It has been a funny old season so far, and we have seen many of Arsenal’s long term players move away from the club. Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Giroud, Szczesny, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Akpom and even Yaya Sanogo have all moved on to pastures new. There are four of our old British Core on that list, and we have yet to confirm that Jack Wilshere will still be a Gunner next season…
But when you look at the Top Six from last season, we have sold (or swapped) Alexis Sanchez to Man United; The Ox has gone to Liverpool; Olivier Giroud has gone to Chelsea, and now Theo Walcott has joined Everton. The only reason we didn’t do business with Man City is because we couldn’t secure Lemar from Monaco on deadline day in the summer..
Once upon a time, when Wenger did business with his old mate Alex Ferguson and handed the Scotsman his last Man United Premier League title by selling him Robin van Persie, I seem to remember Wenger saying we would never sell to a direct rival ever again, well that has been blown out of the water this season. The Ox has improved quickly in his time under Klopp, Alexis could make United into a formidable side and they could even go far in the Champions League with a motivated Alexis firing on all cylinders. Olivier Giroud will continue to be a supersub at Chelsea and with the service he will get he will probably improve his scoring record, and we have the unpleasant prospect of Theo Walcott scoring against us this weekend with Everton.
Is it any wonder we are dropping away from the Top Four if we keep strengthening our rivals?
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These are players we in justarsenal deemed not good enough for us and can not make first 11 of most of the top 6 clubs in epl bar Alexis. If that statement is true, i don’t see how we are helping them.
– Sanchez: Could struggle with Mourinho’s system, because Mourinho’s MU like to play more physically and Sanchez is not a speed demon nor a physical monster like Pogba, Matic, Bailly, Ibrahimovic, Lukaku, Fellaini, Rashford, Martial, Lingard, Valencia and Young. He is more suitable for Guardiola’s team, so I’m glad he chose MU.
– Chamberlain: Arsenal have strengthen Liverpool with his pace, tenacity, drive, physicality and dribble skills.
– Giroud: Good for scoring from set-pieces with his aerial strength, when Chelsea is clueless, but that’s all he can do.
– Walcott: His pace and shooting accuracy are scary, but that’s all he can do. He would get marked easily by good defenders.
Nah wenger wanted to sell a full xi of players.
Sczesny
jenkinson debuchy gabriel gibbs
Coquelin chamberlain
Walcott toral sanchez
Giroud
If the team you just posted in your comment was put out by Arsenal for any game, we would have slammed them for being idiots. Except Sanchez, none of them were first team starters.
I understand that they were plan B but it is sad that we are concerned about plan B. We should be concerned that our plan A does not work.
And i think we have improved that at least in offense. Also remember, we have quite a few awesome talent in-house in terms of youngsters who will be waiting in line to make their mark.
Very excited to see them play with the new front line of Auba, Laca, Mikhi and Ozil.
I do think thought that our summer priorities MUST be a world class goal keeper, central defender and, if possible, a tenacious holding midfielder.
Apparently auba is no longer world class since joining arsenal. Now he’s just a walcott 2.0 if the blogs are to be believed. No one is really seeing how scary our front four is. The only ‘weak link’ is defensive midfield although i’m still of the opinion that ainsley maitland niles is the best option we got.
He would be a much taller and faster Walcott if Arsenal do not play with explosive wingers (like what he had in Dortmund), because he likes to run behind the defender. His crazy pace would also be useless if Arsenal do not play with a more direct approach (like Atletico Madrid’s and Leicester City’s 4-4-1-1).
Exactly gotanidea, Dortmund use pace to get down the flanks and get balls into the box. When did you last see any decent crosses or cut backs into the box from us? Yes, it was Walcott.
Chamberlain used to do that, but he is inconsistent like Walcott. Walcott usually cannot beat his markers, maybe due to Arsenal’s playing style under Wenger.
Look at this excellent video analysis on Aubameyang (youtube.com/watch?v=icwUOzVF1j8). He needs good crosses and direct through balls, otherwise he could end up like Walcott and Lacazette.
Only the sale of the Ox could rebound on Arsenal but given our poor form away from home the prospects of our making the top four is distinctly remote.As a result of signing average players like Mustafi,xhaka and Kolasinac we are in real danger of becoming a mid table outfit.
I don’t want to live in a world where we cannot sell players to so called rival clubs. I don’t care who we sell any of our players to. As long as they have given us a good few years then they can go where the hell they like.
I’d far rather we concentrate on our own performance as a team tbh.
We seem to have done our very best to help all the bottom clubs as well judging by our away performances against them this season
Anyone know what happened to our Greek defender Mavropanos? I don’t think hes been loaned, but hes not training with 1st team.
Probably gone missing-seems to happen with our defenders
This whole nonsense of worrying if we sell our unwanted players to our Prem rivals, is just that, nonsense. Top clubs will ALWAYS ATTRACT TOP PLAYERS and from the world over. So what does it matter if our own unwanted players go to our rivals? Bring it on say I . I just wish the abysmal Walcott could have gone to a top rival and ruined them too, BUT unlike Wenger, their managers have more sense than to want a timid, lazy, mostly injured WEED. A Weed that we indulged for twelve useless years. However, due to lack of club ambition AND him being a mercenary, we lost Sanchez and acted far too hastily in getting rid of the , now grown up at last, Szczesny. There are still loads of sub-par players left to move on; Iwobi, Xhaka, Elneny, Bellerin, Welbeck, Mustafi, Holding, Chambers and Cech left to sell. Ramsey is marginal and I would not worry if he left. Barring Cech, at the time, none of these should EVER have been brought in.
Hi Jon
Just had to read your Walcott comments to the wife as she detested him and could never understand how he was ever a professional footballer let alone at Arsenal.She had a saying”He’s got all the gear and no idea”.Pretty much summed up Walcott and the Manager who picked him.She loved your post and I’m sure it’s got her fired up to let WEEDY WALCOTT have it large tomorrow