Friday, March 23, 2007

Arsene rarely buys big so get real..

Giles Sunu has become a typical Arsene Wenger signing. The great man has stated himself that he is no longer sure about the rules surrounding the transfer system.

If you look at any fans forum or some blog sites they are all calling for 'world class' players and experience as Arsene has a transfer 'war chest' to spend and bring the title to the Emirates.

To be fair, that just isn't going to happen!

Arsene's biggest successes are buying players who have mainly fit into 3 catagories;

1. PLayers who are either under performing and can be coached to get back to their best and therefore he sees as a bargain (Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires for example)

2. Young players who he just has to pay a reltaively small transfer fee or compensation for (Nicolas Anelka, Cesc Fabregas and Kolo Toure) and who don't really represent a gamble. £5m for Walcott could even be considered a modest outlay given his potnetial and that the rest of the money is based on further success.

3. More experienced players who are available at the right price (Davor Suker, Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann) although this has been recently usurped by the 2nd option as younger players represent better value.

Players such as Hleb and Rosicky falling somewhere in between 2 and 3 but definately not involving massive transfer fees.

There of course have been ocassion when Arsene has bought big (Jose Reyes, Sylvain Wiltord, Francis Jeffers) and it has not always worked out.

I must say I never thought Wiltord was a failure as he worked very hard, was versatile and scored some important goals.

However when people talk of Buffon, Ribery, Woodgate, Torres etc they are way off the mark and probably have been playing a bit too much Championship Manager! The only way that would happen is if we sold Henry which I think would be suicide.

One thing Arsene doesn't tend to do it buy players with big reputations who might upset the dynamic of the group. He tries to buy players who he thinks have the right temperament and who are decent guys who will fit in.

If I was Arsene I think I might let Ljungberg leave for say £5 - £7m, sell Reyes and Aliadiere, not buy the Beast and let Bendtner challenge for the 4th striker position with Walcott who could also play out wide.

We have Cesc, Gilberto, Denilson, Rosicky, Hleb, Diaby (who I think can become an influential player for us) for the midfield but they are all very central and so I would say a wide player is a must.

Ribery would be great but I seriously can't see that happening unless his price drops significantly and so I think Babel of Ajax could be an option if he is available at £6 - £8m but I don't expect any 'superstars' coming in during the summer.

What do you think will happen to the squad during the summer?

10 Comments:

At 2:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Everyone says wenger wont buy big becuase when he did buy big players they flopped. Well thats not the supporters falt its wengers and scouts fault for buying rubbish players. We arsenal fans want him to bring in young promising players but at the same time bring in 1 or 2 big names wich would add depth to our team. I reckon this needs to be our team next season to challenge for premiership:
Gordon(Next david seamon in my eyes)
Eboue Toure Gallas Clichy
Ribery Gilberto Fabregas Rosicky
(scores goals unlike hleb)
V.persie Henry

Competition will be:
Almunia
Ferrari(versatile will help gallas stay centre back whole season)
djourou
senderos
Hoyte
diaby
denilson
flamini
hleb
fran merida(next best thing)
adebayor
bedner(cnt spell his name)
sunu(hopefully

 
At 2:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vieira was a (relatively) big signing.
Overmars was a big signing.
Thierry Henry was a massive signing (top scorer for World Cup winners).
Suker was a big signing.
Pires, star of Euro 2000, was a big signing.
Wiltord was an expensive signing.
Campbell was an exceedingly bold signing.
Reyes was a big signing.

By definition, the Arsenal manager, unless he is exceptionally lucky with young talent, has to make big signings. If he doesn't, he will no longer be the Arsenal manager. It isn't a question of being fair or otherwise. It's just the way things are. Arsene Wenger seems determined to see out the biggest gamble of career. I hope it pays off for him but it's looking increasingly unlikely.

 
At 2:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't know why people think Ribery scores goals.

He's scored about five in all competitions...which is similar to Hleb.

 
At 3:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Increasingly unlikely to lose the biggest gamble of AW's career?

Based on this season's performance, perhaps. But only if the factors that led to this season's performaces are replicated next year. Most will NOT be (and you cannot create a perfect team in the real world). Next season will NOT follow a world cup; will NOT have a very unsettled preseason (with key players leaving and coming in on deadline day); will NOT see so many injuries; WILL have sorted out the shares situation one way or the other (which has been going on longer than we realise, but more than likely AW has known this and it's unsettling news); will NOT begin in a new stadium; and the midfield and wide players WILL score more goals. AW WILL get himself and his players under control once this very frustrating campaign is over.

Moreover, the other teams in the premierleague are strengthening, and POSSIBLY will take more points from Chelsea and Manuited; our lads will PROBABLY be older and wiser in key areas of the pitch; our players will PROBABLY not be so tired and therefore more clinical in front of goal;

As for being crap on set plays, this WILL most likely continue. English referees WILL continue to allow other teams to play physically against us. HOwever, will Diaby be enough to strengthen us in the middle of the park? Moreover, Chelsea will be even stronger next year unless Cech, Terry and Joe Cole get re-injured. Even Manunited may be stronger as well since Rooney won't have a dismal first four months (despite the fading of Giggs and Scholes, and they can't get so lucky with injuries again, can they? If Ronaldo goes, they will struggle to finish in the top two next year).

So it's about supporting the team and hoping the chemistry comes right to take the team into the realm of winning silverware, and even make world beaters out of this current crop of extraordinary talents.

 
At 4:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeah but unfortunately mr positive vibes, u forget that next year will be another african cup of nations year so that means doing without adebayor toure and eboue, wii that take it's toll on our ability to win trophies?....i think it will add that to suspensions and injuries and it could be just as bad as this year

 
At 5:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can see him buying a traditional winger. Someone with pace and trickery who can beat his man, run down the wings and fire a diagonal ball back across the box. That's how Arsenal scored 2 years ago. I'd imagine he would have a knack for scoring too.
A new keeper is a possibility. Everyone knows Arsene has shown interest in Akinfeev, Gordon and Carson.

Aliadiere is off and I doubt he'll keep Reyes unless the loss on him is more than £2mil. He won't "buy" Baptista either, not for £10mil+. Vela might be authorised to play in the UK next season which would leave the 6 strikers of Henry, Van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner, Vela and Walcott. 3 "experienced" and 3 not so much. I'm sure 5/6 will frequent the wings next season too especially if Freddie is sold.

Besides that I don't see much movement happening. Probably less than £4mil spent on a new keeper, less than £15mil on a winger and some money invested in more kids. Of course if we get a new keeper Almunia will want to leave and another understudy would be bought. Maybe a kid though, Poom is not a bad no.2

 
At 5:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can see him buying a traditional winger. Someone with pace and trickery who can beat his man, run down the wings and fire a diagonal ball back across the box. That's how Arsenal scored 2 years ago. I'd imagine he would have a knack for scoring too.
A new keeper is a possibility. Everyone knows Arsene has shown interest in Akinfeev, Gordon and Carson.

Aliadiere is off and I doubt he'll keep Reyes unless the loss on him is more than £2mil. He won't "buy" Baptista either, not for £10mil+. Vela might be authorised to play in the UK next season which would leave the 6 strikers of Henry, Van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner, Vela and Walcott. 3 "experienced" and 3 not so much. I'm sure 5/6 will frequent the wings next season too especially if Freddie is sold.

Besides that I don't see much movement happening. Probably less than £4mil spent on a new keeper, less than £15mil on a winger and some money invested in more kids. Of course if we get a new keeper Almunia will want to leave and another understudy would be bought. Maybe a kid though, Poom is not a bad no.2

 
At 5:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sell the beast, bring back reyes and buy back pires on a 2-year contract.
or sell aliadiere and buy Saviola.

 
At 6:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

We must sell unneeded players that are just rotting on the bench or in the reserves. I think Alliadire should never be at the club, including Mart Poom. Ljungberg and Senderos should be sold, and maybe Matthieu Flamini. As for buying players, then we've been linked with many players. Most common being Ribery. People say he scores goals all the time, well I don't believe so. Yes, he's a good player, and one we need but goals, I think not. You must look at player stats from big games and tournaments, anyone can score in the French league. The world cup stats of Franck Ribery was 6 starts, 1 sub appearence and 1 goal. Which is reletively poor against average countrys excluding Italy, and Brazil [sub].

In the french league this season, a league in which he should be flying and taking by storm, he has made 5 goals all season with no more than 8 assists. I'd say exactly like Hleb, which means he's adding nothing to the team.

Reyes would be the ideal player, or Van Persie, both players have excellent left foots, with great pace and skill.

This year for Van Persie, he has struggled with injury but managed to play 21 games with 11 goals and 10 assists, which is a goal in every 2 games.

For Madrid, Reyes has been out o favour and has only appeared in 5 games, but made 2 goals [one goal every 2 games] but also made 3 assists. Which proves that he has the talent, but it hasn't been proven yet.

I would recommend 2 wingers, but all may prove difficuilt to get. Jesus Navas and Joaquin.

Navas has struggled to score goals, but has great ability and huge potentiol. He has assisted his team mates with around 15 assists this season. Joaquin has represented Spain. He has made the Valencia first team alot this season since his 25millon Euro move. He has scored around 6 goals with over 15 assists. These two young player have shown great ability and will be very good signings.

 
At 10:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

At 2:06 PM, Reidish said...
Vieira was a (relatively) big signing.
Overmars was a big signing.
Thierry Henry was a massive signing (top scorer for World Cup winners).
Suker was a big signing.
Pires, star of Euro 2000, was a big signing.
Wiltord was an expensive signing.
Campbell was an exceedingly bold signing.
Reyes was a big signing.
Vieira turned out a big signing but we paid very little for him, he was a big signing for juventus when they bought him from us.
We did not pay millions for Overmars and he was ny-on unknown so was not a big signing.
We signed Henry before he became the world cup top goalscorer and he was underachieveng at the time and not widely known and was not a major signing.
Suker and Pires were not big signings.
Wiltord was.
Campbell we just took the piss.
Reyes was a big signing.
We rarely buy big players, and even when we do spend that bit extra, it is not on a world -wide known player. Have faith in Wenger, if he needs to buy someone then he will know, he has done so much for the club, weve had two double seasons, one unbeaten, fa cups, champions league final and he made a reserve team that took the piss out of the scum at shite hart lane then again at the Emirates, he is our most successful manager so stop winging that we need to buy players, Wenger knows what he is doing and if you were all so good at telling him how to do his job then you would all be managers at top clubs but the fact of the matter is your not and he is the best manager we have ever had and is one of the best managers the world has ever known so stop whining and let him get on with doing his job and he will do the business again for Arsenal and we will yet again be winning trophies left right and centre with Wenger at the helm with the team he built from scratch, not some team he went out and bought.

 

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