Transfers – Page 7 – Bergkampesque

How would ‘Bale going to Real Madrid’ affect Arsenal?

August 1, 2013August 1, 2013TotalArsenal

This week it has all been about Gareth Bale’s possible transfer to Real Madrid. Real have made a £85 million bid for Bale but have seen it rejected by Levy with various sources reporting Bale has told AVB he wants out of Tottenham. Maybe, Levy wants a player involved in the deal. Reports are saying Luca Modric could be involved in the deal but I cannot see any player(s) from Real going to Tottenham for two reasons.

Firstly, why would any top player from Real Madrid want to go to a team that is not even in the Champions League? I know it is a World Cup year but surely if you want to come to the EPL, you would try and sign for an EPL team that is in the Champions League such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United; if failing that, you would likely go to another team in Europe that have at least qualified for the Champions League. Also, what player other than Bale would want to be involved in such a deal. It would be pretty demeaning for the player involved, as if he was just a mere accessory in the world’s biggest ever transfer.

I think Levy does not want any player involved in the deal and would just rather Real offer a bid closer to £100 million which I am pretty certain he’ll accept.

The deal looks very likely to go through and next season we will probably see Gareth Bale in a Real Madrid shirt, as Madrid normally get their man. So, if we assume that Bale will be sold for at least £85, what effect will this have on Tottenham and Arsenal.

The first scenario, and perhaps the simplest way to look at the transfer of Bale to Real Madrid:

Tottenham have already signed: Chadli from FC Twente for around £7 million, Paulinho from Corinthians for around £17 million, are close to signing Soldado from Valencia for £26 million (with personal terms being discussed between the Soldado’s agents and Tottenham representatives), have sold Caulker to Cardiff City for around £8 million and I think are also looking to sign a defender (CB or LB) of some sort.

There could be a scenario where the Spuds lose Bale a (super quality player) but reinvest the money from the sale of Bale by purchasing two top quality attacking players (whether that be two wingers or a winger and an AM) and maybe buy another defender (CB or LB). Spurs would replace the quality of Bale and would have strength in depth.

If this scenario was to become reality, how would Arsenal be affected?

Arsenal would be affected in a number of ways:

1) Our chances of winning the EPL title or at least challenging for the EPL title will decrease.

If Spurs can reinvest the money from the sale of Bale in some quality players, in addition to the likes of Chadli, Paulinho and maybe Soldado, they will no doubt be a stronger team. They would have the quality and the strength in depth required to put in a serious title challenge, and if Wenger does not make the signings needed to take us to the next level we might not be celebrating St Totteringham’s Day at the end of next season.

2) Our chances of finishing in one of the coveted CL spots next season would be significantly reduced.

A follow on from the first point really. Although the Spuds will have the resources to challenge for the EPL title, the likes of United, City and Chelsea also do. So it could come down to the wire once again next season and if Wenger does not make the right signings we could be the team finishing 5th behind Tottenham. So in addition to Spurs finishing above us (which they have not done for 18 years), we could also end up in the Europa League. From that point we could go on a downwards spiral like Liverpool.

3) Winning the other domestic competitions i.e. FA Cup & League Cup would be even harder.

Spurs have always been a good cup team winning the FA Cup 8 times and the League Cup 4 times. Spurs have always been more of a cup team than a league team as they struggle with consistency and with the right squad they will have a very good chance of getting to the latter stages of the cups (semi-finals and finals) and may well knock us out in the process. They would also be able to field strong teams in the cups as well as the league due to the addition of more quality players.

Spurs may well become title contenders, be able challenge for the FA and League cups and definitely be in the running for one of the Champions League spots, as they would now have the quality and strength in depth to sustain any success/form.

However, there is another way to look at it. The loss of Bale and Spurs getting a substantial amount of cash as a result, could actually leave Spurs in a worse off position than had Bale stayed. This is the second scenario.

With Bale gone, Tottenham would have to look to bring in one or two quality attacking players to replace the firepower of Bale, as well as maybe purchasing players in other positions. But this could prove to be very difficult for Tottenham when they actually try to do this, for a number of reasons:

1) Lack of top quality players left on the market

Most of the top quality players who Spurs would be looking to sign, to replace Bale and/or add depth to other areas of the squad that need strengthening will be unavailable. These players will either have already moved clubs, signed a new contract with their existing club (dedicating themselves to their current club) or just will not be for sale at any price.

2) No Champions League football

This is perhaps the biggest stumbling block Tottenham will hit when trying to sign top quality players. Spurs are not in the CL and therefore cannot offer the (very important) prospect of playing CL football which is vital in attracting the top quality players they would need to replace Bale. AVB would also not be able to offer ‘playing with Bale’ as an incentive either which is how they persuaded Paulinho to join them. Paulinho was given assurances that Bale would not leave Tottenham.

They would find it very hard to be able to get this caliber of player to buy into their project (qualifying for the CL and eventually challenging for and winning trophies every season) as Bale who is the biggest, most important and the key man of the project has left the club. If he did not believe in the project, why would these players.

Players can of course be persuaded to join clubs who are not in the CL, by the club paying the players huge wages. Just look at Monoco. They have signed the likes of Radamel Falcao, João Moutinho, James Rodríguez, Ricardo Carvalho, Éric Abidal and Jérémy Toulalan but the problem is Tottenham just cannot pay those sort of high wages needed to persuade top players (who may be motivated by money as well as success) to join their club.

3) Lack of time to bring in quality replacements

We all know that Spud’s chairman Daniel Levy drives a hard bargain and is one of the best around when it comes to getting the best deal possible for players who want to leave Tottenham. The problem here is that while the deal is being dragged out and Levy is waiting for an offer that is right for him to sell, the very few top quality players who are still available and the even fewer amount of players who are willing to join Tottenham, even though they cannot offer CL football is getting even smaller. This could lead to Levy having to panic buy and bring in average players as last minute replacements close to (or even on) deadline day or may even bring in no replacement(s).

4) Inflation on price of transfer targets

It will be known to the world that Daniel Levy and AVB will have millions to spend after the sale of Bale and more importantly they will be looking to spend it. Clubs who Spurs are looking to buy from will most likely inflate the prices for their players, in order to get the best deal possible, knowing that Spurs have money to spend. This could eventually lead to Levy and AVB having to give up their pursuit of trying to sign top quality players and instead paying over the odds to bring in average players or again bring in no replacement.

Points 1 and 4 (possibly in the case of Higuain) apply to us as well. Even though we can offer CL football to players, we are struggling to acquire the top quality players we need to push for the title (put a genuine title challenge in) because a lot of the top players are either unavailable, happy at the club they are currently at or would rather go to a club that is in a better position than ourselves right now. A club that is regularly challenging for titles as well as winning them. If we are finding it hard to attract top quality players even though we can offer CL football, imagine how hard Spurs will find it.

So in fact there is a very good chance that the Spuds would not be able to replace the quality of Bale for the reasons mentioned above.

If this scenario was to become reality, how would Arsenal be affected?

Well the answer to this question is very simple. Even with the additions of Chadli, Paulinho, maybe Soldado and another defender, Tottenham would find it very difficult to finish in the top four regardless of whether we make any signings or not. While they will be more solid defensively and concede less goals with the signing of Paulinho and Sandro returning from injury, the likes of Soldado and Chadli will not be able to replace the quality of Bale. Bale was Tottenham’s leading goal scorer with 21 league goals. He created a lot of these goals by himself and a fair bunch were wonder goals. So Tottenham would have to improve their overall team play i.e creating chances and breaking down the opposition, if the team (as a whole) are going to score anywhere near the amount of goals Bale scored last season. The problem is Tottenham are not blessed with goal scorers so they will struggle achieve this.

So we would almost be guaranteed 4th place again if were to make the right signings and could be genuine title contenders. With Arsene fielding more experienced teams in the domestic cups we would also stand a very good chance of winning a cup.

In conclusion I feel the sale of Bale to Real will lead to the second scenario becoming reality. The second scenario represents the reality of the modern transfer market, where they are twists and turns at every corner and if Bale goes to Real Madrid we should have nothing to worry about.

Although, Spurs have already acquired Chadli, Paulinho and are close to signing Soldado, by selling Bale to Real Madrid they will be taking one step forward and two steps back, in my opinion.

This transfer window we will be looking to add quality players to our current squad, which will compliment our current quality players i.e. Santi Cazorla, Wilshere, Walcott, Koscielny etc, meanwhile Tottenham will be looking to replace their best player and rebuild their team before the start new season which is only a few weeks away.

Good luck!

Would Bale going to Real Madrid improve our chances of winning/competing for trophies?

Which scenario (out of the two) will become reality for Tottenham if/when Bale goes to Real Madrid?

Written by: AFC

A special thanks to Aman who suggested such a post be written on Bergkampesque.

What to do with Nicklas Bendtner?

July 31, 2013TotalArsenal

One of the most intriguing footballers is without any doubt, Nicklas Bendtner. The tall Dane is a footballer with a decent amount of talent, and what appears to be a boundless amount of confidence. I say appears to be, as the few highly confident people I know don’t seem to need to tell everybody in the world how great they are (going to be); and I have a feeling that deep down he is not that confident at all. It is all show with Nicklas Bendtner.

But he somehow convinced Wenger, and many others, of his great potential. Arsene gave him a number of chances to deliver on his self-proclaimed imminent greatness. In between ’07-’10, NB52 played 81 league games for Arsenal in which he scored just 20 goals: 0.25 goals per game. In the following three season, he played only 54 games – for Arsenal, Sunderland and Juventus – hitting the net on the inside a meagre ten times.

Bendtner is now 25 and looks totally lost. Life seems to have become unbearably light for him. He is still under contract with Arsenal and, as a result, draws a large weekly salary; and there is nothing for him to worry about. If he had any ambition, any drive, he would already have signed somewhere else, where he can put his sleeves up and works his socks off to somehow get back to playing proper football again.

Instead, he smells the place out like Sunday morning Danish Blue leftovers. A few clubs have put their neck out and tried to sign him this summer, so it appears. But every time his bloated ego, adorned by his preposterous wage demands, stands in the way from giving his football career another go. The man truly does not know any humility and neither does he have any real sense how lucky he is to have made it into the top echelon of football.

After his loan fiascos at Sunderland, and especially at Juventus, only very few clubs will be tempted to sign him up on loan again this season. But I cannot see him move anywhere, and I reckon the Malaga rumours will remain just that.

He has got 11 months left on his contract, and he clearly has made no attempt whatsoever to fight for his a place at Arsenal. So, what is going to happen next with Nicklas Bendtner?

His one saving grace is his international career for Denmark. There still will be clubs out there who will want to take the gamble on him, but it is highly unlikely the haughty Dane will consider them anywhere near good enough for him.

I reckon, if he is not sold or gone on loan before the TW has finished, Arsene should give him ball collecting duties for the squad for the remainder of his contract.

But what would you like to do with our Great Dane?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

What positions do Arsenal REALLY need cover in?

July 30, 2013July 31, 2013TotalArsenal

With only about a month to go in the TW, many supporters are complaining about the lack of signings. But what positions do Arsenal really need cover in?

In my opinion, every top club should have at least two players in every position, and sometimes more depending on the formation and the players. This means at least 22 different players and not just 18 or 19 with some versatile players that can play multiple positions. So let’s take a look at Arsenal’s current squad and see where players should be brought in. The blank spots will be spots where we’re missing players.

(Note: Gervinho is being left out assuming he really is leaving and Diaby is left out due to his injury concerns.)

So to recap, we need players in the following positions: CB and DM, and we could use players in the LW and ST spots to improve on our still growing young players (Miyaichi and Sanogo). You could also argue that we need another DM, CAM, and RB to soon replace our older players that are nearing retirement (Arteta, Rosicky, and Sagna).

There are a few options for the club here. They can either:

Buy a player in all of those positions.
Move Sagna permanently to CB and buy a CAM, two DMs, two RBs, LW, and ST.
Move Ramsey permanently to DM and buy a CAM, DM, CM (box to box), CB, RB, LW, and ST.
Other position switches, including, but not limited to, Verm to DM, Sagna to DM, etc.

Option 1 is arguably the best because it involves no tough position changes for our current players, but if the club doesn’t have the money for certain players in different positions then 2, 3, or 4 could allow us to bring in all the players necessary.

Don’t forget that Arsenal are famous for bringing in many players late (Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Chu Young Park, and Mikel Arteta were all brought in very, very late in summer 2011), and it’s highly likely that Arsenal will bring in a good number of players late in the window to replace the players that have left us thus far.

Because this has been a short post I’ll leave some questions to stimulate discussion:

1) What positions do you think we need players in?

2) Who would you buy?

3) Who would you promote from within?

4) What would they cost?

5) Will Arsenal buy them before the end of the window?

Thanks for reading! 😀

Written by: Dylan.

Please note: BK is doing its own fantasy football league this season: BK BOING! FF LEAGUE. To find out more and participate, click on:

https://bergkampesque.com/bk-boing-ff-league/

We will also continue with the UMF League next season. More info to follow.

Thoughts on Arsenal after watching Dortmund v Bayern

July 28, 2013July 28, 2013TotalArsenal

I watched the Dortmund – Bayern German ‘Super Cup’ game yesterday to see how they would get on and what sort of system of football they would play. If anything, it proved to me once more that both managers and football systems are equally important as (the quality of the) players. I also wanted to see how their systems of football compared to what we have seen from Arsenal this early season, albeit against weaker opposition.

Dortmund were deserved 4-2 winners, as they played the better football throughout the game, except for a couple of short spells when Bayern were able to assert some pressure on them. Dortmund played very similar football to us, operating as a solid unit in front of their back-four and turning from defence into attack in a flash, with quick balls over the top for Lewandowski or, the once again very impressive, Reus to capitalise on – they should have been 3-0 up after just twenty minutes played.

When Die Borussen had the ball in front of the Bayern box they were able to play the passing triangles to pick holes in a surprisingly weak Lederhosen defence, and get themselves into fine scoring positions.

Bayern were less comfortable in controlling the game by playing the ball round in order to create well thought-through attacks, and they were also sluggish in their turn-arounds most of the time. They really missed Schweinsteiger to help them control midfield; the not fully fit German only came on when it was already too late.

Bayern seemed to be playing in a 4-1-4-1 formation which is a reflection of Guardiola’s desire to keep the ball as much as possible in the opposition’s half. But, to his agitation, his players did not work hard enough, and the Dortmund midfielders were very good at keeping the ball and passing their way through Bayern’s midfield with relative ease.

They did not seem to miss their own traitor, Gotze, much as Gündoğan took over from him almost seamlessly. This is once again proof how good a manager Klopp is, who focuses on the system of football he wants to play and then fits players into it, rather than the other way around.

It was also interesting to see that most goals were instigated from the wing, and how much havoc was created in both Bayern and Dortmund’s defence from these areas in general. Good wing play, whether from the wingers or the full backs, is absolutely essential, and both German teams are very well equipped in these areas.

Comparing Arsenal with both of last season’s CL finalists, I can confidently say that our system of football is pretty similar to that of Dortmund.

In the last four games, we have seen a pattern of:

Playing relatively compact at the back with two DM keeping everything tight and organised;
Quick turn-arounds from defence to attack with balls over the top as well as diagonal balls to launch a winger from our own half (mostly Theo).
Better organised in defence, with Mertesacker leading it and both Koz and Sagna playing good too;
Good use of the wings with mostly ‘proper wingers’ using speed and skill to get behind defences;
Good, intricate and patient passing of the ball whilst trying to find a deadly opening when playing in and around the opposition’s box;
Being very direct when chances occur, having led to us scoring a lot of goals in pre-season.

I really like what I saw from Arsenal until now and it shows what Arsene and Steve can do with this team when they can have, and keep, them together. We now need to see how our team will hold out against tougher competition and we will have ample opportunity to test this in the next two weeks.

Although I would be delighted to add a super quality player to the squad this summer – especially somebody who won the CL recently would be very good to add – I am just as keen to get solid back-up for the likes of Arteta, Mertesacker (or Sagna if he is to become our fourth choice CB), Giroud and possible Szczesny, although Fabianski has been doing more than okay until now.

This, rather than the signing of three or more world-class players as so many seem to want, is key; and I am confident it will happen this summer.

If we can strengthen our spine and add one quality attacker, Arsenal could go far this summer, and I don’t think we would be far away from Europe’s club finalists at all.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Could we live with Cesc going to MU, if Rooney came to Arsenal?

July 24, 2013July 24, 2013TotalArsenal

This Torture Window is just not getting any easier for us Gooners. How many headlines did we read recently telling us Higuain to Arsenal was a done deal? Now it appears he is off to Napoli. Then there is our pursuit of Suarez which still feels not real or genuine to me, but that is just a gut feeling.

The best news we could hear is the return of Cesc Fabregas to his real home of football. Again, my gut-feeling is telling me this will not happen, at least not this summer. The only reason I can see it happen, is if Barcelona need the money and/or the new manager does not see a regular first-team future for our ex-captain.

The Torture Window does, however, continue to pain us with links about the Mancs making offers for our former midfield maestro. Seeing Van Judas in a Manc shirt is hardly bearable, but seeing Cesc in it would be too much. I have no doubt the supporters’ backlash would be immeasurable if that were to happen.

But what if we were to get Rooney and the Mancs got Fabregas, in some sort of gentlemen’s agreement between Barca, MU and Arsenal?

Barca sell Cesc to the Mancs for say £50m and Arsenal get Rooney for say £40m. Barca get £25m – but apparently they still owe us money for the Cesc deal, so in effect it will be less; we get the other £25m from Barca as per a clause in the sales contract of the Catalan, and possibly even more; the Mancs lose £50m but get their missing midfield maestro; and we get Rooney to play in the ‘hole’ position, or as our main striker, without having to dig deep in our cash reserves.

Now let’s assume Rooney would be keen to come and join us, which is by no means a given, and we would be able to accommodate his enormous salary, and justify it to our other key players somehow; could we accept such a ‘swap deal’?

Leaving the morale issues aside for a moment, the other key question is, would Rooney strengthen our team more than Cesc would strengthen the Mancs? Do Arsenal most of all need an AM for which Cesc is the ideal candidate, or are we missing a number 10 attacker, for which Rooney is the ideal candidate?

Or should Arsenal do everything to get Fabregas back and use a considerable sum of its £70 transfer fund to do so?

These are the hypothetical questions I would like to put you, fine fellow Gooners!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

The one player who will make all the difference this season

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013TotalArsenal

Arsenal continue to be linked with all sorts of so called super-quality players, who can hit the ground running, and hopefully, add a different dimension to our team.

We definitely could do with a spark, a bit of magic in our team, a big BOING as Glic would have it – especially in midfield: an AM who can conduct our play, score goals and produce plenty of assists.

Others feel what we really need is a super quality striker who can bag 20+ PL goals next season, and/or make other attackers a lot more effective.

Many feel we can only make real progress if Arsenal buy an AM and ST of the highest quality, and this might well happen this summer.

Most of us expect any additional spark to have to come from outside the club but, as every season has its own surprises, could it be that Wenger is getting one player from the current squad ready to do add that extra dimension, the new spark, the talent that will move us forwards to the next level?

And what if he is banking, or should I say gambling, not on one but two players to do just that?

We might get a back-up CB, PL experienced back-up GK, and hopefully a beast of a DM (with additional football skills) to strengthen the ‘back-seven’: GK, back four and double DM-pivot. This will enable us to remain solid defensively throughout the season. But the spark/extra dimension is likely to come from the (predominantly) attacking four: the AM and three front men – assuming Arsene will continue with our 4-2-1-3 formation. Although, I should add the b2b midfielder will also play a crucial role.

In Pod, Giroud and Cazorla we have players who can do their job really well, and as they are all entering their second season in the PL and are in the very best years of a footballer’s career, more can be expected of them. Maybe, it will be one of them who will bring that bit of extra dimension next season. Cazorla has definitely come a long way in providing it for us last season.

There could be an unexpected semi-spark/dimension from one of the youngsters: Yaya Sanogo, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Ryo, etc. You just never know!

But I am going to go for at least one, if not two, of the super talents of Theo, Ox and Jack. A fully fit Jack will make a tremendous difference this season; Theo is likely to progress further as a winger/striker and might reach that extra-dimension level; but my hard cash is on the Ox.

There is something about the body language of AOC that makes me think he is ready for the big stage. Our number 15 will become twenty years old two days before the start of the new PL season, and I reckon this will be his breakthrough year. There is something about his posture, his facial expressions, and his general demeanour that makes me think he will be the one this season. It is just a gut-feeling, but my gut is feeling good! 🙂

The Ox: ready to add the extra spark next season?

I am still hoping we add some extra-spark from outside this summer, and I am sure we will, but we might (also) get a lot of fun from a guy we have been developing to start firing from all cylinders on the biggest stage: I reckon the Ox has sharpened his horns now and is ready to take on the world.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Torture Window: Should Arsenal rethink their Transfer Policy?

July 21, 2013July 21, 2013TotalArsenal

Arsenal is one of the, if not the most, frustrating clubs to support when it comes to transfers. This is something that is not at all hinged on our financial position all the time, as is becoming clear during this transfer window.

Admittedly I do not know the nitty-gritty of how transfers work in terms of who plays what role or the actual process of a transfer (except the aspects that we are all familiar with), however, I do know a few things. The club has scouts who identify potential targets (a job that is mostly done by Wenger when a top player is in question). I also know that Wenger has complete control over who we sign and how much money is spent, with the exception of a scenario where it is a big money transfer in which case the board must sanction the release of these funds. Finally, I know that Dick Law heads the team that negotiates transfer fees and contracts once a player is identified and Wenger gives the go ahead to chase him.

That said, it is obvious that there is something that throws a spanner in the works in every transfer that has even the slightest complication. I recently read an article that suggested that the main reason why Arsenal transfers are so complicated is because Arsene Wenger is notoriously indecisive. I am inclined to believe them. When Arsenal were chasing Juan Mata, the transfer had reached a point where Arsenal and Valencia had agreed a fee of 17 million pounds, and all that was left was for the club to sit down with Mata and agree contractual logistics. However Wenger changed his mind and dilly-dallied allowing Chelsea to swoop.

I know this for a fact, because months later (after he had signed for Chelsea) Mata was asked about the transfer to Arsenal and he said that he didn’t know what happened because as far as he was concerned, he was hours away from being a Gunner. He explained that once Valencia allowed him to talk to us, he waited by the phone for Arsene’s call to arrange contractual negotiations; a call that never came.

More or less the same thing happened with Yann M’vila where everything was agreed only for Arsene to change his mind citing disciplinary concerns. Given that Wenger is notoriously private about transfers, those are the only two examples I can give but I am sure they aren’t the only ones. This gives an indication that Wenger tends to over think every single detail to a point that it begins to work against us. Maybe it would be more beneficial if, at the beginning of a window, Arsene would give his wish-list and lets the club pursue them.

Another fault that we have during transfers is that apparently we can’t multitask. Let me explain. Right now we are chasing a striker, a DM, a keeper and a defender. We even have names of players that we would like to see fill those positions. However for the past 2 months we have been firmly fixated on bringing in a striker (Higuain and (or) Suarez to be precise) and for the time being, have put these other positions on the back burner.

Real Madrid have put us in this position by employing dirty tactics as they keep raising Higuain’s price but still, while we wait for that to pan out, we could have signed Wanyama and Cesar already. Wanyama told me personally that he waited for us to make a move until it reached a point where he wasn’t sure whether we were interested anymore, so he moved to Southampton instead.

Cesar is trying his best to hold off any transfer while he waits for us to make our minds up but that will only last for so long.

Think of it this way: yes, Real have really stalled our plans to bring in a striker but that shouldn’t affect other transfers. Southampton completed the Wanyama transfer in half a week. Given the current circumstances, it would take even less time to sign Cesar. It was reported that Fellaini is willing to join us and is waiting for us to open negotiations. Ideally, by now we should have most if not all other target transfers tied in a bow and then focus our efforts on the complicated ones, which is bringing in the strikers, not the other way round.

The more we wait the more of our targets get snapped up and derail our plans further leading to the famous last minute deals which more often than not backfire.

Maybe a change of tact is what we need, so as to eliminate these sleepless nights we Gooners spend monitoring transfer stories to see if Wenger will come good on his promises. Oh what it is to be a gooner!!!

Written by: Marcus

If Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky and Arteta score 20 PL goals Arsenal will win the league

July 18, 2013TotalArsenal

No need to worry about defence or attack, the key area in need of progress lays in midfield!

It is only early days, but those first two friendlies are showing us we might be okay with scoring goals this season. I have argued in a recent post it is quite likely that Giroud, Podolski and Theo will score significantly more goals next season. The first two have now settled in the PL and are entering their very best years, and our young English winger/striker is getting better and more productive every season.

If Cazorla can equal his PL goal scoring tally of last season, then between the four of him, Pod, Giroud and Theo they could score in excess of 60 goals next season (compared to 48 last season). I am going to make a statement by saying we will be fine up-front next season and there is no need to buy a superstar striker.

If we can get a top, top established striker who is PASSIONATE to come and join Arsenal this season then let’s go for him. But I don’t get the feeling Higuain, Rooney or Suarez have Arsenal on top of their wish lists, and if so, I don’t want them; they can sod off.

However, we DO need back up: one or two players who can come off the bench, or start the occasional game, and can hit the ground running. A Michu, Demba Ba or Benteke would do fine for us.

I am also happy with our defence now, although I would welcome a fourth CB as, unfortunately, Miquel does not look ready yet.

The key really lays in midfield. We have fantastic footballers, and if one day they all manage to be fit, we’ll have one of the best midfields in the country.

I have little doubt that Arsene will continue with his double-DM pivot of Arteta and Ramsey. I really want us to buy a ‘beast’/classical DM who can play a bit of footie too, and this might still happen, but it is more likely we will get somebody who can be back up to the Spaniard and Welshman.

With Le Coq out on loan, Diaby out injured and Frimpong’s future uncertain we are light in this area. Wilshere can play in the double-DM pivot, but other than him, Arsenal have no quality defence-minded midfielders available. Unless, of course, Arsene will move Vermaelen or Sagna in midfield if and when required.

But let’s say we will be a bit lucky with injuries next season and even see one of the youngsters step up from time to time; let’s say we will be fine in midfield from a defensive point of view so we can focus on another key requirement for our midfield.

The bigger question is who is going to score goals from midfield next season?

If we take out Arteta’s penalty goals, Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky and Arteta scored less than 5 PL goals between them last season! Luckily, Cazorla scored plenty – 12 PL goals in total – but he was often deployed more as an attacker than a midfielder.

We need more goals from our central midfielders and it is hard to tell whether we’ll see progress next season.

Arteta and Rosicky are not getting any younger and the former is deployed too deep to get himself in scoring positions often enough, whilst the latter lacks consistency in terms of finishing chances.

Will we get more goals from Wilshere and Ramsey next season? Well, if they are going to make it at Arsenal, we will need to see goals from both of them more regularly now.

I reckon, if Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey and Wilshere (and maybe Diaby in the second part of the season, and Eisfeld if given a proper chance now) can score twenty goals between them, Arsenal will win the PL next season.

Our defence and attack will continue and further improve from last season’s performances; I have little doubt about that.

But will our midfield be able to deliver 20 PL goals without us buying one or two experienced, quality mid-twenties midfield players who can hit the ground running and score goals regularly?

That my Gooner friends, is the question I am putting to you tonight! 🙂

Written by Total Arsenal.

Please note, I am considering Ox as an attacker rather than a central midfielder, but this could change next season.

What if Arsenal bought no one in the next 4 years?

July 16, 2013July 16, 2013TotalArsenal

So, here’s an interesting scenario: what if the Premier League added a new rule to their rule book, and that rule disallowed any transfers of any kind?

All players had to be homegrown. This would remove the problem of big spending clubs buying all the talent, and it would remove the Torture Window entirely!

Now, obviously this will never happen, but it’s a good question to ask in order to evaluate the quality of your squad’s current youth players. So how would Arsenal fare in this environment? Let’s take a look at Arsenal in four years’ time, with no ins or outs. Based on potential and our current players, I’d guess our starting line-up would look something like this:

Right away some people are probably asking where Mertesacker has gone. In four years Per will be 32. Many centre backs are able to play at least a few years into their 30s, however, Per isn’t the quickest or most mobile of players. I’d guess that in four years he’ll be too slow to be able to play effectively.

Others may ask where Santi is. In four years Santi will also be 32. In past years Arsenal haven’t made a habit of keeping players for very long over the age of 30. Arsenal are even offering Sagna, who is one of the best right backs in the world, only one more year on his contract because he is already 30. So I’m going to assume Santi will not still be around at 32, but it is entirely possible.

One final bit of confusion may be the position that I see Ox playing in in four years’ time. He is in the position Ramsey plays in our line-up currently. Ox played this position, and played it very well, on the final day of last season at Newcastle. Many think Ox will be groomed for the CAM position, but with the talent of Eisfeld, Olsson, and Zelalem coming up in that spot, I believe Wenger will groom Ox for a position slightly farther back in our formation, to allow these three youth players to take their spot in our squad.

I think the rest of the line-up is fairly obvious. Giroud will only be 30, but like Per, isn’t very mobile now and likely won’t become much more mobile at age 30. And following the over 30 rule, Gervinho and Poldi may not be there either. So I accounted for a team without those players, even though it’s possible they still will be part of the first team.

However, these 11 players alone are not a full squad. A full squad almost always has a full backup 11. So here’s what I imagine our backups will look like:

I will quickly address the blanks in the formation. The blanks are positions I feel that we don’t have any youth players for good enough to fill in the future; meaning we need to buy youth players in those positions to back up our current players. The was kind of proven by Aneke playing CB in our latest friendly, but to be fair, we have plenty of torture windows to fill these spots in the next four years.

The only questionable spot in this line-up (in my eyes) is Joel Campbell at striker. However, I’ve heard he’s better in a striker position than on the wing, and seeing that Akpom will still only be 21 at this time, I’m going to guess Campbell would take this spot.

Overall, I’m going to say that Arsenal would have a fairly strong squad if the Torture Windows were removed entirely, maybe a little light in defense but not bad. Of course it’s highly unlikely that Arsenal won’t have any ins or outs over the next four years (*insert joke about Arsenal’s lack of spending here*), but it’s nice to look at how bright the future is even without the likes of Higuain, Suarez, Fellaini, or anyone coming in.

For now I’ll leave you with some questions:

What would your Starting-11 and Bench look like in 4 years with no transfers?
Do you think Arsenal will reverse their policy on over 30 year olds not getting extended stays at the club?
Do you think Zelalem will follow in Jack’s/Cesc’s footsteps? (Meaning making a few senior appearances this year, at age 16. Then taking a regular first team spot at 18 and becoming the center of our team around age 20.)

Thank you all for reading my maiden post. Especially thanks to 17HT, TA, and JB for encouraging me to write a post. And double thanks to TA for suggesting what I should write about (even if I changed it a little). 😀

I look forward to hearing feedback on my first post, so I can improve on my posts in the future. Cheers! 🙂

Written by: Dylan.

Higuain up-front, Suarez and Theo on the wings, Jack and Santi behind him: my dream!

July 15, 2013July 15, 2013TotalArsenal

As always, I am going to pick a piece of transfer news that has been doing the rounds and analyze it a little. I’m sure you’ve all heard the Suarez rumours, and Wenger’s conspicuous failure to rule them out, will most definitely fuel them even further over the next few weeks. I expect him to have done a few medicals (like Higuain did) by the time August checks in. Jokes aside, though, I’d like to have a keen look at Luis Suarez as a player, and where he would fit in our line up.

The name Luis Suarez is synonymous with controversy. I mean with his deliberate hand balls, diving, and poorly thought out rants on the media, and most recently biting, it is easy to see why he is one of the most hated players in world football.

I can tell you for a fact that Africa hasn’t forgiven him for his handball in the 2010 world cup against Ghana in the quarter finals that denied them the goal that would have sent them into the last four (and probably will not for a very long time) . One thing is sure; Suarez is an unpredictable and very volatile character which makes him a massive risk to take. You do not need to look past his current 10 game ban in the EPL for biting Chelsea’s Ivanovic to see my point. I mean seriously, who does that?

That said, you can not question his talent, skill, ability and commitment on the field. In fact I’m going to play devils advocate for a minute here and say that all these antics of his stem from his desire to win.

If you think about it, his handball against Ghana sent Uruguay into the semi’s. Had that ball gone in, Uruguay were out. His diving have led many times to penalties being awarded and goals being scored. I’m not saying that these are good things; I’m just saying that his hunger for success is there for all to see. That is a character you want in your line up. Then there is his loads and loads and truck loads of talent and skill. There are few forwards as skilled as he is in the EPL, if any. He scores all kinds of goals, makes plenty of assists and is an all round, fantastic player.

Now comes the part where I look at him in the context of Arsenal football club. The first thing that I have to point out is that Suarez is not the out and out forward we are looking for. He is not at all a target man rather plays best alongside one. Most of his goals last season were scored at an angle because he spends a lot of his time on the flanks. He is one of the most effectively mobile players I’ve seen in world football. His body size also hinders him from being the kind of out and out striker Drogba was. However this means nothing. Suarez would most probably have been the golden boot holder had he not been given his ban.

Right now, Arsenal need a proper centre forward, and Higuain is still my first choice. I have however been campaigning for us to acquire a player to complete that attacking trio upfront with Jovetic being my preference. That is of course before Wenger called Suarez a ”realistic target” a couple of days ago.

Suarez is 26, at the peak of his powers. He showed last season that he is the best scorer in the league. He is fast, skilful, an absolutely fantastic passer (and crosser) of the ball. His acquisition would translate to instant goals, plain and simple. In fact I’ll argue and say if he could achieve what he did at Liverpool, imagine his output when played alongside Wilshere and Santi. Ideally we are talking 30+ goals a season.

To conclude this brief post I am going to tie everything I’ve said together. Suarez has already come out and called us out by name as a big club. He has shown that he wouldn’t mind playing for us at all. He would cost a whopping 35-40 million pounds. Reports suggest that we’ve had a 30 million offer rejected. IF this is true then we ARE capable of getting him. It would just take selling Gervinho (who is currently in the middle of a bidding war between Roma and Marseille) for anywhere between 8-10 million, and we are home and dry.

Therefore, Arsenal should first and foremost complete this Higuain transfer that has made me grow grey hairs at my tender age. He should be the one leading the line next season. Then, acquire Suarez (if we can) who would play to the left of Higuain. This would mean that Higuain would be our centre forward, flanked by Walcott and Suarez. Behind them Wilshere, Santi and a new DM.

This is ambitious; I know, but bear with me. This is a Champions League contending if not winning team. It would INSTANTLY give us the best attack in the EPL and with the acquisition of a proper DM, one of the best (if not the best) midfield. Suarez would need some work on his volatility but to me he is a risk worth taking. I mean we would blow other teams out of the water (I’m even getting excited thinking about it).

Realistically speaking though, given Arsene’s comment I would rate the rumour at 5/10 and the chance of it actually happening at 3/10.

But a gooner can dream, cant he?

Written by: Marcus.