my two cents... I think he's on the brink. Surely, he knew the Nasri/Fabregas saga would blow up again. Would it not have been better to get the business sorted at the beginning of the transfer window to give our team stability during pre-season and also to show that we have the funds available to buy replacements and attract interest. He became selfish and stubborn over the pair and we're looking at a pretty bleak season as a result of it.
So now Birmingham have denied we've made any contact over Dann. Bolton have said we never approached them over Cahill. The Bundesliga has started so Subotic, Hummels, Tasci and Mertesacker are unlikley to leave. It looks like Jagielka is the only defender we have tried to sign this summer - and that was a rather pathetic £10 Million bid.
1. On signing a new defender, Wenger said: "[The advantage we have over our opponents?] The way we play, the style of play, a stable squad and we have a huge hunger. We feel that last year we were very, very close and we want, of course, this time to come back and be even stronger. I believe that we have a good offensive power as well, we work very hard to focus now on the defensive stability. If we manage to sort this problem out I believe we can be a very good surprise. [A new defender before the season starts?] Yes, certainly, we will have to find one more defender. We work on it, that’s all I can promise, we work very hard on it but in fairness, everybody looks for players, everybody looks for the same area and you see that nobody turns up with magic. It’s all about being steady, work very hard on it and keep calm. [Phil Jagielka?] I do not want to comment individually because I do not want to destabilise clubs. I do not want to do to other clubs what some clubs do to us so I will not comment on individual players." -23/07/2011 2. On the official Arsenal Website.. “In the offensive department, [a new signing] is completely excluded,” said the Frenchman. “In midfield, completely excluded. Don't forget we have a big squad with Diaby injured, Ramsey is coming back too. "With the goalkeepers, I stand as firm as ever. “At the back, it just depends on Vermaelen.” 3. Wenger was quoted in The Sun saying: ‘Certainly, we will have to find one more defender. We [are] working on it.’ ‘I don’t want to comment individually because I do not want to destabilise clubs. I do not want to do to other clubs what some clubs do to us so I wouldn’t like to comment individually on any player.’ Wenger is mental. Firstly he says he WONT sign any offensive players and he signs TWO. Then he says he WILL sign a defender and nothing happens...(after one £10 million bid for Jagielka it appears he has given up)
Not looking good is it gooners? I'd ask for Alex Chamberlain back, but I think we (Saints) are better off with the £12m. Actually I haven't come to gloat. Alex will be a good player for you in a couple of years and I wish him all the best, but a promising youngster with plenty to learn's not what you need right now is he?
More on the subject... 4. Wenger stunned fans on Friday by revealing, as quoted by The Sun, : "I expect nobody to leave the club. Asked if he thought both players would stay, the Frenchman replied: "That's a good conclusion from my statement." Why does'nt he just refuse to comment? He just talks absolute nonsense these days. Wenger himself said "If Fabregas and Nasri leave how can the club claim to be ambitious?" ...
Firstly he says he WONT sign any offensive players and he signs TWO. Then he says he WILL sign a defender and nothing happens...(after one £10 million bid for Jagielka it appears he has given up) I don't think he's given up, we were trying to sign Scott Dann yesterday...
I reckon Liverpool will get that 4th spot next may, they have spent big, you need big signings now, and before your qualifier.
Wenger isn't a moron. I assume he already has replacements lined up. I have a feeling the Mata deal is back on.
Wenger needs to be moved upstairs and have nothing to do with the football side of the club and for us to get in a young tactician. If not we will finish in the bottom half of the league. Every club knows how to play and beat us and Wenger has no plan B,I sometimes wonder if he even has a plan A. I assume if every club knows how to beat us we'll lose everygame this season? Idiot
I think the way Arsene keeps his own counsel makes life as an Arsenal supporter extremely frustrating. Guess we'll know in the coming weeks if he indeed plans on adding to the squad. Somehow I think that while the management of this club would still like to win the big prize and by that I mean the EPL, I venture to suggest that this is not a priority. At least not for the moment and not until the youth experiment comes fully to fruition, that is the development of Ramsey and Wilshire and then Miyaichi and Oxlade-Chamberlain. By that time though, the ardent fan could well be pretty miffed since that big prize could be a long time coming. In the meantime, the management will be happy to finish in a CL position and perhaps win a cup competition or two. That though will certainly not be enough for fans or indeed ambitious players. I think the club should be able to succeed without running the risk of going bust. It's just that the people who currently manage it either think that to be a grave risk or are such scrooges or indeed both. Therefore, whatever they do will not be enough in the short to medium term of satisfying fans and the players who want to get somewhere. This is all a far cry from the days of Dixon, Robson et al. I refer to them since they have been quite vocal in the press of late. In their day though, at least the club always went for the big prize. I hope I'm wrong.
Yeah, or they are happy to remain amongst Europe's elite (playing in the Champions League) whilst consistantly selling off top players for profit knowing there's a new batch coming through the ranks. We're just operating a nice little production line.
Its a business now -not an ambitious club. We've gone from battling to win everything and having hard players people feared, to a Profit&Loss based business using (young) footballers. Wenger is the tactician and consultant on squeezing profit out from (gate ) turnover and assets. It became clear that 4th place was enough to maximise income, while paying off the cost of a wonderful asset (the Emirates).
So i guess the real question is this when the stadium is payed off will we continue with this as our business model? will fans accept this?
I wouldn't be surprised if the business model is here to stay and what's the betting that the size of the bottom line is not allied to annual bonuses? As Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith said, the board should be sacked and David Dein returned to the club.
