Labyad looks interesting, Cove, but would cost around £4.5 to £5m, according to Transfermkt (but they may be out of date). Having checked further on El Hamdaoui, it seems that Hughton was Assistant Manager at Spurs when El Hamdaoui was there, so he must know the player reasonably well, warts and all, as they say!
Labyad went on a free transfer to Sporting. With Sporting now in financial distress and Labyad making a big fuss in the press about leaving the club a la Suarez. I think you can get him for below 2 million pounds.
No need to bookmark it chap, I'm sure I'll remember it and remind you of it as the campaign progresses - just like I did with Thai in May when we finished above Fulham after he absolutely slated me for saying we would last summer Honestly, I think Arsenal would need to sign Suarez just to be sure of finishing above Spurs next season, I really do.
Spurs? If you want an illustration of what I mean about the let's kick Arsenal bandwagon just consider how many column inches are devoted to negative reporting of the Gunners, whose ambition is measured, we are told, by getting a CL place. Contrast that with the Spurs love in, even though THEIR ambitions almost throughout living memory have been measured in trying to finish above Arsenal!
Some new developments on El Hamdaoui. Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad says Feyenoord have enquired Fiorentina about the striker. Ronald Koeman is interested in signing the player. El Hamdaoui and Koeman worked together at AZ Alkmaar in the 2009-2010 season, the main obstacle for a deal is the high wage demands of El Hamdaoui. To go to Feyenoord would mean the striker would have to take a big pay cut.
In that case, he may have to take a pay cut to come to Norwich. Do you know what sort of wages he is on, Cove?
He was at around 45k a week at Ajax, went on a nearly free transfer to Fiorentina, Ajax bought him for 5 million euro's, sold to Fiorentina for 1. So I guess the club was up on wages when it's down on the transfer fee. I'd estimate around 60/70k a week, but I could be off by a lot as I don't know the salary structure in Italy.
Not sure if this website is correct, but take a look: http://matchincome.com/2013/07/31/mounir-el-hamdaoui-salary-details/ That seems a bit low though,
what on earth are you talking about? spurs love in? has anyone else seen this? i have never seen anything to suggest this and i'm completely neutral - i couldn't give a hoot about either club. tottenham have actually done some excellent business so far whereas arsenal have done basically nothing. based on last season the clubs were closely matched but in my opinion spurs were actually the better of the two for most of the season. arsenal are putting all their eggs in a suarez-shaped basket and having read john henry's words this morning, i can't see arsenal pulling that one off. yes spurs may lose bale (i think they will) but they will then have £80m+ to go towards maybe a couple of replacements (i guess some will go towards a new ground?) - who knows, maybe even they would look to suarez and outbid their rivals? and i personally feel that with or without bale, tottenham are at least close, if not level in terms of strength with the gooners as it stands. robbie, there is little doubt you are blinkered when it comes to arsenal. that or blinded. either way, you massively overestimate their quality. they are nowhere near winning the title.
This one looks recent given the contract end date: http://www.fmscout.com/player/84-07-14/mounir-el-hamdaoui.html but could be out of date as well
having had a chat last night with a dutch friend, i really don't think i'm keen on signing el hamdaoui but i don't know much about him myself. not exactly a fans favourite. i wouldn't be surprised if we are in for him though, with the hughton connection
Would be okay as a backup striker though surely, especially if we get a good deal. Then we would have some spare dosh for a AM, mind you if it was a choice between him and Toivonen it would be Ola every time. I think we have more of a need for a AM than a striker.
Massively overestimate? I don't think the "massively" is justified. I didn't say they'd win the Champions League did I? I believe you and others underestimate them, that's all. No chance of winning the title? False. They definitely have a chance, currently a 10:1 chance according to the gamblers. People have predicted Arsenal meltdown year after year, and laughed at their transfer business. I have seen no melt down, and in fact I consider them as certainly stronger than last year even without any major signing. Anyway this is all by and by. The proof of the pudding will be in who is eating their words next June Let's get back on thread.
You've pretty much taken the exact words from my mouth fella, my feelings entirely If Spurs had a half decent striker last year they'd have finished top four, Soldado is just that player (why were Arsenal not interested??) and whilst I agree they are likely to lose Bale to Madrid, the £80m or whatever they will get for him will allow them to strengthen their squad massively. I just don't see Arsenal's fragile, injury prone (Wilshere, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Rosicky all seem to spend more time on the treatment table than the pitch) squad being strengthened at all this summer so far, in fact Suarez is the only player I've heard them linked with this transfer window who hasn't already been signed by someone else. What is Wenger going to do when/if he is unsuccessful in his chase for his only identified target? There were loads of noises coming out of The Emirates this year about how this summer was going to be the one where the cash was going to be splashed - so what has happened? We're a week from the first kick-off and the squad hasn't been improved at all, and even if Suarez does sign (which I don't think he will) he won't be available until September by which time they could be at least half a dozen points off the pace already. I'm sorry, but I also just do not understand how on earth you think they could be challenging for the title this season, I reckon they'll be at least a dozen points behind Chelsea by the time May comes around, there is just absolutely no comparison between the two squads if you ask me - how many Gooners would get into Mourinho's starting XI for example?
i shall leave you with this: arsenal's record in the past 9 seasons since winning the title, they have finished way behind the eventual winners on each occasion (bar one season which appears to have been a blip rather than the norm) 04-05 12 points behind the champions 05-06 24 points 06-07 21 points 07-08 4 points 08-09 18 points 09-10 13 points 10-11 12 points 11-12 19 points 12-13 16 points 13-14 ?? does that strike you as a club about to challenge for the top prize despite failing to make any signings whilst all around them (except the current champions who won the league last year at a canter) make a few great signings? it doesn't to me... arsenal are a big club. they should be challenging for major honours on these shores and abroad but they don't. the reason? their manager doesn't do enough. nice football, sure, but he's not ruthless and neither is he or his club in the transfer market. 4th would be success again next season - surely they should strive for more than that?
no, you didn't say they will win the champions league because that would be preposterous and even you know that!
Just as an aside, why is it that people are praising NCFC to the sky for maintaining a policy which in sum is "we will strengthen where we need to and can if the right players become available and at a cost we regard as sustainable and are prepared to pay", yet Arsenal, who have operated on that basis for years are ridiculed for it? Why did they not go for Soldado? Not the player they want. Ditto Higuain. The ONLY big name striker Arsenal have made a concrete bid for this summer is Suarez. That's the player they want, that's the player they are trying to recruit. But not at any price.
