The Wish List

[Anzac]

Reyes wasn't a flop at all. Throughout his time here he made great impacts on our game with crucial assists and goals. Just because mentally he was weak and decided to leave doesn't mean he is a flop imo.

Same for Arshavin. He was good and productive for 2.5 seasons, till he grew lazy/fat/whatever and wavered off our team.

Perhaps not in terms of quality as a player, but certainly in terms of their time & value. IMO Reyes' emotional issues detract from him as an investment, just as they do for the likes of Gervinho & Chamakh & any other player who is mentally weak.

 

[Anzac]

Surely there is a midfielder out there who is capable of playing the Arteta role and play as a box-to-box as well.

Serious question - why do we need someone in Arteta's role?
and what exactly is Arteta's role?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.whoscored.com/Players/1443/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.whoscored.com/Players/1443/</a>" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

IMO whilst he's supposedly a DLP,
4 assists in 41 games indicates he ISN'T being used as a primary playmaker.
IMO he's more about quality of supply in transition out from defence as he is in any creative or playmaker capability.

I'd far rather see us revert to the hybrid 4213,
with Arteta as the 1 and Cazorla as 1 of the 3,
and take the handbrake OFF the 3 as we did in 10-11.

Wilshere, Rambo & Ox can provide options from the bench for rotation.

AW isn't going to change the formation of the team.

Alonso got six assists playing in 32 games this season. Carrick got four assists in 39 games this season. Just some examples of other players who play in a similar role/position as Arteta.

You could argue Arteta should take more risks in some of his passes at times.

Neither Alonso nor Carrick are primarily as a DLP IMO, and both are primarily there for their defensive capabilities to form a strong base to the midfield. For mind players like Sahin, Gundogan, Benat, Allen(???) are more like DLPs, and most are partnered with a more defensive player who tends to sit and allow the DLP to go forward in support. Even Cabaye is partnered alongside Tiote & Sissoko as the B2B, whilst Dembele as B2B has the likes of Santos beside him.

 

[Armor for Sleep]

And Arteta is there for his defensive capabilities too. Just watch his game closely and he's always screening the defence and doing the dirty work in midfield while also being comfortable in possession and the man to receive the ball from our defense. Ramsey plays the box the box role. Similar midfield combo's can be seen all over Europe. Schweinsteiger and Martinez, Alonso and Khedira, Pirlo and Vidal. This is obviously the template we use. DLP, defensive midfielder, whatever, who cares what the role is called, theres no equation that states Arteta can't be classified as a DLP because he doesn't have enough assists.

Every team is different, every player is different and managers have different tactics. So Joe Allen and Demebele have sitters beside them? Who cares? They're both different to Arteta. What we finished the season with worked very well and its pretty much the system we've been using for a long time now. Honestly why would you move Arteta from deepest of the midfield 3 to suddenly furthest forward of the midfield 3? It might work in a computer game or sound good in theory but in reality its a nonsensical idea.

 

[fabo]

I like Arteta where he is tbh, and would look to upgrade Ramsey with someone who can play with Arteta and then instead of him if need be. We won't get by with the current options next season. Jack is crocked regularly, Diaby is not even an option next season, Coquelin will hopefully be off. We're very thin. The fact we had to throw Chamberlain into midfield for the crunch game at Newcastleshows how unbalanced we are in midfield.

I'd love a good all-round midfielder, someone who is mobile, can defend, solid on the ball, good vision. I've heard Schneiderlinn linked but have only watched him a few times - doesn't excite me though.

 

[Sydney Gooner]

Just get Strootman + Gustavo/L.Bender/Gonalons and be done with it.

 

[truth_hurts]

Williams Gonalons Cesc and Villa/higuain

 

[goonerwarsh]

Williams, Gonalons (haven't seen much of him if i'm honest but you all seem to like him), Thiago and Lukaku. There I said it.

Mixed in with what we have at the club, we'd have a much better mix of power, pace and a nice little bit of showboatery with Thiago, and who doesn't like a little bit of showboatery now and then ;-)

Throw Cesc in for good measure and we might have a shout of winning something then. That is the amount of investment I think we need to make us competitive again...scary really.

 

[Goon_si]

IN (75M):
- Rooney 30M
- Fabregas 25M
- Lars Bender 12M
- Williams 8M
- Grenier (swap with Gervinho) 0M

OUT (15M):
- Usual suspects 15M
- Gervinho (swap with Grenier) 0M

Net spent: 60M

My wishlist team.

On bench: Fabianski, Williams Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Monreal, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Rosicky, Grenier, Podolski, Giroud

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Why is Ashley Williams appearing on wish lists? Is booting a ball at RvP really worth a contract at Arsenal? I could do that for half the money.

Also don't understand the sudden Grenier hype, people describing him as a dead ball specialist etc. He's scored a couple of delicious free kicks, but he's hardly the new Juninho yet.

 

[Armor for Sleep]

It looks like Vermaelen is staying anyway so don't really see the point of Williams (not even taking into consideration my doubts about him).

Can Gonalons play CB? If he can his signing might make sense. Could kill 2 birds with one stone. Sagna is an option too i think.

 

[Arsenal_Soldier]

I want Villa, Jovetic, Grenier, a DM who can play CB and an experienced keeper.

What would people say to Axel Witsel? Think he'd be a great fit here, gooner aswell.

 

[MutableEarth]

What do you guys think of Luis Muriel??

 

[Pea-Tear-Griffin]

What do you guys think of Luis Muriel??

I think he is very good, an upgrade on the linked Remy and PEA.
Jovetic in behind him would be very good i my opinion.

 

[MDGoonah41]

I want Villa, Jovetic, Grenier, a DM who can play CB and an experienced keeper.

What would people say to Axel Witsel? Think he'd be a great fit here, gooner aswell.

witsel is scummy. can never forget this

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NuERX-5kc0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NuERX-5kc0</a>

 

[Floating]

What do you guys think of Luis Muriel??

Brilliant on FIFA13 :wink: — I signed him and Jovetic over my first two seasons and they're at an 88 and 91 respectively.

Haven't seen him play, though!

 

[ASAP Berg]

Luis Muriel is a real talent, versatile, skillful and the boy can finish.

Axel Witsel is a gooner and would be a good Diaby replacement but he's on huge wages and I doubt Zenit would sell him and take such a big hit on his transfer fee. He's wasting away at Zenit but from what I have seen in the CL he has played well, hes a good all-rounder with nice passing and skill, very much like Diaby. I think Zenit suffered from Danny being injured a lot and for some reason in the CL Kerzhakov was a donkey finisher and Hulk was a ball-hog.

 

[Sydney Gooner]

I want Villa, Jovetic, Grenier, a DM who can play CB and an experienced keeper.

What would people say to Axel Witsel? Think he'd be a great fit here, gooner aswell.

We could do with a few leg breakers in our squad.

 

[Anzac]

And Arteta is there for his defensive capabilities too. Just watch his game closely and he's always screening the defence and doing the dirty work in midfield while also being comfortable in possession and the man to receive the ball from our defense. Ramsey plays the box the box role. Similar midfield combo's can be seen all over Europe. Schweinsteiger and Martinez, Alonso and Khedira, Pirlo and Vidal. This is obviously the template we use. DLP, defensive midfielder, whatever, who cares what the role is called, theres no equation that states Arteta can't be classified as a DLP because he doesn't have enough assists.

The point I'm trying to make is that EVERY one of those pairings is stronger both physically and defensively than any combo we can offer.
Same can be said that the CM combos for all of ManU, City, CFC, Spuds, Everton, NUFC & LFC are ALL both physically and defensively stronger than ours.

Every team is different, every player is different and managers have different tactics. So Joe Allen and Demebele have sitters beside them? Who cares? They're both different to Arteta. What we finished the season with worked very well and its pretty much the system we've been using for a long time now. Honestly why would you move Arteta from deepest of the midfield 3 to suddenly furthest forward of the midfield 3? It might work in a computer game or sound good in theory but in reality its a nonsensical idea.

And that's NOT what I'm advocating at all;
and that is where Arteta has spent more playing time in his career (as AM playmaker);
and if he can't work as AMC in the middle of 5 players around him, then he's even LESS likely to work as an isolated DLP/DM.

And no it WASN'T the CM combo of Arteta & Rambo that worked,
as we needed to drop to a 451 and sacrifice Podolski as an attacker in the forward line for Cazorla as a ball player in midfield.

We've only used a DLP since Wilshere's debut in season 10-11,
and prior to that since 2009 we'd been using 2 of Diaby/Denilson/Song/Rambo behind Fabregas as AMC,
and with Song/Diaby as B2B ball winner as they lacked both the passing ability to maintain our transition forward other than by slowing down our passing and then bringing the ball forward at feet (and often losing possession behind our ability to support them).

As such IMO this 3 role CM system has NEVER worked,
and that we needed to change to the 451 for the run home indicates that it still DOESN'T.
IMO retaining this shape & roles & players used in those roles is no better than AW's decision to not replace Song, or to not replace the 3 DMs we lost/sold in 2008.

As much as we need a top class ST IMO the CM options and roles are our weakest link to EVERYTHING we do in both attack and defence.

 

[gooner_23]

<a class="postlink" href="http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/manchesterunited/id/2134?cc=3436" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/mancheste ... 34?cc=3436</a>

and

@barcastuff: Man United want Cesc Fabregas to be their first summer signing. Man City also interested. Barcelona willing to sell for 29M.

I doubt Cesc would go to United, but who knows, crazier things have happened in football. I'm hoping if United do bid, we will take advantage of the supposed clause we have. We need be ballsy in this window if we're going to achieve anything.

Higuain/ Lukaku
Cesc
Bender

 

[thedon5]

Suarez.

He's a ****, but he's a **** who'd win us the title.