Obafemi Martins is one we don’t want and don’t need, we have Robin Van Persie, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner, Theo, Simpson and if we get him Arshavin, not to mention Rui Fonte, Gilles Sunu and Rhys Murphy coming through the academy, so in short spending £13mil on a Newcastle player is and will be a waste of money.
Better for me to spend it on a defensive midfielder and a centre back, assuming that is, we have Arshavin in the bag. I wouldn’t be averse to taking on Scott Parker for the defensive role, I also see we are being linked to Boca Juniors star Sebastian Battaglia, I don’t really know him, but he did flop at Villareal, not that means too much, because Riquelme didn’t work out for the Yellow submarines either, but Parker does have premiership experience, is English and would slot straight into the team.
It’s abundantly clear that Song won’t step up and we need a strong player in there that can add to the team and not weaken it, so add Song to the list of players we don’t want.
I think that Ramsey or Coquelin will be the players we need there, but that’s a way off so a Parker or a Sebastian Battaglia could do a holding role as the holding player until one of them can take over.
I would also like Toulalon, Velosa or Cana but that won’t happen, I thought I’d say it though.
I would like to know how Ronaldo got the FIFA world player of the year over Messi, what do they judge it on? Still, who cares, he’ll be a Madrid player in the summer and we won’t have to see him day in day out after that, then we can go back to hating Gerrard, Terry and Rooney again.
It’s good to see the Chavs have taken over the spotlight from Arsene Wenger as the team in crisis, add that to two or three good signings and we could get something out of this season after all.
Jacky boy will be playing in the FA youth cup soon so we get to see what we have to come, I wish the boys luck in that one, it would be nice to win that, we certainly have the players.
I just wish we could sign someone without waiting until the deadline, it’s the equivalent of going 1 down and waiting until the 89th minute to equalise and the 93rd minute to get the winner, Arsene make us feel happy early eh? Get Arshavin on board before Tottenham go down and get our season back on track, we can still win this thing, in fact we can still win three trophies, if anyone can, you can!
Have another great day Grovers, only 4 days to go to get our own back on the Tigers who are from a small village somewhere near Scotland, Hull.
P.S. We’ve heard from a source close to the club that the physio is on stand by to do a medical for Arshavin at anytime. We’ve also heard that the player is refusing to speak to Man City as he wants to play on the biggest stage and prove himself… watch this space!
The same could be said of Senderos tho.
Similar type player imo but Senderos is better at international level.
Its only within England tat Senderos isnt rated, but he is by me.
your right ! but a team like arsenal should have all there squad full of internationals !
i think it makes scouting quite easy ..
look thru Portugal – Spain – Germany – Italy .. under 21′s 23′s
and go for the brightest of the bunch !
it dont take a rocket scientist to find some gems really …
song wasnt playing for his country when he was bought
Was Song even playing for a team when we bought him?
Got some news for fellow grovers:
From Gunnerblog. read into it. Interesting news on ARSHAVIN:
Manchester City last night threatened to blow the transfer window wide open by making a £91m offer for AC Milan’s Kaka.
It’s ludicrous. It’s crazy. And most remarkably of all, it seems to be true.
£91m is obscene. No footballer is worth that amount of money. But then, Robinho wasn’t worth £32m, and Wayne Bridge wasn’t worth £12m. The money doesn’t matter to City, and whilst Mark Hughes has been trying to add Premier League experience, haggling over a £12m fee for Craig Bellamy, Sheikh Mansour has had bigger fish to fry. Whether or not Milan would cave in to such a huge offer (almost double the current world record of £48m for Zinedine Zidane) remains to be seen. If they do, it sets a dangerous precedent – and just how long before the £60m offer for Cesc arrives?
Back in the real world, we continue to pursue that Russian fella, who is proving to be as elusive to our clutches as he is to most defenders. Thanks to Dublin Adam, who provided a translation of this article which fuels us with the following information:
* Arshavin was verbally promised he would be sold if an offer of €15m arrived, but Zenit are now holding out for €18m
* Arsenal offered €10m rising to €13m, but this, as we know, was rejected
* Zenit want all the cash upfront
* Arshavin’s agent, the thoroughly infuriating Dennis Lachter, is reported to want €5m in fees for the deal
* Arshavin has informed Advocaat he will not play for Zenit again, and has refused to travel with the squad to a camp in the UAE
We’ve seen situations like this before. Sylvain Wiltord infamously went on strike to secure his move from Bordeaux to London. It seems Arshavin is prepared to do the same.
It’s really difficult to see how this one will end up. The key factor for me is that I just can’t think of another player of Arshavin’s quality who would be available in this window – unless, that is, you happen to have £91m to throw around. It’s hard to see how Zenit could reject an offer in the region of €15m, though whether we are able or willing to go that far remains to be seen.
It’s at that point now where I feel invested in it. I’m succumbing to the temptation of checking NewsNow in the hope that a fee will have been agreed – or even to hear that negotiations have broken off so I can begin the inevitable mourning process.
I suppose if I had more of a life, this probably wouldn’t happen. But then that seems like such a lot of effort.
Oh, almost forgot:
Congrats to two on-loan Young Guns who did well last night: Jay Simpson scored a cracking goal for his first in a West Brom shirt, whilst Armand Traore’s blistering run down the right (yes, the right) set up Peter Crouch’s goal in Portsmouth’s victory over Bristol City. Both players will be hoping to make enough of an impression in the next six months to get an opportunity at Arsenal in 2009/10. The goals may well appear on 101greatgoals today. Ciao for now.
and here is the Russian paper:
http://www.sovsport.ru/gazeta/article-item/317618
Eastern Europe are the new superpower in terms of emerging talent. IMO Wenger should go shopping there for some hard working players. Obviously we are strongly linked with Arshavin but aside from him the players arent too expensive, which would no doubt suit our board.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1706/barcelona/2009/01/14/1059640/courts-order-barcelona-to-pay-57-million-to-sogecable
dont really understand it but still! hahahahaha
the difference between he and senderos is he is playing every week !
i do feel sorry for senderos ..
i mean he’s getting on and really didnt have too longer stint too prove his value ..
song has been blessed with opportunity after opportunity and failed to impress the fans .
Senderos would have made it here if we hadnt gotten Gallas imo. Senderos had been in the team for months, helping us to the CL final and to the FA cup. He and Kolo were forming a solid partnership and a great understanding together but Gallas just arrived and Phil was pushed to the side very harshly.
Ever since then he hasnt had a good run of games, only playing when someone else was injured and he was expected to settle straight in.
I know his errors were awful but had he been playing regularly since 04-05 he would have ironed those out. Instead his confidence has never been lower.
He is loved by the swiss fans and a vital cog in their machine but he is just a back up here.
Personally I would play him but then again im not the manager (yet)
Also our manager seems to hate players who WANT to and CAN defend.
stu
I know this is kind of late….but Kranjcar scored in the 88th minute….watching portsmouth reminds me of Arsenal attimes the way Kanu missed clear cut chances….and the way Sol used to cause unwanted penalties….
Geez Pat
Is that Russian??? I sound a lil ignorant here…but phuk me….it looks like greek!
Dam stu after reading that link, seems like some catalans are going to be sleeping with the fishes..
According to The Sun, that most impeccably honest of tabloid newspapers, Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United for Real Madrid next summer.
The reason? Three little digits sent to the copyright office in Portugal last month.
The FIFA World Player of the Year’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had the tag ‘CR9′ trademarked on his client’s behalf in December – and that could spell the end of his career at Old Trafford, apparently.
Ronaldo currently operates under the ‘CR7′ brand, which are his initials combined with the shirt number he wears for both club and country.
But he would have to pick a different digit (or two, perhaps) if he moved to the Santiago Bernabeu, because legendary Blancos captain Raul already sports the No. 7 jersey.
Thus, the registration of ‘CR9′ – which Ronaldo can now use on merchandise, among other things – would seem to indicate that not only a change of number, but also a change of scene, is in the offing.
Furthermore, the current incumbent of the Merengues’ No. 9 shirt – Argentine striker Javier Saviola – is expected to leave the club shortly after failing to make any real impact since joining from Barcelona.
It is a tenous link on it’s own, certainly; but combined with the recent reports of Madrid’s preparations for a summer swoop, all signs suggest that the Spanish giants are finally getting somewhere in their pursuit of Ronaldo.
pat- Ive always respected your in-put but is this for real?
The money in football makes me sick mate.. While we’re so poor, we debate about millions,,
RasDef, just posted it from goal.com/en. Original source is the Sun, so I’d take it with a grain of salt
Should call pon dem fur da dola
Yeah i dont think the sun is a reliable source
Like all the crap we can come about on the net, news in the dictionary should translate to propaganda..
dont know but this is what im about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xnTW-4SVeE&feature=channel_page
stu
Ever since then he hasnt had a good run of games, only playing when someone else was injured and he was expected to settle straight in.
i agree , but at that point in time wenger , and possibly most of us would have said why not get gallas? back then ?
most said in the gallas – cole swap we got the bargain end of the deal back then , it wasnt a shock that someone had to make way .. and senderos’s career was ruined as a result , confidence slipped and we are where we are today ..
but do remember most defenders dont become good at plying there trade until later on in there career , i blame wenger for purchasing them too young ..
its like nordveit , at 16 we have him and by the time he is 22 he will have been at the club for 6 years and possibly sold on long before he shows the class we purchased him for ..
i think some intelligence is needed prior to purchasing this POTENTIAL , because our wage budget is suffering as a result .. these youngsters arent getting a real run at the top level as a result ! and a club like arsenal also cannot afford to lose games blooding these kids .. so the whole plan is doomed prior to even starting the experiment if you ask me !
would messi ever been MESSI if no one ever played him ?
same can be said with goalies …. very few are any cop until they reach 24-25 ..
Now the Spuds want Adriano…..
It’s gonna be a record for the most expensive wage bill for a relegated team
i agree Ethan. I too was happy when we got Gallas but given the circumstances of his chelsea departure there was a strong chance that he would be a cunt here too. Off topic but true so had to be mentioned. Preferably Cole wouldnt have gone and he would probably agree with, especially given the way his career has gone since.
As for the age thing I also agree. Age becomes more important the further back the team you go. Not as necessary up front because you can either score or you cant. Kepers tend not to hit their prime until mid thirties, late 20s – early 30s with defenders and Midfielders a bit earlier.
IMO there is still time for Phil to resurect(sp) his career with us if given the chance.
I would even welcome him back into the team right now. He would go a long way to solving our aerial problems and also pose a threat to the opposition. He had fairly good leadership skills, gives 100% every time and would do a better job at organising the defence than our other defenders have been doing.
But it seems Wenger has given up in him. Why else would AW have brought Silvestre in? Shame really.
Apparently Redknob has a worse record than Ramos. Lovely! Spuds are sure to be relegated. The Keano Kurse will live on!
Also Ethan, in regards the Cole- Gallas deal.
IMO its obvious Wenger didnt plan on getting a new defender and just asked for Gallas so that Chelsea would lose a defender too. They were never going to give Terry or Carvalho up and Gallas was french and wanted to leave the chavs.
That summer when the numbers were being changed Senderos was given #6. Hardly the number usually given to someone that isnt in the managers plans. Gallas ruined everything and is continuing to cause trouble even to this day.
He could only ask for Gallas coz they were having contract issues with him……he wouldn’t have been AW’s first choice I’m sure………..
I dont get it….Both Gallas and Phill are prone to error….but Gallas is preffered and even given captaincy….
Le Gaffer puzzles me at times
Good evening London
Bloody hot here; got to 35degrees C.
Have we signed Arswaxin yet
Stu
some people liked senderos’s no non-sense approach , but id prefer him not to kick the ball forever out into touch ..
launch it up field if you want to spill over possession too the opposition .. which brings me too almunia .. he also would rather boot it up field for ade to squander it than feed the ball to gallas or a defender to bring it up field .. (almunia did that alot in the 2nd 1/2 of last season )
we lost the c.l because of it !
football is a possession game , especially with our game plan .. imo, senderos and almunia squander far too much possession , when they could just as easily pass the ball too a team mate , and i think blunders aside senderos’s downfall was not keeping the ball alive when on most occasions he could have easily done so ..
but i suppose thats all down too the experience we are talking about earlier RE : mertsacker…
i mean song has had plenty of chances with wenger , i wouldn’t mind seeing phil start with his swiss counterpart against hull , slide toure to DM and if phil fails toure can slide back and bring on denilson or fucking song …
Also a defensive coach wouldn’t go astray would it ?
ive always thought we had enough names since fish faces arrival just not the organization or discipline ..
but i dont want to blame the defense , as ever since we’ve lost TH14 and not replaced him we have been light weight on scoring options ..
i mean if your attacking your not defending ! and if you cant attack anymore your putting a shite load of pressure on a defense that is now working harder and for more minutes on the pitch !..
its all relative but most dont see it like that .
nice post, we need arshavin
Wenger feels the team is showing signs of renewed confidence following an inconsistent opening to the campaign which saw them beaten five times in the Premier League before Christmas.
Victory over Bolton extended the Gunners’ undefeated league run to seven games, although they remain outside the top four, with the gap on Liverpool now down to eight points.
With captain Cesc Fabregas and England winger Theo Walcott both sidelined by injury, Wenger admits he would like to bring in at least one fresh face before the transfer window closes.
The most likely candidate continues to be Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin, with an improved bid of £12million said to be on offer to Zenit St Petersburg for the wantaway 27-year-old.
Senderos is back in London??
this arshavin deal is stretching out too long for my liking. with regards to squad numbers his should be 999 as we need help.
I agree about senderos,more suited to being a kicker in rugby.
with regards to jay simpson who scored a cracking goal last night,i think it is a gamble letting him go on loan.i know he will get regular football but the last few players that went out on loan either didn’t make it back to the first team as better players,i.e. song bedntner and eduardo has only played 45 minutes and isn’t scheduled to start again for another week.
its alright saying we have too many strikers and players will be awesome in 3 years time,my opinion would have been to keep simpson until one knows the full fitness of eduardo,who was only a fringe first teamer when he got injured.
kelsey
totally agree about simpson he is one to hang on too !
i do like the fact he went out on loan …
its something that arsene needs to do will most of his youngsters ..
and agree that sometimes like mumbva lupoli etc .. that we gamble on losing the odd talented
rough diamond that i believe wenger is trying too find too begin with !, it all adds up to a hit and miss mentality which only makes this experiment even more of a circus carnival !
an italian friend of mine living over here in spain,played golf with capello last week and my friend is an ardent chelsea supporter,and there really is a lot of unrest at chelsea,and what we have read the last 48 hours about,anelka throwing his toys out of the pram again,drogba definitely going and the strange quote from scholari that he appears not to be to bothered if he is sacked or not appears to be true.
he was on a hiding to nothing when he joined chelsea as abromovich wants a return now by either winning the p.l. and/or the c.l. his investment is now nearly 800 million,and he may well just walk away as he definitely doesn’t want to play second fiddle to the arabs, which reminds me that this kaka reported deal can only be bad for football in the long run,madness sheer madness.
Morning Grovers.
Well surprise, surprise nothing happening on the transfer front. Like i said (and believe) earlier, nothing will happen in January. AW will say he tried to sign Arshavin, indeed in six months time when the same player is tearing up the EPL, he’ll say how close he was to signing him!! It’s pathetic!! If the player will make the difference to this team, fucking buy him, you’re just making us look like the Spudz were in th 90′s, offering a fee for a class player that is nowhere near a proper valuation, which will ALWAYS be turned down, just so that you can say “well, we tried to buy him”……
Maybe we should put in yet another derisory for Joe Cole………
Maybe we should put in another derisory offer for Joe Cole…………..that’s better
Joe Cole is a great call Dennis, Kelsey, I believe the Arshavin deal will happen and Ethan, I have been arguing with everyone for two seasons that Wenger letting Muamba go was a stupid thing to do and he wouldn’t have done it if he was French, Muamba has far more talent that Eboue, Diaby, Song and Denilson and had he kept him, he could have been the next Vieira.
Had he given him the time he gives his foreign boys he may have been an awesome player.
Saying he wanted too go is just pathetic, he could have said, er… no.
Cole or Arshavin?
Joe Cole,second that call.he would be perfect and chelsea are vunerable at the moment,they are not buying,just strimming costs.the question is could be afford him.
in business terms are we prepared to lose 30 million from possibly not making the top 4,by not investing now,we have the money don’t we according to danny boy.
my only concern with arshavin,is he yet another foreign mercenary and his agent wants 5 million whatever the deal.we sure do pick them lately,diarra hleb,,ade,bedntner all just money orientated .woould kaka go to qpr if the money was right,because city aint going to win anything.
Surely a £10-£12m bid might just do it for a player that’s not even a regular starter for the Chavs anymore, the only issue (once again) wil lbe the wages………
I just wonder if Sendy can be useful as a DM? A new line up could be:
Fab
Sagna Toure Djorou Clich
Senderous
Eboue Nasri Vela/Ashravin?
RVP Ade
Subs: Wilshirem Ramsey, Dennilson
Cole, and he must be getting to the end of his contract by now, he’s also a North London boy.
Joe Cole / Arshavin……….
Both different animals………. I guess Scrooge would go for the cheaper option…………
Scrooge hasn’t mentioned Joe Cole though, that was Dennis!
Given a choice i’d go for Cole, proven EPL player, score goals, creates goals, can play all across the midfield and in the ‘hole’………….very versatile, aaaaaaaand i read somewhere many many moons ago that he’s actually a Gooner!
New post!
I’m no Scrooge
Geoff, Joe Cole hates Arsenal with a real passion. Unless he has changed his mind since he was a youngster he would prefer to sign for spurs & play in the championship than sign for Arsenal.
I remember him playing football in the road outside his house when he was about 12, something happened between him, his family & Arsenal which I’m not getting into but suffice to say he hates us!!
Evening Grovers!