By Tony Attwood
I’ve been so excited by reading the league table I’ve almost forgotten that the transfer window opens in four weeks.
But that ignorance has been shattered by the “news” (I use the word lightly) that we are going to get Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata on a six month loan deal.
Of course last summer showed us all that the twists and turns of club negotiation and plotting have now reached such heights that they are way beyond the wit of any journalist to follow, so these rumours are as always the wild ramblings of reporters desperate to fill a column inch or three without actually leaving the pub.
Just taking this from the Daily Star shows what I mean…
“Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is desperate to add to his forward line in the upcoming transfer window having been heavily reliant on Olivier Giroud during the first three months of the season.”
Desperate? Have you ever known our boss to be “desperate”? Especially when he now has Theo back as a possible back up, and Podolski back in training. Irrespective of what you might think of either player as a centre forward, just consider either as a centre forward with Ozil and Cazorla behind him. Arry the Red’s dog could score playing in front of those two.
The other “fact” being thrown in is that Nicklas Bendtner will go somewhere in the new year. Bendtner quoted Real Madrid as a possible location, so maybe there is a swop arrangement on the cards, but that really doesn’t quite ring true.
Here’s another idea: Morata wants to play for Spain so needs more activity than he is getting with Real Mad. Maybe – although whether he will get it at Arsenal is surely dependent on Giroud’s fitness. We could play him in the FA Cup though.
As for Real Mad, Bale is apparently a hit, scoring lots of goals, as he should at that price, and Karim Benzema is doing ok too.
The story has come from a Spanish radio station Onda Cero. But we know what they are like. Remember the “Cesc flies in this morning” stories? In the end there was a transfer – but not on the days that Cesc was spotted at the airport by inebriated radio hacks.
Tottenham H were said to be interested in Morata too while negotiating over Bale, but Real were said to have turned it down. Maybe Morata took a look at Tottenham and said “no thanks”.
Clearly the door that opened to allow Mesut Ozil come to the Ems allows Arsenal to pick up the phone and try again. Arsenal and Real Mad have not always been on the best of terms, as when they bought Nik Anelka from us for £22.5m and there was a long term failure to pay the bill, and Arsenal had to get a bit edgy about it, but all that was sorted and things are now better. The clubs did later do a swap deal for 2006/7 with Jose Antonio Reyes and Julio Baptista swapping places, but I am not sure either side thought they got much out of that one.
Morata scored his first Real Mad goal in November last year as a sub. His first start was on 17 February this year and he scored in three minutes before being substituted on the half hour. In March he played against Barcelona and provided an assist. But he’s only played 24 games for the club, and scored four goals.
So maybe this is it. But then I thought that about Higuain, and it took days of digging to work out the convoluted trail of transfers involving Napoli, Real Mad and Arsenal to see what really happened. And that was after the event. Trying to unravel this before the event is impossible.
In short, he could come here, but I haven’t got a clue.
I agree totally that we should not really rely on some Spanish report.
However, it does make sense for MORATA to come and play for us. He has a chance to play more than he plays for Real, or at least potentialy if Giroud is injured/needs a rest. He does need to get playing time for the World Cup, and Real are traditionally a club that sends a lot of players to the spanish national team.
I have seen him play this summer in the under 21s in Israel in 3 different matches and he was brilliant, so in a way it would be nice to have him as a sub / backup if someone gets inujured or needs a rest [I think that Theo will be playing in the starting lineup soon and not as a replacement for Giroud].
Wenger said it’s not true today
Oh well, Arsene just commented that it is baseless.
Yes, Wenger said no, mind you, he said the same thing about Arteta the weekend before he signed him.
He also discounted the Pato rumours, maybe just as well… doesnt Pato that mean Duck in the players language? If players really have to have nicknames based on animals/birds, much prefer players with names like “Ox” …just sounds better
It is a little known fact that the adjective “gullible” does not in fact appear in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Relax folks. By the 31st of January I guarantee we will know if Morata will be with us for the rest of the season.
Trust me….I’m a doctor.
Mandy Dodd
Very good point Mandy.
Mr Wenger is one of the most difficult managers to read when it comes to transfer dealings partly because he is old school and he rarely divulges this kind of information whether it be before or after but also because he has his own player valuation and almost never pays above that ,bar special cases like Ozill or perhaps Suarez .
This could be a very special year for Arsenal domestically and in CL and I’m sure Mr Wenger recognizes it us such so I think he will try to strengthen in January.
Thank goodness I didn’t go in for a complete “yes I have inside information he is signing for us” prediction like the Star. And the Independent.
And the Express – they said it had already happened, today.
Tony,
I guess you still have the ‘scar’ from the Higuain saga 🙂
My position on transfers, where Arsenal is concerned, is cast in stone: I only believe it when it has been officially announced by the club. I never suggest or nominate players so I never get disappointed if a player that I have been fixated on never get signed. This stand keeps my blood pressure low and makes life a little easier. Trying to do other people’s job or second guessing them while they are at it can be a stressful venture.
Quote from Tom:
“This could be a very special year for Arsenal domestically and in CL and I’m sure Mr Wenger recognizes it us such so I think he will try to strengthen in January.”
//
Yes i agree, and this is probably how AW will do it, with a loan deal or two if possible in January, i just cannot see him buying in Jan, plus anyone we would really want to buy would be cup tied, so he will stack up the team just in case of any injury setbacks.
Mandy…..his real name is Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva but he got the nickname Pato from his place of birth ¨Pato branco¨ in Brazil,which does mean duck in Spanish and Portuguese. Currently he is going through a rough spell with Corinthians but I rate hims highly because he is only 24 and not yet at his acme in terms of a striker’s career.
He fits a lot of the requirements Arsenal and AW like:
1)still young,like the Great Dane but a better player,
2)very skilled and technical,
3)career has stalled,and desperately needs a kick-start,
4)proven pedigree in Europe,and the CL
5)injury prone but is strong,
6)not expensive (10-14M?),
7)ego is bruised and he is vulnerable,needs to play for winners like us,
8)fans could scapegoat him if he didn’t score 100 goals immediately,so Ozil would be forgotten….!
9)would be ready to start on the bench in a WC year,
10)needs Arsenal’s discipline and teamwork mentality,
11)Wenger speaks Portuguese and Italian like Pato,
12)needs a father figure,who else but Arsene?
Since Wenger has publicly denied any interest then we can suspect that there are things going on behind the scenes for January since Wenger rarely comments, either positively or negatively on transfers he has no real interest in. Don’t be surprised if this deal gets done.
I could not have said it better Bootoomee. I only believe transfer info from Arsenal.com…Arsene mentioned Sanogo convincingly to answer the January transfer question. You know Wenger does not mention a player’s name for nothing. If we don’t have new injury worries by January, I strongly feels Arsene won’t buy anyone. (I can live with that)
However, should Wenger give the slightest hint of interest in Morata, clubs with starched petrol money would start poking their stinking eyes and noses…I hate them.
It is a nice thing to have him but not something Arsenal need.
In fact, there is really no need for a striker at the <25M range (real value, not inflatted price, mind you).
I always toy of the idea that in case the worst case happens the team would line up in 4-6-0 and still win by two goals.
Arteta – Ramsey – Rosicky – Ozil – Wilshere – Cazorla.
What a sight and I put Flamini on the bench as a more defensive option later.
If they do not run into each other, they would be almost impossible to play against.
‘Tis the season to be jolly ?
Onions and Christmas Trees
A family is at the dinner table. The son asks his father, “Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?”
The father, surprised, answers, “Well, son, there are three kinds of boobs. In her 20s, a woman’s are like melons, round and firm. In her 30s, 40s and 50’s they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After 60, they are like onions.”
“Onions?”
“Yes, you see them and they make you cry.”
This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter said, “Mum, how many kinds of “willies” are there?”
The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, “Well, dear, a man goes through three phases. In his 20’s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his 30s, 40s and 50’s it is like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 60s, it is like a Christmas tree.”
“A Christmas tree?”
“Yes. The tree is dead, and the balls are just for decoration.”
A loan deal?? I dont think so. January sinings “if any” will be for the future. I think Mr Wenger will have a good look at Poldi and Theo as lone strikers and then make a decision in summer. BUT summer brings new headaches, Akpom, Gnabry, Sanogo, will all be looked at…. I dont think we’ll buy a striker.
BUT then I dint expect us to sign Suarez and Higuain (which we didnt thankfully). I also didnt expect us to sign Ozil (which we did, Thankfully)…..
Thanks for the info OMG, you make a very good case for Pato. I do remember him being a very talented player, but have heard little of him for a while, guess wenger can be pretty good at resurrecting talented players….