Arsenal FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Kirnsy

yahoo_moe wrote: »

Just while we discuss summer possibilities, don't forget the new 25-man squad rule. By my count, we played 28 players this year and would have used Djourou if he hadn't been injured all year, with a few extra in squads (JET, Henderson, maybe Coquelin). Some adjustment needed.

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

It's 25 players over the age of 21 at the beginning of the season is it not? Should be pretty comfy to fit into.

What exactly is the rule lads?

L'prof

Kirnsy wrote: »

What exactly is the rule lads?

The Premier League will introduce a new quota system from next season which will order clubs to have a 25-man squad limit and no more than 17 players can be over the age of 21 and not home-grown.

Just gonna assess the current squad now!

leninbenjamin

Kirnsy wrote: »

What exactly is the rule lads?

oddly enough, google returns an Arsenal blog!
http://wearearsenalblog.com/how-the-new-premier-league-rules-will-impact-arsenal%E2%80%99s-summer-transfers/

For those of you who are unaware of the rule change, teams in the Premier League will be limited to a squad of f 25 players, with at least 8 ‘home grown’ players registered.

According to All About Football a ‘home-grown’ player is defined as someone who has spent three years between the ages of 16-21 registered at a club in England and Wales. Note that this the player does not have to be U21, they must have trained with an English or Welsh club for 3 years between the ages of 16 to 21.

So Steven Gerrard meets the definition of a home-grown player, Owen Hargreaves does not. This new rule is what is behind’s Liverpool’s signing of Charlton’s Jonjo Shelvey earlier this week.

The Arsenal-Mania web site had a list of the Arsenal squad in this format:

1. Bendtner
2. Clichy
3. Djourou
4. Gibbs
5. Traore
6. Song
7. Cesc
8. Walcott
————————————————————–
9. Sol
10. Senderos
11. Vela
12. Almunia
13. Van Persie
14. Fabianski
15. Sagna
16. Vermaelen
17. Gallas
18. Silvestre
19. Diaby
20. Rosicky
21. Nasri
22. Arshavin
23. Eboue
24. Eduardo
25. Denilson

At first glance Arsenal will be largely unaffected next season with their current squad of 30 holding 18 home grown players. Ramsey and Wilshere are not on the list and they will be able to take up two of the home-grown spots.

So what can Arsenal do this off-season? Adding Joe Hart instead of Almunia will help Arsenal as it replaces a “B” list player with an “A” list player. I would also expect to see Arsenal target some more British players over the next two seasons to supplement the younger players coming through the system.

Gallas and Silvestre are expected to leave this summer and that will allow Wenger to bring in two “B” list players. But for Wenger to bring in more than two players, somebody else on the “B” list has to leave.

L'prof

It doesn't make a whole lot of difference for us at the moment anyway!

EDIT: This lad reckons we'll have 12/13 homegrown players...also worth noting that Ramsey and Wilshere don't have to be registered as they're under 21!

L'prof

Anyone else get very bored on matchdays when we're not playing? Hence the new sig!

leninbenjamin

jasonorr wrote: »

Anyone else get very bored on matchdays when we're not playing? Hence the new sig!

Nah, bought Dirt2 last night cheap on steam. Entertained me for the few hours today I'd normally spend watching a match. :pac:

L'prof

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Nah, bought Dirt2 last night cheap on steam. Entertained me for the few hours today I'd normally spend watching a match. :pac:

Supposed to be studying so, no games for me...watchin the Villa game too, great last 5 minutes actually!

SDTimeout

Went to get the new fifa world cup game xtravision were rented out.

Wouldn't mind a few games of gears or halo actually. Can't wait for both of the new ones

L'prof

SDTimeout wrote: »

Went to get the new fifa world cup game xtravision were rented out.

Wouldn't mind a few games of gears or halo actually. Can't wait for both of the new ones

I'd nearly buy a 360 for Gears of War! I'm ragin Splinter Cell Conviction is 360 only, think I'll rob one of the lad's for that!

leninbenjamin

so, eh... football, great game!

L'prof

leninbenjamin wrote: »

so, eh... football, great game!

Get away with yer football, we weren't playin and our season's over...who cares???

So, City or Spurs? Who do ye want to get 4th? Spurs for me and I reckon a draw or better at Eastlands should do it!

leninbenjamin

Want to see Spuds come 4th, as bad as that sounds. Not from Islington so the whole rivalry thing doesn't bother me too much. City getting Champions League status would **** things up for everyone though...

L'prof

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Want to see Spuds come 4th, as bad as that sounds. Not from Islington so the whole rivalry thing doesn't bother me too much. City getting Champions League status would **** things up for everyone though...

My sentiments exactly...the longer they miss out on CL football, the better!

greendom

has to be City for me. Can't have Spurs getting ideas above their station

Oh I'd love to see Spuds get 4th.

A: Seeing Adeboyor miss out on CL

B: City won't be buying the best (available or not)

C: There's a chance we could meet Spuds in the CL and knock them out. (If they get through qualification - can't see them getting out of the group stage though. )

gosplan

Oddly enough, yes. Spurs are the lesser of two evils here.

When City get champs league, they will be able to buy anyone.

Be comical if Spurs got knocked out in the qualification match though.

L'prof

So today it's: Parker, Hart, Hangeland, Cahill & Milner!

It'd be an amazing coup but, not a hope in hell we're gonna sign 5 players!

peabutler

I'd Take 3 out of 5, Hart Cahill + Parker, if Milner goes it'll be Manchester Utd.

Royale with Cheese

There's a story with Hangeland saying he turned down a move to Arsenal last summer. Vermaelen obviously wasn't Wenger's first choice then.

L'prof

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

There's a story with Hangeland saying he turned down a move to Arsenal last summer. Vermaelen obviously wasn't Wenger's first choice then.

Hangeland rejected a deal with us and we signed Vermaelen less than 2 weeks later.

Royale with Cheese

Don't remember that. Bit of an odd decision by him. Yeah it's worked out well for him with the Europa league final coming up but given his age you'd think he'd jump at the chance to play for a big club.

L'prof

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

Don't remember that. Bit of an odd decision by him. Yeah it's worked out well for him with the Europa league final coming up but given his age you'd think he'd jump at the chance to play for a big club.

Here's a Hangeland report, not a great source though and here's the Vermaelen signing.

gosplan

I win the Arsenal superthread's fantasy football leagues - both of them!!

All hail.

Now what was the prize again?

Marty McFly

Parker never one id thought of but he'd definitely make a good signing.

I dont well sign five players but id gladly take them all.

cson

I think I said it when we threw away a 2-0 lead at Upton Park that we could do worse than signing Rob Green, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole. Having said that, tbh I'd only really like Green out of that trio. Parker is too injury prone and Cole wouldn't get a game.

Frisbee

Parker is an honest working industrious player but not up to the standard of Arsenal imo.

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

Parker is an honest working industrious player but not up to the standard of Arsenal imo.

I think he could do a job for us alongside Cesc and Song if we don't sign anyone else and could be a good squad player for quite some time if someone else was eventually brought in. Whether he's up to the standard of Arsenal or not? Much worse players have gotten a considerable amount of games for us in recent times!

Frisbee

jasonorr wrote: »

Much worse players have gotten a considerable amount of games for us in recent times!

True that, but two fifty wrongs don't make a right

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

True that, but two fifty wrongs don't make a right

Of course not, but if it was a case of us not getting a better player for that position this season, I'd love to sign Parker.

cson

jasonorr wrote: »

Of course not, but if it was a case of us not getting a better player for that position this season, I'd love to sign Parker.

I'd have him too; if he was going free or for < £5m.

Reality dictates WHU will prob ask for > £12m. Which is madness.

L'prof

cson wrote: »

I'd have him too; if he was going free or for < €5.75m.

Reality dictates WHU will prob ask for > €13.79m. Which is madness.

Wenger would only sign him, if he's interested at all, if he could get him at the right price.

JPA

Arsenal linked with Kevin Doyle. Quite unlikely to happen surely but would be interesting!

OPENROAD

JPA wrote: »

Arsenal linked with Kevin Doyle. Quite unlikely to happen surely but would be interesting!

Good player, but not a top 4 player imo

L'prof

JPA wrote: »

Arsenal linked with Kevin Doyle. Quite unlikely to happen surely but would be interesting!

Where'd you see this? I'd be amazed to be honest!

JPA

jasonorr wrote: »

Where'd you see this? I'd be amazed to be honest!

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Wolves-chief-vows-to-keep-hold-of-10million-Arsenal-target-Kevin-Doyle-article413139.html

It's the Mirror, possibly the worst paper for football.

Frisbee

Doyle?

lol, the guys a hard worker alright, but not a great forward.

SDTimeout

Had a near death experience tonight lads. If you're fond of spiders don't watch

http://www.twitvid.com/SLZTP

Doyle and parker... is this what a club of our stature is being linked with really. ?

No to both imo:o

L'prof

SDTimeout wrote: »

Had a near death experience tonight lads. If you're fond of spiders don't watch

http://www.twitvid.com/SLZTP

Too long and no tits or lasers! That you? Big girls blouse

SDTimeout

jasonorr wrote: »

Too long and no tits or lasers! That you? Big girls blouse

Yeah it's me. Dispise spiders they love my house though too many entry points need to be gapped.

Lasers you say ?



way ahead of you

L'prof

SDTimeout wrote: »

Yeah it's me. Dispise spiders they love my house though too many entry points need to be gapped.

Lasers you say ?



way ahead of you

Projectile vomiting will have to do

gosplan

Frisbee wrote: »

Parker is an honest working industrious player but not up to the standard of Arsenal imo.

I think he'd be a nice addition to the squad. He could play beside Song and really strengthen our midfield or play instead of Song when he's out.

Last year our problem is that we had no midfielders who ever thought of defending. Now, with the arrival of the new and improved Alex Song, our problem is we've only one midfielder who thinks of it. We get away with it a lot of times but it comes back to bite us every so often (last example being Diaby for Wigan's first goal).

So far Denilson and Diaby have only ever shown themselves to be a liability when they don't have the ball. For that reason I'm not really comfortable about either playing CMF in big games. I share everyone's, and Wenger's hope, that one of these (guessing Denilson) will mature in the same way that Song and Flamini did.

Overall, it's just that we'd benefit if Song had another quality player beside him and because he's not the fastest, I think that player needs to be an agressive, physical player that loves to tackle and has good distribution. In a perfect world you're talking about a young Viera.

Obviously Parker is nowhere near Viera but he would at least add the aggression part. As I said here the other day, Diarra would be ok too.

Still, reckon this is all pie in the sky stuff. I'm sure Wenger believes either Denilson, Diaby will become the player he needs. I have my doubts about the physical side of both but obviously Wenger sees things in players that I don't. Also, for summer spending, this is way down his list of priorities.

Spiritoftheseventies

cson wrote: »

I think I said it when we threw away a 2-0 lead at Upton Park that we could do worse than signing Rob Green, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole. Having said that, tbh I'd only really like Green out of that trio. Parker is too injury prone and Cole wouldn't get a game.

Didn't West Ham owner says that Scott Parker wasn't for sale

L'prof

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Didn't West Ham owner says that Scott Parker wasn't for sale

That only increases his value really!

Frisbee

I'm hoping Robin starts tonight and does his usual demolition job of Blackburn.

I'd love to see him bag a brace and finish the season on a high after yet another injury ruined season.

Frisbee

The Ladies FA Cup Final is on at 3 today.

Arsenal -v- Everton

Anyone going to watch it? It's on SS2.

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

The Ladies FA Cup Final is on at 3 today.

Arsenal -v- Everton

Anyone going to watch it? It's on SS2.

No interest in the ladies team at all.

Frisbee

The Guardian has us linked with Suarez again today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/03/football-transfer-rumours-arsenal-man-city

With Thomas Vermaelen already in the Arsenal ranks, the number of former Ajax captains who have pitched up at the Emirates to play for Arsène Wenger looks set to increase by one, should the Arsenal manager pull off his plan to sign Uruguay international striker Luis Suárez, 23. Suárez has scored 45 goals in 46 matches for Ajax this season, a figure that's mightily impressive by any standards ... until you consider that portly Brazilian Afonso Alves had banged in the same number of goals in just 39 games for SC Herenveen before moving to Middlesbrough and look what happened to him.

L'prof

Frisbee wrote: »

The Guardian has us linked with Suarez again today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/03/football-transfer-rumours-arsenal-man-city

Can't see us signing him and Chamakh though!

Wenger wrote:

They have to trust us. Historically we have done well on the transfer market.

Last summer we bought Thomas Vermaelen, nobody knew about him and now he is in the team of the year, so they just have to keep faith in what we do.

As always we will try to be intelligent, sensible and take care of this club in the right way.

One or two will go out, which happens every year, but the first target is to keep the squad together.

This team has a future. I believe the players want to have a future together and that is why it is my job to keep them together.

Still talking about the future, eh...

Frisbee

We won't sign Suarez, sure the same article has us linked with Doyle and if that was the calibre of player we were setting our sights on the club would be going backwards imo.

That one or two out is intriguing, surely one of Almunia and Fabianski has to go, and Silvestre. But Eduardo should be on the way out also imo as he's jsut not the same player he used to be.

Back to the Scott Parker issue he's the kind of player I'd like to see us buy but not him in particular. Lass would be perfect but it's not going to happen.

I'd love to see Yaya our Rodwell in, but I can't see either of them happening either. And going by Wenger's quotes there it will be someone else relatively unknown coming in.

L'prof

It'll be Almunia and Silvestre out hopefully. He's come out and said that Eduardo is constantly improving in training and that he wants Fabianski to win the fans over à la Eboue so, I'd be surprised if either of them left!