I blame Arsene Wenger for all this to be honest. If the Arsenal manager was a bit less like a poker player on his last hand, all in, and with his house and car riding on the result, or if he had actually done a bit more of what the football media had been expecting, then they would not have to start grasping at straws quite so desperately.
But the Frenchman has showed no signs of signing a striker. Surely he must realise that Thierry Henry was right about Olivier Giroud. Surely he must be aware that Theo Walcott is one strong breeze away from another season on the sidelines, or that Danny Welbeck was a secret plant by Sir Alex Ferguson.
So he must be after someone they think, and if not maybe we can sell a few papers by claiming that Arsenal are being offered one of the best strikers in the world, Karim Benzema, for not far off what Liverpool paid for Balotelli last summer, as a Metro report claims. The story is that Real Madrid are planning to use Ronaldo as the main striker next season and I can just about buy that, even though he has done reasonably well on the left, scoring a satisfactory amount of 313 goals in his six seasons in Spain. But why sell the best back up option they have for a pittance? Answer, they wouldn´t.
And if you thought that was a daft Arsenal transfer rumour, how about Arsene Wenger shelling out nearly £50 million for Mario Gotze, a player that we need about as much as another error prone keeper. Seriously Metro, do you not realise that with Jack Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky, Ozil, Cazorla, Chamberlain, Alexis and all, Arsenal could open a shop selling small and technically tricky players?
Try a bit harder will you? At least make up something believable. Here’s a tip, find an unheard of and injury prone French youngster available on a free transfer, now that would be more like it.
guys if Wenger doesnt sign a DM and a striker where in the table do you think we will end up?
3rd or 4th
Really? .with cech and all…? I D say 2nd or 3RD
Cech improves us, but it’s impossible to judge until the others do their business. Sure Cech can come in and help us out a ton…..but if United spend 200mil properly this time then they’re a different kettle of fish altogether, same with City even though their crap season bested our better one.
I see city getting weaker this season, they were looking to lampard and milner for goals and creativity at times last season and kompany looks a shadow of his former self. Mangala appears to be getting better but demichelis isn’t an elite cb and I think with the amount of player’s they’ll have to get in to get the homegrown quota it could make for a shaky start.
their fullbacks zabaleta, sagna, clichy and kolarov must be approaching thirty if not past it and I only rate zabaleta whilst in the middle of the park fernandinho is quite good and yaya on his day is wc but his work rate was what let him down last season.
upfront they’re solid but if they have to bed in new players we have to take advantage of that when the season starts
I don’t know how Arsenal fans rate a good or bad player ?
You watch the media news ..
Don’t call Benzema world class because he plays for Real Madrid and Call Bacca a good player when hez done better with sevilla dan Benzema has done with Real ..
No one is Better than Giroud for what we need him for Goals, Assist and Teamwork.
We can always get better for Either one of the 3 not all..
Name any other who can do better dan Giroud in all 3 , and don’t u dare mention Costa or Lewandowski, Hyprocrites….
What? If they buy players of the man-of-the-match in the CL final calibre, like Di Maria? Or arguably the league’s most promising youngster, the LB from Southampton who was in the team of the season? Or a striker with the most deadly scoring record in Europe over the previous 4 or so years?
Sorry but how much cash does LVG have to invest in his squad before we properly evaluate him? This was a team that convincingly won the league just two seasons prior. Literally was afforded every possible opportunity to strengthen his squad substantially, but yet none of his signings made an impact. They’re going to lose De Gea who masked how bad the four in front of him were substantially, their defence needs a complete overhaul aside from Smalling and Shaw.
“if United spend 200mil properly this time” – Obviously the word ‘properly’ has you confused. You’ve just applied the same logic in assessing their signings to what most United fans did…..talking reputation rather than what the team needed. They had Rooney, RvP, Welbz, they didn’t need Falcao. They needed CB’s and CM’s but neglected to buy the any of the right type of players to make the team better.
Soooooo, back to the original statement….IF they spend 200mil properly i.e. on the right areas of their team, then they’ll unquestionably be a force for us to be mindful of.
Not really because they’ve lost their confidence from not challenging for about 3 seasons now. Having the talented players is only 1/3 of what makes a winning team
1st.
Cech, Coquelin, Debuchy, Gabby. All players we didn’t have for the majority of last season. They tighten our defence substantially.
You simply cannot forge a title winning defence throwing Chambers in the deep end straight off the bat, Monreal at CB NEVER played there before, and as admirable as Bellerin was as far as break-out seasons go was electric going forward but in my opinion had bad games defensively. (not slating him, he slotted in effortlessly, but still… defensively needs improvement)
Add Theo back who was our most dangerous player prior to his injury, and Wilshere and Ox’s direct running that will be a powerful weapon off the bench and we’re a lot, lot, lot stronger than we were first half of last season.
I’m not suggesting for one minute our title credentials wouldn’t increase substantially if another striker or DM was brought in. But looking at the squad our two most glaring weaknesses last season have been addressed. We were most definitely a CB and a defensively minded midfielder short which hurt us.
But all of this ‘ohhhhh we can’t win unless the position I want upgraded is sorted’ is just dramatic nonsense. Our form second half of the season was up there with the best in Europe, the squad has proven it’s capable of beating anyone with the beautiful football it plays, it’s just maintaining that confidence, belief and having a winning mentality over the course of the season.
The problem I have with views like this is that it’s all centered on pretty sizable factors that are then talked about nonchalantly to create the impression we’re closer than we are.
“Just maintaining that confidence, belief, and having a winning mentality over the course of the season” – oh no big deal then, remain confident lads and the title is ours. Is it?
There’s several factors that culminate for a team to be a title contender, but squad has to be number 1….without the players you’re only going so far. Can you genuinely say with no further addition we have a squad comparable to Chelsea/City/United at the close of their business? I think that’s a massive stretch and not at all “dramatic” to suggest we have some areas we could upgrade.
“I’m not suggesting for one minute our title credentials wouldn’t increase substantially if another ST or DM was brought in.” – Well if that’s so why on earth wouldn’t you be clamoring for that new ST/DM to enhance our chances?
Getting the squad in place is one of the few aspects you have control over in launching a title bid. The injuries/suspensions/confidence/competitors are all things to adapt to, but getting the very best squad in place is something every manager has under their control during a window. We definitely need additions in my book, and both the DM/ST roles will be weak links should they remain unchanged.
Goals Conceded August-December last season
Chelsea – 14
City – 17
United – 19
Arsenal – 23
Goals Conceded January-May
Chelsea – 18
City – 21
Arsenal – 13
United – 18
Since you managed to gloss over my reasoning majorly, there! I’m aware Chelsea conceded a fair portion of their goals after the title was already secured but their scoring at the other end dried up substantially second half of season…
Just to reiterate that was without Cech or Debuchy and our much improved defensive record when the required personnel was added is a big part of my belief that we’re in the position to challenge currently.
But Charlie don’t let little things like stats get in the way of you proving my exact point.
I’ll repeat “I’m not suggesting for one minute our title credentials wouldn’t increase substantially if another ST or DM was brought in…” But whether or not we should strengthen those positions wasn’t the question I was replying to was it?
Gloss over your reasoning? No I simply questioned how NOT strengthening when you have the chance is not gonna leave us well enough equipped to challenge. Last season has gone so how you can use it to reference the next one is hazy at best.
You also ignored circumstance, all our best performing players started the season in January so were fresher in the “tired” side. I mean you want to use a half season of form and extrapolate it over the course of next season…that’s great but all teams could pull such measures. What happened when it was crunch time 2nd half? We bottled it and came 3rd. Simply put, it’s gonna be far more difficult than your “keep it going” approach which is hopeful at best.
Ok. But in no point did my comment suggest we shouldn’t strengthen if given the opportunity? Completely different point to argue.
‘Last season has gone so how you can use it to reference the next one is hazy at best.’
Umm… What!!!!!!? Evaluating how to improve the squad… The previous season is a hazy reference point??? I actually respect your opinion although it is sometimes contrary to mine but cummon dude… Read that statement again..
‘You also ignored circumstance, all our best performing players started the season in January so were fresher in the “tired” side.’
Maybe so… But still. 13 goals man. A very, very positive sign that I personally feel is more indicative of where our defence is at considering it was actually with our preferred options playing in key positions.
‘What happened when it was crunch time 2nd half? We bottled it and came 3rd.’ Realistically the title was never in our grasp. Yes, a few results I was very disappointed by. Particularly Monaco, Swansea and United. But ‘crunch-time’ I feel is over-stating it, realistically after we drew with Chelsea there wasn’t much to play for.
The entire premise of your argument is the fact you feel we are already equipped to compete for the title next year. I’m saying we’re not with this current squad, forget the fact you wouldn’t say no to strengthening….you’re saying if we don’t strengthen then you’re still of the belief we’ll challenge. I disagree completely.
Your taking what I said out of context now…..I clarified saying you can’t simply extrapolate good form from last year and apply it to the following season. Teams change every season so you can’t simply say we played well 2nd part of last year, let’s continue doing that and we’ll compete for the title….doesn’t work that way. All teams have a patch of form they can apply the same logic to.
When I say we bottled it I’m not in any way referencing the title….we were never in with a shout despite the deluded stir our run of form created. I say we bottled it because we had 2nd place mathematically as ours with 4 games remaining. We failed to score in the next 3 and stuttered to 3rd. What’s the difference between 3rd/2nd? Typically nothing, but for Arsenal we haven’t finished top 2 for a decade and we had the chance to unequivocally make a statement of our return to prominence. As is, people can rightly question us and say Arsenal came 3rd because a Suarez-less Liverpool went from 2nd to 6th.
But I’m not just applying it to form Charlie! As I said in my very first comment, Cech, (who we haven’t really touched on, but I think we can both agree is a definite upgrade to our defence?) Gabriel, Coquelin, Debuchy. That’s four players inclusion or return that is a substantial upgrade to the quality and depth of our defence than the first half of last season. A stark contrast to the personnel we had.
Sorry, but I haven’t just said ‘oh we’re amazing!’ I’ve backed up my points and reasoning clearly. What I thought was our weakest point last season has drastically improved IMO.
The Liverpool example would be a fair one to make if we were trying to replace a player who saved us points completely by himself… But we’re not, in fact, quite the opposite, we’ve added one.
I agree, only adding Chelsea’s 2nd choice keeper to the squad isn’t nearly enough if we want to stand any chance, we are 2 CB injuries away from scraping the barrel which is realistic considering how prone Koscielny is.
Giroud (a moderate striker) Welbeck (a Man U hand me down) and Walcott (A make shift striker will illusions of grandeur) currently can’t compete with the likes of Sturridge, Van Persie, Rooney, Costa, Falcao, Depay, Kane, Aguero, Bony, Dzeko, Lukaku, Benteke and whoever else they plan to bring in between now and then.
Considering that the likes of Mandzukic and Martinez have just been traded to inferior clubs, I can only hope and pray that it is because we have our sights set on something bigger. If not, we will be left chatting here at the end of next season once again sulking about what might have been.
Coquelin is good but we also can’t put all our eggs in that basket.
If Wenger doesn’t get a DM and a striker both world class we could finish 5th or 6th next season. Sorry but all our competitors are buying players.just look at Liverpool… Liverpool are going to be a force this season,mark my words.
Mikel Arteta signs a one year contract extension. that means no more defensive midfielder, rely on Coquelin, he gets injured (inevitably), throw in Arteta, get caught in the counter, concede a goal, throw men forward in search for an equaliser, concede another on the counter and loose the game. The circle continues in the subsequent games, the season ends, we are fourth (again) rue not signing a back up for the Coq, call for Wenger’s head…..
Maybe in your story cech saves that goal?
People are forgetting to easily how Arteta was/is an important player
and how our win percentage dropped dramatically when he was miss-
ing compared to any other lengthy injury absentees. It was only when
we faced a stronger and more seasoned team when you would here ca-
lls…. Arteta is no good. It was not that Arteta was no good, it was bec-
ause you cannot only rely on one man or one position to do the fighting.
Truth be told we were too weak throughout the pitch, strength wise.
I know some may argue how the percentage from wins probably dropped because of Flamini being so poor, but i believe theres more to it than that.
Outside the top four our team with Flamini playing was indeed good enough to get results. I think now though hes gone a season too far playing at the top.
He was never high quality but he fought and battled but again… you need everybody pitching in.
Back to Arteta, i can remember games were he looked very accomplished and had excellent reading of the game, versus the games paciest yeah for sure sometimes he struggled, but who doesnt against the quickest.
Its not all about pace to deal with pace as Bellerin learned playing swans, sometimes players just get done.
We have matured and developed into a team which nobody will look forward to playing and i believe Artetas reading of the game along with his vision and maturity is going to do just fine.
Oh for fsck sake, if you really watched Arsenal news over the last months you’d know by now that Arteta agreed 4 months ago a one year extension. How this comes as a shock to anyone is mind boggling. If this is the news then the one likely to get the boot is Flamini which means Arsenal will be in the market for a DM anyway. Of course we will have to wait and see if this really happens but it looks like this is the plan anyway. Stop being pathetic.
Well said! Arteta is injuy prone and if wenger thinks arteta is better then the likes of vidal or carvalho then he is clearly deluded. Lets be honest arteta isnt a DM and in the big games he hasnt dont amazing, personally I think we should of let him go, he isn’t arsenal quality
It is funny watching them making up stories.
This summers transfer
season is much quieter
than the last two.
The Cech transfer was surprisingly easy.
A decent DM and goal scorer are expected.
A few more out the door and business done.
I read that we will bid for Makelele. Lol.
No but seriously. ..people are anxious.
I think there should be an article about what John Terry said that cech would save us 12-15 points a season…I mean articles on our already improved defense that can make our goals more valuable cause we wouldn’t conceed as much.
Just saying
Its all hypothetical at this stage, maybe an educated guess but we wont know til its begun. Cech could pick up an injury and Szcz could become a villain or a savior. Ospina we dont know anything yet. We do know it was very coincidental how the points tally which Terry mentioned if true would have gained us the league title.
have we not started our own preseason training? what are we waiting for? can’t wait to watch our young guns
guys get real here. Wenger is not gonna sign another midfield player. we’ve got plenty of them so who won’t even make the match day squad so chilll though I don’t support him on that
This guy gets it !!Wenger didn’t need to sign one when het got Ozil and didn’t need to sign a winger when we got Sanchez. Wenger is gonna sign another player because Rosicky and Cazorla are getting old and Flamini is getting sold
stories like this does not make us better, all i want to hear is the a 25goals per season central forward has been signed by arsenal
Messi and Ronaldo
are not central forwards.
Winger Sanchez got 25
so I’d take another 25 goals winger.
Exactly davidnz – but some people are only comfortable in making Giroud the object of ridicule in his CF role. The centre forwards at Bayern, PSG, Juve, Real, Chelsea, Man City and Barca all had totals in the teens for their league goals from open play and all (bar Chelsea) were comfortably outscored by wide forwards/second strikers in their teams. Why don’t we focus on what our front 3 can do?
I have no problem looking at the potential of the front 3. I would just prefer that that front 3 includes someone better than Giroud. Easy as that.
Man City has Dzeko and Bony as back-up, Chelsea has Falcao and Remy for back-up, Man U has RVP. Arsenal should have Giroud as a back-up.
He is arguably not even as good as the names mentioned, yet we have to be content with him as our 1st choice for some unfathomable reason.
But then again we have Alexis and Walcott both who can score at 0.4 goals/game from a wide forward position, both comfortably ahead of City, United and Chelsea wide forwards/wingers in scoring threat – isn’t it swings and roundabouts? And mate I get it with the Falcao, Remy, RvP, Bony thing but whilst their names have an aura (well at least Falcao and RvP do) they haven’t being setting the world alight recently – 23 league goals for their present clubs between them last year in 83 apps is not scary.
125-150 goal a season striker required to win the title. I know I’ll read all about it in the Metro first.
‘Seriously Metro, do you not realise that with Jack Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky, Ozil, Cazorla, Chamberlain, Alexis and all, Arsenal could open a shop selling small and technically tricky players?’
IF, and I repeat, IF, Gotze is in fact available and there’s any truth to him being unsettled Wenger will make a play for him. He’s still a kid that’s proven he has every right to be up there with the best prospects in world football. Doesn’t matter who’s in the squad, he’ll move for him…
Of the players you’ve mentioned in terms of current ability, on either flank Gotze’s more dangerous than all but Sanchez.
I am not being pathetic..OK tell me; how did we get beaten 5-1 by Liverpool?? A slow Arteta in the holding role..mind you know that Arteta will be two years older next season which basically means an even slower Arteta.. all am saying is we need a decent cover for Coquelin..and if stating that is being pathetic then let me be..
No the pathetic part is suggesting we lost 5-1 to Liverpool simply because Arteta lacks pace. I mean that’s almost too stupid to reply to….yes pace can exploit those with less of it, but in order for that to be a factor the shape of the team, attitude towards defending etc would need to be haphazard and poor – which it was in spades vs Liverpool that day.
If you have a slower Dm, or CB (Per) do you know what’s not a good idea to do? Abandon your defensive work and leave him isolated and overrun in the middle of the pitch. People have fixated on Coquelin coming in and instantly made the comment that’s he’s miles better than Arteta….well I’ll tell you one thing for certain, Coquelin hasn’t played in an Arsenal team with as much disregard for defensive shape and focus as Arteta. If you think we got better defensively last season simply because Coquelin hit the first XI I think that displays a very ignorant view of how teams operate.
precisely, the front three actually started to press once we got sanchez, even ozil was tracking back late into the season. It’s the most organised I’ve seen our team in the last ten years, but I will say that coquelin plays a better forward pass after retrieving the ball allowing us to relieve pressure quicker, sometimes arteta’s too slow when we look to counter.
If you didn’t think we got better instantly when coquelin was inserted into the first xl you can’t possibly watch the games. I’m sure all the pundits and experts and non arsenal fans who have been ranting and raving about coq’ performance must “have an ignorant view”.
Tell me, why did Coq get runner up for player of the season? You do realize he beat out players like cazorla, giroud, ospina, koscielny, monreal who all had an excellent season. Your blind hate and biases toward coq is getting old
The premise of my comment clearly sailed high above your head. You think Coquelin was the reason for our defensive improvement…..carry on, I have little to say to that.
Might want to dial in the flat out lies however, my hate? I’ve said numerous times he was terrific last season, idiots like you just choose to ignore it because I also say we should have someone in place who is better than him.
I agree with you, Charlie. People also remember we beat Liverpool 2:0 and 2:1, where Arteta was obviously good enough. That 5:1 game was an exercise in complete breakdown of a system, and whole 1st eleven played dreadfully defensively. He is a tremendous player, still one of the best in the league as a deep playing playmaker (it is true though that he doesn’t have much competition for that, being that Carrick is his best competition), and not even that old as people make him to be! Carrick 34, Alonso 33, both make their teams immensely better.
Smart comment Marko. Agree completely.
Credit where credit is due – spot on analysis mate.
I dont think we should be really upset if we do not sign any more players.
We have got the 1st team cable of beating almost any team in the world. We were the best side in Europe in 2015 in winning record.
Our Defence is Quite strong, Midfield is strongest and Attack is also strong.
We are scoring a lot of goals lately and defense is conceding less.o
Two Areas of concern.
1.Biggest in DM: If coqualan plays then no worries as his record is among the very best. If he doses not, then a combination of Ramsey and Jack/Arteta can do the job.
2s. Striker: Giroud is scoring regularly and I am sure will hit 20 PL games next season,
Sanchez is Sanchez and Wlacott is a real goal scorer. We have Ramsey who inspite of having a bad season managed to score 10 goals. We have Welbeck and OX to chip in few goals. Also Cazorla and Ozil can score goauls.
I am not against buying some top striker but we are not in real danger.
The current team will definitely challenge for PL title next season.
With half of the season playing so badly , we still managed to worry Chelsea at one point.
This team is playing very fluid football and is destined to achieve more success.
Like last season we have seen the rise of Bellerine and Nacho, this season we can very well see the rise of Ganarby and OX at world stage.
There are obvious concerns in the backup areas but that can not be the cause of real worry
If we was the best team in europe then why was we knocked out by monaco and couldnt be anderlect? Why didnt we win the league? Why was we so many points off of chelsea? Why didnt we secure second place? And what happens WHEN we get injuries this season like every season
Read his comment – he said in 2015. By Xmas 2014 we were already more than the eventual 12 points adrift in the league. You cannot use an isolated loss as evidence of anything – Bayern and Real lost 10 competitive games each last season, Barca got done by La Liga minnows at home, Chelsea had their disasters etc. And Monaco went out by a single penalty over 120 minutes to the eventual finalists – we were daft and reckless in our first game but they are not a team you can disrespect as dismissively as you do. Any last 16 UCL team can play/compete on their day.
@sunny13. I hear you and kind of agree, but if Wenger sticks with what we have now it’s a risky strategy.
Coquelin was fantastic last year but Wenger stumbled onto this by luck not planning.
It is possible that Coquelin does not have the season he had last year which would leave us with Coq, Arteta and Flam as we stand, (not good at all). The only reason I feel we need the out and out DM player is to protect a certain slow cb who seems to play at all times.
Personally I’d like to see Cech promoted to captain with Arteta VC.
Up front the same could be said about Sanchez. Who could have dreamed he have the first season he did? We heavily relied on his performances and goals last year. If he goes off the boil will Theo, Oli, Danny and our midfielders score enough goals between them? I hope so but I’m not so sure.
For me:
Sanogo and Campbell out and a ‘fox in the box’/’Poacher’ striker in. I have always liked Chicarito who I feel is a different type of striker to what we currently have.
Flamini out and James McCarthy/Lee Cattermole in.
People may say these two are not good enough, (at the start of the season we would have said this of Coquelin) but they are both combative should be happy to rotate with Coquelin.
With a creative playmaker next to the DM’er such as Cazorla, Ramsey, Ox etc. all we need is a tough tackler with high energy who reads the game well.
I suspect we will see more of Akpom this year and Chambers introduced at DM, (maybe even Bielek!).
Been reading comments for weeks now and none, and I mean NONE, have mentioned the “may be” opportunity to win the league…
That is why a manager “like” Arsene Wengef will always be comfortable in “this” club. The pressure is basically zero and the fans expectations is practically inexistent… That is what happens when you are used to mediocrity…
People were surprised when Pedro turned down an “apparent” offer to stay at Barca… Those players, like Alves with Man U, are using other clubs to improve their wages… You don’t leave Barca for Arsenal… It would not make sense (Ozil left RM because he would have been a fringe player there, like his mate Khedira).
We have extend Arteta contract !!!!!
That’s Arsenal for you… In Wenger mind, he has 2 DM already with Coquelin and now Arteta… So no need for a Schnederlein…!!
League or CL, we just don’t have the squad, manager, the board, the mentality and sadly the fans (well most of them) to win major trophies.
The all structure is not made for ir to become one of the top 5 European clubs.
Some fans are talking about the stadium and all… The Nou Camp can reach 95,000 in Classico…
We signed Cech and some fans have assumed it is 10 to 12 gained… Really? If Cech was that great he would have push Courtois on the bench… So we get Chelsea number 2 and we are supposed to be thrilled…!! (Keeping Ospina as well and sell the Polish catastrophe would have been ruthless, but cannot do that because he does not know how).
Anyway, I would not expect much this season, but pretty much the same (with the usual ups and downs and frustrations). That is the main “thing” at Arsenal, “routine” prevails above everything as long as the cash keeps coming and the fans run to the shop to do their duty…
I would top four again, but even if we are not it won’t be a disaster… Some fans might even tell you that we have more chance to win the Europa league than the CL (well might be true because we just cannot imagine winning the CL or the EPL in the next 5 years at least).
I disagree with most of what you say but clearly there is not much point in discussing these things with you as you have a very consistent but rigid and unimaginative take on this things – if you don’t mind me saying so 🙂 .
What I really don’t get is your anger with the other fans – to quote: “we just don’t have the squad, manager, the board, the mentality and sadly the fans (well most of them) to win major trophies”. You, and others it has to be said, appear to believe or imagine there is some cause and effect thing going on – the fans have a direct bearing on where we finish and how we perform. I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong but I completely fail to understand how the thoughts or opinions of any Arsenal fan is part of the problem of not winning the PL for instance. You think we have real power and influence to wield, you think that our opinions matter. Your opinions are obviously not changing anything as you have none of what you want – why should anyone else’s opinions count?
Mario Gotze seems to be available… £40 millions or so… Sell Wilshere (totally useless and not needed) to City and let’s get another potential world class midfielder (at least he is proven, not like the Vegas dude!).
The original question posed by the author of the main article was: “Have the Arsenal transfer rumours lost the plot?” The answer to that question is clear – of course they have, like every other year as well. Whether Metro or Daily Star, the stories are mind-boggling and so far-fetched it’s downright nauseating. What you must remember, though, is that agents make a lot of money when a transfer happens, so they are only too ready to plant a rumour here and there to see what will jump out of the woodwork, like Jack going to City for example.
Now, some comment on all the above comments. Of course it goes without saying that some of the commentators to the article have also lost the plot. This is true of every single article I have ever read on this site. Now, what I say next is my opinion, of course, and some of you will violently disagree, which I don’t mind at all.
1) The goalkeeping position is covered – no matter whether Ospina of Szczesny depart
2) The defence is covered, although there is maybe a weakness at LB. Gibbs and Monreal are not hard enough.
3) The DM position is covered by LeCoq, although serious backup like Schneiderlin would be good. Arteta and Flamini do NOT cut it. The combination of Coq and Cazorla in front of the defence has been outstanding.
4) In spite of all the excellent midfielders we have, footballers and ball artists every one, we do not have a Patrick Vieira. If you want to win the EPL, you need a hard bastard that takes no prisoners in midfield, and that the OTHER team complains about, even at the expense of a yellow or red now and then. Who you leave out to accommodate this guy (e.g. William Carvalho/Arturo Vidal) is Wenger’s problem. In too many games last season, even in the second half of it, we were bundled off the ball far too much, and we lost points against teams that just hassled and harried us. Pretty football is NOT what will win us the EPL.
5) Olivier Giroud is nothing more than a journeyman striker, and Danny not mush better. With Sanchez and Walcott on either side, a player like Karim Benzema would score at least 25 goals and make a few more. We need a world-class striker, and PLEASE do not tell me that we have one already.
Bottom line – backup for DM, a hard midfielder and a top striker, and we’re set to take on anyone, including Barça.