Why not Wanyama?

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wanyama

The curious case of Arsenal’s transfer business.

With endless links to so many players, one would have expected Arsenal to have made significant moves by now. However, whether it is our manager, board or opposing clubs, transfer activity has been prolonged, excruciating and despondent.

Arsenal fans around the world have called for Arsene to upgrade the defensive midfield position. It’s a position of clear weakness in which we have forced players like Arteta and Ramsey to shift in to. Both have performed well in the role, but each lack the ability to truly make the position their own; it appears that both are needed on the pitch to compensate for the lack of a true DM, and thus hinder the necessary support further up the field in order to unleash the creativity and true attacking, Arsenal football.

Victor Wanyama has been a long-time reported Arsenal transfer target, with Arsene himself speaking to Celtic months ago about a possible purchase of the player. Arsenal legend, Perry Groves, and current Gooner, Aaron Ramsey, have both supported the interest in the player, urging Arsene to bring him to the Emirates.

Arsenal recently announced a sponsorship agreement with Imperial Bank, which will see co-branded debit cards made available in Kenya and Uganda. Not only does the possible transfer of Wanyama to Arsenal make sense from a business perspective, but also from a fan base sense, as many Kenyans are big supporters of the player and such a move would undoubtedly attract more interest in the club as well. All three of club, player and fans could benefit from such a deal, especially if Wanyama can bring stability to our revolving door of DMs and add to the spine of our team, for years to come.

Southampton recently had a £12 million bid accepted by Celtic, but Wanyama blocked the transfer in hopes of moving to a club that will be competing for trophies and play in the Champions League. One has to wonder why at £12 million, Arsene has not made a move for the powerfully built Kenyan. The price is pretty close to market value and, at 22 years of age, Wanyama’s best days are still ahead of him.

So why has Arsene not bid for Wanyama? Is he not good enough for Arsenal? Or is Arsene waiting for a bigger fish, like Fellaini, or one of the Benders to fill the void? Or is our interest in purchasing a DM simply a smokescreen?

Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to these questions, as only Arsene and the Arsenal management team know. However, I would like to hear your input on why you believe Arsene has not bid for Wanyama and whether you think we may register a bid later on in the transfer window.

Written by: Highbury Harmony

96 thoughts on “Why not Wanyama?”

  • nice one, HH (been a while).

    saints are apparently close on getting Wanyama as it appears for 13 million,

    he’s a good option to have but not in the same pedigree or class as the bender’s, fellaini in my opinion.

    he’s a perfect Wenger signing though , young , talented, with plenty of potential to be world class, however , he will need a good couple of seasons under Wenger to reach the peak.

    if Wanyama doesn’t sign for saints then that might mean we’re interested in him also and might make a move if , we fail to land our other DM targets ? i would like to think so.

  • Excellent, fresh post about a player we had almost forgotten, HH. 🙂

    What is not to like about Wanyama? He was brilliant against Juventus and Barcelona: a solid rock in midfield. He has a great physical pressence – strong in the air on the ground – keeps it simple and moves play on quickly, and he carries a bit of a goal threat as well.

    Does Wenger want a more well-rounded, less defence minded midfielder?

  • Well thought out and written blog yet again, and the subject matter of Wanyama is spot on.

    I had the opportunity to watch Wanyama play for his native country Kenya at the World Cup qualifies against Nigeria recently, he was the main man, pulling all the strings, breaking up play and dictating play for Kenya and they got a goal though Nigeria managed to equalise at the dying minutes of the game which was hosted by Nigeria.

    By my personal assessment and conclusion, I rate him higher than any of the DMids we are currently linked with, his age, skills, ball sense, built and power suits that position very well.

    I for one has been expecting to hear more from Arsenal on that side of things since Wenger made inquiries.

    It will hurt so much seeing him play for a smaller club at the EPL next season. Just imagine both Wanyama and Benteke on the field for Arsenal next season (I’m dreaming right)?

    We are supposed to be a big club yet do all our business with a small club mentality. Why can’t they just cough out the money and pay for Higuan before the guy changes his mind? After all bullish GM went public on how we have big money to spend.

    It’s O’ so Arsenal. Sad!

    Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

  • Imagine if arsenal signed these players we are linked with most as its funny how no one else is bidding for wanyama, higuain, cesar imagine if tomorrow when new kits unveiled it comes up with wanyama, higuain, cesar, holding gunners shirts (yeah I’ll keep dreaming ) imagine though before thursday-friday when arsenal leave for pre season surely if not done in couple of days then I believe its the exact same as last 6 transfer windows

  • valourpeters 🙂

    Fine comment. Wanyama has an aura about him of impenetrability and that is just what we need to protect the back for and allow Jack or another b2b midfielder to roam forward when needed.

  • I still can’t understand the wish to sign higuain, has anyone seen him play well? I haven’t! Lets go and get Benteke, proven PL player who scores, is fast and strong and would jump at chance of CL football

  • Mr wenger is usually slow in signing. I followed wanyama last season and the cl match against barca was a glimpse of the class he can reach. I do hope arsene is not too late. May be at 13 mn he is too high a price given the fact that this could be wenger’s last season at emirates and he probably wants a epl ready player.
    I do not understand the interest in fellaini. Most of last season which got him some recent accolades, he spent either leading the line or in the hole or performing the role the jack does. Though the versility is great, we really need another pat viera. A tough out and out def midfielder who can protect jack or santi. Right now that’s one of the missing pieces of the gunner puzzle.

    Fingers crossed on our transfer activities.

  • It’s funny how things are going with Arsenal these days, initially we were told that a bid was lodged for Hig, only to find out that it’s all been the press hear-say that we’ve been feasting on all this while. I just hope Arsene will go about his biz like he’s always done in the past but really sign big names(not necessarily) but players that will turn us to a contender come next season.

  • Thanks JB!

    He might not be in the same pedigree as the Benders or Fellaini, but he’s certainly younger than Fellaini and has more ability as a true DM than him. However, of course his offensive game is a work in progress and he needs more time to discover and harness the potential (see goal vs. Barca in CL if you need proof).

    It just seems like the perfect opportunity at £12-13 million for Arsenal. That would only be half the cost required to buy Fellaini and do you really think Fellaini is worth double the price of Wanyama? If we could pick up Wanyama and another player with potential at another £12 million, wouldn’t be better off? Of course, it would still mean bringing in a SQ player like Higuain as well!

  • Cheers for the very kind words TA :). I guess it’s easier to bring a fresh perspective when you haven’t been around the blogosphere as often ;).

    I agree with you, there isn’t much to not like about Wanyama. Sure, many will point to the fact that he’s untested in the relatively average Scottish Premier League, but Celtic, and Wanyama in particular, proved that he could rise to the occasion against the best in the Champions League. Baffling as to why more teams are not in the bidding for his services, as we could surely offer him better opportunities to win silverware as well.

    The only logical explanation of our lack of concrete evidence would be because AW is holding out for a SQ player like the Bender’s or Fellaini. However, as stated above, at half the cost, I think Wanyama (italics) could (italics) represent better transfer business, so long as we invest what we would have saved in buying Fellaini/Benders at £24 mil.

  • HH,

    of course it would be lovely to save some money and all the things you have mentioned that Wanyama would offer for that price,

    however , i prefer someone who doesn’t need more time to adjust and fine tune, remember playing in the CL is not the same as playing in the PL week in week out.

    yep, Fellaini ticks all the boxes for me really even at 24 million and it’s about time we stopped looking for cheaper alternatives with potential.

    this is in no way to say that Wanyama may not go on to achieve great things, but i much rather him go to Saints and ply his trade in the PL week in week out, let Saints get relegating next season or the one after and then get Wanyama 😀

  • Excellent comment valourpeters! I have yet to formally welcome you to BK, so welcome and glad to have you on board and commenting :). Also, cheers for the kind words mate!

    I completely agree with everything you wrote. As a pure DM, Wanyama has an advantage over all of our rumoured transfer targets – most notably is his power and ability to dictate the opposition’s play. What I mean, is that he can single handedly alter the way the opposing team attacks. Barca and Juventus in the CL are perfect examples as he nullified their central attacking players and pushed their offense to the widths, where it is undoubtedly more difficult to create quality scoring chances.

    Hopefully, Arsene will come around and realize that £12-13 mil for Wanyama may actually represent better business for us. I’m completely ok with a smaller signing, so long as the rest of the funds are invested in top quality players as well. Wanyama is young and the world is still at his feet; it’d be more disappointing to see Southampton buy him then sell him for 2-3x that price in a couple seasons.

  • Agreed HH.

    Marcus, who spoke to Wanyama’s father a few weeks ago, told us that Wanyama has had contact with Arsenal and they appeared interested in him. It looks like Arsene is aiming for somebody else but has the Kenyan as he fall-back option in case he cannot get his top-target.

    I’d say sign him now, job done!

  • JB, I’m sure Arsene thought the same thing about Michu to Swansea. That didn’t quite work out in the same way, now did it 😉 ?

    Gambling on players to gain PL experience is always a huge risk since we can usually not afford the fee those teams are asking for anyway. Also, AW is a man of principle and rarely, if ever, purchases a player for 2-3 x his worth of what he could have originally bought him for a year ago.

  • Well done and Great blog.
    Spot on mate.
    That is the million dollar question….WHY?
    Why hasn’t wenger signed wanyama?
    Why didn’t wenger sign mignolet?
    (Theres two quality players for 12mil each)
    Why hasn’t wenger signed higuain?
    (Thats three players that would have transformed arsenal into a title challenging team)
    And the most hardest question of all that needs answering is…..
    WHY IS WENGER SUCH A C#NT?

  • let’s be honest, how many of us had even heard of Michu before ?

    you have nailed it…

    AW man of principal, not won anything for 8 years in counting yet refusing to go the extra mile for a player who would certainly add quality , presence and guile to the team and the squad.

    that is it.

    i really hope this year we have learned our lessons well.

    i don’t hold anything against players such as Wanyama, however, we could do better and we should exhaust all avenues before even considering Wanyama.

  • robgunner, that would certainly be a perfectly timed announcement(s) would it not 😉 ? Here’s to hoping that your prediction comes true! Hopefully, the transfer activity picks up soon. I feel as though once teams like United, Everton etc. get the ball rolling, Arsenal will surely also have to start completing their moves. It’s a shame we didn’t conduct our business earlier and have plenty of time for the players to transition in and get acclimated with the city and its players.

  • Steve, I’ve personally seen Higuain play extremely well for Real. He’s had a couple seasons with 25+ goals in La Liga, which is no easy feat, especially when not truly ever being the focal point of an attack. He’s also accomplished so much at a young age that it’s easy to overlook him and forget that he’s only 25.

    Benteke on the other hand is not a realistic transfer imo. He’s had one year of success in the EPL and Arsene could have bought him for 3x less a year ago. He is a man of principle and this would represent a poor bit of business for him, so I have my doubts that he will bid on Benteke (just my gut feeling though).

  • Benteke has handed in a transfer request. (according to DM)

    interesting.

    very very interesting.

  • Think we should get Benteke & Wilfred Bony both had a total Of 61 goals last season
    Benteke with 24 goal in all compitetion
    Bony with 37 goals in all compitetion
    Both will cost around £25 which not to bad

  • perhaps we have already, TA

    cough Benteke handing in the transfer request cough cough, ha

  • Great point and question HH (echoing everyone else’s observation as well)! This year’s transfer business has been more confusing (to me) than years past. This is either a sign of great business being transacted completely away from the media or that there is really not much ongoing transfer activity. At this point I am beginning to believe that there will not be any marquee signings for Arsenal in the TW (and I would count VW as a marquee signing). This is getting to be more tense than the last day of the season! 🙂 Eagerly waiting to see the pre-season lineup to get some insight into the team shape and makeup…

  • Arsenal_vcc wrote: ‘Eagerly waiting to see the pre-season lineup to get some insight into the team shape and makeup…’

    Me too! 🙂

  • JB,
    I hear you and i am very excited by the Benteke news.
    On Wanyama we should deffo be buying him i cant understand it

  • JB,
    As you may of read or already none Benteke is a gooner a big Arsenal fan. With TV in the side the Belgium connection is on even more so if we are in for Fellani

  • TA,
    No way not if he is a gooner , he will not be joining them. If he does then he will have ruined his chance of ever joining us i do not think he would do that. As soon as he started scoring for Villa last season and getting noticed he put it out there to the media that he wants to play for Arsenal. 🙂
    I am not going to get to carried away by it all especially after this Higiuin business , but im going to hope and wait for some good news.
    Sorry i know i am off topic and the Wanyama 1 is a transfer that i really really want as you know. That is all i haft to say on Benteke.
    If we let Wanyama slip though are fingers at that price then you do have to ask questions as you have it is unbelivable really and a mistake by our club i think at 22 years old he is perfect.

  • Frustrated Gooner, cheers for the kind words mate :). All very good questions, but I wouldn’t rush to a conclusion on Arsene just yet; let’s see what happens once some more time passes and reserve our judgement on his slow, tiresome tactics. Perhaps we’ll all be surprised and he’ll finally bring the level of players we are rumoured to be after and have been hungering for since forever.

    Of course, it’s disappointing that new signings weren’t confirmed prior to or at the beginning of the window, but with the majority of transfer targets being at clubs with managing carousels (Real Madrid, Everton, while QPR was relegated), it’s more understandable as to why these deals are being held up.

  • Vk, thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment :). Also, great additional analysis on what Wanyama would bring to the Emirates! Let’s hope something happens for us over the course of this week so the nerves and anxiety around the transfer window are somewhat relieved for the time being.

  • Night all! 🙂

    Time for RM to accept our offer: Benteke or leave it! 😀

    Here is my Wanyama formation for next season:

    Szczesny
    Sagna – Per – Koz – Nacho
    ———Wanyama———–
    Theo——-Jack——-Santi
    ——-Ox——-Giroud/Pod

  • Great post HH! 🙂 I agree that Wanyama would be a good signing but I think we need a great one. I still think we should be pushing for Lars Bender. But as for Wanyama I worry about a few things:
    1. To me he seems very egotistical. Although I’m not sure why.
    2. His dream is to play for Man U. I can’t recall quite who, but someone close to him (an ex-coach or something) even said he could use Arsenal as a stepping stone to Man U just like RvP did. That’s no good.
    3. He just doesn’t impress me much, even after watching him so much in the Champions League and even a decent bit in the SPL.

    Overall, I wouldn’t be unhappy if we signed him, but I wouldn’t be jumping up and down like I would be if we signed Higuain.
    😉
    JB from the last post, I wouldn’t be sad if we signed Barry and I understand that this Perez kid would probably go into our academy, but what I mean is dont we need someone to bridge the gap between Mikel and Barry (if signed) retiring and this 20 year old coming out of the academy? For example, wouldn’t signing a 26 or 27 year old DM be better so that they can take over from Mikel/Barry when they retire AND have the experience to take care of that position until Perez/other young defensive midfielders are old enough and good enough to start regularly? 🙂

  • Yeah shuld buy him for at least 13 million though. Great bargain. Get nico gaitan from benefica if higuan deal falls. A great winger too. We got plenty of striker but could get bony for a chepear price.

  • (1) Wanyama’s agent/agency is hazardous/toxic.

    (2) Our club are looking at other alternatives (e.g. better quality and experience – Luiz Gustavo; more promising and continuity – Mattias Ginter)

    Luiz Gustavo (backup to Javi Martinez at Bayern, while they shall look to sign up Sebastian Rode from E.Frankfurt, sooner or later)

    Matthias Ginter (Coquelin is loaned to SC Freiburg and not any other clubs, establishing a contact base with the German club)

    (3) Our management team (Ivan Gazidis and Richard Law) are tied down with other transactions and negotiations (e.g. looking for buyers to offload Bendtner, Santos, CY Park, Chamakh etc; negotiations for a new GK, a new forward/winger etc; settling Arsene Wenger’s contract etc; searching and negotiating for Liam Brady’s eventual successor at our academy – hopefully with Dennis Bergkamp as he has not sign his coaching contract extension at Ajax, when Frank de Boer did)

  • Cheers Dylan :).

    You raise some very good and interesting points, however with a DM, the less you notice them, the better sometimes! Especially in the case of Wanyama, he’s not a player who will wow you with foot skills, his range of passing or goals, but one that will dictate the game early on and alter an opponent’s attacking strategy. The fact that Juve completely avoided the center of the pitch across their two legs is reason enough for me to believe that he is an effective and presence filled talent.

    I think a great signing is needed as well, but let’s be honest here; with the amount of money that Arsene is offering, we’re not getting top quality talents. He won’t even meet a player’s release clause and insists that they sell for a few million under that. Really just pennies in the grand scheme of things (unless he plans on using that extra 2 million, which we well know he never does).

  • HH, the presence is good, but Wenger likes good possession football. We need a DM who can stop a play, turn, and distribute it to an attacking midfielder or winger quickly and start a counter attack. Avoiding the middle of the park for us is bad because we play without outside midfielders. You make some very good points, but I just don’t think that he’s quite what we need. And I think Wenger may have realized this and dropped interest in him. Or the silence surrounding him means we’re about to sign him. Who knows with Wenger. 😉

  • Off-topic: Megabucks flying around in Europe (The “big” transfers so far)

    (1) Falcao (£53 Million: Atletico Madrid to Monaco)
    (2) Neymar (£50 Million: Santos to Barcelona)
    (3) James Rodriguez (£39.5 Million: Porto to Monaco)
    (4) Fernandinho (£35 Million: Shakhtar Donetsk to Man. City)
    (5) Mario Goetze (£32.5 Million: Dortmund to Bayern Munich)
    (6) Isco (£26.5 Million: Malaga to Real Madrid)
    (7) Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£24.2 Million: Shakhtar Donetsk to Dortmund)
    (8) Joao Moutinho (£22 Million: Porto to Monaco)
    (9) Andre Schuerrle ( £19.5 Million: Leverkusen to Chelsea)
    (10) Jesus Navas (£17.5 Million: Sevilla to Man. City)
    (11) Paulinho (£17.5 Million: Corinthians to Tottenham)
    (12) Aleksandr Kokorin (£16.5 Million: Dinamo Moscow to Anzhi Makhachkala)
    (13) Andy Carroll (£15.5 Million: Liverpool to West Ham)
    (14) Mario Gomez (£13.2 Million: Bayern Munich to Fiorentina)
    (15) Igor Denisov (£13 Million: Zenit St. Petersburg to Anzhi Makhachkala)
    (16) Fred (£13 Million: Internacional to Shakhtar Donetsk)
    (17) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.5 Million: Saint-Etienne to Dortmund)
    (18) Christopher Samba (£10 Million: QPR to Anzhi Makhachkala)
    (19) Younes Belhanda (£9.7 Million: Montpellier to Dynamo Kiev)
    (20) Fernando (£9.7 Million: Gremio to Shakhtar Donetsk)
    (21) Dieumerci Mbokani (£9.7 Million: Anderlecht to Dynamo Kiev)
    (22) Simon Mignolet (£9.3 Million: Sunderland to Liverpool)
    (23) Dimitri Payet (£8.8 Million: Lille to Marseille)
    (24) Heung-Min Son (£8.8 Million: Hamburg to Leverkusen)
    (25) Ricky van Wolfswinkel (£8.8 Million: Sporting Lisbon to Norwich)
    (26) Dejan Lovren (£8.8 Million: Lyon to Southampton)
    (27) Lazar Markovic (£8.8 Million: Partizan Belgrade to Benfica)
    (28) Dries Mertens (£8.5 Million: PSV to Napoli)
    (29) Sokratis (£8.4 Million: Werder Bremen to Dortmund)
    (30) Marco van Ginkel (£8.3 Million: Vitesse Arnhem to Chelsea)
    (31) Carlos Tevez (£7.9 Million: Man. City to Juventus)
    (32) Jeremain Lens (£7.9 Million: PSV to Dynamo Kiev)
    (33) Wellington Nem (£7.9 Million: Fluminense to Shakhtar Donetsk)
    (34) Andreas Cornelius (£7.7 Million: Copenhagen to Cardiff City)
    (35) Iago Aspas (£7.2 Million: Celta Vigo to Liverpool)
    (36) Benat Etxebarria (£7.0 Million: Real Betis to Athletic Bilbao)
    (37) Denis Glushakov (£7.0 Million: Lokomotiv to Spartak)
    (38) Adam Maher (£7.0 Million: AZ to PSV)
    (39) Adam Szalai (£7.0 Million: Mainz 05 to Schalke 04)
    (40) Hector Herrera (£7.0 Million: Pachuca to Porto)
    (41) Luis Alberto (£7.0 Million: Sevilla to Liverpool)
    ………
    (42) David Villa (£4.5 Million: Barcelona to Atletico Madrid)
    ………

    Edinson Cavani – going to PSG soon
    Robert Lewandowski – going to Bayern Munich (Season 2014/2015)

  • Dylan, when you neutralize the game from the middle, you more or less negate the opposing team’s most effective players: the CAM and ST. Most teams are not nearly as efficient and adept from attacking from wide positions and the onus then falls to our strength, which is defending from the flanks in Sagna/Jenkinson and Gibbs/Nacho.

    When you add Wanyama, you are not only adding presence in the center of the pitch, but also the ability to further negate attacks from out wide because of his powerful and effective aerial ability that can help clear crosses.

    Wanyama’s ball skills and passing ability are good enough to play our brand of football. All Arteta and Ramsey do is recycle the ball backwards and sideways for the most part, playing the safe pass, which Wanyama can very easily do. We don’t have a DM capable of actually playing good defense and being assertive in the tackle and in the air.

    The Benders and Fellaini are not as solid defensively for the most part and are lighter players with more ball skills. The biggest issue here is price and that is something that I have yet to see AW compromise on. He is a cheap f*ck like most of the organization and this club will continue to suffer until this issue is rectified.

    The problem isn’t with the player fitting our brand of football but whether or not we have the players already in place to play the desired brand of football. The talent level is not there and signing top players to try and play a certain way is futile when you look at the players currently on our roster.

  • I have been saying all along that we will sing a much younger player, like we did with Sanogo, for the defensive midfield position, and if he becomes the next Vieira, who could argue with that. We could survive for a couple of seasons with the double defensive midfield/pivot, while at the same time giving matches to the younger signing in order to blood him in to the first team picture.

    I guess I just have more patience than I realized, and most people would shoot me for not going off on Wenger and the board, but I really don’t feel that it would do any good, even if I felt any true angst and anger towards them.

  • Milo, excellent points mate! I think it’s easy to be upset at the lack of transfer activity when you take into account the moves made by our closest rivals (even the Spuds are signing players…), but the restraint and calmness you exhibit is very mature and commendable.

    I have no issue with signing a player with lots of potential, so long as we make one marquee purchase to signify that we can still buy with the best of them (aka a sign that we’re focused on both the long-term and short-term).

  • HH – Glad you found time for this post. Nice one too.

    The question as to ‘Why’ (there has been no inquiries from Arsenal) is very interesting.

    JM has possibly made the strongest reason why not. I think there is an historical link that does not sit well with Celtic too. Our earlier ties with Rangers? Sometimes these things can make any business contact hard going, even with a long time elapse?

    Based on both of these points, I would say it is unlikely we will see Wanyama in an Arsenal shirt?

  • Just an aside from yesterday. I think we see two sides of the same coin in reported transfer dealings.

    On the one hand, Perez the RM pres, says no ‘offer’ has been made. He may not be lying, but it may not be the whole truth either? We have certainly had contact with them, and the fee would have been discussed. But a formal offer may be dependent on what terms they are asking, e.g. How much money up front?

    On the other side, with Liverpool, I see comments now being made that our ‘inquiry’ (for Suarez) had been rebuffed. Did Liverpool convert a question of whether £30m would be enough to interest them to part with the player into an ‘offer’, or was it just the press?

    In both cases the clubs had something to gain. The former to generate other offers, and the latter, possibly to deter other bids, by saying it will take a lot more than that?

    Just reading between the lines.

    JB – I am not sure my reply to you got through yesterday, as I got told by WP that I was posting too quickly …?? Moi! Surely not. ha ha

  • JM, you forgot the biggest transfer of them all! The one that shook all of Europe!
    (1) Yaya Sanogo (£0 million: Auxerre to Arsenal)
    Everyone knows that this is the signing of the century! 😉

  • @ Dylan July 9, 2013 11:38

    For Arsenal, the more important transfers (so far) are the release (free transfers) of players out of our squad: Squillaci, Denilson, Arshavin.

    These frees up more funds to be used for players’ wages and bonuses, for current and new signings.

    Hopefully, we shall be able to release/sell a few more: Bendtner, CY Park, Santos and Chamakh.

    And bring in the necessary reinforcements to value-add to our 1st team.
    3 significant signings to our centre spine (GK, CB, DM/CM/AM, CF) of our team. (where 60% of our 1st eleven starting line-up will be position; 20% to each side of our left and right flanks)

  • Hi Honorable highbury Harmony, 🙂

    Really good Post asking a very astute question.

    Two £12m transfers for players with a lot of potential, or £25m for one player who has had one good season (according to a friend who is a big Everton supporter).

    The answer is not easily quantified simply in monetary values, as other considerations apply, such as Fellaini who has EPL experience now, or Wanyama, and perhaps one other, without experience but full of potential.

    I think Fellaini just shades it for me — except I do not think AW will spend that kind of money on a midfielder.

    Good to see you around, firing on all cylinders. 🙂

  • JM,

    Excellent stuff, as ever!!

    You are a veritable mine of information, and also extremely knowledgeable.

    You are my go-to man when I am in doubt about something! 🙂

  • HH,

    Great article, and one begins to wonder who infact AW has as a transfer target for our beloved team. Wanyama, a strong player who has proved to be a handful during his games in the CL against big teams would be a great addition to ours.

    My concern overall is that the team leaves for Asia and I just cannot see any transfers being made during the next 2 weeks. There will be a lot of promo work to be done by AW and the team in Asia. I understand that there are others in the background in our club that also handle transfers but i cant see it happening with AW being away.

  • Hello HH, fellow gooners…

    HH, you read my mind mate..EXCELLENT POST!!!

    It really baffles me why Wanyama is not ALREADY donning the red and white…he ticks all the boxes 4 a ‘typical’ Wenger signing…young,cheap and with loads of potential..not to mention he would do a 2 man’s job in our midfield..i look back at the Tahiti game vs Spain(though maybe not technically a good comparison)..Javi Martinez was shielding the back 4 while in-front of him were 3 little magicians(Santi,Mata and Silva) pulling the strings 4 Spain…all the 3 play-makers played exceptionally since they had a good DM 2 cover them..think of Wanyama doing a similar job 4 us with Santi, Jack and Theo roaming freely upfront..really exciting thought!!!

    It’s REALLY depressing being a gooner ryt now…even the enemy has signed a significant player!!!..but i’ll still exercise some patience

  • Hey fellas. Indeed KG, tough time to be a Gooner right now. HELP!! I can’t figure it out on my own and my brain is getting to be like an over-twisted pretzel…

    Really nice Post HH and I hope you’ll be able to fit more into your schedule…In truth, I haven’t watched enough of Wanyama to comment, but if Rod Stewart is moved to tears, he must be OK. I like the idea of a “real” DM but I doubt that AW thinks this way. I did see him vs Juve and thought that he was (clearly) the outstanding guy (wearing the hoops) but maybe trying to do too much (i.e., out of position when the turnovers happened). Once again, everything (I would guess) hinges on the manager’s plans for Ramsey… If Sot’on get VW they will continue to impress me… No easy points down there on the South Coast (again) this season…

    Thanks too to JM for “the list.” A few things stand out…Falcao and Cavani going to the (new) big money teams in France suggests money and a flat(ter) track is what the goal scoring bullies desire at the moment. The Bayern-Dortmund-Lewandoski business is also interesting. Is it not similar to a year ago with United-Arsenal-RvP?…I was really hoping David Villa would be coming to England–a great signing by Atletico, IMO…

    I need help on the Suarez bid. Why is 30 million considered too low? I guess ‘Pool is really screwed without him. As such, it would seem that the only English team that might be in for him would be Chelsea, but the number would be the same as they paid for Torres (50M) and I’m not sure Roman wants to play that game again. If it’s really a ploy to light a fire under RM in releasing Higuain (our direction) it seems a strange play (like the Rooney stuff). Getting Arsenal supporters all hyped up with bids for players with “issues” seems divisive so I don’t get the PR angle. Does it soften the blow for paying too much for Higuain? That’s my hope and if AW needs to make (smirky) suggesting that while we “admire” Suarez (and Rooney) we are pleased to announce the signing of Higuain, so be it…

    It all seems worrisome to me (but that’s what you get for listening to Terry’s pee pee)… We may have the money but (the way I read it is that) if everybody (‘Pool, RM) “stands pat,” we lose out. Are we also on the outside (looking in) regarding business in Italy? With Gomez to Firenze, Jovetic must move, right? Juve, I guess, have the money (and the playing time) for both him and Tevez…

    And then there’s activity up the 7 Sisters… Are they already spending the Bale money on the likes of the Brazilian defender (and Benteke)? Would Bale moving to RM get the Higuain stuff finalized?

    Finally, I’m also wondering about Vermaelen’s “injury.” Does this mean he’s not for sale (damaged goods) but also set to lose the armband? Maybe it suggests that something is in the works for the proverbial young athletic CB (who can also play DM–Has Wanyama ever played CB?) We could use something (anything) even if it’s an unknown defender from out of left field (as we say)…Maybe the “new” Alex Song (or something better) would work a tonic right now…

    All told, something’s gotta give, but it feels like it’s gonna be my head…

  • JM,

    super comments and thanks for sharing that information !

    😀

  • PG,

    re- Benteke, the opinion is divided isn’t it ? if we don’t get our main targets then do we settle for 2nd best ? if the answer is yes, then we should get both Wanyama and Benteke (in that order as a DM is a Priority for me).

    Benteke would give us that presence and strength up front, no doubt and who knows, he might be able to deliver the goods instead of being a big fish in a small pond, he may end up being the next Drogba after all (note how i avoided saying Adebayor, i certainly hope he’s not doing it for the money).

  • Gerry,

    you might be on to something there you know,

    it could also mean that Arsenal are telling RM, you mess with us and we will “Screw you” by gunning for your number 1 target, we’re the mighty arsenal and we have a war chest so we don’t care 😀

    but yeah, it’s rather frustrating to see such mind games and politics being played left right and center by the bigger clubs , i still say, bring back David Dein

    i’m glad WP managed to hold you back and calm you down, you did call me a tart after all 😀

  • Agreed JB. They are our backup plans maybe. I really hope the spuds dont snap up Benteke while we are dithering with others. Im sure we are his first choice. But i get the feeling that players also get frustrated with how we handle our business. From interviews with jack, poldi, they will obviously be disappointed if we dont get Higuain. Our players want us to show committment to winning with acquisitions.

  • so apparently there is meant to be a big announcement at the unveiling of the new arsenal kit in less than an hour to go,..it’s meant to be an “Audacious Stunt” according to one of the folks from AFC Management (tweets)

    maybe it’s the return of CESC or perhaps the signing of Higuain ? we find out in less than 45 minutes !

  • JNYC,

    spot on.

    thinking about it from a players perspective then yeah,you could see how excited and worked up both Poldi and Jack were, almost looking forward to the Higuain arrival , in my limited experience, it’s very seldom that a player or players would comment on a potential signing , unless and until it was a sure thing to happen. (fingers crossed or else we all gang up on “PeePee” )

    17HT,

    good point about David Villa, i was amazed at the price… Barca (Scums) were quoting us in excess of 12.5 million and end up selling him for 2.5 million (up front) rest of the payment in installements….

    i mean really ? that’s pathetic considering they still owe us a lot of money. (cough scums cough cough)

  • Cheers Gerry :), very good questions indeed and definitely strong reasons as to why Wanyama will not come to Arsenal. It is interesting, however, that better clubs are not rumoured to be in on him after all the public press Southampton are getting for their bid (if that makes sense).

  • RA :), as intelligent and well-spoken as always. I appreciate the kind words too and have missed blogging with you!

    The line that spoke the most to me in your comment was that the purchases are not quantifiable in terms of how we spend the money. I guess what I was trying to say was that I think that when people compare Wanyama to Fellaini, there is not a significant drop off in talent relative to price.

    As you stated, Fellaini has only had one good year in the Premiership and along with being established in the league now, is worth double the cost of foreign players. Much like yourself, my gut tells me that AW will not be bidding on Fellaini either (though I would be happy if he did).

  • KG,

    it’s not depressing to be a gooner at all.

    actually it’s frustrating but at the same time very exciting when you see the names being linked to us, our bids being rejected, mind games being played, it’s all like a game of chess isn’t it….but one things for sure, whoever we get, will be top notch quality or least something the fans will be happy about ( not sure if you would be happy if i told you that “GARETH BARRY might be a gooner ).

    Suarez is “Flattered” by Arsenal’s interest and as well as Chelsea’s (which means he wants to play CL).

    right, i reckon we’re going to be announcing Gareth Barry as a gooner in the next hour or so 😉 (he’s the only one holding talks down at the emirates as it’s been reported) , that would certainly fall under the umbrella of “Audacious” for sure.

  • Alex :), a very insightful comment and cheers for the kind words!

    I agree that the pre-season tours will start to deplete our resources and time to commit to potential transfer activity, which creates some urgency for us to complete some deals. It could be good or bad depending on whether other clubs cooperate with us and if AW is willing to pony up the extra 1-3 million to acquire the players he truly wants.

    When are you expecting the baby? How is everything with the family these days?

  • KG, thanks for the high praise and thoughtful comment!

    I do feel quite anxious about the window right now, as it appears that everyone around us is improving, while we have continued to stand idle. I’m hoping that at least one deal can get done this week, so that I can re-establish my faith that management is not spewing out lies to us once again.

    If no DM is bought, one will really question what the hell AW is doing because he just sent Coquelin on a year-long loan, leaving us with only Ramsey and Arteta as makeshift DM (maybe Frimpong too but I think he’ll be going out on loan). There already was a significant hole in our squad at DM prior to loaning out Coq, but now the need for one became even greater.

  • 17ht :), appreciate the kind words and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comment!

    On the matter of Wanyama ever playing at CB, I have not seen him in that role myself but I leave that question in the capable Kenyan BKers on this site.

    I think Suarez should be a target for Real. I’m not quite sure what they’re doing with transfers right now, as it has been unusually quiet for them. They were far behind Barca in La Liga this year and have not closed the gap with them in the summer since Neymar and Isco are more or less washes, if not more in favour for Barca. The sooner they bid on a striker, perhaps the sooner we can announce Higuain ;).

    I’m ok with Villa staying in Spain, it would have been more upsetting seeing him dress for a direct rival since it appeared that AW was no longer interested.

  • Dylan,

    yeah, that’s right but hey if we get Barry then perhaps it gives a chance to this 20 year old lad to develop his skills further and be ready for first team football in a couple of years time , when both Mikel and Barry be running out of legs ?

  • 007, Barry would be a “right now” signing, but (man oh man) do I need something “right now.” 😉 😆 At 32, only one year left on a contract equal to our top players he would “solve” the Ramsey issue (allow Ramsey to continue to develop in a “squad-player” role)…

    HH, very nice that you take the time to respond to everybody’s comments…You’re a lynch-pin here, you simply need to let your new boss know and I’m sure he/she will allow you all the blogging time you require…

    Yeah, (David) Villa for Spurs would be scary. I think we could’ve used him too, but Atletico can REALLY use him. While they’re unlikely to spend so much time above their local rivals (Real Madrid) he’ll step in well for Falcao and make their whole (quite decent) squad a lot more dynamic…

    Benteke, for me, needs a lot of pitch to do his business. He was awesome for (Aston) Villa and kept them up but I wonder if he can make a big impact at a club with a lot of competing talent. If Spurs lose Bale he seems a great stop-gap for them, but they will need a lot of extra help (a mid-fielder who can pass AND score)…Losing Modric hurt them…Losing Bale (to RM) would (at least) make them a feeder club to one of the biggest in the world (heh, heh, heh…)

    TA, I like the new (dramatic) colors… Sometimes a change is better than a rest (as I think they say)… Nice!!

  • TA,

    You must put a dollar in the meter, mon ami — the lights have gone out! 😀

    Actually, I quite like being a bat in a blog! 🙂

  • HI Guys 🙂

    Really good and interesting comments overnight and during the day! 🙂

    I can usually find something to write about, but variety of writers is the spice of blogging life, and I encourage you all to try and write one now and again. 🙂

  • Cheers 17 🙂

    With all you guys blogging in the garden and having to combat the shine of sunlight, I thought we go cool and dark for a while.

  • HH,

    What is so admirable about BK, is that there are so many talented authors on here, that with TA leading the way with his Post specials, there is no drop off in quality when others take up the mantle and get us reading and talking.

    Each author brings his own particular style to the party, (and I wish there were some ‘hers’ Posts, too) but what I especially like about yours is that there is usually a subtle soupçon of Tabasco sauce thrown in, and all the better for it!! 😀

    More, please!

  • TA, I had a strange early morning here…Damn those cell phones that go beep when they run out of batteries… If I could write a post that was nothing but questions I could do one. Being the guy who knows nothing and can only make conjectures, however, seems better in the comments section… 😀

    Have we signed Barry yet? Or is the “audacious stunt” a drawing for a “free” kit… And how would Arsenal accounting deal with it–would it be considered a loss of £2.67–the cost of each individual unit to the club, or £95, the cost of the kit in the Armoury, to a “customer”…?

    Just kidding, of course, but could the club please just GIVE us SOMETHING (now, for once, etc…)

    OK, off to dig in the garden…(my potatoes are looking OK, RA, btw…)

  • Nothing better than mashing Spuds to a pulp, 17! 😀

    A post full of questions would be great. I could add a picture of ‘The Scream’ by Munch… 😛

  • The Gareth Barry idea actually works for me…A dual pivot of Barry plus Arteta in the tougher matches (and one or the other plus Ramsey in the easier ones…) seems solid. Both guys are older and would be for the present only…

    Barry, being English will be fighting with Carrick for the National team too, and seems the better “influence” on his mates than say…Wayne Rooney… 😉 😆

    Also, being English he doesn’t take the roster spot and allows for our new #22 (is that correct?) Abou Diaby to get healthy and (maybe) contribute as the season moves along…

    It’s not particularly glamorous (glamourous?) but I still like it. Others?….

  • OK, really gotta get some work in before it gets too warm and my childcare duties kick in…If we don’t GET SOME ANSWERS 😈 sooner than later, I’ll (maybe try to) work on something…

    The Scream seems just about right….

  • I love your gravatar, 17Ht. 🙂

    And, yep, I like the idea of digging them thar potaters! (move over, Bush Jnr, I ken spell too! 😀

  • Dr Glic, my fellow bloggers, especially TA, suffer from limp dick ‘doing’ when mention is made of Barry.

    Now I know you helped Terry Titmouse when he suffered the same problem, but do you have any other solutions other than sticking a fork up his urethra — point first? 🙂

  • 17HT,

    good one,

    yep, it won’t be all doom and gloom if we were to sign him but i would be reluctant to pay 4 million though, a free transfer or perhaps 1 million and no more…also he will need to take a pay cut

    i know, i am being rather Arsenalsque with the 70 million war chest but i much rather have us get 2 top top quality players, Barry is a decent player though even at 32.

    so no audacious stunt then, close but no cigar – boo

  • Bond, TA, I agree about Gareth Barry…Not exciting (at all) but it removes the (extreme) troubles we’ve had when (de facto) Captain Arteta needs a breather. That we trotted him out for that last match at Newcastle says it all…

    While I know that people want a (so-called) “beast” of a DM the biggest requirement is ball skills and decision making, also known as quality and experience. This is the position on the pitch where, instantly, a player must read both the ball and the players on the pitch to know how to take his touch. A forward pass can start a move on goal, a backward or sideways touch can protect possession, etc., etc. A misplaced touch, however, if teammates are not well placed to defend, can start a chance the other direction. Being able to make those distinctions at top speed against teams with equally savvy players seems far more important than the elements that would constitute bestiality–where is Glic when you need him… We need somebody to help explain terms here… 😆

    Barry isn’t spectacular but he’s done better in that role than the more beasty guy (De Jong) who was bought when the City squad was first “assembled,” unless, of course, you only judge these things by how many (opponents’) bones you’ve broken…

    The problem we have is that we “need” a big bump upwards in terms of results–vague promises about “the future” won’t cut it so our key signings must be able to hit the ground running. We already have enough players who make us nervous (need time in development…) when their names appear on the team sheet. I think this is where spending a sizable quantity on Wanyama leaves a lot of people flat. For better or worse, we’ve already got “one for the future” (Ramsey) in this spot…

  • i couldn’t put it better myself, 17HT

    no substitute for experience i always say.

    on a slightly different note, if no signings are announced before we leave for the Asia tour then i don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a big deal, however, i would like to have the signings done when we play at the emirates though.

  • good comment, 17.

    Bestiality does not exclude a football brain and passing ability. Arteta has the second and third, but misses the first. A beast is an all-round DM who bosses the midfield from a mainly defensive angle, and who can add to our attacking moves occasionally as well. 🙂

    Barry would not improve us imo – I’d rather have kept Coquelin.

  • update on Benteke,

    apparently he wants to move to Spuds (makes sense if they sell Adebayor and he then becomes the new adebayor).

    also, chelsea are in for him and not scared of the 25 million asking price (yeah, Chelsea are in for him when they have Lukaku at their disposal –

    i’ll let the readers make their own minds up based on my reasoning.

  • Oh sure you could, Bond… 😀 How ’bout a post (your first…) about how you manage to enjoy the torture window…For me, it’s not the best thing for my summer. So many mornings I’ve woken up hoping for some news only to get a new circle of hell…We’re bidding on Suarez (for example)?! WTF does that mean (!?!)….

    I too am resigned to not having any signings any time soon, but it does not please me….

  • Well thought out and written blog yet again, and the subject matter of Wanyama is spot on.

    I had the opportunity to watch Wanyama play for his native country Kenya at the World Cup qualifies against Nigeria recently, he was the main man, pulling all the strings, breaking up play and dictating play for Kenya and they got a goal though Nigeria managed to equalise at the dying minutes of the game which was hosted by Nigeria.

    By my personal assessment and conclusion, I rate him higher than any of the DMids we are currently linked with, his age, skills, ball sense, built and power suits that position very well.

    I for one has been expecting to hear more from Arsenal on that side of things since Wenger made inquiries.

    It will hurt so much seeing him play for a smaller club at the EPL next season. Just imagine both Wanyama and Benteke on the field for Arsenal next season (I’m dreaming right)?

    We are supposed to be a big club yet do all our business with a small club mentality. Why can’t they just cough out the money and pay for Higuan before the guy changes his mind? After all bullish GM went public on how we have big money to spend.

    It’s O’ so Arsenal. Sad!

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