Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

.jacksparrow.

jester77 wrote: »

I think people are forgetting the run we had at the end of last season. We went 9W 2D 1L in our last 12 games and I expect Giroud to be even better this season, plus we can only have a better start this season. You would think we were in a crisis situation going by the posts here. Some top signings would be nice but I wouldn't just sign someone for the sake of saying we signed someone and I wouldn't pay over the top for someone either. Class has a price but there is a limit too.

Yes it was a great run but look at the teams it was against, and we barely scraped through in a good few, as soon as we faced half decent opposition in spurs they cut us wide open.

jester77

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Yes it was a great run but look at the teams it was against, and we barely scraped through in a good few, as soon as we faced half decent opposition in spurs they cut us wide open.

You could say the opposite about the Bayern game the following week. Bayern only lost 3 games all season and we cut them open.

cson

keano_afc wrote: »

Yes its July, but if there's any fans here that are completely relaxed about our transfer dealings can I please have some of what you're on? Past history (albeit recent) indicates that we struggle to get things done, I think concern from fans is not unfounded.

The concern being that potential signings have a much shorter bedding in period the longer we leave things. Granted the intricacies of football transfers don't lend themselves to expediency but really; the club needed to have its ducks in a row and barrel of the gun cocked by the time July came around. Yet again we're left sitting on our hands with Wenger wheeling out the "difficult to find value spiel".

If you'd done the homework prior to preseason and been proactive/aggressive in chasing your targets then we'd be laughing. Instead we're looking (yet again) at the frankly ridiculous situation of scrapping around in August looking for players to strengthen when we'll already be well into the season and have an important Champions League Qualifier to play. The clubs pronouncements that we were flush with transfer funds at the beginning of June quite frankly beggar belief at this stage. I'm sure that ~£70m will look nice earning interest in the bank come September.

I'm a big fan of doing your business for the following season in January; it gives a boost to the team; allows a player to gradually adjust to the EPL and London and has them there from the get go at pre season that summer.

speedboatchase

jester77 wrote: »

I think people are forgetting the run we had at the end of last season. We went 9W 2D 1L in our last 12 games and I expect Giroud to be even better this season, plus we can only have a better start this season. You would think we were in a crisis situation going by the posts here. Some top signings would be nice but I wouldn't just sign someone for the sake of saying we signed someone and I wouldn't pay over the top for someone either. Class has a price but there is a limit too.

We absolutely had to play out of our skins and despite that run we still barely scraped 4th on the final day of the season. A lot of us want to see the club have higher expectations than merely 4th and with us some of the signings Spurs have made or are close to, not to mention if they keep Bale, they will be breathing down our necks all season. I still say that we need a back-up CB, DFM, back-up GK and a striker. I like Giroud too but we need to provide 20 league goals next season and I don't think he can.

TheGunns

wawaman wrote: »

But do you REALLY believe we will sign any of these players we are linked with? Maybe stupidly i did at the begining but the longer it has gone on the more it appears we are either didering or putting all our eggs into one very unstable basket

Would far prefer a midfielder or defender than a striker

speedboatchase

HOPE!

New story on MARCA in last ten mins about Arsenal expected to raise Higuain offer: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marca.com%2F2013%2F07%2F23%2Ffutbol%2Fequipos%2Freal_madrid%2F1374567733.html

EDIT: Not sure if it's Real or Higuain who expect us to raise the offer. Come on Baxter, you know I don't speak Spanish.

mike65

Marca is nothing more than an expensive caughtoffside/eastsleepfootball

gosplan

speedboatchase wrote: »

HOPE!

New story on MARCA in last ten mins about Arsenal expected to raise Higuain offer: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marca.com%2F2013%2F07%2F23%2Ffutbol%2Fequipos%2Freal_madrid%2F1374567733.html

Meh. Just don't trust them Marca crowd.

But look at it this way. Those who are truly dispirited with the transfers now are only suffering because we didn't meet Madrid's sudden raise in asking price for the Higster.

I mean, nothing else has really dissappointed? No?

Decent bid for Bender
Slowly upping the price for Suarez

Apart from immediately agreeing to Real's demands, is there anything else people are dissappointed with.

My thinking is that Arsenal know they it's need to buy Higuain before he signs elsewhere.

One things for sure though. Don't trust Marca.

keano_afc

cson wrote: »

The concern being that potential signings have a much shorter bedding in period the longer we leave things. Granted the intricacies of football transfers don't lend themselves to expediency but really; the club needed to have its ducks in a row and barrel of the gun cocked by the time July came around. Yet again we're left sitting on our hands with Wenger wheeling out the "difficult to find value spiel".

If you'd done the homework prior to preseason and been proactive/aggressive in chasing your targets then we'd be laughing. Instead we're looking (yet again) at the frankly ridiculous situation of scrapping around in August looking for players to strengthen when we'll already be well into the season and have an important Champions League Qualifier to play. The clubs pronouncements that we were flush with transfer funds at the beginning of June quite frankly beggar belief at this stage. I'm sure that ~£70m will look nice earning interest in the bank come September.

I'm a big fan of doing your business for the following season in January; it gives a boost to the team; allows a player to gradually adjust to the EPL and London and has them there from the get go at pre season that summer.

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

tayto lover

Anyone for the last choc-ice?

Awesomeness

The lack of signings has not got me worked up just yet but the fact Gazidis is siting in on the press conference in Japan and not back in europe tryong to get some business done is not a pleasant sight

gnfnrhead

The squad right now is good enough for the top four. We need signings to push us towards a title challenge. A lot of people would have you believe we'll be in a relegation battle if we dont sign 15 new players before the end of the week. It's pathetic the amount of people who are fawning over spurs dealings (not just here).

Wanting reinforcements is one thing, but wanting to sign players because other teams are doing so is stupid.

ronjo

Who do people in general think we are in for?

a) Higuain first choice with Suarez as backup
b) Suarez first choice with Higuain as backup
c) Both of them
d) Something else?

I am not really talking your choices but how you read whats happening... or not?

gosplan

Awesomeness wrote: »

The lack of signings has not got me worked up just yet but the fact Gazidis is siting in on the press conference in Japan and not back in europe tryong to get some business done is not a pleasant sight

In fairness, as long as he doesn't mind staying up late, there's no difference.

tayto lover

gnfnrhead wrote: »

The squad right now is good enough for the top four. We need signings to push us towards a title challenge. A lot of people would have you believe we'll be in a relegation battle if we dont sign 15 new players before the end of the week. It's pathetic the amount of people who are fawning over spurs dealings (not just here).

Wanting reinforcements is one thing, but wanting to sign players because other teams are doing so is stupid.

Maybe people see Spurs as having ambition and Arsenal as saving money.
Wonder where they'd get that idea from :rolleyes:

Hyzepher

I honestly think that with all the out-goings so far this window we should be seriously bidding for both Suarez and Higuain as well as Bernard and a backup CB. If we have €70m available we should be spending €90m. No use having €70m this year and €30m next year if you are serious contenders. Just put the cash up front - get the players that can do the job and make a statement of intent. I would be sure that it would make it easier for us to attract world class players in the future.

I'm all for balancing the accounts etc but you need to be able to make bold purchases - outside your normal policy - just to show you can and show people that you mean business and can live up to the legacy

greendom

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Yes it was a great run but look at the teams it was against, and we barely scraped through in a good few, as soon as we faced half decent opposition in spurs they cut us wide open.

Our defence was awful against Spurs and that was Vermaelen's last appearance for the season. To use that game to prove a point is very poor. That game was the catalyst to change things round as I recall

greendom

mike65 wrote: »

Marca is nothing more than an expensive caughtoffside/eastsleepfootball

In reality it's Real Madrid's spin station. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that half their staff are on the Bernabeau payroll!

cson

To my mind we need 4 players; CF, Winger, CM, CB.

£70m/4 = £17.5m per player.

It's a basic way of looking at it but we should be bringing in 4 first teamers there for those fees.

Pepe LeFrits

Where are people getting this £70m figure from?

Gringo180

jester77 wrote: »

You could say the opposite about the Bayern game the following week. Bayern only lost 3 games all season and we cut them open.

Bayern were absolutely atrocious that night easily there worst ever performance at home in the Champions League in the past few years, if we had a bit more class in the team we would of went through that night.

jester77

jester77 wrote: »

You could say the opposite about the Bayern game the following week. Bayern only lost 3 games all season and we cut them open.

Honestly one of those plastic knifes ya get in a deli would've done them in that night.

We had a good run at the end of last season but two things to be cautious about, 1 would be the quality opposition and the other would be thinking back over the performances. Norwich was a perfect storm, QPR was on atrocious match to watch, we did everything we could to let WBA and Fulham come back at us. I felt we had a lot of luck at the tail-end of last season, if we continue those kinds of performances and results I'll admit it's an ingenious tactic but I'm not sold on it yet.

Mickeroo

Bernard being cagey about the transfer, surely that means we've signed him :pac:

Apologies about the grammer, had to use google translate as my portugese is a bit shakey:

With the departure of Atletico-MG forwarded, Bernard fled questions about your destination and asked to speak only on the decision of the Libertadores with Olimpia on Monday, the end of the workout in legume. The attacking midfielder would not comment on the information daily L'Equipe that he was hit with Arsenal.

READ MORE
Official: Bernard arrives in London on Friday to sign contract with Arsenal
Olimpia reaches BH, protects himself away in a hotel and turbine atleticanos with 'climate already won'
Atleticanos exhausted last ticket to the finals: U.S. $ 400 and R $ 500

According to the French newspaper, he would travel to London on Friday and would hit its transfer to the English club.

"It's a week that does not want to talk about it, I'm focused on the game and do not want to be ignorant or rude to anyone. What will happen to me from Wednesday's not up to me, but the board," he said in a polite.

The deal should be closed in 25 million (£ 74 million). As the owner of 75% of the economic rights of the player, Atletico-MG receive approximately £ 55 million, almost the same as earned in the last five years with transactions involving other athletes, as shown by ESPN.com.br.

The businessman Bernard, Adriano Spadoto, currently has the support of Giuliano Bertolucci, one of the agents with more prestige abroad, and especially in the Premier League, to define the future of revelation. Beside the Iranian Kia Joorabchian, he was responsible for the way the former Corinthians Paulinho for Tottenham.

http://www.espn.com.br/noticia/344102_na-mira-do-arsenal-bernard-pede-para-nao-falar-sobre-futuro-nao-quero-ser-mal-educado

maximoose

The deal should be closed in 25 million (£ 74 million). As the owner of 75% of the economic rights of the player, Atletico-MG receive approximately £ 55 million, almost the same as earned in the last five years with transactions involving other athletes, as shown by ESPN.com.br.

What the hell?

Mickeroo

maximoose wrote: »

What the hell?

Yeah I have no idea wtf that means.

Pepe LeFrits

maximoose wrote: »

What the hell?

That's a very bad translation.

It's saying €25m, or 74 million Brazilian Reals.

jester77

maximoose wrote: »

What the hell?

Bad translation

25 milhões de euros (R$ 74 milhões)

It's 74 million Real, which is around 21.5 million pounds

Mickeroo

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

That's a very bad translation.

It's saying €25m, or 74 million Brazilian Reals.

I figured that bit, it was the stuff about the 75% economic rights I was wondering about.

Marty McFly

Frimpng just tweeted this about being delighted to be back on the pitch but hopefully it's the last we see of at least a couple of them he is accompanied by.

jester77

Mickeroo wrote: »

I figured that bit, it was the stuff about the 75% economic rights I was wondering about.

My reading of that would be that Atlético-MG own 75% of the player and will receive 16 million pounds. I guess whomever owns the other 25% will get the remaining 5.5 million.

AdamD

Bernard seems quite likely with them not announcing it till after his final. After that you'd have to figure that there's a lot of money lying around. The original budget was touted at 70m, but considering these outlays:


Mannone (Sold)
Squillaci (Released)
Djourou (Loaned)
Santos (Sold)
Coquelin (Loaned)
Denilson (Mutual Termination)
Arshavin (Released)
Gervinho -
Chamakh -
Bendtner -
Park -

At a minimum I expect Gervinho and Park to be gone, Gervinho will fetch 6-8m. But we're talking 300k a week minimum off the wage budget. That's 15.5 million quid...on top of the original 70m budget, with a few player sales added on we're nearly hitting 100m.

Taking the shear amount of money into account I'd be inclined to pay over the odds for Higuain or try a 45-50m bid for Suarez..

On a more positive thought I can't imagine we'll be here in September with only 1 more signing, the Bernard deal coming out of nowhere kinda shows how little the papers really know and with all the money and talk coming out of the club some action is pretty much guaranteed to happen. In my opinion of course.

dvemail

Gervinho seems like he will be off to Roma, good news if true. Seeing as he has been played as a winger/striker a replacement winger and/or striker will come in.
We have gotten rid of so many players now at this stage more signings will have to be made. So it is really a question of when rather than if.

Paulegend

AdamD wrote: »

Bernard seems quite likely with them not announcing it till after his final. After that you'd have to figure that there's a lot of money lying around. The original budget was touted at 70m, but considering these outlays:


Mannone (Sold)
Squillaci (Released)
Djourou (Loaned)
Santos (Sold)
Coquelin (Loaned)
Denilson (Mutual Termination)
Arshavin (Released)
Gervinho -
Chamakh -
Bendtner -
Park -

At a minimum I expect Gervinho and Park to be gone, Gervinho will fetch 6-8m. But we're talking 300k a week minimum off the wage budget. That's 15.5 million quid...on top of the original 70m budget, with a few player sales added on we're nearly hitting 100m.

Taking the shear amount of money into account I'd be inclined to pay over the odds for Higuain or try a 45-50m bid for Suarez..

On a more positive thought I can't imagine we'll be here in September with only 1 more signing, the Bernard deal coming out of nowhere kinda shows how little the papers really know and with all the money and talk coming out of the club some action is pretty much guaranteed to happen. In my opinion of course.

rofl

go back to football manager mate

jester77

dvemail wrote: »

Gervinho seems like he will be off to Roma, good news if true. Seeing as he has been played as a winger/striker a replacement winger and/or striker will come in.
We have gotten rid of so many players now at this stage more signings will have to be made. So it is really a question of when rather than if.

The players we got rid of were never going to be used unless we had a bad injury crisis. Park has 2 years left on his contract, we should try and get something for him. Bendtner and Chamakh are out of contract at the end of the coming season, we should just loan them out and pay part of their wage. It doesn't look like anyone will take them with their current salary.

There are a few fringe players who are on the pre-season tour. They will make up the majority of the squad numbers. It's a make or break year for them, I would expect another cull next Summer, probably not as big as this Summer.

AdamD

Paulegend wrote: »

rofl

go back to football manager mate

What in there has any relation to football manager? I've just done simple maths and come to the conclusion that we'll buy players.

What a horrid post.

dvemail

jester77 wrote: »

The players we got rid of were never going to be used unless we had a bad injury crisis. Park has 2 years left on his contract, we should try and get something for him. Bendtner and Chamakh are out of contract at the end of the coming season, we should just loan them out and pay part of their wage. It doesn't look like anyone will take them with their current salary.

There are a few fringe players who are on the pre-season tour. They will make up the majority of the squad numbers. It's a make or break year for them, I would expect another cull next Summer, probably not as big as this Summer.

Yeah reckon a few of the young lads will make a step up this year.
But i was really just trying to convince myself that we actually will go ahead and buy some players.

Pepe LeFrits

AdamD wrote: »

What in there has any relation to football manager? I've just done simple maths and come to the conclusion that we'll buy players.

What a horrid post.

The ignore list is your friend.

wawaman

Marty McFly wrote: »

Frimpng just tweeted this about being delighted to be back on the pitch but hopefully it's the last we see of at least a couple of them he is accompanied by.

That picture just send a shiver down my spine with the thought that we will be left with just these jokers after the transfer window closes

gosplan

ronjo wrote: »

Who do people in general think we are in for?

a) Higuain first choice with Suarez as backup
b) Suarez first choice with Higuain as backup
c) Both of them
d) Something else?

I am not really talking your choices but how you read whats happening... or not?

This is kind of the way I see it. All speculation and assumption though so don't bother believing it or arguing with it.

1: Everyone agrees that Higuain is a very good player but that Suarez is slightly better.

2: Arsenal move to buy Higuain from Madrid for a reasonable enough asking price.

3: Real raise the asking price. Possibly to try and basically swap Higuain for Suarez.

4: Arsenal decide that if we're paying the price Suarez would command, then we may as well just try to sign him in the first place.

5: Arsenal begin persuit of Suarez. Everyone is relaxed because they know Higuain probably prefers a move to London and EPL over Serie A, a league which can't seem to retain stars anymore. So basically Arsenal are free to chase Suarez until Higuain is about to be sold because the only other potential club seem to be Napoli(worrying?) and we can probably gazump any deal if needs be.

6: Real begin to get nervous as Suarez deal looks more likely so Marca begin running stories about how close the Nspoli deal is and how Arsenal are due to increase their bid any day now.

7: Wenger sits back in office grinning. He knows that essentially Madrid are sh1t at doing business. Either we get Suarez or we get Higuain. We're chasing other targets privately - all is relaxed.

8: Arsenal fans are not a bit relaxed. We thought we were getting Higuain a month ago and we want a big name striker yesterday!!! We don't care about your private business - we want Rooney or Higuain or Suarez rumours confirmed - and until you deliver you're going to be considered either incompetent or miserly! Anything you do apart from sign one of those three players is part of a conspiracy that involves eternal 4th place finishes.

jester77

dvemail wrote: »

Yeah reckon a few of the young lads will make a step up this year.
But i was really just trying to convince myself that we actually will go ahead and buy some players.

I only expect 2 signings, maybe a third. Bernard is looking like a done deal, and I would say either Higuain or Suarez will join, more likely Higuain. The 3rd player will arrive if he can be gotten at a good price and probably someone who is flexible enough to play DM and can slot in at CB when needed.

speedboatchase

gosplan wrote: »

This is kind of the way I see it. All speculation and assumption though so don't bother believing it or arguing with it.

1: Everyone agrees that Higuain is a very good player but that Suarez is slightly better.

2: Arsenal move to buy Higuain from Madrid for a reasonable enough asking price.

3: Real raise the asking price. Possibly to try and basically swap Higuain for Suarez.

4: Arsenal decide that if we're paying the price Suarez would command, then we may as well just try to sign him in the first place.

5: Arsenal begin persuit of Suarez. Everyone is relaxed because they know Higuain probably prefers a move to London and EPL over Serie A, a league which can't seem to retain stars anymore. So basically Arsenal are free to chase Suarez until Higuain is about to be sold because the only other potential club seem to be Napoli(worrying?) and we can probably gazump any deal if needs be.

6: Real begin to get nervous as Suarez deal looks more likely so Marca begin running stories about how close the Nspoli deal is and how Arsenal are due to increase their bid any day now.

7: Wenger sits back in office grinning. He knows that essentially Madrid are sh1t at doing business. Either we get Suarez or we get Higuain. We're chasing other targets privately - all is relaxed.

8: Arsenal fans are not a bit relaxed. We thought we were getting Higuain a month ago and we want a big name striker yesterday!!! We don't care about your private business - we want Rooney or Higuain or Suarez rumours confirmed - and until you deliver you're going to be considered either incompetent or miserly! Anything you do apart from sign one of those three players is part of a conspiracy that involves eternal 4th place finishes.

I'm glad you're relaxed but Higuain>Napoli and Suarez>Liverpool is a very distinct possibility. I don't think we hold the cards at all. Also, it's AS that has been reporting the Higuain deal to Napoli, not Marca.

farna_boy

Hyzepher wrote: »

I honestly think that with all the out-goings so far this window we should be seriously bidding for both Suarez and Higuain as well as Bernard and a backup CB. If we have €70m available we should be spending €90m. No use having €70m this year and €30m next year if you are serious contenders. Just put the cash up front - get the players that can do the job and make a statement of intent. I would be sure that it would make it easier for us to attract world class players in the future.

I'm all for balancing the accounts etc but you need to be able to make bold purchases - outside your normal policy - just to show you can and show people that you mean business and can live up to the legacy

I really don't think we need two new strikers. At most we need one and only if he is going to score ~30 goals per season. Giroud and Poldi will be in their second season this year and more familiar with the players around them so I would expect a lot more goals from both of them (if they are given the chance). Walcott and Cazorla will also heavily contribute and some of the younger players will probably chip in as well.

We do need a replacement CB with all the injuries but I expect a problem attracting someone to the club for that position more than others. We already have two very good CBs (Kos and Mert) so unless we sign someone who is exceptional, the new player will realise they will probably be on the bench if those two are fit. The alternative is that we sign a player who will be a 3rd choice CB, so the choices there are probably someone who is only ok (not ideal if we want to challenge), someone good but is old (is paid high wages to sit on the bench) or someone who is potentially good and young (if they only have potential, it could go either way and is probably not ideal). The best of those three choices may be the older player but do we really want to be paying someone 80k + a week to sit on the bench in case they are needed?

If we go down your route of just buying players for the sake of it (as in the case of the strikers) and not using them or our existing players, we will end up in much the same place we are now, paying high wages to players we don't use. This time though instead of paying Chamkh 60k for playing in the reserves, we would be paying the likes of Poldi 100k to do the same.

Paulegend

AdamD wrote: »

What in there has any relation to football manager? I've just done simple maths and come to the conclusion that we'll buy players.

What a horrid post.

ok ill stop the childish attack and instead give you an honest debate on this

i dont know where any of your figures are coming from though

Gervinho could be sold for 6 million
chamakh could be going for 1 million
mannone went for 2 million

the players that have been released have been taken off the wage bill but the ones that have been released early ie: denilson and by the looks of it park have cost ye money in termination fees

santos got a pay off to leave


so i can see 9 million brought in by the club.
wages no doubt a huge amount has been saved


but where did you get 15 million from??

and then there is the so called 70 million that everyone brands about. where is this so called 70 million??

HazDanz

Paulegend wrote: »

then there is the so called 70 million that everyone brands about. where is this so called 70 million??

It's in the war chest man! The war chest!! :P

gosplan

speedboatchase wrote: »

I'm glad you're relaxed but Higuain>Napoli and Suarez>Liverpool is a very distinct possibility. I don't think we hold the cards at all. Also, it's AS that has been reporting the Higuain deal to Napoli, not Marca.

We are light years ahead of Napoli in terms of the personal package we can put together for him.

If we want him, we'll get him.

Marty McFly

Nice to see Gary Neville once again talking sense and Pier Morgan looking like a twat as usual. Twitter for anyone that looking at the debate.

speedboatchase

gosplan wrote: »

We are light years ahead of Napoli in terms of the personal package we can put together for him.

If we want him, we'll get him.

I agree completely, but I don't think we want him anymore and we could find ourselves in limbo if the dreaded scenario I put forward comes to pass. I think we should come back in with another Higuain bid and keep our options open rather than let Napoli potentially wrap it up.

speedboatchase

On a positive note, apparently Sp*rs couldn't agree a fee for Soldado. There's a possible back-up option for us. http://es.pn/1bZnQlw

bad2dabone

speedboatchase wrote: »

On a positive note, apparently Sp*rs couldn't agree a fee for Soldado. There's a possible back-up option for us. http://es.pn/1bZnQlw

we should snatch him just to annoy the spuds.

Hyzepher

farna_boy wrote: »

I really don't think we need two new strikers. At most we need one and only if he is going to score ~30 goals per season. Giroud and Poldi will be in their second season this year and more familiar with the players around them so I would expect a lot more goals from both of them (if they are given the chance). Walcott and Cazorla will also heavily contribute and some of the younger players will probably chip in as well.

We do need a replacement CB with all the injuries but I expect a problem attracting someone to the club for that position more than others. We already have two very good CBs (Kos and Mert) so unless we sign someone who is exceptional, the new player will realise they will probably be on the bench if those two are fit. The alternative is that we sign a player who will be a 3rd choice CB, so the choices there are probably someone who is only ok (not ideal if we want to challenge), someone good but is old (is paid high wages to sit on the bench) or someone who is potentially good and young (if they only have potential, it could go either way and is probably not ideal). The best of those three choices may be the older player but do we really want to be paying someone 80k + a week to sit on the bench in case they are needed?

If we go down your route of just buying players for the sake of it (as in the case of the strikers) and not using them or our existing players, we will end up in much the same place we are now, paying high wages to players we don't use. This time though instead of paying Chamkh 60k for playing in the reserves, we would be paying the likes of Poldi 100k to do the same.

i still think that we need to buy the better players when they are available. If we buy proven players then the issue of rubbish taking up wages is a moot point.

At least we will have depth in the squad.

I'm not saying to go out every year and spend 90m+ but if ever there was a year to do it, this is it. Get rid of the deadwood (almost done), free up wages and start to build a team where anyone in the squad is practically a 1st team player