Transfers – Page 8 – Bergkampesque

Suarez? Rooney? What message is Arsenal trying to send?!

July 12, 2013July 12, 2013TotalArsenal

Gooners are desperately hoping for some solid news, the signing of class players. We need more than “Fellaini is at the disco with Arteta,” or “Higuain is in AN Airport.” In the meantime, equally “reputable” reports have suggested that Arsenal have made bids of £30 (and/or £35) for Luis Suarez and, a couple of weeks back, £20 Million for Wayne Rooney. What do these two players have in common?

Some would say they’re both world class forwards who would instantly make Arsenal into title challengers. Others would argue that they are both troubled players whose teams are willing (if not desperate) to get rid of them. Without going into the litany of the troubles Suarez and Rooney have brought upon themselves (and their teams…), I think it’s very interesting that Arsenal have inserted themselves into the “bidding process” (for want of a better term), or at least made a little noise about these players. I believe there’s a dual strategy at work. On the one hand it’s all about our own tangentially related transfer targets. On the other, it’s a continuing public relations strategy to divide (and ultimately conquer) Arsenal supporters.

The first half of the equation is the one which concerns most of us—for the moment at least. We’re all desperate for an improvement to the squad. Last season, though we met “minimum” requirements by getting up for the final CL place, it was at the expense of pleasing (attacking) football and by the skin of our teeth. That we had to clear our schedule with depressing exits from the cup competitions was likely necessary but a further indication of our malaise. Now we need reinforcements. During the run-in we had trouble scoring. Many have called for a better #9, a real leader of the line, someone to fully replace and challenge the sort of contribution made by (Captain) Robin van Persie. Others want a ‘#10’ or a (real) replacement for the contributions of the previous Captain, Cesc Fabregas. Still others believe our troubles lie deeper, at the defensive mid-fielder position(s), where some have gone so far as to say that we need a single player who can do the work of the two (Ramsey and Arteta) we employed in this area down the stretch. Oh, wait, that would be me…

We’ve been heavily linked with Gonzolo Higuain of Real Madrid, and Marouane Fellaini of Everton. Before that there was a lot of talk about Stevan Jovetic of Fiorentina, who now appears headed to ManchesterCity. There have also been plenty of stories about the possible return of Cesc Fabregas and bids for Lars Bender. More recently we even appear in for older players like Gareth Barry.

The “links” to Suarez (and Rooney before him), however, seem really strange (to me at least). In recent years it’s always been about Chelsea and ManchesterCity when it comes to really expensive, successful players already playing in England. Torres to Chelsea (£50) is the big one, but the many playersCity have bought from Aston Villa (Milner, Barry) Everton (Lescott, Rodwell) and (mostly) Arsenal (Adebayor, Toure, Clichy, Nasri) has shown that the teams with bottomless pockets can afford to pay absurd amounts for players who may not make the grade.

During this same period, and in what we now know to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s final years, Manchester United was also willing to spend sizable amounts to plunder talent from other English teams (Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Robin van Persie, etc.)

Are Arsenal suddenly amongst the clubs that are willing to “take a punt” (for giant money) on players (with issues) who aren’t quite content at (or even blame their troubles on) their current (English) clubs?

I don’t think so. If we did, it would be a stunning turnabout and it would mark a sea-change from a risk-averse (penny-pinching?) financial strategy to a no-holds-barred, approach. Please keep in mind that salaries also come into play, and, in the case of Rooney, in particular, would almost certainly represent a bigger cost than the transfer fee itself.

It’s hard to make sense of things but we must remember how transfers really work. If a team wants a player the first thing that must happen is that they must be lured to the club; in paper-talk, their head must be turned. This is done by promising a good contract and a prominent role at the club. After that is in place, a deal must be worked with the player’s current club. Following the news this summer this would appear the process with Higuain. With Suarez (and Rooney) the process seems reversed. And, of course, there is endless background noise from agents with players looking for a move. Arsenal, a club touting our “money to spend” (“powder we have kept dry”) and a team under pressure for improved results, gets even more of these planted stories, the equivalent of a player giving us the wink.

No, what Arsenal are doing is playing a high-stakes game of chicken, inserting our nose into other people’s business. Gazidis’ not-so-cryptic comment, “We could (even) buy Rooney” puts pressure on United (and new manager, David Moyes) to work it out with the spread-eared one or declare him unwanted. Our “bids” for Suarez are broadsides at Real Madrid—Get your Uruguayan (biter, racist, cheater, but clearly the best from that country…) and give us our guy (Higuain) who needs to be a starter if he wants a role for his (bigger, more competitive Argentinian national team) at the South American World Cup next summer.

So we must wait. In the meantime, however, we stew and we argue and the support divides along lines that have been developing over these “desert” years (since the move to the new stadium which neatly coincides with our trophy drought). The typical divide is AKB (“Arsene Knows Best”) vs Realists/Doomers, those who can see that it’s been an inferior product on the pitch, year upon year. It’s also a divide between those willing to take some time for the club’s prudent financial policies to pan out (on the backs of high ticket prices) and those who want it all now—The Veruca Salts of the Arsenal support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATvCmYykV4

In addition there is a boardroom divide at Arsenal. Two thirds of ownership resides with “Silent” Stan Kroenke who (it appears) is supportive of the Wenger/Gazidis management team. Lurking in the background is (nearly) 30 percent man Alisher Usmanov, the Ukrainian Oligarch, who, many assume, would prioritize winning over the bottom line. Many supporters want the latter to take charge and get Arsenal the results we “deserve.” This group might best be characterized by the chant that went up (spontaneously) in the desultory final match 3 seasons (2 years) ago: “Spend some f*cking money.”

Indeed, there are many who want signings that show “intent.” To me this translates as “buy someone with proven ability no matter what the cost nor the risks with the players.” Often these same “supporters” suggest, with a smirk, that if Wenger is so good, he should be able to handle the “problems” associated with such players. Suarez and Rooney would seem to fit that bill. In my opinion, to get them, we will have to overspend relative to the combination of their talents and their problems, but that is subjective and my opinion only.

So, are we pandering to this branch of the support? I don’t believe that we are.

The real story, I think, is that Arsenal really aren’t interested in these players and instead are using statements of interest (and maybe even registering bids) to agitate other clubs so that the deal(s) we are after can happen (and happen as quickly as possible). Additionally, by polarizing support, it’s (another) high-stakes (hubris-laden?) attempt by current management to say “we know what we’re doing,” … “and if you were good, i.e., smart, supporters you would let us do it.” If I’m right, Wenger (and Gazidis?) is actually making misleading statements (aka “telling lies”) or maneuvering for less than obvious ends.

It is similar to what he does when he says a player is “injured,” when he means dropped. That sort of lying seems harmless or even worthwhile for protecting the confidence (ego) of the dropped players. Hints of “interest” or below market bids (which, if accepted, would be accompanied, one would guess, with low–easy to reject—personal terms) ratchets up the game significantly. Is Arsenal branding itself as the thinking man’s (and woman’s) club?; The Club that says one thing but means another, and the one where only the intelligent, calm and savvy (not to mention dedicated) can “truly” be supporters?

I’m curious to know what others think. To me it seems a fairly desperate gamble but one which may pay off. If we get the player(s) we’re after, win something (a lesser cup) and/or appear competitive in the bigger competitions (Champions’ League and Premier League), I would consider it a success. Wenger is getting old and the pressure on him is nearly unbearable. We haven’t lost a match since 3 March, but when (not if) we do, the calls for his head will begin anew. If those same “Wenger-Out” people believe that we should’ve spent the money on Suarez or Rooney, the anger will be even more intense.

Here’s to hoping our moves pan out, i.e., not Suarez and Rooney, and that we have enough success to keep the lynch-mob at bay.

Written by: 17highburyterrace

Suarez, Theo & Cazorla behind Giroud in a 4-2-3-1 formation?

July 10, 2013July 10, 2013TotalArsenal

I cannot believe Arsenal continue to be linked with Luis Suarez. Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker is a great footballer and would fit into Arsenal really well. He could play alone up-front, behind a big striker as our shadow striker or in a fluid-three in attack. Suarez has got drive and stamina, great first touch and he is a good passer of the ball, he has an eye for an assist and is very, very attack-minded. His goal scoring record is simply fantastic: he scored 81 goals in 110 Eredivisie games for Ajax and 38 in 77 PL games for Liverpool, with 23 in just 33 games during last season.

We could play him in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-1-3 formation, and no doubt it would make us stronger up-front. Arsenal could continue with Giroud as our ‘holding striker’ – the pivot – upfront and the likes of Santi, Theo and Cazorla could form an awesome, fluid and multi-facetted attacking force around him. With Gervinho, Pod and Ox, Arsenal have three more attackers with whom Suarez could form very effective attacking partnerships in the above mentioned formations.

Arsenal could look like this:

But we all know that Suarez, the person, can be described as somewhere between a complex and unstable character. His repeated racist abuse of Evra, for which he was rightly severely punished, and bites into footballers’ body parts tell us he struggles with controlling himself on the pitch.

It is not extremely likely Suarez will make racist remarks on or off the pitch again, as he will have learned his lesson now, even though I don’t think he has much, if any, regrets about what he did. The latter will unlikely fit well with the club’s strong focus on inclusion and equality, on and off the pitch and in the community.

Suarez’s bite into Ivanovic’s arm this season was not without precedent, as he did the same to Otman Bakkal of PSV Eindhoven (shoulder) at the end of 2010. Clearly, Suarez is a player who sometimes suffers from red mist in front of him, leading to almost inexplicable behaviour which gets him, and the club he plays for, into enormous trouble.

I am a big believer that people, and that includes relatively life-inexperienced footballers, can better themselves and move upwards and onwards. But do we want a player who has shown little or no regret for his racist remarks against Evra and who continuous to perform vile, unacceptable conducts against opposition players at our club?

Under the guidance of Wenger and Bould (and maybe Dennis at some point 😛 ), there is a chance that Suarez would settle down a bit and only let his footie do the talking. But it is a big risk to take. The Uruguayan would cost Arsenal at least £35m and that excludes the big wages we would have to pay.

There remains a decent chance that Suarez will behave very badly again, and one more incident could be the final straw for his football career in England, and possibly the rest of Europe. He could bite an opposing player again, or one of our own players or a supporter. He could intentionally break another player’s leg, or head-butt a player or fan. And what if he gets involved in racial abuse, on or off the pitch, again?

Our club’s image would be tarnished and we could be stuck with an untenable situation and an unsalable player, which would come at a huge cost – in more than one sense.

I really cannot see Wenger being seriously interested in Suarez. It took him a long time to get rid of troublesome, disruptive players like Adebayor, Bendtner (still not gone), Nasri etc, and he has clearly been recruiting a different type of player (professional, well-behaved, highly driven and focussed) in the last couple of years.

Let’s hope Arsenal’s recent bid(s) for the Uruguayan are part of a wider strategy aimed at getting another key transfer target.

I say this, though, with some regret, as we can all see he would add great quality to our attack. But sometimes, we need to ignore the belly and listen to our hearts and brains. Suarez does not fit our values and he would be a big liability for the club. Some might say it is worth the gamble, but I beg to differ.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Arsenal best-11 players in 2013-14, if we had kept all Wenger Gems

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013TotalArsenal

The Torture Window has once again presented us with a few twists and turns. It looks like we will not get Higuain until RM have signed a marquee striker themselves this summer, and this could take a long time.

Los Blancos are still smarting from losing out on Neymar, and the Brazilian’s stellar performances during that made-up tournament last month, as well as Ronaldo’s comment that he wished Neymar had come to his current employer, will only have rubbed more salt into the wound.

They are under pressure from the fans to add new players to the squad, and there is little chance they will let Higuain go before they have contracted a top quality replacement. With Cavani almost certainly going to the Eifel Tower Oilers, they will struggle to find a player of the required calibre to help them beat Barcelona to the title next season. Their next target is likely to be a man with occasional cannibalistic tendencies, whom Arsenal happen to be interested in as well….or was that a smoke-screen? I certainly hope so…

It is all very tiring and who knows how it all will end this summer. Buying experienced, ready-to-go quality players from the top, and sub-top, European clubs is proving to be very hard.

What is also frustrating is that Arsenal could have been in a very different position right now. If we had only been able to keep hold of our star players over the last seven years and had added on average a new £15m player every year, we would have had a very strong team right now.

Arsene could have focussed this summer in getting an experienced GK as back-up for our young and promising Pole between poles, and buy one or two players to add depth to the squad. Job done!

The 2013-2014 Arsenal Team could have looked like this:

A great mixture of self-developed youth players/Wenger-gems and newly bought, experienced players. The seven added experienced/quality players over the last seven years are Mertesacker, Sagna, Koscielny, Cazorla, Podolski, Arteta and TV, and if we had also kept Song, Clichy and Nasri, and we add the likes of Ramsey, Ox, TV, Rosicky etc, we would have had not just a very strong first team, but a more than decent bench as well.

We all know that the club were not in a position to hold on to most of our top players over the last seven years. However, going forward, we appear to be in a strong position to both keep hold of our top players and add quality every year. All we need is patience…

But there appears to be now a lack of time and patience to allow Wenger to build another top quality team bottom upwards and by adding a few typical Wenger gems; and I believe that even Arsene himself does not have the patience any more, and possibly time, to do so.

So, it is all about adding a number of players who will add quality to the wider squad and Arsene’s first choice eleven, in order for us to properly compete for silverware next season.

Of course I welcome this, but the above first eleven and wider squad show us what sort of team we could have had right now.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Why not Wanyama?

July 8, 2013July 9, 2013TotalArsenal

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

How will Szczesny, Giroud and Arteta respond to Cesar, Higuain and Fellaini?

July 2, 2013July 2, 2013TotalArsenal

I read last night’s article in The Guardian, summarising our transfer window activities until now, with some interest.

Here is the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/01/arsenal-lars-bender-bayer-leverkusen

The Guardian seems to have a close relationship with the club’s media department, or certain insiders at the club, as in general, they do well with regards to predicting transfer movements from and to Arsenal. Therefore, it does not come as a big surprise to me that ‘Arsenal.com media watch’ decided to link-up with the article today.

It is basically a positive article, and although there are no direct quotes from anybody in the know at Arsenal, there is good reason for encouragement regarding our transfer activities this summer.

In summary, the article tells us that:

Arsene wants to strengthen his spine with a striker, central midfielder and experienced goalkeeper;
Higuain is set to join for £22k up-front;
The club is close to signing Júlio César for about £1.5m;
Our bid for Lars Bender was rejected as Leverkusen do not want to sell anymore players this summer;
We are interested in Fellaini and Dortmund’s Gündogan, but as the former’s £24m release clause (if sold to a CL club) expires in mid-August, the club appears to be playing a waiting game…;
Mannone has been sold to Sunderland for £2m (and Djourou has been loaned out for another 12 months – this time to Hamburg).

If at the end of the TW we will have signed a DM, a top striker and an experienced GK, and one or more very promising youngsters, I think it would be fair to say that most of us Gooners would be very pleased, providing that none of our key players is sold in the meantime.

But with these new arrivals, there comes the potential downside of disgruntled players.

How will Szczesny respond to the arrival of Cesar? The Brazilian stopper will only want to join us if he is to be our first choice GK, as he will want to ensure he stays fit and active, so he can remain the nation’s nr.1. Will Wojciech fight for his place and be patient enough, or see the writing on the wall and ask for a transfer….. And would that mean Fabianski stays and becomes our nr.2 GK?

How will Giroud respond to the arrival of a top class striker? I think he is a fighter and in some ways it might help him – less pressure to make us forget Van Judas on his own, for example; but will he accept sitting on the bench a lot? After all, he is at an age in which he needs to play a lot, especially if he wants to play for France in Brazil next summer…

How will the arrival of Fellaini, or another quality DM(type player) this summer, affect our current midfielders? What will it mean for the not-getting-any-younger Arteta, and/or our promising youngsters Ramsey and Wilshere?

What do you say, fine fellow Gooners?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Five Sporting Incentives for Rooney to Join Arsenal Now

July 1, 2013July 1, 2013TotalArsenal

Unlike the links with Jovetic, which seem to have disappeared completely now, we continue to be linked with Wayne Rooney. Apparently the club have made an offer for Rooney somewhere in the region of £20m, but I am not sure how much truth there is in this.

There are many Gooners who do not want us to sign Rooney: they say that he is ‘past it now’, does not fit with Arsenal’s values, or would simply cost too much / be on too high wages compared to the rest. When I spoke a Spud mate of mine about the desperate-for-hair Englishman possibly joining Arsenal this summer, he laughed and said ‘I really hope you get him, I really do’.

I have always been a reluctant admirer of Rooney-the-footballer. I like his drive, his physical strength, his technical skills, his football intelligence and, most of all, his winner’s mentality. His diving and occasional indiscipline, although the latter is less of an issue now, go against him, and he also seems to be mainly motivated by earning as much money as possible.

If the latter is really still the case, I don’t want him at Arsenal.

But if he is looking for a new opportunity to leave something behind once more, and become once again a pivotal player in a new team that is going places, Arsenal would be a great team for him right now.

What would be key for me is: he needs to have an intrinsic desire to come to Arsenal and win things with us. I have no doubt that Arsene would be the best judge of this, and if he was to go for Rooney, I am sure the Englishman would join us with the right motivation.

I cannot see it happen myself, as his wage demands are hard to meet; not necessarily financially, but more in terms of wage discrepancy between him and the rest of the squad, and the potential impact on team morale. I also much prefer Fabregas to return to us, or Jovetic to join us this summer.

But let’s say, for the sake of debate, that Arsenal will sort this out somehow; the question is then, what could be the sporting incentives for Rooney to join us?

Rooney would become the pivot of the team, and most likely positioned in the ‘hole-position’. Whether he would work with Giroud, Podolski or Higuain up-front there is little doubt in my mind our attack would become far deadlier. With Theo and Cazorla (or Pod) on the wings he would be able to add another attacking dimension to our play, as he can redistribute the ball and assist as well as he can convert chances himself. Very few other top teams would be able to offer him such a guaranteed, pivotal role.
As per above, Rooney would really enjoy himself in this free role: he would be able to display his full range of skills and, once again, get the recognition he is craving for. If playing proper football in which he can express himself to the full is what he is really after, Arsenal are his best option right now.
The five time PL, and one time CL, winner would be a great mentor to the rest of the team, and especially to our young, British core: Gibbs, Ox, Jack, Rambo, Jenkinson and Theo would all benefit from his experience and guidance on and off the pitch. If Rooney would crave for such a responsibility/role, Arsenal is his team.
One of the additional benefits of the third point is Rooney will be able to be directly part of what is likely going to be the very core of the England national team going forward. In the next few big tournaments, England’s (attacking) core will likely be built around Jack, Ox, Theo and Rooney (with likely gradual bigger roles for Jenkinson and Gibbs as well). It would be of great benefit to Rooney if he can work and play with these players in the same team week in week out. If he really craves for international success with England then moving to Arsenal would be a shrewd thing to do.
The captaincy role is up for grabs at Arsenal. TV5 is very likely not to continue as our captain, and it remains to be seen whether Arteta will remain as central to our team as he was during the last two seasons. If Arsene, and I realise this is a big IF, is convinced Rooney would come to Arsenal with the right mentality/motivation then Rooney would be a good choice for captaining the team.

I have to say, a part of me still feels uncomfortable with the possibility of Rooney joining our beloved Arsenal, but if he would really want to come for the reasons mentioned above, and Arsene would sanction it, I could see it work out really well.

What do you say, fine fellow Gooners?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Gazidis set out ambitious lines in June, but will he and Arsene deliver?

June 29, 2013June 29, 2013TotalArsenal

So June is almost over; without any doubt, the hardest month for those of us who are addicted to club football. Whilst still suffering from non-action cold turkey, we are straightaway bombarded with transfer gossip, both of players coming to us and some of our players wanting to leave.

The Terror/Torture Window officially opens on Monday 1^st July, and let’s hope we will move from being ‘close’ to signing players to actually reading ‘signature announcements’ on Arsenal.com anytime soon.

Seldom or never does the word ‘close’ get abused more than during the Transfer Window. Whole armies of journalists and blog writers rely on it for producing endless articles that attract thousands of hits. However close Arsenal appear to be to signing a player, it is seldom or never close enough for comfort. Only a few weeks ago, we were ‘very close to signing Jovetic’…. I rest my case!

I wrote in the last post that the TW is not for the faint-hearted and there will be many more twists and turns. We could end up disappointed or ‘totally over the moon’, and I have no doubt that Gazidis and Wenger are feeling the pressure to deliver. Although Arsenal have, apparently, a war chest of £70m or more, it will still find it hard to compete with those who have limitless funds and don’t live by normal capitalist financial principles, or sporting morals.

The club will also need to demonstrate to their transfer targets real ambition to move things up now – that we are ready to win silverware again. It is one thing to convince the likes of Giroud, Mertesacker and Podolski to come to Arsenal, but once we start to target players already playing for top clubs the ‘sales pitch’ will have to change, especially if we don’t want to attract the typical mercenaries.

Looking back at June, we can pull a few conclusions:

The club has made it clear it has entered a new phase now: there will be significant funds available for player purchases from now on: apparently as much as £70m every season;
Despite the press trying their best to tell us some of our players want to leave Arsenal, our boys have remained loyal to the club and kept a low profile since the season has finished;
We are continuously linked with a different, better calibre of players – so called Super Quality – this summer;
The club is trying to make space in the squad, by letting go of those players who are deemed as ‘surplus to requirement’.

In more than one way, the month of June has been one of over-promise: bigger funds available, no core players will leave, and the targeting of big, established players; and all of this on the basis that we are now (financially) ready to compete for silverware again. This is a very good, but risky, thing to do.

What’s been interesting, is that Gazidis has done most if not all of the talking – of setting out the strategic lines of the club – and this includes announcing that Wenger is expected to sign a new contract any time soon.

Yet, Arsene has been very quiet recently. Of course, he is on holiday at the moment and will resume his duties for the club any time soon – with the first friendly in just over two weeks. But it will be interesting to see what Arsene has to say when he returns from his leave.

The problem with over-promising – something we are not used to from Arsenal in recent years – is that expectations will soar accordingly. Now, I reckon Gazidis is a clever man, who knows all about the risk of over-promising. So, it must be part of a well thought-out strategy to convince all stakeholders, including we the fans, as well as our transfer targets, that the club is ready to make the final step up now.

During the next month, we will see to a large extent whether Gazidis and Wenger can deliver on their promises. Let’s hope they will.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

If Arsenal sign Higuain and Fellaini, Cesc will have to make the decision of his life!

June 28, 2013June 28, 2013TotalArsenal

Watching Spain’s game against Italy yesterday, I just could not understand why del Bosque did not start with Cesc, let alone bring him on as a substitute. Spain lacked their usual dominance in midfield and, especially in the first half, Italy produced a number of quick counterattacks which easily could have led to the Italians taking the lead. Had Balotelli played yesterday, the Italians would have been one, two or even three nil up at half time.

Spain did not maintain their usual high tempo, in terms of chasing the ball and passing it round, and no doubt Cesc would have led by example in order to turns things round for them. A year ago, Spain embarrassed the Italians in the final of the European Championship by utterly dominating them, but this time round they were never superior and could only beat them by just about being better at converting spot kicks.

Fabregas, would you believe it, is 26 now, and it looks like he is still playing third fiddle to Iniesta and Xavi. He is now entering the very best years of his career, and as he is everything but a mercenary, he will need to make a big decision about what to do next. Our former El Capitan is a romantic who not only wants to win silverware but also enter the realms of football immortality. If things continue as they have been going over the last few years, Cesc is not going to make it past the threshold.

Whoever is managing Barcelona next season, they are unlikely to give Cesc a dominant role in their team. Despite Xavi turning 34 in January next year, it is unlikely that he will be benched on a regular basis any time soon. With other talent coming through and new signings arriving – where, for example, will Naymar play next season? – Cesc could face another spell on the fringes of the team. And immortality is, unfortunately for him, not one of the fringe benefits.

I have always said Cesc went too early. I understand why he went two years ago, but it was nevertheless the wrong thing to do. He became a chairman’s gift to the fans, who maybe wanted him, but did not seem to love, or even need, him.

Now, I know we are all not sleeping comfortably at the moment, as we seem to be waiting for an eternity to see the Higuain signing confirmed. But Terry Mancini Hair Transplant’s mate has said it is a done deal, so he’ll be a Gunner anytime soon! 😀

These things take time, and it was obvious that the appointment of Ancelotti would be used to further increase the pressure on Arsenal to improve our final offer for the Argentine. However, I expect him to be announced as one of us by Monday or Tuesday.

I am also convinced we will get a high quality DM, who can play footie as well, this summer. The links with Fellaini remain reasonably strong, but who knows who we’ll get this summer.

But, surely if it is Fellaini – or another high calibre defensive midfielder – Cesc would have to make the biggest decision in his footballing life. With a midfield/attack line up of Fellaini and Jack as our combined DMs/DM-B2B, Cazorla and Theo on the wings and Higuain up-front, the Home of Football would not be complete without Cesc playing in the hole for us next season.

This would be the team that would suit his talents to the max; it would finally provide him with the platform on which he can shine and cook with Fabregas.

This summer’s Terror Window will not be for the faint-hearted, as there will be many twists and turns, but there is real potential now to strengthen the team properly, and although the above scenario is a big dream, it could well happen.

Two quality signings and who knows, Cesc might decide to return to where he is wanted, needed AND loved by (almost) all.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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The one defender to complete our set into a title winning defence

June 25, 2013June 26, 2013TotalArsenal

One of the positions in our team for which there is general consensus we need to strengthen, is at centre back (CB). Towards the end of the season we found a defensive stability in Koscielny and Mertesacker that hasn’t been seen since Keown and Campbell were shutting out opposition strikers back in the early 2000’s.

These two – Kos and Per – formed a defensive partnership that saw us finish the league as the third best team in the league defensively. All I can say about this, is whatever Steve Bould is doing is working wonders. It’s never easy to come in and teach the same set of players new tactics – especially in one season – and expect to see such progress, but he has pulled it off.

However, Thomas Vermaelen, our club captain, had a torrid season by his extremely high standards. Mistakes plagued his game, and at some point, I couldn’t even recognize the player who barely a year before was the obvious successor to RVP.

That said though, we know how good he is and therefore any calls for him to be moved on are seriously myopic. Then we have Squillaci, who all I’m going to say about him is, thank God he has been moved on. Our final two CBs are Djourou and Miquel. Djourou was loaned to the Bundesliga, and quite honestly, I’d rather he stays there permanently. Miguel is talented but still too young and raw to be promoted to the first team.

This means that we have three functional centre backs. Everyone knows that every top team especially in the EPL needs a minimum of 4 good defenders. This is why we have been linked with a host of defender such as Adil Rami, Matts Hummels, Ashley Williams, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Martin Skrtel, among others.

I would, however, like to throw a certain defender’s name in the ring; Phil Jagielka.

Jagielka is a 30 year old CB who captains Everton and plays for the English national team. About 3 years ago we were strongly chasing him, but the then Everton manager David Moyes, refused to fold. For me, he ticks all the boxes. He is tall (good in the air), strong, experienced, has a fantastic mentality, a tough but fair tackler, a leader and a fantastic reader of the game. Also for a 30 year old, he is extremely athletic and is in the prime of his abilities. In my opinion, compared to all the players we have been linked with, save for maybe Hummels, he is a far superior option.

I watched him ever since he shut Man Utd out on their opening game, and I must say I am outraged that Rio Ferdinand was awarded a spot in the team of the season, ahead of him. Jagielka was absolutely solid all season and a very big factor why Everton have performed the way they have in the past few seasons. Plus, his consistency is amazing. I watched about 26 Everton games last season and he did not have a single bad game. Not even one. In fact, the more I watched Everton play, the more I wondered why he is not plying his trade in a top four team, because he certainly has the ability. Even when he dons the three lions jersey, his class is there for all to see.

Like I said earlier, Per and Kos have formed a fantastic partnership. This is largely attributed to the fact that the two complement each other. Kos athleticism, tackling, ball playing skills and all round charisma is complemented by Per’s composure, reading of the game and aerial ability. Even by Arsene’s admission, Per is not the tidiest of players nor the best, but he gets the job done. Please note that I am not by any means downplaying his abilities or contribution to the team.

Jagielka performs the same function for Everton except he IS a very good player. He is faster, a better tackler, more energetic, and despite Per’s height advantage, is very good in the air. This is evidenced by the number of goals he scores with his head and the number of aerial clearances he makes. He is also a much more physical player. When you compare Jagielka and Mertesacker, the former comes out on top in my opinion. For me, he would represent a significant upgrade to Per and would form an even meaner defence alongside Kos. He would also push the level of competition for places in that back line up a notch.

I couldn’t tell you how much he would cost if we went in for him, or even if he would be interested in joining us, but with Moyes and probably a few key players leaving, you never know. Plus with the current building we are doing, our strong finances and champions league football, we would have a very strong hand at the negotiation table.

I’d like to repeat that this is all my opinion. I feel Jagielka is the kind of player who would form a title winning defence, and we should really consider taking advantage of Everton’s period of transition, and snap him up.

Written by: Marcus

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Payet, El sharaawy, Nani, Jovetic, Cabella or Nani: who is the perfect foil for Higuain (potentially) and Theo upfront?

June 20, 2013June 20, 2013TotalArsenal

Will Jovetic or won't he join Arsenal this summer, and is he the answer for the LW? — Will he or won’t he join Arsenal this summer, and is Jovetic the answer for the LW?

With each passing day, it seems more and more likely that by the time the squad convenes on July 4th and heads off to Asia, Higuain will be among them. Recently BBC reporter David Ornstein via his twitter account confirmed that not only are Arsenal looking at the Argentine, we have made him our top priority. Given his track record, you can take that to the bank.

He seems to have a connection very high up in the Arsenal hierarchy. I remember during the Arteta transfer (which was one of the most dramatic to date) he knew and reported everything that happened, when it happened and how it happened. To refresh your memory, this was a transfer that was sanctioned six hours to the transfer deadline. A bid was made but Arsene changed his mind and called it off. He then changed his mind again and decided to go for him until finally, he signed him. Ornstein also reported the transfers of Santos, Per, Ox, Gervinho, Park, Santi, Poldi and Giroud well before the club confirmed them.

Anyway, given the imminent arrival of Higuain, our attack is looking as potent as it has ever been. Ornstein also reported that on our priority list is a DM and an attacking midfielder. I think he meant a left sided attacker, and the reports linking us to Dimitri Payet of Lille, El sharaawy and Nani confirm this – sort of. This is what I’d like to discuss.

With Theo and Higuain we have a mobile team of goal scorers who can create for each other and support each other, generally forcing opposing defenders to earn their keep to the very last dime. On the left though, we lack a player of the same calibre as the aforementioned two.

We have Gervinho who the less said about him the better. Then we have Poldi who when played on the left has produced mixed performances. His defensive contributions and crossing ability are commendable but he lacks the kind of pace, movement, speed of thought or dribbling skills that make players such as Di Maria such a pain to play against. As a result, for large chunks of the season he has looked lethargic. I believe his best position is at the centre of the park, and his performances in Giroud’s absence seem to have convinced Wenger of this. His two goal performance against Wigan being proof of this. Given an extended run in that position would reinforce my point, however, unfortunately for him (but fortunately for us), it is looking likely that this will be a position that will be fiercely contested for.

Which brings me back to my subject matter. This leaves us with Gervinho and the Ox as the two contenders for the left slot. Obviously, Gervinho is not a player who Arsene can hinge the success of his team on. The Ox to me seems as the perfect solution, but Wenger seems adamant on his plans to develop him into a central midfielder. This means that we do not have a player who could adequately complete this devastating attacking trinity. The ideal player should have pace, should be technically up to par, should have good dribbling ability, should be mobile (and versatile), must be strong in his crossing and most of all should be a goal scorer.

Like mentioned earlier, we’ve been linked with Payet, El sharaawy and Nani. I’d like to add Jovetic, Cabella and Isco to this list.

With Payet we have a player who only bloomed recently and at 26 is entering his prime. He has tremendous pace, crossing and dribbling ability and has a very good shooting technique. He would come cheap but his main con is that being a late bloomer, he has very limited top flight experience and his ability to adapt to the EPL is very much in question (remember that Gervinho was at one point in time ahead of him in the pecking order).

Then we have El sharaawy, who would be perfect. He ticks all the boxes above and is a prolific goal scorer. The only concerns about him though, are his slight build, loyalty to the Milan cause and his price tag. Although with the arrival of Balotelli and the Milan president’s comments that he is not ”unsellable”, a bid of around 30 million would be enough to bring him over to the emirates.

Then we have Isco whose abilities I have discussed at length before. With him, however, we are at a disadvantage because Man City and Real Madrid are both after him. They both have unlimited resources, with City even having the edge, as their coach is Isco’s footballing father figure. It would take enormous effort and funds to land him but he is well and truly worth it.

We have Jovetic, who we’ve been linked with all summer. He is also one who ticks all the boxes above. He is the most versatile and mobile of the lot. He would cost around 25 million, but given the fact he has been vocal about his desire to leave, this amount can be negotiated to between 20-22 million. Not only did he speak fondly about Arsenal, Fiorentina prefer to sell him abroad if he is to leave, so I doubt that the transfer would be a complicated one (if we were to embark on it).

There’s also Cabella, whose club president said that he would cost around 80 million, although this is a hyperbole used to scare off any suitors. Cabella is fast, skilled, extremely enthusiastic and young. My issue with him is that he is a diver. He also is a bit raw, but just a bit. He is not as prolific as we would like but his talent is there for all to see, and we Gooners saw first-hand what he can do when we played Montpellier in the UCL. He is nowhere near the finished article, and I have no idea how much he would cost, but I think he is worth a look.

Finally there is Nani, my least favourite. He has top premier league experience and has won many trophies. My concerns about him are the same that Man Utd have. He is inconsistent and selfish. He is a player who places individual success above that of the team to the point where it affects his game (he has repeatedly said that he wants to beat Ronaldo to the ballon d’or; he also recently said that he is too good for a return to Portugal.) Nani is a player who would rather do it all himself, and quite honestly, that is the opposite of an Arsenal player. If Arsene thinks he can manage and bring out the best in him then I think he should go for him because despite all this he has the talent.

However Arsene decides to go, I hope that whoever he brings in to fill in the final attacking position is of the same ilk as Theo and Higuain. This would make our attack fearsome and with the kind of midfield and defence we have assembled, we would reacquire our status as a European footballing giant.

Written by: Marcus