Over the last few months Arsenal have been linked with a number of left-backs, including Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, Leicester youngster Ben Chilwell, and Raphael Guerreiro of Lorient.
Now via Kicker in Germany, comes news of interest in Wolfsburg’s Ricardo Rodrigeuz. The 23 year old is an established Swiss international, and played 36 games for the Bundesliga side last season, scoring 3 goals.
They say that the link to Arsenal comes via Andries Jonker, the head of the youth academy, but who was assistant manager at Wolfsburg from 2012-2014, after which he came to London.
He knows the player well, and they suggest he’s recommended him to Arsene Wenger. It seems clear, given how much speculation there is, that the club are in the market for a new left-back.
It’s likely that Kieran Gibbs, who started just three games in the Premier League last season, will be allowed move on, and the age profile of the players we’re linked with indicates we’re looking for somebody who can understudy Nacho Monreal for a little while before becoming first choice themselves.
As to how genuine our interest is in Rodriguez, we don’t know, but like the others he seems to tick many of the required boxes, giving this one a Poo-o-Meter rating of 5.
If so, it’s very kind of Arsene to save us all the trouble of signing him on FM every time.
One of the best left backs in the game. Would be a good signing along with a central defender.
Apparently he’s best friends with Granit. I hope to see them both in today’s Switzerland v Belgium game at 16:15 CET.
Thank you for the heads-up
You’re welcome.
This guy is a very, very good left back. Not only that but he has fantastic delivery from corners and freekicks too. But unfortunately I doubt he’d be happy joining as an understudy. Also, I imagine he’d cost a fair fortune, so I think this one should be seen as slightly wishful thinking. That said, we are Arsenal fans and we do love getting our hopes up!
He has a €25m release clause.
Well if he’s that good there’s no reason to think he’ll be joining as an understudy. Monreal was good last season, but not spectacular. He can be improved upon.
Do I smell the whiff of cannabis? Monreal us class!!!
That’s not what cannab-… never mind. You’re obviously 60+ years of age.
You realise the hippy generation are all 60+ now right?
60 is the new 20
Knaus is right 60 is the new 20….. Furthermore, 7 is the new 17, 45 is the new 17 and lastly 8 is the new 16 : )
Did Monreal score 3 goals in BPL this season? I really like Nacho, but he’s 30+ and he doesn’t score goals or really make them. So Nacho may become a Debuchy next season. Rodriguez and Belerin would be a nightmare to deal with for opposing defenses.
What’s the BPL?
BPL is something in an Americar. Brake Pedal Lamination or some such expensive capitalist pig frippery.
Perhaps AW may take the view that bringing in a LB that is better than Monreal would leave Nacho as cover both in CD and at LB. I have been impressed with Nacho at CB and would not be a bad 4th choice there. I still think we need to strengthen centrally. I love the BFG but not sure how much longer he should be first choice.
I think his spell at CB did him absolute wonders. He was pretty average before that spell. Absolute role model, if your not playing keep your mouth shut put your head down and work hard in training and let your football do the talking.
Debuchy should have take note.
Bertrand from Southampton looked really good for England last night imo.
I better not give up my day job then!
No way would he be understudy if he came here.
I love Nacho but this would be very exciting
Very much agreed, Alaba and Lahm are the only two players better in the position right now. Make it happen.
Or get Lahm. I love Lahm
I love Lahm.
I also quite like Berf , Perk and Schicken.
I don’t eat Mert, so its just vheytaybles and lerghooms for me
I love lahmp
Take a bow Joe! Brilliant
Genius
Id order Lahm over BBQ Gibbs
That is true: he’d be a starter.
^ ^ ^ This needs to be in response to ClockEndRider’s post about Lahm.
laughing my bottom off!
Main course instead of a starter imo. 🙂
yeah, I can’t seem him happy if he’s on the bench. This guy has been awesome the last couple of years in Germany.
Poor Gibbs. I really like the guy
Yeah it’s unfortunate it hasn’t worked out, Monreal has just been fantastic, too good and too consistent to drop. I still think Gibbs is talented and I can’t blame him if he thinks he should leave to get playing time. You have to admire him for how he has handled it though, never a foul remark from him, unlike Debuchy.
Gibbs and Flamini, two unlikely goal scoring heroes against that other North London team this year.
There are no other North London teams.
Do you mean the Essex Chicken Chokers?
Rodriguez is a great left back – also has been linked with Real a few times already.
He’s stong offensively and sound defensively, the worry I have is that he sometimes (not often) has problems with pace, but no doubt that will improve with experience and better positioning.
Would be a fantastic buy, even If I reallky like both Nacho and Kieran.
Would be a great signing. A serious statement of intent.
It makes sense if Gibbs is off and Nacho past 30 but you do have to wonder if this position is a priority. Exactly how much money do we have to spend?
I think it is for exactly those reasons. On average we play about 50 games in a season and given how physically demanding and tactically crucial the fullbacks are its important to have reliable options to allow them sufficient rest. Nacho didn’t get that this season and neither did Bellerin. I guess the thinking at RB is jenkinson, when fit, deserves a chance to show what he can do but at lb we don’t have a youth player coming through so we either sign a young left back or get a guy whose the finished article ready to take over… Read more »
How is Gibbs not a viable backup at LB but Jenkinson is at RB? Much the same if you ask me.
What is this obsession with 30 – Are we living in Logan’s Run?
For the record, it is possible to play football past your 30th birthday. Fuck me, it’s the real world, not Championship Manager,
Its more than possible on football manager as well
It’s because it’s not best practice replacing half your team at the same time thats why, you end up doing what Manchester United are currently doing.
What do you mean? Their key player, Fellaini, is not even 30!
Just a guess, are you over 30 by any chance?
I do agree with you though!
Agreed – our legendary back 4 really hit their prime as a unit when they were all around 30…
This window is different. Every season, apart from the higuains and the benzemas and some top attacking players, we seriously get linked only to some random young players elsewhere and every day there is this host of shit about whom we are going to sign. Maybe it’s because we’ve shown intent by buying Xhaka early or because we are actually active in the transfer market that such rumors are coming out.
I’m getting excited. Let’s do this!!!! COYG!!!
We always get linked with a bunch of good players and a bunch iof young players. There’s nothing new this summer. Just the usual Press Guess shit based on their own incomplete understanding of our current strengths or future needs, and on their strong desire to create a feeding frenzy mentality amongst Gooners (because this will give them ammunition to shoot at Wenger all season if he doesn’t buy one of their 50 Guessed Players and that player then turns out a few reasonable games for some other team, or if we underperform even briefly in any position “Ooh, look… Read more »
In other news, I have just seem Redknapp Minor being interviewed about Tiny Totts playing CL games at Wembley next year: ” Who knows, if Tottenham win the CL, it will prove to have been a great decision”.
What fucking world does this talentless halfwit live in? There’s more chance of me getting off with Angelina Jolie after a night on the sauce down Blackstock Road.
Those wankers from N.17 are like the idiot half-wit classmate that copies everything you do … badly … 17 years later.
Yes I know all about him he’s great but sometimes not great but often awesome. My chief Swiss scout Futbol Managerio Handheldino said his current ability is about 3.5/5 but he has the potential to be a key member of the team with 4.5/5
I just bookmarked NewsNow:Arsenal.
That’s bad isn’t it?..:-(
Withdrawals?
Very, very bad. Trust me, it ain’t worth it. You’d be better off bookmarking Pornhub or something.
There’s porn on the internet?
The internet is for porn.
Quagmire! Lol
It happens to the best of us.
Silly season cometh…
Anyone who’s seen one full 90 minute match of Rodriguez knows how good he is. Poometer, do your job.
I like Ricardo Rodriguez since last year. He’s young 23, but already performing like a mature/established fullback. His physicality, technique & vision are very good, only he is not among the quickest LB around.I’m pretty sure he’s one of 3 best Leftbacks in Bundesliga. Wouldn’t mind him at Arsenal 🙂
among all we’ve been linked to him, Koulibaly and Janssen are best fit in each position. (considering the kjnd of money we are willing to pay)
Agree, though Janssen would be a real gamble. Would rather take Morata if the price is right, not many teams are going to pay the sums that are reported for him.
For what he will cost, I doubt he will come only as an understudy to Nacho.
Watched Wolfsburg played few times, he looked good. I think he also took penalty and free kicks. A sweet left foot.
Off topic but Maureen saying Manure are a “giant club needing a giant manager”….”Cunt” just doesn’t do it for me! More expletives required?
Giant cunt for a giant club
I don’t think you’re being fair to the cunt, which in truth, is a most useful invention.
Actually, they’re getting a giant c**t for a huge clusterf**k”. Very appropriate really.
In with this guy and Monreal shifted to CB? could become a similar type of CB as Mascherano at barca, not the biggest but good with the ball, mobile and a good reader of the game.
Please no
The team needs a CB who is good with the ball and doesn’t make stupid decisions (Gabriel). Monreal ticks those boxes but his physicality and aerial play would need to improve if he was to play CB.
The team has a CB who’s great with the ball : Koscielny. Koscielny’s weakness is his Aerial ability. Playing Monreal next to Koscielny is inviting Carroll/Crouch/any target man to a goal-fest. Playing Monreal without Koscielny is back to square one.
I remember Monreal doing very well at CB when asked to fill in, don’t you?
IF the interest is true and we sign him, would be great news, one of the best LB out there
problems here are 3:
1) we have already bid for that bolton left back to obviously replace gibbs
2) rodriguez is too good to be a backup. so is monreal. they won’t accept the situation and wenger most likely will bench rodriguez….so rodriguez has no reason to say yes to us
3) he would cost way too much for a backup player
The Bolton player we bid for (reportedly) was Holding- and he’s a CB.
I thought holding was holding
The centre back is Holding, the defensive midfielder’s Coq.
🙂
Who’s holding his balls? The ballboy?
Controvery ensues.
That probably doesn’t resonate with non-cricket fans, but I enjoyed it 🙂
Not likely.
Not a priority.
We do need a Lback shortly as MOnreal is also edging past 30 but Gibbs is still around (albeit injury prone)
More likely someone younger to develop through academy…and less expensive.
This is probably agents taking advantage of Arsene’s current Swiss flavour.
Off topic but it hasn’t surfaced here yet: Any truth to the rumours that Özil is delaying contract talks until after the Euros because he is considering a move to Bayern?
they’ll have to put a lot of money on the table to get Ozil. Im glad we’re keeping Alexis though. IMO a true game changer
Can we just get him, koulibaly and morata and just let the bpl begin? I am beginning to miss it already.
Ozil can fuck off and be replaced with someone who can actually shoot
It’s so sad when cousins marry.
35M plus Goetze works for me
Dream signing. Sell Gibbs and keep nacho as our utility player. He’s one of the best lb in the world, so this shouldn’t even be a question.
No news today, apart from Jose Mourinho is still a cunt.
That’s not really news is it
I am not sure that Gibbs leaving makes much sense to be replaced with a foreigner as Gibbs is ‘Home Grown’. If we are in the market for a LB, it is more likely it is that Nacho will leave soon instead.
Gimme.