Thursday, December 12, 2024

Boss coy on Falcao and ‘secret’ negotiations

Arsene Wenger has insisted that any deals Arsenal do before the end of the transfer will be subject to the club’s policy of TOP SECRET.

Asked specifically about Colombian striker Falcao, and why he doesn’t just go and sign him, the manager said, “It’s very difficult to go into all that.

“Once again all the negotiations have to be as secret as possible and if we sign somebody, even if we sign Falcao, you will be informed.”

Of course the idea of ‘just’ signing Falcao is nice, but not very realistic. Just off the top of our heads, here are some things that might complicate the deal:

  • His tax free salary in Monaco which Arsenal would struggle to match
  • The fact he probably wants to go to Real Madrid
  • His agent being Jorge Mendes, Jose Mourinho’s partner in crime (metaphorically speaking of course)
  • His fee, which would be very large
  • Worries about his knee after a cruciate injury

Of course we’re not saying it’s impossible if we really want to do it, but it’s really not as simple as nipping out and picking up a tube of Preparation H to soothe that striking itch.

While once again talking up his coterie of forward options, Wenger also said he’d be active in the market until the close on Monday evening, but also suggested that the potential to earn silverware doesn’t hinge on simply signing a striker.

“The success of a season doesn’t depend on one player that you buy or not. I think you do it when you think it strengthens your squad of course if you find the right player you want to do it.

We have shown in the last two seasons, when we think money has to be spent we do it. But we want to do it in the right way.”

Wenger also touched on the clamour for him to make a purchase in the wake of the Olivier Giroud injury.

“We live in a society of opinions. People are better informed today – many of them are even better informed than I am! All the opinions do not necessarily mean that people are right.

“Everybody is entitled to have an opinion but that doesn’t necessarily mean that their opinion is right. In fact, many opinions have been wrong in the past and people have never come out and said ‘sorry, I was wrong’.

“The easiest thing to do is have an opinion.”

When you consider some of the players that people were desperate for us to sign but didn’t, he does have a point. We call this the Christopher Samba edict.

Now: this blog post will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

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alex

nothing would surprise me more than us signing a high profile forward in the next few days

like, ozil was a surprise, but my first thought would genuinely be that arsenal.com had been hacked it I saw “Falcao signs” on the front page

go on, surprise me

Atletico Islington

I’m currently salivating at the endless fun that hacking the website of a major club, on deadline day, could provide

Subhankar

You’d be jailed

German Gunner

RM must be laughing their fucking heads off at that one

Gunnersaurus

Sometimes Preparation H doesn’t even do the trick. Then you’re rubber ducked.

wash_dc_gunner

I’m excited.

Highberry

and I just can’t hide it…..sing along now…..I’m about to lose control and I think I like it….
COYG a direct debit from the foxes please and the usual heart-stopping, nail-biting transfer deadline day which I have booked as a day off so I can enjoy the whole day glued to every source of news

Arsical

I’m chuffed to bits that Sp*rs aren’t linked to any of our potential signings. Ladies and gentlemen, we are dining at the top table now!

ontheup

Not that we were ever thinking of eating in that trough of theirs.

Cheap, injury free, world class striker with arteta-esc hair and more umph then the BFG

Hello? Is it me you’re looking for?

Away with you, Bendtner!!

Kall Me When You're Sober

Clicked on this article for the third time so far today just so I could laugh at “Away with you, Bendtner!” again.

…it’s been a long week at work.

Beagleboy

Methinks that was actually Arshavin 😉

There’s definitely a song theme running through these posts today

Beagleboy

Sign him up as well Sa-no-go
We don’t wanna miss it when you score that goal goal
Sign him up as well Sa-no-go
‘Cause our strikers are too solo
Sign him up as well Sa-no-go
Make us sing to-n-i-t-e
We wanna lift that trophy (yeah, yeah)

Wen(gunn)er

We’re more likely to sign Reus than Falcao. BVB moved for Kagawa as soon as we qualified for the CL and reliable sources indicated we had an agreement with Reus earlier in the window (maybe he wanted CL guarantee). With Poldi leaving, Reus seems like the perfect LW replacement – especially when Sanchez is bought by Wenger to be a ST.

ketones

yes but he’s out for the rest of the year isn’t he

Arsenal4Life

No, Reus is back, he already played a couple of Bundesliga games. But in my mind there is about 0% chance that we’ll sign him in this window.

ClockEndRider

More likely to join the ever increasing band of former Dortmund players at Bayern next year I’d have thought…..

AFCEdwards

“Ever increasing” at a grand total of TWO.

assistantref

So out until the rest of the year that he scored a goal today…

The African Panther

Are you one of those who are more informed than Arsene?

Donut Maestro

There is a measure of logic in what he says. I agree with the deduction, not that it matters one whit what I think.

The Low Crows

I don’t think Podolski would be leaving now. He got cup-tied when Wenger named him on the bench for the home tie against Besiktas.

ZA Gunner

Nope. No cup tie for the playoffs. The competition proper is where the “cup ties” start. Not that it matters; I don’t see Pod leaving either.

Arsepedant

Podolski is not leaving.

Beagleboy

Reus would represent a ridiculously relishing enrichment of our squad!

And I am sure that Borussia would feel a wee bit enriched as well 😉

Carlsenal

I asked Jan Aage Fjortoft. Reus staying at BVB for atleast another season :/

Tob

Fjor who ?????????????

Beagleboy

Thor’s brother-in-law

AlwaysGunner

If we don’t sign a quality striker, we will be having only one regular striker who is fit and that’s Sonogo!!
And no, I’m not even saying how badly we need a DM and at least one defender.
Another top 4 finish looms unless we tick all the three boxes.
AW, please don’t go out and buy another no#10; we have too many of them.

Nognir

“Wenger wants to sign Falcao” – Tomorrow’s headline in Mail, Mirror et al

Andy Mack

I call it the Lorik Cana edict. So many were shouting that he’ll turn us into Champions league winners but when the guy turned up at S*nderland he was a mediocre player that attracted red cards.
The bottom line is that I don’t want our club getting ‘ripped off’ by other clubs. If it stops us ending up with ‘a Saldado’ or ‘Veron’ then I’d rather buy kids at a third of the price.

Pedobear

Where can one buy these ‘kids’ ?

[Heavy breathing]

ClockEndRider

Lorik Cana. The Lord Lucan of football…..,,

In that he’s disappeared. Not that he’s killed someone. ……

DR

Yeah, the red cards were kinda what I wanted though.

It was at a time when we were getitng bullied out of games regularly by aggressive tactics, I’d take a few red cards if it made teams think twice before smashing us, knowing there is an unhinged Frenchman coming for them. I was probably wrong, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

RedCat21

He was actually Albanian, which probably makes it even scarier.

But yes, Samba, Capoue, Cana, M’Villa, Trabelsi, Hoilett, Mexes, the list of players that Arsenal desperately needed at times is long, and they haven’t exactly set the world on fire.

Andy Mack

Yeah results really change when you’re playing with only 10 men on a regular basis..

busybee

Reus is a realistic and mouthwatering possibility. I agree that an out and out striker would be to be preferred, but I don’t think the required quality is going to be easy to find. Reus does have plenty of ability, the fee would be affordable and there would be plenty of extra goals scored for the team.

assistantref

I don’t get where you see the fee being affordable. He can leave for 25 million next year. I dunno why they would want to sell him for less than maybe 35ish million this year. Especially not days before the window closes. That seems suicidal.

I mean it probably wouldn’t be 60 million ala Di Maria or James but even for the club in 2014 35 million isn’t exactly cheap.

Gillespie Road

What are Preparation H’s stats like? I’ve heard he’s a decent finisher with good link up play.

the only sam is nelson

I’ve heard that he’s an avid reader of novels, his favourite being “Grapes of Wrath”

Harish P

I heard he likes to stay in the hole.

Tired

Actually he plays in the hole

Andy Mack

Will he tighten it all up?

ClockEndRider

On paper he’s not very good. He always manages to cling on.

Coat.

Ali

I had to google what preparation H stood for to get the puns. I sincerely hope all of you had to as well.

Third Plebeian

He’s actually a no. 2, and I don’t think we need another one of those running up and down the sides.

Newts

I just think we need to trust Wenger whatever happens between now and the window closing.

If we sign someone its because he got the right deal for us if we dont then the right deal wasn”t to be had.

Stonroy

All this talk of who is right and wrong. You know how you know when you’re right? When you win the league/ the UCL. Not when you come in fourth place.

Jimmy C

I think if you go 49 Unbeaten, you have at least a small idea of what is right.

AnonymousGun

We currently 12 unbeaten btw.. still long way, but 25% 😀

danb

So how many league titles have you won?

the only sam is nelson

So Arseblog is talking about “Preparation H” in response to our striking crisis?

At last!

H = Holt, Grant

The cream to smear on our red bits, indeed. Oh, yes

Arsenal4Life

Shame people won’t understand sarcasm though.

Mr Arsenal -Tony Adams

H is for Heskey a super striker!

Arsenal4Life

Just want to say that he is one of my favorite non Arsenal players, left foot, right foot, headers, composure; an absolute machine. Oh and he destroyed Chavs in that supercup match while playing for Atletico. If we signed him over the moon doesn’t really do it justice. But not getting my hopes up.

J-bronx

No matter what happens or doesn’t happen during the final moments of the transfer window, let us all just take a few moments to relish the fact that Robin Van Cunty is trapped at the shittiest Man u side for twenty years. No more medals foe that twat.

Paul

Your post has made my day!!

MTZ

I’d go mental if we signed Falcao, as he’s fantastic, but we won’t. I was actually discussing this with my father the other day, and we’re both a bit surprised by the fact that no one seems to be linked with Bony this summer. He’s never even mentioned, yet he seems to be a far better option than Remy, Balotelli and so on.

By The Eyes of Özil

Like this kinda top secret?…

Top Secret! (9/9) Movie CLIP – Nick The Ambassado…: http://youtu.be/ySEkuf94my4

I even think the ya dog is making a cameo, Blogs..

Goonsquad

We’re all pretty much in agreement that we need a striker a dm and another centre back. The only question now is which small attacking midfielder will Arsene buy?

MTZ

Hahaha, spot on mate.

KWD

Fabregas….I mean….wait…..what?!?!

Gooner from Pretoria.

He scored that beauty of a header against us during the Emirates cup plus him and Sanchez were team mates at river plate Argentinean football club..Am I the only 1 think Coach Arlene will win that poker Game..

Karl

I’ll wade in here and put a dampener on this. Remember we went into Jan transfer window with Ramsey out but still top of the league? Instead of strengthening further and anticipating long term injuries we panicked and bought an already crocked midfielder just before the window slammed shut in our face. We have made some great purchases this summer and brought back Joel but I think we all know we need 3 more.

ClockEndRider

Top Secret? It’s déjà vu all over again….

Gooner from Pretoria.

Arsene will win the game…sorry stupid Blackberry…

Third Plebeian

There’s a picture of Arlene Wenger in another Arseblog News article today.

ChioMilitary

“The easiest thing to do is have an opinion.” Touche quote from the Boss.

ClockEndRider

Having an opinion is one thing. Having an opinion worth a rub is entirely another. Every journalist and 99% of pundits and Jamies fall into the former camp.
Nice work, Arsene.

Rodrick

Didn’t Wenger specifically say that Falcao is out of our price range? I’ve read suggestions that we’d loan him for £20m or something, but Arsenal aren’t going to write off that amount of money over 12 months. Come on.

Springbank 1965

You mean you read in The Mail or Metro that we could get him on loan for around £20M?

I think you’ll find the figure to be just their opinion and anyone can have one of those.

Even so, all the more reason for a period of top secret negotiations and a last-minute medical, don’t you think?

Larry

That’s all very well, but when are we signing Scott Parker and Scott Dann?

ClockEndRider

I’m sure there’s time yet to hear about medicals for MVila and Kalou…….

Third Plebeian

Remember when we were linked with Joey Barton a few years ago? Those were dark days.

KWD

Just to add some more uniformed speculative nonsense to the mix (cause you never can get enough of it) my guess is that if we are involved in the Falcao thing at all – the “difficult” bit is that we are actually going after Benzema after Falcao goes to Real. ….not a chance on Falcao coming here…

…though I did get him to sign in my latest FM save, and as we all know sh*t don’t get more real than that.

The African Panther

I say bring Jay-Emmanuel Thomas

ClockEndRider

Presumably we need someone to paint the lines on the pitch.

Dial square

The next three days are going to be a killer, are we, aren’t we..I think the Falcao stories are way off the mark, as far as the striker issue goes, personally I would be quite happy if we signed Wilfried Bony.

blahblahblah

“The success of a season doesn’t depend on one player that you buy or not.
old purple nose would disagree after you handed him the title along with RVP

Aaron

People giving him thumbs down are really in denial, he was literally the reason they won the title and I believe if he had stayed with us that one season then we would have been champions

Hessojay

Hmmn….

Arctic Troll

I read in Metro, who read it on Anal Bleacher, that we can have Cristano Ronaldo for £17m. You heard it here last folks.

heihaci

no way we sign Falcao some ppl are really delusional if they beleive that!
I would be happy if we signed Reus. He is capable of playing as a CF and has physical presence

cagooner

No way we sign Ozil. No way we sign Alexis Sanchez. Have a little faith friends. That’s my heart speaking. My head expects one Greek defender with a long last name. Or Agger.

Arsene's Wengerboyz

Blogs whats the poo-o-meter for this??

Dhaval

As I am used to juggling budget as much as AW is I can think following as one rational way to land Falcao. I am not as informed as Arsene is but if we can get Falcao on loan for a year at some where around 5 million fees (As any top player cost at least for 30M) and somewhere around 7M wages and can shift Poldi on loan so as he supposedly earns around 100K a week which roughly comes to 5.2M and should command at least 1.5/2 M loan fee which will mean we get Falcao for a… Read more »

Al Gilmore

It would be nice if Outraged from barnet/ghana/uranus wouldn’t get outraged about our transfer window until it’s actually completed. This is worst aspect of the window – that all these guys ‘know’ what AW is gonna do/not do, and they are all convinced that it’ll be sh*t. And even if they are proved wrong, they can still turn around and say ‘yeah he bought players but he bought the wrong ones’. And only if we win the league, will they say they were wrong. By this reckoning Man Citeh got everything right last year but everything wrong the year before,… Read more »

DR

At least the people saying ‘Wenger will never spend big’ have finally shut up, even spending 40m+ on Ozil didn’t shut them up because ‘it was only done to appease fans, if we hadn’t have booed agianst Villa, it never would have happened’.

goonero

Shouldn’t his injury record be on the list of reasons why we’d probably sign him?

Chamakh

Need a striker?

I know one who’s available for relatively cheaps.

N7

Is it time for the annual Gourcuff link yet? I have a feeling we’ll get someone else….I gues we’ll just have to do the impossible and wait!

Chamakh

Need a striker?

I know one who could be had for relatively cheaps.

Jeremy Mathews

Wasn’t there some sort of rule passed in Ligue 1 requiring players to pay French taxes due to the unfair advantage it created? Or is it just Monaco has to pay them and not Falcao? I was under the impression that that was why he might be keen to leave.

ClockEndRider

In a typical French fashion they amended to law so that the employer could pay the tax on behalf of the employee. At one stroke they solved the problems of FFP for PSG and Monaco.

Jeremy Mathews

Ah, that explains it. Cheers.

Arseblood

How about the lad Rhodes at Blackburn? He reminds me of a young Alan Shearer. He’s hungry and would compete from the bench.

ClockEndRider

You mean he’s a thick, balding Geordie?

Smart-Arse

One does not simply sign Falcao…

der Kommisar

One does not simply sing Falco…

(All ist klar, Herr Kommisar?)

Gunnerswede

I have a imminent “Reusy” like feeling for deadline day! Come on Arsene bring out another wizard from your seduction hat!

Wangge

With Monday being the last day, it will be very hard to concentrate at work.

Paulus

Good to know we are many.

Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.

I hear Man Utd will listen to offers for an up and coming star on their books called Tom Cleverley.

Felipe

JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ!!!! HE’S THE MAN TO SIGN!!!

21, Uruguay’s hottest prospect, already in the National Team, quick as fuck, Suarez-like forward (without the diving and the biting) and available for less than 4m pounds!!!

Chuck

So, he’s got racism?

Truth hurts

I play a lot of PRo evolution soccer on PS. And I win everyone with the current Arsenal team. Falcao who? I beat Monaco 4-0 last night.

Questionable Answers

Am on my knees, as I speak, begging and beseeching Arsene Wenger for my not too wise soeculations and suggestions on who to sign. Indeed the last one was really chicken borne; that we buy Torres!!

duaneb

Surely Wenger must have a contact or two in Monaco from his time there… If not Falcao, maybe Bony or Benteke.

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