Arsene Wenger says he’s looking for players who can play in a number of positions as the transfer window heads inside its final 7 days.
With the likes of Mathieu Flamini linked, who can do a job in midfield and at both full back positions, the Arsenal manager says such qualities are valuable.
“We need a player who is versatile, who can play in different positions in midfield, because at the moment we are a little bit stretched. That is what I work at – the right additions. It is not just about additions.”
Wenger also spoke about the market in general, and admitted Arsenal have had problems closing deals throughout the summer, putting that down to how competitive it is when you’re trying to sign the best players.
“The market has been difficult for two reasons. One, I have quality players and, two, the competition for players is absolutely massive in the international market.
“Before, we were privileged – we were a bit more lonely out there. Now, everybody knows everybody and it is more difficult.”
Reports this morning say that Flamini’s agent, the infamous Darren Dein, met with Dick Law to sort out a contract yesterday.
Darren and Dick – made for a sitcom that pair.
I think if the interest in Di Maria and Ozil is genuine, it’s fair to give Wenger the benefit of doubt of having to wait till Madrid closes the Bale transfer. For rest of the positions (Kondogbia, Uchida / Gamez), progress could have been quicker.
We’re not signing anyone. Maybe Flamini, but that’s it. That’s my stance. How much time have fellow gooners and I spent on this website, twitter, facebook,etc reading, posting comments, debating our “transfer news” is beyond me. We got cought up ( some more,some less) in Gazidis’s we have te money, abition talks and I’m absolutely sick of it. I love this club, and love drinkig beer, eating peanuts with my mates and watching Arsenal games. This summer has been the biggest lesson so far that we should try to distance ourselves from Arsenal news in the off season as much… Read more »
Sorry for eating a few letters, I haven’t had lunch yet. 🙂
“The market has been difficult for two reasons. One, I have quality players and, two, the competition for players is absolutely massive in the international market. “Before, we were privileged – we were a bit more lonely out there. Now, everybody knows everybody and it is more difficult.” I agree 100% we will sign Flamini and Cabaye, that is your lot for the summer of the 70 million and that will shut the Arsene apologist up for a while with BUT WE DON’T HAVE MONEY excuse. Now we have money it is the market competitive, everybody knows everybody and we… Read more »
We’re looking for versatile players eh? Something like that Gustavo bloke who just moved on from some tiny club in Germany?
Arsene confirms what I’ve been fearing these last couple of years: he’s lost his genius touch in the transfer market, his competitive advantage. For instance, why did we not buy Isco 2 years ago?
because we didn’t had any money two years ago
Well we had some, you don’t build up 180m in cash in 2 years.
Anyway I guess my point is: spending 20m on a talent like him sounds very attractive to me now that the asking price for the likes of Cabaye is around 25m.
Dude, we were selling property 2 years back
We had money but all of it was not for use. A lot of it is still required to meet long term debt obligations. Out of the 180 m or so i guess around 70-80 can be used.
I don’t see how the last two years are worse than years prior. Cazorla, Arteta, Mertesacker, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Podolski, Monreal, and Jenkinson were all signed over the previous two seasons. Before that, we had roughly one good signing a year (Sagna, Ramsey or arguably Arshavin, Vermaelen, Koscielny). If anything, I think Arsene’s purchasing habits have dramatically improved recently, presumably as he’s had more money at his disposal. I agree that Isco would have been far superior to the combination of Gervinho, Santos, and Park. That summer window was handled poorly, but there’s always a touch of hindsight to saying “we… Read more »
I’d also be shocked if you had even heard of Isco two years ago. Only really made a name for himself last year.
And that’s the whole point isn’t it? Arsene snaps up talent that is unheard of and before anyone else has a clue. Isco should have been the same I guess.
I don’t fault him though, theo, ox, zelalem have been good recruits.
I don’t really think you can say that Theo & Chamberlain were unheard of. A lot of teams wanted to sign both, and it was supposed to be the case that absolutely everyone in English football knew Chamberlain was the real deal.
I’m not using this to be critical of Wenger about his ability to spot potential, I just don’t really see that you’re saying much…
If we end up signing Silvestre again i am going to go on a hunger strike..
I completely understand Wenger’s quest to find the best deals on the market, but this quest for the best deals is too much of a gamble for my liking. This brings to mind this story that my grand pa told me when I was young about creation and et al: It goes like this… When God created the earth, He had a special love for baboons and made them to look exactly like human beings, but they felt really angry that God made them to look like inferior Human beings, so they asked God for a remake that will make… Read more »
da fuck!!!!
In things that are funny,
Silvestre was, to my horror, on trial with my other team the Seattle Sounders in MLS. Much to my joy it was a very short trial, and he signed just down the road for our rivals the Portland Timbers, proceeded to be terrible and then picked up a knee injury.
So… no worries about hunger strikes.
another seattleite on the arseblog site???? heavens yes!
out of curiosity, where does your loyalty lie with regards to deuce? I was at Sounders-Dynamo recently and couldn’t help but smile as the Houston fans chanted ‘tottenscum reject!’ over and over at him.
I’m just glad he out grew the Spurs phase quickly. I always liked him as a player, and he wasn’t exactly a stalwart in their lineup.
I wonder if spurs are holding up the Bale deal just to put pressure on Arsenal. Clearly the sale of Bale and possibly Suarez to Madrid could open the flood gates of transfers. Still can’t believe that all the players we want play for Madrid. That said I would be perfectly happy with Ozil, DeMaria, Flamini (as a squad player), and a goalkeeper.
Its the other way around. With all the players Madrid were going to buy, there will be people who drop off. People with better quality that was available in the early market and probably for a bit less exorbitant price. Napoli moved and cleaned up the initial ones. But i guess the Madrid exodus wouldnt stop just yet. It seems Ancelotti is gonna wipe the mourinho legacy as much as he can.
So with all our money and were focusing on yet another free frenchman…..tbh, i loved flamini when he was here before. I tireless worker, didnt shirk a challenge and occasionally scored. Not what i had in mind. But he ticks boxes with versatility, he was quite good at RB too.
All in all it looks like this week is gonna be a good one, starting with tonight!
The market had been difficult for one reason, Sir: you have not offered enough bloody money.
How much bloody money is enough though? I mean £40 mil for Suarez is quite a sum when you think about the numbers we were used to paying. And if you ask me, £32 mil for Higuain is too much if you consider that there was a possibility of adding another £8 mil and getting a proven goal scorer from the premier league. I think that it is a case of us finally getting our financial strength at the worst and craziest transfer window that I can remember. Let’s be honest, the amounts that have been floating around for some… Read more »
Higuain just hurt himself on some beach. He fell on some rocks and sprained his jaw! Even Gervinhio couldn’t have managed that.
diaby approves.
Confirmed Arsenal DNA
Bet he’s regretting not signing for us now! Our treatment room is epic
Not to mention he’d have company all year round were he to find more such rocks
So for years the problem was not having the cash, now when we do the market has suddenly become too difficult. It’s awfully convenient, isn’t it.
I would love to hear your theory on what is actually going on then since you seem to have such an analytical approach.
Please try to give me more than “He’s lost the plot”..”He’s a thrifty old man”..and so on.
Something that would explain why a manager that has bid £40m for a player would ask of the supporters to judge him when the window closes but still has to deal with mass hysteria on a daily basis.
What’s going on is that Wenger has no transfer strategy. Hence ‘we want quality not quantity’ then ‘we have quality, we are short on numbers’ then ‘we look for versatility’. See also ‘the market moved early’, ‘the market hasn’t moved’ and so on and so on. He contradicts himself all the time. What’s going on is that Wenger wants to do it his way with zero net spend and only acts – or tries to act – in the market when he’s desperate, hence the link to players like Cabaye after the Villa result. We saw all this two years… Read more »
So it’s “He has no transfer strategy”. Two years ago he was holding on to two of our best players with the hope of persuading them to stay. The same thing can be seen at Man U and Liverpool this season. Were they to lose Rooney or Suarez respectively, how would they replace them now? Let’s see, maybe a late trolley dash? To state that a club such as Arsenal, having let go the amount of players they have this year, does not have a plan to strengthen itself and is only acting in a reactive manner is delusional. We… Read more »
“Two years ago he was holding on to two of our best players with the hope of persuading them to stay.”
Now that was delusional.
“To state that a club such as Arsenal, having let go the amount of players they have this year, does not have a plan to strengthen itself and is only acting in a reactive manner is delusional.”
Nope, I’m afraid it fits the facts of the situation perfectly. The season has already begun, we’ve already unnecessarily dropped points, in case you hadn’t noticed.
Man City lost points “unnecessarily” after having finished all their transfer activity early on.
Clearly you view the footballing world through a Wenger prism, so there is no debate to be had with you. To try and make out there is some sort of ‘plan’ to such a grossly mismanaged summer in the face of the demonstrable contradictions and flailing around I’m sure makes you feel like you’re above all the ‘mass hysteria’ and that you’re a better, more loyal supporter – which in a sense you are, but of one man only.
And I’m sure making “Spend, Spend, Spend” signs and booing Higuain somehow makes you believe that you are doing something positive for this team.
Keep it up mate.
Surely the “brainwashed” are those who ignore reality to see only what they want to see from an external vision that has been drummed into them. I’d say judging from the posts above The Alsacien is clearly the man trying to superimpose a “common sense” point of view (which is the typical defensive posture with fans) over the actual reality of the situation. This happens after a positive result as well. Been happening for years, while Wenger’s comments are cherry picked and facts are ignored if they don’t fit the picture. Can be very frustrating to have to hear it… Read more »
Alsacien, you asked for give me more than he’s lost it etc, I gave it, now you’ve gone full circle with ‘spend, spend, spend’ accusations in some feeble attempt to discredit. Is that the best you can do? Don’t think I need to keep it up…
Maybe it’s because the manager and his acolytes are sick of hearing all the NONSENSE coming from the “Enlightened Bunch” that seems incapable of putting things in perspective.
Nobody said the transfer window was managed flawlessly but nothing is either black or white. We lost ONE game since march, won the last two, and there are still a few days left in the window.
So just because the transfers haven’t been conducted as you “Enlightened Bunch” would have liked doesn’t mean that it’s ATATE. “Abuse Time At The Emirates” (Blogs, I’m coining that phrase 😀 )
Those who were booing and holding up signs after the Villa game were showing far more positive support for their club than those who believe the individuals who currently hold power at the club can do no wrong and – in the face of all the demonstrable evidence – whatever they have done up to now is the best that could have been done, and come Sept 3 or the end of the season wherever AFC are is the best that it is possible to manage. That’s not showing support for the club, that’s showing support for those individuals.
Everybody should be held accountable. Wenger as well. But when the most successful manager of the club’s modern era asks to be judged at the end of the transfer window – or even on the last year of his contract – some of us believe he deserves at least that. I don’t want to keep going on about it. If you don’t appreciate what he has done and don’t understand that we have overachieved during the tough financial times that followed our move from Highbury then it’s your prerogative. I’ve said in another post that one of the reasons I… Read more »
I’ll move on if you don’t put words in my mouth. I appreciate and understand what Wenger has done in the past. But he’s amply demonstrated the game has moved on – not for the better perhaps, but it has – and he hasn’t moved on with it. We see it in his valuations, in the coaching set up … I could go on, things anyone that follows the club knows. So never mind you or I, it’s time he moved on, yes preferably with dignity, at the end of this contract if it must be. But no more endless… Read more »
Ya every year he gives the lecture that we are football team and we should be judged based on what we do on the pitch rather than in the transfer market. And what they are doing on the pitch from last 8-9 years are clearly nor good enough.
So my question is what is the penalty if that is not good enough. Nothing actually. Next year same story continues.
Good idea. The way this team picks up injuries means that the more versatile we are the better we’ll be able to cope. I think we’re going to have to get used to the idea that this is going to be a fairly small squad in terms of numbers so having those players is going to be absolutely crucial. Plus I think it’s something many people overlook in their day to day lives. I remember when if a few things went wrong at home you’d have to call a plumber and a carpenter and an electrician but then I was… Read more »
had to admit that your rambling-type comment is a bit old and decided to thumb you down, until i read through your rambling and found it quite amusing. here’s a thumb up, straight away from far east (Malaysia).
“I don’t think that day is too far away to be completely honest, when we see part man, part machine”
…Bacary Sagna?
You are correct.
“Was Sagna rubbed down from a solid piece of ebony over 1000 years, by the palms of a hundred Tibetan monks?
Yes, yes he was.”
Credit to Arseblogger Wanderah for one of the great all-time comments http://news.arseblog.com/2013/08/sagna-ill-do-my-best-at-centre-half/
what does it mean…what does it mean??
why so many thumbs up for this guy’s posts? No offense, Pete, I’m just curious.
Silvestre was very versatile though and credit must be given where it is due. He was truly shit in every position.
Let’s not forget Eddie McGoldrick.
“We need a player who is versatile, who can
play in different positions in midfie” = FLAMINI
Or Cabaye.
Or, and I realise this may sound like crazy talk but hear me out, both
Gustavo is versatile, Wenger! But he is gone. We need a DM badly.
Ah yes but herein lies the problem. Jack of all trades, master of none. See Phil Jones of ManU.
Rather not! His face makes me want to vomit!
Although Arsene Wenger has refused to reveal any of his dealings in the transfer market, it seems that Arsenal are have been busily trying to secure the signing of the 20 year-old striker Todor Nedelev, who was apparently in talks with Tottenham a week ago and it was even reported that the signing for Spurs was imminent. The 20 year-old is known locally as the “Bulgarian Gareth Bale”, but Nedelev will almost definitely cost less than a tenth of the cost of Bale. Despite his young age he has already made an appearance for the Bulgarian national side, and has… Read more »
simon, that’s more of a blog post than a comment. anyway didn’t read all the way but I assumed you were describing Ibrahimovic
I shall give you the benefit of the doubt Simon, and thumb up your ironic penning of a Bleacher Report article in the Arseblog comments section
:-|……….
Arsenal started the summer being ” thin” and in desperate need of “top top top” quality 40 million quid strikers and 17 million quid DM. Then last week the team became quality but in need of one or two “Special” additions. This week the team is top quality, bulging at the seams and perhaps needs a couple of “versatile” squad players.
Next week the squad will be totally unbeatable and only needs an engraver to put the Clubs crest on the EPL and ECL trophies.
Gustavo got sent off at the weekend….hahahhahaha
And Higuain got stitches on his face.. 😀
Thiago is out for a couple of months.
I think u didn’t got the game. List misfortunes of only players who screwed us up.. 😛
We know the ending to the story. 10.30 pm on Monday the 2nd of September we will get the news. Arsenal sign Flamini. Wenger will say it’s good to have him back. The supporters will choke and puke. He’s just been unlucky with other players he says. £100,000 a week, a great club and a wonderful stadium should attract any player. Oops I forgot Wenger. Who would want to play for a tormented Madman, once thought to be a genius, now a bumbling, muttering crackpot? He keeps saying we are a “Little Short” on players. Maybe I’ve been brainwashed but… Read more »
Are Ozil and Mata actually available? Bayern aren’t interested. Chelsea, likewise. Sp*rs don’t have CL football. Man City are covering their arses in case UEFA hit them with FFP.
Could we really be in a position to sign either player? If so, how exciting would that be?
We are in a position to sign them but the question is would these players be willing to join us. Answer imo is a sad no
You could have said the same thing about Santi last year. But Mata very nearly joined us in 2011. It was *this* close. And we have Per and Pod able to have a word with Ozil. Out of the two Ozil would be a world-class fit for us. But I’d hate to see Mata go to somewhere like Sp*rs or ManU and we end up with Flamini (and/or Cabaye). I need something to tell me we’re not going to come out of this transfer window with a significant net profit in wages and transfers. If that happened I think I’d… Read more »
I don’t want to see that wanker back in a arsenal shirt (flamini) I still think wenger should try for fellani. and need a good centre back. Bring on di maria that what be a good signing .
Why is everyone going on about Fellaini. He’s not that great. Just shone for one season. Last season everyone was going crazy about this guy called M’Villa. Cabaye is better than M’Villa. He would be a great addition even though hes similar to what we have already got.
Exactly, Fellaini is still a player with one good season who’s more of a bully than a calm passer, not to mention the present price tag is way too high for his abilities. We are not looking at building a Stoke team here. He’s likely to get 2 yellows in a CL game within the hour mark. Yes, he may be decent against some of the bully teams and help us impose on the pitch but would you want to pay 25 mil for that use?
Whats your problem with Flamini he was a beast for us for a couple of seasons. Try to remember our CL run when he was one of our best performers out of position and then as a combative deep midfielder. Put himself about, a terrier. He is an asset and he’s here already.
Because Milan dont want him, and I consider us better than Milan.
All in all mr wenger needs to spend
Benzema, Ozil, Di Maria, Mata, and on and on and on..
Such a cock teaser for all fans only to realize there won’t be any satisfaction come next week.
Not all fans sir, just the dicks 😉
Wenger just basically needs to spend!!!!!!
7 million a year your paid find some fucking players stop whinging bout the market
Sign whoever Mr. Wenger. But do it soon. The team needs players to pull through the long season. Btw, how many of you think, Chelsea is shit even after spending so much money. There are too many so called mobile players who do nothing but move the ball around. They definitely aren’t as strong as some pundits make us believe.
They can be better. Unfortunately its Mourinho’s anti-football that is causing the issues right now. I expect them to consolidate a base by trying to not lose first, then maybe open up after some 10 games or so into the season, they should have the players for that approach as well esp if they hold onto Mata.
With these comments and the last ones about ‘players aways wanting to come back to Arsenal’
Wenger’s seems to be laying the ground work for the return of Flamini.
I wonder if he’s not the only old player that might be returning though.
Song?
fucking hope not!
This tune is changing every week. Even in my brainwashed state I can see it
So, welcome to Arsenal, Gareth Barry?
If we all see what chelsea got to offer in big matches yester night, we all have to be convince that: quality wise we up there though this clubs may have numeric advantage and its only temporary
Bringing back Flamini…you’re a disgrace Wenger.
Idiot
Either Arsene is playing keeping his cards really close to his chest or he’s got squat. 7 days is all we’ve got to correct the whole of summer. Keep your fingers crossed.
We’ll have to go for Barry. We already let Scotty Parker slip through our fingers.
I’m starting to get worried Man Utd will sign Bale and fuck up our deals. We seem to be shopping in the Real Madrid outlet, the stock of which depends on them purchasing Monkey Boy.
Monkey wont go to ManUtd. He thinks hes Ronaldo 2.0, so its gotta be Real.
““The market has been difficult for two reasons. One, I have quality players and, two, the competition for players is absolutely massive in the international market.”
Having quality players should not make signing other quality players difficult.
The best players are competitive by nature and would like to surround themselves with players of the same skill level, not only does this promote a natural-squad-selection, but it also encourages players to compete with one another.
Some clubs find it tougher to do the deals than others. Sadly we make things hard for ourselves.
Plenty of good business has been done by many clubs the fact that we have not bought a single player is not all down to a difficult market.
We are sadly trying to do deals based on our own valuation and it just won’t work that way.
Terrible planning from aw dick and Ivan. It’s a clueless approach. Targets continually changing when we run away after making derisory offers. If cabaye was a term target he should of been signed months ago. Cesar and begovic are just sat waiting and have pr experience. Hes too obsessed with saving money when you need to invest in top players to challenge and win trophies
Don’t blame them. Wenger’s the man who decides everything
Just fuckin spend!!!
Is it just me that thinks that Arsene is already lining up the excuses come 2nd of September when all he has signed is Sanogo i.e. we looked but no top top quality or we looked but nothing special to add to the special we already have or we looked but couldn’t find the kind of versatile player we wanted.
I have never wanted to be so wrong about anything before in my life. Please Arsene do something to restore my faith in you.
@ Rambling Pete I bet your old handy man could count arsene’s signing on one hand. Actually can you still refer to him as a handyman now or is that taking the biscuit? Hmmmm, but then I suppose he wouldn’t be able to hold a biscuit would he? hmmmm Sometimes rambling like this I forget what the original porambling I even forget to finish my own sentences sometimes. I even
flamini will be useful fellanini would be better yes but flamini is not bad at all so lets stop hating shall we? bender would be better than both but less versatile basicly i trust Arsene to get whoever he thinks best with HIS BETTER JUDGEMENT
“HIS BETTER JUDGEMENT”
Brainwashed.
If he only wants top top quality, then why Flamini? He’s OK, but he’s no Patrick Viera. Or why Sanogo? Felliani is a very good player and we could have had him with an serious bid a month ago, just like we could have had several other top players had we made serious bids that we intended to go through with. Wenger said all this stuff about having quality players a year ago when we had a dozen duffers. He’s full of bollocks. He’s setting us all up for disappointment. The new players should be there, now. It will be… Read more »
Martin Jol could do after his Fulham side were beaten 3-1 was to praise the opposition. He said: “If you see Santi Cazorla, he is one of the best players who can play with two feet – he can score with his left and right. (Theo) Walcott with his pace, (Olivier) Giroud is getting better and better, and their midfield – you can’t figure out who is the defensive midfielder and who is the offensive midfielder because they rotate all the time.”
keep the faith!
Fulham were poor. Cazorla is world class but Walcott and Giroud are not the same level
Flamini was always playing okay but nothing above avarage, except for one season (last one with us) in which he was extraordinary, and after that one season he said screw you losers I’m going to Milan. We developed him and then he left at first occasion, even worse then van persie. What’s more he never got to Milan line up which sums all how quality signing he is, not title contender but CL spot contender. Few years ago at least club tried to give fans a false hope that they want win premier league and cl ( eventhough everyone on… Read more »
versatile midfielder ?! for fucks sakes. we need a defender and a backup goalkeeper. not a fucking umpteenth midfielder !
We have a tendency for doing our business at the end of the season. All we can do at the moment is pray for Bale to go to Madrid and then we can try and poach either Ozil/Di Maria/Benzema. I personally would wish for Ozil out of the three, he is of a different calibre to the rest and would be a marquee signing for the club.
I agree completely.
[…] 来源：[Arsblog News] […]
Targets: Higuain, Suarez, Benzema, Di Maria.
Actual signings: Sanogo, Yohan Kebab and Flamini.
I highly recommend watching the pre-FEN press conference and the part where Wenger is grilled on transfers and bids, that wry smileof his gives him away, I’m convinced he’ll deliver and I feel resigning Flamini is a good start. UTA
I get the impression Arsene puts a value on a player and absolutely refuses to pay more, regardless of what the selling club value them at, there is no compromise, no negotiating – exept maybe for Suarez, when Arsene went absolutely mental and went the extra pound.
Your impression is based upon what you think you know because of reports by mainly hacks in the media.
We are not privy to details in the market.
We did not know that Falcao was having issues with Monaco or if there was a tolerance for Madrid to sell Benzema/Di Maria if they had satiated their lust for Bale.
Wenger is correct in not chasing the price too far if other options (and good ones) may still come on the market.
We really are one of the most polarised fans in the world i believe. We have the most fickle fan ive ever seen (read actually) and the most faithful one. Makeno mistake, i probably understand why we are having these arguments days and night. But i truly believe that both sides of fan want the same thing in the end; that is for us to be challenging again, genuinely of course. But there is one thing that bothers me though, Emirates really is quite and the passions ive seen in numerous comments (internet overall) just doesnt seem to translate on… Read more »
I agree.
The Emirates is truly like watching a tennis match at times.
Arsenal fans are the biggest moaners.
The should get behind the team. Instead they like to take it out on the team when the team need encouraging the most.
Away support is excellent though.
It is my belief that the problem with our transfer policy is not with how we conduct our transfer business, and it is most certainly not with who we target. I believe our problem is an intrinsic inability to value assets in this new paradigm where player valuation is driven (in no small degree) by factors related to what happens off field. This in turn is driven by a continued immaturity around the revenue side of our business. Our inability to properly monetize a Benzema, a Rooney or a Higuain through merchandizing, endorsements, etc. at a level other clubs can… Read more »
Simplistic. There are reasons why we do not generate the sort of income we need in other departments. The marketing side needs to step up which is reason why Gazidis likely is keen on a branding exercise with a marquee name. but that does not necessarily mean you will get the best functioning squad. You also set a precedence for later dealings. There have been some bad judgements this summer but there have also been plenty of fall back activity that you are not privy to which influence some of the thinking in not pushing for certain players. 1) Gustavo… Read more »
Ozil would be a world class signing, not sure on Di MAria.
We have never been about world class signings so no surprise if we do not do it. Di Maria is great if his price is around 24m but likely with all the interest, he will go for more. There are other options. of course Mata’s situation is being watched. Cabella at Montpellier represents a very reasonable option. Then there is Konoplyanaka whom I think we should be looking seriously into if we are prepared to pay low 20m. he can play across midfield being comfortable with both feet, takes good set pieces and is an established international playmaker. If that’s… Read more »