Looking at our squad

Not really. I think Mertesacker is an excellent defender, even more so when paired up with Koscielny. That partnership has done very, very well this season and a few poor results isn't enough for me to change my opinion.

I don't see a need to tinker with it all. By all means, bring in a better player than Vermaelen to bolster our options, but Mertesacker offers composure, intelligence and leadership to the backline. His being slow has very rarely been a problem, and him "not defending well when the ball is on the ground" is blatantly not true, given his ability to intercept the ball and cleanly tackle players running at him.

Arsenal's defensive record has suffered because the whole team has not played well in the big games, and because Vermaelen and Monreal aren't as good as Koscielny and Gibbs. Monreal was culpable of two of Everton's three goals against us, while Vermaelen played his part in one of them and was culpable for Bony's goal for Swansea against us.

Again, the partnership of Mertesacker and Koscielny is fine. It's taken two to three seasons to get a solid defence in place and the last thing we need to be doing is putting in another defender, especially when you've got a new right back to integrate at the same time.

merte-kosci partnarship is great, but just thought buying another top class CB and using merte as a 3rd choice would make us extremely strong in the CB area. if we buy another wc CB he wont accept a bench role, merte will, i really want us to have 3 top class CB's. maybe you have a point with the new rb issue, but still...

Sell Walcott for 15m?    

Walcott easily worth double that, we have money, Arsenal shits money. Arsenal dont have a money problem, we have a spending problem.

It's said how Ryo isn't in the discussions, but tbf he's not shown anything since Bolton days.

why does so many of you guys want Giroud out? He is the perfect back up CF. You do need someone else, but there are no reasons for him to move unless his ego cant handle. He is at best a top 5-10 team 1st choice. if he cant handle not being good enough to start for arsenal then he can go.

Sell Walcott for 15m and Cazorla for 6m.

Regarding the future of the squad, there are so many variables though. Including Wenger's own future. Hard to predict what the club will do, or will be able to do.

I really hope that, no matter what, there are proactive measures taken into the perennial injury crisis situation at the club and also some shaking up in terms of tactics. Beautiful possession football is all well and good, but Arsenal rarely achieve that level of the style these days, and I think it would help if the squad was coached & encouraged in terms of fast runs and trying different approaches to pick apart defensive opponents. To me, addressing those issues is as important as making the right transfers.

Personnel-wise ... first, the Big One: if Draxler comes for a “marquee” transfer fee, I would expect Podolski to be moved on for somewhere in the neighborhood of £7m.

Defense: I'd like to see Vermaelen and Sagna both stay; Sagna's future is in his own hands of course. For a Sagna replacement, I would like to see the club sign a sensible and fairly experienced guy to help with the development. Needn't break the bank. Tomovic? Janmaat? Both guys who've been linked to Arsenal in the past if I recall. For CB acquisitions (whether one or two are needed), I don't see any reason to tamper with the Kos-Mert partnership. Sign a good, relatively cheap, experienced rotation guy if Vermaelen really wants to move on – Williams or Reid, maybe. Or look for promising youth, e.g. Fabian Schar? John Stones would be a really exciting signing, but I doubt that Everton/Martinez would let him go after just a year. Certainly not for cheap anyway. We all know a back-up GK is needed. I think a guy with some first-team experience who simply isn't mistake-prone is ideal for that role … doesn't have to be a worldbeater, just someone who won't remind us of Almunia or the younger Fabianski.

Promotions to the first team: Campbell, Martinez.

Otherwise. We'd all like to see big name marquee DM & ST brought in. But I think, given the market for exactly those kinds of players, it may be more along the lines of:

Batshuayi or Rodrigo or Ibarbo or Ba or Drmic or etc. ...
+
Casemiro or Gonalons or Mulumbu or etc. ...

You get the picture. They won't necessarily be bad signings, but they will be underwhelming if you expect “world-class” acquisitions. I'd love a world-class acquisitions myself. But I won't hold my breath for Cavani + Bender.

Cazorla is 29 and also is not a "winger." When Arsenal signed him two years ago for 15m that was widely considered an incredibly good price.

Walcott is in his prime, he is one of the fastest players in the game, he's marketable, and he has many years left on his contract. Plus he's got that English premium. No way 15m could get him in that situation, that's ridiculous. Not when you consider what other English players go for these days (even if you think their fees are inflated, which they are).

Agree about the walcott bit, not an attractive target for bigger clubs than arsenal, but why would arsenal sell him in the 1st place?

Buy:
*retain Sagna.. If it can't be done, then
-Seamus Coleman
-Lars Bender
-Draxler or Greizmann
-Balotelli or Mandzukic
-Fraser Forster
-Joel Veltman

Recall Joel Campbell
Sell:
-Either Giroud or Podolski
-Monreal or Vermaelen
-Djourou
-Park


Let Bendtner, Ryo, Fabianski and Diaby walk

Send Gnabry and Zelalem on Loan


-----------------Balotelli--------------------

Draxler-----------Ozil--------------Walcott

---------Ramsey------Bender--------------

Gibbs-------Kos-------Mert--------Coleman

-----------------Chez------------------------


-Jack
-Cazorla
-Giroud or Podolski
-Verm or Monreal
-Forster
-Veltman
-Jenkinson
-Campbell
-Sanogo
-Rosicky
-Flamini
- Arteta
-Oxlade

Lars-Mania

if we were to buy one defender from Everton then rather John Stones
really want a young English CB or two
would put new Lw with striker instincts[not just a mid playing there] in priorities as well

Giroud now has 20 goals despite playing most of the season without Walcott and Ramsey to provide chances for him.

Really don't see the point of selling him.

GoonerJay29 wrote:Giroud now has 20 goals despite playing most of the season without Walcott and Ramsey to provide chances for him.

Really don't see the point of selling him.

Would prefer not to sell anyone. If we can afford to make all the upgrades we need than that's great

But I just feel like it's going to get really expensive and if we want to get it all done we will probably need to sell players. And we don't have much sell bate

Just going by the pattern of rumours, but it doesn't appear we're looking at spending big on a striker this summer. Mandzukic has been the predominant link but you'd imagine he wouldn't require us to break the bank should Bayern choose to sell him. Other than him, there aren't many top forwards available bar Diego Costa, who seems increasingly more Chelsea-bound. So it looks like Arsenal might prefer to spend £10mil to £20mil on a young forward or another "Giroud" level forward, unless they want to tempt PSG with a big offer for Cavani, but somehow I can't see that happening.

I think a backup keeper, third choice centre half and right back would cost similar amounts, so you might be looking at around £40mil to £60mil on four players, which the club can afford without selling anyone and would probably leave enough to make one marquee purchase to improve the midfield or flanks.

It can absolutely happen.
1) Blanc is still gonna be the coach and 433 is not going anywhere
2) Cavani already professed how he came to play a 2 man attack with Carlo, and doesnt like playing winger. he was signed on the model of carlo who played 1 SS, 1 CF.
3) he cant bench Ibra, so his fate his sealed.

Call his agent, promise him that big fat starting role with 0 competition, turn his head, give enough money to psg so that they can sign someone like Hulk to replace him and you guys have yourself one of the best CF money can buy.

i think wenger made a mistake selling gervinho and not making a 45 million pound bid for suarez.
gervinho has been playing very good in ROMA and we all know how good suarez is and what he did for liverpool.
He also made a mistake not signing jovetic for the back up to walcott

if we look in details ozil didnt make a whole lot difference to this squad because we already had players in his position available.

For the next season, i am sure we will come back with loaded guns. I would look forward to get the following two players because they suit arsenal.

Realistically
1. Dzeko
2. Matuidi or Melo
3. Left Footed Winger not compulsory

Not sure how Matuidi is a realistic target when he has a contract with PSG through 2018 now.

El Gunner wrote: Is Melo still any good?

RedOranje wrote:Not sure how Matuidi is a realistic target when he has a contract with PSG through 2018 now.

Dont follow those players but what i meant was that arsenal should get a pure defensive minded mid fielder. i want someone like viera...   

As long as Wenger is here that will not happen.

Think he deserves more respect than that mate.

Realistically I can't us signing more than two players. I'd settle for a Striker and defensive mid but if we decide to go on a spending spree. These are the position i'd like to see us strengthen

Winger: Griezman, I mean Ox is the only Winger we have who is capable of taking on defenders and beating them. Theo is better at making runs in behind the defenders

DM: Bender or Gonalons. Sick and tired of Arteta lack of mobility and athleticism. Technically he isn't all that as well. for all his effort we can't have Flamini playing against the likes of City & Chelsea either. In before we also have Diaby who can play there   

Centre half: Could do with a centre half who is more mobile and has pace about him, we tend to defend deeper nowadays because we have people like Mert and Arteta that struggled who left exposed. Sometimes i'd like to see us to play a more expansive game. The likes of Ramsey and Jack for example have to do more defending because they can't trust Arteta to protect the back four himself.

Striker: Realistically I can't see us getting a world class striker, we will either get other clubs left overs like Mandzukic, Ba or a young striker. I'd rather we go for a young striker like that Drmic guy.

Sturridge was Chelsea's "left overs"

Look how that turned out for Liverpool.

MJGunner wrote:Sturridge was Chelsea's "left overs"

Look how that turned out for Liverpool.

He wasn't   

They tried to keep him but they couldn't guarantee him first team football in his favourite position.

Feel like some gunners here will be disappointed yet again this summer , the more we build up, the more let down we will be I'm afraid.

The cynical me says it will be: 1 WC player, another Viviano (if he stays, we can cross this one off also), another Sanogo (maybe not even that as Joel will be back) & another Kim for the winter (after all the fans get sick of Arteta part 2)

And if that WC player turns out to be "Draxler" or "Mandzukic"   although I don't mind both though, one is not enough

Twoism wrote:Feel like some gunners here will be disappointed yet again this summer , the more we build up, the more let down we will be I'm afraid.

The cynical me says it will be: 1 WC player, another Viviano (if he stays, we can cross this one off also), another Sanogo (maybe not even that as Joel will be back) & another Kim for the winter (after all the fans get sick of Arteta part 2)

And if that WC player turns out to be "Draxler" or  "Mandzukic"   although I don't mind both though, one is not enough