I know we've got a transfer thread, but I thought it was interesting to see how many players we have cleared out this window. So far We've shipped out Arshavin, Denilson, Squillaci, Santos, Djourou as some the biggest names to go, but we're clearing up space throughout the squad. It's good to save the wages of these players so that any increase for the best players doesn't saddle us with huge extra bills, it's shrewd business from Arsenal to clear the decks if they are going to pay the 'top wages' that Gazidis has been mentioning. Here's a list of the players who have left Arsenal so far this window: [TABLE="width: 618"] [TR] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Jordan Wynter[/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Free[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Elton Monteiro[/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Free[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Craig Eastmond[/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Free[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Martin Angha[/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Free[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Kyle Ebecilio[/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Free[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Sanchez Watt[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Denilson[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Andrei Arshavin[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Conor Henderson[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Daniel Boateng[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]James Shea[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Jernade Meade[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Josh Rees[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Nigel Neita[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Philip Roberts[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Reice Charles-Cox[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl70, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Samir Bihmoutinel[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Sead Harjovic[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Sebastian Squillaci[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"]Prem[/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Zach ***an[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Released[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]PTS[/TD] [TD="class: xl101, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]POS[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, align: right"][/TD] [TD="class: xl103, align: center"]Vito Mannone[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"]£2,000,000[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl101, align: center"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: xl106, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"][/TD] [TD="class: xl105, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: right"][/TD] [TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]André Santos[/TD] [TD="class: xl104, bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]Free[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
Interesting that both Sanchez Watt and Conor Henderson didnt make it. At one point they looked extremely promising. Just shows how hard it is to really evaluate young players.
I don't want to dampen your mood, but is it really "shrewd business" if we just let their contracts run down? We should have received transfer fees for some of these players before their contracts were up. It's a lesson to not give fringe players stupid contracts. We screwed ourselves over in the wage bill AND in our ability to shift this deadwood. The fact that they've only left after their contracts were up is certainly not "shrewd business", it's relief that our shameful business decisions are not weighing us down any more.
Let's just hope this results in us buying more higher profile, quality buys than budget buys. Last season was a step in the right direction but we did lose a lot of our best players too. Rather than just topping up, we should be looking to strengthen and improve our squad.
It may not be the best business, however it is still shrewd business. In the past years when we have held out for transfer fees there has been little movement and we have been keeping hold of players (Arshavin, Bendtner, Denilson, etc.) and paying them. You can look at it positively in two aspects. They are not here and we are essentially earning more money by not paying them, AND it frees up salary space for the big purchases they are promising. It also shows that we don't need the transfer fees (not the best way to show our financial prowess, but... it's not like it's happening any other way).
Looks like Gerv could be going to Roma. Hopefully means Gnabry will get some opportunities this season.
I don't think he'd do well in this league, he's far too small. And i still think a striker should be a priority, not another midget creative player. We already have 35000 of those.
Yes he will. Size does not matter when you have the talent and speed that kid has. Bernard can play on the wings is a different sort of player to the ones we already have. Only Walcott is sort of similar, but Bernard normally plays from the left.
Of course size matters. You can make up for it through sheer talent but being naturally smaller and weaker is a disadvantage. The average height for a Premierleague footballer is 6'0. The average height for a human male is 5'9 - There's a reason for that.
But a lot of great players these days are smaller. the ball is played on the ground far more these days and the game is becoming less physical. Smaller players have a lower centre of gravity and are better balanced. Lighter players create less momentum and can turn quicker. I agree in with you, in so far as I don't think it is a good idea to have too many small players in the same team, but I do think, in midfield, small players might have an advantage.
Depends on what kind of game you play. In the Prem you need a good mix. In La Liga where technique is paramount, smaller, more skillful players are able to flourish more. Vela for us was a flop but as soon as he left for La Liga, he flourished. Of course smaller players can flourish in the Prem, but you need that strength and robustness to deal with your Stoke's.
Higuain would have been a good signing and i think he will do well being the main man at Napoli. Think they are the only club in the world who would pay over £30mil for him though. I have wanted us to sign him since we first got linked to him years ago and he is a player i really like. Unfortunate that we haven't got this one but if the reports are to be believed we may end up with Suarez and i don't think we would spend big on two players for the same position.
