Clearly, we're running on a margin of superiority over most of the Premiership clubs, rather than attempting to be the best. Unfortunately, this margin has become too small due to injuries and loss of form. We are currently missing Djourou, Vermaelen, Santos, Sagna, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Fabianski, Manonne, Diaby and Wilshere. We are about to lose Gervinho also. This is not saying "look at our injuries, we are, by rights, further up the table". It's more looking at what we are going to gain in time. Vermaelen, Santos, Sagna and Wilshere are obviously the biggest losses. And, unfortunately, we're unlikely to have any of them fit and firing this month. We need to compensate for this somehow. I think it's worth paying an extra £5m to buy any planned summer buys NOW. For example, say we were going to get Goetze for £30m and Podolski for £15m for a total of £45m. Would it not be worth paying an extra £10m to take the team to the Champions League next season? Especially when you look at the fact that it would actually gain us that £20m to do so. Podolski-----RVP-----Walcott ----------Arteta---Goetze------- ----------------Song--------------- Loanie--Kosc--Merte---Coquelin --------------Szczesny-------------- Bench includes Ramsey, Henry, Oxo and Miquel This team would be strong enough to get us into the top four. But the better view is the team to start next season with Premiership experience under its belt and time given to gel: Podolski-----RVP----Walcott --------Wilshere--Goetze------- ----------------Song--------------- Santos---Verm--Kosc----Sagna --------------Szczesny------------- Bench: Fabianski, Mertesacker, Gibbs/Jenks, Frimpong/Coquelin, Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho Squad: Manonne, Djourou, Gibbs/Jenks, Frimpong/Coquelin, Rosicky, Diaby, Campbell (assuming he gets the permit), Chamberlain, Chamakh That's a squad capable of competing for the Premiership. If we can just pull off these two additions we have enough in the squad/coming into the squad, to truly have a special team. Surely I'm not the only one who sees this potential side. One with great experience and youth. Obviously, these two Germans are the ideal buys, but perhaps unrealistic. My point remains valid for whomever we buy. We should do it now, not in the summer.
Getting Koln to agree is potentially easy. They're in £26m of debt (or is it euros) and a £20m reduction in this would be extremely tempting for them. However, any transfer deal on Podolski would result in 1/3 going to a sponsorship firm that helped fund the sale of Poldolski back to them. So in reality they'd still have £12m debt. Which isn't awful I suppose. I think we could offer a loan to Dortmund of someone like Ozyakup, perhaps even Chamberlain (considering where Goetze often plays) as well as the £35m. This would benefit us and them by giving them the time to bring in a new player.
On a personal level I'm reluctant to let go of Rosicky. However, it is brilliant business to do so. He used to be Dortmund's shining star and I'm sure several people at the club would like to see him end his career there. He's still a classy player.
£35m + Rosicky + the loan of Chamberlain (I think it would do him good to get the games) for Goetze is an offer that would leave both sides extremely satisfied I believe. They'd find it difficult to turn down.
I think the whole 'financial stability' argument is well and truly stale now. There is no excuse for not buying quality reinforcements in January. If we fail to qualify for the Champion's League then we not only lose out on the £25 million windfall that qualification provides but it will also be extremely difficult to hang on to RVP as well. If we find ourselves out of the CL and without RVP we can consider ourselves well and truly a small club. It is exasperating that we are only a few signings away from being potential Championship contenders, with some real quality attacking players for RVP to feed off we would be winning games like yesterday's in the first half! I still have faith in Gervinho but I can't help but feel that Walcott is far too inconsistent and infuriatingly inept at providing the killer pass to allow arsenal to kick on and win something. There was an amusing but true comment on Twitter yesterday: 'Football isn't Walcott's strong point'. Replace him with a Hazard and we would see an increase in our scoring and ability to kill off a game, of that I am certain.
I think Hazard wants Real Madrid and Real Madrid wants him. I doubt we could get him. If we can offer Koln enough to significantly reduce their debts then he'd be a strong option. Just move Gervinho over to the right.
Yeah, it is unlikely we'll get him but a player of similar quality who is a proven natural footballer would be most welcome, I'd be happy with Poldolski.
Sell Chamakh & Arshavin for 16m combined, and you've covered the acquisition of Podolski, who can play both on the left and up front. He's more likely to come if there's less competition for places too That leaves an outlay for Goetze. Bendy can go, removing 52k from the wagebill, Denilson can go, there's another 50k, Squillaci most likely won't go til summer now owing to the injuries, but he's on something like 80k as he was brought in to be first choice!!
It's always amazing how easily we could accommodate signings that would see us at the top of the table.
I'd love to see things happening at The Emirates but given our slow coach of a manager when it comes to decision-making and the ineptitude of the negotiating team of Gazidis and Law, it's quite a tall order. These decision makers will have to appreciate that no CL means losing out on a lot more than travels in Europe. Hopefully miracles will still happen in this day and age.
I guess. I just wish we had Dein there to push such moves through. I have little doubt he'd be pushing across the same or similar points as shown in this thread.
I'll bet he is too and hope that what he says doesn't fall on deaf ears. I'm not sure about the level of support DD has on the board. AFAIK from a reading elsewhere, Gazidis is one who would necessarily welcome him back for instance. Arsene though still has close ties with Dein. However I'm not entirely sure about the level of wax in our manager's ears. Surely some of what is being said would have gotten to him by now. How much is Arsene's hands tied at board level I wonder?
It's not as black and white as that. Wenger and the board have said that they would sanction a move for a £30m player if needed. I think he's been right to develop players instead of spending £30m each time (we could not have afforded to go down that route anyway) It wouldn't be an admission that he was wrong if he bought a £30m player. Personally I think a balanced approach of developing players and bringing in top talent when needed is a desirable one. If we want Goetze, then I think we are going to have to spend somewhere in the region of £30m - I hope we do
