Mesut Ozil says that it’s not impossible for Arsenal to win the league this season, and has urged the club to spend in the summer on the ‘reinforcements’ needed to win the title in the face of stiffer competition next campaign.
Last summer Arsene Wenger’s only purchase was goalkeeper Petr Cech, although he did add midfielder Mohamed Elneny in January.
However, with the likes of Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini, Kieran Gibbs, and David Ospina a mix of probable and potential departures, the Arsenal manager will have some gaps to fill in the transfer market.
Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Ozil said, “We know that it will not be easy and that we need reinforcements if we want next season to be on top here again.
“It is again interesting to see who invests in who and how much the clubs do during the summer break.
“In addition, great coaches are coming into the league. I am thinking primarily of Pep Guardiola. Wherever he has been, he had success. He is a coach, keen on playing and his teams are feared.”
Speaking about this season, he acknowledged that the title was improbable, but not completely out of the question.
“I do not think it impossible,” he said. “Although there are only a few games left, Leicester have a run against some of the big teams to come.
“We ourselves must in any case not allow any more slip-ups. The hope of the title is still there – we have the players for the title.”
Lukaku anyone?
Lukaku everyone.
I think Lukaku is a good player and better prospect but I’d take a gamble on Sturridge, he’s a better player at the minute and would fit our system better. All assuming he passes a thorough medical of course.
Problem being he seems to be made of glass and we already have enough injury prone players. We need a fucking tank up front. Someone who can score consistently and not break in the process.
We need a finisher up front, someone that can also make something out of nothing, injuries have not been the problem.
I miss Henry and Wright!
Someone who can crush opposition goalkeeper.
I kid
Yeah good idea mate, lets bring back Diaby as well
Wholeheartedly agree.
Watching the England-Germany game last night I wondered if Gotze might be a realistic target. Only played 12 games this season so he can’t be too happy – he has had a couple of injuries but is definitely out of favour. Then I remembered it’s March and I hate myself.
Götze was reportedly unhappy, and Bayern are apparently ready to offload him if a good offer comes by. I haven’t watched the Bundesliga the last two years though, so I cannot say much about him bar the World Cup.
Götze is probably just the kind of player we can get. And he do have lot’s of potential despite some disappointing seasons in Bayern. But afraid he’ll reunite with Klopp instead of heading our way…
But then imagine you are about to be ousted from one of the three best teams in the world. You’re feeling a bit down and the two immediate offers are London or Liverpool. Where would you go? Maybe it’s just me but I sure as fuck wouldn’t want to swap the beautiful Bavaria for a shithole like Liverpool.
If we genuinely want him he’ll be ours before the end of the next silly season.
Plus hooking up with german buddies like Ozil and Mertesacker.
Ozil and Gotze would truly gel well generally. Gotze is so Cazorlaesque really. With enforcers at DM, these two with Alexis baby could potentially be MAGICAL.
This season he’s missed 21 games through injury…. Sound like he should be in our squad!
I would give all of my student loan so that he ride all the way to london in a golden chariot if it meant we signed him… I don’t do buissness or accounting but this sounds like financially flawless plan.
Lukaku, yes please. If he’s done flying into our goalkeepers studs first…wouldn’t be good in training.
Completely off topic, but that lost sing he’s one of our own” about Harry Kane. Is that because he’s also a mouth breather?
The time to buy Lukaku was when Chelsea signed him.
Yes, but apparently he was more interested in the Russians money than in joining us and standing a chance of first team football…
Translation: Please come and get me, Man City.
Maybe our players can get brain transplants?
Ugh. Please stay Mesut. You are my onle true love. My everything.
Mathieu?
Xhaka would perfectly fill the hole left by Flamini and Arteta. Offload Theo and bring in a world class goal scoring winger (Reus, Greizzman, etc.), sell Ospina since I doubt he wants to sit on the bench next season, loan out Woj again and keep Damian Martinez as back up GK. Have Jenko as back up RB once he’s back and fit for next season, start phasing Per out of the starting XI and use Calum there more often. We have to learn from the mistakes of this season and continue to grow, next season is going to be a… Read more »
I like your plan, and the bit about Mertesacker is apparently underway as there has been rumours that he won’t recieve a new contract. Just rumours as far as I know, though.
Agree with ya on everything except we should just sell Szczeny, hes the Bendtner of goalkeepers.
That’s far too harsh, he’s had some fantastic runs as our GK, especially in the tail end of ’12-’13 going into ’13-’14. That was a magnificent set of performances from any goalkeeper.
Given his age and his insane athletic ability/stature, I rate his very highly, and I think anyone would be stupid to just let him go. He needed to be disciplined of course, but I think we should keep him on the books. Petr Cech isn’t going to be around forever, and when about he’s probably ready to retire, Szcezny will have reached that perfect age.
*Emiliano….
Yeah i believe in Calum too. He’s definately Per’s heir, as Gabriel is Kosc’s…but Kosc is good for another few seasons I think.
Rotation is the key?
In my opinion, Chambers is not the solution. We need to go buy a World Class CB. Unfortunately, Chambers lacks pace and is not good enough at this point. Bellerin (Jenkinson backup), Monreal (Gibbs backup), and Koz are very solid. Gabriel has been very inconsistent this season hopefully we will become more disciplined.
I think you mean acceleration. Sure Chambers isn’t the quickest over a short distance and also not exceptionally quick over a longer distance. But as far as CB’s go, once he does get going he is relatively fast and fairly strong both on the ball and off it. Much quicker than Mertesacker which is the key point I think.
As Mertesacker proves, pace isn’t everything, particularly in the CB position. It’s definitely welcome that Chambers is faster though. More importantly, calling any 19-20 year old kid as a ‘solution’ or not is obviously a premature judgment. In my opinion, Chambers is a fantastic prospect, and a prospect he will remain for at least another two seasons. I do wonder what he is going to be eventually groomed for, whether it’s CB or DM.
Based on this season and previous Champions League campaigns, I would say that this group (coaching and playing) does not learn from its mistakes.
To be honest I dont think we need as many signings as people think. Arteta, Rosicky, an Flam are leaving but Elneny seems to be Flams replacement. Then go get Xhaka for Atreta, we have enough CAMs to coupe with Tom leaving. Need a ST (Lukaku/Morata) and to sell Walcott asap, get a left sided player(Fekir/Gotze) cause Alexis looks way better on the right. Then sell Debuchy, Szczesny, Sanogo. So thats 3 summer signings an maybe a CB but not a prioity. Wouldnt be against sending Chambers and Ox on season loan for regular premier league game time.
Agree Chambers and Ox need to go out on loan. Don’t send them to Tony Pullis.
Özil and Reus link up together very well when they play at international level. That chemistry would make them a phenomenal pairing for Arsenal.
Would be amazin to have him bit he wouldnt leave Dortmund for us, only place that he would go is Spain if he left, same with Aubameyang.
Christ, that very thought has me salivating…
Draxler and Lukaku. Probably cost £100 million but we have the dough and they are worthy investments.
Oh how I wish this was FIFA…
lolz £100k on those two?
Ha! that will be the day.
Reading between the lines…”Arsene if you fail to strengthen i’m off”
That was my thought as well. Can’t say I blame him, I just hope Wenger gets the message and doesn’t come up empty handed again this summer. Personally, though I have no real evidence, I think the problem last summer is that he was chasing unrealistic targets (& wasn’t willing to meet market rates for some of them). Maybe the pressure that’s been generated this season will change his approach?
just out of interest, which unrealistic transfer targets do you refer to?
Maybe he’s trying to pressure the board more than Wenger. Wenger will buy if he has the money made available.
That was the position years ago. Now we know he has the money made available. I’m all for supporting Wenger, but I’m not going to pretend that our transfer market activity has been sufficient. It’s been like 90% sufficient in my opinion, given that we’ve got Alexis and Ozil in one season after another, but obviously we’re coming up short around the whole squad here and there due to injury.
Something’s not quite right with our transfer strategy.
Just put £100m in for Aubameyang and Reus, problem sorted.
For “new signings” for next season how about starting with a new manager?
http://i.imgur.com/zxl58Pv.jpg
I don’t even need to read what you write anymore before I thumb you down.
How about you just shut the fuck up instead?
Sorry Fats but Mesut is a Wenger fan unlike you mate.
i dont understand why you guys hate this fat fela. if i remember right he was saying exactly what happened after our great run of form a year ago (quiet summer shitty season and another good run towards the end to clinch the CL spot)and he was quit right amigos. you were cursing him then i remember so… please if you still cant see that our fellow gooner was right just dont disrespect him 🙂
Because he never stops moaning. You could assemble the best players of all time, dead and alive. God would resurrect the dead ones and some motherfucker of a manager would coach them. Eventually Arsenal play this out of this world team and thump them 20-0 or more. We send George Best and Cruyff back to heaven in tears while God Almighty Himself makes an appearance on MOTD and decrees that Wenger is a footballing genius. One he’d be proud to employ for his team once his time is up. Guess what, FG would disagree. He’d disagree a lot! Because he… Read more »
Also, he’s actually stooped as low as to use “that Mourinho quote” about Wenger. Like him or dislike him (Wenger, not FG) but no one quotes that cunt and retains any respect afterwards.
Because the truth is just so hard to accept. According to some people, you’re not a fan of the club if you point out Wenger’s mistakes.
I don’t doubt that FG and you are dedicated Arsenal fans but Jesus Christ the fucking moaning.
FG is obviously dedicated, given with how often he comes here and ticks off everyone. He could also be insane. We could also all be insane and he could be the sane one. Who knows. But yeah, he reminds me of that little voice in my head, that says “Jump” when I’m on the roof of a building.
AWAY WITH THEE.
Not gonna happen.
Name one manager we could now replace Wenger with at the end of the season who would be better.
And do me a favour and don’t mention any stupid suggestions that won’t happen, I.e Moaninho/Guardiola.
Me.
Maybe we could get some new supporters too?
For us to win next season some tough calls need to be taken. Like selling Theo and maybe just maybe Ramsey. Buy a Xhaka and some solid box to box guy like Kross or someone. Also a WC striker. I absolutely love Giroud, always been a fan but I honestly think we need more
The toughest call will be getting rid of the specialist in failure and bringing in somebody who can sort out the squad, motivate them and provided decent game management.
I.e. Somebody who isn’t called Arsene Wenger.
For next season I would like a new troll to take over from FG. This one has, to quote the great Leonard Cohen, grown old and bitter.
He’s not a troll he just wants a new manager a lot!
I would never have guessed. 🙂
Mate, your argument lost any credibility when you quoted Mourinho.
Never ever, ever use the language of that slimeball formerly from upriver. This IS NOT ON!
original
I knew it. You _are_ Jose Mourinho…
Agreed. In as long as wenger is at the helm, no meaningful signings will happen. People may as well stop speculating about player purchases. Can someone name a world class player who left a club because his preferred coach was fired? It simply means that players follow the attractiveness of the club brand, the ability to win trophies and money not a coach! So no player will leave Arsenal because of wenger
It’s a bit more nuanced than that, isn’t it? Firstly, I can think of plenty of world class players who would leave a club if they weren’t in the CL, and so can you. However, your argument seems to assume that whoever replaced Arsene Wenger would, of course, achieve top four because it’s easy. Must be, right? Arsene Wenger does it every year and he’s a Specialist In Failure. So this new manager comes in, and the players hate him? What happens? They stop playing, the club slides down the table, and the board have two options: sack the manager,… Read more »
Agree with selling Theo and Aaron. We should be able to get 20-25M for both.
Main positive of this season has been Ozil for me, not just consistently performing but his commitment to the team as well. I hope that not just Wenger but the entire board can heed these quotes and do good business early in the window to encourage Ozil and Sanchez to sign new contracts. We all know what the team needs (frustratingly, everyone except the men in charge of recruiting this squad seem to see the gaps in it), Xhaka fits, Lukaku would be great, a new partner for Koscielny. It’s a shame that most of our hopes for this season… Read more »
how i wished we’d just go there and buy some lukaku griezman kante or hummels. not asking any lewandosky james or pogba.
i know we wont buy neither though.
http://eplindex.com/75994/transfer-targets-arsenals-deluded-fanbase.html
this is what they say about us, what we hear everywhere we go
We can all rejoice in the fact that none of our players were banjaxed in the England Germany game.
I guess its good that hes already talking about next season?….
Hope he manages to atleast break the assists record this season and get himself some personal honors. If only we had someone who could finish his chances more frequently.
Best thing for me is Mesut is talking about next season with us, there is not a club in Europe who wouldn’t have him in their starting 11 so let’s take that as a positive before hopefully a couple of strategic signings!
How much did Walcott and Chamberlain cost us? During the austere years?
My new 25-man squad for 16/17 season:
GK: Cech, Ospina,
DF: Koscienly, Chambers, Stones, Gabriel, Bellerin, Jenkison, Gibbs, Monreal
DMF: Elneny, Conquelin, Matuidi/Kante/
CM: S.Cazorla, Ramsey, J.Wheelchair, Chamberlain,
AMF: Ozil, Iwobi, Gotze/Isco
ST/WF: Giroud, Welbeck, Lukaku/Griezmann/Zlatan/Reus, Walcott, Campbell.
You are not Arsene Wenger!
Your spelling of Jack Wilshere gave you out. Arsene would never do that.
He wouldn’t bring in all those costly players in one season – would ruin the club financially.
Needs some more Chewbacca, in my opinion.
Have read most of the posts about ooh I want this one and when we get so and so up front it’s all bolox. Unfortunately we have a manager that doesn’t give a flying fuck what you the fans think.so honestly do yourselves a favour and don’t wish for anything in the summer that way the disappointment won’t hit you so hard when he buys an obscure 17 year old from outer Mongolia.
Bang on, Volders. What annoys me most about these idiots on this website is that they just don’t get it. We are going nowhere under this regime. And even if Wenger went crazy and signed Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez we would still finish third or fourth. While the club is immersed in this environment of complacency and mediocrity – of acceptance of second best – there is zero chance of real improvement. We will only begin to improve when Wenger is gone. We desperately need a new smart young boss who will kick arses, get rid of the deadwood and… Read more »
Let yourself down by calling people with differing opinions “idiots” Fats.
Maintaining his standards.
Don’t you mean ‘Fortunately we have a manager that doesn’t give a flying fuck what you the fans think ABOUT TRANSFERS’ or we’d have any player that had one good season and was flavour of the month, before they dropped into obscurity.
Listening to ‘The fan’ can go up as well as down…..
Again FatGooner I think you miss the point entirely. You may be right about the manager needing to ‘kick arses’, and I do think at times he can do more to motivate the players in a better way. But that doesn’t mean he should go. And it doesn’t take into account the fact that many of the players we’ve signed recently only came to Arsenal because of Wenger, and his footballing knowledge. Perhaps we should instead review the coaching structure underneath him and recruit a young coach (a la Pires/Henry/Arteta/Bergkamp/Ljunberg) to ensure the players actually turn up for every match.… Read more »
Players don’t sing for Wenger, they sign for money.
Theo doesn’t have any of the ingredients to be a top footballer, for a start he’s not very good with a football at his feet.
Utilise Jon Toral next season, don’t send him on loan again.
Albeit all the nice memories, we need to release Arteta, Flamini, Rosicky *sobs*, Sanogo, Debuchy, Szczesny etc. It’s not that we’re not giving them very much chance. But we have to create space should we bring new players. And we definitely should.
Maybe I’ll give Oxlade-Chamberlain a benefit of doubt, but I’m losing hope on Walcott.
Wilshere, hope to see you on pitch again, man…
Retiing Flams and Artetas wages would make the Granite Xhaka ££££££ deal highly likely. Because I’m pretty sure he would be a like for like replacement for Our captain Arteta.
Flamini on the other hand? , we can always promote a youngster through the ranks for we have a plethora of options in there tbh. Say Mcguane or Ben Sheaf.
Besides how hard could pointing and unusual raising your boots to opponents faces be?
Hayden would be a good replacement.
The game has evolved but Wenger is stuck in the 90s. His ability to motivate a side for the entire season is questionable. There are many managers out there who can come and do a job. We are not going anywhere with Wenger.
You speak the truth Özil. Everyone on here seems to agree that big changes are required this summer. A striker and a midfielder are the most pressing ones in my opinion. Like many here I would love to get Lukaku and I think Toni Kroos would be perfect with Le Coq. They might be pipe dreams but not impossible to get. Then a right winger and a center back, does anybody think Gabriel and Chambers are good enough for a title challenge? And some players are just past their sell date. Apart from the obvious older players like Flamini, I… Read more »
Kroos is over-rated. Last game with Germany, 96 passes and none of them was dangerous. We need a reactive DM not a panzer who has no brain. He isn’t even able to do something with the guys he has around him in Real!
Why does no one support me on Cavani
In my mind, Cavani >> Lukaku
I mean I wish him the best, I don’t want him to pull a Benteke. I still feel Cavani is the perfect fit
Would he leave PSG and would they be willing to sell him? He’s a pretty crucial player for them. Another thing is age. He’s 30 in less than a year.
Cavani ship has sailed. Too late to get him or Higuain.
Just want to know who would you guys sign if you were Arsène, Lukaku or Morata? Lukaku is PL proven but Morata is CL proven, played and scored in the Champions League final last season against Barcelona.
If I was Arsene I would say Yaya Sanogo is back, LANS etc etc and laugh all the way to the bank.
If I was me I would buy Lukaku.
XD
I’d ask Mezut who he wants!?
He’s not the first player to beg for an active transfer market. Like a few before when it doesn’t happen he’ll piss off.
With pep coming and rumoured the twat going to there neighbours then there is going to be some serious activity in the transfer market.
Just don’t see us signing the three or four top quality players we need. The boss thinks this squad is good enough to compete for all the major trophies. Most of us disagree. The stubborn one will do what he thinks is best.
Anyone expecting us to spend big money this summer is truly mistaken – there was a good swissramble article that points out why. In all likelihood we have about £50m to spend from the new TV deal, any commercial increases for next season and whatever we save on wages (and any potential transfer fees) from outgoing players. We’re just about breaking even at present so with FFP in mind spending more isn’t gonna happen. Of course we could smash £250m signing players on 5 year deals, with costs being spread over the contracts but this would mean no money for… Read more »
I also read Swiss ramble’s most recent article on us and he wrote: ‘Despite all of these factors, there is still substantial money available to spend. It’s clearly not as much as the figure in the books, but we can say with some conviction that Arsenal should have around £100 million to spend in the summer on improving the squad.’
Arsenal are one of the richest clubs in the world. The idea that we only have £50m to spend in the Summer with the new tv deal, cl money and the money hoarded is simply not true.
We all know this and so do the players. If Arsenal want to keep their best players they have to get better players than the ones we’ve got. Ozil and Sanchez will look elsewhere and I wouldn’t surprise me if Bellerin decides to go back to Barcelona if Wenger doesn’t recruit some decent players.
It’s time for the club to act and show that we means business and not another 4th spot team.
Yep. Also these new managers and their new squad may not have champions league, unlike us. Next season is going to be extremely challenging. We need to be active early on and make some really sensational signings.
Totally agree with Özil but the hilarity of all this is if a fellow Gooner would have said it the thumbs down would have been tremendous!
I will take Morata over Abaumeyang or Lukaku… Wenger should do all he can to get the player and pay either Real madrid or Juve the price… That boy is good and promising without no bad injury record