570 replies to this topic

[SoxFanInCali]

I'm sure it sucks that he's leaving, but £24 million for a guy that has 1 year left on his deal and had no intention of staying beyond that is pretty good.

[Spacemans Bong]

It does suck but yeah, considering Juve were trying to low-ball us, I was getting concerned he might go for Steven Fletcher money.

I wouldn't be sad to see the back of Song either...clear out all the moaners from the Youth Generation, get a nice whack of money on a guy I think is pretty overvalued anyway (Song will be the new Nuri Sahin) and go out and get some more guys. I'm not sure what Wenger's thinking is on a new striker (though pretty much everybody has turned their eyes towards the Basque Country) but I'm pretty sure Song only goes if Sahin or M'Vila is lined up.

Edited by Spacemans Bong, 15 August 2012 - 02:08 PM.

[mikeford]

@YoungGunsBlog
So there you go. Wenger confirms Arsenal won't buy another striker. As expected. Not looking like he'll spend the RVP cash.


Great news for Silent Stan's wallet.


I hate everything.

[teddykgb]

Couldn't you argue that he pre-spent it on Podolski and Giroud? I understand that this is a pretty tough day for you Gunners, but the Arsenal team left behind is a pretty strong one, probably stronger than last season's. If anything it's sort of good (for you) to see that Wenger learned his lesson and didn't hold on to the player too long to replace him, and even went out and replaced him before selling while still extracting top dollar. Given his public declaration, aside from destination, this worked out as well as it could have, didn't it?

[TomRicardo]

Couldn't you argue that he pre-spent it on Podolski and Giroud? I understand that this is a pretty tough day for you Gunners, but the Arsenal team left behind is a pretty strong one, probably stronger than last season's. If anything it's sort of good (for you) to see that Wenger learned his lesson and didn't hold on to the player too long to replace him, and even went out and replaced him before selling while still extracting top dollar. Given his public declaration, aside from destination, this worked out as well as it could have, didn't it?

Selling him out of England would have been preferred, or you know, trying before they had already burned all their bridges. This team is infuriating to follow on a front office level.

[Zomp]

I agree with Teddy. Even without RVP Arsenal is in a much better position than last year.

[mikeford]

Gazidis and Silent Stan have to go. We won't win anything under their regime.

[Terras]

Finances aside, I'm sad to see him go. I'm a recent soccer convert and was lured to Arsenal's side enchanted by the likes of RvP, Cesc, Arsharvin, even Ratboy Nasri. Now 3 of the 4 are gone with Andrei right behind them. The team will get on well, no doubt, but it sucks nonetheless.

[SidelineCameras]

Gazidis and Silent Stan have to go. We won't win anything under their regime.

That would be great but it's just not going to happen. If I remember my RMPS correctly, you converted from the Bruins to the Devils because of the pre-lockout Jacobs regime. That's the closest equivalent I can think of to current Arsenal - spending enough to keep people interested, staying in the top quarter of the league without ever seriously challenging for a title, hell even comparing the Bruins playoff streak to the Gunners continuously making the Champions League, but stopping short of going all-out to put the team over the top.

[sachmoney]

Yeah, Arsenal IS a stronger side, so I'm not really upset at all. It's not like we didn't get a good fee for him as well. We got a great fee. It was great business, given his age, injury history, and contract status. The United link has been public for some time. It's not really surprising that he went there, especially when all the other suitors pulled out.

The big question is what now? Is Arsenal going to spend more money to sure up the squad? Are there others headed out the door (Song)? What is the plan of action? It's really the backlash from this that I'm really concerned with. Losing a player like Song in addition to Van Persie would hurt. Would that mean Arsenal brings in M'Vila now?

Vermaelen played 90 for Belgium. Giroud played 75 for France. That's good for match fitness. Cazorla starts for Spain, whose game is about to start out in Puerto Rico. if you want to check that out, it's on ESPN 3. Spanish feed only though.

[Spacemans Bong]

I would trust a dude who writes for a free tabloid's sources about as far as I could throw them.

It's not like we're bereft of strikers either, but I don't think Wenger is done buying.

[mikeford]

I would trust a dude who writes for a free tabloid's sources about as far as I could throw them.

It's not like we're bereft of strikers either, but I don't think Wenger is done buying.

Jamie is very rarely wrong about these things.

[sachmoney]

International update:
Vermaelen played 90
Giroud played 75
Cazorla played 90
Arshavin played 31
Djourou played 90
Ramsey played 90

Assuming the players who missed these friendlies due to "injury" are healthy, I expect the following to be the line up on Saturday v Sunderland (unless Song leaves before then):

Pretty decent side, if I may say so myself.

[Lukiewerle]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/19179833

A few interesting tidbits:

It is understood Arsenal were willing to make Van Persie their highest paid player ever, but never actually offered him a new contract.

It is understood Van Persie was encouraged by the arrivals of Germany forward Lukas Podolski, France striker Olivier Giroudand Spain midfielder Cazorla - to the point where he was open to the idea of staying with or without a new contract.

But Wenger pulled him aside shortly before Sunday's friendly victory over Cologne, told him he would be sold if a deal could be reached and informed the Dutchman he was no longer part of his plans.

[ElUno20]

Lmao. How awesome is that.

[Spacemans Bong]

From Amy Lawrence (by far the most reliable journalist on the Arse), RVP's demands in that pre-Euros meeting were pretty bonkers and Arsenal felt they had to move on without him.

[mikeford]

Sounds like Song is out the door as well.

Solid week.

[sachmoney]

Yeah, it looks like Song is out as well:

The likelihood of Alex Song following Robin van Persie out the exit gates ofArsenal's Hertfordshire headquarters has strengthened as Arsène Wengeradmitted that the Cameroonian's future is on the line. Asked on Friday morning whether Song's departure, and more signings, could be on the cards, Wenger responded: "Both can happen."

Again, I feel like Arsenal have all the leverage in this. Song has three years left on his contract, so they can set the asking price at whatever they want. I would probably want somewhere in between £17.5-22.5 million. Since Barca is the probable buyer, I'd probably accept around £15 million if Tello is included. Or Messi.

If Song is truly causing trouble, I don't mind seeing him go. As much as I love him on the field, I see him as a Nasri type that isn't an indispensable player. The bigger issue is that this wasn't expected like the Van Persie transfer was. Arsene will have to move to replace him and it will disrupt the squad somewhat in the early going. Coquelin isn't as physically imposing, and I don't know how comfortable I am with Diaby starting against Stoke and Sunderland where broken legs are celebrated. I just hope Arsene has everything done by the Liverpool game.

If Song does not play tomorrow, I expect Diaby to start in his place. Apparently, Koscielny and Oxlade-Chamberlain are out, so we'll probably see BFG partnering with Vermaelen. I hope that Cazorla and Walcott are available to start. Glad to hear that Arteta is confirmed to play. This is my worst case line up:

Despite his errors in the last preseason game, Gervinho probably has been one of the better players coming into the season. I don't feel bad about playing him at all, since he might have even earned the start. The big concern with this line up would be playing Coquelin and Yennaris at the same time. If Cazorla is available to play, then I'd slot Diaby back at the holding role. Playing too many inexperienced players in defensive positions worries me some. Gibbs isn't the best defender either. It's a big ask for Verm and BFG. Poldi and Giroud should be good to fucking go.

With all the departures, Arsenal has given the #10 shirt to Luk...wait...to Jack Wilshere:

"It's such an honour for me,” he told Arsenal.com. “Getting the No 10 shirt again at the Club means so much to me as I wore it all through the youth teams at Arsenal.

“It has a special place for all attacking or creative players. I feel proud to wear it now after some real Club legends have worn it, such as Dennis Bergkamp.


“Now I am even more excited about returning to action and honouring the shirt.”

I don't know how I feel about giving the shirt to a player who might not make it back on the pitch again, but if he does return, it's the right choice. Podolski is going to get Park's #9. I don't know what number Santi got Jack's #19. They're just numbers, right?

Finally, the new captain (and sure to transfer next Summer!) is Thomas Vermaelen:

"It makes me really happy and proud to be Arsenal captain - it's a real honour," the Belgian says in his programme notes for Saturday's match with Sunderland.

"I won't change the way I am, though. The boss makes you captain because of the way you are, so I won’t change how I am in the dressing room or outside. I want to lead by example, and do as well as I can on the pitch.

"Maybe I am not much of a talker away from the pitch, but I want to lead the team through the way I play."
Vermaelen, who skippered previous club Ajax as well as the Belgian national team on occasion, said he enjoys the responsibility of captaincy, and paid tribute to his predecessor.

"Every captain is different, everyone has his own personality and does it in his own way," he said. "Robin did it really well last year, and of course what he did on the pitch was great as well.
"But away from that he did a lot of team building, making sure the team was a real team, and I want to do things like that as well."

The right choice, IMO. It was between Arteta and Vermaelen, but Vermaelen has been with the club longer. He's a vocal on the pitch. I don't know. It would have been an easy choice for me. I had him earmarked as a future captain a while ago, but I didn't expect him to get it under these circumstances. He is certainly worthy.

Edited by sachmoney, 17 August 2012 - 12:36 PM.

[mikeford]

They gave #9 to Podolski, #19 to Cazorla and pushed Park to #30, as well.

[sachmoney]

Song should be announced for Barca on Monday. Here's our line up:

Off to Lir. COYG.

[JayMags71]

Poldinger?

[sachmoney]

Poldinger?

See ossie's post on the previous page.

Not sure how to feel about this one. Arsenal dominated everything except the scoresheet. There were a couple of opportunities that were close, but I guess that you have to give credit to Sunderland's defending. Cazorla was brilliant, but for Arsenal to progress, they'll need the squad to gel. They need time.

Song is off to Barca for £15 million. I don't know if there are any add on clauses or what, but that should be adequate funds to find a replacement.

[mikeford]

Supposedly his Barca contract is 5 years and has an 80mil euro buyout clause.

good luck with all that.

[Spacemans Bong]

Song is going to end up on loan within 12 months, I feel pretty confident about that.

Nuri Sahin looks imminent, possibly by the end of the day if reports from some fairly reliable sources are to be believed.

[mikeford]

Song is gonna red card his way right out of Spain, IMO.

His style of play is not conducive to the less physical La Liga.

[DLew On Roids]

Sounds like the Sahin deal is waiting on negotiating an option to buy. As much as I'd like to see him in all red, it doesn't sound to me like too much of a sticking point.

[mikeford]

This may have been noted in the Sp*rs thread but apparently they want Chamroq on loan.

I may actually die laughing if that happens.

[soxfan121]

Andre Santos arrested (The Sun is there) and could end up in jail. Nice car.

[ElUno20]

Flavor of the day is Jesus Navas. Can't wait until things are settled on the 31st. everyday its a new story.

[sachmoney]

Well, at least we've had interest in Navas in the past. It's not the same as Arsenal getting linked to every single French-speaking player who is looking to make a move. This actually could make sense considering that Theo's contract ends at the end of the season. I, for one, am not looking forward to the window ending, but hopefully the deadline will accelerate some deals. Arsenal really needs one or two players that will make a difference. I'm desperate for some defensive cover, but it seems unlikely at this point.

This Şahin deal needs to be announced already.

[Spacemans Bong]

I would stay the hell away from Navas given the Jose Antonio Reyes saga. A dude who couldn't even fly to Madrid for training camp a few years ago because he was so homesick sounds like JAR II.

[sachmoney]

Yeah, I agree on that front. Plus, it sounds like talks with Theo are moving along anyway.

Arsenal missed out on Şahin. I'm not crying over split milk on this one. From what I have heard on the Twittersphere, Liverpool allegedly were offering a much higher fee (I've heard as high as £5 million, but the sticking point seems to be the buyout clause). Liverpool agreed to pay a higher percentage of his wages (this is reported by the BBC Sport). The big thing was that Arsenal couldn't agree to a buy out clause, as Real wanted £14 million for him. Şahin cost Madrid £8 million last year and barely played. £14 million doesn't seem like a fair price for a player who had to move to left back to get time the previous year. Plus, if you sign him at his current wages, he'd be the highest paid player at the club. I understand why Arsene wouldn't want to be a shop window and get swindled out of money to get Şahin. He'll be a good player for Liverpool though.

In the end, Liverpool did what it had to get the player. Arsenal will have to find someone else on the market (Yann M'Viller prease and tank you).

***
In other news, Ox is back in the squad for Stoke. I pray to every God, especially those Based Gods, that he plays over Theo. Ox seemed to have a much better understanding (see: footballing brain) with Cazorla and Podolski in the Köln friendly. Realistically, I'd expect Theo to play 60-65 minutes and Ox to come in though. Koscielny is still hurt, which might not be the worst thing, since Stoke have that tall mother fucker. Last time these two clubs played, Crouch scored on a headed ball that neither Koscielny nor Vermaelen could touch. May be the Giant will be able to compete better against him. The only other change I'd like to see is Giroud up top. I think with his strength and movement, Giroud is the better choice at center forward. Podolski looks to be where Van Persie was when he first took the position. I just think Giroud is the better option against Stoke. Oh yeah, Woj might be out. This might be your chance, Fabianski.

Wilshere appears to be 3 weeks away from training. After all the setbacks, Arsenal is being dead careful with him, understandably. Suffice to say, getting Wilshere back could be the single biggest boost for the club.

[ElUno20]

They're in negotiations to resign theo..

Side nettings around the prem are trembling in fear.

[teddykgb]

Cazorla playing a hell of a first half, he's running everything out there. Giroud really struggling to do anything productive or make an impact. Seems like Podolski is almost dominating him out of the game.

[sachmoney]

Well, at least we crossed away to Stoke off the fixture list already. We may never score again, but at least we may never concede again. Haha.

[mikeford]

Watching this team is like getting a pretty good blowjob but not having the girl be able to finish you off.

Fucking hell.

[ElUno20]

Giroud looks like a huge waste of money. two games in there's already a Giroud face. The face of ineptness in front of goal.

As usual the team needs time to gel given their style of play but one thing is clear, santi is a really fn good.

Edited by ElUno20, 26 August 2012 - 11:03 AM.

[sachmoney]

Watched MOTD2, which was a good reminder of what I had seen earlier: a pretty lackluster performance. I feel like Arsenal are spending way too much time trying to launch shots from outside the box. There isn't enough penetration inside the box. There isn't enough movement without the ball to try to drag a defender, to try to create space. Albeit, it's difficult to attack when your opponent's defensive strategy is this:

Still, there was too much complacency with passing the ball around outside the box. There doesn't seem to be that killer instinct. Part of that might be on Gervinho, who I see more as a playmaking winger than a scorer. He's a guy that wants to take on defenders instead of trying to make darting runs into the box to try for goals. I think he was a bad choice against Stoke. I would have loved to see more of the Ox. The Ox was subbed in way too late and couldn't really make an impact. He was good, but he just didn't have enough time. Same with Theo and even Ramsey.

I thought Poldi looked pretty good today and Giroud too, but the real star was Cazorla again. Great buy, but we've just not seen his effect on the score sheet. I'll take the clean sheet though. The defense looks so much more organized this season. It's really night and day. Steve Bould is already doing a fantastic job. I want to give it three or four games before I become concerned about the attack. Arsenal hasn't really had the most inviting opponents to start the season. Unfortunately, the window closes before that. I'd really like to see the Ox start against Liverpool.

EDIT: When Giroud starts scoring, he's going to start scoring in bunches. Against tough opponents, he's been really close to getting the breakthrough. I think he's gonna be a great player for us.

Edited by sachmoney, 26 August 2012 - 06:44 PM.

[mikeford]

Ramsey looked like utter dogshit, I don't know what game you watched. He turned the ball over and nearly cost us the draw with like 3 minutes left of regular time.

[sachmoney]

Ramsey looked like utter dogshit, I don't know what game you watched. He turned the ball over and nearly cost us the draw with like 3 minutes left of regular time.

1. I was talking about playing time.
2. I don't think he played poorly. Yes, he had the give away, but he also almost turned one in too. I just don't think any of the substitutes really had the time on the pitch to make a positive impact/to really get into the game.

EDIT: ethangl, I see you lurking here. I don't know if it's re: Cabaye/Tiote or not, but I have a hard time seeing us going after/getting either one, so you can probably relax.

Edited by sachmoney, 27 August 2012 - 01:27 PM.

[sachmoney]

Bendtner is in Italy and will take a medical tomorrow. This blowhard couldn't cut it at Arsenal, so he gets loaned out to Sunderland where he was mediocre at best. In the meantime, Juventus, the Italian champs, can't get Van Persie amidst a match-fixing scandal that implicates their coach (and perhaps for monetary reasons), so they have to settle on taking Bendtner on loan.

I love the transfer window.

[Spacemans Bong]

The surprise of the window is clearly that Bendtner's agents weren't actually lying. I mean, what the fuck?

[DLew On Roids]

You look at who Juve and Milan are buying or in on, and they're basically competing with mid-table EPL clubs' budgets.

[mikeford]

Solid deadline day where we did nothing.

Can't wait to battle it out for 4th again this year!

[sachmoney]

Can't wait to battle it out for 4th again this year!

Well, 4th means the Champions League! Wait...oops.

I'm really disappointed that there wasn't more of an effort to add. It seems like the club wasted a lot of effort in trying to get the Şahin deal, struck out, and quit. We needed at least a player to add to the squad depth. Any outfield player (preferably in midfield or on the wing) really would have sufficed to keep the squad from being stretched. Instead, we're going to rely on players returning from injury to carry the water. I'm not surprised though. This is just how the windows have gone the past few years.

To be honest, I don't even know where I expect us to stand at the end of the year league table right now. I'd like to say we're still better than Spurs and Liverpool, but I want to see it on the pitch.

EDIT: Btw, even after our spending "spree" at the beginning of the summer, we were still in the black as far as transfers go. There was a lot of money to spend that wasn't spent.

Edited by sachmoney, 31 August 2012 - 05:52 PM.

[Spacemans Bong]

Our transfer policy has been a shambles since David Dein left the club. I'm getting sick of it. They're already not selling out games. If they miss the Champions League, which is entirely possible, they'll be needing to shift 10,000 tickets a game. People are sick of the penny pinching.

[mikeford]

Gazidis and Silent Stan are a disease that is slowly sapping the life from this club.

[sachmoney]

Well, two of our new signings assisted each others' goals, so I guess we got that monkey off of our back. The other new signing, Giroud, had some good movement, but as a striker, you're not really judged by anything other than scoring goals. Once he breaks the seal, the floodgates will open.

On the match overall, it was pretty nerve racking. Liverpool put Arsenal under a lot of pressure, and the defense had to hold up. I think that we're lucky to catch them when we did because they're still adjusting to Rodgers' philosophy. Diaby was fantastic. The defense was good enough for another clean sheet. Southampton next weekendtwo weeks from yesterday at the Emirates. A winning streak would be nice.

Edited by sachmoney, 02 September 2012 - 10:11 AM.

[SidelineCameras]

Just watched the game last night. No one will accuse Arsenal of having their best effort, but they finally broke through with goals and continue to look decent on defense. The were lucky a few times yesterday but a clean sheet is a clean sheet. And I love watching Carzola create offensive chances.

I am not worried about Giroud, he'll get his. I am also so excited to see Wilshere in this midfield. If we can get a rotation going there and get everyone enough rest over the course of the long season, there will be good things to come.

[sachmoney]

A few fun facts, Arsenal are the only club in the four divisions of English football that have yet to concede a goal. Arsenal. Yes, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. The last time Arsenal opened up the season with three clean sheets? 1924-25. 88 years. I could get used to this.Michael Cox (of Zonal Marking) had some pretty interesting thoughts on Arsenal's defending:

This was a clash between two managers who promote a similar brand of football: quick, short passing, clever attacking movement and a high defensive line. But while Liverpool offered possession without penetration and a poor defensive shape, Arsène Wenger's side were impressive when breaking quickly and admirable in their organisation without the ball.There were two obvious tactical differences between the sides. The first was the level of pressing. Arsenal stood off and focused on getting into an organised shape behind the ball, with two banks of four remaining both narrow and compact, preventing Liverpool playing quick passes through the centre of the pitch.

Arsenal's wing players, in this case, Ox and Podolski, are playing more in line with the deeper two central midfielders than with Cazorla in the attacking role. I think that has had adverse effects on the attacking side of things, and it seemed like Ox in particular struggled to get into the game yesterday. However, it has taken a lot of stress off the defense. The central defenders can stay at home rather than having to come out to cover for the fullbacks, stretching the defense and creating large channels for the opposition to exploit. On the evidence of three matches, you can't help but be impressed with what Bould is doing. I'm worried with how the club will do against the big clubs, but I guess we'll find out in a few weeks against City.To follow up on Giroud's movement, I illustrated why I have positive feelings about Giroud's performances thus far:

On the Podolski goal, Poldi gets the ball from Mertesacker and quickly moves it to Cazorla. As Cazorla runs at the defenders, Giroud is making a run inside. Rather than cut across the pitch, Giroud cuts back to the outside, causing Agger to take one step out with him. Skrtel is left with the quandary of stepping up and stopping Cazorla or cutting off the passing lane to Podolski. I think Skrtel was more indecisive than anything, but Giroud's movement helped create a numerical advantage, leading to the first goal.

Giroud is getting into goal scoring situations. That zagging run on the Diaby run was also fantastic, where he cut outside then cut back across the pitch.