Balotelli has been linked. According to the Metro, Puma (our shirt sponsor next season, and Balotelli's sponsor) want to help finance our move, probably by paying a few million. Full story here: http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/04/arsen...unners-fund-mario-balotelli-transfer-4290068/ Doesn't give any quotes or real information, so I'm very skeptical, but imo he would be a great signing. Wenger could turn him into the beast striker that he's always been touted to become, and on that road give Giroud some real competition for when he inevitably suffers a dip in form/willingness.
Like I was saying with the Falcao rumours. A big signing to go with the new kit launch is actually quite likley. Balotelli could be a possibility. He's a complete mental case but has the potential to be one of the best players in the World. Moureen even said in terms of ability he's as good as anyone he's ever worked with. But he needs a manager that can control him. Even at AC where he's not always started he has managed 25 goals in 38 games. At 23 years old he could still develope into a world beater.
I guess Afellay is also a 'PUMA Athlete' and is a long term target of Wenger. Would be a decent squad addition. (Would prefer Falcao though )
Looks like Draxler is definitely off in the summer then. Apparently he doesn't want to go to Bayern either. Shalke have said that they will sell for £38m and that they turned down a big offer from a club in the winter .... maybe that was us after all. I think we should go all out to get him in the summer. If we've shown an interest now, then perhaps Draxler is already thinking about joining us ? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26051271
I don't think anyone will pay as much as Schalke are asking for him, and they don't seem desperate for money in the short term.
Draxler was meant to have said on German TV last weekend that we bid for him but Shalke wouldn't let him leave
That would definitely explain why the media were so adamant that we were negotiating. I can understand why Shalke wouldn't want to let him go at the moment with the games they have coming up. But they have said that he'll go in the summer and it won't be to Bayern, so maybe that was the outcome from our negotiations ?
But both Arsenal and Schalke denied making an offer. Unless they mean an actual offer. Possibly they verbally mooted a deal in the summer. Either way I can see why Schalke would rather not sell to a German club and I can see why Draxler would be tempted by us. We've Per, Ãzil, Podolski and Serge (and Eisfeld in the ressies) so that's a proper decent German contingent. We've an excellent record of bringing players on and he'd get a shed load more game time for us than Bayern right now when you look at their squad. Oh, and he also said he'd like to come to us. Guess that helps too. Regarding Balotelli, wowser, I mentioned this weeks ago as an idle wish and never gave it serious consideration. Anyone else concerned about how things work out if Puma pay part of a transfer? Not sure about the legality of it or even if it's been done before. Obviously this is paper talk but it'd be a hell of a signing. On another note the Mail have said Wenger is after Mandzukic, Dzeko and Costa. I'd post the link but I don't want to give those bellends a hit.
http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/05/rober...ried-to-persuade-him-to-join-arsenal-4291928/ Bastards at Bayern. Bastards.
Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, 25, Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, 27, and Bayern Munich's Mario Mandzukic, 27, are three players on Arsene Wenger's wishlist as he looks to bring world-class players to Emirates Stadium. Full Story: Daily Mail
After years of wondering whether Wenger had money to spend or not, we now know he has. Despite all the hype in the last summer transfer period of having £70m to spend and the recent January window Ozil was the only expensive signing, and that only after the Villa defeat. It's very laudable trying to compete at the top without splashing the cash, but the last few trophy less years have proved it's not possible anymore. I do wonder if Wenger is just too stubborn and refuses to see the light? Every ex-Arsenal player turned pundit and the football world in general said Arsenal need a quality striker, but Wenger apparently doesn't agree. Wenger has made Arsenal the club they are today, but I don't think his attitude to big money signings will change, so just like in this and all similar previous threads, the players you all suggest are needed, will end up plying their trade elsewhere I'm afraid.......
Seems as if the signing of Ozil was just to paper over the rather large cracks left by an uninspired transfer window. We still haven't signed the required striker we need, despite having 3 transfer windows to do so. It's not a new problem we're having and Wenger seems loathe to address it despite all evidence to the contrary.
i think wenger has too much faith in giroud and the potential of sanogo. but we've seen recently that giroud definitely needs some form of kick up the arse and a close competitor for that position would provide it.
So when we signed ozil it showed we could compete with the big boys and then we don't spend big again the following transfer window so that proves we won't spend? Football fans are so short sighted lol Chelsea are in just as much of a need as us to add a striker given that giroud has out scored all of theirs and it is widely accepted that they needed a striker in January yet they didn't buy one either! So does that prove Chelsea will no longer spend big? Or does the fact that several big clubs want a new striker and none of them made a move for one inj anuary possibly suggest that the calibre of striker clubs like ours want where not available in January. I think id at least leave it until we see what we do in Summer to draw any sweeping conclusions from a quiet January window.
Well... the fact we so desperately pursued Suarez and to a lesser extent our limp effort to sign Ba would suggest Wenger knew we needed to sign more than just Ãzil. He's an awesome player and injected much needed optimism into the club but we were obviously short in other positions. IMO it's reasonable of fans to expect us to continue our hunt for another striker. Maybe not Suarez after the summer dibacle but someone half decent. After all, we keep getting told by Gazidis and co how well we're run and how much money we make! Opportunity missed I reckon.
It's not just the January transfer window I was referring to though was it? I wish Arsenal well, but I don't think Wenger can/will change his philosophy - and one swallow (Ozil) doesn't mean it's summer!
