I have it on good authority who our next signing will be. It will be (drum-roll) A. Tumbleweed. Because it's so quiet at the moment, I can actually picture tumbleweeds gently drifting about in the open, empty spaces outside the Grove. Maybe if one's French, and under the age of 16, Arsene might sign them up.
Ian Grant made a good point on ANR yesterday. The silence from Arsenal this week - save for some montages of Henry's greatest moments - has been shambolic, and unbecoming of a supposedly modern business. Arsenal are a private business, albeit one with shares infrequently traded on the OFEX +market, but the wall of silence emanating from the club this week has been unacceptable, almost an affront to its fans who pay hundreds, if not thousands of pounds a year to support Arsenal.
A paragraph from Wenger before he swans off on holiday? An interview with P H-W in which he states, to the effect of, 'we won't make any signings just to keep the fans happy', whilst Arsenal blogs fall over themselves to name, assess and often dismiss potential players to bring in, whether or not these suggestions have any basis in reality? Not good enough for me.
A press conference would have been nice; one in which the club appeared united and purposeful; one in which fears about Wenger's future at the club were addressed.
Because this, above all, seems the most important issue. If Arsene procrastinates until the last minute before deciding whether or not to sign a new contract, not many players are going to want to join the club, I can guarantee that. At a time when the club needs to appear firm and united, he needs to talk to the fans, and be honest about his future. He is the lynchpin which holds together the club at the moment, and we need to know what his long-term plans are.
In terms of players we've actually been linked with, the list is seemingly endless. Take your pick from Anelka, Tevez, Eto'o, Huntelaar, Babel, Obafemi Martins, Owen etc. Yet if I were to predict a signing we're almost guaranteed to make, look no further than Msr. Sagna at Auxerre. Not exactly thrilling, but very much in the Arsene mould.
There's still two whole months to go before the closing of the transfer window, and it has only been a week since Henry's departure. But I expected a little bit more purpose from the club in the wake of the departure of one of its greatest players. And what I don't want to see is hastily cobbled together, last minute deals of the type that saw us sign Baptista and Gallas last year. We need to integrate new players into our pre-season training to accustom them to the team and the club as soon as possible. It's no surprise that Baptista struggled for so long last year, when he was brought in, unfit and new to English football at the eleventh hour. Moreover, the longer we wait, the greater the chance that our targets will be snapped up by other, hungrier clubs.
As a personal preference, I think Tevez is the best of the available bunch. Anelka and Martins could also do solid jobs for us. Yet these players don't address our lack of width on the left hand side. Could Reyes return?
Ultimately, and the point of this post, is what we must not do is nothing. We have a talented bunch of players, but new players must be brought in this summer if we want to compete. And Arsene's signature is perhaps the most necessary of all this summer, if stability and focus is to be brought to the club.
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A press conference? What for? It'd be a complete waste of time, there'd be no news, it's just pointless and it'd be seen as a knee-jerk reaction to tabloid doom-mongering. I don't want to see that from the club at all. If they have something worth saying than let them say it but don't have them coming out and saying bollocks just for the sake of it.
Good point! Since i'm swedish I have to say that Elmander would do a good job. Better then Zlatan anyway....
Realisticelly (?) I hope for Tevez!
Respect yourself. Is reyes coming back? If your wife left you and said she does not to come back to you would ask that question. Of course not you would say good riddance. Respect yourself.
I agree totally some kind of response from someone at arsenal would be nice. In response to AusGunner, i would say that the point of this is similar to the point of most press conferences- so as the manager or whoever can let us know what is going on and give us his view on the situation. e.g. we have a great squad of players and we won't need any additions, or we have a great squad but there are a few areas we need to strengthen etc. More for reassurance to the fans than anything, it would be good to hear
It amazes me how every year it always seems to be our beloved Arsenal that is at the centre of player unrest. We had it season after season with Vieira, then now more recently with Henry. Why is this? We dont hear of Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan or Juventus each year trying to tap up Gerrard, Rooney, Ronaldo or Essien. It's always Arsenal! Is it because the board do not clamp down harder on the press, both domestic or from abroard? Or is it because they are not tougher in clamping down on the rumours emanating from these foreign clubs? How is it that the likes of Man Utd, Liverool and Chelsea escape this annual torment? If there is a nack or an unwritten agreement that excuses other English clubs from this erosive rumour-mongering, then why dont Arsenal find out what it is and employ it also? And I agree with the article, in that the PR of the club to its fans and all those also interested in our club is negligent to the point of scandalous. Hill-Wood's comments border on the baffling at best and on the totally demoralising at worst. Wenger always lets his actions speak louder than words, but occasionally words are necessary! However, I am sure that everything will sort itself out but, at the amount, due the events of the last few weeks it is understandable that all gooners are emotionally wrung-out! Therefore, like it or not, we have no chance but to wait for future developments. With transfers always requiring a little longer than 24 hours to initiate and complete, together with the mischief-making and wild speculations of our beloved press making every day a fan's nightmare, we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into the attitude that all our ideal targets for the club will be bought up by others in the Premiership. We must keep calm, keep the faith, trust in Wenger's magic hat and resist the urge to hurl endless abuse at the board!
The manager is on holiday.
Question: If Wenger is not going to sign an extension and, as a result, struggles to attract big name signings or even risks undermining dressing room morale (a la Ferguson when he talked of retirement), should he resign now?
Obviously I want him to stay. He is the linchpin as you describe, but at what point does this become a legitimate question?
El Cid
I don't agree with Tevez being the best of the bunch. Individually as a player maybe, but a more in the box striker would balance out our other strikers who often operate from deeper positions. Tevez would just be another deeper lying striker.
Even when TH was there, when he played with RVP, (I consider our next best striker and a real gem who will light up the grove over the coming seasons), they didn't compliment each other as they both dropped deep. You can have 2 good strikers who perform better as a partnership than 2 more gifted strikers because they balance out better.
If you could clone Bergkamp you wouldn't play them both up front together. We should consider RVP TH's successor and get a 25 per season quality box player that we have always needed. That is not Tevez. No more edge of the box clones please. Any of Huntelaar, Eto'o, Anelka or McCarthy would leave us with a very well balanced and potent strike force.
Welcome to the ridiculous world of the Arsenal blogger where the sycophants name-check each other with their boring & endlessly repetitive requests to effect change or some kind of response from the club.
Arsenal HAVE released a statement today. Look at Lupoli exit notice & you'll see the club again state that they don't announce details on any deals until after they're completed. Deal with it, because the situation is not going to change any time soon.
Relax everybody, it is only two weeks until our first fixture.
Soon we'll be able to stop speculating about things we have no first hand knowledge of and start analysing performances on the pitch.
Two weeks.
The silence emanating from the club this week? I think I much prefer to read the statements that the club make when they have something to say - i.e. Arsene's comments on TH14's departure, P Hillwood's comments on TH14's excuse & Arsene's contract, the club's statement today about the departure of Lupoli - & then silence from them, rather than the endless irrational crys from some fans for the club to release/make unnecessary statements, just so that they - fans & bloggers - have got something else to be anxious about, concerned about, to discuss, to fear, to whinge over.
In short, some fans want statements from the club simply to fill the voids in their own miserable lives. Pathetic. I blame the internet.
Oh dear, Goonerboy is falling prey to the general media hysteria. What exactly is shambolic about not doing anything ? Arsenal have never commented on gossip or speculation, and why should they ? Some people seem to think that every day we're not spending £25m deepens the crisis. Fans need to be a bit more savvy about the way things are being reported and show some patience.
El Cid
The silence at Arsenal is a function of the divisions and disquiet at the club. The last 2 commentators are in denial. Wake up and smell the coffee. Our situation is potentially perilous. The current impasse is no good.
? no need for the club to cemment. What planet are you guys living on, if you havent noticed our captain just walked out the door. For AW to make a statement beyond we wish him luck, such as we plan to replace him, would have been good not just for the fans but also a public display for the players. but instead we have fuck all coming out the club.
As for the reason why our players are always linked its simple, we act like a small club, once again for everyone that thinks the sun shines out of AW arse WE ACT LIKE A SMALL CLUB. Barca Real etc know that if they tap hard enough they will get their man from us, next year watch as cesc is the subject of speculation. When Chelsea tapped up Gerard they did everything they could to keep him. Instead of selling wankers like Ashley Cole to chelsea we should have stuck him in the reserves till his contract expired. you take action like this once and you dont have to do it again.
Am i the only one who thinks Mijatovic of Madrid can go fuck himself.Do all club presidents think they can shaft Arsenal and get away with it ??? ........Enough is enough if they want cheap they can go to Tesco and buy whatever they like.Didnt that poncy little spaniard win Real the championship allmost singlehandedly ??? Now he is squealing for a stay at Madrid when will this insanity stop ??
If they wont pay up stick the little fucker in the reserves and forget about him.
Arsenal's captain walked out the door? I think you will find that it was Arsenal's choice to sell Henry. He had 3 years left on his contract. If Arsenal didn't want to sell him, he would still be there.
What do you want to hear at this press conference? Do you want the board of a multi-million pound business to tell you everything that is going on behind the scenes so that its competitors are given the edge?
Some of you need to get a grip on reality.
El Cid
This doesn't make sense anonymous No. whatever:
"..in truth the more Kroenke buys up, the less the board members make profits from Arsenal, so of course they're going to rebuff any bid."
That aside, though, I sympathise with the general thrust of your post.
Which retard here thinks henry didnt want to leave? its so obvious. Do you want him to spell it out? Learn to read between the lines. I'm so sad mr.dein left and arsene might not be here next summer so thats why i'm leaving the club that i "love" for a club that has neither of the above mentioned people. Whatever you might say of the board and arsene, they arent stupid enough to sell henry. in fact, they did the smartest thing they did was hold out for as much money as possible. can you imagine atmosphere in the dressing room if the captain of the club didnt want to go out, wear that shirt and give a hundred percent??
Can any of you guys actually see us spending over more than about 5 million for any new player. Those days have long gone unless Mr Kroenke bank roles the club, which will happen but not just yet. Tevez would be the best player to go for, but Wenger won't spend the money so we will end up with an 18 year old unproven talent.
Coming on here and caling someone a retard isn't particularly clever especially when you're obviously not intelligent enough to understand the post.
It doesn't matter whether or not Henry wanted to leave. It was Arsenal's decision to sell him. He had 3 years left on his contract.
Arsenal did the same with Vieira. It shows that the club manages the players, not the other way around.
Come on gooners stop writing in these forums that no-one from the club will ever read, let's protest outside the club as if we were proper fans for once. if this turmoil was happening at any other club their fans would be rioting so why aren't we?! Let's burn an effigy of Hill-Wood outside the Emirates. I don't see his purpose to the club!
Wonderful post man,
This is totally unbecoming of a 'big club' in the modern world. When all our hearts are literally in our mouths after the departure of our, arguably, greatest player for what most of us believe to be peanuts (make it grains of sand), we hear...(drumroll) NADA!!!
Simply put, the Arsenal board is filled with antiquated oldies and Wenger is doing us a big disservice right now. A big signing is necessary because Emirates, and its crazy prices, was not built so we could watch a feeder club.
i will address one point only in that somebody called AFC a selling club and that our players are the ones that get always tapped up..
Lampard is linked to Barca..Drogba has expressed discontent and Sheva might go back to Milan ..Robben might be on his way out ..
tell me whats left of Chelsea, surely not blind eye Terry or money sucker Ballack unless you want Cashley linked with another club
ManU had Ronaldo linked all last summer with Real .. ok they kept him, but please tell me who else..Rooney .. cant go abroad as he would be on 10 red cards after 5 games .. any other one worth tapping up?
Milan are struggling with Kaka right now and there is not much else in their team that most other clubs would look at
Barca has both Ronaldinho and Etoo who are linked with moves away ..
forgot LFC .. surely only Gerrard has the potential to leave and he nearly did so 2 seasons back ..
so its not that we are the only ones suffering instability
lets be real .. this is part of life now, but the big difference has been and this is the point..AFC has never been a club that taps up other star players coz we aint got the dosh to do so
so whilst we have always been a victim, we have never been a predator.. and this is why we as fans are frustrated
For those of you who still believe that Arsenal made the decision to sell TH14 I would point out that FIFA rules specify that a player that is over 28 and has played for his club for three years or more may purchase his release from the club for the remaining value of his contract. Henry signed a new deal last year worth just under 22 million pounds. Now divide by 4 and multiply by 3 and see what you get. It will also explain why he went for less than that twat Darren Bent. Just remember that AW isnt in the habit of letting us down so have a little faith and see what he brings us back from his holidays. Christmas might come early eh?
Seems to me that if you set yourself up to create an Arsenal blogsite, you have an obligation to keep the Arsenal end up. You not only malign the club with your constant doom and gloom, but you create a forum for gossipmongers and doom sayers, as well as little sods from other clubs. You run down the club for its communications strategy but what is your communication strategy?..you seem to have set out to be a progandist against the club. Why did you not name yor blogsite henryboy because you seem to have a higher opinion of him than you do the club. And don't quote Arseblog because funny as he is he is developing similar tendencies.
Henry left because after such great career he wants the last 3/4 years spent challenging for honours. We can't give him that. We can't invest in the team, AW is not committing himself to the club at a time we need him to. What's he playing at? He nor the board can reassure fans BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE TO SAY. A press conference will just make matters worse. The only way forward is heavy outside investment. That's the bottom line like it or not. DD knows we are fucked without it. AW only signs when DD returns with the yank and his millions and we all live happily ever after. No DD&Yank = no AW = NO FUTURE. Like it or lump it, end of.
BTW the sooner you get rid of this miserable, little Ethan fellow with the personality problems the better. He is like a virus around the Arsenal blogsites
I'm 100% behind the club guys, of course; i just worry that we're not moving quick enough to find replacements for players we need to replace.
None of you seem to have commented on the issue of Arsene's contract. H
2all u doom-mongers. I really hope we don't sign anyone at all. I also hope you protest by ceasing your so called 'support' for my team. Piss off, stop blogging, posting on forums, moaning and leaving your seat ten minutes before the end. Stay at home - send back your season tickets and allow some loyal, local proper fans support the Arse. Pathetic jokers.
Absolutely agree that a lot of our problems is due to the fact that we do not play hardball with our players when they wish to leave and I argued when anelka went to real that we were setting a dangerous precedent. That said this ummer is not the same as other summers when the PV4 saga was going on...this is worse. Losing henry in my opinion is not a big deal but the real concern with me and most fans surrounds the future of Arsene Wenger. To say that the club do not need to say anything at the moment is total bullshit because they surely do. Our club has been destabilised, not by henrys departure, but by his comments regarding the future of wenger. Football peoplr everywhere know that everything we have at the mo is built around le boss so with his contract situation being the way it is has sent out the "club in crisis" headlines across the footballing world. I accept that we cannot just come out and talk for the sake of talking but we all fear that the silence from the club equals inactivity which only adds to our concern. You cannot pretend that the whole boardroom split is not out there too so it is very easy to see why we are being painted in a gloomy picture. If our board want to make a show of strength to show how big of a club we are then they need to (a) get wenger signed up (b) sign a top top striker to replace henry (eto or torres 4 me) & (c) tell real to piss off if they bid anything less than £10m stg for reyes and stick to that position.
augie
LOL!! you guys won't even be a top 5 team next season!! and better still, Tottenham will finish above you!! ha ha and i hate spurs with a passion but some things are just worth seeing
ridiculous article. too many of these bleating, pathetic, fear mongering articles. it's just way to easy to push out there these end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it non-stories. you can write a blog without having to put something up every day. wait till you have something of value to say. the idea that this club should pander to make you feel better is beyond silliness. this is a football club not a PR house. leave them along - it is the offsesaton - let them get on with their business and them judge them in the middle of August. there is plenty of time to get the signings they want. it does not have to be so instantaneos. Be patient. Be a, hold on, what is it now, oh yes, a "supporter". not a winger or complianer. and certaintly not at this time of the off-season.
A word on Wengers contract as requested. All the panic merchants can go f**k themselves. He has never broken a contract and wont start now. As for a year from now after putting in a decade of effort and commitment he finally has the club in a physical situation that he wanted with regard to new stadium, youth development and as a seeded champions league team. That coupled with complete autonomy as to how he wishes to perform his job creates a near perfect environment for a manager who has very strong opinions in that area. Madrid or barcelona or any italian team might offer ridiculous money to him but he would only get the sack the first time that he didnt win the european cup. Get it through your heads. He will not leave our fantastic club. He may consider retirement(now 58) after and only after he has brought us the european cup but otherwise he will not leave behind all that he has built just as it is ready to deliver at potentially the highest level in our history. He would not just hand that over to sombody else to ride or ruin. It is simply not his style and never was. We are the third most valuable club on earth and he has "carte blanche" to guide it as he pleases. What could possibly make him leave that behind. Think before you post anymore rubbish about Wenger.He feels the same about the club as we do. Peter wood hill is another story of course with his measly 1% holding he should be off the board and learn to keep his trap shut. He has never EVER said anything helpful in living memory. V2K
This for the twit who thinks that Spurs will finish above us. As you obviously smoke crack I'll try not to make this too complicated. We are a 3 time premiership winning side with 4 FA cups in that time as well. Spurs have a crummy league(our youth team comp) cup which they had to gain by one our ex managers. Now that they have had a few uefa cup campaigns and Southhampton is no longer the closest that they get to Europe, they will no doubt talk up their chances but the reality is that WE are a Top European side and Spurs are at best the third best side in London. They wont finish above us any season soon. If I'm wrong I'll eat humble pie but that will be dessert after the main course of my hat. Spurs may be the best of the chasing pack at the moment but thats about all they can hope for in the future if they splurge all their cash on the likes of Darren Bent, no disrespect to him but a top hitman he is not.
Anonymous please setup your own blog site , you are great to read..
loads better than myles palmers site
I actually think Wenger will stay on - my point was, if he is, why doesn't he come out and renew now?
Players say they want to come to the club to work with Arsene; what are they going to do if he's refusing to publicly commit past next summer?
Come on. Stop whining like a toddler.
Arsenal have no need to issue any statement. Henry's gone, we move on. The team will no longer have to bend to his style.
Others will have to step up. Ade and RvP are 23 - not kids any more.
Wenger always runs down his contract - it's a French thing. But he's got integrity so that's cool.
Players will sign for Arsenal Football Club - we are huge. And with the Emirates Stadium we can attract the best....if Wenger wants them.
Well folks, its Monday morning and I suspect that we have ridden out the storm and the worst is now firmly behind us. Arsene Wenger is probably already on the phone and the press room is being kitted out with a large supply of chairs and bottles of water.Whilst we may not get our much desired major signings this very day, have no doubt that from now on it will be very much about who we are buying rather than who we have sold.
As fans we feel the uncertainty surrounding the club almost like 'labour pains' but at the end we owe a confidence to AW in his ability to bring a new team into this world. I gave up questioning his signings years ago. It has become irrelevant whether they are big name signings or unknowns. Every player that he signs almost without exception has speed in abundance with exceptional close control at high speed. That way they can fit into our system of play.
So today, here, NOW! lets start a new blog movement. One that talks confidently of a successful Arsenal future with faith in our best ever manager and a young team that gave us a 6-3 victory away at Anfield last year. Whoever he signs it's all good. He doesn't let us down and from what I've been reading this last week alot of so called fans have not been returning the compliment.
To the person who suggested that I do my own blog. TUVM but I'm in the middle of writing a book right now and if my editor finds out that I've been contributing around here instead of chasing down my deadline , I'll be in deeper shit than Bolton and man that's deep!!!!! V2K
I've a gr8 plan. Lets announce all our transfer targets and publically state we'll buy them no matter WHAT the price. Let's also heap pressure on our greatest ever manager to sign contract early breaking the ptern of his whole career. After all despite the fact he's never broken a contract in his entire career he's not to be trusted. BTW I'm disgusted with our latest signing - what do the board think they are up to signing players without publically stating they intntd to do so first.
LMAO @ the dumbass that wrote this and all the haters.
Get lives, PLEASE. Or piss off and support spuds.
Some specifics: The business plan for Emirates does NOT require cup winners prize money, or european TV money to balance out. That was publicly stated at the time, and to do otherwise would have been very, very unwise. Yes, we all want to have that money, year after year, but if we don't, the mortgage on Emirates does NOT go tits up.
Next point: very very funny to see these self important twats who think they know what the hell is going on... I'll give you a clue: You know fuck all. Next signing - no, not Mr. A. Tumbleweed, but less than 24 hours after your post, a good, international striker, left sided to boot.
Top props for getting that one right, you hopeless twat.
Arsene Knows. More cups in his time than in the 30 years prior, put together, prove it. Get off his back, get off the web, get your dumbass down to Shite Hart Lane.
Goddamn!!! I love it when I'm right! Eduardo DaSilva for less than 8 millions squids. 73 goal in 100 appearances and 34 in 32 league games last season not to mention a rather sweet header scored between twat no.1 John Fairy and twat no. 2 Cashley Cole. Always have faith In Arsene Wenger! How good is Darren Bent looking now for over twice the price? Right back next I'm thinking to cover Eboue's potential trip as right wing cover and African Nations absence. For all those fair weather supporters out there and Spurs trespassers a great big 'FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU!' European Top Flight Wannabees. Stick to the Uefa Cup its more your speed. V2K
bitter spurs fan here (lol).
Dein has already proved to be a big loss 4 u gooners. Henry gone, citing DD as a major reason why. Wenger, another great buddy of DD's, looking like he might walk out next summer. Consequent instability, and general reluctance of top players to sign.
not enuf cash has gone into the 1st team in recent years, (new stadium, fair enuf).
Who should Wenger sign to challenge for the title? Three world-class players. Tevez for one, seeing as he's settled here now. A top-class centre-half. And break the bank for Arjen Robben. While you're at it, better get a LB too... that young Dutch full-back Roysten Drenthe or whatever looks the business.
Not much change out of £100m there. But Hills-Woods etc. have made an absolute bloody (paper) fortune out of your club... having chased off Henry (by alienating Dein), the least they can do is get serious about investing in the team.
COYS!!!!
Its impossible to pan a player who hasn't even started for our club but this is NOT what Arsenal fans hope for as the replacement striker for Henry (and definitely NOT our only 'experienced' signing this summer). I'm 100% behind Da Silva though.
Seems as though my dreams of a hardworking gladiator (freaking Tevez) have died with this signing- and that is wtf we need. We need some experienced heads and fighters (even if they are English) and Wenger does not seem to realise how soft our team is.
We've shown some irrationality in the transfer market and no punk should talk that contract buying crap as Henry had signed a 4yr contract earlier and you don't just buy that out. WIth Henry's apparent 'marketability', he is not worth fucking 16mill.
Its still Gunners 4 ever (Tottenham as dumb as ever- imagine a 16.5mill striker when that position is covered already) and the truth is we need to stop idol-worshipping Arsene- Fergie passed the acid-test , its Wenger's turn to perform.
For the bitter spurs fan (like there's any other kind)When you finish above us THEN you can criticise us! Of course you may want to try something easier first.... like bringing about world peace or achieving cold fusion.....maybe folding time and space for instantaneous travel between the stars. That sort of thing. peace out. V2K
El Cid
There's only one signing that matters and that's Wenger -- and you all know it.
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