Proof that Arsenal are not seeking Vidal transfer? Not really

If you ever get a chance to play poker with the Arsenal manager, make sure that you have got plenty of cash and can afford to lose it. Or that is what you would expect from Arsene Wenger after what his old adversary Sir Alex Ferguson said about the prof when the transfer of Robin van Persie from the Gunners to Man United was done.

So we know that Wenger likes to give nothing away about his transfer plans and even though he did mention the name of Arturo Vidal at the end of the season, his words in a Daily Star report do not give us any help in figuring out whether the Frenchman would like to sign the Chilean midfielder or not. In fact they just muddied the waters.

Wenger said, “”If you want me to say I like Arturo Vidal, yes I like Arturo Vidal.

“Are we in a transfer mode? I say, no.”

The report also reveals that Vidal´s agent has now denied any contact with Arsenal over his client´s playing future and after the Arsenal transfer rumours changed from being 90 percent certain that he would be joining Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates to being 90 percent sure that he wouldn´t, this seems to be a nail in the coffin of any potential deal. But is it really?

Just because we have not opened talks yet does not mean that we won´t do so in the near future. The transfer window has only just opened for one thing and Vidal is still involved in the Copa America tournament. For a player with recent injury problems, perhaps Wenger wants to see if he comes through unscathed or perhaps he is using the Chile games to make his mind up whether to bring him to north London.

Maybe he really has lost interest or never had it in the first place, but my point is that we simply do not know and should not write the rumours off just yet.

Tags Chile Wenger

14 Comments

  1. time for a change…time for a new manager to take us to greater heights..

    a manager that is interested in strengthening the team and win

    1. Just when Wenger seems to be really getting a great team put together, and when Wenger seems to be making good decisions based on winning again(instead of ego & favoritism), and when Wenger is actually producing trophies again……..

      NOW you want him gone? Your timing could not be worse.

  2. Changes are coming.
    But coming fast enough?
    What are Arsenals goals?
    Are we really trying to win the Premiership?
    Have we given up on ever winning the ECL?
    What effect will the relaxing of the
    FFP rules have on Arsenal goals?
    We have 11 top players but persist
    with 17 second tier players.
    Winning the Premiership is still not a priority
    with the ECL a pipe dream.
    FA cup seems to be our level.

    1. Seriously?? How do you continue to post this nonsense on every thread??
      You have absolutely no concept of squad building in the slightest and your lists which constantly discredit players who contribute to the first team on a regular basis are just daft…
      Labelling Mertz, Gibbs, Monreal, Theo and Jack as ‘second tier’ when they will all play a significant role this coming season is simply moronic.

  3. If vidal signs for us he will definitely play as b2b not as dm

    One of reason we were so successful for last 6 months is improvement in cozorla as b2b player, his defensive skills are so improved.

    This is the reason ramsey was forced to play on wing,

    No disrespect to vidal, he would be great signing, but we should rather buy solid dm bec we only have 1 player to play that role, arteta and flamini are just not good enough. We seen that what we can do if we have solid dm to protect our back 4.

    For b2b position we have 3 quality players(cozorla, ramsey and wilshere)

    But i think wenger eventually end up signing some attacking midfielder, and will not sign dm or striker bec he likes attacking midfielders

    Why cant he just buys proper dm and striker and make our team complete for title challenge

    1. Arsene had been change Cazorla from B2B into deep laying playmaker(DLP). The different between both position is that DLP will keep his deep along side our DM (le Coq). He can set pacey counter attack with his long distance passing. That’s why Cazorla’s penetration into penalty box had been limited last season.
      Arturo Vidal, for me, is definitely B2B midfield just like Jack and Rambo as he like to drilling inside every times. Although I really like his class, he’s not a strategic needs for us.
      I said it many times that besides a pure DM we should looking for another DLP, because Santi is alone down there. Neither does Jack or Rambo is match our recent requirement. Both players are tending to drill up front with the ball and it will make our defensive line expose.
      Ilkay Gundogan is a ready made DLP, but I’m not sure what in his AW mind. And if it is not,then somebody between Jack or Rambo should sacrifice their B2B nature to cover Santi ass. COYG!!!!

      1. Rosicky and Arteta are great backups for the deep playmaker role. I actually think that is more Arteta’s natural position: a free-role CM that focuses on ball retention, link-up play, and accurate long passes to start counters, switch play, and over the top to runners making the diagonal run. The worry with Arteta is his pace tracking back, but I think that is solved with any good DM in the lineup. Rosicky can also be great in this role as long as he remains disciplined on the defensive side.

        We have the players for that kind of system, except for depth at the DM position.

        However, I still think Arsene wants to eventually get rid of the traditional DM in his lineup. He wants Ramsey and Wilshere sitting deep, reading the plays, going forward or defending as needed, linking the play, retaining the ball, and generally workhorsing the middle of the field. Neither of them are really ready for this.

        Ramsey is a very good all-around player already, but he lacks some of the important aspects to work here, which could only be covered by another all-arounder with better skills in the areas he lacks. His ball retention is so-so. He can keep the ball decently enough, but he takes a lot of risks on his passes, which can open up defenses, but from deep positions it can also put us under unnecessary pressure. His awareness is decent as well, but if he wants to make forward runs regularly he needs to know when he can and cannot do it so the defense doesn’t lack for it. He also is not particularly accurate on long passes, which is pretty vital for a deep lying playmaker. Again, he could probably do it now if paired with the right player, and Arteta is probably the closest we currently have to that type of player.

        As for Wilshere, there is a lot to fix for him. He is just not a good defender. He makes rash tackles that come off often enough for some people to think he is, but he can’t really stay in front of his mark, has gotten a bit lazy in his tracking back, and most importantly seems to lack any real awareness for danger. He will just bomb forward despite the team shape needing him to stay put, and his ball retention is not even as good as Ramsey’s. His passing style is better for retention as it is less risky, but he can be bullied off the ball by a lot of players and doesn’t shield the ball very well. His long passes are pretty average, probably a bit better than Ramsey, but he doesn’t really hit it long often, preferring to use his close control and teammates around him to pick through tight areas. With his deficiencies, he would probably need a much more defensive minder player next to him to play the CM/B2B role.

        Vidal and Schneiderlin would be good players for this type of system. Both are very good all around players, very sound defensively with great passing skills and disciplined enough to take the more defensive role in the midfield, but would still need to be next to a B2B player that is also sound defensively as neither is a pure DM in the traditional manner.

        I don’t know that we have the right balance with the rest of the team to play without a more traditional DM like Coquelin or Carvalho, but I think certain signings would show the direction Arsene is going with that. In any case, I hope to see at least one marquee signing this summer. One of those “top top” players….

  4. The gist of this article – we don’t know anything about anything regarding Wenger’s transfer plans. Exactly what many of us have been screaming for weeks. This is the reality of transfer season.

  5. You don’t know that for sure. It has not been announced or declared. The dude is still busy with the copa america comp…all we fans can do is make guesses and hope for AW to make decisions or take steps that would lead the club to glory…We were the champions of england ones…we can definitely make it there again.
    COYG!!!

  6. If we sign him, where does he fit in and who gets pushed out of first team football? He has all the qualities that makes him an attractive prospect for Wenger but he then has to tell a few of our great midfielders that they’ll only be on the bench which will end up with them leaving. Probably to Man City.

  7. you need to activate the mentality of the big clubs fans like barca fans..
    Arsenal players are more prone to injuries than any other team in the word..which means not even the purchase of Lionel Messi can help us should our annual injury crisis hit again ( GOD FORBID!!! )….So, we need as much quality players as our squad can contain….
    **Note big teams are always looking to update and upgrade the quality of their team…meaning stars players are always welcomed.

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