Arsenal 2016-17: Get Ready For A Xhak-attack
- Thread starter sachmoney
- Start date
I didn't know Lacazette had a release clause. With the way transfer prices have gone, that seems like a no brainer
As long as Lacazette agrees to terms, yes. Lyon could get him to sign another contract to up his wages and the release, but they've done that as recently as last summer and the negotiations went poorly. I doubt the club (Much less Lacazette's agent) are interested in that.
If Wenger can actually close this deal, I'd much rather they go with finding another CB, over Mahrez.
I don't think that is actually a release clause, understood as a section of the contract specifying that bids above a specific amount must be accepted by the club if the player wants to leave. The story says "It is also understood that Lyon are demanding a fee of €40 million – but even then it appears to be an initial indication to open talks rather than a set fee."
I have no idea why you would have that in a contract and it may just be bullshit altogether.
By you, do you mean the club or player? I can very easily understand why players would like release clauses.
I mean a clause that isn't a release clause but which says that at a certain level the club will start negotiating, as the story suggests (accurately or not I have no idea) is the case with Lacazette.
I can definitely understand why a player would want a real release clause.
They pick up like 1 person per window and have for like 5 years when they constantly need 4-5 people. Stop being deliberately obtuse.
Well, getting Jack Wilshere back from injury every year is like a new signing - right?
I think it's more like 2-3.. Maybe not now given the side they have now with Mertesaker and koscielny out.. But it is weird how Arsene refuses to buy a striker or a defensive mid or an established defender. Instead he expects Ramsey and wilshire to be healthy every year.. But beyond that also hopes to play them in an already clogged midfield with players they don't really mesh with
Mertesacker is supposedly gonna be gone til Xmas and their solution is Coquelin is training as a CB now.
This is the kind of shit that makes you wanna go (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
This is the kind of shit that makes you wanna go (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
So if I have this right, Arsenal's main transfer-related news of the past seven days consisted of:
a) Gazidis saying stuff like "We have to be very careful, very selective about how we do things - we can’t afford to outgun competitors that have far more money to splurge on transfer fees than we do", even though Arsenal has more money in the bank than any football club in the known universe;
b) Wenger complaining that Premier League transfer fees out there are "scary"; and
c) Arsenal actually bidding for a player in a position of need (Lacazette), but trying to bid as little as they can get away with and only slowly inching upwards at a rate that might secure the transfer by the middle of October.
You literally cannot make it up...because it's fundamentally the same script we hear every year, and there's nothing to make up.
(Full disclosure: I liked the Xhaka purchase. Just two more on that scale and Arsenal should be in good shape...c'mon, Arsene, you can actually do this if you want to.)
a) Gazidis saying stuff like "We have to be very careful, very selective about how we do things - we can’t afford to outgun competitors that have far more money to splurge on transfer fees than we do", even though Arsenal has more money in the bank than any football club in the known universe;
b) Wenger complaining that Premier League transfer fees out there are "scary"; and
c) Arsenal actually bidding for a player in a position of need (Lacazette), but trying to bid as little as they can get away with and only slowly inching upwards at a rate that might secure the transfer by the middle of October.
You literally cannot make it up...because it's fundamentally the same script we hear every year, and there's nothing to make up.
(Full disclosure: I liked the Xhaka purchase. Just two more on that scale and Arsenal should be in good shape...c'mon, Arsene, you can actually do this if you want to.)
Its only preseason but I am really impressed by Holding so far. He is composed on the ball, anticipates the game well, and is pretty athletic. Wenger seems to be giving him some real consideration, playing him the full 90 in both matches so far. I still think we buy a more experienced CB to pair with Koscielny but I would not be surprised if Holding is already ahead of Chambers in Wenger's mind and jumps ahead of Gabriel before too long as well.
He'll probably start opening match day and give up an own goal.
I cannot remember feeling less excited for an Arsenal season but the whole thing feels stale. Stale team composition, stale tactics, stale ideas.
Does anyone think this team could actually win the title? Most of the predictions I see don't even have them finishing top 4.
I cannot remember feeling less excited for an Arsenal season but the whole thing feels stale. Stale team composition, stale tactics, stale ideas.
Does anyone think this team could actually win the title? Most of the predictions I see don't even have them finishing top 4.
To be fair, it wouldn't be like you to be optimistic about the team, the season, or much of anything.
That said, I agree. Arsenal always seem to do the bare minimum to remain competitive, and this season, that might backfire. Leicester have set a precedent, and I think many a team will feel they can make top 4 this year. Competitors would appear to include City, United, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool, and West Ham, Leicester, maybe even Stoke, Southampton or Everton could conceivably enter the equation.
I hate to say Arsenal needs to spend more to keep up with the top teams, but really, why don't they? It was one thing when they were financing their stadium, but it's built now, usually near capacity, and they can afford to spend more. Everyone else is. They need decent cover at CB and striker, perhaps elsewhere. But every season, it goes the same way-- low-balling or refusing to bid on top players, thin cover, injuries and resetting expectations. Arsene is intelligent, but so stubborn.
So, let's hope for 7th, and be pleasantly surprised.
I have no clue who they will be but I am actually pretty confident that we will add two more fairly high level players this window, one in defense and one in attack. This year feels a lot different than last year, when we were chasing after Benzema and Wenger was repeatedly saying that he would only sign players who had the quality to improve us. He has pretty much come out and said we need an attacker to help us score goals and, with the BFG injured, an experienced defender. And we are linked heavily with Lacazette, Icardi, Mahrez, Draxler, and Mustafi right now, all of whom are about our level. We have already added Xhaka, who I think will be a massive player for us.
I think 5-6 clubs could realistically win the title this year and that, with two realistic signings (say Lacazette and Mustafi), we will be right in the mix. I wouldn't make us favorites (which are probably City and United) but we'd have a chance with the right mix of luck, health, and players hitting form together, which is what every club will need.
I'll be the one to say that if Per hadn't gotten hurt, it's likely his age-related downward trend would have continued or accelerated, and Holding would end up getting most first-team run by the end of the year anyways. I'm bullish on him - they need to add a solid rotational CB, but if they get elite up front the rest of the team is stacked enough that they don't need it to be an A-lister.
You still buy this Julian Draxler hogwash?
That guy is the new Kalou. Linked with him every window and never happens. Except Draxler is actually good.
That guy is the new Kalou. Linked with him every window and never happens. Except Draxler is actually good.
No, I doubt we will buy him. But I'm pretty confident we'll buy somebody pretty decent in attack, as well as at least one more defender. That is the point.
LOL city. Also reported: JimBoSox9 wants to make bid for Taylor Swift of Real Universal.
Have Arsenal lost ground thus far in terms of retooling? I know there's some time left before the window closes. At the moment i'd put them 4th of the neo traditional big four.
How good can Serge Gnabry actually be? He looks great in the Olympics against not great competition.
If all your rivals get better and you basically tread water, yeah you've likely lost ground.
Word is Xhaka isn't even in the starting lineup. Solid summer Arsene.
To my untrained eyes, Chambers is an absolutely terrible decision maker. I need help to understand what Wenger sees in him.
Because the team still churns out a massive profit every year, the board of directors is all business people and no football people and our owner is possibly the worst owner in sports. All of his teams are mediocre or worse and not nary a one of em have sniffed a title since... ever? I don't think he bought control of the Rams until well after the Best Show on Turf. He bought in to the Divealanche right as they won their last Cup. Nuggets are garbage and always have been.
Wenger is finished as an elite manager, has been for a long time, but the problems start at the top with Con Man Stan.
I fully understand the criticism of the board & ownership, I partially understand the criticism of Wenger but I have yet to hear a decent explanation as to why Steve Bould still has a job.
For the last 4 years he's had a seat next to Wenger and whenever the tv has a picture of the bench he's just sitting there looking lost. I know what he's supposed to do but does anyone know what he actually does do? He's the assistant manager & yet seems to have such little input into what happens during a match.
A waste of a prime seat, I think the club would get more out of it by selling it to some punter who's got more money than sense (plenty of them at the Emirates) or maybe fill it with someone that actually contributes something to the team? What a shocking thought.
For the last 4 years he's had a seat next to Wenger and whenever the tv has a picture of the bench he's just sitting there looking lost. I know what he's supposed to do but does anyone know what he actually does do? He's the assistant manager & yet seems to have such little input into what happens during a match.
A waste of a prime seat, I think the club would get more out of it by selling it to some punter who's got more money than sense (plenty of them at the Emirates) or maybe fill it with someone that actually contributes something to the team? What a shocking thought.
Because it would be up to Wenger to replace him and Steve Bould doesn't question Wenger's tactical naivety.
Wenger runs this entire operation on the football side so any on-the-field complaints, from coaching (the fact that we haven't developed a keeper since Jens) to tactics (the fact that our D leaks like a sieve)... its all up to Arsene. If he thought Bould was doing a bad job, as director of footbal HE'D REPLACE BOULD.
But he doesn't. So Steve sits there doing fuck all.
Well, that was a total shambles. Wenger left his team completely unprepared for the season. Kos, Ozil, Giroud being out and the BFG/Gab getting injured aren't his fault. But he knew about the former the whole summer and had three weeks since the Mertesacker injury to get in a replacement.
Meanwhile, Wenger is still nickel and diming Valencia for Mustafi. While we probably get him eventually, it seems unlikely that he'll arrive in time for the Leicester game.
Meanwhile, Wenger is still nickel and diming Valencia for Mustafi. While we probably get him eventually, it seems unlikely that he'll arrive in time for the Leicester game.
Arsenal has won one of their last 7 opening matches. I believe the last four have been: allowing 4 goals to Liverpool at home yesterday; losing 2-0 at home to West Ham last year; then the only victory in tne last 7, falling behind Crystal Palace in the first half before pulling it out with an injury time goal; and losing 3-1 at home to Aston Villa in 2013.
Seems like they are never ready to start the season, just another way that every season seems like a rerun of all the other recent ones.
Next week they are at Leicester, so one or both of last season's top 2 are probably going to be 5 or 6 points behind the Manchesters and other contenders only 2 games into the season.
Seems like they are never ready to start the season, just another way that every season seems like a rerun of all the other recent ones.
Next week they are at Leicester, so one or both of last season's top 2 are probably going to be 5 or 6 points behind the Manchesters and other contenders only 2 games into the season.
This really is one of the most pointless discussions about sports in the history of pointless discussions about sports.