Every single Arsenal fan iswaiting very impatiently for Arsene Wenger to bring in a top class striker and a centre-back, but it looks like we are going to have to go down to the wire as always. In yesterdays after match conference Wenger was asked about the transfer situation.
Le Prof said: “It’s not the prices, it’s the players. At the moment I’m focused on the players we have. Today we didn’t have Ramsey, Xhaka, Alexis – he will play on Sunday. We still have Ozil at home, and Giroud and Koscielny too. We also have young players who came on and did well. We do not have to panic but we are on alert in the transfer market so that we can make the right move when the opportunity comes up.”
Opportunity? I hope he already has his targets lined up. I’m sure he sounded much more confident a month or so ago! But on our search for a striker he sounded even more vague, but he says money is not the issue, but getting the right player that fills his criteria. “The money is never a problem if you have to pay what is requested. The price of a player is down to four ingredients. One is the talent, two his age, three is how much you expect him to improve your team, and four his resale value. If he ticks all four boxes then the price is not that important. You have to find the player.”
Wellif the resale value is one of his “important” criteria,then he certainly won’t be going for an older player like Vardy!
Admin
It Looks like Asano was Wenger’s man, afterall.
What? ? The man has an unlimited amount of excuses!
Arsene Wenger: “We still look up
front. We still look at the back. We’re on alert day & night. When
opportunity comes, you have to
catch it”
THE SPITEFUL WORDS OF A DELUDED MAN
What the hell are you talking about?
If you are just here to slag Wenger off all year NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES then I think it maY BE TIME FOR YOU TO FIND ANOTHER SITE….
Not want anyone wants to here is it, if an opportunity comes up! Sounds like he’s happy with his squad, and not too fussed about strengthening. Why aren’t we getting rid of more of our deadwood as well? Why on earth is Walcott starting every game, in fact, how is he even still an Arsenal player?
Are you really that surprised? ? I can’t see why! ?
Unless you suffer from Goldfish ? syndrome? ?
This Movie has had more re’- runs than ‘Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” Combined.
There’s nothing but contradiction and hypocrisy with Wenger. If the right player’s are not available then why does he go on a panic buying frenzy on the last day of the transfer window? …. He actually told that injured bench warmer he signed in the final hour, ” it’s either you or nothing” and thats from the players mouth!
So Wenger best be bluffing and pull out a Griezmann like signing before this window shuts and if he fails to deliver a quality striker before then, well…lets just say that would be his last ever gamble that he takes as an Arsenal manager.
He will be heading for a Mo like scenario!
Unless of course that the Ox, Iwobi, Campbell, Holding and others all improve and Arsenal win the League. Could his gamble on youngdters actually come good?
Bellerin?
It’s not really a gamble… The only players you’ve mentioned likely to get a consistent first-team chance when Ozil, Kos and Giroud come back is Ox, Iwobi or Campbell. They’re where they should be in the squad, in places with fierce competition where they’ll have to earn their place!!
You can slate Wenger all you like… But the fans who predict a ‘mo like scenario’ are predicting that a manager who hasn’t finished outside the top-4 with sides far, far weaker than this one in how long?? Will suddenly capitulate into the mid-table??
There’s been so many of these ‘if Wenger doesn’t do this, this will happen’ comments and predictions for years but guess what?? It never happens!!
Probably having his hand in all three goals against City, (an assist, an immaculate run and finish that if Sanchez was the one doing it people would’ve had to change their pants, hustling for a loose ball that forced sloppy defending that led to a goal, again! if sanchez did it….)
Theo’s going to be fighting for a place in the squad where competition is fierce. Against City he did all the right things though, and he’s going to have to maintain that level if he wants to keep Giroud, Ox, Iwobi and Campbell out of the first-team.
OT: soooo impressed with Bielik! to think he’s only 18
His reading if the game impresses me. I just cant see that he is ready for the Premier League yet but he might have to be if we dont get a CB in asap.
Aaaaaaaand wenger proved he’ll never change. Also, he and gazidis need to make up their minds. Is economy an issue (gazidis) or not (wenger)?
This is Wenger so of course
cost is a factor.
Giroud.
Cost 10 mill = 8/10
Talent. 6/10
Age 25 when bought. 8/10
Improve team. 7/10
Resale at 30yrs about 15 mill- 8/10
So Giroud =37/50.
For a top 4 team at 10 mill I believe
Giroud was a spot on buy.
Rating 9/10.
2010 Chamakh
2011 Girvinho + Park
2012 Giroud
2013 Sanogo
2014 Wellbeck
2015. Nobody.
2016 Asano.
7 summers and Giroud is the best striker signed.
A reluctance to buy a top striker is clearly evident.
Why spend 60-80 mill when 10 mill will do and get you top 4?
If Arsenal beat Liverpool I doubt Arsenal will sign a top striker.
I think Wenger prefers Morata as the long term Giroud replacement
and would rather not spend 30 mill on Lacazette who he values at 15-20 mill.
Typical Wenger saying exactly what he does year in year out, really does take those that pay good money to see arsenal live for a fool( i dont go so im ok)
Welbeck,wilshere, mertasacker out, with our best player Ozil not match fit he says alongside koscielny our best defender with a week to go lol you just couldnt make it up only at Arsenal.
On top of that we have the toughest opening 4/5 games out of all our so called rivals, if i didnt laugh i’d cry lol
going to enjoy the rants on arsenalfantv next week from claude after we lose at home.
Wenger truly has lost the plot big time
For me the title of best player at a club should go to the player most complete. Like how Henry was the ultimate in a complete player, rivaling top goal charts as well as the assists, only thing missing was his aerial threat. Vieira again an ultimate complete player, we had many players who offered more than just their main attribute.
Yeah… We have world-class players who are core parts of successful international teams?? Boohoo… It’s part of the game. You don’t see Real Madrid fans sooking about not having cover for Pepe and Ronaldo.
The way people are acting as though we’re going to field a team Liverpool will walk over is absolutely ridiculous.
Easy for Wenger to come out with this nonsense AFTER watching a whole load of talent switch clubs. Get your business done early and we wouldnt be in this position. Also no offence to Giroud but there are better options out there that are in our price range so really no excuses. It does make me laugh how Wenger comes across as really picky in the transfer market and only wants players that will improve the team to then go and some japanese kid we have never heard of
You have to remember that we play a passing, possession game. Having a CF that can play back to goal is critical for that in and out, side to side passing game to work properly. I don’t feel that there are better options that can do what he does. Our problems arise when other players who should also be scoring in this set up don’t deliver. Watching France in the Euro’s it reminded me of Arsenal. Giroud had an outstanding tournament. However, Pogba and Payet were creating chances and scoring as well as OG and Griezeman.
Ramsey, Santi and Ozil, should be scoring boat loads for our side through out the year.
@Jim A
Exactly.
This is what gets me. People make it seem as if the striker, is the only guy who has to or needs to be scoring in order for a team to win…
And that’s exactly the reason why we did not sign Miki and Mahrez.
Arsenal in 2007-08 had lots of players scoring – even the defenders scored a lot. Now suddenly that has gone. Cazorla has lost the knack – Ozil does not score enough- given how often he is in the heart of it all. Sanchez for me is not scoring enough and so is the case with Ramsey. To add to the woes- the goal scoring form of Ox and Theo does not help. So I just can’t wrap my head around why we are not signing a goal scoring winger. Granted Mahrez is a very arsenal like player but he scores goals from the wing and that is what we are missing. Hopefully having Mahrez can spark that fire in Ozil (nothwithstanding the fact that he is the best creator of chances around Ozil needs to score more). We should be looking to sign 3 players (Mahrez, CB , striker) and selling Theo. So net 2.
We would’ve heard of him after the Olympics… The kid is killing it!!
Take it for what it is.. Marketing in Japan that’ll pay for itself, and a signing with a potential upside. He may not have been a big name, nor did we pay anything close to a big name price-tag, but watching him it’s pretty clear that he has a lot to his game….
I am beginning to believe we are done with our signings…. Xhaka (Cdm/Cm), Holding (CB) and Asano (Striker). He once said he will be getting two or three players this summer.. .well, maybe am wrong but time will tell….
It’s easy to predict negativity at this stage.. But Wenger has stated numerous times he’s looking to strengthen defense and attack, he’s also mentioned numerous times we didn’t score enough goals last season. Keep the faith!
wenger is the oldest deadwood we have at the club, transfers aside whats with the terrible formations against stronger oppositions, why must ramsey play every match even when there is no space for him on the team, le prof will sacrifice a natural winger just to put ramsey in the team, get rid of Walcott, sanogo (why did we ever sign him), give ozil the no 10 shirt until wilshere gets his act together, almost forgot get rid of mertesacker. if we sign jonny evans hmmm God help us
You know the 4 things that Wenger spoke about that he looks at while signing a striker.
He forgot to mention that there is also a 5th factor; his own valuation of the player which is typically 1/2 of the market rate. That can only explain the duds that he has signed earlier. To be very frank he does not have a great record of signing strikers.
Honestly the only positive thing to look forward to is that Wenger leaves at the end of this season but manages to get Arsenal in the top 4 so that the next manager can at least have the pull.
I’m always keen to give people the benefit of the doubt. But even giving him the benefit of the doubt it still makes no sense! Assuming Wenger’s statements want to project a feeling of indifference, so he’s not squeezed during the negotiation process. But clubs aren’t stupid, they know our situation at the club, and they know our situation in relation to the league and our immediate rivals. That posturing is pointless. I’ll let him play his game, and i’ll judge him come end of the month.
Transfer talks are so secret the manager himself doesn’t have a clue.
Hi Guys,
Finally i am able to register and login to comment. It looks like the verification email kept going to my spam folder and the error messages didnt indicate that i needed to verify the account.
Happy to be able to join finally but not happy with our transfer activity :(.
I think the way Wenger and the board should see it, is we didn’t spend last season, we saved money. Those savings should go towards the increase of the market. If we are still waiting on a new striker after this window is over, it can only be described as negligence.
Just because you want to be treated fairly, doesn’t mean it will happen, bite the bullet. If it means improving our title aspirations, bite the bullet and move on.
Trevor my sense is we Arsenal fans are an unlucky lot. We have a board and a manager for whom top 4 is all that matters. I am hoping that a new manager will usher in a fresh change in perspective but will the board ever get an ambitious manager? Or vice-versa will an ambitious manager ever want to join knowing that the board doesn’t want to win?
After wenger we may just end up with another dummy manager- for whom winning may not be the only option.
Unfortunately the only thing the board is ambitious about is charging for ticket prices. Nothing will change till the revenues are hit. Not a damn thing will change.
Trevor, the point is that last summer we spent £47.3m on player transfers. (Ref page 17 , interim accounts, six months ending nov 2015, on arsenal.com).
We bought Cech for ten million. I understand that the remaining money went on deferred payment to existing players old clubs, presumably for ozil, sanchez etc. So no money was “saved” last year. In fact the spend last summer on “payments for purchase of players” was very similar to the previous summer when we bought sanchez.
Neither, that should be obvious. He’s just being his economic old self, there was a time he was described godlike with his shrewd penny pinching ways.
If two players from Asano, Holding, and Xhaka, go on to become important players for the Arsenal. Some fans will herald him for this, whilst others will choose to hammer him over the one that flopped. Just an observation.
@Trevor
Like he said”It’s never enough…”
I totally agree with him.
It is never enough doesn’t mean you don’t do anything (6 years running and we can’t find a better striker than Giroud is just an excuse). The results speak for themselves. I am sure Holding will go on to become a good defender- may be it will take 3-4 years. The call is to become champions now and not after 10 years. I don’t know which school of thought you belong to but the 80’s are long gone. I don’t see a single manager who thinks on the lines of Wenger and is successful. Look at the guys around – are they all fools to buy players ; spending 100 million on a player is may be foolish but not spending anything is nuts too.
We know Wilshere will not be fit for half of the season- ramsey will continue his so-so form. Kos is getting older and will not be able to do the work of 2 defenders week in week out. Chamberlain and Theo will flatter to deceive again and Giroud will go on a goal drought. So our expectations again are on 1) Ozil topping the assists chart and 2) Sanchez scoring which I think is stupid. My sense is top 4 is going to be a stretch this season.
Yeah, Yeah Wenger! Tell us something we the Arsenal fans don’t know. We all know that money is not the issue here, the problem is you and the board of directors who refuse to spend the money that we put into your pockets!!!
Like all fans gutted we not bought a big name striker. At the absolute very least in case Giroud gets injured. If that were to happen in current squad I think it would be a MASSIVE hit – prob cost us 4 places in the table.
And that’s just neglect. I’m pro Wenger – but on this I’m with (almost) every other fan – there’s no excuse
I do however believe we have bought an outstanding player in Xhaka
And possibly a diamond in the making with Holding – if you forget the cost his early performances been very impressive
I think that too but are we jumping the gun? Any quality team we have played yet in the pre-season? the strikers in PL are very different- Holding may be in for some ‘real’ bullying. These guys will turn up but they will need time – what till then? do we keep waiting. We need to blend experience with promise in our buys and that is what as a football club we are not doing. We need PL tested players and we have none. An injury to Giroud ruling him out for a few months will expose Arsenal – we have too many useless players to be competing for the top spot.
The english core has contributed nothing and still gets paid and is retained year after year.
Ox, Theo Wilshere, Gibbs and Ramsey are just big names and have done absolutely nothing but are paid in excess of 70K on an avg /week . Thats crazy !!!!
Wholeheartedly agree. Elneny just continues to impress as well. The only midfielder in the squad now who really needs to be questioned is Wilshere… Only as the poor guy can’t catch a break on the injury front. Still, it’s refreshing looking down the pecking order and not seeing Flim-flam, Rosicky and Arteta and having to rely on aged legs, if of course, they’re available at all!!
Also we must keep in mind that our 2 top players play in national teams which are used to winning and come next summer we may find them clamoring for a move. The fact that Ozil and Sanchez have not signed extensions yet should tell us a lot.
I thought wenger would care but doesn’t seem like. Next season we may have a scenario where the top players will want to move and no good player will want to come here
Or could he be the best manager Arsenal have ever had?
Good point about Vardy Admin. I wish one day we would get inside into what went on behind the scenes at Arsenal during this transfer window. We are left to speculate and infer.
In that sense Pep’s uncomplicated approach was refreshing. In an recent interview he mentioned two target by name and said everyone knows we want these players and are trying to get them if we succeed is another thing altogether.
I think the mystery Wenger tries to create around our transfer activity or lack thereof is more aimed and managing fans than at wrong footing negotiation partners.
Not sure Lyon are going to drop their valuation of Lacazette whether Wenger admits he wants him or not. In fact, I would expect that most clubs have enough football instincts to realize Arsenal could use another striker.
It’s not mystery! Jeez, not being public with your transfer targets is a strategy 99% of clubs use as it’s the most effective way to get business done…
My preferred team….
Cech
Bellerin Bielik ?? Monreal
Xhaka Elneny
Ramsey Cazorla Sanchez
Theo
While I don’t think the Barcelona result was a warning shot that Liverpool are a serious team, I do think the result was a perfect display in the strengths of Klopps tactics and if you mess around with the ball too much or make mistakes in dangerous positions they are going to be pretty ruthless in punishing you. Bellerin, Monreal and Cech are no surprises, but for me Bielik seems to have been kept around and groomed in the same way Bellerin was instead of the token championship loan. Every time I’ve seen him he seems to have that composure and confidence on the ball that’s well beyond his years. Something Debuchy and Chambers really haven’t inspired me with confidence with…
Elneny and Xhaka for me is a must based both on tactically and pre-season form. For me Elneny is looking every bit a bargain signing. He did everything right and that early tackle on Silva was something I personally loved as, Coquelin aside we haven’t really had a midfielder come on and physically let the other team know they’re there and it’s not going to be easy for them… Both Xhaka and Elneny have great distribution, rarely make mistakes both with positioning and their passing. For me it’s the best pairing to both execute our plan and nullify their own. We can have periods of longer possession and sustained attacks while shielding a weakened defense.
Attacking wise, Santi for me at the 10 is a no brainer. If Mesut’s not in the side it’s Santi all the way!! There really aren’t any shortcomings to his game.. But he hasn’t had the best goal tally since shifting deeper. If he could lift his goal tally by 5-6 goals this season it could go a long way. Sanchez and Theo could get switched around… But I’m hoping for a few loose defensive moments from Liverpool as they generally, always do. Having Sanchez in space is like a pig in mud and a few nice goals from Theo hopefully will inspire a bit of confidence in himself.
The right was probably the hardest decision to make with Ox, Campbell, Iwobi and Ramsey. Luckily, I’m not the one making the decision, but for me it’d be Ramsey. The false-10 he plays gives the option of him dropping deep and helping out defensively, but also has him more advanced so he has the freedom to make a mistake or two and try for the brilliance he is capable of… His performances for Wales were nothing short of heroic and if recent records are anything to go by he does have a knack for turning it on against Liverpool. I say give him a go… If he doesn’t perform there’s Ox and Iwobi who’ll be hungry for a chance!!