Predictions
By Mashwar
Well, for the last six months I have been reading all about predictions on who is coming in at Arsenal and who is going out and what do we require most as if all the writers of these sizzling articles are phenomenal mind readers and can read all Arsene Wenger thoughts (may be even the ones which Arsene Wenger does even know about).
Now let us see what are the predictions on Arsenal with in the last 4 months (I am only considering the ones which are somewhat realistic). Well most of them relating us to a striker and to a defensive midfielder even after watching the display put on by most of our own players still continuously people are linking us with players who are not very eager to move and even if they do move shall cost extremely high, so what I understand of Arsenal’s criteria of buying players here are my analysis:
- Edison Cavani: a complete NO for the price tag he carries right now. Yes Arsenal will buy for a more suitable price in the region of 25 – 30 million, but as off now I have little hope of this person coming in Arsenal.
- Reason: He is overpriced, he has not played in tough leagues, he is good at hold up play (just like Giroud) and much is not to talk about his pace.
- Karim Benzema: there were chances at one stage but now no way he is coming to Arsenal, with the price tag he carries and with his reputation he can only make it to Arsenal with a price tag of around 20 – 25 million.
- Reason: He has what is needed by Arsenal but Real was not willing to let him go unless they has sufficient cover and such cover for Benzema was not available. I believe Arsene would have tried his level to get him to Arsenal but obviously the counter party was not interested. Now even if the counter party is willing Arsene would be wise to cut the price tag by a decent amount before buying
- William Carvalho: This guy is a good talent, can fit in at Arsenal upon departure of Falamini or Arteta, but not with the price tag mentioned, we might go as high as 25 million but I doubt it if more than that is offered as we already have on great defensive midfielder and some youngsters coming up quickly.
- Reason: a proven talent can cost me that much, a person who is still in the making should not be priced so high, Arsene Wenger does not like to gamble on players with such high price tags.
So, the Arsenal Fans must understand that there is going to be trading and quite a lot of it this season but remember that it not going to be insane like Chelsea or Man United. The Arsenal philosophy is to develop their own talent and we are doing so, people will tell you that we do not get much out of the academy but remember a single great talent out of the academy shall save millions and plus give you a loyal player for years.
We are definitely going to strengthen, especially in areas like defense more specifically a left back who will be quite young may be even a teenager or some on just entering the twenties and a good central defender (maybe) in case Arsene does not see Hayden / Chambers coming forward which I doubt as Calum Chambers has been tagged for making it big.
A good defensive midfielder is on the cards definitely but not at an audacious price, unless you see someone leaps and bounds above Coquelin, where Flamini is a good cover and if Arteta leaves then only we shall look for a reasonable cover.
What we shall definitely be looking for is a good midfielder to provide cover, as Santi is aging now and Rosicky seems to have faded into the medical room so we shall do some buying to provide adequate cover in the middle of the park but not much as I believe that Arsene has his trust on some youngsters especially Toral, Zelalem, Crowley or Iwobi.
The departure of Debuchy news can be quite realistic as being a player in thirties and having talent as of Debuchy who is now completely overshadowed by Bellerin. Putting myself in his shoes I would say, anyone would want to leave and explore his opportunity; particularly in a club where playing time is more on offer. I think Jenkinson will be coming back as he is a great talent as well and has huge passion for football plus Arsenal.
The buying pattern will somewhat be similar to our buying like of Gabriel as we got him at a decent price where he is a talent who can provide great return for the price we paid for him. Yes I will also not rule out the fact of 50 million plus buying but only for someone who can fit that bill, like Aguero or Hazard or Lewandowski. Obviously we have cash to spend but that does not mean we will spend it here and there without any rational, on any given player who seems great talent.
So let us not think of ourselves as a low down club but a club which is prospering on its own without external funding and is a top flight club in the world. We have two good trophies two year in a row and more to come with a lot of prospect in the bag along with some shining talent spreading the ray of hope to everyone. Arsenal Fans let’s think like champions and behave like champion club supporters where we are only competing for top talent, for top places and trophies; nothing less shall suffice us.
Happy days are now on, let’s all smile and watch the rise of SUN, an inevitable fact.
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Anniversaries
- 23 November 2011: Arsenal qualified for the Champions League knock out stages with a 2-1 win against Borrusia Dortmund. Van Persie got both goals.
- 23 November 1994: Ian Wright scored against Leicester making it 12 games in a row in which he has scored. Unfortunately Arsenal only won four of those 12, and neither of the next two, ending the season in 12th.
In the immediate future, I feel that Arsenal should re-consider its stance on the search for new signings. A more serious leaning towards the asking price, rather than firmly entrenched at its own valuation is needed.
That is not to say of course that “oil money” should be paid regardless.
But I feel we cannot afford to take a high ground moral position to the detriment of our current needs.
The Club’s youth policy will, I’m sure, pay dividends but at the moment few of our youngsters are so good that they cannot be denied a place in the first XI.
If we do have to pay over the odds in order to sign players we want, then let us grasp the nettle and accept the present inflationary trend as a necessary evil in order to satisfy our needs. 😉
The rise of the SUN, inevitable, yet they try to block it’s rays both literally (chem trails) and in the case of our Arsenal Sun with intrigue and false decisions.
Argh 🙁
Mashwar, thank you for your thoughts on the world of arsenal rumours. I think you are right, based on past experience, that Arsene will not go mad, price wise, in trying to acquire new players in January. Perhaps however the injury difficulties we currently have may force his hand. If Arsene really did judge he had adequate cover for le Coq in Arteta and Flamini, I fear we are about to find out if that is true. The evidence so far has not been encouraging. Arteta, in particular, only has to run on the pitch and immediately finds himself picking up another injury. Not getting a another striker in the summer was a disappointment but , to the point you make in your piece above, the strikers who were potentially available were probably not worth the money for the difference they’d make. (None of them are Vardy!!) But not getting someone to cover for or compete with le Coq, having seen the difference he made last season; to me that was a poor decision. Le Coq getting injured, tired or just losing momemtum was as predictable as the Sun going down and up and up and down. Especially as Wenger doesn’t play strong physical types in his team. Le Coq has to compensate for the lack of combativeness and physical presence in the rest of the team and that will probably take its toll. These are old arguments that we are all familiar with but the physical intensity, the fitness levels and the athleticism with which Tottenham and Liverpool now play will only add to the overall physical pressure that is exerted on teams in the league. And if your squad is vulnerable to strains, pulls and tears because the players are not physically equipped or sufficiently trained to cope, you get found out. You are right Masher, Arsenal is not a “low-down” club but I wish the club itself had greater sense of needing to attain or set the standards of a genuinely “high-up” club.
I don’t think Arsenal need to reinforce their mid-field with new additions in the January transfer window. Because Arsenal have many senior mids who are expected to return to action in January or before then like: Ramsey, Oxlade, Arteta, Wilshere, Coquellan and Rosicky. Cazorla, Flamini are available for DM&ADM action at the moment, while Campbell is available for mid-wing action as well. And just as it has been noted, Iwobi and Adelaide are sitting on the fence waiting to be told to jump down into the senior team.
If Sagna 32, can still be playing at the top level for club and country, I see no reason why Debuchy 29, cannot play for Arsenal and France. Debuchy issue is in the hands of the Boss. Debuchy has started playing well for Arsenal as he has recovered from his injury. And I thought the Boss will start him for West Brom. But the Boss jettison him for just recovered from injury Bellerin for a difficult away game in which Bellerin defending was not top. The own goal conceded by Arteta was from Bellerin right side. What is Bellerin marking? I believe if Debuchy was started by the Boss for that game, that own goal would not be conceded. Any just returned from injury Gunners should first be played in a home game before starting him in a difficult away game if it can be helped.
I want the Boss to continue to starts Gibbs at left wing while he starts Sanchez at right wing and Ozil in their mist for Zagreb and Norwich games to make it 3 starts in 3 games after 1st experimenting with the trio in the Spurs game. Let the Boss not start to abandon the experiment so soon without allowing the experiment to matured for him to know if there are gains in it. At least, we’ve seen one positive in it already in the Spurs game at the Emirates. Was the Boss not patient with these trio to yield results at the Hawthorns, as he brought on Campbell to replaced Gibbs at left wing? Is Campbell a mid left winger or a mid right winger? Is the Boss trying to convert him to a mid left winger? And should Flamini have been brought on to replace the injured Coquellan instead of Arteta who should first play in a home game before been used at away as he has just returned from layoff? The Boss is the manager. Who am I to questioned his decision making.
Do we need a top quality left back and a top quality striker covers in January window? My personal answer is YES! But not any of those expensive players at the market. The Boss should not spend more than £20-25m to get those two if he wants to get any. But if there are any young Gunners in the youth team that can adequately fill the gap, let the Boss upgrade them to the senior team in the earliest possible time the better for them to start showing their game strengths. Any hope to see Aleksandr Kokorin in Arsenal colour in January? Only the Boss can answer that question.
I don’t think Arsenal need to reinforce their mid-field with new additions in the January transfer window. Because Arsenal have many senior mids who are expected to return to action in January or before then like: Ramsey, Oxlade, Arteta, Wilshere, Coquellan and Rosicky. Cazorla and Flamini are available for the DM&ADM action at the moment, while Campbell is available for mid-wing action as well. And just as it has been noted, Iwobi and Adelaide are sitting on the fence waiting to be told to jump down into the senior team.
If Sagna 32, can still be playing at the top level for club and country, I see no reason why Debuchy 29, cannot play for Arsenal and France. Debuchy issue is in the hand of the Boss. Debuchy has started playing well for Arsenal as he has recovered from his injury. And I thought the Boss will start him for West Brom. But the Boss jettison him for the just recovered from injury Bellerin for a difficult away game in which Bellerin defending was not top. The own goal conceded by Arteta was from Bellerin right side. What is Bellerin marking? I believe if Debuchy was started by the Boss for that game, that own goal would not be conceded. Any just returned from injury Gunners should first be played in a home game before starting them in a difficult away game if it can be helped.
I want the Boss to continue to start Gibbs at left wing while he starts Sanchez at right wing and Ozil in their mist for the Zagreb and Norwich games to make it 3 starts in 3 games after 1st experimenting with the trio in the Spurs game. Let the Boss not start to abandon the experiment so soon without allowing the experiment to matured for him to know if there are gains in it. At least, we’ve seen one positive in it already in the Spurs game at the Emirates. Was the Boss not patient with these trio to yield results at the Hawthorns, as he brought on Campbell to replaced Gibbs at left wing? Is Campbell a mid left winger or a mid right winger? Is the Boss trying to convert him to a mid left winger? And should Flamini have been brought on to replace the injured Coquellan instead of Arteta who should first have played a home game before being used at away as he has just returned from a layoff? The Boss is the manager. Who am I to questioned his decision making.
Do we need a top quality left back and a top quality striker cover in January window? My personal answer is YES! But not any of those expensive players at the market. The Boss should not spend more than £20-25m to get those two if at all he wants to get any. But if there are any young Gunners in the youth team that can adequately fill the gap, let the Boss upgrade them to the senior team in the earliest possible time the better for those youths to start showing their game strengths. Any hope to see Aleksandr Kokorin in Arsenal colour in January? Only the Boss can answer that question.
Samuel, How come you get to post 2 similar posts every time!!!!….
Don’t be surprised if AW puts Debuchy or Chambers in the DM to compensate the vacancy due to injury. It might just work. Or Flamini decides to the SuperFlame he once was and lead the team to the title all the way. Though everyone says that Arsenal goes through the same situation very season, don’t forget AW never fails to pull a rabbit out of the hat every season too. Come on, Gunners!
@Arsenal 13,
I keep asking him that. I think he might stammer.
Michael, yes so far we have not seen a rabbit out of the hat this season. We are due one now 😉
A rabbit out of hat?
Gabriel or Koscielny to partner Cazorla?
Chambers? He lacks pace though.
Debuchy? I used to do that on PES 13. 😀
Or, simply, Flamini?
Maybe that Walter’s old idea with Ramsey?
We shall see. 🙂 I would be thrilled with Bielik but let’s face it, he is still too young to be thrown into the action. Coquelin is a physical beast, it’s not realistic to expect a youngster to replace him.
ARSENAL13 – its the Irish in Adebosin – to be sure, to be sure!
Michael Ram – I saw Debuchy as a ready replacement for Coq a long while back but Wenger seems to prefer Debuchy as right back to support Bellerin. Chambers may be a bit cumbersome ahead of his natural CB position. Debuchy has the right physique to traverse the whole of the midfield defence to block passes & break up play.
I’m still smarting from the selective blindness of Clattenburg & the pseudo foul that got WBA the equaliser.
@Josif,
Though Bielik is young, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him mixed in every now and then. He did look good in his short time against Sheffield Wednesday.
Can Hayden be recalled from his loan?
The difficulty of buying a pure DM for loads of money doesn’t just stop with Le Coq and the rest of the first team squad. Hayden, Maitland Niles and Bielik are all making progress and will make good understudies next year. I also can’t see the need for another left back as after the normal suspects we still have Tafari Moore who is steadily moving through the England squads and can play at either FB.
A utility player that can play all eleven positions is what is required although obviously very difficult to find
A or b I might just be that player!!! Sure I’m 43 a little overweight and my current club (glen Huntley Phinox) valuation of $34 Aus. Is definitely $32 more than I’m worth. 😉