Re: Transfer Rumours Thread

[Sina]

wish we could keep both verm and Bac ;(
already have two urgent needs[CF,DM]

Yet will have 2 unnecessary ones added with those twos departures damn

[urbaNRoots]

Arsenal target Julian Draxler assisted two goals and won a penalty in Schalke's 4-0 win against Hoffenheim.

http://rutube.ru/video/00708b7eb2179fc69d1b260768afbe6f/

http://rutube.ru/video/3e2c5105917ca83e5d41929e82b0f953/

The first video might catch your attention.

[Sina]

Draxman<3
he played central role, right?

[RealGunner]

He has gone much faster

[urbaNRoots]

Draxman<3
he played central role, right?

He had a free role - constantly switching positions with Goretzka, but as you can see on the first video - his best moments came from the left which in my opinion is his best position.

[Sina]

its ok Chambo-Mesut&Jule will interchange throughout the games as they are comfy all across

with Theo and Santi as super subs

[Chumlum]

In case you all haven't seen this yet ... Mirror claims Campbell will have a spot in the squad next season, and Podolski is likely to be sold.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsene-wenger-wants-joel-campbell-3222294

[urbaNRoots]

How much can we realistically expect to get for Podolski? Inter and Wolfsburg are reportedly interested.

[Sina]

recoup the same amount we paid, around 11M

[MJ]

Damned shame but, yes, at least what we paid. This is still a German international in his prime years. Just needs the playing time.

[urbaNRoots]

He's two years older, hasn't improved (but hasn't declined either) and is on £100k/week. Getting £11m for him would be good business but I doubt we will be able to.

[MJ]

Hasn't improved but imo with the starting spot he'd command at Wolfsburg or Inter he'd be back to his Koln form.


In other news, Ricardo Montolivo's agent claims Arsene Wenger has made contact with a view of signing the Italian midfielder.

Think that since Milan will most likely be without Champions League football next season, they'd be more open to selling certain players to cover their losses. Montolivo's contract expires in 2016. He's 29, 3 years younger than Arteta.

[Chumlum]

Given that Montolivo is 29 and that he's played his entire career in Italy, could you guys really see Wenger making a move for him this summer? I'm skeptical. I suspect that this is more smoke from Montolivo's agent than from anything genuine Arsenal's end.

Despite my skepticism about the rumor itself, I like Montolivo as a player. I do think he could be a very good Arteta replacement (assuming he'd be placed as a good, metronomic passer deep in midfield). If he were 25 or so, he'd be almost the ideal player to get for that role without breaking the bank.

[Twoism]

Inter is poor now but if Wolfburg is interested, we could milk a bit those guys are rich as *bleep*.

Monty while greatly improved since moving to Milan, still has that lost moments - deers in headlight in games. It's never about his abilities which he always has, just his mentality. So no, i prefer some bites in the middle

[GenBlizkin]

Sell him to Wolfs for 10mill, get Drax position filled. All we need then is DM and Striker.

[urbaNRoots]

I feel we don't have the money to sign Draxler, a striker AND a DM. Not to mention a Sagna replacement, 2 CB's should Vermaelen leave and a GK backup.

[Raptorgunner]

I feel we don't have the money to sign Draxler, a striker AND a DM. Not to mention a Sagna replacement, 2 CB's should Vermaelen leave and a GK backup.

We have the money, if the player is available we must go for him.

[Chumlum]

I feel we don't have the money to sign Draxler, a striker AND a DM. Not to mention a Sagna replacement, 2 CB's should Vermaelen leave and a GK backup.

I'm a little concerned by this too - with Fabianski, Vermaelen, and Sagna all likely to leave, that makes for a big chunk of the squad to be replaced, rather than just 2-3.

I saw on Twitter one Arsenal fan saying that the club shouldn't bother with measly signings in the £10-20 million range anymore, because 'we've moved on to a higher bracket.' It's true that Arsenal have shown a willingness to pay big for a big player, but it's ridiculous to think that £10-20m is now chump change. Shows how people's minds can get twisted by the craziness of the transfer market and oil money. There are still a lot of really good players available in that range, which is necessary for squad depth and sometimes can produce a really good bargain - remember Cazorla cost £15m and he was certainly worth much more than that. Wenger capitalized on a market opportunity there.

If we're trying to predict some other such market opportunities, we should keep an eye on which players are nearing the ends of contracts - this summer or next. I especially wonder if Wenger might try to fill gaps for back-up CB and GK with free/cheap options like these. (Will the club gamble on Arteta & Flamini as DMs one more year, and sign up someone like teenage Adrien Rabiot, out of contract this summer at PSG if I recall?)

Plus there are promotions from youth/loan ... Campbell, Martinez, Henderson/Ajayi, Bellerin, a few other possibilities ... like almost every year, a few will get incorporated into the fringe of the senior squad.

Anyway. As awesome as it would be to bring in Draxler, I can't help but feel like it would be a luxury signing (at least in the short term), to spend so much money on a guy who is massively talented but still very young, in a position that is much less of a priority than ST/DM/RB/etc. I'll be ecstatic if he's signed, don't get me wrong, but from a rational perspective towards the whole squad, I'm just slightly troubled about how much "work" the remaining transfer money will have to do to fill up the rest of the squad.

[MJ]

Pure ignorance, fine players can be bought within the £10-20m region. Cazorla as Chum pointed out, look at Liverpool signing Sturridge for £12m.

Sometimes the player doesn't show his worth until he gets his shot with a club that wants to invest time in him, even if they don't have to invest so much money into him,

I'd rather sign Griezmann as he's supposedly £12million cheaper and just as talented from what I've seen of the two. Either would be fantastic if we had to sell Podolski.

[SamuelJayC]

Agents are trying to negotiate van Persie's return to Arsenal this summer, but Wenger is not interested in any deal: http://bit.ly/1kf58ts

[Sina]

Oops

[Chumlum]

^^ Future Arsenal teammates already engaging in some physical banter.   

[Sina]

indeed friendship that starts with lil bit craziness

@English_AS

Diego Costa has seven goals in 374 minutes of Champions League football, one every 53 mins.

:NotBad:

[Twoism]

I feel we don't have the money to sign Draxler, a striker AND a DM. Not to mention a Sagna replacement, 2 CB's should Vermaelen leave and a GK backup.

If it's typical Wenger next summer, Here is our priority

1. A striker, he did hunt one last year and this year will be no difference.
2. Draxler
3. An experienced but reasonably priced DM.
4. New CB
5. new GK
6. We will have to settle for Jenkinson & Bellerin as Sagna replacement.

- 1 & 2 could morph into one, also cuadrado can be considered if Bayer suddenly wants Draxler.
- 3 & 4 could also moph into one, could bring back Song lol, it's actually quite feasible consider how much shit storm Barca is going through now.
- 5 would be a loan

So worst case scenario, there will be 2 signings & 1 loan, otherwise 3 signings & 1 loan.

[urbaNRoots]

Worst case scenario is terrifying lol, 4 signings required ATLEAST should Fabianski, Sagna, Vermaelen, Podolski all leave (all look likely to leave).

I like Guillermo Ochoa, an experienced and international goalkeeper who's out of contract in the summer, would come for free and I'm sure he wouldn't mind playing for a big club for once in his career even as a back up.

I'd settle for Micah Richards to replace Sagna in the short-term and wait to see if Bellerin/Jenkinson make a big step ahead before signing someone expensive in that position. I have high hopes that one of Bellerin/Jenkinson will properly replace Sagna. Fingers crossed Sagna stays though. I don't really rate Richards but as a short term solution he would be a decent player, and I think he'd like to join us aswell being an Arsenal fan and all that. Only if he comes for a low fee though otherwise look at other options, like Serge Aurier.

Ezequiel Garay to replace Vermaelen.

As for a DM, I don't think Wenger will look to sign one having just signed Flamini recently so it's pointless to even discuss it.

Julian Draxler is an obvious signing, I don't think we should sign him when we have someone better than him already in our team and for £38m... ugh. But it looks like Wenger really likes him and he will sign him with the funds he has now. If it was up to me, I'd pay whatever it took to sign Diego Costa, overpriced or not, he's the only world class forward who could be available in the summer. That said, knowing Wenger he'll pay £38m on a luxury signing like Draxler instead of him.

So our squad would be:

GK: Szczesny, Ochoa, Martinez
RB: Richards, Jenkinson, Bellerin
CB: Mertesacker, Koscielny, Garay, Richards
LB: Gibbs, Monreal, Flamini
DM: Arteta, Flamini, Ramsey
CM: Ramsey, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain
AM: Özil, Cazorla, Rosicky
RW: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Campbell
LW: Draxler, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla
CF: Walcott, Giroud, Sanogo

Szczesny
Richards (Bellerin/Jenko) - Mertesacker (Richards) - Koscielny (Garay) - Gibbs (Monreal)
Arteta (Flamini) - Ramsey (Wilshere)
Chamberlain (Gnabry) - Özil (Cazorla) - Draxler (Cazorla)
Walcott (Giroud)

Hopefully Walcott bulks up a bit now that he's out injured, gets some strength and becomes our main striker because we ain't signing one

It's also time for Chamberlain to get a place in the first XI, he's ready.

[MJ]

That's a great squad, just missing that striker

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