There have been some Arsenal transfer rumours recently that have suggested that the Arsenal and England under 21 star Calum Chambers could be set to join Premier League club Watford, probably on loan, due to his lack of playing opportunities in the Arsenal first team.
There is no doubt that the former Southampton star is firmly behind Hector Bellerin for the fight back role, but Chambers is a much more versatile sort of player and it is already looking like centre back will become his best position. And in that position things are much less clear cut for Arsenal.
The Brazil international Gabriel was brought in to strengthen the Gunners in that area and despite some good showings and some encouraging performances, the former Villarreal man has not yet proven he can be a top Premier League player. So that leaves us with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker and while the Frenchman seems to be getting better with age like a good red wine, the German is not and his struggles to cope appear to be getting harder.
In a Sky Sports report Arsene Wenger was talking about the way that defences and offences have changed and are still changing and with an increasing importance being placed on pace, was the boss admitting that the lack of pace our German giant possesses is becoming a real problem?
Wenger said, “”Football progresses always. The offence creates a new problem, the defence responds. What has happened in the last 10 years is that the strikers have become quicker and quicker.
“What’s happened? The defence have responded by creating quicker and quicker defenders.”
Well a lot of them may have but with Mertesacker at the heart of the Arsenal defence you cannot say that we are blessed with pace. In fact he must be one of the slowest and least agile centre backs in the EPL. Our BFG has always been able to compensate for this with his other attributes but as pace becomes king, how long can Arsenal stick with Mertesacker?
And if our manager is thinking this way, are we set to see the end of the German as a first choice Gunner? Would that leave a place open for Chambers or do Arsenal need some transfer action to sort this problem, out?
Is Mertesacker still here? ?
We best keep hold of Chambers or at least wait and see if Wenger signs another CB, before loaning him out.
I reckon that we will see a big impovement in Gabriel, next season (2016/17)
No, no, don’t worry folk’s! Wenger is waiting for Vardinho
( to think about, signing for us ) … ffs!
TOTTENHAM are closing in on a £12million deal to sign AZ Alkmaar sensation Vincent Janssen, according to The Mirror, Tottenham are set to beat their rivals to his signature.
The report claims Spurs have been in talks with the 21-year-old and both clubs have agreed a fee.
Janssen was reportedly in London this week with his agents to discuss a move to White Hart Lane with Tottenham understood to be his preferred club.
Leicester won the title with 2 really slow centre backs. Mertesackers problem at arsenal is because we defend with a high line, due to our possession mainly being in the opposition half and them defending deep.
If wenger is thinking of changing tactics with long ball passing from deep and defending deeper then per will cope admirably.
Personally I want to see players with different skills in our squad and I think our current midfield options have exactly that. Coquelin, hayden, elneny, xhaka, cazorla, ramsey, wilshire, ozil, iwobi. I personally would add toral to that group and for £20m if kante can be persuaded to join, then we should not let someone else get him. The likes of cazorla, ramsey, wilshire, ozil and iwobi can always play wider if necessary. Allowing the full backs to be more like wing backs. Let’s face it none of current “wingers” are actually wingers Anyway alexis, walcott, chamberlain, Campbell, gnabry and wellington all prefer to cut inside and even when Welbeck plays there he does too. Even the ones we are being linked with mahrez and mkhitaran are similar.
So after drifting of slightly what I am saying is perhaps wenger is planning to finally bring in a plan b? The loaning of chambers to Watford, will give him a different experience as well as much needed game time. Mertesacker can still be valuable to us, if we are the team with less possession, forced to defend deep and under pressure from set pieces. Chambers will be learning exactly that at Watford, ready to take over from Mertesacker next year.
However, should any team come in for Mertesacker with a £6m+ offer, I would accept it.
@ atid
Nice one mate ?
But if you really believe that Wenger will change his style of play, then you too, are suffering from Wengeritis! ??
Honestly, think about it, after all these years, of wenger sticking to his stubborn ways and belief’s, Wouldn’t a change in his style of play, contradict his last decade of work?
Are you suggesting that the way Leicester won the league, will convert wenger into playing the same tactics?
I honestly find that hard to swallow, even if that was the case, then that would suggest to me that Wenger is a bigger loser than I possibly thought that he could be! ?
Nah, Surely it’s impossible for Wenger to change his spots!
If there’s one thing! That he has been Consistent with, in his time at Arsenal and that’s his Stubborn ass ways! ?
Its funny how a wanna be Vardinho signing! Would make fan’s believe that Wenger will change his style of play!
It’s already been suggested that this player, (if signed) will be played, mainly on the LW!!! Which would also imply that he wouldn’t be a guaranteed starter!
Maybe it was the signing of Xhaka as well, that suggested a change of style?
Alll that suggested to me, was that Wenger has strengthened the depth of our squad, with quality!
So that we have decent cover, when injuries occur.
Apologies for the long comment. ?
Wenger didn’t even mention Mert..
If he knows that, then why was Mert our first choice all these years????
Wenger contradicts himself sometimes…..
Sometimes? ? More like 90% of time! .. His as bad as some of the Gooner’s! On here! ??
He wants to sign old man Vardinho, yet stated that the player won’t be a starter for England, because he lacks experience at that level ? Oh… Wtf! ? Wengerrrrrrr!! ?
Hurry up! Go grab Jansenn from those spuds clutches! ?
International football is not PL football, same way as CL football is a different experience from prem.
And isn’t the premier league, said to be, the most challenging in the world of football?
There’s champions league and world cup winners that wouldn’t be able to hack the premier league!
There are certain WC players that are too scared of being exposed, with the demands of the prem, that’s why you will never see them ply their trade here.
Hasn’t Vardinho scored for England, yet? ? Yes!
Which takes us back to Wenger’s statement! ?
Exactly!
The PL is the most competitive in the world. It’s a very open game, one end to the next. This is good for strikers. In other countries you face different styles, different refereeing, even different rules. International football falls into this category too. Look how long it took city to adapt to European football, but we all knew this already, we regularly hear, how the English teams are naive when facing counterparts. Lacking experience isn’t a big deal. it just means that someone is new to it, and it may take some time getting used to it. Everybody is inexperienced with everything at one point. Some people adapt and learn quicker than others. I wouldn’t read too much into the friendlies, but they are a learning curve, and Vardy has shown he is not far from the starting spot. Maybe he’ll start, maybe Kane will start, or Vardy could get the wing position. Whatever way you look at it, it was only a mention on experience, seeing as Vardy is new to the England set up, it all seems pretty logical to me.
Yes, I agree with you that PL is the most challenging league, but International football is different.
From the mental point of view you are bringing in players from different club to play against their own team mates who you are train and play with for 10 months a year.
On the other hand PL is a long league it runs through for 10 months while Euro cup is for 6 weeks. you need to adjust to the training and the tactical swtich which can only be done when you have experience at that level.
Also in PL if you lose one game you can always come back to win the league but Euro if you lose one game the pressure is 100 times more. One Yellow card will make your team mates sweat and curse you. The referees have different tolerance levels. You have to get used to being subed or not playing. Of all the things you are playing after a long season.
So Wenger has a point. I am not sure if Vardy is the right striker for us, he did show us that he is fast and has a good instinct infront of the goal. But at 29 I guess he might not be able to show that kind of form again. But I have been wrong before.
I could like to see an South American Forward. Look at the best forwars around Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Huigan, Costa (he is Brazilian), Cavani, Di Maria, Aguero, Tevez. I think you get the pattern. They have a natural football talent and have the lower middle class aggression to be a better forwards. We for sure will need a forward with an instinct in front of the goal.
Especially with Ozil who is a weak goal scorer (but a assist King) as number 10 we will need one for sure. Alternate would be to use Ramsey at number 10 who suits better up the pitch since he is weaklink while defending in the middle (example Toure Goal in Emirates this season, he looked bored while defending allowing Toure to shoot for the goal). Regarding Met I guess we will need an upgrade on him for sure I hope Gabriel can step up this season. Kol is also getting older as season pass by, we will need atleast 2 new CB’s of different experience level as cover for this season and an eye for the future.
Fatboy…
Am beginning to get lose interest in the Vardy deal as it is embarrassing to Arsenal…
Now,I won’t even entertain any potential targets anymore,will just try to be patient and see what happens…
Couldn’t choose between “get fed up” and “lose interest”…am I suffering from Wengeritis???????
Yep! … You sure is mate and that ? last for 20 odd years! … Goodluck with finding a cure! ?
Mertesacker is the least of our worries imo,walcott must be sold and a new RW bought with iwobi as back up BUT most important of all as we all no is a STRIKER! Vardy is the man in my opinion people are only put off because he’s English and 29 ! Watch his goals from last season so many fox in the box goals mixed in with darting runs in behind .although he scored 5 penalties he won everyone of them . People say he won’t suit are style because we pass the ball to death ! Has anyone ever thought that just maybe we do that because we have know one to make the runs like he does.ozil will really peak with vardy in front of him,we must sign him ?.hes everything walcott should of been but his first touch and technical ability has not changed from when he was 16
Id say he’s probably one of the least agile CBs in Europe, maybe even the world. The man goes to ground like a twin tower. Getting back up again is like watching an oak tree grow.
You could have said:
” The man goes to ground, like a sack of ??”
Why use the twin towers? … That’s not nice man.
And Mertesacker is an Oak tree…. a BFG one! ?
Grow up.
To me it is kind of funny that Wenger would make comments like that. The PL is evolving to faster and fast strikers and defenses respond by quicker and quicker defenders, yet we managed to hold on to Giroud and Mert, both slower then Wenger himself.
You got to appreciate that.