collapsed, and the boss has to figure out another strategy.
New: strategy that is peculating in his mind is to get quality players interested in Arsenal to sign for high salaries on a free transfer. Arsenal is about the 7th to 10th highest spender, and with this strategy should be able to get excellent players warming benches for lower salaries.
But, waaaaaaaaaaaaaait.
When the Chinese Super League takes over Arsenal will drop down to 10 to 20 in purchasing power.
It gets worse, when the US teams begin to dish-out larger salaries…
So folks, get on with it.
Love Wenger for the good times. They won’t last, the economic structure of the game will leave the EU behind and England, coz players want superstar money for being superstars. The Super money comes with countries backing leagues and teams for prestige and security reasons, among other. Free market systems cannot compete with this state-led growth.
The underlying issue is that the previous board sold out to Kroenke (his record in sports management has been well stated by COYG_CA; all his teams are bled dry) and drove out David Dein.
Our major share holders could provide money to support Arsenal FC but refuse to. The owners are the reason we can’t compete and retain Gazidis and Wenger because they are happy to take the money to support the owner’s strategy.
One question I would like answered is how much did redevelopment of Highbury bring in?
There’s plenty of blame to go around for both!
With Utd and City having spent absolute fortunes on incoming transfers, which of them will win the league ? Brilliant start from utd against two of the weakest sides in the league; As for City…well a great point at home !
Does anyone here actually believe that our mgr is inferior to theirs and that our squad should quake in their boots ?
If people take the piss out of you because you support The Arsenal…laugh it off, more than likely they’re actually green with envy.
Try supporting the Club and the players instead of whining.