So after a day when Arsene Wenger is delighted that Aaron Ramsey has signed another long term deal to stay at the Arsenal I found myself wondering what exactly it was he signed last year? Wasn’t that a contract too?
It seems to me the reason we have no money is because we keep paying our youngsters more and more to stay. It explains why Benitez said he couldn’t compete with Arsenal on signing kids from around the world.
Now I’m all for keeping our young talent, but what we seem to do is keep extending their contracts to keep them happy, why? They already had long contracts and those contracts mean nothing anyway, take Ade and Henry, they both had 3 years of their contracts left, long enough you think, but Henry left his to go to Barca and Ade had his wages trebled to keep him, surely we could have just said, sorry boys, you have three years left, a bit like Fergie did last year, if they then don’t give it their all then there must be grounds not to pay them, it seems to me we are being held to ransom by our own daft policy.
Don’t misunderstand me, I really rate Theo and Ramsey, but Ramsey is hardly a regular and Theo is a long way off to be earning £60k a week, didn’t we lose Flamini because we wouldn’t stretch to £60k a week?
Anyway, that wasn’t a rant, more of a question.
However if you add up what we pay a lot of these youngsters that aren’t regulars, and sell them on, then I’m sure we could get 2 or 3 top players that will be ready right now.
We missed out on Melo and Benzema, but Cana is available, we have now turned back to Inler and Matuidi, whom I know nothing about, I hope we do something because we still lack that bite in midfield and I would be very surprised if Denilson and Song stepped up this coming season, great if they do, and I really will applaud that, contrary to what some may think, but what if they don’t? That then means another season with nothing but potential.
Wenger said yesterday he will maintain project youth because he believes in it, but what happens when the youth get older, like RVP, Ade, Rosicky, Kolo and so on, does that mean we ditch them and bring in more 18 years olds, does that mean project youth will go on for ever?
I would go out and bring back some of those that were foolish enough to leave us at a fraction of the price, bring back Flamini, Reyes and maybe even Hleb.
Whatever you think of them leaving, they are all not playing and may come back grateful, I know a lot of you will be saying no thanks, sod off, but think about it, that’s all we’re missing an enforcer and a winger, and then all we need is a big centre back to replace Silvestre, what about this Naldo guy? Or it that just another rumour. Get that lot in and we aren’t that far off.
We have a lot of youngsters in the team that I don’t think will make it, so cut our losses, admit it, move on and win the league, or even try and win the worthless cup, it’s so frustrating seeing the same thing every season, we are so close to it, and then bring in those kids if and when we need them.
Youngsters like Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere and Bendtner for me will make it but some of the others I feel won’t, we can’t live on hope for ever, no one else in the EPL does and I’m fed up with people that support other teams taking the piss.
It’s alright Ade saying that Evra’s comment about men against babies was disrespectful but even the most ardent AKB must admit he had a big point.
It’s no use saying we almost did them at Old Trafford, because the following week they were playing Barca in the final of the European cup and didn’t want to get injuries.
Come on Arsenal, we all renewed our season tickets, you do your bit now.
Incidentally I was watching the Fernebahce game last night and in the commercials they were still advertising Highbury square as 90% sold, not 90% deposits, but 90% sold, so if it’s not true, why do they insist on keeping the lie going, they can’t have it both ways.
Have a great day grovers, maybe it will happen today, time is running out so why not!
Nah Stu – neither of them are good enough to come straight into the side ahead of vp and eduardo. We need someone who’d immediately be a class above, like Villa or Benzema, or noone.
With regards to ade i’d take anything 15 mil or above, reckon wenger would try and get everything he could but be willing to sell for around that? Though maybe if noone was offering it’d end up being on deadline day
I think we’re better off keeping Ade anyway personally
Depends how happy he is to play a bit part role Bill
IMO Ade isnt good enough to start and he is on too much money to be on the bench. So the solution i to sell him.
A, what is your opinion on Srna? I think he would be great for us but he probably isnt good enough at defending to displace Sagna there. Would you agree or disagree?
I think Ade will be starting more games than not, if he stays that is
Ade doesnt deserve to start for a club like ours. It should be Eduardo up front everytime.
Hour long blog fart Bill. Real stinker!
BARCELONA last night risked the wrath of Arsene Wenger by publicly tapping-up Cesc Fabregas.
Barca president Joan Laporta admitted that he would love to sign the Arsenal skipper and blatantly invited Fabregas to demand a move to the Nou Camp.
Fabregas is a product of Barca’s famed La Masia youth academy and the Catalan giants were furious when Gunners chief Wenger snatched him back in 2003 BEFORE the midfielder was offered a pro contract.
Laporta said: “As I’ve said many times, Cesc has Barcelona in his DNA and I think that one day he should play for Barca.
“We all like him very much — he’s always been in our thoughts.”
Wenger will be despairing as, once again, a Spanish giant is openly courting his best player — this time it is Barca, more recently it was Real Madrid.
The European champions are reluctant to pay the £40million Fabregas would cost but it is understood they would love to put one over bitter enemies Real Madrid, who have also targeted the Gunners star.
Fabregas, 22, gave a controversial interview to Spanish news agency EFE last week in which he blasted Arsenal’s recent “impotence” when it comes to winning titles.
He was later forced to go on Arsenal’s website and retract after The Sun published his interview in full.
But the fact he gave the interview in the first place is a clear indication that he is uncomfortable at the club’s inability to challenge for major honours.
Fabregas openly flirted with both Barcelona and Madrid and even admitted that his Catalan parents would understand if he joined Barca’s hated rivals Real.
Good news for Wenger, though, is that he has tied up teen whizkid Jack Wilshere on a new long-term contract.
Wales international Aaron Ramsey, 18, yesterday agreed an extension to his deal and Wenger has been quick to also secure the potential of Herts-born Wilshere, who has been with the club since he was just NINE years old.
The England youth international signed pro terms when he turned 17 on New Year’s Day and became the youngest player to represent Arsenal in both the league and in European competition when making his first-team breakthrough last season.
Wenger said: “It is great news that Jack has signed.
“He made great progress last season and we all witnessed what a great young talent he is.”
Stekelenburg
Steinsson Chyhrynskiy Juhasz Srna
Barnetta Denisov Cana Trochowski
Janko Pogrebnyak
IMO Any of those players would improve us. Some more than others obviously and in different ways……but i struggled with some names because my mind is a little blank atm.
…… & meanwhile as the Spanish clubs carry on in their merry way trying to secure all of the top players in the world, by handing out over the top fees, Sep Blatter continues to attempt to derail the power of The PL, while turning a blind eye to the disgraceful goings on with barcalonely & Real Classless.
Im fucking sick of those spanish bastards tapping up our players. Havent they taken enough off us over the years ffs. And whats worse is that fifa or eufa never do or say anything about it.
I bet if it was someone tapping up a spanish based player then Platini and Blatter would freak out and dish out really harsh punishments on prem clubs.
Stu
IMO, we shouldn’t get bitter, we should get better. I hope that Cesc is just taunting Le Gaffer to go & spend. Some people are suspicious about outsiders moving into positions of power in The Club, but even if this happens, The Club will still be The Arsenal of North London. What might change is The Club might start winning more tropheys. Whats wrong with that.
Don’t get bitter!! Get better!!
GG9
no surprises there …
‘Laporta said: “As I’ve said many times, Cesc has Barcelona in his DNA and I think that one day he should play for Barca. ‘
I know it , Spain know it , cesc’s feels it ..
but the arsenal fans deny it …
so doesn’t it make sense to sell this lad for maximum bucks whilst we still have the opportunity ?..
(no more fuck ups like ade last season )
50 mil for wenger to spend at this much needed time ??????? sell ade too and wenger can get 6 or so narsi style buys !
i call it smart business ..
1. we will probably never get the best years out of him .. those will be reserved for Spain, cesc will see to that that he moves prior to his prime , (or the start of it )
2. in the current climate we will go another couple of years winning nothing due to poor recruitment/lack of funds ,and cesc will
ask to leave and therefore the transfer fee will be halved …
3. in all honesty since the departure of flamini / hleb cesc has been made to look average a lot of the time .. and he really isnt that greater leader on the pitch …
He’s still a boy !
i have this Ethan gutt feeling we need to sell him or our season will be lost .. ..
this is not about me loving cesc , or hating him … its what i feel is best for the club ..
and we need experience ..
fresh faces to turn our 4th spot into title winners …
like i said a long time ago … if you dont fear the ones above us in the table (which is stupid) then look below … because they are trying to even out the playing field and someone this season will seriously be gunning for 4th spot ..
and our board dont take this threat seriously
Fucking love that!
Don’t get bitter, get better! That shoud be he new logo for something///
Sorry Ethan, i get yur idea but i just couldnt condone selling Fabregas. Aside from being one of our few quality players there also remains the very possible situation that Wenger wouldnt spend the money we get.
And if he did spend it then those players probably wouldnt have nearly the same level of class that Cesc has.
I would be all for selling him for 40-50m if i was 100% sure that Wenger would re-invest it by buying 3 or 4 quality players. But we all know that wouldnt happen.
However, i am all for selling Ade, whether or not he is directly replaced.
who is matuidi? never heard of him!
French left footed centre midfielder for St.Etienne. And he is about 5’9.
sorry stu, disappeared for a while. Dunno about srna, he’s quality but would cost a fair bit, and could be very dodgy defensively in the prem. I’d rather eboue be brought in for games where we needed another attacking dimension, or lansbury/coquelin start their first team careers out there
http://rayfoleyshow.blogspot.com/2009/07/doh.html
Its about Jacko…
Thanks for answering A. I’d much rather Srna over Eboue any day but i suppose Eboue is already here.
As for the youth back up next season. Coquelin i can understand but not Lansbury. I wouldnt want to see him anywhere but the middle of midfield.
ok no idea on matuidi from my side – i just want the next signing to come in ASAP
well thats what im for stu , selling him to get 4-6 quality players (if ade goes also )
also cesc’s sale would be to public for wenger not to re-invest the money ..
as much as those fuckin scrooges THE BOARD would love to get there hands on the cash im sure
that it would be all to public for them to suck the 50 mil into the black hole …
and i agree it would be no gain to lose your biggest asset and get nothing in return ..
but im sure that wouldnt be the case !
wenger could get several players worth 12.5 mil
if ade wwnt for 20 – cesc – 50
wenger could get 5-6 players of nasri’s/AA’s quality or above ..
sure there would be down time , but bringing in ramsey – vela- nik b – theo – jack and delisong
ISNT ??????
no matter which way you look at it , Arsenal is still a year or 2+ off getting 11 experienced starting players on the pitch ..
and as much as i think cesc is talented , im sure the second he becomes irreplaceable , he will want to leave ! it all adds up to years of down time , with only monetary gain at the end of it !!!!
lets face it, its always been his intention to leave , and its got too the point that i want people who will grow with the team , if this is in fact what arsene is trying to achieve ..
Yeah stu i’d rather srna, but that’s why i said eboue, because he’s already here and although we could improve on sagna, it really isn’t a priority!
Lansbury played right back a couple of times for the first team in last years pre season, I wouldn’t mind him playing there, do what gibbs did on the other side. In the end he’ll most likely be a centre mid, but currently there’s so much competition there he won’t get a look in for a good while yet!
i mean its sheer madness to want to sell cesc
and not capitalize on enhancing the team ,
it would be like selling the family car and not replacing it for a new car ..
i mean naturally if we sell cesc, the board/wenger / fans should all expect that every single cent/pence is put into buying the correct personnel for the club ..
you can see cesc’s loyalty is splitting , it started last year when hleb/flamini left and now im sure he is only here as he has painted himself into a corner, and we are all watching him under the microscope to see if he falters…
i commend all your heart felt loyalties but the truth is im a little bit like wenger as far as i would sell your biggest asset to buy 4 long term replacements ..
once this team has 11 fluid starters then ill start throwing the loyalty card around ,
the only players id issue hands off warnings to is AA , gallas , jack , gibbs ,sagna …. Maybe theo ..
all the rest for ”over the odd’s” silly money id listen to all offers !
i would also sell half a dozen young ones ..
like randall,eboue,senderos etc , who clearly wont make the grade ..
oh by the way ethan, I read back through your post. Most enjoyable, & I must say I have to agree
24 hours late bt i have a sum to ask….. with the way madrid players get fed up with the club within 6-12 months, do u think we have a chance @ signing Benzema next year? he does have a LOT of competetion and least 2 sae living legend Raul who coincidently plays the exact same role he does…
Are madrid still the same Raul Madrid or they are changing thier ways???
still tink he will be transfer listed nex summer
if we dont bid on benzema NOW chiku we dont have a hope in hell of ever attaining him …
if the Spanish big guns dont make any offers , he will then become a Man U or chev player ..
then he’s as good as gone !
cheers GG….
GG9 your turn now .. hook up with geoff for a sunday ‘ aussie extra’
We dont need Benzema, Ribery maybe, but Benzema nopes.
For all the commitment and love Cesc has shown in AFC I would want him to decide when to leave (or to stay forever) than us to drive him out or force him to stay.
Every fucking respected club in the world does this. Manu with Scholes, giggs, Sojlskaer..
Barca with Puyol
Milan with Nesta, Maldini
For people like Ade or Ronaldo the club should have just one thing in mind, get the maximum out of the player in his stay and after that.
laporta di maa nu lun…..punjabi foul language (dick in laporta’s mother)
Gashti maa da bacha (son of bitch)
oh yes commitment like going to Spain last season and visiting RM – Barca , we wouldn’t be copping this constant barrage of shit about cesc if he was 1000 % committed ..
our opposition obviously can smell his weakness ,
they know he wants to return home like a little mummys boy , the sooner we make way and sell him the sooner we will be able to look for a long term replacement ..
its not like we don’t build the team around him !AND THE SECOND HE DECIDES TO GO HOME WE ARE SCREWED AGAIN !
we dont barrack for cesc football club ..
we i sure as shite dont , i look for the long term betterment of our club .. and i dont want our captains head to keep turning every 5 minutes ..
if our captain is like this what does it do for the rest of the teams morale !
????
Ethan I think the problem is there will always be players in the team the press will hound.
They did it non stop with Vieira and Henry, they are doing it with Robin and Cesc, they have already started with Arshavin, they even did it with Jeffers when Rooney exploded onto the scene at Everton.
I think it’s a fact of life, the trouble is the only player I can think of that was born in Islington is Joe Cole.
I sort of agree with you on this Ethan. I really would like Cesc to stay but,
If we get a 50+m offer in for Cesc, I think we should accept it. I don’t think that money will ever be on the table again, so I would take it, but only if it is 50+.
This time next year, Cesc will be the one that will say to Wenger that he wants to go and that puts the bargaining chips firmly in Barca’s hands and knowing Arsenal he will go for about 20 tops regardless of how good a season he has had, and it would not surprise me if there is a gentlemans agreement between Cesc and Arsene to go with that.
If Cesc offered us a long term commitment (3 years+) then I would continue to build the club around him, but I very much doubt that is the case. I do admire Cesc’s honesty and love him as an Arsenal Player, but we are rebuilding and the Money for Cesc and Wengers shrewd purchasing could make us a very powerful outfit.
Barca are not stupid though, I dont think that they have any intention of bidding this year, and I think their efforts are on Villa and Mascherano. They know that Arsenal will buckle and they will get Cesc on the cheap this time next year.
The problem will be ever present if our captain is not english. So you want Gibbs to be made captain NOW? EVER?
People like Viera, Cesc even Gallas are leaders, and if some englishman comes along with even a 10 percent ability to motivate and lead like Tony Adams, then yes without a shadow of a doubt he will be our man.
Until then just have faith in the captain we have. Its the club that has shown its faith in Cesc, and if we all so love the club as we profess, we must show a little faith in their faith.
I myself see Ramsey taking over in the long turn if he stays. I really really like the boy.
Pat Cesc has a longer contract than that already, it’s either 2014 or 2016, but it doesn’t matter, when a player wants out Wenger lets them.
My fear if we ever sold him is the money would stay in the club.
Wenger has also confirmed that he was tracking Karim Benzema before big-spending Real Madrid had a €35million (£30m) offer accepted for the Lyon striker.
When asked which French players he admired, Wenger said: “There is one who interested me but he (Karim Benzema) left for Madrid.
“I did not make of approach because I would never have thought that Lyon would sell this year.”
Talk about slow motion
Great eh, where have we heard that before! Anyway, new post.
Morning all. Geoff I don’t remember it ever being as bad as this for Viera and Henry. I’m not saying that it wasn’t consistent but now it seems like a full on barrage every few days. I believe there is truth to this, and I believe now is the time to get the highest price for him because;
1) he will go home, he has said so and Viera and Henry never said that.
2) The money will never be this good again
3) If we go another year with rebuilding our club will be in major trouble as a global brand.
We need to build a consistent team and I don’t believe Cesc is a part of that.
New post all. New post.
Can we flog all the younsters and OMG SIGN MESSY?
ok fair enough cana is a full beast but he would be suspended for half the season, have you seen how reckless his tackles are?yea he has passion but can he pass?is he good technically?just because he’s vicious doesn’t mean he could cut the mustard.and as for naldo apparently he’s no better than senderos.as for bringing back reyes, hleb and flammini, i couldn’t agree more, whether you like it or note they did play well for us.
Wenger always spent before abromavich & then the stadium u realy think he wants to play Eboue instead of Ribery He wanted SWP to replace Fredie at the timew he was wirth 13+M he offered top dollar 15M to make sure he got him Abromavich payed 25M to make him a sub just to stop us so Wenger goes ok that wont work i have to find another way cause he knew add the stadium & ill have even less cash