Arsene Wenger says he expects to sign a defender before the start of the new season.
The Arsenal manager has been pressed into urgent action following the injury to Per Mertesacker, and admitted last week that he was seeking an experienced player to boost the squad.
Asked about transfers at a press conference ahead of the game against Chivas Guadalajara in Los Angeles on Sunday, Wenger was asked if he expected to sign a defender before the opening game against Liverpool.
“Yes I do,” he said. “We are still on the market for players. At the front or at the back – we are on the market. Unfortunately we are not alone.”
The Gunners have been linked with a number of centre-halves in recent days, from German international Shkodran Mustafi, Man City’s Jason Denayer, Club Brugge’s Björn Engels, and even West Brom’s Jonny Evans.
Speaking more generally about the transfer activity, he said, “I buy players that I feel can strengthen our team. Today you have to be very strong inside the club when you are responsible, not just to buy [for the sake of buying]. There’s always a wave of opinions.
“I must say people are better informed today – they know all the players. They tell you always that you should buy but when you ask them who to buy, they become much shorter. If you look at the market in Europe, there’s a lot of money available but not many players who really strengthen the teams.
“If you look at the teams that spend the most money in Europe, they’re not necessarily the teams that won the championships. The global investment of the clubs around us didn’t stop Leicester winning the championship.”
And on further links to striker Alexandre Lacazette, Wenger was playing his cards close to his chest as usual, “We are on the market but I don’t want to talk specifically about any player because that makes it more difficult for me – and it’s difficult enough.”
So, it sounds like stuff is kinda happening without happening yet. Which is better than nothing happening because nothing’s happening. If you catch our drift.
Not Jonny Evans please thank you.
Let me qualify my comments by saying that I don’t think Jonny Evans is the centre-half we shud be signing if we want to progress now, challenging for titles or long-term. However, he would’nt be the worst centre-back to play for us if he did sign. I have watched play for Northern Ireland over the past ten years. His positioning is very good and he is strong in the tackle. He also has a lot of fight in him. For example he wud have been all over Costa last year when a team mate was in trouble. He is also… Read more »
“strong in the tackle”…you sound like Arsene!
I’m Arsene under cover!
Gabriel was all over Costa, even so much that he got a red card and we lost the game.
He was the only one though. Cant see Xhaka standing idol either!
Xhaka has played one pre-season friendly. Does he really deserve an idol?
Evans is a useless bastard. Chasing the league and hoping to progress in Europe and then signing a player like that? With 200m in the bank? To replace your first choice CB who is also your captain?
I hear Vermaelen is available
I just wish when he mentions transfer business that there is not always a negative comment after the positive, like Yeh we want to sign a defender but so do others, let’s just focus on our needs and get the players we need
This. It’s so annoying to hear the ”Unfortunately we are not alone.” crap. You never hear this from representatives of other clubs when talking about transfers. Ours seem to be the only ones who say things like this.
Also, the constant beating down of the strawman argument of signing players for the sake of it. No one has ever said that. Ever.
I’d guess he says that because there are so many fifa managers that can’t get their head around the problem as they are happy to throw unlimited money at unlimited players. Look at some (not all!) of the idiot comments on here wanting players that aren’t for sale or who will only go to certain teams.
If you understand the problem then it shouldn’t actually worry you.
great comment!
Higuain for 35m two years ago was hardly unlimited money. Fans don’t expect the club to purchase the likes of Lewandowski. We just want the club to take some risks in the market when a player IS available.
You miss the point. The negative part of his comments is warning fans that this season not everything is possible. We’ll find out soon enough if they’ve done what they need to do, and if they haven’t then that’s a completely different rant.
You’re right but I don’t think most of us are like those idiot fans. Like Arseblog, I think most of us probably understand the club has money and there are players in the market who will improve us, although there are unrealistic targets too. But then again I’m not usually on Twitter so I don’t know how stupid the fanbase can be.
Andy Mack YOU miss the point, or willfully avoid it anyway. The point is arsene could have signed higuain a couple of seasons ago, but baulked at paying a few million more than he felt the player was worth. With hindsight that was clearly a foolish decision, both in terms of what we might have achieved in the last two years had higuain signed, and in terms of where the market is now. It also illustrates Wenger’s idea of ‘value’ is flawed in general. Apart from the fact that, in a capitalist economy something is worth simply what someone chooses… Read more »
No I haven’t missed the point. I’m responding to Javis comment which you appear to be ignoring.
We’re talking about this window, not last window or one 3 years back when we didn’t have much money. This window.
Bring up the previous windows ‘missed signings’ when someone else makes comment about them or it’s relevant to the original point.
We did, we bought Ozil instead of him. You are not happy with Ozil?
How do you know a player is for sale? Do they put an additional in the back of the yellow pages?
Every player is for sale. Price just depends on quality of player, length of remaining contract, player’s desire to move and current market conditions.
If we paid up we could get almost anyone. Like Citeh have proven. I’m not saying we should do that. But we could.
Please God lets hope AW and Gazides are just playing mind games and we are close to spending the money to get Mahrez, Mustafi and possibly Lacazette bought this summer.
I’m confused. You say every player is for sale depending on price, but then give a list of ‘depends’ points which suggests they aren’t necessarily for sale.
As for $iteh, PSG, Chavski and the Middle Eastern & Chinese teams which can afford pretty much everyone, oddly they haven’t managed to get Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo etc yet. And they really would pay them more money than they get now whilst meeting any price their club wants.
So maybe everyone isn’t actually for sale.
Wenger has said that there aren’t many good centre-backs, and everyone wants them. He pointed out, a couple of years ago, that Man United and Barcelona (Barcelona!) were rivals to sign Thomas Vermaelen. More recently, Man City paid something like 42 million (the reported number keeps changing, upward) for Mangala–who was behind Adil Rami and the completely inexperienced Samuel Umtiti for an injury-ravaged France defense (and far, far, behind Laurent Koscielny). I don’t think he will be starting too often for Pep. So I want Koulibaly, or better yet Hummels or Jerome Boateng too, but I think Wenger’s point is… Read more »
Hummels has only just re-joined Bayern, so I can’t see him moving anywhere. Boateng is a disruptive influence in the dressing room, which is bearable if you’re in a team of CL champions and Bundesliga winning players but not really such a good idea in our squad at the moment.
Should have said “Boateng appears to be a disruptive…”
I couldn’t blame them for not buying Higuain (29 years old) for 73 millions. However not being able to buy Lacazette with Lyon indirectly saying we want 40 millions and will perhaps accept a bit lower puzzles me a bit.
I’m not going to argue in terms of needing a striker, or the fact that Lacazette is pretty much one of our only options, but why are people so pressing for this deal to go through? Didn’t he not get called up to the Euro’s? Just curious whether people want him because there isn’t anyone else, or whether he is actually worth all the hype from certain Arsenal fans?
For the ten millionth time: failing to be picked for the Euros is a terrible reason to jump to a conclusion about player’s quality.
No it isn’t. He was behind Giroud, Gignac, Martial etc. His national team coach also got a good look at him since he plays in France. I also think Wenger thinks he is not worth more than what he has offered. I actually suspect that gazidis’ comments about other teams having financial strength and the financial landscape changing (i.e “it would be unthinkable to reject arsenal years ago and other smaller clubs can compete”) was a reference to this situation with West ham and Palace. I am not sure Lacazette is good enough. I am even less so if his… Read more »
I have to believe those conversations are happening. Although perhaps I’m just a dumb optimist who hasn’t learnt from last 10 summers.
See Alexstratz’ point above – Higuain was a very good buy a couple of seasons back and Arsene spoilt the ship for ha’penth of tar (or a couple of mil in this case). Likewise – if you dig into the number of players we scouted first and then lost for want of moving decisively and at a MARKET price (not what Arsene’s unique value scale dictates!) it’s interesting reading: Hazard for 17 mil euro; Lukaku for about 12 – both first ‘found’ more than 3 years ago, to mention just two.
You mention the ones that were successful but not the ones that disappeared into mediocrity. Across the years there are plenty of players we’ve been rumoured to put in low bids for who didn’t achieve anything (which they may have done in the right environment).
Both went to Chelsea. We could not outbid them and neither were unknown players but probably the best young prospects in their respective positions…
Sign Evans and I’ll have the Spurs emblem tattooed onto my forehead before committing sepuku outside the Emirates.
Oh the humanity.
Given how well our last United central defensive reject turned out, I couldn’t blame you for doing that (except for the Sp*rs tattoo; nothing should make you sink that low, my good sir).
Johnny Evans is a very under-rated player who would pose a far lesser risk, in terms of adaptability, than buying in big from abroad. Good leadership qualities also.
Have a listen to Michael O’Neill and Graham Hunter discuss him on the latter’s “The Big Interview” podcast. No need to listen to the whole lot. Just skip to 1’14” and there’s a 5 minute analysis of his abilities.
The thought of Jonny Evans signing for Arsenal for a fee upwards of £10 million makes me upset.
I hope it’s just paper talk which intends to get the fanbase worked up, but you really never know.
I’m fed up with all this transfer bollocks. Can’t wait for the window to shut so we can enjoy/hate football again.
Just August 14 to start player ratings etc… Me, I would love Walcott to score great goals to see all the discussion that will spark, COYG.
So a lot of nothing then.
Repeating the same answers to the same questions asked by lazy journalists at a different press conference.
When we face going into a new season with Walcott as our first choice striker, I think it’s pretty safe to rule out the dangers of “buying for the sake of buying” at this point.
I think we may actually end up signing Evans. He does sort of fit the experienced centre half profile that Wenger is looking for.
yeah, but he’s also shit.
“The global investment of the clubs around us didn’t stop Leicester winning the championship”
How did NOT investing work for us Arsene?
That’s hardly the point is it? Arsene’s “NOT investing” got us second place, which means we were above all the teams that engaged in global investment last summer. I think it a great shame that so few Gooners actually recognise that. The urge to complain is much stronger than the urge to be pleased we came second above Spurs, Citeh, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and the other 85 League teams.
So the answer to “How did NOT investing work for us Arsene?” is “better than everybody but Leicester.”
In my mind it is all about our club/coach neglecting to strengthen our team I positions where we obviously are not strong enough. Attacker and right wing were both areas where we did not have enough quality/possibilities within the team = you need to use the right amount of money to buy this elsewhere
Absolutely
Always comes across as so negative regarding transfers, like it’s impossible to sign players. I imagine it is difficult to get deals done in modern football, but other teams seem to manage. If he paid the extra money to get the deal over the line quickly, it would no doubt benefit the team in the long run. Get the player in early and familiar with team mates and surroundings for the long term benefit of the club. We need to make a statement of intent, not hide behind “it’s hard when people talk”
I urge you all to talk with your feet. The club is not listening to the fans and they will only realise when it hits their bottom line. I have declined my season ticket and written a very strongly worded email back explaining why. Even if we are looking at players, are manager is not going in with any sort of conviction especially when there is competition for the players.
Awesome. Show us evidence of what you just said.
Do you think Arsenal are going to miss your season ticket? It will just go to next in line in the waiting list. Stop writing BS.
Oh, well done Man of Principle. Somebody else bought your season ticket and was happy to do so. A secretary at Arsenal might vaguely remember your email, but likely deleted it without passing your thoughts on to Wenger and the Board. No doubt the secretary also noted the fact that the word you were looking for was “our”.
Just like elections, how would your single vote affect your country therefore do not vote? Really absurd argument, I think. Do not tell a big company you got a bad service because you are a single customer out of millions. I will remain Arsenal supporter for life but I am challenging your argument.
Well done nick. My mates are now a little higher up the waiting list 🙂
Johnny Evans…not since Silvestre I have I been this excited…?
Then *BOOM* Varane.
Somebody blew up Varane? I suppose Real Madrid will be keeping him while he recovers.
just get epl experienced players Ashley Williams and epl striker. That should do
Well, I don’t think we need Ashley Williams, either of them 😉 , and we already have an EPL striker (Giroud), so I think we’ll be fine this season.
Just sign what we need mr Wenger! A striker and a defender! Not a defender or a striker!
Luvckily he didn’t say he would sign a defender OR a striker.
It seems Mr wenger lives on a different planet, we have seen united buy forwards, chelsea, Atletico without having to break the bank and all decent strikers who are far better tHan Walcott, so sorry Mr wenger I don’t get that we are looking for strikers story you are giving us, and no we do not expect you to buy that £78 million player either, but we are left wondering if you are planning to be stubborn again this season and just put a blind faith on players who have spent 10 years doing nothing but just hold our club… Read more »
Whether United are breaking the bank won’t be known for 12 to 18 months.
Now that FFP is dead I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Chelsea either. Their billionaire bought into them as a plaything, not an investment, so will spend as much money as he needs to, right up until he gets bored and calls in his loans to the Club. After that Chelsea won’t be much of a factor in the PL any more.
Actually FFP isn’t dead (See financialfairplay.co.uk) however the vast increase of TV income has reduced it’s effectiveness dramatically.
Johnny Evans and Troy Deeney incoming!
If Arsene Wenger does not add experience and quality in either a striker or a defender before the season begins, expect it to be another dismal season for Arsenal fans caused due to the indifference of Wenger and especially, the ownership. Arsenal has an exceptionally ambitionless ownership that is more practical and businessminded than being passionate and ready-to-take-risks. I know its 15 days early to judge Arsene, but does everybody not know? Cutting to the chase, keep your expectations real low, everyone. If things were to be changed, especially after a season that could have been ours with some more… Read more »
Chelsea and United WANTED to be the winners last season, and they spent plenty on superstars to achieve it, and look what happened to them. You’re living in a dream world where our money would by guaranteed success if only we spent more. More then we do. More than Chelsea. More than United. More than Citeh. More than Spurs. More than Liverpool.
More than Leicester? Didn’t work last season. Not for anybody. So, does spending money guarantee the PL? Like F*** does it.
*buy*
Byebye
Like the cut of your jib sir. Nice one Gutbukket.
Well not really,last PL was an anomaly,most titles everywhere are usually won by how much you spend,it usually dictates what pos you finish in too and if anything celebrating finishing above higher spending citeh and utd rather than the real problem highlighting the finishing behind the low spending lesta is the eye opener
Over a few seasons it does usually depend on the squad price but rarely has much relevance to the window immediately preceding the season, as most transfers don’t really get into form until their 2nd season. Only around a quarter of transfers are considered a success in their first season and around a quarter turn out to be ‘deadwood’.
Athletico Madrid is a fair example as well. Yes they have money but so much less than RM and Barca, but they do win occasionally. When someone outside those 3 wins then it really is a ‘Leicester’ moment though 😀
Experts everywhere. Simple question, in comparison to other teams how much as Arsenal made to the club not just in terms of player acquisition.
The relaying of the emirate pitch
Upgrading medical facility
Upgrading the youth facility
Revamping the youth setup.
Investing in the statistical and data gathering of the club etc.
Second question, where did the money come from for the above.
Cheers
Your wording doesn’t make sense jags.
Simple question back. How many times in 20 years have we won the champions league? Been in the final? semis? quarters?
It’s a completely irrelevant and unrelated question but I’d guess that overall it’s more than Liverpool or $iteh. Not as often as the Glaziers club or the Abramovich toy.
Simple question returned. How many times were we in the European Cup latter stages prior to the last 20 years? I can recall George Graham knocking us out with a back header against a great Ajax team (one we beat a couple of years earlier in the Fairs Cup semi) and mugging ourselves off against, I think, Benfica. Fifteen or so years later. Doubt that either were semi or quarter finals. Fact is, Arsenal don’t have a great record in European completion. Can’t blame Wenger for that. You can try though of course.
Well of course those were the days when only the champions entered the competition so with Liverpool dominating we didn’t have a look in. No we don’t have a great European history. Do we now? We qualify for a tournament we make no real effort to win. We’re just happy to pick up the paycheck
We haven’t often had a team that can genuinely compete in the CL (maybe having to sell our best players had some effect). But to even get there is an achievement most other PL teams would dream of.
There were more quotes not included in this article where he references prices being crazy but if you can afford it then they are not crazy. We can afford it ffs! Him having to calm gazidis down, it’s comical
It’s just such groundhog day. I hope I’m wrong but I can’t see him spending over 20m on a defender.
There are lots of players that improve our squad, his inability to see that is worrying
Another football manager expert.
I bow to your far greater knowledge jags. Must be hard being right all the time. At least this time you aren’t accusing people of not being arsenal fans because we don’t agree with you
Maybe read all his quotes
Doesn’t matter how many quotes he gives. Some folks (HELLO greg!!!) will always twist the meaning to fit their own agenda.
I read your first post and see that you said “he references prices being crazy but if you can afford it then they are not crazy.” but you don’t take what he says at face value. Instead you suggest that he means that he will not pay those “crazy prices”.
He didn’t say that. You did.
And your twisting what I said. I quoted him and then gave my opinion. At no point did I say he said he would or wouldn’t pay them. Sit by and defend what your seeing. There are alot of fans who see our vast resources and wish they wild be used. Not sat in the bank doing nothing. If he doesn’t invest ozil and sanchez are gone next summer, everything after 1st place is losing. We’re routinely embarrassed in the knock out stages of the champions league on a tactical and player level. We’re a club that appears happy to… Read more »
The man who signed ppl like Santos, Sanogo or Chamakh is capable of signing Johnny Evans…… But now that the stadium has been paid please spend money on quality players for a team that’s supposed to challenge for the PL please!!!
It’s a good thing that we’ve got Wenger then. He signed players like Ozil, Sanchez and Cech.
If he signs Jonny Evans to tide us over until Mertesacker is on his feet and Jonny Evans does the job (not being hindered by being in a shitty team like United or West Brom) then it would be the perfect 2016 signing.
An available superstar central defender would be nice, but I don’t know of any.
Well said and to add, he wouldn’t hold chambers or holding back. I will go as far as to say chambers/holding will be an excellent partnership. Look how solid chambers was at the start when he had a run of games. Holding looks like a massive steal. Now, we fans have to show them immense support.
I think people forget that just because they flopped doesn’t mean they looked like flops at the time. Sanogo had played pretty well for France u21 and scored plenty with them and he was free so why not take the chance? Chamakh was one of the top scorers for Bordeaux when they won the and I don’t remember if he was free or last year of contract so pretty cheap. Santos wasn’t too bad at his previous club and was cheap so worth a punt especially since we were a bit short and desperate at the time.
Excuse me Matt.
You say the stadium has been paid for, by which I assume you mean it’s been paid for completely. In the internet era, may I ask you to Google up on that fact, please?
If Arsenal, don’t win everything this year, buy all the players and reduce ticket prices by 50%, i am going to be very cross! I am fed up waiting for my heroes and love of my life to do all the winning and do right by the suffering fans, I will be so angry I will stamp and squeal a lot and my Mummy will have to put me to bed early at 6-30?
I’m surprised to know there are so many followers of West Brom on this blog and seasoned scouts of Jonny Evans.
What I do know is that West Brom conceded the 6th least goals in the EPL and that Evans has a good WhoScored rating (not definitive on its own I know).
So perhaps if Jonny Evans was called Jonathan Evian people would be more interested?
Arsenal need high rated players, not west brom or tolouse players. Those were ok when the stadium was being paid; now that that problem is out of the question we should point higher than a man U reject.
Pogba was also a man u reject, as was Van Persie, Welbeck. Not saying I would be excited by Evans coming (not believing the rumour) but he could definitely do a job and is experienced at a top club. He also had a good season at WB and looked good at the euros. They have a strange short-term policy at ManU with too much money and absolutely no clue what to do with it, overpaying for average players at the moment so bringing in one of SAF trusted servants wouldn’t be the worst idea. Nowadays a lot of fans are… Read more »
We don’t have to get content with mediocrity. Those teams that spend money for quality players are the ones who have won the title in the last few years, man u, chelsea, city.
If we keep saying signings like Evans are fine we won’t win the league ever again.
By the way Van Persie was not a man U reject; he left us TO WIN the league with them as he saw the lack of ambition at Arsenal. This is the truth although we don’t like to say it or be told abt it.
Leicester won the PL. They didn’t buy any superstars for massive amounts of money (Are you new to watching Premier League football?). All the teams who bought more superstars than us finished behind us. How does that fit your theorythat only massive spending can win anything?
I think Chamakh means that United dumped van Persie like a red hot brick balanced on the end of their little red….
Van Persie was a prick.
We spent very little in the immediate aftermath of the stadium move. Went didn’t we win the league then?
Leicester winning the league is a once in a lifetime thing, like Blackburn decades ago; should Arsenal, always a top team at least for us, look at them as an example? No, they did what they could with their budget and they got the right players at the right time with everybody else being awful last season
Matt, For your info, Blackburn bought their title as well. Unfortunately for them their owner Jack Walker didn’t have enough money to continue buying it like others have in recent years.
Ben Yedder is the third highest scorer past 4 seasons after Lacazette and Ibra in Ligue 1. Ibra and Lacazette play for top French teams and naturally they get alot of service from quality midfielders. Ben Yedder plays for perennial relegation candidates Toulouse, and considering he scored 40% of their goals and got more assists than anyone else in Toulouse, he basically kept them up. So imagine with proper service from Ozil/Ramsey/Sanchez, how well this guy can do? At best he can surpass Giroud, at worst he would make for real competition. Lewandowski/Aubameyang and so on would not come to… Read more »
Evans was sold by a top team, so he’s not the top CB top teams need; and I consider us still a top team. So if we need an experienced CB let’s spend some more and get a good one, not one rejected from a top team to a mid table team, it’s as simple as that.
Evans was sold by a top team who splurged 8 million more on Fellaini than they had to. That’s a lot of money for a top team to spend on an angry donkey. What a stupid team to base all your theories about success on.
They’ve won the league many more times than us like it or not. They’ve had a few bad seasons since Ferguson retired, but that doesn’t mean they don’t intend to get the best players. Ask any chelsea, city or united fan if they would want Evans and they would laugh at you, but we are always going along with these kind of mediocre players. We must ask for the best, we’re not West Brom
Matt, we are always going along with these mediocre players!!! Sanchez Ozil cech. We won the league with Grimandi and these type of players are very important to a squad. If I’m right I think United (the team you seen a little obsessed with) won the league and Evans played a part
I don’t give a fuck if the fans of other teams laugh at me. I’m far too confident in my choice of team to let their whiney shit get to me. They are fans of other teams and that makes any of their decisions or opinions suspect to say the least.
I think that’s part of the problem. Some fans feel insecure about their manhood when the team they support isn’t winning…
Wow! That’s the most insightful comment ever to appear on here. You should have a column
Ben Yedder moved to Sevilla yesterday.
ah fuck :(((
Lacazette, Mahrez and Evans. Not too much to complain.
Exactly. If spending cheap on Evans means we can get Mahrez and Lacazette in, then I’m all for it. Per will be back, and we have Gabriel, Holding, Bielik, and Chambers with potential to develop into top players. Not saying I wouldn’t prefer a ready made world class CB, but not at the expense of bringing in top quality players to improve our attack.
Amazing how many fans here would accept mediocrity again and again, this time under the name of Evans, an average CB at a mid-table team where they park the bus most of the time. No wonder he was sold by man U, would’ve stayed there had he been a top CB.
Mustafi, the German CB at Valencia would be a quality signing; has played for Germany and that’s more than enough proof he’s quality, not some mid table PL team and former man U reject.
So to take your theory to its natural conclusion, Mesut Ozil is a mediocre player because if he was any good he wouldn’t have been sold by Real Madrid.
You twisting what he’s saying? Real bought better in bale. So sold the man he replaced
For the record: Gareth Bale is not better than Mesut Ozil.
Leicester is now the newest reason not to spend money……Wenger looks for excuses to fit his narrative not to spend EVERY YEAR….
He didn’t spend on Cazorla.
He didn’t spend on Monreal.
He didn’t spend on Ospina.
He didn’t spend on Welbeck.
He didn’t spend on Ozil.
He didn’t spend on Sanchez.
He didn’t spend on Cech.
He didn’t spend on Elneny.
He didn’t spend on Xhaka.
He never spends.
He didnt spend on a 25 league goal a season striker he keeps sticking with his lovechild upfront
Where is a world class CB and world class striker on your list?
When someone today like Lukaku is 60+ million and a “world class” striker is upwards of 100+ million, then we are completely priced out of the market. We buy who we can afford.
Like some, i dont mind Evans, especially if we managed to sign top target upfront.
Even if we end up with Evans, Mahrez, and Balotelli.
Johnny Evans seriously? I hope its just a rumor and not buy for the sake of buying.
It seems like everyone always pulls out the look at the other teams who spent huge an came nowhere comment, but I don’t think we need to buy loads of superstars were a consistent well balanced team an need a few additions, it’s clear what we need, we need a striker and a centre half have, done for a few seasons. I still like giroud and mertersacker but they are weaker positions when the rest of the team is considered and we never seem to have that extra little push to get us a few more points needed. The way… Read more »
People forget we have had a lot of CB’s MUCH MUCH worst than Johnny Evans under Wenger. Stepanov Cygan Senderos Djourou Squillaci
What do you think of Andre Ayew from Swansea to partner with Giround and/or Sanchez up-front? He has pace, shoots well and is strong.
If we spend 10m on Evans and then 70m (this is all theory) on a goal scorer, would we be happy though? Depends on who we spend 70m on I guess. We’ll probably not spend 70m though.
You forget we also spent 30m Granit early on. We won’t be spending 100m this summer but maybe top end 80-85m is possible. Also no point bringing in a striker for a massive price but compromising on the quality of the Cback. That would be like feet of clay. I reckon the two prices for striker and Cback are corresponding. Spend more on Cback and we will have slightly less to work on the striker and vice versa. Which is why Wenger did not want to follow prices too high with his striker bids. Also remember those prices correspond to… Read more »
Nothing new. As mentioned before end of season, our requirements were in midfield (to replace Arteta/Flamini), a Cforward and a Cback. And as mentioned, the Cback should be one with sufficient experience. Wenger made the mistake of entrusting Calum Chambers into a new position off of an impressive pre-season, much to disastrous effect. There was no ‘soft centre’ rather most of our goals were leaked from wide areas. There was no World Cup hangover rather Per struggled because neither of his partners in Calum or Monreal took up good positioning. This time round with BOTH Koscielny and Per on wrong… Read more »
A dig in the Sprs: “If you look at the teams that spend the most money in Europe, they’re not necessarily the teams that won the championships.”
I’m keen to see who will be sold after all? Walcot is the obvious choice of fans. Who else to go? Gibs, Joel? Calum on loan?
We can only register 25 players for PL and we have quite many. Would Wenger leave Per and Wele out of team of 25?