Players that leave (at bargain-basement prices to find new clubs): ** Almunia - Cut loose ** Arshavin - 6m ** Bendtner - 4m ** Chamakh - 5m ** Denilson - 4m ** Squillaci - Cut loose ** Vela - 2m ** Diaby - 3m **Benayoun (end of loan) Those on loan: ** Frimpong - Keep ** Ryo - Keep ** Bendtner - Doesn't want to come back, sell ** Mannone - Sell if he isn't better than Fabianski ** Lansbury - Promote or sell ** Aneke - Season Loan ** Murthy - Promote or sell ** Watt - Sell ** Boateng - Promote or sell ** Hajrovic - Promote or sell ** Hoyte - Sell 3 years ago ** Bartley - Keep ** Campbell - Keep ** Vela - Sell ** Botelho - Promote or sell ** Wellington - Promote or loan ** Gallindo - Promote or loan ** Denilson - Sell Sign Theo to a new contract, but not on 85k/wk. He's worth 60, and if he signs long-term and doesn't improve in a year or two, he has more value in the market than now with one year left. Use some of the free'd up wages to offer van Persie a bumper rise, and use the 24m from incoming players, plus maybe another 3ish from Loan Player sales to fund the purchases of Hazard (30m), Goetze (30m) & Podolski (8m). That's a net outlay of 41m, but provides a team for the future with talent. A possible change would be not buying Hazard, dependent upon the performances of the wingers from now til the end of the season, and buying a full-on enforcer like M'Villa instead. Keepers : Chesney / Fabianski or Mannone LB : Santos / Gibbs RB : Sagna / Jenkinson CB : Koscielny / Vermaelen / Mertesacker / Bartley / Djourou / Miguel DM : Song / Frimpong / Coquelin PM : Wilshere / Arteta / Rosicky (room for different players to play different roles in the midfield) AM : Goetze / Ramsey W : Hazard / Oxo / Gervinho / Theo / Ryo St : RvP / Podolski / Campbell / Park I'd also loan out as many players aged 18 or over as possible that aren't in the Squad and use those not featuring regularly in the first team in the Reserves games. Arsenal seem to use those games for the youngsters, but I'd rather loan them all out and have the Squad players keep their fitness, and build relationships in a game situation. If they win every game, so much the better for their confidence. If they're off form, relegation to playing in Reserve matches will give them a chance to prove they've picked up, far better than just small matches in training will. Let Pat Rice retire and bring in Steve Bould as assistant. In addition, begin recruiting ex-players to work with the team. Try and get some of the Invincibles back to the Club. Players who have been there, and done that, and can offer not just coaching, but advice and inspiration. Dixon with the Full-Backs Adams & Keown with the CB's Someone with CM's, someone with the Wingers Bergs with the Strikers
Even on football manager you would struggle to exercise this, but good luck! On a serious note, if you bump up Van Persies wage, thus raising the wage cap, up goes the salary expectations of 'existing players'/'future signings' and the whole inflated wage cycle continues!
I think Almunia, Bendtner, Squillaci, Arshavin, Rosicky and Park will leave at the end of the season. If Walcott does not pull up his socks he will be benched or sold. Hopefully we can use the money and current funds to invest in better squad players, some new WC midfielders and new CBs and some new strikers. One thing I'm not sure people realise all the time is that our problems in attack and midfield this season have been the result of selling our two best attacking midfield players in Fab and Nasri. This in turn sends a message to other Arsenal players about our lack of ambition. Arshavin I think even stated at one stage that we should keep hold of Fabregas, just as an example. The problem I have is that this has been happening consistently over the past few years and each time we fail to buy an adequate replacement, it weakens the team structure. We need to start investing in players again who are consistent and who are of a high standard of quality. Until we do this we will continue to become weaker and weaker.
On FM I pretty much did what Bonstar says - sell ALL of the crap and spread the wages around more fairly. I know it's FM, but on there I signed Aly Cissokho, Christian Eriksen, Yann M'vila and Ibrahim Affelay and won the league... In reality, aslong as we get rid of: - Almunia - Squillaci - Denilson - Arshavin - Bendtner - Vela - Chamakh That free's up ATLEAST £200k in wages a week. That's £10 million a year spent on players we don't even see on the pitch! It's probably more than £200k, but I just wanted to make a point.
except i don't think you will get Goetze now United are in the hunt for him,and Hazard favors us,especially now Chelski have pulled out
I'd do pretty much the same but keep diaby and denilson give diaby another season see if he can actually get fit, if not get rid of him, and if denilson has some confidence back and doesn't get abused by our fans again he's useful back back up bould is apparently suposed to be taking over as i read somewhere, and i'd get less players in to help, but a defensive coach and make sure everyone does defensive training, midfielder, and a forward preferably someone who can teach our players to shoot and shoot well/confidently the signings is a difficult thing, with Wilshere coming back soon if we sign say goatze in midfield, one of him, wilshere, ramsey or arteta will have to be benched, and that's alot of players to fit in 2 positions when they'd all want first team!
My fantasy world: In: Messi Fabregas Ronaldo Aguero Goetze Hazard Subotic Thiago Silva Neuer Lahm Hamsik Alonso Ozil I mean, while you're wishing, you might as well wish big.
My fantasy world is waking up to the BBC announcing 'Wenger has quit, Hiddink has accepted the job because he has a buyout clause in his contract, and the Board at Arsenal has sold all their shares to Usmanov, with David Dein stating £200m is available to the new Manager' ah sweet dreams......
I'm beginning to think that you lot are as deluded as the skinks up the road to us. Why do so many Arsenal fans rave about Walcott, a one trick pony who has done little over the last 2 seasons. Add to that list Arshavin, Chamakh. You need to sign a few players with some fire in their belly's. This lot are only interested in how many zero's there are on their pay cheques.
I'll go along with that my friend to which may I please add that the egghead CEO and one spin doctor other go too Wenger is definitely in a fantasy world these days which largely accounts for why he has lost the team which consists of a number of no hopers he has signed. But I hear there are the minority and one who continuously throws his weight round who feel he keeps us in contention
