Arsene Wenger admits that Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski is a player he’s had his eye on in the past but revealed he was aware of the Polish international’s agreement with Bayern Munich as far back as 18 months ago.
The reigning European champions confirmed two days ago that the 25-year-old will start a five-year contract on 1 July following in the footsteps of Mario Gotze who made the same move last summer.
Speaking about the Pole in light of his own hunt for an attacking recruit, the boss told press after the 2-0 win over Sp*rs that the deal was an open secret.
“Yes, we looked into Lewandowski, but honestly he signed for Bayern one and a half years ago, everyone knows that.
“Bayern can only make it official now because he is in the last six months of his contract.”
The boss also played down suggestions that Mario Mandzukic, Bayern’s Croatian striker, is a January option for Arsenal given Lewandowski’s move.
“Lewandowski is at Dortmund until the end of the season and they will not sell Mandzukic now – maybe at the end of the season.”
On the subject of the transfer market, Wenger again reasserted the difficulties of sealing a mid-season deal but maintained that all options are on the table.
“We are like everyone, we look out there and see what is happening. If an opportunity turns up, you know as well that all the big players are at big clubs at the moment and they go for important targets.
“Unless you have a club in a desperate financial situation it will be difficult.
“If we find someone like Serge Gnabry at that age when no-one knows them, then maybe. But I just said many times we don’t rule anything out.”
can we buy tim sherwood a contract extension at shite hart lane? it’s good to have a gooner in charge over there
Again. George Graham done a good job over there for us too!!
Maybe we can buy them out like a supermarket (they can’t be worth much), banish their fans, and make Sp*rs an Arsenal satellite, to be controlled from afar like a puppet regime, with Bendtner, Fabianski, Diaby and Vermaelen making a sort of Mini Me Arsenal that holds Man City to goalless draws at Bright Heart Lane (that’s what it would be called) and getting in the way of other clubs while we run for the title. Just an idea.
Time to whip out the ol’ Arsene Wenger Transfer Window Bingo Cards.
AW: “I don’t know (player x)”
*AFC signs (player x)
ME: “BINGO!”
This is what he’s good at. He always takes a decent chance seriously, doesnt get too excited abt it (even though you know he’s happy 😉 ) and stays a true professional in the eyes of the media. He handles shit so calmly for a manager so close to the public (arsenal always keeps in touch with fans, even wenger sends personal emails to subscribers nearly every week?) And if we lost him, god knows the shithole we’d be. Also keep in mind that last year’s fa cup exit was from blackburn, a team that always forged unlikely results and… Read more »
To be honest those emails sent to subscribers are most likely not written by him. Somebody at the club’s PR department or something puts together a letter containing quotes of his press conferences. It’s quite neat, and there’s his signature at the bottom, but it would be crazy if the manager personally took the time to write to subscribers.
It would be interesting if he did, and especislly concerning his philosophy of being a good entertsiner for the fans, I would expecr him at least to be watching over the guy typing it, but you hsve a fair point. Typos, my phone lags 🙁
Surely you’d want him to spend more time managing the team, no doubt.
hinting at that Paraguayan bloke Sanabria?
Hope Wenger pulls off an ‘Eduardo’ type player
I have heard of ‘release clauses’ but that is ridiculous. Amazing if true.
I don’t care if Munich has signed him, let’s get him to Arsenal anyway!
don’t be daft man.
Cant help but feel sorry for Dortmund, hope we show bayern that class outshines cuntery.
Didn’t Bayern bail out Dortmund with a £2m emergency loan to save them from bankruptcy? I’d say that’s pretty classy.
Loans have to be paid back and I’m guessing the interest on it was significant, it’s not classy, it’s another way to squeeze the competition. You wouldn’t call banks classy would you? That’s what Bayern are: Class A Cunts
If there is one thing in Germany that unites the supporters of 17 Bundesliga clubs, then it’s the hatred for Bayern.
And not only because their chairman got charged for smuggling and their president (will be) for tax evasion.
Germany is counting on us. (Munich supporters not included, obviously.)
Errr … if they didn’t load them money they wouldn’t be competition any more, why squeeze if you can crush?
What? When was that? They helped St. Pauli avoid bankruptcy once, with a spontaneous friendly.
But Dortmund??
Most of the bundesliga helped bail out Dortmund. So lets not make out that Bayern are the saviors of German football. Fact is every time someone rises up to challenge Bayern they go out and pinch there best players not exactly good for there league.
FC Hollywood. Everyone but they’re supporters dislikes them. But they’re nowhere near as evil as the Chelseas and Cities and Uniteds of the world. Can you imagine Abramovich helping a team stay up? He buys players just so other teams can’t have them!
They are very similar to them three teams. We just despise them three teams more because it’s our league that they practice there underhand methods in.
That is not true a lot of people in Germany like us and we are liked in Berlin(here it is mostly Hertha Berlin supporters) and to be clear Dortmund were never our rivals and could have done what Bayer Leverkusen did and refused to sell us players anymore. Also Dortmund fans are Neo-Nazis.
I dislike that Bayern sold players to Dortmund before like Hummels
Nice one James except they didn’t rate Hummels at the time (guess he wasn’t a star name lifting trees for a rival at the time).
Personally, I think this reflects more on Lewandowski than anyone else. Regardless of the relative lack of historical rivalry between Dortmund and Bayern, they were rivals in the current day as the two best teams in Germany since Dortmund’s ascension under Klopp. anybody who switches sides in a rivalry deserves the Godfather treatment with the horse’s head, if not worse. I wouldn’t want him on my team if he came for free, because he’s revealed by leaving Dortmund to go to Bayern that he’s a punk. Players with the “if you can’t beat them, join them” attitude are detrimental to… Read more »
I’m bored of this already, and if I’m bored then Wenger must be sick. We’re not going to sign anyone this month and that’s cool guys. Let’s just pull up our knickers and get on with the Jan games. We can win them all even with the injuries we have. Man up
Ok…so am new here!…Does anyone know how good Jackson Martinez really is?!…I’m not talking about youtube videos, has someone watched him live??…is he a fast player??
I Haven’t seen him. Ever. Still I just happen to know we should buy him now! Or else its WENGER OUT!
Jackson Martinez? Dude is columbian fast and good. but for permiership quality its a big of a gamble and a big one too coz porto will want a lot of money. i hear he is an arsenal fan too.
but realistically speaking i don’t think it will ever happen but who knows wenger doesn’t like giving hints until the deal is done.
It’s hard to say mate. He looks awesome playing for Porto, but the league is nowhere near the Premiership. It’s quite a gap, which makes it difficult to predict just how good he is. That being said, he does have a lot of qualities, of that I’m certain.
That’s the problem with a lot of players I think, qualities don’t necessary translate to a great player. Prime example being hulk- fast, strong as hell, cannon of a left foot, decent dribbler. And yet have never ever seen him put in a performance against decent opposition..
Football may be run almost entirely by money, but what Bayern do in Germany is truly sickening. If Pep wanted to leave Barca, it would have at least been a bit more interesting if he went to a club where winning is a challenge. Top club buys all their rivals’ top players then wins everything. Boring.
It would be extra special to bounce them fuckers out of the champions league and end this Pep super manager bollocks.
Seriously, Pep is a good manager and all, but I really don’t understand the media hype. I could have won a couple of trophys with the teams he’s got and I’m quite shit as a manager – even in Fifa..
To be fair some of those barca players were with pep in Barca B. He is actually a great manager. The cuntiness of Bayern shouldn’t really be directed at him.
It’s the cardigan. Folks will always like you if you wear a cardigan.
Meh. At least they do it organically with a huge fan base and tons of actual revenue instead of having some oligarch or sheik in charge, or funding their spending with debt.
If Theo and Nick are out for a bit. Then a quick signing might be on the cards.
Can Arsene rule out NOT signing anybody in January?
Micky the fishmongers brothers’s daughter’s boyfriends’ window cleaner said were in for Diego Costa. I hope the midget is right.
Bayern gradually peeled off all that is good at Dortmund, their only true rival in Bundesliga.
This is some serious Art of War shit!
or, accidentally peeled off all that was bad.
I’ve always known Pep was a cunt. While at Barca he bullied his way into getting cesc, he thinks every good player wants/should play for him. Beating them should help get his feet back to earth.
Was Guardiola Bayern’s manager 18 months ago?
I believe he was always taking a year out. It is believed he agreed before last season started.
Get Eduardo back
Better get Llorente
We already have a big, slow striker in Giroud. Love the guy, but would rather see a different type of player to mix it up. Putting on Llorente for Giroud or vive versa is pretty similar.
I would like to rule out Obafemi Martin and Salomon Kalou as well. Maybe we can kill the storyline before it hits the papers? (naive, I know)
[I would like] [Obafemi Martin and Salomon Kalou as well.] quotes the Daily Mail tomorrow morning under the headline, Gunners fans demand transfer window action.
In Germany loyalty is dead. Fucking Bayern are such bullies i hope we stiff them in their cunts when we play them.
Is Benteke worth a punt? a loan deal maybe???Think He’d be a beast 4us
August called and wants its 5 minute wonder back
I hear that Crystal Palace have signed this amazing Moroccan striker who has been banging them in week in week out. Perhaps he might be worth a punt?
Fuck Solomon Cuntlou. If he’s not good enough for Chelsea, he’s not good enough for us.
I think peeople were mentioning his name tongus in cheek! Look I tell you Spurs are to Arsenal what Everton are to Liverpool, or Athletico to Real Madrid.
A good team, but forever in the shadow of there much larger, more successful neighbour.
The everton one doesnt quite match up, when was the last time spurs finished above arsenal for 2 yrs in a row?
Comparing 2p0rs to a great club like Athletico borders on disrespectful. No pun intended, but Athletico are far superior to 2p0rs.
Kalou’s middle name must be Hazungotta. Dreadful player.
I would say take Eduardo back on a six month loan deal. Now he can take of where he left i 2008. That would be some story…
Rademel Falcao or Hulk?
What? Another huge green monster? Not PER-fect!
To hell with Kalou thing he chose chelsea when we wanted him. Only need players who love the club.
I may have just posted about saying that players who switch from one rival team to another tend to be punks (e.g. Gallas, Ade, RVP, Cole, with Sol being the exception that proves the rule), and I’m not eager to pick up Kalou at all, but I think you go too far here with “only need players who love the club.” Not everyone’s going to love the club initially, inasmuch as this is still a job, but the kind of player who can play somewhere and develop so little affection for the team that he’d move to their rivals is… Read more »
So some people have been saying that we don’t need new signings this month and we’ll be able to win the games in January easily.
But have you guys realised how tough our games are from October onwards? We really need someone special for Arsenal..and in my opinion that person is JACKSON MARTINEZ.
October? U already have the fixture list for next season!!!
You don’t comprehend nested replies, you confused October with February, and yet you think we ought to credit your opinion that we desperately need to buy the flavor of the month forward? Or was this a satire post?
I mean February..my bad
🙂
Except Lewandowski, Suarez, and Costa.
Hi, I earn $86 an hour working from home. And I think John Terry is a cunt.
heh
I doubt we’ll get another forward this window, probably a youngster like that Sebastian Perez guy we had in pre-season (if he’s got a work permit yet).
Realistically speaking, everyone will be ripping us off because of the amount of talk around us needing a striker
AW is biding his time before going 442 and unleashing the Sanogo/Park strikeforce. Can’t be any worse than the 2 man frontline we faced at the weekend!
What about Sanogo ? He should be fit soon right ?
Don’t we have a £4m buyback option on Vela? sounds like a deal worth activating, 22 goals and 17 assists in 51 games over the last two seasons in La Liga.
Still not better than playing Theo upfront.
Just read on HTC website an article asking if we should resign Eduardo. Wonder where they got that idea from lazy journos
Bayern are just Germany’s Man Utd. Everyone hates them.
Feel sorry for Dortmund. They were building something good there and adding competition in the Bundesliga, making it a bit more interesting. Now it’s a bit boring again with Bayern snapping up everything. Market looks tight this January. Few top strikers will move before May/June. It’s a world cup year and agents will play the game. Those few that could be move may cost a bit with several well heeled clubs ready to dip in. Our best option without chasing too many shadows IMO would be : 1) Michu. he can be re-roled to midfield should we want a top… Read more »
Cup-tied can not be an issue. I cant be the only one thinking we have a cracking chance at a domestic double and frankly playing Bayarn Munich in the midst of that is somewhat of a pain in the arse
One word: Rivaldo
Mark Viduka
As if he will tell anyone about his transfer dealings
I hide behind proxies because Tim Sherwood fancies me !!!
Emile Heskey
Anyone think we should bid £11 mill for cabaye just to piss Pardew off? 😀
No-one seems to be commenting on Theo being out for the rest of the season. I’d say we need to sign someone else now, even if it’s not a top top quality striker it’d be better to have *someone* than *no-one*.
Even a journeyman like Whittingham from Cardiff would do.
Drogba would be good as well.
I would sign Bony from Swansea!
Enough about Lewondivesky – the diving dick. Don’t any of you remember playing against him? He’s repulsive. Borussia Dortmund will be better without him, we’re better never even having him, and Bayern Munchen can eat our dicks on the 19th of February.
Pls sign up Wang Chung.
So we can sing “Everybody Wang Chung tonite’ at the Emirates.