Gustavo to be a Gunner as Madrid keep Khedira from Arsenal?

Assuming that Arsene Wenger was actually trying to make Sami Khedira an Arsenal player this summer, this weekend will not have been a good one for the Frenchman’s transfer plans. Real Madrid have dug their heels in and insisted that their German midfielder will not be going anywhere, leaving the Gunners in a bit of a pickle.

Wenger now has two options; do nothing and work with the squad he already has at Arsenal or get the scouting notebook out and make some phone calls this week. Let’s look at the two options, starting with the current players available to us.

Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini shared those deep lying duties last season and this time we have the added options of Calum Chambers, Francis Coquelin and Abou Diaby. That is definitely an improvement and with Wilshere starting to look good again, he and Ramsey give us good box-to-box potential as well. But I still worry about us having the quality to compete in the biggest games, such as Chelsea, Man City and the big European clashes.

So I am still hoping that Wenger is going to sign someone and hoping that the Arsenal transfer rumour in The Mirror is right and that the player is Luis Gustavo. The Brazil international is a proper DM rather than an all-rounder and could be ideal. But we already missed out on him last summer when he went to the Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, so what are the chances of Wenger getting him this time around? The answer could be a place in the Champions League…

Tags Arteta Wenger Wolfsburg

62 Comments

  1. Giroud might be our 3 months… so now we definitely need another striker. Sanogo always gets injured and I don’t think Akpom is quite ready yet. Now im scared

        1. Do NOT see how an injury to ANY of our players is a blessing.
          Assuming we buy someone, even a top Striker, he will take time to adjust to our system/players, and, if it is someone from another league, could take all Season to adapt.
          Remy or Welbeck are being touted, or, it could mean Lucas is not moving now.
          Campbell/Alexis could play upfront, but that would mean a change to 4-2-2.
          Well, most on here have got what they wanted, Giroud out.
          Just hope it does NOT lead to an exit from the UCL, and, a run of bad results in the EPL.
          You will of course say Wenger should have bought a Striker anyway, and blame him if we do struggle, maybe he should have, but, he was not to know this would happen and feels he has the players to come in. Problem is, Sanogo and Theo are injured, Campbell is not integrated into the team enough, and Alexis needs someone up front with him.

        2. Won’t see it is any blessing at all. It just force us to do a panic buy.
          Think Cavani/Falcao will be let go now without any replacement this late in the transfer window? Klopp had gone out last week and insist that Dortmund is confident that they will have Reus contract resolved so don’t get your hope up.
          We should improve and strengthen but not just for the sake of it. So now what will it be? A cheap short term option (E’too) or an expensive average (Martinez) who can turn out to be Soldado v2.0

    1. Wenger be like…no worries mon! Everything irie! Remember we got Sanchez & Walcott coming back soon with Campbell who can play there too. No problem Irish no problem!!

      Sigh …hopes he gets Cavani or someone with Giroud’s quality but pacier. Striker from the PL would be ideal also because we need sum1 to settle quickly!

    2. Yo! OT:Massive Giroud fan/critic here(depending on performance and sticking out of tongue).Giroud-like ALL OTHER STRIKERS at other clubs will continue divide opinions among…erm”supporters”.Judging by this site alone no striker is “PERFECT” except Henry and I think if he played for another club,he would have been labelled “shi…”.Cavani-not good enough because of bad world cup.Balotelli-well aint that obvious.Falcao-Too old…ha!.Ronaldo-not a striker,arrogant.Messi-too short and too WORLD CLASS(trust me,I know justarsenal well enough).Costa-too ugly and aggressive.Suarez-see Balo for more info.Point is what exactly are the criteria for the…”Perfect striker”

      1. LOL.
        Well one who doesn’t have to be spoon fed goals would be a start.
        Or one who has a little bit of pace perhaps?
        Ohh ohh I know.. one who doesn’t need 5 chances to score 1 goal.. or am I being too unreasonable?

        1. lol glad you saw “fun” in that,but seriously,knowing “US”-the justarsenal community-if our striker scored a winning goal to win us a game with his only shot,they’d ask why he didn’t score more or test the keeper more.THAT MENTALITY THO!

        2. Well good job we didn’t get Suarez then because he only converted 20% of his chances last season – clearly not up to your standards.

          1. Creative players like Suarez tend to shoot from areas no other player would, he shoots from the half way line, tight angles, outside the box etc. Hence the low conversion rate. Giroud shoots from inside the 6 yard box and still misses lol..

    3. GUSTAVO WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN. Plus he is not what we need. we need a certain player called William Carvallho

      carvalho+falcao+alderwield= BPL title and champions league semis a total of 80 million pounds

  2. Gustavo would be amazind, I’d take him in a heart baet. As for our striker, Wenger needs to f#@#@$ spend!!!! Giroud is out I repeat Giroud is out for 3 months. It’s time Wenger, and I don’t mean some unknown Swedish dude, I mean Cavani, Falcao, Reus. Just do it!

    1. Ahhhhh, we have the resident”I’m gonna read something then trot it out as fact” pant wetter guy.

      Nice one dude.

      I’ll maybe wait until Wenger or the club confirm how long he’s out for before I start wetting my pants.

  3. Great news for some on here who think he is not good enough anyway.
    Looks like a bid for Remy is on tomorrows agenda then.
    Or, Wenger may be forced to throw Joel Campbell up front.

  4. Now, it is all up to Wenegr either to deliver his promise or to come up with inconvincible excuses as usual.

    He promised to sign new 2 or 3 players to strengthen the team and we got only one, while Verm/Jenkinson is not replaced yet.

  5. Keep dreaming guys….u know in your heart Wenger wont spend big on “panic” striker replacements. Sanchez is gonna play upfront and hes gonna “FLOP”….why? Because Sanchez is unfit and this is his 1st season at the club….i see another Arshavin story in the horizon.

    But know this “Wenger” will never spend when we all expect him to.

  6. Well, although I’m not a huge fan of his, balotelli has been available all summer long for a reasonable price. Maybe he can add a dimension and flair to our strike force while providing cover in case Giroud gets hurt…. so as long as we dont procrastinate. …. oh wait, scratch that idea.

  7. Instead of saying “blessing in disguise” for injured Giroud, I would rather say it may “I said, may” push Mr stubborn to sign a striker.

  8. But remember last year when we lost Walcott? I remember something along the lines of
    “We don’t necessarily need to look for solutions outside, they can come from within the players we have”

    ….

    That is when we REALLY lost the league *Bangs head against the wall*

    1. We didn’t strengthen our upfront department properly last summer and winter and that’s the main reason we lost the league as we had been up there most of the season and suddenly we slipped down to fight for our usual trophy.

  9. I think Gustavo is good. Big, good on the ball and defensive. If Podolski is really leaving and could possibly join Wolfsburg, a swap plus cash deal could be good.
    Off topic- Worrying news that Giroud is injured. I think we needed another striker anyway but it makes Besiktas a harder and more pressurised game now that Giroud isn’t available. I hope Wenger brings someone in and doesn’t think we can cope.
    Simply if we don’t add another striker, our title push will be over before it’s even started.

  10. If we wait till last minute we will end up panic buying again.

    There are loads of forwards Reus, Cuadrado, Cavani, Falcao, Martinez, Destro. Just get one.

    We will probably end up with Remy, Welbeck or Nani. Not terrible, but not great either.

    CDM: Khedira, Gustavo, Carvalho, Bender, Wanayama, Gareth Barry, Banatio

  11. If we cannot get khedira gustavo would be a welcomed option! He is no nonsense, physical and strong on the ball, which is what we need!

  12. Doubt Gustavo is coming. He loves Germany even if it means playing for a lower tier club.

    Just get CL sorted on Wed and go for £24m Carvalho. At least it’ll be an investment and can become very good.

    Its been a terrible market to shop in. So much inflation and scarcity.

  13. Now with Giroud out for 3 months Wenger wont be able to play the lone striker upfront as we don’t have a player of that quality, so what happens now,

    Wenger need to sign a new forward to cover/replace Giroud will be interesting to see the type of player they get, is it going to be a panic buy showing no ambition or top class 30-40-50 million player showing fans and pundits that we are a force in world football.

    From last year the arsenal board has been telling us arsenal fans that now we our ready to compete with the top teams in Europe. Now we find out if its all cheap talk will be interesting to see how the next week plays out.

    1. Cheap talk? they’ve spent £66m already this window and spent another £43m last season for a total of £108m

      Thats not cheap!

      1. Arsenal Transfers
        2013/14

        players in
        Yaya Sanogo Auxerre Free 01 Jul, 2013
        Mathieu Flamini Milan Free 29 Aug, 2013
        Mesut Ozil Real Madrid £42,500,000 02 Sep, 2013

        players out
        Denilson Sao Paulo Free 14 Jun, 2013
        Andrei Arshavin Zenit Free 27 Jun, 2013
        Sanchez Watt Colchester Free 28 Jun, 2013
        Martin Angha Nuremberg Free 01 Jul, 2013
        Sebastien Squillaci Bastia 01 Jul, 2013
        Elton Monteiro FC Bruges Free 01 Jul, 2013
        James Shea Harrow Boro Free 01 Jul, 2013
        Vito Mannone Sunderland £1,500,000 03 Jul, 2013
        Reice Charles-Cook Bury Free 14 Jul, 2013
        Jernade Meade Swansea Free 16 Jul, 2013
        Andre Santos Flamengo Signed 20 Jul, 2013
        Gervinho Roma £8,000,000 08 Aug, 2013
        Conor Henderson Hull Free 23 Sep, 2013
        Anthony Jeffrey Wycombe Free 23 Jan, 2014
        Emmanuel Frimpong Barnsley Signed 31 Jan, 2014
        Lukasz Fabianski Swansea Free 29 May, 2014
        Johan Djourou Hamburg Signed 01 Jun, 2014
        Zak Ansah Charlton Free 06 Jun, 2014
        Chuks Aneke Waregem Free 21 Jun, 2014

        2014/15
        plaiers in
        Alexis Sanchez Barcelona £30,000,000 10 Jul, 2014
        Mathieu Debuchy Newcastle £12,000,000 17 Jul, 2014
        David Ospina Nice £3,000,000 27 Jul, 2014
        Calum Chambers Southampton £16,000,000 28 Jul, 2014

        players out
        Bacary Sagna Man City Free 01 Jul, 2014
        Zach Fagan Welling Free 01 Jul, 2014
        Thomas Eisfeld Fulham Signed 23 Jul, 2014
        Nicholas Yennaris Brentford Signed 01 Aug, 2014
        Thomas Vermaelen Barcelona £15,000,000 10 Aug, 2014
        Nicklas Bendtner Wolfsburg Free 16 Aug, 2014

        thats 72 million in two years the cost of singing luis suarez……!!!

        1. Arsenal Transfers
          2013/14

          players in
          Yaya Sanogo Auxerre Free 01 Jul, 2013
          Mathieu Flamini Milan Free 29 Aug, 2013
          Mesut Ozil Real Madrid £42,500,000 02 Sep, 2013

          players out
          Denilson Sao Paulo Free 14 Jun, 2013
          Andrei Arshavin Zenit Free 27 Jun, 2013
          Sanchez Watt Colchester Free 28 Jun, 2013
          Martin Angha Nuremberg Free 01 Jul, 2013
          Sebastien Squillaci Bastia 01 Jul, 2013
          Elton Monteiro FC Bruges Free 01 Jul, 2013
          James Shea Harrow Boro Free 01 Jul, 2013
          Vito Mannone Sunderland £1,500,000 03 Jul, 2013
          Reice Charles-Cook Bury Free 14 Jul, 2013
          Jernade Meade Swansea Free 16 Jul, 2013
          Andre Santos Flamengo Signed 20 Jul, 2013
          Gervinho Roma £8,000,000 08 Aug, 2013
          Conor Henderson Hull Free 23 Sep, 2013
          Anthony Jeffrey Wycombe Free 23 Jan, 2014
          Emmanuel Frimpong Barnsley Signed 31 Jan, 2014
          Lukasz Fabianski Swansea Free 29 May, 2014
          Johan Djourou Hamburg Signed 01 Jun, 2014
          Zak Ansah Charlton Free 06 Jun, 2014
          Chuks Aneke Waregem Free 21 Jun, 2014

          2014/15
          plaiers in
          Alexis Sanchez Barcelona £30,000,000 10 Jul, 2014
          Mathieu Debuchy Newcastle £12,000,000 17 Jul, 2014
          David Ospina Nice £3,000,000 27 Jul, 2014
          Calum Chambers Southampton £16,000,000 28 Jul, 2014

          players out
          Bacary Sagna Man City Free 01 Jul, 2014
          Zach Fagan Welling Free 01 Jul, 2014
          Thomas Eisfeld Fulham Signed 23 Jul, 2014
          Nicholas Yennaris Brentford Signed 01 Aug, 2014
          Thomas Vermaelen Barcelona £15,000,000 10 Aug, 2014
          Nicklas Bendtner Wolfsburg Free 16 Aug, 2014

          thats 72 million in two years the cost of signing luis suarez……!!!

          don’t think it even works out at 72mil more like 50-60 mill if you do the maths son…

  14. Gustavo is S**T !!!!!! Skinny ! Weak ! No work effort ! Head drops instantly when losses ball !! Bayern let him leave so cheaply for a reason ! He’s useless !
    Stick with Khedira or Carvalho !
    Please Wenger ! We are very grateful for upgrade on recent signings but now is the time to really just stop thinking about the money for one season please an just break the god damn piggy bank !! With injury to Giroud this is no time to be penny pinching !

    1. hes big strong and fast….a typical fan favourite….

      superb performances for Brazil at the world cup…

      experience in handling mauling……

      left Bayern after 6 months of top performances

      a very good signing

  15. Gustavo was outstanding at the world Cup….

    he was too good for Bayern and had to leave after 6 months

  16. I think Sanchez is going to get more opportunities as a ST now. Campbell is another option. How long is Sanogo out for? It’s quite possible Wenger won’t sign anybody.

  17. Top goal scorers available.
    King Henri.
    Sir Francis Jeffers
    Shisha Chamakh
    Girv the swerve
    Czar Arshavin.
    Lord Bendtner
    Grand Duke Gourcuff
    Robbie Claude Mou Bully
    from Arsenal fan tv
    Gazza Gazidiz 🙂

  18. So arsenal have spent 50-60 million on transfers in the last two summer transfer windows when you add it all up …..

    That is cheap!

  19. Whether or not you’re a fan of Giroud him being out three months is a nightmare scenario! There’s only a few days left in the window and tere aren’t any class strikers (that we would afford) and unless Wenger has ad his eyes on someone, even if we make a move things might fail to finalize as we’re not in position of power over the transfer.

    We either go after Remy (most likely) or possibly move for another player who’s got EPL experience like Chicharito.

    We use who/what we have at: Sanogo (not close to ready), Sanchez (best option), Campbell (second best option even though no BPL experience), Theo (wen he’s fit again) or Podolski (if we don’t sell/loan him which is less likely not that Giroud’s broken).

    Do we buy a cf at the expense of signing a CDM or CB like we’ve been after?

    However you feel about Giroud this situation has potentially F’d us!!!

    1. Chicharito is world classs…

      when RVP was injured last season….he single handledly score all the goals and took Utd to top 10…….

  20. Btw. It’s not 100% that we aren’t getting Khedira
    Anything can happen. Managers change their minds and bluff to get more money

    I don’t see Bayern turning down £12 and over to let someone go for free. They may be rich but they are a professional club that are finance conscious.

    Khedira may stay, may go to Chelsea, Bayern etc or may come to us.

  21. It is very certain now that we really need to get our weakness strengthen in the next 6 days remaining for transfer windows to close. Let’s remember that the season is long and many unprepared circumstances happened along the line like OG injury. Defensive midfielder, CB, and fast scoring CF, and we are good to go!

  22. Giroud out for 3 months is scary

    Sanogo scored 4 in that friendly but no guarantee he will score a lot of goals. Campbell has only scored 13 goals in two seasons (over 50 games played). Sanchez will take some time before he starts scoring and if he is made a striker what about LW.

    IF Sanchez is made striker we need Reus
    If not then Cavani or Falcao or Martinez

    1. scoring in a friendly is nearly meaningless. pre-season practice games are notoriously poor predictors of form in top league actual competitions. many reserve gunners have looked great in pre-season – it does not mean they are ready for the big time

      relying on sanogo would be ridiculous.

  23. Since we have been linked with probably the best prospect on the planet. I will hold out for him (carvalho). Gustavo has not being very impressive since leaving Bayern. Never been interested in Khedira but would accept him no problems. And the other names mentioned are not that great. Overhyped. Need a player with an all round skill set and the right frame of mind to turn our midfield into the best.

  24. Gustavo would be a good buy very physical, loves to tackle, physical presence, good height and has a little pace, Carvalho would give us the same thing and a lot younger and may work out to be cheaper, if none of the above, i would gladly take back Song and i do not have to elaborate why.

    If Giroud is actually injured its like 9 months too late, i was asking for the pacey striker at that time, i actually think we would have won the league at that time even if we had lost to the big teams (still hurts). Now its the start of the season and if he is out for 3 months thats like half the season. there are still a couple of strikers available not many with girouds height and defensive capabilities. any one coming in would have the opportunity to be our main striker. I would not go for the big name strikers, i like the columbian Ibarbo, a lot of pace and very good with his feet, but believe it or not MY choice would be Welbeck he loves making runs behind the defense with his pace, a hard worker and would fit arsenal to the TEE. I think wenger could make him the finished work. but we know the problem Manu would not want to sell to us, would have the same fear like when chelsea had BA. Pity the Verm deal went so early could have had a nice bargaining chip, but lets see after wednesday u v=never know

  25. Carvalho for me, no one else. He perfectly fits the trend in the modern game.

    I take Gundogan in a heart beat but Klopp won’t let him go in million years. It is always baffling how little attention is paid here the importance of a competent ball distributor in the center of midfield. For instance, Yaya Toure behind David Silva/Nasri………. Fabragas/Namanjic behind Oscar/Hazard

    We have already seen this trend mature in La Liga: The great Xavi serving Ineasta and Messi. Alonso feeding our own Ozil.

    I think Wenger needs to really serve Ozil well by bringing a patient ball distributor, not a runner, like Wilshere/Ramsey but a strategist, someone who can move the ball quickly when the pressure is on, someone who is not afraid to thread the ball in narrowest of spaces in split second openings, someone who lets the ball do the magic. Carvalho is the perfect man to sit Behind Ozil.

    I honestly believe Wenger knows what he has in Ozil but its hard to see this team maximizing his full potential(Sanchez too) with a runner midfield.

    Carvalho is more critical to Arsenal than any striker.

  26. Why do I look at other teams and they seem to have players always coming through the ranks and doing very well. I must say I am very disappointed with Wilshere’s development and getting frustrated. I look at the boy Sterling and just can’t stop admiring his hunger and drive. Our players need to learn to be agressive and hungry to play and stop looking sluggish and relaxed as if we leading by 4 goals. Should we not find a great striker, I think we should go for a very good left winger and play 4-4-2.

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