Why do Arsenal keep getting linked with creative midfielders? I think I know the answer: it sells papers.
I really can't believe the Sami Khedira link. I don't think he'd improve our midfield that much and his salary is going to cause a lot of envy in the dressing room.
What about Douglas Costa? Okay, he
might want to leave Donestsk, but how many number 10s do we need? We're sticking with Ozil, as the main man, I reckon, so we've got no pressing need to add to the creative midfield department.
Additionally, we've got the versatile Santi who can step into Ozil's shoes. Obviously, if Cazorla leaves that could change the whole situation, but I'm not seeing that on the near horizon.
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Wednesday 30 July 2014
Tuesday 29 July 2014
Signings arrive like buses @ Arsenal
It's a bit of a hackneyed simile, but signings are certainly arriving like buses at Arsenal all of a sudden.
Calum Chambers is not a player I thought Wenger would sign, given that we now have 3 other right backs who are probably good enough for Premier League football: Bellerin, Jenkinson, Debuchy. Although, Chambers has been bought for his versatility and ability to play at centre back, if required.
Bellerin and Jenkinson look set for moves now, as Wenger prefers to work with a small squad, it seems. Bellerin is expected to join Real Zaragosa on loan, while a permanent £3m transfer to West Ham beckons for 'Corporal' Jenkinson.
I'm a bit shocked that our enthusiastic corporal could be offloaded so cheaply and so permanently. I must admit, he took a long time to win me over, but once he did I realised that he has most of what you need to be a successful right back in the modern game. It was obvious he had pace and technique from the start, so the only thing missing was experience. He's gained quite a lot, after being thrown in the deep end at Old Trafford and coming out of it chastened but wiser.
I can only guess that Jenkinson has upset the hierarchy with his recent song about Spurs, that has gone viral amongst Arsenal fans. Personally, although I appreciate his commitment to the cause, I would have advised him against going so public in voicing his aversion to our rivals. After all, he's a professional now, not just a fan. The reason I'm assuming this is I feel sure his performances on the field have been good enough. Therefore, I can only guess why we'd let him go and where we'd let him go to. West Ham seems most likely right now, but watch this space!
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Calum Chambers is not a player I thought Wenger would sign, given that we now have 3 other right backs who are probably good enough for Premier League football: Bellerin, Jenkinson, Debuchy. Although, Chambers has been bought for his versatility and ability to play at centre back, if required.
Bellerin and Jenkinson look set for moves now, as Wenger prefers to work with a small squad, it seems. Bellerin is expected to join Real Zaragosa on loan, while a permanent £3m transfer to West Ham beckons for 'Corporal' Jenkinson.
I'm a bit shocked that our enthusiastic corporal could be offloaded so cheaply and so permanently. I must admit, he took a long time to win me over, but once he did I realised that he has most of what you need to be a successful right back in the modern game. It was obvious he had pace and technique from the start, so the only thing missing was experience. He's gained quite a lot, after being thrown in the deep end at Old Trafford and coming out of it chastened but wiser.
I can only guess that Jenkinson has upset the hierarchy with his recent song about Spurs, that has gone viral amongst Arsenal fans. Personally, although I appreciate his commitment to the cause, I would have advised him against going so public in voicing his aversion to our rivals. After all, he's a professional now, not just a fan. The reason I'm assuming this is I feel sure his performances on the field have been good enough. Therefore, I can only guess why we'd let him go and where we'd let him go to. West Ham seems most likely right now, but watch this space!
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Thursday 24 July 2014
Casillas to sign for Arsenal for 5 years?
The Metro is running the story today that Arsenal will sign Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas on a 5-year deal for £100k per week.
Only yesterday, we were hearing that David Ospina would be signing for £3m from Nice. So which is true? Surely not both stories.
Just to give the Metro the benefit of a doubt, I will assume there is some truth in their Casillas story just so we can look at the implications.
Apparently, Casillas wants to leave Real, rather than be 3rd choice at the Bernabeu. However, should he join Arsenal, he'll almost certainly be 2nd choice to start with and possibly 3rd choice (if Wenger does the unthinkable and sign 2 world class keepers. I say unthinkable, as he tends to sign 1-2 per decade! Sorry, AKBers!)
Casillas certainly looks like he needs a new challenge and 33 for a keeper is not that old. I can believe Wenger's a big fan of Iker and will do a deal if the price is right. Imagine how much Szczesny could learn from Casillas!
And if Szczesny did get dropped for a loss of form, he's more likely to accept being second fiddle to Casillas than he would be to Ospina, who's a similar age to the Pole.
So although Casillas's form has been 'iffy' of late, ultimately I'd prefer him to Ospina. Class is permanent (well, to the point where arthritis and ageing sets in) and form (which Ospina has shown of late) is temporary.
I rest my case: sign Casillas please Wenger!
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Only yesterday, we were hearing that David Ospina would be signing for £3m from Nice. So which is true? Surely not both stories.
Just to give the Metro the benefit of a doubt, I will assume there is some truth in their Casillas story just so we can look at the implications.
Apparently, Casillas wants to leave Real, rather than be 3rd choice at the Bernabeu. However, should he join Arsenal, he'll almost certainly be 2nd choice to start with and possibly 3rd choice (if Wenger does the unthinkable and sign 2 world class keepers. I say unthinkable, as he tends to sign 1-2 per decade! Sorry, AKBers!)
Casillas certainly looks like he needs a new challenge and 33 for a keeper is not that old. I can believe Wenger's a big fan of Iker and will do a deal if the price is right. Imagine how much Szczesny could learn from Casillas!
And if Szczesny did get dropped for a loss of form, he's more likely to accept being second fiddle to Casillas than he would be to Ospina, who's a similar age to the Pole.
So although Casillas's form has been 'iffy' of late, ultimately I'd prefer him to Ospina. Class is permanent (well, to the point where arthritis and ageing sets in) and form (which Ospina has shown of late) is temporary.
I rest my case: sign Casillas please Wenger!
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Sunday 20 July 2014
Lessons from Borehamwood v Arsenal
How much could we learn from a friendly? Well, thanks to the Twittersphere, I was reliably informed that Debuchy was still on holiday after his World Cup exertions. Doh! I should have realised that the World Cup participants would be late back for training after a much-needed rest.
Aside from that, not very much was learned, unfortunately. The game was tepid. The pace was non-existent especially in the first half.
I was hoping Sanogo would score. I thought it would boost his self-confidence. He definitely adds something to our attack, but he needs to add goals to his game. His finishing was poor, although I took solace in the fact he was getting into the right positions. However, he doesn't look fit. No surprises, maybe. But where was the motivation? Sanogo has a chance to really make it this season, but he didn't look bothered.
Lots of people don't pay attention to friendlies, but I remember thinking Fabianski was a poor signing after a shaky display against Barnet. He didn't exactly become a legend, did he?
Apart from my comments about Sanogo, there's not much to say. Ramsey was dominant and impressive, and I still feel Bellerin is the youngster most likely to make it, although Ollson may give him a run for his money.
So a 2-0 win and food for thought as we head to New York to take on Thierry Henry's Red Bulls.
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Aside from that, not very much was learned, unfortunately. The game was tepid. The pace was non-existent especially in the first half.
I was hoping Sanogo would score. I thought it would boost his self-confidence. He definitely adds something to our attack, but he needs to add goals to his game. His finishing was poor, although I took solace in the fact he was getting into the right positions. However, he doesn't look fit. No surprises, maybe. But where was the motivation? Sanogo has a chance to really make it this season, but he didn't look bothered.
Lots of people don't pay attention to friendlies, but I remember thinking Fabianski was a poor signing after a shaky display against Barnet. He didn't exactly become a legend, did he?
Apart from my comments about Sanogo, there's not much to say. Ramsey was dominant and impressive, and I still feel Bellerin is the youngster most likely to make it, although Ollson may give him a run for his money.
So a 2-0 win and food for thought as we head to New York to take on Thierry Henry's Red Bulls.
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Friday 18 July 2014
Arsenal fans can start celebrating now!
As regular readers will know, I didn't exactly jump up and down when Alexis Sanchez signed for Arsenal. The mere sight of yet another undisclosed fee, albeit a big one, does not have that effect on me. It didn't even make me break into a swift trot.
However, I feel very differently about Mathieu Debuchy. We've now bought a player I thought we should have bid for ages ago. He's delivered at Newcastle, so imagine what he's going to do for us! I think he'll be an excellent signing and may help us stop shipping goals by the bucket load (as buckets are often needed against the 'big team' to collect whatever liquid our leaky defence produces). He can also provide as much as Sagna going forward and it's no coincidence he's France's first choice at right back.
See! It is possible to please me! Somebody wrote to tell me I'm a 'professional moaner'. That may be true. But I do know value when I see it, and that's what Debuchy. Sanchez may be too, but we won't see his best until 2015-6 at the earliest. In Debuchy's case it may start from the first game of the season. And maybe, if selected, against Borehamwood tomorrow (Ed: except he's still on holiday!)!
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However, I feel very differently about Mathieu Debuchy. We've now bought a player I thought we should have bid for ages ago. He's delivered at Newcastle, so imagine what he's going to do for us! I think he'll be an excellent signing and may help us stop shipping goals by the bucket load (as buckets are often needed against the 'big team' to collect whatever liquid our leaky defence produces). He can also provide as much as Sagna going forward and it's no coincidence he's France's first choice at right back.
See! It is possible to please me! Somebody wrote to tell me I'm a 'professional moaner'. That may be true. But I do know value when I see it, and that's what Debuchy. Sanchez may be too, but we won't see his best until 2015-6 at the earliest. In Debuchy's case it may start from the first game of the season. And maybe, if selected, against Borehamwood tomorrow (Ed: except he's still on holiday!)!
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Sunday 13 July 2014
Chile con what?
We've all heard of chilli con carne. At Arsenal, we've now got chilli or at least Chile, thanks to Alexis Sanchez's arrival. My question is: where's our carne? Are we getting meat or vegetables to go with our spicy transfer market dealings?
Before I go into that, I have to say that Sanchez may turn out to be less hot than he seems in an Online-Football-Manager-transfer-speculation-kind-of-way. We'll see, once he gets on the pitch. Last season, he scored a decent number of goals in La Liga, but he'll score just over half that many in his first season in the Premiership. So I'm not expecting a lot, despite the reported £35m transfer fee. He's going to find much harder playing for Arsenal than he did playing for Barcelona, that's for sure. Of course, I'm pleased we've signed someone, but I'd rather have Cesc back. Sanchez will be a squad player, albeit one who features heavily. He'll make as much impact as Podolski at best.
Anyway, we've got our Chile. What are we going to add to it to give it flavour? My guess is David Ospina of Nice. The goalie will be cheap at the price if he arrives from Nice for £3m. That sounds like good business, if we can conclude it.
Then there's the Loic Remy saga. Not going to happen if it drags on this long.
The same goes for Mathieu Debuchy. If we can't conclude a deal soon, it makes you wonder how much we really want him? And why didn't we sign him before he went to Newcastle? He was already a top right back.
Sami Khedira and Lars Bender have also been mentioned. Why would we sign midfielders if we weren't interested in Cesc?
As usual it's more questions than answers, when it comes to Arsenal's transfer activity or inactivity. Perhaps we should wait for FFP to kick in before we make our serious moves! Sorry, I'm just not excited yet! I feel like someone in a restaurant who's ordered chilli con some top mystery ingredient that may or may not arrive. Somehow, I'm expecting the latter.
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Before I go into that, I have to say that Sanchez may turn out to be less hot than he seems in an Online-Football-Manager-transfer-speculation-kind-of-way. We'll see, once he gets on the pitch. Last season, he scored a decent number of goals in La Liga, but he'll score just over half that many in his first season in the Premiership. So I'm not expecting a lot, despite the reported £35m transfer fee. He's going to find much harder playing for Arsenal than he did playing for Barcelona, that's for sure. Of course, I'm pleased we've signed someone, but I'd rather have Cesc back. Sanchez will be a squad player, albeit one who features heavily. He'll make as much impact as Podolski at best.
Anyway, we've got our Chile. What are we going to add to it to give it flavour? My guess is David Ospina of Nice. The goalie will be cheap at the price if he arrives from Nice for £3m. That sounds like good business, if we can conclude it.
Then there's the Loic Remy saga. Not going to happen if it drags on this long.
The same goes for Mathieu Debuchy. If we can't conclude a deal soon, it makes you wonder how much we really want him? And why didn't we sign him before he went to Newcastle? He was already a top right back.
Sami Khedira and Lars Bender have also been mentioned. Why would we sign midfielders if we weren't interested in Cesc?
As usual it's more questions than answers, when it comes to Arsenal's transfer activity or inactivity. Perhaps we should wait for FFP to kick in before we make our serious moves! Sorry, I'm just not excited yet! I feel like someone in a restaurant who's ordered chilli con some top mystery ingredient that may or may not arrive. Somehow, I'm expecting the latter.
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