If you’ve been following snippets of Arsene Wenger’s press conference on Twitter this morning you’ll have seen a quote doing the rounds.
The official @Arsenal Twitter account posted this:
Wenger: “If everybody is fit then we don’t need to go into the transfer market” http://t.co/YgssWomiHf
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 12, 2014
And obviously people have reacted to that. However, the full context of his quote is a bit more interesting. He was responding to a question from one of the journalists who asked:
Q: “With regard the defensive problems, are you confident you can solve them on the training pitch or do you have to dip into the transfer market and give them some help?”
A: “Look if everybody is fit and available we don’t need to go on the transfer market. But we have to consider that Koscielny could be a question mark with his fitness and we have to go out on the transfer market, yes.”
So, that’s much more of an admission that we’re likely to do some business – as if the whole idea of everyone being fit and available wasn’t ludicrous enough already.
Wenger doesn’t expect a lot of business to be done overall though, saying, “There will be very little activity because all the big clubs want to keep their best players. It will be as usual, quiet in the first three weeks and a bit frenetic in the last three or four days.
“Usually the transfer market in January is not very active.”
There you go then. Clear as mud, but not a definitive shutting of the transfer door (window) that some would suggest.
Hope he signs Hummels and Sergio Ramos
and reus and vidal and pogba
and messi
and pele
and ray parlour
what about Ronaldo too? haha
We need TGSTEL back! Now!
And still we’re unbalanced in favor of attacking players. Will we ever learn?!
But if we sign all those players plus Gareth Bale, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Karim Benzema as well, we won’t need any blance between offense and defense. The other team would never have the ball in our half.
And Scott Dann 🙂
Chris Samba?
Or Mings
What if everybody is fit but players get suspended?
What if everybody is fit, but you have a run of 3 games in a week?
What if everybody is fit, but then somebody suffers a dip in form?
What if you read what he said?
LMAO *So Funny*
Being available still wouldn’t account for drops in form or playing a player to the point of burn out.
I did read the quote, and still see it as him saying the squad would be fine had we not been injury stricken.
I just think we’ve brought about our own bad luck by over relying on the players that are ‘fit’. A little rotation would be nice, but that can’t be done withour the backup.
There is a limit on the number of senior squad players a PL team can have. We’re pretty close to it. If we buy another 3 players (front, middle and back) ‘just in case’ we’ll end up with at least 2 of them only playing 1 or 2 games a season and then being referred to on here as ‘the deadwood’ and people complaining that they’re being paid big bucks for nothing.
Just for the record, I reckon that we still have five senior squad spots that we can fill, and 3 of those can be used on foreign players.
Wiz, you may be right (I thought it was 3 in all), but we still have the situation of; 1) do we buy ‘just in case’ cover’ which play 2/3 times a year and be rusty when they’re needed or 2) do we try to blood some youngsters?
Make no mistake, I want a CB in this window, but that’s it for this window. Then in the summer we’ll have some natural ‘waste’ which hopefully will be replaced by headline signings.
Wiz, you may be right (I thought it was 3 in all) but we still have the situation of; 1) do we buy players ‘just in case’ and they play 2/3 times a year plus they’re not so good because they’re rusty or 2) do we try to blood some youth?
Make no mistake, I want a CB in this window. Then in the summer we’ll naturally lose a few and hopefully they can be replaced by ‘headline’ signings.
Fair enough Andy, I agree with that. The limit on squad spaces has made it all the more important to be prudent with transfers. That said though, and I might be wrong on this, but Arteta, Rosicky, Pod and Diaby are all out of contract in the summer so with that in mind, I think we should splurge on the right midfielder if he became available.
But we have to add another defender surely, even if it’s Chris Samba, I don’t care.
I was with you right up until the end. We do *NOT* want to sign just any defender. For fucks sake, does no-one remember Squillaci, Silvestre, Cygan, and Senderos?
Just as a matter of principal, we should avoid signing any defender whose names begins with an “S” sound! Especially Samba!
Defence is traditionally one of the areas that a team stays relatively unchanged throughout the season. If they all stay fit then there is a good chance that Szczesney, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny & Gibbs would be ever present in the league.
I remember during Invincibles season our back four barely changed.
I think this is a pretty unfair comment – GunnAlex makes some excellent points. We’ve been banging on all season that 6 defenders is not enough, Arsene is saying it is.
I don’t think Wenger particularly believes what he said that strongly, we were looking for a CB in the summer but he sees Monreal as an option there, I think Monreal has shwon why he shouldn’t be that option and there needs to be another guy, however when we have guys that can cover full-back too it looks like a gamble we could take, but there just aren’t enough bodies to cover the number of positions they are.
Hopefully AW has realised that, versatility is good but it can bait you into thinking you have more cover than you do.
Imagine all the people…
For goodness sake, our own PR team are trying to get the guy crucified. Are we sure they’re not linked to the Daily Mail in any way?
yes, exactly my thoughts!
Am I the only one who read the out of context quote and not freak out? The second I saw the “If everybody’s fit, we don’t need to go into the transfer market,” I thought “hmm, obvious troll is obvious.” Including players who have returned from injury but still being evaluated, we have enough bodies in the injury room to join some kind of handicapped 11 and still have 3 subs. And that would be a formidable squad there, no deadwood in it. Wenger has always spoken in a sideways manner to take a dig at the press and probably… Read more »
They are passionate as real fans naturally. They feel the same things when we get humiliated in the big games. History repeats itself time and time again. Everyone is tired of arsene wenger.
Utter bollocks. Selecting a sentence from an interview that makes the manager look particularly inept/opens him up to abuse from his own fans isn’t the same as being passionate about the club.
Well, they are loyal to the club, but not to Wenger. Which is why they naturally want wenger out. It is very simple. Either you want the club to be successful or you are one of those guys who are negative and wants the club to end 4th every year and get humiliated by our rivals (Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd.)
When are you going to STOP making assumptions about what “Everyone” thinks? You don’t speak for all Arsenal fans, just yourself… Idiot!
Squillaci is it SC Bastia. I reckon we can prise him away. He would be a quality adition.
In his defence, he does have all the requirements/qualifications except one, being the ability to play at PL speed.
Agreed. class defender when he was at sevilla.
Some smack bottom is in order for the person who runs the Arsenal Twitter feed. What a tw@t.
I had to check that tweet 3 times. Can’t believe @Arsenal posted that. They trying to turn a fractious fanbase completely against our own manager or what!?
Did not this site, make it plain in a daily editorial column a couple of weeks back, that Arsenal had to move quickly in the January window and – as far as possible – get our business done early, rather than the usual trick of waiting until the 11th hour to shave 50p off the price ? I’m pretty sure it – correctly – did. Now we get this crap from Wenger who is already down playing any idea of prompt action. This is the same lemming who has told us that Diaby will be offered a new deal ‘if… Read more »
Why would the club or Wenger announce to the world that they are going into the market for a certain type of player? That would be financial suicide. People need to grow up a bit and stop thinking they know how to run a football club. To answer your direct question. The reason a small minority of people no longer have faith in Wenger is because they are amateurs with an opinion but think they know better than highly experienced, well paid professionals. That same minority are also the type of people that believe the bullshit they read in the… Read more »
You’re obviously a little key board warrior well connected with the fan base – ’cause I can assure you it’s very far from a small minority. The main Fanzine is the Gooner – in case you don’t know and you probably don’t – and it’s current front page proclaims ‘Enough is Enough’. By no means do they speak for all but it’s one clear indication of where we are going. And it’s only going to get worse as the performances do likewise. And anyone who responds to any criticism with the ‘go and support Chelsea’ argument has already lost before… Read more »
As someone born and bred less than two miles from Highbury and who had my first season ticket in 1968 and still have one, I’d like to think I’m reasonably well connected with the fan base yes. Your claim about the Gooner is valid though since that particular rag has always been thoroughly negative about everything. Believe me, if we won the league with 37 wins and a draw, the Gooner would moan about the draw. The “go and support Chelsea” argument is sound I’m afraid. Throughout the decades, there have been fickle glory hunters who attached themeselves to the… Read more »
You are wrong about the Gooner – purely and simply, which suggests you don’t read it. It has no set editorial line and takes a variety of opinions. It’s finally lost patience with Wenger after years of repeated errors, leading to the same defeats. It does support the Club but sees no reason to offer unlimited backing to a failing Manager. The ‘Go and Support Chelsea’ argument is indeed cretinous because support for the Club does not equate to unconditional backing for the Manager or the Board, whatever you think otherwise. And if people did support another Club, they’d be… Read more »
Nice one Mike… very well put. COYG!!! So many jonny come lately s, all clamouring for change. WTF, what do they know? Not a lot!
1) It’s not a minority 2) Calling Wenger’s quotes mind games is cool if you have selective amnesia about our January transfer window history 3) Wenger critics are calling for a change of manager, you know to install a different professional, not themselves. 4) Don’t read the papers myself. I watch lots of football though. 5) Supporting the club does not equate to supporting the manager. Wenger critics believe that replacing Wenger would be a positive and necesssary step forward for the club to move forward. Wishing for these supportes to support another club just reveals your own likely lack… Read more »
Point 5) in letters the same size as ARSENAL outside the stadium.
“I stopped going in 2010 as I could see clearly where this was going whilst Wenger remained and I haven’t been proved wrong in the intervening time. But whilst I was there, ‘fractious’ would be the word. What it’s like now, who knows ?” As I said Rob, I do, because I still support the club……..you’ve clearly evidenced that you’ve given up until the glory comes back. It does leave me slightly confused as to how you feel able to accuse me of being out of touch with the fan base when you haven’t even bothered to go to games… Read more »
“1) It’s not a minority”
Proof?
Dawg, this article is about context. To put more light on it, “it’s not a small minority,” and even more, it’s a very vocal group, regardless of the size. Mike calling them amateurs is just more of the useless name calling going across fans of the SAME team. Both sides have valid arguments that gain/lose traction with every result, every performance, every press release. But any commenter’s argument loses credibility when you start calling the other side names – it becomes very easy to undermine anything you state based an unnecessary and unrelated fallacy that you chose to include. Just… Read more »
that last comment wasn’t made directly at you or any other individual BrewCity. Yours just happened to be at the end of this comment string
“It’s not a minority” LMAO. It is where I sit at the Emirates, a very, very small minority.
I watch lots of documentaries about the health service. It doesn’t make me a doctor.
I had my first season ticket in 1968 and still have one. I travel 200 miles to every home game. I’m not sure many would agree that this shows a lack of commitment to the club. Still I guess the anti-Wenger brigade know better……………
No bother Mike. I don’t attend matches so I’m not in a position to criticise anybody who does, taking your claim at face value. My minority assumption is based on the gooners I meet irl, the online community, and despite what you say, the atmposhere at the Emirates which comes across as poisonous quite frequently and especially when the chips are down. Weren’t there fans fighting each other outside the Britannia last week? My best guess is that whilst there are some diehard Wenger supporters, and some fierce skeptics, there are a whole lot more who are caught in between… Read more »
A solitary loan signing in the last few days of the window it is then.
any Kahlstrom sittings lately, haha. Maybe an ex-player will randomly show up to train with Arsenal and we’ll just sign him because he was there. Wait a sec, maybe Henry is available!
I guess you weren’t at the Emirates hearing the vast majority singing “there’s onl;y one Arsene Wenger” then?
People like that are often known as the silent majority……………..as opposed to the gobby minority.
Come on, guys, you will protect him even he’ll eat a baby, don’t you? What’s wrong with you? Who’ll protect our team from Chelsea, City and Bayern? Even if Koscielny and Mertesacker are the fittest players in the world, we have just 2 centrebacks. We have no proper DM, and “we don’t need to go on the transfer market”? Once more I understand – he doesn’t care for our team, he just like to play his on Football Manager on ultra hard difficulty, pretending it as an achievement. Hopefully, several years later Arsenal FC once again will be the team… Read more »
“Wenger doesn’t give a shit about Arsenal.” You quite sure about that?
I don’t want to be the guy to whack elephant in the room… But wasn’t Wenger trying to sign a centre back when both Kosceilny and per were fit in the summer..He said he missed out.. Now he says if all the players are fit there is no need.? Hmmmmm
If he comes out and says he’s desperate for a central defender, anyone will do, then all the other teams will add £5m to the price tag.
Errrr I think you will find the last remaining undiscovered tribe in the Amazon know we are desperate for a central defender without Wenger saying it so all other teams might have a fair inclination also.
Every girl in the night club can see you’re desperate but you still don’t advertise it.
Yep, but he thought Monrel could cover until we get the ‘right guy’. He’s wrong imo, and hopefully sees that now.
Very interesting Blogs
We’ve spent a lot already this year- I really doubt any major signings will happen in January.
From what Wenger’s saying here, I reckon we’ll get an aging CB, with international and Champion’s League experience, who can possibly play in midfield too. He’ll be cheap and it won’t ‘rock the boat’ in the sense that it won’t “kill” Koscielny, as Wenger might say.
I’d imagine he’ll arrive at 2am on 1st February.
He’ll probably get injured in training then sign for West Ham or go to Charlton on loan next summer.
As long as he doesn’t get injured, I’d take that.
I think it’s Chambers and Hayden that it would kill though, rather than a 28 year old International though.
Yeah – you’re right actually…it’d “kill” someone anyway.
Whoever runs the Arsenal twitter account should be given the fucking boot
It’s usually pretty quiet for the first few weeks – well, we don’t have the luxury not to do any business after 25th, we need a defender now
So basically. The Arsenal Twitter account is being a massive troll…
He is absolutely clueless as usual. He will not buy what we need, he fails to see what everyone else can see. Thanks, Arsene Wenger. But it is time to leave in may and give the supporters something to be happy about.
Yawn
What on earth are the club’s Twitter people playing at? Are they “Wenger Out” as well, because it sure looks like it. Muppets.
If we read what Wenger *actually* said then it makes more sense. If we have everyone fit we don’t need anyone because our first choice players are plenty good enough. But they’re not all going to be fit, so we do need someone, but we won’t be held to ransom for some two-bit player.
I don’t understand why this is controversial?
According to a lot of former arsenal players a lot of people are tired of arsene wenger. Not only supporters but also people within the club.
Proof?
I think it’s mostly Stewart Robson with lots of different wigs.
Very surprising. He doesn’t believe in nothing jobs. Controls spending tightly. Appears to have a strong hold on the club. Yes I can see that the people outside looking in will like him a lot. Please let’s focus our efforts on supporting the team whatever side of the divide you are on.
Would you care to name this “lot of former Arsenal players”?
Relax, you guys. Monsieur Wenger is playing mind games. He may be stubborn but I’m certain he is certainly not stupid because he is aware of the defensive situation and will dip into the market. Be prepared to be surprised.
I would say this no matter who the manager is. It will be very difficult to get any genuine quality in January. We effectively have C.B. cover in Chambers. What we need is a top quality player who will come in and put genuine immediate pressure on the B.F.G. or be a stand in if Kos continues to struggle. The only reason therefore to buy another “chambers” is if Wenger thinks chambers is already good enough to pressurised Per – which I don’t think he is yet. So if we really want to improve our first team – I think… Read more »
How fans can defend arsene wenger’s transfer windows time and time again is beyond me. Don’t try to explain wenger logic where there is just question marks. He should have bought a CB last summer of world class, instead he was playing beach volleyball in brazil and going away on a charity game on deadline day. Surely, if he fails to buy what we need in the summer he needs to have someone to come in january and strengthen the team?! He tells you that black is white and people believe him, jheez.. We’re weak in defense and yet he… Read more »
Y’see, there are people that have valid criticisms and wonder about the issues in the club and whether Wenger can solve them or not…and then there are people that seem to think not playing volleyball is all that is required, I can understand one bunch but not the other.
He should have spent the entire fucking summer with finding players until he had it sorted. Only clubs that does not do their job correctly do their dealings on the last days of the windows (mainly..) It should be solved as early as possible.
Arsene Wenger sold Vermaelen in July without a replacement first, he is entitled to criticism and deserves it multiple times oveer.
Should have kept Vermalean then?
No, I want to improve the squad rather than the first team.
A fully rested and fit back four of Debuchy/Mert/Kos/Gibbs is good enough for any team. Having only Chambers/Monreal to cover for them is not good enough for any team who are serious about doing anything.
Just one more body who can do a job at CB, that’s all we need.
Mertesacker is not good enough for any team.. lol
He is a good player don’t get me wrong, but he is hardly world class.
How is gaining over a ton of international caps and being a world cup winner not world class? He is just going through a bad run last season he was a rock.
I’ve already learned to ignore most of your posts/rants, and your saying Mertesacker’s no good has just proven why I’m right to do so.
Stupid @arsenal twitter handle. That’s the only snippet they thought apt to use for that story.
Maybe bring back Lord Bendtner ?
If he believes that, he’s crazy. Over and over again, an obvious short spot in our squad is not strengthened and we lose out because of it. For every time we more or less get away with it (no true backup for Giroud last season) there are three times we don’t. I honestly believe that Wenger has decided in his mind that injuries are just bad luck and if we have them then it’s not his fault. He builds great first XIs but not complete squads. As for those saying that teams would up the price of their CBs if… Read more »
I would say Giroud is not example of him getting away with it. Even though not outright injured OG had one godawful slump for a while there that cost us a lot of points
was watching highlights of diaby and all i can say is what a wasted talent, hope the club can keep him ause he in some capacity because he is an intelligent lad,his injuries have robbed us of immense talent
i’m betting on wenger that will buy that guy Fabian Schär from Basel, he is in the last year of his contract and refused extension, yes basel are in CL, but hey would like to make few quids rather then player leaving for nothing in the summer. Fabian Schär was excellent against liverpool and to my understanding we are continuously scouting him, so wenger is no dumb man to invite bidding war with a guy who will certainly leave in january because of his contract.
Wasn’t everybody mad at him in the summer because, even with everybody fit he still needed to go to the transfer market for more depth? Because with this team it’s almost a 100% guarantee that somebody will end up injured before the next window? imo the full context isnt much better because it shows he still is of the mindset to gamble on what he has over adding more depth
Here is the conundrum Wenger is facing. Even IF everyone is fit with Per-Koscielny available, we still need one quality Cback to rotate through Meterscielny. Back up is not good enough. BUT it is very hard to find quality that can force his way through rotation of Meterscielny. The alternative is a short term solution if quality is not found to price (and price is always going to be higher in Jan). I would favour a loan but loan options were more likely in the summer. Bear in mind as well ideal candidate for the job should be 6’3 +… Read more »
Especially difficult as Kozzer and BFG bring different abilities to the table.
Finding 1 CB that compliments both of them wouldn’t be easy.
We will sign sweet fcuk all. And diaby will be like a new signing.
Both the comment in isolation and the full context of what he said primarily indicate his own frustration with the injury situation. Our recent transfer history, especially the non-replacement of Vermaelen and this bizarre gambling on Monreal in a post-World Cup season (which even he admits is tough on players) surely necessitate a stronger approach to the market. The argument that he’s right not to telegraph our intentions is only valid if he actually has those intentions – to go out and strengthen. And not the Kallstrom Affair level of strengthening either! And the real assumption here, that when our… Read more »
When did we have our best 12-16 players fit for you to make that decision?
That was kaius’ point, I believe. They never are, but Wenger says ‘if everyone is fit’.
But I don’t believe Wenger truly thinks that will ever happen. He knows what is needed.
Why all this this stupid Wenger logic about what he may or my not do,this guy hate to do the right thing transfer after transfer because he believe he is the only man that know what best for Arsenal no one else does,so if a guy that get paid eight million but can’t find a player we don’t have and people are really finding logic into that well we andalusite needs our head tested,not just Wenger alone. I love Wenger but love Arsenal more
I thought the trophy last season would buy Arsene the time he needs to build the next great team with the fans firmly behind him.
Lots of injuries and few bad results and everything falls to shit.
Dick you hit the nail on the head,going into a season with only two central defenders is no good for any team hoping to win titles and what Arsene Wenger is saying is utter rubbish. Thats the most difficult position on a football field because when you make mistake there is no recovery and only god can help your goal keeper.Using other players to substitute for them is almost commiting suicide against top opponents. Before last season end we needed a defensive midfielder and defenders as all those playing DM cant make one good player as they are slow and… Read more »
The answer is obviously “yes, they can”, because Arsenal won the double in 1971 with a squad of 15 (2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, 3 forwards) that didn’t vary from the beginning to the end of the season. For a more recent example, Chel$ki have five PL defenders and are currently winning everything in sight.
So yes, six defenders can carry a top football club through a full season.
Chelsea have 6 that I can think of, but they seem to either indestructible or versatile
We have Gibbsy (!) a bloke at Centre Half who has been struggling with his Achilles since the summer & a 19 year old..
Do me a favour
this is like a serial rerun of ‘the increasingly poor decisions of Todd Margaret’
WengerOut – OwenCoyle In
Oops though it was 2009..
A world cup, FA Cup, a long season without a winter break, CL qualifications and the CL matches themselves, Euro qualifiers, stupid international friendlies and high intensity training. Look at it, it’s a ridiculous amount of games to play and it is all fuelled by TV income and the desire to make as much money as possible off these players. Defenders don’t get rotated, so is it any wonder they are injured compared to some halfwit Stoke 3rd Division team? We can’t have Defence Team A and Team B with all of them being world class. Team B needs to… Read more »
You can bet your life Wenger won’t be replaced, not in the next 2-3 years of his contract. Remember, we still don’t have oil backers, our financial situation is stable but we’re not swimming in money…we still need that constant stream of revenue so the best you can hope for is for Wenger to change. Unless he fails miserably ie not qualifying for CL and finish like 10th. Until then we all will have to live with his decisions.