he does have the turning circle of the titanic though. certainly pace isn't everything but its not his only weakness. koscielny is vital - if he doesn't play then arsenal struggle defensively.
you probably right and i have little evidence to back it up i just feel like Wenger was the first to start shelling out that amount of cash.

Let's look at it the other way round. How many times have you heard clubs complaining that they have spent time, effort and resources in bringing on a talented young player, only to have a big club snatch him away for nothing, or next to nothing? Southampton cannot level that sort of accusation against Arsenal under Wenger. They probably feel Wenger treated them FAIRLY, rather than over-generously. Both Walcott and Oxlaid-Chamberlain are now regulars for England. They had value when Wenger bought them, and Southampton weren't cheated out of it.![]()
no, but norwich can. phillip roberts was taken by arsenal for nothing despite our club demanding a fee as he was the outstanding talent coming through at the time. arsenal would have done the same to southampton had it been possible to get away with it but fact is, saints held all the aces due to their age. for every instance you find that wenger (or indeed any manager) has treated a club fairly, you'll find 50 instances where they haven't. trust me, i know a hell of a lot about what clubs get up to behind the scenes with regards nabbing youth players and its pretty disgusting to be honest - our own club included - and its only going to get worse with the eppp rules. smaller clubs are going to get raped of their best young players by top clubs for peanuts. the rich get richer, the poor get poorer

Philip Roberts had just turned 16 when he accepted a scholarship from Arsenal. As far as I'm aware he was nowhere near playing for our first team. So to compare him with Walcott or Oxlaid-Chamberlain is very misleading. The ace that Saints held was not their age but the proof of their quality. You can probably tell us how long Roberts had been with us, but however long it was, his value was still debatable. As far as where he is now, he was released by Arsenal this year and has signed a two-year contract with Falkirk (after spending last year on loan at Caly Thistle). Certain future England international? I don't think so. On the more general point, there should certainly be a fair system under which all the clubs who invest resources in a young player benefit if that player makes it and acquires value in the professional market place. I don't know how the EPPL rules deal with this; they were supposed to make things fairer, but you are saying they won't and I'll happily take your word for it.![]()
Why are we looking at a CB though?, does CH think we are weak in that area?
Probably because of the amount of goals we shipped when Bassong wasn't available. I get the logic but I don't see it as a priority personally.

or it could be an indication of how is going to be playing tactically next season?, more defensively, than offensively. Worried that he's not looking at a AM to be honest.
But how do you know he's not looking at an AM?
I wouldn't worry if I were you chap, his record in the transfer market thus far surely tells us that he knows what he's doing![]()
surely we are always looking to bring better players in, not play more defensively. hence the contact with alderweld (spelling)
Just because you aren't hearing about things, it does not mean they are not happening.
Also, I've no idea why you think signing a new centre back signals a potentially more defensive approach? It is just improving the options we have in that area.

Just because you aren't hearing about things, it does not mean they are not happening.
Also, I've no idea why you think signing a new centre back signals a potentially more defensive approach? It is just improving the options we have in that area.