He's big, he's coming into his peak, he's handed in a transfer request, so he could be cheap. He's got bags of Premiership experience, and could be played up front if needed. Vermaelen keeps getting injuries, Squillaci needs to be shipped off, but Miguel and Bartley are coming through. Is he needed? Would you like him? Would he come?
I like Samba but not sure we want another CB, we need a FB and a striker as a priority. The other thing with Samba is that anyone who puts in a transfer request mid Jan already has options - chances are Blackburn have tried to extend his contract but his agent will have advised against that and he's very likely found at least one interested club.
He is the one we should've bought instead of Mertesacker !!! Better in the air, faster, stronger and used to the pace and power of English football. I said it a million times before. WE made a mistake NOT buying him ! If Spurs get him .. it will be like they got a Sol Campbell or Ledley King all over again, their defence will be tight !!!
yes- I'd have preferred him, too. Its all water under the bridge, now. He's obviously been tapped up.
Im Sorry but Samba is not better than Mertersacker. Yes he is currently better that Per as he is used to the pace of the league but once Per has got used to our league he will be a really good player. Samba is looking good as he is playing in a team that defends 1st and attacks 2nd. If he played for us his poor posistional skill will be exposed. Ive not actually seen Per being skinned that many time despite his "poor pace". Our problems for once dont like with our defence, they are only an issue at the moment due to that massive injury list we somehow have. Hopefully in a months time we will have them all back and we will be very stong in that department again. Our problems like with our MF and strikers who fluff chance after chance which then gives the oppoisision confidence and drains our own. If our players put away easy chances we could easily be 2 or 3 goals up and by that time the opposision would be on there knees with no fight. As it is we usually go in 0-0 for 1-0 and this gives them hope and it only takes 1 stupd ref to make there hopes into a reality.
Agreed for once the problems do not lie solely in defence. Our main issue now is in midfield and in attack.
Bo$$ - we are watching different teams then. Seriously and considering how tall Mertesacker is .. he doesn't win an awful lot of headers - Samba is like Campbell in that respect ... commanding in the air.
Mertesacker is miles better than Samba. Still i would have him over Squillaci, Djourou and maybe even Koscielney
You forget that this is Mertersackers 1st season in the PL. Alot of these so called great headers Samba win would easily be called fouls in others leagues around the world. Big Per does need to get stronger and im sure he will but like i said before once he knows what legal and what isnt he will be fine. Remember Kossy in his 1st season, he was considered quite weak and poor in the air but now is very strong in the air as he has learnt that in the PL u can get away with alot same will happen with Merts. some players hit the ground running ie Vermaelen and others take time and get better. Thats why i wont be judging him until next season same goes with Gervinho despite him missing chance after chance.
True ... True and I am happy to give him that time, any CB for the German National team can't be a bad player. Thing is though, we needed someone ready made to play after our awful start to the season therefore Merts shouldn't have been who we went for, we don't have time to play players who will take a season to fit in.
i think Wenger knew he could get Merts for 8m, which is why he offered 8m for Cahill, and perhaps the same for Samba? he then turned to Merts when he was rejected for the others. We know the Cahill bid was deemed derisory, wouldn't surprise me if he offered the same for him as he eventually bought Merts for.
Merts and Vermaelen will be a very good partnership. Its hard for a new centreback to come in and be constantly playing with different players week in week out. We need a settled back four.
I think we need one more CB (sell Squillaci) but not Samba. I think we could have got Alex for around £4m
Settles is definately the right word. Remember that really good run we had before losing to Man City we actually had a somewhat settled back 4 in Kossy, Mert, Verm & Santos. They where improving each game and we actually looked like we knew how to defend. Since Santos got injured in that pointless game in Greece where Wenger decided to play our only LB in a pointless game is where things started to turn as we had a new LB or RB every game.
Exactly, thats what i was thinking. Alex would be a great squad player and the way our defenders get injured, he would be playing almost straight away. Also a £4m price tag is small for his quality.
