Arsenal fans must hope that Arsene Wenger is just trying to keep his Arsenal transfer cards close to his chest as the January transfer window looms evcer closer. But we have all seen and heard this all before and the memory of the last winter window is still fresh and raw in many of our minds.
Back then it was glaringly obvious that we needed some more goal threat to keep our Premier Leagure title challenge alive, as Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott had been ruled out with injury. We ended up with an aged and injured central midfielder Kim Kallstrom who managed to make zero impact for us as the season went on.
And Wenger told us that he had tried hard but just could not find the right players available. The Frenchman seems to be getting his excuses in early this time, as a Daily Express report shows, by talking about how hard it is to sign good playes in January, due to lfewer top class players being available, clubs being less willing to sell and the competition from rival clubs muddying the waters.
Wenger said, “”You have to give us time. “We do our job as always. This season we bought five players who are all top quality so I think we have done really well on the transfer market and we try to repeat that in January.
“To buy football players is not like going into a supermarket and saying: ‘I want to buy a right-back or a centre-back.’ It’s to find the right quality. It’s not as simple as it looks.
“You see a player who has a buy-out clause, you watch him, think he’s really special. The next day he has gone to Real Madrid.
“I always have lists that you readjust because you come in on Monday, someone has seen a player and you have to follow up, watch him again, then watch him again and someone else has to watch him. Then when you come to conclusion I have to watch him. It takes time so that work never stops.
“Look at the history, we have made many decisions and many good ones. Most of them have worked. Some not. I’ve made over 300 transfers since I’ve been here. If I make a quick decision you will say ‘he made a rush decision’ when the guy doesn’t work.”
And if that is not enough to send icy cold shivers of dread down your spine Gooners, the manager also spoke about how pleased he is with Monreal and the left back’s improvement at central defence as he covered for Laurent Koscielny.
He went on, “Monreal is playing very well, he doesn’t get enough credit for the quality of his performances because against Manchester United, against Dortmund, he was in the top three for me.
“You have to give me some credit because I’ve seen that he can play there. I tested him before the season started at the Emirates tournament and I could see that he understands well, he reads the game well.
“After that there is the question mark ‘Can he cope with the physicality of this job?’ because he hasn’t got the biggest frame but game by game, he becomes more aggressive because he understands the game, he can get in front of people.
“Koscielny can be partnered with Monreal now, or with Mertesacker, I don’t rule that out. He can be as well with Chambers, when Debuchy comes back and we have everybody here, we have plenty of potential opportunities.”
So with Debuchy back, Wenger seems happier to stick with the players we have got. But this is Arsenal and the chances of another defender or two getting injured before the end of the season are about 99 percent. The season so far has shown us that and Wenger already admitted it. Let’s hope he does not change his mind now!
It seems that our Manager has the same mindset when he goes shopping in the supermarket .He goes in intending to buy a piece of prime beef and comes out with a bag of peas and no recall of why he went in,in the first place. Please this cannot happen again….
this is usually where somewhere says….relax guys wenger is saying that so he can get a good deal in the market.if people think we arent desperate we can shop at knockdown prices bla bla bla..
and it reads “ARSENE, THANK U 4 THE MEMORIES, BUT IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE” …….get ready wenger, a RevoLution is started!
wenger is misdirecting our attention by comparing to supermarket: the real q to ask is “have we done well in this ‘difficult transfer market’ compared to other teams?” – and there, sadly, we get our real answer.
Which team you are talking about any way?
Except Chelsea, most team having below par transfer market.
We failed to add a top DM yes. But did Man City did better when over-paying for Mangala (40M), Liverpool (Balotelli and a bunch of average), Man Utd (16M loan for a striker who never start).
It is very easy to spot the negative and compare it to the best team out there – who also happen to be way richer and have better chance to win silverware than us (more attractive to players). Trying to put yourself in the manager shoes then see if you can do better – it is not FIFA or FM where players always join when you pay the computer defined market price with your digital money.
Spot on mate!!!I think our transfers have been top top quality and expect that wenger knows what he’s doing.it’s amazing how people rant about the DM or CB or striker position.I say shut the hell up and support the team,there’s still 75points to play for and with key players returning I believe we’ll do better than 4th position.
This article is a rip off. Wenger clearly say he want to get at least one player in. Possibly two, some short term solution for DM if Arteta injury is serious.
What he tried to say is to lower expectation during the Jan market where top quality player is hard to come by, which most managers will agree. Statistically not many players purchased during the JAN windows turning out to be top performers. Jan market is for some short term fix to rescue or improve your chance mid season
Setting the expectation at 1 player is too low. Nothing wrong with this article. Chelsea managed to do just fine last January transfer window without breaking the bank. Of course, they have a manager who knows what he wants and is decisive. We have the exact opposite.
Do you like Costa anf F4, Falcao, CB of world class??? Every body here know it including you and me. However, who pay? Where money? You have any supporter like Abramovich, Moratti, or any arab oil typhoon???? Saying is always easy. Pls try to back our team and manager, pls do not think we are a giant and can buy any players we want .
dude we are desperate and will have to pay over the odds- that is a given; but unfortunately wenger does not want to accept that..if you are going to penny pinch..you obviously won’t get anything! every season it is same old shit- in the summer wait for the last day of the transfer business to bid; and in the winter say there isn’t enough quality around; so when the heck is he going to buy? Makes me mad that fans fail to see through his bullshit year after year. My question is simple- where do we want to go from here- I would like to think “top of PL” (CL is a dream). Then wenger definitely is not the man to take us there. If 4th is all that we want- I say keep him till he cannot walk out of bed and get to the training ground.
OT:guys you have to feel bad for welback sometimes @manu he was played lw which is the position he hate.he hope @arsenal he will play cf but wenger today he said he should get used at playing lw,just put yourself in welback shoes and tell me how would you feel
Welbeck was playing mostly Left-Wing today and he did a very good job
But welback said that he is a cf that why he left manu because he was not given a chance at cf.plus i dont think it fair to have players who know that at arsenal there are players who own positions (giroud)
@Thando
Theo said he wants to be a CF aslo. Ya see where his quick lil azz is playin from though…Lol
@ny gunner do you remember what giroud told theo.he said focus on playing lw whic is what you are good at
People just dont get it that formation nowadays is not rigid as it used to.
During the game, they do show the touches made by Danny Welback and not even 50% of it are from the left. Welback does not hug the byline like at Man Utd at all – no LW in the Arsenal team ever did (Carzola or Ozil all cut inside from there). Even for the goal it is Carzola who attack the LW, while Welback stuck in the central area.
Try to get your fact right before complaining.
If Welbeck was a top class striker,his position would not be in doubt,since he is not,it s more open.
I think Giroud has better sense of positioning than Welb in the middle and Welbeck can use his pace better from the wing.Both of those players are not top class players but with a aquad of sanchex,Walcot,Chambo the goals can be shared.
Anyone who think arsenal can win any trophy with Monreal as CB can wake up now,if Wenger persist with him in this position and does not buy a new CB,he will show he does not care about winning trophies.The results are there to prove it.
Arsenal need A big DM and a good CB,and don t tell winter window blabla,this club is in the top 10 richest club in the world for God sake.Rich at the bank and poor in the trophy room.
Monreal is fourth choice CB so no one, not even Wenger thinks we can win trophies with him as a starter. Wenger thinks he can fill in and that’s where most of us disagree with him. But credit where credit is due, Monreal did play well in mid-week.
Pathetic if you ask me.
A team as Arsenal cannot buy a true CB and must do with a skinny little LB as makeshift.
Welcome to Wenger world inspector Trudeau.
I wonder where you akb gonna be once he leaves
CB is at premium lately. Tell me any high priced CB that perform well this season. Luiz(50M)? Mangala(40M)? Lovren (25M)?
We all complain Merte too slow and need upgrade, and now you want us to rush in and buy a backup CB for him?
Yes we have been talking about that all this while..where were you? Mertsecker cannot be first choice next season. We need a young upcoming CB. Mertsecker can be 2nd/3rd choice at best !
And it will only get worse for him. Once Walcott comes back to to fitness and form then Welbeck might be benched.. Walcott-Sanchez on either side and Giroud upfront might be what Wenger goes for..
Then he has officially lost it.
F*ck your list Wenger, strengthen the areas we’ve needed strengthening for years now. Class is available in Janary, Matic buy proved it.
He said he would bring in at least one more player. The writer just sucks at writing. I’ll comment on every damn gripe if I have to. There’s nothing worse than a writer leaving out facts to try to deceive the reader
He said he would try but is already making excuses as to why he may not be able to before the window opens.
Big difference in him saying he would bring in a player and saying he would try and then giving reasons why he might not…
He said in the summer he will definitely replace Vermalean, and we all saw what happened..I don’t trust him at all !
God knows why we aren’t going for Cech- absolutely world class- but wait..w don’t buy world class- we only buy “also rans” .
For me wenger’s biggest ffailings have been in transfers: 1) Ashley Williams as backup CB (could have replaced mert by now) 2) Gray Cahill (not deemed good enough by Wenger) . Now Cech. A world class guy for 7 million, and we are not in for him. Surely we must be kidding ! Aah how frustrating it is to be an arsenal fan. The “obvious” never happens !
the king of king Thierry wants win the champions league with arsenal one day.We are waiting for
you henry and i dont think so wenger will ever win this trophy so come home make the Arsenal Invincibles again.
I mean, we all love Henry but if you think a guy who has never managed a game before can come lead us to the UCL final, you must be smoking something rotten
i think you did not read my comment i wrote one day its not mean that it will be next season.he is still 37 and after 4-5 years managerial experience he can lead the Arsenal
and one thing more smoking is not good for health otherwise u can ask wilshere.
No! He must be joking. Is he high on some cheap drugs???!!! #gutted#
No. This is bad reporting. Wenger said they will look to bring in at least another player. They just left that part out so that you would start screaming and crying
I honestly don’t think Wenger can afford not to. We finally get Kos back just to see Monreal go out with an injury. Sure debuchy is coming back soon, but Gibbs gave us scare today. And let’s not even mention the DM position. I know buying players is harder then it seems. But if AW doesn’t sign a defender come January, he’s more ludicrous than the word itself.
For a guy who praised monreal as if it his real position is cb,you have to expect that sh*t from him and signing a cb and dm we would be able to rotate players like koz but wenger seem like he enjoys seeing our players getting injuries
Has wenger gone completely mad? Come on! We need a centre back, he must not be foolish and get fabian schar!
Why would Basel sell him, in January? You must not be foolish and think real life is like FIFA 15.
Schär will be a free agent in the summer. Unless Basel wants to lose an extra 10 millions or so, he will be sold.
This article is just pathetic. You took out every quote you wanted that made it seem like Wenger won’t buy…….. Except for when he said this, in the same conference. “In January we will, of course, try to get at least one body in.” Now the idiots will get riled up.
Report honestly, don’t only report what you want us to read
Good on you Mr Pizza.
That quote hardly negates the thrust of the article. We have seen it before. Wenger hates the January window and will do everything possible to do as little as possible this January.
What uwant him to say we desperately need a cb?..or monreal is s**t?…crying for a cb is only gonna inflate the price. ..im sure the old man can see it…he got to…but hey this wenger we talking bout hold up
But welback said that he is a cf that why he left manu because he was not given a chance at cf.plus i dont think it fair to have players who know that at arsenal there are players who own positions (giroud)
Thank you Sunderland.
It’s all well and good beating teams we’re expected to beat, such as West Brom but until we beat the big teams I won’t be satisfied.
@Matt
I’m satisfied with 3 points. No matter where it comes from…
Obviously, its good to get any three points. Doesn’t take away the fact it feels really mediocre though.
OT*
Chelsea look to be showing signs of fatigue. If Sunderland had a more clinical striker they could have put one past them, again.
The really top clubs get they players they want. The pretenders, like Arsenal, are famous for making excuses why they can’t get the top players. It is as simple as this: if you want to be a top club, you have to invest in top players. The top players cost a fortune, but that is the price to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, and the Manchester clubs. If Arsenal are satisfied fighting for 4th place every year, then Wenger’s current system is working. However, if Arsenal want to win the league title or Champions League, a new spending strategy is needed. Is Wenger willing to take the next step? History says, “NO!”
So….chelsea draw and arsenal “supporters said its a good point for them but ur own team win a its nkt good enough..i love y’all gunners best fans every smh
These two games we found our offensive movement look better, from there we can see why the change, cos of the actual players do the no.10 jobs. I just wonder if wilshere is not injured will carzola doing great in these two match?
Yes we win, I am happy we up two places, 4th we come, I still don’t think Wenger can bring us any greatness in the future, anyway from now on only support arsenal but not WENGER who con us 8 mils.
I am not bothered who he buys or what he does.
If he fails to buy a defender and we have as disastrous a second half to the season as we did in the first then he is gone – he cannot arrogantly shrug off the anger of the fans, they keep the club going not some prehistoric, clueless fossil.
Wenger must see the end coming now, surely….
And no shock that three more players have injuries, hope they’re all okay for Wednesday it just typifies my point further that our players are either delicate little flowers or our medical team, training, warm ups, cool downs are simply wrong.
clearly something is wrong- how come matic does not get injured?
Fabregas in a chelsea shirt is still not out for 3-4 months? Hazard does not miss half of the season ..but none of our players seem to play for 5-6 months at a stretch..something must be seriously “wrong” and it happens season after season!
Now at least got 7 teams battle for the 4th, is getting harder nowadays.
I understand we’ll be bringing at least one player. I think we should sign a DM and a CB, the DM has to be top class or at least strong and not one who commits stupid decisions. I really have no idea who we could bring on. Of course there have been many suggestions, but I see this one a very complex, very thoughtful move.
As for the CB van Dijk and Vlaar seem like good options, but if we managed to get a top notch like Hummels (I know lads, just a dream), would be nice.
However knowing Wenger, I reckon he’ll make ONE signing. Which one do you prioritize? I want to hear fellow gunners’ opinions.
One signing, if it is the right signing, is all we need in January — assuming the injury situation gets better. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of Javier Mascherano types who are world class at DM and more than adequate at CB but here’s hoping that Wenger moves heaven and earth to find one.
Wenger is right…dont need any signings!
Lets secure the Financial Fair Play League Cup first and than worry about any other trophies! COYW
I think the boss himself has heard our voices. We ‘ve spoken and made known our problems to him. Let us stop agitating for a CB and a DM for now. Because it is not a matter that can immediately be solved until January comes. Let’s offer him our advice on how he will win our home game with Southampton on Wednesday. And move on to win at Stoke City on Saturday and then move to Galatasaray to win there on Tuesday. 3 though games within 10 days are not going to be easy for the Gunners to win. But they will find a way round them to win all.
Yet more nonsense being trollied out by Wenger. We had the premier league winner sitting on our doorstep wanting to be let in… and Wenger goes and sells him to a league rival! It is not difficult Mr Wenger, you just have to use a bit of COMMON SENSE!
We are definitely not out of the woods yet, we won today, but worryingly we were on the ropes for the last 10 minutes, against West Brom, who, no disrespect, aren’t the toughest nut in the barrel, so there is no room for complacency in Wenger’s mind.
I saw the Man Utd match as a 6 pointer – will we win at Old Trafford? They are rivals for 4th place at the moment, there was no room for a mess up at the Emirates, handing them 3 points they didn’t deserve, which is why Arsenal fans were so upset about the result. For me, that game embodies all that is wrong about Wenger, and it will take more than a 0-1 victory at West Brom, however welcome, to overcome that.
You better start working at the problems in defence Mr Wenger, because the strength of the defence and your support from the fans is far from concrete at the moment, and if you start coming out with your old nonsense, it won’t go down well. Our defense needs reinforcing now, as you failed to do it, in actual fact you weakened it, during summer.
I don’t understand why people are saying Wenger will be gone if the second half of the season is as bad as the first. Others are saying a revolution is coming or Wenger out etc.
Wenger’s job is secure for 2 and half more seasons. Even if we finish outside of the top 4 Wenger will be our manager next season.
And Wenger will not resign. Remember, Usmanov only has 30% shares in Arsenal. It means he is 30% owner. If Wenger is on good terms with Kroneke and Arsenal are doing well financially and we are somewhere in the top half then Kroneke is happy enough.
Accept it. Wenger is NOT leaving anytime soon.
Correct. His job is secure. Wenger is not going anywhere.