Stepping stone or boyhood club of potential superstars? Here's some players who view us as the team they aspire to play in Christian Benteke http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Arsenal-thought-Aston-Villa-based-London.html Wilfried zaha Thomas ince (mentioned on twitter he supports arsenal...strangely enough) Jordan lukaku (romelu luakus bro) They're all players with potential however and whilst they all claim arsenal to be their boyhood club do you reckon it's true or a facade to reach for more high flying clubs and would you take them if the reason is using us as a stepping stone? It's obviously all very hypothetical but I just felt its interesting how lots of young players still want to play for us but such few more experienced ones. Shun us. Is it possible that their mentality changes as they mature and watch their peers succeed forgetting the reason they supported us in the first place ala Rvp as the immerse themselves in the diva culture overwhelming all contemporary footballers?
You get much more business-minded as you get older. When you're young you have dreams and aspirations that are slowly choked out of you by society. When you're a young footballer I'd imagine you're excited about being a footballer, and playing for your boyhood club is the dream. As you get older, you'd rather play for a bigger team that offers you more wages. Unless you're Carl Jenkinson
DO you not think that players want to play for the best team that their talents can get them into, and by best they usually mean ones with which they will get trophies? Arsenal's inability to keep the best payers and the lack of trophies have both fed each other in a vicious circle. I don't know which of th eplayers who are purported to have left for more money would have stuck around if we'd ben a winning team, but I'm sure enough would have.
Benteke is this season's Sessegnon. His price will be at least 12 million by now. We missed the boat on him, and I don't think he's worth getting anyway. Zaha has been hyped into some kind of Messi clone, and with an England call up he'll be at least 15 mil now.
I think one problem we always have is that, as fans, we fail to react to change. There is no doubt that the last 10 years we have stocked our team with players that are developing. Players at Arsenal have had to learn "on the job". I think if you look at the team now, Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla, Walcott, Arteta, Wilshere, Vermaelen, Koscielney, Metersacker, Sagna, Szczesny - you see 11 experienced pros that are as good as any team in the premiership. If we can keep them together, we are looking for players that will back these guys up, not first teamers. For the first time in about 8 years, I don't doubt that the players are good enough to win. Considering the players we have lost, the manager and club have done well to assemble a team that can challenge for titles. It is now all a question of form, injuries and just executing. I see steady improvement, and the players are beginning to gel. I still think we have only an outside chance, but I am hopeful. Right now I really don't think any signing is going to be for this season.
