Arsene Wenger says that the fact Nicklas Bendtner injured himself today doesn’t mean he’ll go immediately looking for a solution in the transfer market.
TGSTEL opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 89th minute of the 2-0 win over Cardiff, but got injured when David Marshall, the Bluebirds keeper, landed on his ankle.
Asked afterwards if his absence, along with that of Olivier Giroud – who many feel needs some help anyway – would spark some transfer activity, Wenger said, “I don’t know, it doesn’t mean we go straight from Nicklas’ ankle straight to the transfer market. It means that we have Giroud and Bendtner out.
“Unfortunately it looks like it is not a question of days, but weeks, with a sprained ankle. I am very sad for us, but for him as well.”
Wenger also praised Bendtner’s attitude after a time in his career when his professionalism has been found wanting at times.
“I never give up on people because you always have to give them credit. I know the expression of the fans is only the diagnosis of the day, the photo of the day. They are always ready to change their mind if you put the effort and the performance in.
“He is a player who has gone through some difficult periods so I just want to give him great credit. I told him already today that he is back to the level I want him to be at, and if he continues to develop like that he will come back into the team.”
Of course the window has just opened and the manager is going to give nothing away about any potential transfer plans (if he has any!). We suspect he’ll see what the prognosis is over Bendtner’s ankle first, because he does sound as if he wants to give him a chance.
People have to realise that Wenger will never admit that he has to spend. Why would he? It would simply make our lives harder when driving a bargain for a player. We will be on the look out for possibilities this January. Whether they fall in place is a different matter. I think we need to take indicative from the type of players Wenger was sniffing out last May/August. The likes of Suarez and Higuain may suggest he is looking for someone creative with technical skills to beat a man or two on his own. Costa would be a good… Read more »
Exactly, he doesn’t want to look desperate for a striker. As he is not. *wink*
Carlos Vela?
Carlos Vela is more like Theo. In terms of pace, build, runs. In fact I would say Theo is playing better than him at the moment. So I would put him upfront instead of buying vela..
How about we buy Javier Hernandez form united. He is a good player. Not getting the chances he deserves. And it would be a sweet revenge when he will score the crucial goal to win us league title. 🙂
yeah, and one of the reasons why they wouldn’t sell.
i’d go for berba. would strenghten us a lot this season and could easily tutor a younger striker later.
Umm.. Not to be a dickhead or anything like that, which I probably am, but Carlos Vela is a viable option.. Not sure how many of you have been following BBVA but at Real Soceidad – He is actually playing better than he was at AFC.. And of course we always have the buy back option. I for one, wouldn’t mind getting Vela back.
And of cousre Marco Reus.
Off topic but apparently following 2-1 loss to Spuds Moyes has been quoted as saying he is dropping Howard Webb as
he isn’t one of his signings
Will Pato be any better than Podolski, playing as the lone striker? We clearly need a big man up front who can win the ball and hold it, creating space for others, bringing them into play. Podolski was hopelessly anonymous, and it was for no fault of his own. Cardiff were compact, and there was not much he could do, other than maybe that one ball across the face of the goal by Nacho.
Angel Di Maria
Still think we should’ve gone for David Villa in the summer. 5m. Still top quality. World class finisher. Great backup.
To be honest, I think I’d prefer Walcott in a central role than Poldi, it worked reasonably well last time Wenger tried it out and when Ozil returns he could work wonders with Theo’s darting runs in front of him. Excuse my ignorance but does Podolski have much previous in a striking role? I’d like to see him back on the left where he looked devastating for periods last season.
He is the Iron Bender, strikers thunder like thors Hammer…. he is TGSTEL
P.S: Robin Van VOICES, wats the lil boy saying to ya?
Me: Does Nick’s sprained ankle mean we go straight to the transfer window?
Wenger:”I don’t even know what that means”
Me:”No one knows what it means but its provocative”
Wenger:”No it’s not…”
Me:”It gets the people GOING”
Blades of Glory, I call you out!
Ball so hard, Van Persie tryin’ find us, that shit cray.
I’m not even ashamed for typing that.
Shame for us and Nic. But surely a new striker is a must now. Everyone keeps saying we have to find one that isn’t “cup-tied”…. Erm.. let’s face it we are drawn against the best team in the world and chances are, we are going out of the cup in 2 games time (not to say we haven’t got a decent shot). He (whoever he is) won’t be “league-tied” – we’re in a fucking title race has everyone forgot. That’s my focus, so will everyone stop banging on about the importance of a non-cup tied bloody striker. A striker purchase… Read more »
Right on all counts.
The last thing this beautifully crafted and streamlined squad needs now is a panic buy that could upset the balance or rhythm of the players we have. If the right option isn’t there this window then I’m happy for us to make do with what we have, make plans for the summer, and come back even stronger next year. If Wenger can find the right guy then that would, of course, be ideal. I just wouldn’t get your hopes up. I think Giroud is back after Spurs anyway, so I think we can handle it.
Point being if you are not euro cup tied, you aint much good!
So Suarez ain’t much good?
Let’s not start that again! Christ knows what JW Henry would want for him now and if they’re not completely stupid they’ll look at those white and blue retards down the road and realise that selling your best player from an otherwise mediocre squad is a recipe for disaster! Even £100m can’t buy your way into the CL these days.
I dont think he’s starting anything, he’s just pointing out the exception that the generalization deserves
Ufff.. Enough of this Suarez horse shit.. The ship has long sailed.. And guess what Suarez ain’t that good.. Of course he has the goals to prove me wrong but against big clubs he is shit. The mark of a truly great striker is not banging up goals against medicore clubs but making a difference when it matters the most. And as far as I have seen him – whinging and moaning – looking for a penalty- piece of shit. So all in all- Yup still shit.
128 people + the poster, are in need of a fuckin’ soul.
I literally have no idea what you mean….
When’s Ramsey due back?
Mid-February.
3 weeks, but hopefully not “3 weeks”
Also, hopefully not “3 weeks, but we won’t rush him back” which really means 5 weeks… That always seems to add a couple weeks when we are not “rushing” people back from injury. Fair enough, but let’s just says 3-5 weeks, maybe? I don’t know, let’s just beat spurs and bring them back down to earth.
And also he is 3 weeks away but
“we wont rush him back” = 2weeks then ofcourse.
“he’s available but short of match fitness” = 2 weeks
and finally
“he will start on the bench” = 1 week.
Thats 2 months…..hurray!
Even though we had 4 of our most influential players injured today two players came off the bench and changed the game. Thats how you win championships. Today proved our style of play hinges on a big strong CF someone for the little terriers to feed off.
So, Sanogo,… Can’t figure out the other three
Oh shit i forgot him, should read 5.
Diaby
who?
Even when Bendtner’s injured he’s more productive in front of goal than Soldado for the Flids
I’m still here
Shush you
Whatever the gaffer decides i hope he doesn’t rush into anything if no one is available that will significantly improve us then hold it till the summer. Don’t wanna fuck up our chances of getting a decent striker in the summer just coz fans thought “it’d be nice if we get in a striker” leaving us stuck with a Park-esque signing when the Cavanis are busy chasing clubs in summer.
And why is Sagna eating Bendtner?
is it because he eats what he wants?
I really understand Wenger saying the “right things”. I mean he cannot very say that he is “desperate” to get a striker in and then every striker, he chases the next month will immediately have his asking price doubled, given his dire need for one. I totally understand all the “sound bites” he gives over the course of the month. They are necessary to keep the asking prices down to earth. Though while to do understand the “sound bite” the truth is that even is a player can improve the squad a little bit, be it in terms of depth,… Read more »
A “make do attitude”, that the team will get by, may have been enough over the years, to scrape 4th, but when challenging for the league, a “make do attitude”, be it on the pitch or in the transfer window, won’t do. The goal is not to finish 4th, but to finish top, and every inch matters. If spending 30 mil, gets the team 3 extra points than the team would have got without spending that 30 mil, would be priceless, and make all the difference. These extra points, one can get by without when trying to scrape 4th, but… Read more »
Fucking hell, thats a long post!
Short-sighted for Wenger’s taste. If a player “slightly” improves the squad this year, but ties us up for the next 3-4 years of commitments, then it’s not worth it. He won’t want someone to block the eventual development of Sanogo anyway—not long term at least. Pato on loan is interesting as he may want the chance to prove himself again in Europe, but he’s not got the strength for the Premier League.
I’m more interested in Gundogan’s contract situation. Arteta and Flamini are both getting older (though I love them both)….
Just allow the coach to do his work we are always talking about buying but we forget we have giroud podolski bentner walcot but they have injury worries so if we still want another somebody how we go manage am if they are all fit.just see our midfield stuffy and every one wants to play.they are all good.let’s think small
Will play Bendtner before Walcott every day of the week.
Can someone who actually watches Spanish football give an informed opinion on Costa? Think it’s very unlikely we’d go for him, but a lot of people get attached to players in foreign leagues, often having not seen them- myself included. Highlights reels on youtube don’t usually show the full picture..
At first look he seems too similar to Giroud. But this season he has undergone a transformation. He is banging them in left right and center and is quicker and more clinical than Giroud. Better dribbler too. He would certainly be an upgrade on Giroud but I think we need more of a “Suarez” type. He has a crazy personality too. 32m pounds is the rumored release clause but Atletico Madrid have been amazing this season and actually have a very realistic chance of winning La Liga. They aren’t in the best situation financially but have no need to sell… Read more »
Well said! Atletico are where they are because of Costa! He is a one man wrecking machine honestly. He generally keeps both of the opposition centre backs occupied. He loves a fight and is generally up for it. He is a very combative player. This was best visible in the league match between Real and Atletico. Ramos and Pepe two dirty players were given a taste of their own medicine. Check this article by Zonal Marking – http://www.zonalmarking.net/2013/09/30/real-madrid-0-1-atletico-madrid-diego-costa-leads-the-line-superbly-in-excellent-atleti-display/ I am sure we need a player like him but I am not sure if he would want to move from Atletico… Read more »
That is a great article – cannot see Atletico selling their best player to us, & why should they? Personally, I’d like us to try & steal Lewandowski – not sure if that Bayern deal is done,but surely Dortmund would rather sell him to us than then, especially after Goetze last season. Forgive me if that deal is already done. What today did show me is that Podolski cannot play centrally in the way we set up. Our system requires a focal point – how many times today did our MF look up & see nothing on in front of… Read more »
Cheers (humblegooner too), useful hearing from someone who knows rather than the usual Piers Morgan-style “sign x for £100m!!!!!”.
Yeah, I really can’t see it either, just interested as to whether his numbers this season are indicative of his talents or not! Really would like to see a big name come in though. I know people get slated for saying it, but after seeing the effect Ozil had on the squad, I think another in January would really send a message out- and scare the shit out of City and Chelsea that Arsene means business too.
He’s overrated. I’ve seen most every game and he’s clumsy on the ball. But he’s strong and can hit it with either foot, with good positioning and has hit his chances thus far. More of a pit bull type of player: bang the centre half around then slip in. Not the best pace, not a 1-on-1 player. Improvement on Giroud? Yes as a poacher/defensive workhorse, but not as an overall player. Not as strong in the air as Giroud, not as strong on set pieces, and his link-up play doesn’t come close to the HFB. But damn, he works hard… Read more »
we seem to be doing pretty well without this new striker that many seem to want. can’t see the point in spending money unless we can get a top quality guy which is highly unlikely this january. bendtner is proving the talent he has. is a pity it took him so long to sort his attitude out but i wouldn’t be surprised to see him go on and have a good career after this season. he does everything you want a centre forward to do, is one of the best in the biz in the air an has always shows… Read more »
Wenger’s not fooling anybody.
We needed a striker even before Bendtner got injured, so we definitely need one now. This actually might be a blessing in disguise: any chance of Wenger dithering and thinking that we could get by without a signing has now absolutely gone. He will sign a goalscorer – the question is who?
We won’t sign a big name – the real quality won’t be available until the summer – but a decent player could make all the difference.
I agree FG – I reckon we’ll see a loan signing til the end of the season. A marquee signing with a view to the long-term in the summer.
I personally don’t think us as supporters look enough in to the bosses favorite two phrases ‘quality’ and ‘special’. I feel his idea of this 9 times out of ten means a player with world class ability who are versatile and can float through multiple positions. Think about our midfield, Rambo, Özil, Wilshere, Santi, Tomas, and even Mickey can all float throughout any spot in the midfield with very little drop off in performance. My prime example is the OX. The past 1-2.5 years we’ve seen him excel on the wing, in the mid, and even dropping back to hold.… Read more »
lets support bendtner. mugsmashers fans supported suarez and forgave him for all the BS that he did. look at them now.
Looks like wenger might offer a new deal to bendtner. Mixed feelings.
Welcome to Arsenal Gary Hooper.
Right now I am craving for the league. More than anything else. I would not care a bit if we were getting a striker that is cup tied.
How do we know you are not lying?
It was desperately unlucky for Bendtner to get injured at a time when he is getting close to his best. Let’s not forget this isn’t the first time he had scored late important goals during the business end of the season. Late winners at home to Wolves and away to Hull come to mind. I thought he should have started today’s game with Podolski on the left. Today’s game showed that we do need another striker. After 80 minutes we had only 2 attempts on target out of 22. With this in mind I hope Wenger has set the wheels… Read more »
Spot on AP
Goonster. Bentner is no suarez. Even if he thinks he is.
We need another striker and have done for 2 seasons. If we fail to buy this window it won’t be a failing of just this window it will be of the last two years. Buy and we can win the league fail and we won’t it’s that simple.
Why wait until the summer when our need is now, if we buy and don’t win the league then at least we have a striker already accustomed to the premier league at the very least.
Henry could take us through to February?
Has he been training with us again this winter? I think he showed last year that he can still mix it in the Prem even though he’s lost a bit of his pace and strength. The Third Coming?!
The only striker i think we can get easily is pato and maybe that belgian kid. I heard Martinez might be available, but i doubt Wenger would spend 34m on a 27 year old. Olympiakos wont sell us mitroglou, so we’re in a mess. I wouldn’t mind if we get pato, his versatility would help us. No morata though, we might as well use chuba akpom.
I just can’t stop thinking “what if we didn’t fool around with that 40m +1 pound bid and have bought that flesh-eater” but now no top striker in January, none, except the likes of Arshavin…No disrespect.
We would not have gotten Ozil. Also, we would have had to pay much more than 40m+1 to get Suarez, Liverpool were allegedly holding out to the tune of 55m or thereabouts.
I expect tons of thumbs down. But if Wenger can cure his craze, then he would be a good buy for 25mil…. I mean the crazy super mario Balotelli
No Giroud, no Bendtner, who are we going to play?
“Nicklas Bendtner injured himself today”
Did he really? A massive cunt rolled over landed on Bendtner’s foot, and sprained his ankle. How did he do that to himself?
This is not a cheap shot at Arseblogger – I just don’t get it.
Turn of phrase: If you keep reading I say “TGSTEL opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 89th minute of the 2-0 win over Cardiff, but got injured when David Marshall, the Bluebirds keeper, landed on his ankle.”
Definitely not happy with the way Podolski looked today in the middle. Seems to be much more useful on the left side with Giroud on the pitch. Know Bendtner has been a fan disfavorite in the past but I like the way he looks on the pitch. His size and strength is such a plus and he seems to have a strikers hunger around the goal. I really hope he stays with the club. He should be a good addition when Giroud doesn’t play. I might be crazy but I think he could be that second striker we have been… Read more »
I always rated balotelli. But hes one crazy son of a bitch!
He’d guarantee us a quota of never – was – penalty penalties too. I’ve not yet seen a ref that’s turned down a Mario penalty shout, regardless of merit.
If we could just get like Two Girouds. But lets say the 2nd one to have an upgrade of being abit more clinical then i would want absolutely nothing else.
The Great Dane got my respect today. I’ve never been his biggest fan but that was an important goal and I hope he has a speedy recover
Viewing from a distance… I wouldn’t give him a new contract though.
Obvious, wielfred bony
you cant make friends with salad, arsene.
Bendtner got us all 3 points today. It was one hell of a finish, one that a certain Fernando Torres could have missed.
Any idea how long Sanogo is out for? No chance of him coming back before 2015?
How about Chicarito on loan?
Benzema. …
Nuff said
Think Arsene is covering both bases here.
His Plan A is a world class striker and it’s mighty difficult to find one especially if they know you are desperate, in that sense the double injury came at the worst time.
Secondly because it is so difficult to find anyone it could mean we miss out.
Don’t doubt the Wenger. It only took him a couple of transfer windows to turn a team with solid defence into Trophy winners!
I think we’ll sign Berbatov and it’ll be more a of a temporary fix than anything. In the summer Nik will move on and we’ll buy another striker.
I’m not saying that this is what i think should happen, but I think it’s what will happen. I do wonder whether Berbatov could raise his game once not playing for a mid-table side?
Berbatov at Fulham looks, weirdly enough, like Henry at Red Bulls (until this season’s mostly-renaissance). He falls into a sulk because he feels (defensibly) that the squad isn’t up to his level, doesn’t understand what he’s trying to do, and doesn’t give him service he can make anything out of. Seems like he’s got the potential to really come alive with a better team around him.
Short term loan a reasonable bendtner replacement to do in the short term. Not going to be able to loan anyone better than that. Too short term to change our style for a different kind of player.
I agree a short term loan is a good sign because it means there is someone already lined up for the summer (Lewandoski 😉
I think instead of posting an article every time Wenger says this, we should just do a tally