Scouting (part 2) by Dan Smith
After all 32 nations had played at the World Cup I asked for names who you might think could be a bargain signing for Arsenal, finding a gem while getting some value. My pick was Lozano after he destroyed Germany from the wing.
With match day 2 of the groups stages done it is now time to recommend another name. This time I’m sticking closer to home and saying Arsenal should register an interest in Rubén Loftus-Cheek.
I take into consideration he played well against very limited opposition but it is more his current situation which makes me think we wouldn’t lose anything by taking a gamble on him. If the rumours are true that Chelsea want to loan him out again, then we could get a replacement for Jack Wilseire without paying a transfer fee. With our limited budget these are the type of deals we need to be exploring.
Loftus-Cheek’s stock is high. There is no longer any reason for him to hang around Stamford Bridge waiting for a chance. He’s not going to throw away playing for England by being at a club where he can’t see a route into the first team. Coming to the Gunners though would be unlikely. Whoever is in charge of Chelsea is not going to want to help a top 4 rival. If though he heard we were keen, perhaps he push for it to happen?
Who else impressed you gooners?
Dan Smith
Lozano will most likely be priced out loftus cheek is possible but unlikely to happen we are after other targets e is such a dynamic player to what england have had in recent years big strong athletic infact Mourinho once said when he was at chelsea that he didnt need Pogba he had Loftus Cheek Says a lot why Pogba was on the bench last season the guy is a really good payer,I watched some of his games last season and you could see with game time he grew he is a player on the rise,but english talent are quite expensive this days plus his premier league hme grown something we are loosing by allowing home grown talent leave the clun gibbs,jenkinson,wilshere,szezny,etc
I am sure you remember just a few short years ago when our line up of English/ British youngsters who were going to make us great were posing for press pictures with Wenger. All gone now, and rightly so, save only Ramsey. Wilshere, Walcott, Jenks, Gibbs, Ox and what a waste of wages , of shirts which should have been better filled by GOOD players and of our hopes, wrongly pinned on players who never came good under Wenger. All disappeared to lower clubs and humdrum careers, bar only OX who has gone to a great manager but is still to properly prove himself. I have never bought into this “British is best” philosophy. Many Brit players are snowflakes, too expensive and expensively waged too and just overrated. Quality is all that matters, NOT nationality. If they are not of the necessary quality why bother about British quotas at all?
@Ken 1945.
I missed an old response by yourself which I’ve just seen, I’ll answer you here.
I said Monreal certainly is or certainly has been one of Arsenal’s better performers over the years. Also said but he brought in Kolasinac for a reason. Age maybe being one of them but maybe not so cut and dry nether. I said Wenger fluffed this one by dropping Kolasinac because he couldn’t return as the same player, not enough game time and not enough confidence, with Wenger cutting him down in stride. You said I answered my own question in why Monreal was favored over Kolasinac, being one of the better performers over the years should give me my answer.
What I said first of all was that there was no reason to drop Kolasinac after the way he started, he looked to be about to build a formidable reputation. Monreal was not injured, Kolasinac was chosen to start. But Wenger pulled him out and went with Monreal again.
Being a better one of Arsenal’s defenders, does not mean you are one of the better defenders in the entire game/league/continent. Monreal has made errors lately, more than he used to make, but not as many as the two CB’s have done and he doesn’t let as many crosses in as Bellerins wing. Then you also have to figure in competition, that word meant nothing to Wenger at times. If he was brought in for competition then eventually age, well then Wenger got it wrong, because like I said ..There was no reason to drop him.
Breakonththrough, thanks for replying, we sometimes get lost in the topics being discussed and the input given ?
Fair play to you Ken, thanks for letting me know.
“Quality is all that matters, NOT nationality.”
EPL teams can register 50 Brazilians right?
Don’t need any HG? PMSL!
Wenger being pi$$ poor at coaching and failed the players or the players was never good enough to begin with?
I do feel that it was Wengers coaching and not so much the players, like I feel that Wenger let Bellerin down and over the years Bellerin was suffering due to poor coaching.
You though. “Throw out EVERY ONE because… WENGER! GRRR Wenger, get rid of everyone, whole new team.. Where am I again?”
Think you could do with learning what the HG quota is for before talking about it in future.
It isn’t because “British is best”.
It is to make the best out of the British.
I wouldn’t look too much into player performances during WC. Remember how well Ospina played 2014? We signed him after and yet he hasn’t cemented a first XI spot.
Anyone remember Asamoah Gyan from Ghana? How well he played in 2010 World Cup? Flopped hugely at Sunderland.
That being said, Lozano did play really well for PSV last season.
People are judging Pavon, based on 70-80 minutes of play time (from bench) and suddenly praise average Banega because the threw one good lobbed pass to Messi.
I would rate players based on their performances during regular season when they need consistency for months, not based on odd game here or there when hundreds of millions of people are watching and players play for new contracts/clubs.
To be fair to Ospina, Wenger ONLY picked his teams based on favouritism. He should have been ahead of Cech in my opinion, if based on form.
But I get what you’re saying. It’s crazy to judge a player on just a few performances at the WC. What did this player do all of last season, or the last two seasons maybe? Consistency is what we need to be looking at really.
True as well.
But have to admit, Ospina has looked a bit shaky. And he really can’t deal with corners/crosses and that doesn’t bode well in the Premier League IMO…
BTW, Max Meyer will be a free agent in few days. Not confirmation of him joining Hoffenheim. Worthy a shot?
Oh yeah I am happy we have another keeper now.
I have to admit I have never seen Meyer play. I have heard he’s fairly decent, and you can’t really go wrong on a free.
The transfer of Max Meyer to Hoffenheim fell through. He would be a great acquisition for Arsenal on a free.
Wenger used to show favoritism to Walcott and Welbeck vs Lucas Perez and Joel Campbell who are both superior as footballers
The word I most enjoyed in your post is “used”, since I still wake up each morning crazed with joy that he(Wenger) is gone from us.
Appreciate mate he caused a lot of pain to some people in his last 10 years at arsenal including myself he used also to run our great club like his own home kitchen and he also thought he was untouchable – i am really glad is gone Erikson was available for just 10 mln from Ajax and Banega since he was 22yrs old i might agree with Tony Adams – wenger was not a coach and He just had power at arsenal and there was no body to challenge him till Gazidis woke up and Josh Kroenke was a different maker since he was appointed as Vice chairman for that group which owns Arsenal
2016-17
Perez played 21 games and scored 7 goals.
Theo played 37 and scored 19 goals.
Perez is 1 in 3 games.
Theo was marginally over 1 in 2 games.
We bought Perez after his best season, 37 games and 17 goals. His best season seems comparable to Theos season.
This year Theo has played 14? EPL games and scored 3, far from great.
Perez played 32 La Liga games, scoring only 6, fewer per game than Theo YET AGAIN.
The ONLY season that Perez has better numbers is the one good year he had, only the 1 good year though, a 1 season wonder!!
As for Campbell, if people actually pay attention to our loaned players then they would have read the attitude issues that appear to surround Campbell.
You really are a slave to stats, many of which , from your several posts in the past, are not true like for like comparisons. Stats do not prove everything, even when appropriately made. One thing I DO agree with you on, though I don’t think you realise I do, is how rotten a coach Wenger has been over so many years and I also agree he had clear favourites, to the detriment of the team. Stats are bound to be unrelieable; just take Walcott and Perez for instance. Unless both have played against exactly the same opponents in the same game and same season , much else will be bound to be so different. Stats can be a useful guide and NO MORE than that.
If I want to work out how many cars use the roads to find out if new roads are needed then I will not go “Hey gut, what do you think? Hmm, your rumbling with hunger, or grumbling to say no??” or count the damned cars and get a stat and then compare the stats for different issues.
“Stats can be a useful guide and NO MORE than that.”
No you senile old fool, how about we look at the word, shall we?
Stat (Statistic).
Noun: a fact or piece of data obtained from a study of a large quantity of numerical data.
Your stupidity amazes me. Stats are more than just a guide, they hold information, they can be used to gleam truths and mankind have performed tests based on statistical analysis, like for example, going to the moon. Think of the volume of stats they had and had to use correctly. Not like they have modern PC power either to compute a lot of it.
I could have included the dribbling stat but as I have not missed a game since… Well, I do not think I have missed a game last season but lets say I did miss a couple… I know I have seen every match Perez has played for us and most of the games Theo has played for us, neither one of them are great dribblers of the ball. Neither one of them is a visionary who spots passes like Ozil can. Perez was a 1 season wonder, simple as that. Stats (facts) back me up.
Quite right, as it is madness to judge any player on a tiny few perfs. Watch them over a decent period of time, say two seasons, as I HAVE done with Xhaka, Bellerin, Mustafi and Elneny , all of whom I consider way below what we need. You can include both Cech and Ospina as not good enough too.
Jon, three of the four you mentioned have been assured of their places within our new manager’s set up.
You and I agree on Mustafi.
He has already addressed the GK situation and my choice as back up would be Cech.
With regards to stats, you make a very good argument for not using them and instead relying on personal observations.
That, however, is also full of like for like comparisons!
Just take the Ozil poll as an example!!!!!
My take on our players is that I can only put my trust in the new manager and wait for the season to start.
The comments on favourites I will not comment on as it seems that Emery might already have his own and some of them the same as our ex manager.
What irony that picture paints…..
Personal observations.. So basically a mind which has already been proven to not remember things correctly?
Memory has the ability to encode, store and recall information.
Funnily enough, what the memory sores is basically a value which can be translated into a numerical stat, so you are going to use a stat one way or another.
Better to check your stats.
Get the correct one, not a gut decided wrong one which has no value.
I’ve watched at least 99% of the games of all our players while they wear our badge.
I will not rely upon my memory alone as it has been proven that memories can become corrupt and we recall fiction instead of fact.
I will check my memory against recorded stats.
Sorry for checking myself like any intelligent human being would…
You are saying that Bellerin isn’t good enough based on watching alone?
How about using some real facts?
Your memory is fallible, mine is as well. I may poke fun at your age but the truth is humans are imperfect creatures who have flaws, one of them is a memory which fills in gaps subconsciously.
I remember having pixies eat my toes… Should I say pixies exist or should I look at the facts and say I was wasted? Memory says they exist…
I guess pixies are real and I have no toes because memory is always right huh? Never needs checking???
Bahh!
please get your facts right. ospina is never a flop ( with limited game time). also Gyan wasn’t a flop @sunderland. child check the number of goals scored the season before he left for the uae.
please check your facts. ospina isn’t a flop (with limited game time). Gyan was never a flop @sunderland. check to yourself the number of goals he scored before heading to the UAE.
Hi everyone, sorry to go off topic but after reading about the disappointment and lack of response from gosh concerning the Dennis Bergkamp shirt I’ve decided to write an email expressing my own disappointment to gosh and see what they come up with. I’ve received an automated reply telling me that my email will be answered within two working days. I’ll keep you informed.
Fair play Kenny…. was really surprised & shocked by their response, or lack of ?
Good man Kenny!!!, and Admin!!!, it’s a really nice gesture.
That is all I ever got, an automated response.
Anyway, I think the other Ken has found a deserving candidate….
That is very good news ?
That’s great news, and with Ken1945 you can be sure it will go to a deserving candidate. Well done Ken.
Just one more proof of the true saying that anything is only as strong as it’s weakest link. In this sad case GOSH and their reputation , sullied by their joke marketing dept. Sad! And how widespread too throughout the hospitals in our land, despite the wonderful medical and nursing care by almost all of them.
? ? to Ken 1945 too ?
The way to have got through to someone who could and would have made a proper decision would have been to first phone the secretary of the CEO of the Hospital Trust and follow up with a letter to that person , marked private/ personal. I don’t ever get fobbed off, ONCE I get though to the organ grinder, not the monkey. Much depends on your OWN determination to get a PROPER answer.
I just wanted to give it away remember. I have enough problems in life as it is hombres.
If the publicity department fob me off then I will talk to someone who actually cares.
Next time I’ll delegate it to you lol
I thank those who are saying well done, but what a load of bullsh** for ANYONE to have to go through!!!!!
Will keep you all updated via Admin, hope to present the shirt next week to a real gooner who’s story will make every one on this site just realise how lucky we are.
Thanks again for the great gesture Admin, nice to have you back Kenny Rolfe…. what is your view on the new keeper?
Well pleased with all the new aquasitions Ken and the whole team of transfer negotiaters. Really excited about the new season ahead and can’t wait for it to get started
Arsenal should sign Nzonzi
I would take Loftus-Cheek in a heartbeat, even if only on loan were it possible. But only someone totally naive (or after clickbait, as if!!!!!) would be foolhardy enough to ever believe for one moment that Chelseas would allow him to come to Arsenal. It is NOT going to happen – AS THE WRITER WELL KNOWS – so please can we get back to Planet EARTH.
Come on Jon, be a dreamer like me! Messi and Ronaldo signed as bench warmers sounds great!!
I agree with you that Chelsea would never sanction this move, the rumours about our supposed targets are taking bizzare proportions, even worse than under our ex manager!
Just wish we could here some positive news from the club though, I guess the world cup is playing it’s part?
Your missing some really good games by the way, but admire the position your taking.
Just hope the Russians don’t win it!
How do we feel about Gelson Martins don’t you mean, I must have missed that one because Kev is the only one I’m sure of who’s spoken about the lad. He’s at a great age, 23, good dribbling and control and has some pace to his game whether running or passing. I haven’t seen much of him I must admit as I never watch Portugal’s football. I haven’t seen him play for his country neither, seen about 1 or 2 minute clips tops. Has anyone been aware of him before our links. His stats look balanced between creating and shooting, that’s as much as I know about the lad.