That is a good point. If you make a squad comparison of all the top teams, then really only City and Chelsea are better. But with Ozil and Sanchez, we have enough quality throughout our squad to compete.
We're not buying Draxter or Hummels in January. I'd say we definitely will buy a centre back but that's what everyone said in the summer...
It is ridiculous the sorts of players we're being linked with. Verm left because he couldn't get game time and wasn't happy with the competition of 3 arguably first choice CBs competing for 2 spaces. So of course we're going to buy Hummels for lots of money, so we've got 2 slow WC winning centre backs to fit into our team, with Kos, one of our best players last season. Plus the fact that we had a very good defence for the majority of last season (besides the top 4 capitulations), and Wenger is cautious in Jan. IMO It's about as likely as Wenger taking up pole dancing!
To be fair.. United, Chelsea, City are all considerably richer than us so competing with them is always going to be difficult. We may very well get a younger more tactically astute manager and improve from that perspective but chances are we will also go backwards in some other areas. Wenger for example is fantastic and bringing young players on and developing them. We could get lucky and land a manager like Klopp or Simeone who can do both but it's highly likely we will go backwards not forwards. Just look at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez. He's tactically a very solid manager but financially they could'nt quite match the elite Clubs (despite spending more than they probably should have). In the end he resorted to trying to sign lots of young players (Wenger style) only it never really worked out. Barragan, Gonzalez, Kronkamp, Miki Roque, Zhar, Voronin, Babel, Dominguez, Ngog, Sinama-Pongolle etc.. whatever happened to those guys hmm? (the list is HUGE btw)
FFP means that Chelsea and City are no longer richer than us. Chelsea are only surviving at the moment by selling off their stockpile of young stars that are all out on loan. When their supply of loanees runs out they'll be struggling to buy their way to the top. And it's not highly likely we'll go backwards... that's just made up propaganda from AW-defenders who insist things are rosy with AW in charge. You keep talking as if Wenger is some magician keeping us at the top like Fergie was with United. The contrast couldn't be more complete... Wenger has a squad brimming with top class players and he is doing squat with them... Fergie had a squad full of aging pap who he won the league with. We have world class players in our squad. Any half decent manager could get top 4 with them. We have that in Wenger. A half decent manager who can get top 4 and not a lot else (who is old and not going to improve or change his ways). Option 1 Finance a move for a world class manager by paying high wages (eg. Klopp, Simeone). Option 2 Take more of a gamble with a less proven manager who is young and might want a project (eg. Martinez, De Boer). To me, either of those are better than Wenger... but that's because status quo is boring to me, if status quo means doing squat every year and wasting world class talent. If we're not going to do anything with world class talent, then sell them off and reduce ticket prices. If we are going to spend umpteen millions on players, then bloody well put someone in charge who has a clue how to make a winning team out of them, or at least give someone else a chance at seeing if they can. The quality of players at the new manager's disposal means that a top 4 is almost guaranteed. It's not like we have to rely on dross like Denilson and Bendtner to win us games anymore. If Martinez can get Everton close to top 4 with their gash team last season then he'd easily get top 4 with our players at his disposal. That's not to say I think Martinez is a good option... that's just me saying there are plenty of managers who could do what Wenger does (and more)... because Wenger doesn't do a lot anymore.
You could do a lot worse than Roberto Martinez mate, I rate him. His philosophy isnt a million miles from Wenger's either, he just has a tad more tactical nous to him.
You have to be totally naive to believe that. City/Chelsea and United will easily find ways to spend that doesn't contradict the rules of FFP. I'm pretty sure any well trained financial lawyer will come up with 50-60 different ways to beat that system. We can't compete financially with those Clubs.. No f**ing way. I still believe the best chance for us is a mixture of scouting/youth development alongside bringing the occasional established 'big name'.
Thats provided FFP is even around for much longer. The whole system is being contested in court by the Bosman lawyer. Could all collapse within a year or two. They are basically telling businesses (football clubs), that they are not allowed to received outside investments, or donations, in order to promote business growth, which contravenes some European business law or another.......so yeah........FFP in its current form will probably need to be rethought.
But as far as I can see - what they are saying is, fine you can run at a debt, and receive cash injections outside of your business profits and football related business but that you can't then compete in certain competitions - seems fine to me. Like saying that you can earn anything you like as a professional footballer, but you can't then compete in amateur competitions (such as the Olympics used to be). Your not stopping those clubs from doing whatever they want to do, but your rewarding clubs for operating in a sustainable way by allowing them entry into certain competitions - and if teams that don't follow these rules want entry then they have to pay a fine.
I think thats the approach UEFA will take aye. The bosman guy will counter with unfair trading regulations or some such bollocks. Also you have to question the practice of fining a club in debt, if your "FFP" is supposed to help clubs in debt. If they ARE in actual trouble, fining them exacerbates the problem, if they are sugar daddy owned, then a fine is pointless as money is no object.....so either way its stupid. I still dont think UEFA would have the balls to exclude a big club from the CL. Too many financial repercussions for them.
Rumors of Celtic's Virgil van Dijik in January. Apparently we tried to get him on deadline day but the bid failed.
Looks great based on Youtube. [video=youtube;oY-RXVRpnUY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY-RXVRpnUY[/video] 6'4 and quick, looks like a decent player. Also noticed somebody has already changed his team to Arsenal on Wiki.
Very decent going forward against Scottish defences. Not a lot of defending clips here though. Last thing you need is a Central defender always being caught in opposition areas?
No worse than Vermalean in his final years with us from what I've seen. I don't know much about him but seems like he's rated by Celtic fans. Still it is the SPL. As a 3rd choice CB he could suffice
I suppose if he's similar to Verm then he'd be a great acquisition - I just hope he would be happy sitting on the bench for us, as he's used to being a starter with Celtic. I can't imagine we'd get much better as a 3rd/4th choice Owain
Haha at least Podolski has "taste" !!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29697395- The German World Cup winner tweeted: "Hell will freeze over before this transfer would happen."
Apparently Higuain wants out at Napoli. Italian papers are predicted he will be gone this January. Wonder if we will show any interest? 27 goals and 16 assists (55 apps for Napoli) show he is still one of the most clinical forwards out there.
