Arsenal 2014-2015: Ugh. Your banter stinks.

[sachmoney]

Last season featured highs and lows. The triumph of winning the FA Cup yesterday capped off that season on a high note, following a disappointing end to the league season and another early exit in the Champions League. It was Arsenal's first trophy in 9 years and surely, this taste will have the fans lusting for more silverware. I would admit, though, that the wait made yesterday's win that much more special. Regardless, the expectation will be to build upon that success.

 

[ifmanis5]

We have parades now.
 

 

[Luis Taint]

Looking ahead to next season, the questions I have:
 
1.They desperately need another striker, and who is realistically available?  I've loved watching Lukaku, and read he may be available.
 
2. Who is brought in to replace Fabianski and Sagna?
 
3. Are they going to re-open the Julian Draxler talks?
 
Binkie watch: please bring in Ross Barkley.

 

[sachmoney]

I want a holding midfielder most of all. Getting a player with more athleticism than Arteta and more control than Flamini would help free up Ramsey and potentially Wilshere. Just give me a Patrick Vieira clone. If the Vela rumors are true, the need for a striker becomes less of a priority unless it's a top top striker. Right back will be a need upon Sagna's departure. And as always, depth depth depth depth depth.
 

 

[mikeford]

Please god keep Sagna

 

[Luis Taint]

I feel like Arsenal has signaled that they want to keep Sagna, but that he just wants out.

 

[sachmoney]

I get the sense that Arsenal don't want to meet his wage demands that don't really seem outlandish to me, so I'd have to disagree with you there, Taint.

 

[Schnerres]

Looking ahead to next season, the questions I have:
 
1.They desperately need another striker, and who is realistically available?  I've loved watching Lukaku, and read he may be available.
 
2. Who is brought in to replace Fabianski and Sagna?
 
3. Are they going to re-open the Julian Draxler talks?
 

 
1: After last weekends events, Mandzukic is obviously for sale.
 
3: I don´t think, he will leave. I guess he stays for another season (or at least, a half), because Schalke plays CL, so he is happy for the moment.
 
Of course, after the WC, everything could be different...

 

[sachmoney]

I get the sense that Arsenal don't want to meet his wage demands that don't really seem outlandish to me, so I'd have to disagree with you there, Taint.

Everything I'd seen had been around £100k which seemed doable to me, but it looks like City and United are offering in the £150k range, which I don't see being a viable option for Arsenal. I've never seen Aurier play nor am I comfortable with Jenkinson at the moment. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

 

[soxfan121]

Cesc, anyone?

 

[Snakebauer007]

Cesc, anyone?

yes, please

 

[mikeford]

Daily Star reporting Sagna to Citeh for 140k a week

 

[Snakebauer007]

Daily Star reporting Sagna to Citeh for 140k a week

Does that move make any sense for City, with Zabaleta?

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Can we please all agree that the Daily Star should never, ever be quoted as a source for anything?

 

[sachmoney]

Cesc, anyone?

Always, hahahaha
 

Does that move make any sense for City, with Zabaleta?

I have no idea. I rate Zabaleta higher than Sagna, though Sagna can play some centerback if need be.
 

Can we please all agree that the Daily Star should never, ever be quoted as a source for anything?

Seconded.

 

[ifmanis5]

Thread still needs a title.

 

[sachmoney]

Thread still needs a title.

Thanks.

 

[ifmanis5]

Thanks.

Zing.

 

[sachmoney]

I wanted to pretend like I have a sense of humor.

 

[ifmanis5]

I wanted to pretend like I have a sense of humor.

I want to pretend like we have a title.

 

[soxfan121]

I thought y'all were just studiously ignoring the title a dope hung on your previous thread after someone chirped about the locked Chelsea thread title. 
 
Which was very funny, at least IMO.

 

[sachmoney]

I thought y'all were just studiously ignoring the title a dope hung on your previous thread after someone chirped about the locked Chelsea thread title. 
 
Which was very funny, at least IMO.

I had suggestions to make this thread title a response to that. That didn't seem in the right spirit.
 
And anyway, them changing that thread title isn't as egregious as locking the Atlético thread before their season is finished.

 

[blueline]

Just an FYI I didn't actually want the title changed to the Chelsea thread...but it's pretty telling who was so eager to jump over the thought of it. 

 

[soxfan121]

Just an FYI I didn't actually want the title changed to the Chelsea thread...but it's pretty telling who was so eager to jump over the thought of it. 

 
Just an FYI, but you're full of shit. You said it, you own it. Being whiny about it will just result in whomever (again, not me) changed that one to change this one, too. 

 

[blueline]

No, not really, but thanks. It was a tongue in cheek comment.
 
As you seem to be so interested in my opinion on thread titles, I do like this one though!

 

[sachmoney]

So let the silly season begin? From everyone's favorite rag:

 

[mikeford]

The Cesc shit really dumbfounds me. Where does he play with Ramsey and Ozil at this club? Holding mid like hes 17 and just getting blooded into the squad again?
 
Seems like the least necessary signing we could make.

 

[sachmoney]

Just in the League:
Ozil missed 12 games
Ramsey missed 15 games
Wilshere missed 14 games
Walcott missed 24 games
Cazorla missed 7 games
 
The fans complain about depth and when a player of great quality might be signed, people ask why. People asked why we signed Ozil when we had Santi. It baffles me because you want to have a squad with the best players. You want to have a squad with depth. You want to have as many great players as possible. It baffles me when people question signing a great player.
 
You also get the "where will he play or the squad is full" type questions. That was the case with Ozil. It's the case with Cesc. If you have great players, you make room for them. Heck, Ramsey wasn't supposed to play at all this season because Jack had "solidified" his place. Ramsey was the revelation of the season. He played himself into the line up and kept himself there to the point where you couldn't take him out because he was so much better than the guy who would replace him. What happened? He missed half the season. It was just too bad we didn't have another player good enough to give him rest so he wouldn't get injured. It was too bad that we didn't have another player to give Ozil a break instead of him getting worn down because he had no breaks.
 
If Wenger buys Cesc, then it will be up to him to make everything work and finding a place for him to play and rotating the squad to get everyone games, but to me, I don't think this is a "least necessary" move at all. There will be plenty of games available and I think Cesc can again contribute a lot to Arsenal.
 
This is not to say that I would be satisfied with a Summer of just Cesc, but I think it's far from the "least necessary" move Arsenal can make. I see it more as solidifying something that Arsenal is great at. My one worry is that this becomes a distraction because the team really needs to get 2-3 deals done for good players on top of replacing Sagna.

 

[mikeford]

We need a RB, a holding mid and a backup keeper at minimum.

I think basically everyone would also say we need a striker.

Spending £35m on a guy for the purposes of depth is mental.

 

[sachmoney]

1. He wouldn't be depth. He would play. He would start. He wouldn't be depth.
 
2. He's not my top priority either, but if you can't get top quality at your positions of need (striker, holding midfielder), I don't have a problem with the best available player strategy. That's what I see him as. I would much rather them get a great striker (Cavani or Balotelli? LOL JK) or holding midfielder (Bender/Martinez). We'll see.
 
I think that the right back situation will be addressed.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

It feels to me as if Arsenal has 5 Attacking Midfielders, a couple of box to midfielders and no holding midfielders or wingers. But sure, get Fabregas too.

 

[Luis Taint]

It seems to me that regardless of need, you have to take Cesc back. It looks like he is coming back to the EPL regardless, I'd much rather have to find him a place , then Chelsea or either of the Man's finding him one.

 

[sachmoney]

25 years ago today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAZK5PpOZOQ

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Arsenal eying Norwich's John Ruddy for transfer. 
 
Could pay 6 million pounds for him.

 

[sachmoney]

Fabianski is off to Swansea it appears.

 

[mikeford]

Sagna told L'Equipe in France that he's outta here, not that we didnt already know that.
 
Wenger really bottled that contract.

 

[sachmoney]

Bottled what contract? City offered essentially double what he was making. Arsenal only wanted to go up by like 50%. Arsenal will eventually have to adapt to give higher contracts to star players (and I think they've begun to with Ozil), but an aging fullback? Yeah, I wouldn't say they bottled it at all. And yes, I know I criticized the club before. But that was based off the numbers I'd seen. The numbers City offered/offering is higher.
 
Also, Wenger signed da ting officially.

 

[mikeford]

Letting him get to the point he could leave on a free in the first place was the problem

 

[Schnerres]

1. He wouldn't be depth. He would play. He would start. He wouldn't be depth.

 
Not absolutely correct. If you add a player to the starting XI, a former starter will be sent to the bench and increases the depth.
 
Even if you add a superstar player and you improve your roster "at the top", you could also improve "the depth", if the former starter (someone from Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla,..) will be bench depth and a former bench player (Flamini?) is sent out/let go.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Bottled what contract? City offered essentially double what he was making. Arsenal only wanted to go up by like 50%. Arsenal will eventually have to adapt to give higher contracts to star players (and I think they've begun to with Ozil), but an aging fullback? Yeah, I wouldn't say they bottled it at all. And yes, I know I criticized the club before. But that was based off the numbers I'd seen. The numbers City offered/offering is higher.
 
Also, Wenger signed da ting officially.

 
Yeah, exactly.  Sagna basically wanted to be the second highest earner on the team and City's offer puts him in Ozil's territory.  Its one thing to disrupt the egalitarian nature of the wage bill to sign or keep star players (which I completely support).  Its another thing to do so in order to keep a 31-year-old fullback that is ulitmately a role player on the team, regardless of his loyal history with the club.  If you give the likes of Sagna $100-140K per week, then what will guys like BFG and Koscielny say about that?
 
This was just one of those situations in which the deck was heavily stacked against him signing a new contract.  He understandably wants to cash in before he retires and AFC understandably doesn't want to pay him nearly as much as the oil clubs.  Everybody is acting logically and pursuing reasonable interests and it adds up to a divorce.

 

[ifmanis5]

Wenger extended for three more years: http://www.espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1845608/arsene-wenger-signs-new-arsenal-deal-three-years-2017?cc=5901
 
The Long and Wenger Road.

 

[blueline]

David Ornstein of the BBC on Twitter reporting that Arsenal have told Barcelona they won't exercise their buy back option on Cesc, also only looking at a striker, RB, and backup GK this summer.
 
 
If so that's disgraceful.

 

[Luis Taint]

 
https://twitter.com/bbcsport_david/status/474537439886053376
 

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

David Ornstein of the BBC on Twitter reporting that Arsenal have told Barcelona they won't exercise their buy back option on Cesc, also only looking at a striker, RB, and backup GK this summer.
 
 
If so that's disgraceful.

 
I would have loved Cesc back at the Emirates but this is probably the right call IF (and that's a humongous IF) the team actually uses the resources to instead buy class players at other positions.
 
I don't know where the stuff about only looking at a striker, RB, and GK comes from but that part definitely smells like complete bullshit/speculation. 

 

[mikeford]

They need all those positions and a true DM. Arteta and Flamoney ain't bringin home the bacon.

 

[sachmoney]

In a wait and see mode as far as what Arsenal actually does. The window has been really frustrating due to the the ratio of rumors to actual moves. It is still young though. Trying to be patient, but I hope Arsenal isn't as "patient" as they were last year, snapping up Özil at the very last minute. Thought we lucked out with that one. With Wenger, there is always a fear that shunning Cesc about not wanting to spend money rather than to address the needs. I guess that's always the worry.

 

[mikeford]

"We'll need a goalkeeper, a right back, a midfielder and a striker," Koscielny said on Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press at France's pre-World Cup training camp.
 
"It's important to have a minimum of these four players so that we'll be better able to challenge over the course of a whole season against teams like Manchester City, Chelsea or (Manchester) United. Winning the FA Cup can change things and lead to other players coming."
 
"Yes, we need to recruit a very, very good striker, because it's important for us, for competition for places, because Olivier needs that to become even better," Koscielny said. "Having a striker who scores more than 30 goals a season can help us win the Premier League. Compared to the squads like Manchester City, even United, Chelsea. ... You can see there's a certain difference."
 
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_307134/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=DWNuknxf

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Does Wenger even know you're allowed to buy players before the middle of July?

 

[soxfan121]

Bob says Michael wanted to go to Arsenal but:
 

“I think American players and coaches have to fight really hard for respect,” said the elder Bradley. “In January, Arsenal [were] looking to add a midfielder, and they chose Kim Kallstrom. Kim Kallstrom's not a bad player, but I think Michael feels pretty strongly that he’s better, and so Arsene Wenger must not feel that way, and Ivan Gazidis must not feel that way.
“So sometimes, no matter what you do, you don’t get the respect you think you deserve.”

So yeah. Kim Kallstrom. Y'all probably don't win the league with a healthy, in-form Michael Bradley instead of an injured, out-of-shape Kim Kallstrom...but you probably  finish higher than fourth. 

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

According to Spanish media, the president of Real Sociedad confirmed today that Arsenal has informed them that they we activate the buy back clause for Vela.  Its a twitter link but I tend to believe it when its a journalist quoting a public statement from the club official.

This is a no-brainer at £3M. I still wonder whether there are negotiations in the offing, however, to send him back to Sociedad either for a fee or as part of a deal for Griezmann.
 
Edit: I'm reading elsewhere that some people think the Sociedad official's statements are a little more ambiguous.