By Tony Attwood
This is a very strange pre-season. A very un-Arsenal pre-season.
We have on occasion been off the mark so fast we sign players before the transfer window opens. Remember Carl Jenkinson (8 June) Aaron Ramsey (13 June), Overmars, Petit and Grimandi (all 17 June) Gio van Bronckhorst (19 June) Vermaelen (19 June), Bergkamp (20 June), Hleb (27 June).
Sometimes it all seems to be a rush on the last day of the transfer window (Ozil is of course the perfect example, along with Mertersacker, Arteta, Gallas)
This year it’s different. We are saying “no” to re-signing players in June. First it was Cesc Fabregas, and now it is Carlos Vela.
Vela, you will recall, joined Sociedad on loan in 2011 and then did a permanent deal with them in 2012, but as with Cesc, there were clauses in the contract which allowed Arsenal to get him back and/or make a further profit.
(Interestingly some of these profits are beginning to sound rather tasty, although the clubs having to pay them out are going to great lengths to deny that such clauses exist. You might remember the money we made each time David Bentley was sold and then sold again – a brilliant move. Chelsea have put out stories suggesting they avoided paying Arsenal by cutting the buying price, but the general feeling is Arsenal got about £6m out of the sale from Barce to Chelsea.)
Anyway, Arsenal have now agreed a deal with the Real Sociedad which allows them to keep Val for 15million euros. Realsociedad’s web site says, “Real Sociedad have reached an agreement with Arsenal for Carlos Vela to continue at the txuri urdin club.
“Real Sociedad have also reached an agreement with Carlos Vela to renew his contract for the next four seasons.” They also suggest he has signed his bit of the deal.
So what are Arsenal up to?
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Well, presumably they know exactly who they are going for and exactly what the shape of the team will be next season. Doing deals with World Cup players is not impossible but restricted to specific cases. Vela, of course, famously has not played for Mexico since he was dropped for being naughty.
Fabregas was such a known player, and so much not part of Barcelona’s DNA that there was no point in waiting to see what sort of a World Cup he would have. In fact he played 12 minutes of the first two Spain matches and then Del Bosque was so unimpressed with his attitude in training and the low intensity he was operating at. the man that was Cesc was ordered from the training session.
As for new comers the media is getting very worked up about Mario from Italy, but I’m not sure. If Mr Wenger believes as much in Sanogo as he seems to, and we have Campbell as well as Giroud, why buy another top centre forward? If he did, Giroud would probably want to leave after such a kick in the teeth, and the new comer would take the usual year or two to adjust, so we never get the prime benefit of Giroud.
Vela was interesting because of Wenger’s comment about him being a new Eduardo, and would presumably have been willing to fit in both on the wing and in the centre – and would not have expected to be the number 9 in every game.
So it is still the full back and central midfielder if Vermaelen leaves that look like the prime contenders to me. But who? I haven’t a clue.
But then, you already knew that.
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal
Does it make sense that the lack of June signings in down to the new Puma deal, which kicks in on July 1st. I don’t think Puma would be very pleased to see a new player unveiled on June 30th wearing the old Nike shirt!
@mjc – that makes a great deal of sense. It would contravene our current contract with Nike to ‘announce’ earlier and would be the perfect start to the Puma deal. When deals are done and when they are announced are, very often, not the same anyway. But this change makes it inevitable.
If Arsenal would move up in the reckoning for trophies this coming season, we do need to sign a top centre forward. Wenger did say that he needed to sign three players apart from the replacements. I would think that a centre forward, a defensive midfielder and a wide player would be the ideal positions to fill.
A bit silly to suggest that we should not bring in another WC striker because of Sanogo and Campbell. Balotelli has played in the premiership before and would presumably adapt quickly. Campbell, meanwhile, has not played a minute of football in the premiership.
Excellent point mjc! I watched Balotelli in the Italy/ Uruguay game and it became immediately apparent that he would be a real problem for AFC. The reason is very simple…he is hotheaded and very physical, loves to take revenge and is moody. That is what the Uruguayans already knew and so they clearly fouled him on a rotational basis so that he would get a caution or get ejected (the former happened). Imagine if a team of such calibre as Italy resort to such tactics, what Stoke or Newcastle would do to Mario in an Arsenal shirt. He would be lucky to finish any game, as the referees would ignore fouls against him and as soon as he looked cross-eyed at an opponent he would get cautioned or sent off. Wenger knows this and would probably order Flamini or Kos, or better still Per to protect MB. Wenger can control him but once he’s on the field he is a moving target for the hackers and butchers that fill up too many of the ranks of the other EPL teams.
AS….it is a good point about Balotellis experience in the EPL and that Campbell is unused to such intense Football but he got alot of stick from the opponents in the WC, was refused a clear cut penalty, was rotationally fouled in one game so he’s seen a taste of what the EPL would be like….yet he’s played very well in every game so since he’s only 21, he’ll adapt very quickly imho whereas Balotelli will be a moving target. That said, why not get both of them?
omgarsenal
Exactly. He would be a disaster.
If it is not one thing with some gooners it’s another! So you do not want us to buy a striker? I’m pretty sure that’s what the article said? You would rather we stick with giroud and sanogo, whilst replacing bender with Campbell? That is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard. We lambast wenger for not getting a striker in last season, as he stuck with sanogo who in turn didn’t really do anything for us, and when we might be getting one you say it will hurt girouds development? Dear me…
Mojo if that is the stupidest thing you have heard you have lived a very sanitised life.
Shame you didn’t examine the argument about Giroud’s performance in the first two years at the club, compared with Henry’s first two years for example. All the data is on Untold. Shame you didn’t examine the argument about how long it takes for a player to settle down. And indeed shame you didn’t consider the ethos of Untold.
I am sure this Ballotelli stuff is either made up media stuff, or a smokescreen for our true target, which I am convinced will be a utility wide forward. And someone who will really click with ozil….not to mention the others.
Or maybe wenger will not sign anyone…..just to annoy the AAA!
There was a transfer rumour on a Malaysian radio channel ,that Arsenal are keen on signing
Branislav Ivanović but Chelsea are willing to sell. Probably lifted from here –
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2665934/TRANSFER-COLUMN-Arsenal-interested-Branislav-Ivanovic-West-Ham-want-Algeria-star-Islam-Slimani-more.html
Surprised nobody is talking up the following scenario:
1) arsenal buys benzema. Link up play with giroud looks quite tasty.
2) real use proceeds to help buy Suarez.
Strengthens Arsenal. Weakens a direct rival.
But then maybe today’s events will squash real’s interest.
as,
Spot on.
well, We have a good striker in Giroud, a gem of a backup in Campbell, and a raw Sanogo. And lets not forget the group of academy youngsters Akpom, Iwobi and Lipman. There is enough cover for the striking position.
Wellington, what happened to him??….
@Mandy D,
You are psychic. I read today, direct from Arsene apparently, that all the news associating Balotelli with Arsenal has no credence whatsoever.
Now think back over the past 10 days and ponder how many thousand words have been written on this and other sites about Balotelli joining Arsenal.
All figments of imagination.
We should all await official news from the Emirates about new signings.
Then I return to my first paragraph……could all that be wrong and a smokescreen and Balotelli IS to be our new signing??
(Groans and retires back to bed with headache….) 😉
Defo do NOT want Balotelli for reasons above – although would be nice to bring in someone significantly better than that. I quite the look of Griezeman for example. Aurier also looks a decent bet for right back.
These narrow sighted idiots. They complain about English media picks players for World Cup but comes in here telling Wenger who to buy and how to play…
“We have a good striker in Giroud, a gem of a backup in Campbell, and a raw Sanogo…There is enough cover for the striking position. ”
Arsenal 13,
It may gratify you to believe this, but this is not a prescription or attitude sufficient for winning the league, if you’d fancy that outcome.
seems a lot of chatter about Sanchez…which means we will bid for Bony or Remy….
Something is changing at Arsenal, again Arsenal is about to take a new step on it’s journey, it’s journey to be THE football club.
Let us watch the speculations with humour, interest, a little hope maybe or even pure disbelief, only to be surprised at the players joining Arsenal, as the above mentioned emotions may well also play a part in the reaction to them.
I think Arsenal is going to be on fire next season.
Looks like we could well be getting a cut price Suarez, maybe his recent actions were all part of an agenda to pay Liverpools CEO back for telling fibs ……and ensure a move to where he really wants to be…..on the condition he promises not to do it again and to ensure he keeps his promise, agrees to have his teeth extracted of course.
Arsenal do not have a world class striker – at least that is what I thought until the world cup got going. I have since seen Campbell and Giroud outperform ‘world class’ strikers like Rooney, Cavani, Higuain, etc. Then again the reason I love this world cup so far is that team work is winning the day and egotistical, tattooed, selfish ‘stars’ are taking their teams down.
Once the PL starts I can’t help thinking we still need a world class striker.
I still want a top striker but too bad not many are available. If the team is just going out to buy someone who isn’t very effective or more or less like Giroud’s leve, I’d rather have them save the money.
If they the price Loric Remy is really as low as 8-10 million, may be it is ok to buy him as back up depending on the $$$ left.
Sanago shouldnn’t really be included as an option in the line-up. He is just a stop gap just in case (although I really like his performance in the FA final). Having just Giroud and Joel is not enough.
But then there is Walcott as no.3 option just in case. If someone can take over the right flank.
Instead of buying a sriker, the front needs more strength but in the form of left winger instead. There are better use for Santi and he works well with Monreal but not Gibbs. Poldi, can’t be the main man there as he can go invisible.
If they put someone to the left from, Santi can be freed. There will be enough ppl to cover the right front in case Walcott is needed in the middle.
Also, playing another striker was very effective in the FA final. Wenger has a plan B with him planing two strikers afterall. Will it be 442 or 352? We’ll see but either of them means he can play one more striker.
Still my order of player purchase goes like this. 1) RB (Jenkinson is good enough or not, they need a cover.) 2) DM (yes Arteta is getting old and can’t last the whole season) 3) CB if TV5 leaves but I don’t think Wenger will let him go easily and the player sounds fustrated that he can’t defeat the other two) 4) left wing 5) striker.
If they got either a DM or a winger, then really no need for the middle as the team have used mid fielder on the wings for a long time.
One thing we must keep in mind. Wenger DOES NOT like big changes to his team. He won’t play 4 or 5 new players in a game at the same time. He knows even if he buys 5, some will sit on the bench. As a result, he will look for bargain buys if he won’t use a new man in certain position.