Arsenal FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Frisbee

leninbenjamin wrote: »

All right, which one of ye messed with wiki? He's 6'2, 23 years old (24 in Sept.) and someone who can play across the backline. He's having a poor enough season though, the sheen has come off him a little bit...

Sorry I just took his age from Wiki as I know very little about him.

leninbenjamin wrote: »

lol at Sergio Asenjo, another FM legend. Is he actually any good?

Who knows? With how those things usually go, proabaly not.

peabutler

Asenjo is being kept out of the Atlethico team by Davide De Gea a 19 year old with some unreal ability. Casillas deputy and proabaly better potential.

Pepe LeFrits

Has anyone looked at transfermarkt.co.uk before? How accurate is their info on player contracts?

It has Hleb, Altintop and Cudicini down as free agents this summer...

peabutler

I'd take Cudicini on a one year and Hleb to replace Rosicky.

Pepe LeFrits

Also Jonathan De Guzman is available for nothing this summer. Wenger was interested before; might be worth a punt. Hleb doesn't seem very likely to be out of contract as he only joined Barca 2 years ago.

AnCapaillMor

Am i the only one who remembers Hlebs inability to shoot.

JPA

Cudicini broke his wrists, might never play again and was a pale shadow of what he used to be in the few games he got for Spurs.

L'prof

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Also Jonathan De Guzman is available for nothing this summer. Wenger was interested before; might be worth a punt. Hleb doesn't seem very likely to be out of contract as he only joined Barca 2 years ago.

Hleb signed a 4 year deal.

leninbenjamin

jasonorr wrote: »

Hleb signed a 4 year deal.

Given the money he's on, they are going to find it hard to sell him. It's possible he might be let go for a nominal fee this Summer, I'd say both parties would be fairly open to such a deal.

leninbenjamin

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Am i the only one who remembers Hlebs inability to shoot.

His ball retention was brilliant though. In a game like Wigan now he'd be ideal, just give him the ball and let him hold onto it.

L'prof

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Given the money he's on, they are going to find it hard to sell him. It's possible he might be let go for a nominal fee this Summer, I'd say both parties would be fairly open to such a deal.

I'd prefer to see someone else brought in to be honest, I liked him when he was here but, we were only a stepping stone for him...not our fault he fell into the river!

Paleface

Technically Hleb was excellent but don't expect him to get on the score sheet.

I'd be surprised if he came back to Arsenal. The reasons he gave for leaving were absolute sh*ite!!

Frisbee

Hleb would certainly have his benefits but I'd much rather see any number of other people brought in.

As a last resort though wouldn't be too bad.

leninbenjamin

jasonorr wrote: »

I'd prefer to see someone else brought in to be honest, I liked him when he was here but, we were only a stepping stone for him...not our fault he fell into the river!

I didn't mean us, by both parties I meant the player and his club (Barca).

I agree though in that he wouldn't be my first choice (Hazard!) but we could do a lot worse than him mind, he'd be a better option than Rosicky as cover for Arshavin imo.

AnCapaillMor

Paleface wrote: »

Technically Hleb was excellent but don't expect him to get on the score sheet.

I'd be surprised if he came back to Arsenal. The reasons he gave for leaving were absolute sh*ite!!

Supposedly he sent wenger a letter 3 months into the barca stay basically saying, oops i've made a huge mistake any chance of me coming back.

Pepe LeFrits

leninbenjamin wrote: »

I didn't mean us, by both parties I meant the player and his club (Barca).

I agree though in that he wouldn't be my first choice (Hazard!) but we could do a lot worse than him mind, he'd be a better option than Rosicky as cover for Arshavin imo.

Yup, agreed. Ordinarily I'd say there was zero chance of Wenger re-signing him, but then he went and got Campbell after he walked out (and went to sunny continental Portsmouth), so you never know. A front three of Arshavin, van Persie and Hleb would be excellent. Hleb's defensive work was always very underrated too; he did a lot of running.

Frisbee

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Hleb's defensive work was always very underrated too; he did a lot of running.

So does Rosicky, when he gets a chance to play.

Thing with Hleb is we already have plenty of players who love build up play and walking it in. rosicky gives us another option over him where he's happy to have a pop from range often enough.

Personally I prefer Rosciky over Hleb.

OPENROAD

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Supposedly he sent wenger a letter 3 months into the barca stay basically saying, oops i've made a huge mistake any chance of me coming back.

Even though London is very noisy?

AnCapaillMor

OPENROAD wrote: »

Even though London is very noisy?

Hence the letter, he would'nt have been able to hear wenger over the phone.

OPENROAD

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Hence the letter, he would'nt have been able to hear wenger over the phone.

lol, I think thats true though, did he mention that London was too noisy or am I mistaken?

Pepe LeFrits

Rosicky's occasional long range effort is nowhere near being enough to compensate for Hleb's overall superiority. Hleb was far more important to us than Rosicky has ever been. Anyway, it likely doesn't matter.

I do hope we sign a winger this summer though.

Sútalún

I'd love a pacy winger who actually plays on the wing and doesn't subconsciously drift into the middle. Can go go by players.. And shoot.

Pepe LeFrits

My Eden Hazard sense is tingling.

Sútalún

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

My Eden Hazard sense is tingling.

Admittedly have seen very little of him. But is he really what we need? He's 19/20 unproven at the top level, etc.. We've seen this far too often.

Pepe LeFrits

There's always a risk involved, but from what I've seen of him... I think he could be a big, big deal before too long.

Frisbee

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

There's always a risk involved, but from what I've seen of him... I think he could be a big, big deal before too long.

Does he play right or left wing?

FUNKY LOVER

Frisbee wrote: »

Does he play right or left wing?

left wing,he will be as good as ronaldo,he has it all.

did you not see him against liverpool,he scored.

supposadely wenger rang him personally 2 weeks ago after permission from his club,he said he would love to play for real or arsenal,real dont need him so im hoping we can snap him up quick,vermaelen could maybe help!

Sútalún

Ah yeah not saying I wouldn't take him! I mean I'd rather we snapped him up then our rivals. Just think we've gone down the young/unproven route far too many times with Wenger. It's worked most of the time, but I think it's clear we need some proven experienced winners in the team now.

On a sidenote, think Martin Keown is great on TV3.. Although he could hardly make it any worse!

FUNKY LOVER

Sútalún wrote: »

Ah yeah not saying I wouldn't take him! I mean I'd rather we snapped him up then our rivals. Just think we've gone down the young/unproven route far too many times with Wenger. It's worked most of the time, but I think it's clear we need some proven experienced winners in the team now.

On a sidenote, think Martin Keown is great on TV3.. Although he could hardly make it any worse!

i see what you mean about an experienced winger,but there is a small number of proven brilliant wingers that we could afford.or even get.

tony1kenobi

Regarding Joe Hart...has Wenger not said he won't buy from Man City?I'd swear I heard that in one of his press conferences(after Ade and Kolo went the other way)....but I have searched and can't find it anywhere.

jordainius

GOALKEEPERS

Almunia 3/10
Decent shot stopper is the best I can say about him. Flapped at so many crosses this season and does not command the penalty area well enough. Has been dodgy for two years now so it is not a blip, new number 1 needed.

Fabianski 1/10
Was given a lot of chances and never capitalised. If he were any good he would have dislodged Almunia easily. A liability, I have yet to see a game where he hasn't made a costly mistake (or two...). Not good enough, end of story.

Mannone 6/10
Memorable performance against Fulham and kept clean sheets more often than not. Should have been used more often given the sub standard performances of the two in front of him but the jury is still out. I'd like to see him in goal for the last 3 games. Not a number 1 in the immediate future but worth hanging on to for another few years.

Conclusion; We badly need to sign a proven keeper like Lehmann in 2003, it can be argued that our lack of quality in goals this term actually cost us a league title. Almunia has no future at the club, he should be moved on, and Fabianski's future should be examined too. A top class keeper is required and at least one of Almunia and Fabianski must go.



DEFENDERS
Sagna 7/10
Ok season, dependable enough. Not his best season but the defence as a whole was a let down this season.

Vermaelen 8/10
Good season, surprisingly large haul of goals, went unusually long without getting injured for an Arsenal player! Another shrewd piece of business by Wenger.

Senderos no rating.
Most likely leaving. Surprised Wenger gave up on him so easily, especially considering the patience he has shown in so many other players. Had the makings of a very good player, an opportunity lost.

Gallas 6/10
Seemed to be forming a good partnership with the Verminator but then he went and had another one of those injury hit seasons. Has been sorely missed when not involved and is probably set to leave on a free transfer. Will definitely need to be replaced.

Silvestre 4/10
Never understood why Wenger signed him, Fergie would never have let him go if he had anything to offer. Not good enough, should be let go.

Djourou no rating
Out for nearly a whole year now. Never set the world alight in the first place, and being out of the game for so long wont have helped matters. Will most likely be given another season to show what he can do, however he can only be seen as a backup player for next season at least.

Clichy 5/10
Longest serving player endured probably his poorest season for Arsenal but still a reliable and valuable asset for the team. I have a feeling that Wenger might move him on in the summer in order to aid Gibbs but I hope he decides not to do so for another year at least as we will probably be losing enough defenders already.

Gibbs no rating
Injury ruined what probably would have been a big season for him as he was looking like he would put pressure on Clichy for the LB spot. Hopefully the injury wont have stunted his development.

Traore 3/10
Didn't take advantage of the run he was given in the team and managed to move himself behind Silvestre in the LB pecking order in the meantime. His days are probably numbered.

Campbell 8/10
I was annoyed and baffled when we resigned him, but as it turns out I could not have been more wrong. Yes, his lack of pace is noticable, but his positioning and tackling and strength has been as good as ever. He is a winner and a lot of the players should take a long look at him, in the Tottenham match he was by far our best player despite being at least 10 years older than most of his teammates. He is a leader and his presence can only benefit the team. No harm to offer him another year.


Conclusion; Defence as a whole was a problem, too many silly individual errors and lack of concentration proved costly, a situation not helped by the lack of quality in goal. With Senderos, Gallas and Silvestre all leaving (and with Traore probably surplus to reuirements) a centre back is a big priority.

Vermaelen needs a partner, while Campbell and Djourou would be sufficient cover. Nordtveit (the Norwegian centre back) might find himself in the first team squad too. Clichy should be kept and he and Gibbs will provide each other with good competition for the left back jersey.

At right back, Sagna is safe enough, does ok injury wise too. Eboue's future seems a bit uncertain and if he were to leave then cover would be needed.

SHOPPING LIST:
ESSENTIALS; Goalkeeper, Centre back.
Possibles; back-up keeper, right back.


Tomorrow I'll post about midfielders and forwards, right now bed beckons!

Redzer7

Haven't posted here in ages Anyone miss me , terrible few weeks anyone got any transfer gossip for me .

AnCapaillMor

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

left wing,he will be as good as ronaldo,he has it all.

did you not see him against liverpool,he scored.

supposadely wenger rang him personally 2 weeks ago after permission from his club,he said he would love to play for real or arsenal,real dont need him so im hoping we can snap him up quick,vermaelen could maybe help!

You know what will happen, we'll put in a bid and united will put in a bid that will blow our one out the water and united will sell him a few years later for a world record fee.

Personally i don't think we need anyone in an attacking midfield role. We need defensive players and a big dumb forward who does'nt how know how to pass, only how to shoot. Seriously RVP really showed how bad we need a clinical striker.

Frisbee

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Personally i don't think we need anyone in an attacking midfield role.

Of course not. We have plenty of them.

But we need a winger for when we need to use 'Plan God'

AnCapaillMor

So looks like ballotelli is on his way out, worth having a go for him?

leninbenjamin

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

So looks like ballotelli is on his way out, worth having a go for him?

He's an absolute headcase, so I wouldn't spend heavily to land him. There were rumours we bid €30m for him before, but I wouldn't want to see us spend more than €15m on a personality as volatile as Balotelli.

Pepe LeFrits

Nah.

AnCapaillMor

In all fairness if you had 30,000 odd people hurling racial abuse at you including your own fans, you'd be a headcase too. Reckon he's a bit odd but as not as bad as the italisn make him out to be.

I reckon inter are dieing to get rid of him and would rarther see him go to someone other than next door to AC. We've had a good relationship with inter altho i think there was more dein than arsenal.

leninbenjamin

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

In all fairness if you had 30,000 odd people hurling racial abuse at you including your own fans, you'd be a headcase too. Reckon he's a bit odd but as not as bad as the italisn make him out to be.

He's probably not, but he does seem exceptionally immature and egotistical, he drew a lot of the negativity onto himself with his petulance. With the right coaching he could be a stunning player, but we are already a bit fragile mentally tbh, I think it's just the wrong time to be getting in someone like Balotelli.

AnCapaillMor

Eboue could take him under his wing and sort him out.

Pepe LeFrits

If we had a place for him I wouldn't mind giving him a go but with Chamakh coming in we're already going to have three centre-forwards, which is what I view Balotelli as. I don't think he's really suited to playing out wide and would rather we got a specialist for that - especially considering we're already playing a rake of central players there.

L'prof

leninbenjamin wrote: »

He's probably not, but he does seem exceptionally immature and egotistical, he drew a lot of the negativity onto himself with his petulance. With the right coaching he could be a stunning player, but we are already a bit fragile mentally tbh, I think it's just the wrong time to be getting in someone like Balotelli.

I agree, we got rid of Adebayor because of his disruptive presence at the club and it's helped us no end. I don't really think we've missed him at all.

Frisbee

jasonorr wrote: »

I agree, we got rid of Adebayor because of his disruptive presence at the club and it's helped us no end. I don't really think we've missed him at all.

Really? I'd imagine the ability to play Ade up top rather than Arshavin for two months would have resulted in us getting more points.

AnCapaillMor

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Eboue could take him under his wing and sort him out.

Balotelli's cameo last night made Eboue look like Xavi. He was bloody awful. Granted its only one sub appearance but he was like a player who's head was all over the shop

ErinGoBrath

Deleted User wrote: »

Balotelli's cameo last night made Eboue look like Xavi. He was bloody awful. Granted its only one sub appearance but he was like a player who's head was all over the shop

I agree, I've seen him a few times and he's a complete header.

Did you see his gesture to the fans last night about the spinning ball when he sent the shot wide? And he was having a go as he was going down the tunnel? Brilliant!

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

Really? I'd imagine the ability to play Ade up top rather than Arshavin for two months would have resulted in us getting more points.

Wasn't that during the time Ade was away/given time off because of the AN? If not, he would have been injured anyway!

yahoo_moe

Kirnsy wrote: »

Wenger is notorious for getting his deals done before an international tournament gets underway (Nasri, Rosicky et al)

Not anymore - Nasri's signing was supposed to be wrapped up before Euro 2008 but then dragged on till afterwards. I think these days we're more likely to have to wait our turn.

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Hleb was far more important to us than Rosicky has ever been.

True. Remember the start of the '07-'08 season though, when the two of them + Cesc were just purring along... that was so awesome.

On possible players to resign, would anyone else take Lassana Diarra back? He's dropped down the Madrid places recently and I think he'd add a bit of bite that even Song doesn't really provide.

L'prof

yahoo_moe wrote: »

On possible players to resign, would anyone else take Lassana Diarra back? He's dropped down the Madrid places recently and I think he'd add a bit of bite that even Song doesn't really provide.

No, not that petulant, impatient fúckér! Good player but, I'd prefer to bring someone in as backup for Song rather than to displace him!

AnCapaillMor

Seriously doubt it, dunno what he did, but i did hear that if wenger ever got the france job, Diarra would get nowhere near the team.

Comparing hleb and rosicky is a bit unfair, we really have't got a look at Rosicky, they were the exact opposite of each other when it came to injuries. Hopefully rosicky will get the injury free time that we can do a compare.

L'prof

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Seriously doubt it, dunno what he did, but i did hear that if wenger ever got the france job, Diarra would get nowhere near the team.

He forced his way out of the club after 6 months because he didn't walk straight into the first team, as he'd expected he would! We genuinely needed him after January too, I think!