By our man down the pub.
So who is it going to be in January?
a) no one
b) Fernando Llorente
c) Saido Berahino
d) Karim Benzema
“No one” is the preferred option of the AAA who are desperate for Giroud to be injured and then for Arsenal to slip down the league and (they imagine) thus force Wenger out. Of course such a scenario is fanciful, and imagines that no one else can move into the centre forward spot, but it is a view.
So the centre forwards are being lined up so that if Arsenal don’t sign any of them, the old stories about Arsenal failing to sign players because of stupidity, slowness and meanness can be rolled out again.
And again.
And again.
And [that’s enough of that – Ed.]
Fernando Llorente plays for Juventus and is known as The Lion King. Juve have Carlos Tevez and that is said to be why Llorente is not getting games, which is upsetting him.
But he’s only recently come from Athletic Blbao, and if Giroud keeps up his form, and with all those creative midfielders behind him, who is to say that Llorente would get more time at Arsenal? Perhaps it is not the right career move after all.
Saido Berahino from Berundi is a striker with
West Bromwich Kicker-jack. What makes this signing unlikely is the little bit in the reports that say that the player was added to the Arsenal possible list after he played against the kiddies in the league cup.
Arsenal don’t do transfers because of the odd good game against them, so that story doesn’t ring true.
OK he scored three against the mighty Newport County and the winner against Manchester U, and he has been offered a new contract but has not signed yet. Apparently it ups his salary from the current £44,200 a year.
Which takes us on to…
Karim Benzema from Real Mad who are said (by a journo I met down the pub) to be offering him at a discount as they are certain to buy the awfully nice Luis Suarez.
The Evening Standard, whose knowledge of Arsenal seems to be in serious decline of late, are saying that Arsenal made a bid for Benzema in the summer, but that his price has now dropped by about 50%.
Really?
I mean really?
I mean [I’m warning you – Ed]
So what is going on at Real Mad? Are they aware that maybe Bale wasn’t worth £80m after all? Have the banks told them there is no more cash available (not just to them, but to anyone in the whole country)?
Or could it be that those pesky neighbours at Atletico Madrid are actually above them in the league.
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#
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Team
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Played |
W
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D
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L
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F
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A
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Pts
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|
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1
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Barcelona
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8
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8
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0
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0
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28
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6
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24
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|
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2
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Atlético Madrid
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8
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8
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0
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0
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21
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6
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24
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3
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Real Madrid
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8
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6
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1
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1
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17
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9
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19
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4
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Villarreal
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8
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5
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2
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1
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15
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7
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17
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Or could it be another twist in the strange story that saw us apparently (or not) bid for Higuain only to see the price go up by 50% as that Mr Benetiz got him at Napoli?
Now the word in the gutter (sorry “on the street”) is that “Suarez is still adamant on quitting” (honest, I read that in a newspaper). And anyway even if he doesn’t Real Mad will have a bash at getting Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.
One of the interesting things about all the articles on players like this is that they all include the magic phrase, “Arsene Wenger is a long term admirer of…” Along with the phrase that “Suarez has told friends that he still wants to quit Anfield.”
So what now?
I mean, what now?
What [OK that’s it. Ed]
And don’t forget all the players who have snubbed us! Valdes being the latest one…
I wouldn’t be surprised if we get Lewandowski.
And last week we were liked to Pogba, and now he is likely to sign an extention at Juve
Says it all really! Think the Standard have nothing to write about us any more now we are doing ok. All these stories about Suarez – Liverpool would be insane to sell him in Jan…unless he does something else silly and gets an 18 match ban.
As for us, noticed a 24 year old who did ok in the cup against West Brom, and certainly for Denmark lately, he should be pretty motivated…could yet prove useful…
Anyone seen Fabian Schar play? Anyone know anything about him?
Also Martin Hinteregger? A left footed centre back.
I think Diego costa will be a big money move soon, but to who is anyone’s guess.
an interesting interview with Wenger on the official site, nothing too new, but always like theway he explains things
http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/-ozil-knew-i-wanted-him-for-a-long-time-
Anyone heard from the tea lady lately?
@ Stuart
I want Lewandowski too.
Seriously, looks like BM is reconsidering and Lewandowski and his camp is making noises about PL. If AW considers him to fit to Arsenal, we will get him. I have always thought Lewandowski would compliment Arsenal.
Let us put our faith in AW that he is interested in him.
@Mandy Dodd
I bet a lot of people miss the statement that he will not buy a player solely for marketing reasons.
It was a nice article, and quite a bit longer than I was expecting. But it is described as a “big interview”. Honesty in advertising, who would have thunk?
I mean, who would have thunk?
Really, I mean [Ed. enough of this kind of drivel!]
🙂
A well known actor once invited his Mother to a performance of a play in which he was the star. She was accompanied by her maid, Jessie.
He made sure they were seated in the front row of the stalls.
After the performance, enjoying champagne in his dressing room, he asked his Mother for her views on the play.
After a long pause she said “Well dear, Jessie thought the orchestra pit brass rail was very highly polished”.
I feel sorry for any player that really (yes, really) wants to come to Arsenal and who the press, blogs and pundits have already linked with Arsenal because, as soon that happens, the odds become about 1 in 100 that that player will end up at Arsenal. call it Wenger’s aversion to being linked with any player by the press or public – it just makes him angry that his secretiveness have been breached and ensures that he burrows deeper for that player in Australia’s outback having a kick about with kangaroos – unknown. undervalued and full of magic on both feet. Yet, most of us are hooked on checking out the names nonetheless. It must be an addiction of sorts.
AAA = Ar*eholes, Ars*holes, Arse*oles…..Sorry Ed!!!!
By the way, where are the Adam Kemps, Danny Griffiths, Snakeoil, Shit Robson etc???
Probably trying to work out how their team lost 3-0 to WHU after spending £100,000,000 on new players.
Arsene was, is and always will be our genius manager.
Yes Gord, an interesting comment, and maybe in some ways a strange comment from a very measured man. wonder if it was aimed at anyone, or am I being too conspiratorial. I think wenger works close and generally gets on with the board but I wonder if he felt under a bit more pressure than usual this summer? Maybe the most gentle of rebukes at people he praises and clearly rates in this article? People who, like wenger had the clubs interests at heart but maybe statements of money and implicit pressure to spend was not quite wengers style. Was he under pressure to bid for someone who was not we quite his cup of tea? Who knows, ultimately who cares, all came good in the end! But the Suarez thing will always intrigue me!
You know what annoys me about the big talking spurs fans, pundits and AAA? The fact that when they spent 100m on a ‘much better squad than ours’ and rubbed our noses in it. Whatever lets just wait till season over in any case.
Anyway they get beaten 3-0 at home and the excuses roll out that they travelled 2000 miles blah blah isn’t that the point of having their ‘superior squad’?
Anyway shit happens long live Arsenal and Wenger!!!
COYG
Aaa, spurs fans, pundits…..sometimes have a real hard time putting a difference between that lot
Gord,
That comment must mean something and reading between the lines, it would lead you to think there is the suggestion. I think it happened already )Park) anyway.
Wenger does have a history of comments like this. Shortly before we sold Cesc and Nasri, Wenger said publicly “if we sell our best players, no one will take us seriously”. Many of the numb-nuts are incapable of scratching the surface on this one and criticised Wenger for being misleading when all along it is (and was to me and many) clear this was a public criticism without names being mentioned.
Yes Stuart, forgive my slowness here….Park….now you say it, makes sense. I was wondering if it was aimed at a bid for Suarez. But think we all agree it was aimed at someone! See the answer to the question on the interview “how was the summer transfer window as a whole.” Then he talks about who he works with….again with the suggestion of a mild rebuke……or a condition for signing a new contract…..or am I getting too dan brown here?
Perhaps getting a little too Dan Brown, Mandy, but who knows? Wenger’s remarks are often subtle and nuanced. I was puzzled by the Park affair at the time, but it makes more sense in the light of that remark.
I think we were all puzzled about the park signing. Shame really, whatever was behind it, he made a fair bit but it has completely stalled his career. Then there was the military service thing. Does not have the mark of a wenger signing. I can only go on gut feelings, but I believe there have been a few differences between wenger and the board on both sifpgnings and departures in recent years, but the situation looks a lot healthier now, maybe a shot across the bows from wenger, saying don’t try that again,
You people analyze signings more than I do. But my feeling about the Park signing, is that he didn’t want to do the military service, and someone he knew was owed a favour by someone, and so he got signed. I don’t see the marketing angle there.
Is Park a member of any organizations that are anti war? Greenpeace?
I guess Martinez has been loaned out for a month. I only seen one news headline. Owls? Is that Sheffield?
Someone mentioned the tea lady …..
Aboard a flight from L.A. to New York, Grandma Esther was taking her very first flight.
They had only been aloft a few minutes when the elderly lady complained to the stewardess that her ears were popping.
The girl smiled and gave the older woman some chewing gum, assuring her that many people experienced the same discomfort.
When they landed in New York, Grandma thanked the stewardess.
“The chewing gum worked fine,” she said, “but tell me, how do I get it out of my ears?”
Of growing old …but being young at heart ….
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: ‘And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?’ the reporter asked.
She simply replied, ‘No peer pressure.’
I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
so I got my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.
It’s scary when you start making the same noises
as your coffee maker .
THE SENILITY PRAYER:
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
the eyesight to tell the difference.
And just in case Tony , Walter ,or any of you upstart young whippersnappers asks what this post has to do with the fine article above ,….
My memory’s not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory’s not as sharp as it used to be.
Mandy,
This more recent comment I would believe to be about a more recent possible signing. I imagine it has been discussed at Board level and then with Wenger. The latter being opposed to it.
Gord,
. . . my feeling about the Park signing, is that he didn’t want to do the military service, and someone he knew was owed a favour by someone, and so he got signed. I don’t see the marketing angle there.
The marketing angle is that there is a large following for Arsenal in the Far East, and thus someone thought that having some players from there might increase that following and hence be good from a marketing point of view. Unhappily for the player, he appears not to be Arsenal material.
Back then, when RVP scored most of the goals we all thought he was going to get injured, did we?
Giroud is unlikely to get RVP’s goal number in that year but beating Suarez’s of last year is entirely possible although a bit difficult.
Then there’s Poldi, Walcott. Wait Ramsey starts scoring and now there’s Ozil who scores once a while together with Santi.
Once a while, one of the back four also score a goal and we can certainly count on them to score at least 6 goals as a combined unit (if not 8.. may be 10?).
Just by Giroud scoring 20+ goals a seasona and Ramsey scoring like 10 goals in a season will see a very significant jump in goals scored.
I support buying but only need to buy at the right price. The need is not desparate.