Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2017 *Warnings see OP-updated 09/05/17*

Wonda-Boy

Mickeroo wrote: »

I'll remember Mert(especially after the final last season), Giroud, Arteta, Kosc and Cazorla as fondly as any player from previous eras.

Arteta...really!?

Hmmm

Roaster

Quazzie wrote: »

Does anyone think we have any "legends" at the club at the moment?

I certainly don't.

Kos maybe because of his performances over the last couple of years. If only he could add leadership to his game. I want to see him bark out orders ala Adams.

FixitFelix

Quazzie wrote: »

Does anyone think we have any "legends" at the club at the moment?

I certainly don't.

Wenger

Arne_Saknussem

John Cross claiming that Gabriel is off to Valencia for £10m

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-misfit-gabriel-poised-join-10999347

L'prof

Arne_Saknussem wrote: »

John Cross claiming that Gabriel is off to Valencia for £10m

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-misfit-gabriel-poised-join-10999347

£10m? In this market!

beer enigma

L'prof wrote: »

Arne_Saknussem wrote: »

John Cross claiming that Gabriel is off to Valencia for £10m

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-misfit-gabriel-poised-join-10999347

£10m? In this market!

It's a typo they obviously mean £10bn

the untitled user

Did Gabriel ever bother to learn English in the end? Or is he still having everything translated for him by team mates?

WoollyRedHat

the untitled user wrote: »

Did Gabriel ever bother to learn English in the end? Or is he still having everything translated for him by team mates?

Nah he sacked his teacher and interpreter for that matter and now communicates through stick men pictures.

tayto lover

Gabriel was never what we needed. Too small and didn't command the box.
He did put the effort in though.

Quazzie

tayto lover wrote: »

Gabriel was never what we needed. Too small and didn't command the box.
He did put the effort in though.

Do you think he'll be replaced if he leaves tho?

tayto lover

Quazzie wrote: »

Do you think he'll be replaced if he leaves tho?

Has to be.
We already needed a big bully of a CB. Our CB's are very weak and we're conceding silly goals.

Ol' Donie

FixitFelix wrote: »

Wenger

Well said.

greendom

Gabriel confirmed by Valencia.

emmetlego

Really like the look of Gabriel when he arrived first, loved his aggression. Happy for him to move on though. Best of luck to him.

L'prof

tayto lover wrote: »

Has to be.
We already needed a big bully of a CB. Our CB's are very weak and we're conceding silly goals.

I can't see a cb being signed at all

Quazzie

L'prof wrote: »

I can't see a cb being signed at all

And herein lies the biggest problem at the club. We start the season with two full backs playing centre back, and within a week we've sold a centre back.

Surely it can't be just me that sees the madness in this.

the untitled user

Quazzie wrote: »

And herein lies the biggest problem at the club. We start the season with two full backs playing centre back, and within a week we've sold a centre back.

Surely it can't be just me that sees the madness in this.

We've sold our fourth, arguably fifth choice CB. Gabriel was never going to win us a Premier League. Better to shed the wage bill so we can bring in players to fill the more pressing gaps in the squad.

Quazzie

the untitled user wrote: »

We've sold our fourth, arguably fifth choice CB. Gabriel was never going to win us a Premier League. Better to shed the wage bill so we can bring in players to fill the more pressing gaps in the squad.

We play 3 centre backs. So he is the first guy called if any of them 3 get injured. He's not great, but without a replacement our squad is dangerously thin for the formation we play.

the untitled user

Quazzie wrote: »

We play 3 centre backs. So he is the first guy called if any of them 3 get injured. He's not great, but without a replacement our squad is dangerously thin for the formation we play.

2 centre backs. Even when we play with 3 defenders, Arsene seems to prefer to play Monreal in there on the left side of the three when possible, probably so they don't become too narrow.

Arghus

Gabriel used to give me the jitters whenever he was on the field; there was always a moment of hapless calamity in him

emmetlego

Mert, Kos, Holding are my personal choices. Great balance. Cover from Kolasinac and Monreal. Probably sign an upcoming kid, but Chambers is an option, and I would have had him ahead of Gabriel personally.

Looper007

emmetlego wrote: »

Mert, Kos, Holding are my personal choices. Great balance. Cover from Kolasinac and Monreal. Probably sign an upcoming kid, but Chambers is an option, and I would have had him ahead of Gabriel personally.

Gabriel even though he gave it his all wasn't good enough, but we could say that a lot about AW defensive signings over the years.

We need more then a up and coming kid, we need the real deal right now. Going forward doesn't worry me but our defence is shocking even with Kos and Mustafi there. Don't make that big Defensive signing could be a real slog for us this season.

Looper007

tayto lover wrote: »

Has to be.
We already needed a big bully of a CB. Our CB's are very weak and we're conceding silly goals.

Don't sign a top class CB, don't think we get top 4 no matter winning the league. Our defence really worries me has done for years.

tayto lover

Looper007 wrote: »

Don't sign a top class CB, don't think we get top 4 no matter winning the league. Our defence really worries me has done for years.

If Wenger thinks that what we have as CB's is good enough then he's lost the plot and has turned a blind eye to the failings of the last number of years.
But then I already thought he'd lost the plot.

Skylinehead

tayto lover wrote: »

Gabriel was never what we needed. Too small and didn't command the box.
He did put the effort in though.

I never considered that Gabriels problem, more the fact that he's a lunatic

the untitled user

Our defence is a problem, but the problem isn't with our defenders. Our midfield rarely provide the protection needed when we're on the backfoot.

Neither Xakha nor Ramsey have great positional intelligence off the ball and regularly get caught in no mans land when closing down. Neither of them slot in to cover the runs forward by the wing backs. Neither of them look to cut out the ball over the top or the shot from distance when we're under pressure.

Frankly, our midfield right now would make even a Bonucci or Godin look ****.

Looper007

tayto lover wrote: »

If Wenger thinks that what we have as CB's is good enough then he's lost the plot and has turned a blind eye to the failings of the last number of years.
But then I already thought he'd lost the plot.

He's already gone through a few plots.

Already resigned myself to the same old mistakes from the man. I don't think he sign anyone of any worth, hope I'm proved wrong. Really depends on the result at Stoke, if we lose and the fans get on his back then he make the last minute signing to cover over the result. Shocking how he leaves a potential title challenging side with the same weaknesses every year.

Soups123

emmetlego wrote: »

Mert, Kos, Holding are my personal choices. Great balance. Cover from Kolasinac and Monreal. Probably sign an upcoming kid, but Chambers is an option, and I would have had him ahead of Gabriel personally.

Holding makes too many mistakes, he's not ready IMO for a starting place and will cost us. He should be used in Europa Cups and selectively in the league. I think it's criminal start the season with him as first choice.

Lots of potential but needs time

The Red Lad

Get in a quality centre back and a midfielder that will complement the 3 at the back and allow are offensive players to do their magic and we have a team that will seriously challenge for the title. Reality is we are going to be short defensively and will be giving out about this all season. Keep Sanchez or not that's not where we're going to crumble. Sad how close yet how far we are away from having a title winning side.

AdamD

Of all the deadwood in the squad we've sold Szcezsny and Gabriel, 2 who would have been decent squad players. Why bother holding out for an extra couple of million for Perez if we need to sell players to make room to buy? Gibbs, Perez, Campbell, Chambers (seeing as Wenger won't use him) should all be long gone.

Roddy23

emmetlego wrote: »

Mert, Kos, Holding are my personal choices. Great balance. Cover from Kolasinac and Monreal. Probably sign an upcoming kid, but Chambers is an option, and I would have had him ahead of Gabriel personally.

You forgot Mustafi. I'd have Holding Kos and Mustafi in the back three. Mert off the bench.

Interesting calls.

Who is the midfielder we could bring in, and which of Xhaka and Ramsey drops out of the starting lineup?

Arne_Saknussem

AdamD wrote: »

Of all the deadwood in the squad we've sold Szcezsny and Gabriel, 2 who would have been decent squad players. Why bother holding out for an extra couple of million for Perez if we need to sell players to make room to buy? Gibbs, Perez, Campbell, Chambers (seeing as Wenger won't use him) should all be long gone.

Sneaky £30m + Chambers bid for Van Dijk perhaps?

The Red Lad

Matuidi for 20 million is serious business reckon he could have done a job for us!!

Dolph Starbeam

Basil3 wrote: »

Interesting calls.

Who is the midfielder we could bring in, and which of Xhaka and Ramsey drops out of the starting lineup?

Nice look to be dropping out of the CL qualifiers after losing to Napoli tonight, that could lower the price on Seri, I know very little of him, but it sounds like he would add more balance to our midfield. I'm not bothered about who would be dropped or if they are both just rotated.

the untitled user

AdamD wrote: »

Of all the deadwood in the squad we've sold Szcezsny and Gabriel, 2 who would have been decent squad players. Why bother holding out for an extra couple of million for Perez if we need to sell players to make room to buy? Gibbs, Perez, Campbell, Chambers (seeing as Wenger won't use him) should all be long gone.

Because it sets up a bad precedent. We've 7 or 8 players we're willing to let go. 2 mil on each deal would fund the wages demanded by someone like Sanchez or Ozil for year.

Basil3 wrote: »

Who is the midfielder we could bring in, and which of Xhaka and Ramsey drops out of the starting lineup?

Pjanic. Probably plays alongside Ramsey in a 3-4-2-1, or Xhaka in a double pivot.

Skylinehead

The Red Lad wrote: »

Matuidi for 20 million is serious business reckon he could have done a job for us!!

Few years too late I think, his game is a physical one and he's going to lose that soon. Even so, 20m is nothing

Looper007

The Red Lad wrote: »

Get in a quality centre back and a midfielder that will complement the 3 at the back and allow are offensive players to do their magic and we have a team that will seriously challenge for the title. Reality is we are going to be short defensively and will be giving out about this all season. Keep Sanchez or not that's not where we're going to crumble. Sad how close yet how far we are away from having a title winning side.

That's the sad thing if he went out and bought a top class CB and a midfielder, he at least show he wanted to win the title but it just comes of he's thinking about the business side and how much he saves for the club. If he leaves us short at the back, I could see a few heavy defeats in store this season with that defence.

wonga77

It really doesnt matter a jot but 10 million sounds a little low in today's market. Don't get me wrong, Gabriel was no world class defender but sometimes I don't think we get full value for our players. I get the feeling that the likes of Chelsea would wrangle a better deal.
Either way good luck to him, I thought the fact that he appeared to be a bit nuts would be a good thing but he turned out to be too unreliable in pressure moments. He'll probably do ok in La Liga where the language barrier isnt an issue.
Surprised to see him gone though, didnt see or hear about that one coming, hopefully we have someone else lined up, and by that I mean somebody who is a possible starter instead of a stop gap.

Is our transfers out now just Gab and Ches? Theres a good few id have ahead of them in the list tbh

Skylinehead

Skylinehead wrote: »

Few years too late I think, his game is a physical one and he's going to lose that soon. Even so, 20m is nothing

Get 2 seasons out of him and it's a bargain. Actually it's a ridiculous bargain.

L'prof

wonga77 wrote: »

It really doesnt matter a jot but 10 million sounds a little low in today's market. Don't get me wrong, Gabriel was no world class defender but sometimes I don't think we get full value for our players. I get the feeling that the likes of Chelsea would wrangle a better deal.
Either way good luck to him, I thought the fact that he appeared to be a bit nuts would be a good thing but he turned out to be too unreliable in pressure moments. He'll probably do ok in La Liga where the language barrier isnt an issue.
Surprised to see him gone though, didnt see or hear about that one coming, hopefully we have someone else lined up, and by that I mean somebody who is a possible starter instead of a stop gap.

Is our transfers out now just Gab and Ches? Theres a good few id have ahead of them in the list tbh

Kaylen Hinds and Dan Crowley too. Always heard great things about Crowley, shame he never pushed through

emergingstar

Our starting back 3 I think will be

Mustafi
Kos
Monreal

Cover from
Per
Holding
Chambers

If we sell chambers I think we will buy, but Sead is cover there to so maybe not.

Would like us to buy a CB but I think a CM is more of a priority

salmocab

Just on Alexis, for me if we hold onto him for a season instead of cashing in now then we need to buy a couple of players to mount a serious title challenge. There is no point in holding onto him if its just to aim for fourth.

tayto lover

emergingstar wrote: »

Our starting back 3 I think will be

Mustafi
Kos
Monreal

Cover from
Per
Holding
Chambers

If we sell chambers I think we will buy, but Sead is cover there to so maybe not.

Would like us to buy a CB but I think a CM is more of a priority

That's the way it looks to me too.
Then I ask myself is the starting three and the cover good enough to win us a league and I don't feel it is nearly good enough.

AdamD

I think Kolasinic at CB is a monumental waste of his ability, looks like he could be a brilliant LWB.

Quazzie

AdamD wrote: »

I think Kolasinic at CB is a monumental waste of his ability, looks like he could be a brilliant LWB.

Square pegs in round holes as usual, and then they'll question why we leak so many stupid goals.

Quazzie

Quazzie wrote: »

Square pegs in round holes as usual, and then they'll question why we leak so many stupid goals.

I don't think that's the case at all. Sure, you might need some cover, but we do have more than enough to cover the positions.

Look at almost any league winning side, and you can name their starting 11 (especially at the back). They don't rely on 10 quality players covering 3 positions.

tayto lover

Basil3 wrote: »

I don't think that's the case at all. Sure, you might need some cover, but we do have more than enough to cover the positions.

Look at almost any league winning side, and you can name their starting 11 (especially at the back). They don't rely on 10 quality players covering 3 positions.

You've been watching Arsenal long enough to realise that we are not strong enough at the back to win a league. Surely you can see that.
Just look at last season's winners, Chelsea, and tell me our defence is as strong as theirs was. Aspilaquerta, Cahill, Terry, Luiz, Zouma etc off the top of my head.

tayto lover

tayto lover wrote: »

You've been watching Arsenal long enough to realise that we are not strong enough at the back to win a league. Surely you can see that.
Just look at last season's winners, Chelsea, and tell me our defence is as strong as theirs was. Aspilaquerta, Cahill, Terry, Luiz, Zouma etc off the top of my head.

I was more talking about plugging holes with players from different positions. Chelsea are gonna have to be doing that this weekend I'm sure, with the amount of injuries and suspensions they have.

I honestly don't think our starting back players are much worse than Chelsea's. Depends on whether we go 3 or 4 at the back. Is Cahill that good? Is Luiz? Are those two combined better than Kos and Per or Kos and Mustafi? I dunno, but it's not night and day difference.

Yes, we could hope for some big, proven beast of a CB to come in for 50-60m, but I won't even consider it. We just signed Mustafi for 35m last year, and Mert leaves at the end of this year. I reckon something could happen in the January window, otherwise it will be next summer.

irelandrover

tayto lover wrote: »

You've been watching Arsenal long enough to realise that we are not strong enough at the back to win a league. Surely you can see that.
Just look at last season's winners, Chelsea, and tell me our defence is as strong as theirs was. Aspilaquerta, Cahill, Terry, Luiz, Zouma etc off the top of my head.

Azpiliqueata is a right back playing left back, Terry is old and was found out numerous times when he played last year, Luis can be very reckless at times and is often found out of position, Chelsea fans complain constantly about Cahill not nbeing good enough.

What the Chelsea defence had last year that Arsenal do not is Kante sitting in front of them.