Wenger's Transfer Targets: Summer 2017

[Garrincha]

Wonder what gave the club that impression.

 

[Rocky]

This place is becoming like RAWK

Yes, and the more self-entitled the supporters get, moaning away, the more they morph into the Liverpool supporters of 15 years ago...

Sad to say it, but if things don't turn around soon, that is what Arsenal supporters will become - just like the most annoying set of football supporters in the country, the people who sang "We're going to win the league" at Old Trafford then didn't...

Be optimistic, get rational, and you can save yourselves from that horrendous possibility.

 

[grunger]

Who do you think we'll sign?

Sancho,Lemar or maybe Draxler.

 

[scytheavatar]

First, what has actually been the biggest problem with this Arsenal squad over the past few seasons?

Stagnation. The feeling that we have no ambitions and no willingness to take risks. That's why to me it is naive to act as if signing 2 players is enough to turn things around. Kolasinac and Lacazette are both Xhaka/Mustafi level signings, no one can say that they are trash players but they are not players who we haven't signed in a long time. They are not good enough to send a message that this season will be different, that things will change.

How could we send a message that things are different? We need to sign a Mbappe level talent, it has been a while since we have done that. We might have signed Mbappe last season, there must be other Mbappes out there. Unknown gems waiting to be unearthed. It is just a question of whether Wenger still has it in him to find them.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Maybe there's a lack of quality if you want to compare Arsenal to Real Madrid, but there's no lack of quality in comparison to Arsenal's league rivals. Manchester City may be trying to be a gallactico team like Real Madrid, but they haven't really been any better than Arsenal the past few seasons. As I already pointed out, all the clubs have their problems. Not a single club from last season's top 5 has had their full squad ready for the start of the season. Injuries, lack of fitness and suspensions have forced all to make adjustments. So they're all in the same boat as Arsenal. Have you seen the lineups Chelsea has run out there? And that's the team that won the league last year.

Cazorla was the only significant injury last season? Mertesacker played one game. Welbeck was out most of the year. Giroud broke his foot. Ramsey was out three different times for 73, 29 and 17 days. In fact, Arsenal players had 57 injuries resulting in 1,725 days lost (average injury 30 days). That's actually more than the previous season. Then it takes players awhile to get back in the swing of things once they get back to training. So obviously injuries did continue to be a problem for Arsenal last season. Barring something happening in training this week, Arsenal should have everybody except Cazorla and Campbell ready for this weekend. That's a lot better shape than a lot of clubs are in at the moment.

Obviously it wasn't ideal playing both Monreal and Kolascinac in the center three these first two weeks (although both have experience there and the biggest problem with Monreal was that he was forced to play in the middle rather than the left of the back three, where he has been pretty good). But they should have Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Mertesacker, Holding and Chambers ready to play in a back three this weekend. Not many clubs have that kind of depth. You can't expect a world class player at every position, much less on the bench. This isn't a video game or Fantasy Premier League.

If there's an opportunity to bring in a player who is better than those players, that would be great. But it isn't the desperate matter some of you paint it to be. Same goes for the midfield. Xhaka and Ramsey were actually excellent together down the stretch last year after the switch to the back three. It looks like Jack is about ready to go. Oxlade-Chamberlain can play there (in fact, he seems to prefer to). Elneny and Coquelin are solid backups. If Cazorla can get back in a few months, that would be a luxury. And there are a couple of young guys who could get a chance in the cup competitions and step up. So, again, the sky is not falling.

And y'all can fuss all you want to about how much more y'all know about football than Arséne Wenger, but you don't. There's no real problem that any of you see that Wenger doesn't. But he has to build a team for 38 games, not just two. And he has to work within certain guidelines, as well as a budget. Arsenal isn't a galactico club. There will never be perfect players in every position, much less coming off the bench. There are 36 games left. Chelsea, Sp**s, City and Liverpool have all dropped points and have looked as crappy and disjointed as Arsenal. They've all been without key players and they're all still trying to add somebody. So there's really no reason to panic.

Trying hard to ignore the condescending nature of your post, let me just let you know right off the bat, that you and I perceive the scenario at the club much differently. No one here wants or expects us to turn into Real Madrid. No one here is pining for all our signings to be 100 million pound players. What we expect, especially this summer because of all that's happened in the last one, and the fact that we are not in the champions league is to use this opportunity to really do everything we can to concentrate on and win the league. If you are arguing about the quality of the lineup of Chelsea, let me remind you that they've won the league 3 times in the last 7 years. You can't keep on using the quality of other squads as an excuse when you haven't won the darn thing for 13 years. Do we keep on telling ourselves every summer that 'it's hard' to have a complete squad? We haven't had the best squad in 13 years. You can argue the only time we probably did we lost the league to Leicester City of all teams.

Mertesacker, Holding and Chambers ready to play in a back three this weekend. Not many clubs have that kind of depth. You can't expect a world class player at every position, much less on the bench. This isn't a video game or Fantasy Premier League.

Absolute rubbish. First of all, Mertesacker, Holding, Chambers were all available against Stoke. None of them were used and the manager decided to rely upon two fullbacks/wingbacks instead. And who said anyone "expect to have world class players in every position"? Who ever brought that up?

And y'all can fuss all you want to about how much more y'all know about football than Arséne Wenger, but you don't.

Again, who claimed that? Of course he knows more about football than any of us, but that doesn't mean his decisions are bullet-proof. Otherwise what's the point of having fan interaction? What's the point of forums such as this?

But he has to build a team for 38 games, not just two. And he has to work within certain guidelines, as well as a budget. Arsenal isn't a galactico club

Yeah exactly. He has to build a team for 38 games. That's why a lot of us feel the current squad isn't good enough. We are only one or two injuries away from falling back on the same players that underperformed so severely last season. You view Coquelin and Elneny as solid backups. While I can argue that they are nowhere near the requisite quality of players if we have any ambition of winning the league.
And please don't bring up the budget. Our net spend is less than 30 million in this window. Even a few bottom half of the league clubs have spent more. And I'd buy that if Wenger had explicitly mentioned that financials are an issue. You can't expect to come out and say we're in a strong financial position and not back that up in the market. That's misleading the fanbase.

 

[grunger]

Who do you think we'll sign?

Sancho,Lemar or maybe Draxler.

 

[Arsenio Venger]

We sign Sancho, Draxler, Van Dijk and CM plz

 

[The_Arsenal_way]

On a scale from zero to slim, what do you reckon our chances are of making another signing?

Off the scale.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Stagnation. The feeling that we have no ambitions and no willingness to take risks. That's why to me it is naive to act as if signing 2 players is enough to turn things around. Kolasinac and Lacazette are both Xhaka/Mustafi level signings, no one can say that they are trash players but they are not players who we haven't signed in a long time. They are not good enough to send a message that this season will be different, that things will change.

How could we send a message that things are different? We need to sign a Mbappe level talent, it has been a while since we have done that. We might have signed Mbappe last season, there must be other Mbappes out there. Unknown gems waiting to be unearthed. It is just a question of whether Wenger still has it in him to find them.

Define ambition. Is it just spending money? If so, Arsenal can't be as ambitious as Manchester City. But I've never defined ambition that way. I always thought Swansea City were an ambitious club as they moved up the ladder and built their new stadium (although they seem possibly to have reached their level). Huddersfield Town seems rather ambitions right now. But does City's money -- which Arsenal can't match -- really make them ambitious?

You see, you're asking for signings that almost nobody can make. Arsenal tried for Mbappe. But so did Real Madrid, yet he's still a Monaco player. Sure, Arsenal might have signed Mbappe last season, but the same can be said for every other club that didn't sign him last summer.

And on one hand you want bigger signings than Arsenal has had, yet on the other you complain that Wenger isn't unearthing new young talent. Well which do you want? The fact is, Arsenal has quite a few very talented young players, but if they play them too much then they're not really being very ambitious, are they? And can you imagine the howling from certain segments of the fan base if Wenger didn't buy anybody and said he was going to rely on the club's young talent? Should he sell Alexis and Özil before the deadline and replace them with Iwobi and Reiss Nelson?

No matter what Arsène Wenger does, some fans aren't going to be satisfied and are going to want more. In a sense, the worst thing that happened to Arsenal fans was the Invincibles. Fans expected it to be a regular thing and new fans came on board thinking they were glory-hunting. Arsenal fans are obsessed with having the biggest Willie. Arsène could raid the Spanish clubs for Messi, Modric and Diego Godin and some of you would still find something to complain about ("What if Kolasinac and Monreal get injured? Who's going to play left back? They'd have to play Oxlade-Chamberlain there!").

 

[Garrincha]

Its after the 38 games that concerns me. The 2018 & 2019 contracts are a huge looming issue. Feel bad for Arsène having to answer the questions week in week out. No doubt its affecting this summers transfers in how much we can spend & what areas we can improve.

I cant get my head round the reasoning either. For all the valid criticism towards Wenger, Ivan & Kronke this situation favors none of them. As a club we could be set back years in a period where our local rivals are moving into monster stadiums.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Its after the 38 games that concerns me. The 2018 & 2019 contracts are a huge looming issue. Feel bad for Arséne having to answer the questions week in week out. No doubt its affecting this summers transfers in how much we can spend & what areas we can improve.

I cant get my head round the reasoning either. For all the valid criticism towards Wenger, Ivan & Kronke this situation favors none of them.

Having to deal with all of that if we don't secure Champions League football for next season, can you imagine how much harder that's going to make things if it isn't already hard enough?

 

[Rex Stone]

We sign Sancho, Draxler, Van Dijk and CM plz

Setting expectations this high is ridiculous. It's not FIFA.

As soon as we don't sign all four of those then everyone will turn on Wenger come September 1st. Gives people an out to moan all the time.

 

[scytheavatar]

Define ambition.

If we are really ambitious, we would have sold Sanchez and Özil and have no problems replacing them with better players. We would have done that last summer and never left their contract to 1 year. Fans would be very unhappy but no one should care about the short terms feelings of fans, all they care is to see the team play well. No one would complain when they see the team play well, it is when they see the team play poorly and the board plus the manager being out of touch that they become angry.

No matter what Arséne Wenger does, some fans aren't going to be satisfied and are going to want more.

That's how winners work, they are never willing to stand still, always pushing themselves beyond their limits. What's wrong with that?

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Lesser signings! More space for Nelson breakthrough!

This is happening lads!

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Any new links?

 

[Max1411]

Any new links?

No, this thread can be lock, we won't be signing anybody.

 

[Slartibartfast]

If you are arguing about the quality of the lineup of Chelsea, let me remind you that they've won the league 3 times in the last 7 years. You can't keep on using the quality of other squads as an excuse when you haven't won the darn thing for 13 years.

Again, there's more to winning than simply who has the most "quality." You brought up Leicester City. That's a good example. But again I'll go back to Chelsea's title in 2014-15 (since last year they had the advantage of not having to worry about playing in Europe). Their back four consisted of Terry (who turned 35 mid-season) , Cahill, Ivanovic and Azpilicueta. Their only experienced backup was Felipe Luis, who started 9 games. In that same season, Arsenal didn't have a single defender who started more than 26 games (only two players in the entire squad did -- Chelsea had 10). Flamini played back there. He was 9th choice. Coquelin may have as well.

Arsenal finished in 3rd place that season, eight points behind Chelsea. But what if the injury situation had been reversed? I don't even know where Chelsea would have found that many defenders without calling kids back from loans. And this isn't an excuse. It's just a fact. There was something terribly wrong with Arsenal's fitness program (albeit some would have been more a case of bad luck). But there was nothing wrong with the quality in comparison to Chelsea. There still isn't. That's why we should wait and see if Burgess can make a difference in keeping players on the pitch and out of the training room.

Absolute rubbish. First of all, Mertesacker, Holding, Chambers were all available against Stoke. None of them were used and the manager decided to rely upon two fullbacks/wingbacks instead. And who said anyone "expect to have world class players in every position"? Who ever brought that up?

First of all, all three of the players you picked out (leaving out the others) are probably going to be backups most of the time. Mertesacker was coming back from an injury and probably not ready to play 90 just yet. Chambers was still lacking a bit of fitness. Holding was replaced in the lineup by Mustafi. And whether or not somebody said the words "world class player in every position," a lot of y'all act like it. Everybody Arsenal has is crap and everybody who plays for the other clubs is better quality in your estimation. The grass is always greener. A lot of times Arsenal gets linked to players most of the posters no nothing about, but because there's a big price tag they clamor to get them signed.

Again, who claimed that? Of course he knows more about football than any of us, but that doesn't mean his decisions are bullet-proof. Otherwise what's the point of having fan interaction? What's the point of forums such as this?

I seem to be able to interact without acting like I know more than the managers. So do a lot of others. So obviously there is a point besides slagging off every decision the manager makes, even when he has no other options. That doesn't mean you can't criticize things, but you don't have to find something in everything to criticize and you might work in some praise among all the negativity. You'd think Wenger was just brought in from some Under-6 league to manage the team.

Yeah exactly. He has to build a team for 38 games. That's why a lot of us feel the current squad isn't good enough. We are only one or two injuries away from falling back on the same players that underperformed so severely last season. You view Coquelin and Elneny as solid backups. While I can argue that they are nowhere near the requisite quality of players if we have any ambition of winning the league.
And please don't bring up the budget. Our net spend is less than 30 million in this window. Even a few bottom half of the league clubs have spent more. And I'd buy that if Wenger had explicitly mentioned that financials are an issue. You can't expect to come out and say we're in a strong financial position and not back that up in the market. That's misleading the fanbase.

Yet you're judging the whole season based on what's happened in two games and determining that Arsenal is inferior to clubs that have also dropped points in those first two games (and who have problems and imperfections of their own which they are trying to address). Who does City fall back on if Kompany is out again and, say, Otamendi gets hurt? Who do they fall back on if Fernandinho is out? 34-year-old Yaya Toure? That's living in the past. Are they really any better off, depth-wise, than Arsenal (even with all the money they've spent)? None of the other top clubs have the sort of depth you're expecting Arsenal to have. Yet, you say "What if there are injuries? What if Elneny and Coquelin have to play?" So again -- and you're actually saying it yourself, even if you don't realize it -- it comes down more to fitness than quality.

As for spending, you don't spend just for the sake of spending. That's what Sp**s did with their Bale money. Arsenal has tried to buy some very expensive players, but it's not always easy. You don't just walk up to a market stall and pick out a new midfielder. The other club has to be willing to sell. The player has to choose to move to Arsenal.

Have you been paying attention to Barcelona's efforts to get Dembele and Coutinho? Even they can't just snap their fingers. They did manage to bring in Paulinho from China. They got slagged off mercilessly for doing it, but they spent some money. Arsenal could easily just take whoever is available, but what would be the point? Didn't you say you wanted quality? Well, quality is expensive, in demand and not always easily available. Arsène Wenger isn't going to buy players who aren't the players he wants just to get it done quickly. If he did, you'd be complaining about that too.

Besides, there's still 9 days left in the window. Everybody is still shopping. Why not wait and see what happens? I don't see the point of making yourself miserable over all this stuff.

 

[Linson]

Stagnation. The feeling that we have no ambitions and no willingness to take risks. That's why to me it is naive to act as if signing 2 players is enough to turn things around. Kolasinac and Lacazette are both Xhaka/Mustafi level signings, no one can say that they are trash players but they are not players who we haven't signed in a long time. They are not good enough to send a message that this season will be different, that things will change.

How could we send a message that things are different? We need to sign a Mbappe level talent, it has been a while since we have done that. We might have signed Mbappe last season, there must be other Mbappes out there. Unknown gems waiting to be unearthed. It is just a question of whether Wenger still has it in him to find them.

Wait, so you want to sign an Mbappe level signing of 2017, whilst they're still in 2016? Isn't that an oxymoron? An established hot prospect that's not an established hot prospect? I'm so confused...

 

[OnlyOne]

Lock the forum. Wenger out.

 

[Trilly]

Soo everybody wants to abandon ship is that what that Darren1 is saying?

I reckon every player who can hack it at a top 4 team wants out meanwhile the club have also realised that they've amassed a load of crap. There's no other way to explain a club of our stature with the crazy number of soon to expire contracts that we do have.

Wenger's last years at this club are going to be nasty.