But think I read somewhere Madrid wouldn't sell Ãzil until they got Bale, so maybe that's why the deal was so late. Either way, I'm also excited to seeing him play in the premier league
Drunky, you aren't the only one to recognise this. Though we may be in a minority on here, we have some allies elsewhere including this guy who obviously thinks much the same: “Ozil is unique ...... there is no copy of him – not even a bad one. He is the best number 10 in the world. He makes things very easy for [his manager] and for his team-mates with his football vision and the decisions he makes. Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him." To which he added: “We didn’t accept Arsenal’s offer for Demba Ba because the signing of Ozil makes them title contenders.” No prizes for guessing who the speaker was.
... and/or Spurs leaving the deal as late as they possibly could to minimise the amount of time Arsenal had to attempt to sign Ozil.
The 25-man squad has been finalised Or in our case, a 23-man squad. Unsurprisingly, Elliott Bennett misses out, and Redmond doesn't need including. All other senior players are included, including Fox. Does seem odd to leave Bennett out in case he does make a faster recovery than expected, seeing as nobody else is taking 'his' spot.
True, but we'll re-select the 25-man squad about half way through the season (January possibly?), so maybe he'll be included then. Gives us a bit of room for any loan signings I guess.
I agree but I think they know hes gone till at least Christmas. He can be re-included in January. Poor bastard, feel so sorry for him.
I don't think we can make loan signings, short of a 4th choice 'keeper? Or have I misunderstood the rules? That's why I thought it odd.
We can't make loan signings, unless in an emrgency, so usually only if we need a goal keeper. but we can add free agents.
Yes, unlikely to be any further incomings, only question really is whether we'll let anyone go on loan to a championship club. Likeliest candidates are Fox, Ayala and Becchio. Can't see us letting all 3 go though.
I cant see us letting Fox or Becchio go on loan to be honest, unless they are on 24 Hour recall, but even then i doubt. That would leave us with a squad of just 20 plus Redmond
As the whole Vaz Te loan fell through we will have Becchio either for the season or until January. I could see him going in January TBH, and CH bringing in a striker on loan. Anyone think Fox will go in Jan?
David Bentley, Yossi Benayoun, Chris Baird, William Gallas, Craig Gordon, and Carlton Cole are some free agents looking for new clubs.
Id take Benayoun til January, though his wages might be too high Indication is that Carlton Cole is to re-sign for West Ham!
I would have Gallas. Obviously his contract ran out at Spurs but he is an experienced player who I beleive captained them in some games. Could do a lot worse than him and maybe a 12 month contract wouldnt be a bad shout? I really think CB would be the one place we might regret stregthening if anything happens to Bassong.
Benayoun would be an interesting signiture and maybe give us something we don't currently have. As for the wages currently his salary is zero and the longer he is out of the game the less his value beomes. A good season with a club like ours might reignite his career. Would not be thrilled with Gallas as I have heard that he can be a bit of a sulker plus he spends an awful lot of time on the treatment table nowadays.
the question is, would any of those actually improve our starting XI? i think you could make a case for gallas and benayoun improving the overall feel of the squad in terms of quality but i'm not convinced either would play much
