Rafael van der Vaart

[Sammer]

So who do you think should be bought in place of Vieira, because Barton, maybe as good as he is, he doesn't have the stature of a team leader, a player that can drive the team forward...

vincedude,

I think you are on the wrong track here. Vieira isn´t the issue, we are a different team now and Wenger realized ealier than most of us, that there is no second Vieira nor a replacement for him.

Cesc is the future, with a completely different role (which requires an alert and focussed defensive midfielder like Gilberto and two wingers working both defensively and in attack).

The question for me is: who can cover for Cesc when he is injured as a playmaker - and who can cover for Gilberto (e.g. Flamini).

 

[longrufus]

Well summed up Sammer.

To answer your question i believe Hleb has the ability to cover for Cesc. Hleb has changed since he come here, he is now more physical and has improved his defending. He is no stranger to this role either, playing ACM for Stuttgart.

However i do see it vital that we bring in a DM, that at least gives Gilberto serious competition.

 

[Mr. Hotshot]

Joey Barton?

 

[nidza7]

Carrick?

 

[GoonerGurjit]

There's no chance of Carrick coming to us. We had the chance to sign him when he left West Ham. We could have got him for about £3m, now he's worth more then double that. Maybe triple.

 

[Raghav89]

a friend of mine was telling me he read somewhere that the german media are saying that their may be possible transfer for RVDV by arsenal

 

[asajoseph]

If you could find a source for that, I'd appreciate it... Otherwise, this thread should really be locked...

 

[clockwork orange]

Highly unlikely, checked all reliable German sources & German version of Google: Zilch.

Not even the faintest rumour in Holland about VDV changing club. If this was really written somewhere in Germany (even an unreliable source), it would have been at least mentioned in the Dutch media's gossip columns.

 

[Raghav89]

oh now he tells he read it on football-rumors.com

 

[nidza7]

come on Raghav that`s crap site!

agree Asa,please lock this!

 

[alexander_hleb]

To be honest i'd rather have snijder then van der vart. To me he seems a better player.

 

[asajoseph]

Guys, this is a non-story. Like the Ribery thread, this one will be re-opened if an actual link emerges...

 

[M+D]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 66,00.html

Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart is wanted by Premier League clubs, according to the Dutchman's agent.

Van der Vaart is looking to leave Hamburg and has previously expressed a determination to join Spanish side Valencia.

His compatriot Ronald Koeman has recently been appointed coach at the Mestalla and would be keen to sign the former Ajax captain.

But while Valencia maintain an interest in the midfielder, Van der Vaart's agent Bayram Tutumlu claims there is strong interest from other clubs.

Difficult

"Now, it is very difficult for the player to join Valencia because we have important offers from other big clubs in Spain and England, but he has always loved Valencia," Tutumlu told Las Provincias.

"I have spoken with him and he said that if Valencia present an offer he will study it.

"But I know the salary being offered by president Juan Soler is very difficult to agree to."

Reports have claimed that Arsenal and Newcastle United are the two Premier League sides keeping an eye on the situation.

 

[CrazyInLoveWithArsenal]

I would love him here, fits our style down to the ground. He is better than Modric in my opinion.

 

[kooldawg]

If we miss out on Modric then we should move for Van Der Vaart

 

[derrickkwa]

I would love to have him here. Always been a fan of him, and I think he'd fit in. But then again, we've got a wealth of talent, so not really necessary. Maybe for the wings.

 

[GUNNERS4L1FE]

I would love VDV here but isnt he a central player

 

[MDGoonah41]

yes please

 

[derrickkwa]

I would love VDV here but isnt he a central player

Yeah, but well, so were Rosicky and Hleb before they came (and Pires and Ljungberg as well, for that matter).

And well, the comment about the wings was mainly because I just can't see how he'd fit in the center. We've got so much talent there, and as much as I like Van der Vaart, it's hard to see where he'd fit in.

 

[kamikaze80]

i love this guy, he knows how to score. but as others had pointed out previously, he lacks a bit of pace. assuming he'd be played out wide for us, he's sort of the anti-eboue - physical attributes are average, but he oozes class and makes the game look easy.