Arsenal FC Thread

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by Nixo10

I cant see Henry re-joining Arsenal. Henry did what he could for Arsenal but I dont think I can ever see him in an Arsenal kit again. If Henry comes back it will delay players like Eduardo, Bendtner's improvement growths. I would rather see Ibrahmovic sign than Henry because he's been consistant in Serie A, I know we cant predict how he would perform in the premier league but I have a feeling he would do well. Again, I feel gutted at the moment where Arsene said no to Villa because he would be IMO my dream signing.

How would it delay Eduardo's developement? He isn't going to be playing for a long while, and even when healthy it will take another couple months to fully trust his ankle. Henry won't rejoin Arsenal because he's been adamant that he isn't coming back to the UK. It would be pointless for him to come back seeing as he just left and it would be a bad business move, but I still think it should be entertained, as does Arsene which he already indicated on Soccernet.

I'm glad you think Villa would be a good signing because I don't. I don't think Zlatan would be worth a damn in the EPL either. I would rather see Huntelaar join because I think Adebayor and Huntelaar would be a nice tandem since both would force defenses to stay deep in the box.

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by DBond5

He's said no to Villa?

And everyone leave it, Henry ain't coming back, which I'm glad about.

He said he wasn't interested in signing Villa the day after it was reported Villa would like to join.

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by camarsenal07

we dont need cover at all, do you ever watch Armand Traore play hes a proper decent LB and for RB we have Justin Hoyte who is a good enough back up

We DO need cover. You seem to be the only one on the Armand Traore bandwagon. If he is so good then why doesn't he feature more? Justin Hoyte is a natural CB, the only reason he has played on the flanks is when we have injury issues which is damn near all the time.

Point is We need cover for the LB spot because tossing someone back there that isn't accustomed to playing it full time is lalalalalalaed and we have been made to pay for fillers on many different occasions.

[AriseForLife]

I can't understand why we would be interested in signing Nika Kranjcar when there are plenty of other players out there we could sign who are more impactful.

Kranjcar confirms Wenger interest....
.

[Matieo10]

What the hell Gowill...4 friggin' posts in the row!?!?

honestly...there better not be more posts of yours on the previous page

[AriseForLife]

I have to respond when someone posts, regardless of how many it takes.

By the way, are you actually in Portugal and if so what part?

[Matieo10]

Be sure to edit them, it saves space on the forum, and makes you appear less of a spammer

I'm in Horta, Faial

[Thade2532]

Originally Posted by AriseForLife

We DO need cover. You seem to be the only one on the Armand Traore bandwagon. If he is so good then why doesn't he feature more? Justin Hoyte is a natural CB, the only reason he has played on the flanks is when we have injury issues which is damn near all the time.

Point is We need cover for the LB spot because tossing someone back there that isn't accustomed to playing it full time is lalalalalalaed and we have been made to pay for fillers on many different occasions.

he doesnt start because Clichy is simply better than him at the moment and Hoytes played RB for most of his career

although if Abidal does become available then maybe its worth going for him

and weve been linked with Salcido from PSV lately

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by camarsenal07

he doesnt start because Clichy is simply better than him at the moment and Hoytes played RB for most of his career

although if Abidal does become available then maybe its worth going for him

and weve been linked with Salcido from PSV lately

Even with Clichy injured he wasn't starting, Flamini was filling in for him last season at LB.

I respect that you have much optimism for Traore and Hoyte, but they are not the answers we are looking for, at least not in my opinion.

I would love for Abidal to join Arsenal, I wanted him to join before he went to Barcelona. We were actually leading the chase to get him until Barca said they wanted him and then he just said screw Arsenal.

I can't understand why we would want Carlos Salcido, we don't need him. Also where would he play? Didn't he just join PSV last year or the year before that? Oh well.

I am still wondering why we are interested in Niko Kranjcar. If we are interested in him then surely that must mean Alex Hleb is going to be leaving for Italy.

[Scuba Steve]

Originally Posted by AriseForLife

I am still wondering why we are interested in Niko Kranjcar. If we are interested in him then surely that must mean Alex Hleb is going to be leaving for Italy.

I think this does mean the he is gone unfortunately.

[Thade2532]

i think if Hleb wants to go he'll go but i think we should try and make it a swap deal + cash for him

[AriseForLife]

Swap deal for who? I can't think of anyone on Inter's squad that I would want or that we could use. The only player I could think of is David Suazo because he is a direct ST but I don't think Inter would part with him for Hleb and some cash.

[ForeverBlue'86]

^^ Adriano/Cambiasso? - if Flamini is leaving too of course.

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlue'86

^^ Adriano/Cambiasso? - if Flamini is leaving too of course.

Why would Inter give cash and Adriano for Alex Hleb? Adriano alone would still fetch £10-15 alone and Hleb who cost us £10M isn't going to get us more than £12.5M max. Cambiasso could work, but we don't need another CDM since we already have Flamini (if he stays), Gilberto, Song, and Diaby who are all CDMs.

[ForeverBlue'86]

He's had another bust up at Sao Paulo, apparently Inter don't want him, so they could ideally offload him whilst trying for Hleb - far too many personal problems for him, hasn't been the same since his old man died and he turned to alcohol.

If anything, they could just offer a straight swap.

[AriseForLife]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlue'86

He's had another bust up at Sao Paulo, apparently Inter don't want him, so they could ideally offload him whilst trying for Hleb - far too many personal problems for him, hasn't been the same since his old man died and he turned to alcohol.

If anything, they could just offer a straight swap.

I used to like Adriano, but once he lost his way I just kind of cooled on him. I don't think Arsenal would be interested in him even though we were on the radar for him before he went back to Brazil and if I'm not mistaken so was Tottenham.

I can't see Arsene wanting to take a gamble on him and knowing Adriano he wouldn't come ot Arsenal unless he were going to get paid Inter-like wages and I damn sure wouldn't pay him unless he was going to recapture his Parma AC form because even his days at Inter weren't all that great.

I would much rather keep Hleb than have him swapped for Adriano. Hell at this point I would take an aging and basically retired Luis Figo over Adriano because at least Figo can still contribute without causing drama for the club.

[AriseForLife]

Touche'

Henry reports


Walcott also commented on rumours linking Barcelona's Thierry Henry with a return to Emirates Stadium after the striker endured a disappointing first season in La Liga.


"I think we have blossomed without him this season. Some players have come out of his shadow," Walcott concluded.

[Thade2532]

Flamini seems certain to leave now

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini will travel to Milan on Sunday evening to pen a four-year contract with the Serie A club, according to Rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani.



The out-of-contract midfielder's future at Emirates Stadium is in severe doubt, with a number of clubs reportedly keen to secure his services.


Juventus were thought to be leading the race to sign the France international; however rivals Milan confirmed their interest at the end of April.


And now Galliani has claimed Flamini will head to the San Siro following Arsenal's 1-0 triumph over Everton to ink a contract with the Italian giants.


"Flamini is set to arrive tonight. He will sign a four-year deal," Galliani told reporters after Sunday's derby win over Internazionale.



Not super-confident


When asked about Flamini's future, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger responded: "Frankly, I don't know [if he will stay]. But if you ask me was I overall super-confident, I would say no.


"He has an offer on the table which is valid until tomorrow, then we will see. I am not confident, but also not worried. The situation is not in my hands.


"We have done what we had to do, it is now down to him to make a decision. At some stage you have to make a decision and if he goes we have to look at our options.


"We can't wait until July. You could lose players if they come on the market. My ideal solution is that he stays, so I am not happy if he goes - but we've done everything we can."


Flamini is expected to undergo a medical on Monday morning before finalising terms on a lucrative deal.

[Thade2532]

hes not even guaranteed to start for Milan and he probably would have for Arsenal

any ideas for a replacement anyone?

Yaya Toure

[Scuba Steve]

Yaya was suppose to come to Arsenal, but his club didn't want to wait the extra year for him to become eligible to play in England, so that is why he was sold to Barcelona. So I doubt that he will be coming to Arsenal after one year in Barcelona.

I would like to see Arsenal bring in someone like Gareth Barry to play in the middle of the park. He is experienced, and he has great leadership qualities. But, I don't we will be bringing him in.

[Kire2oo6]

Originally Posted by camarsenal07

Yaya Toure

that'd be an interesting one lol

[Matieo10]

lalalala why would Cambiasso, arguably Inter's best player this season sign for Arsenal?

I dunno, I wouldn't see him working out for the Gunners anyways...y'all need someone like De la Red, Paulo Assuncao, or even Diarra.

[Scuba Steve]

Here is who I see leaving this year:

Flamini
Hleb
Lehmann

I could also see Gilberto leaving, but I think Arsene will try to persuade him to stay, for his experience. Hleb might stay, but its also a possibility that he goes. And there may be some others who leave for more experience and playing time, but thats always more difficult to tell.

So to shore up the squad, these are the positions that I think need to be addressed:

Striker-- There is Adebayor, Van Persie, Eduardo, Bendtner. Van Persie is injured too often for my liking, and I wouldn't be surprised if Eduardo doesn't play next season (although its too early to tell). Walcott isnt used as a striker, although I certainly think he could be. Carlos Vela should be coming back from Osasuna, but he is still young, and so I don't know if he will be able to be the dependable guy to fill that role if injuries start happening. So I think someone who is experienced should be brought in. It doesn't have to be a world class striker, like David Villa, but someone who is known to put the ball into the back of the net. Personally, I would love to see Klaas Jan Huntelaar come join Arsenal, but everyone is after him, so that seems unlikely.

Midfielders -- I see several foreseeable problems next year in the midfield if Hleb and Flamini both leave. Rosicky is injured too often, and I personally don't see Eboue as a solution as a right midfielder. I think that Walcott should start on the outside next year, I think he has proven it so far in 2008. But I think we should buy someone else for the outside of our midfielder, a winger who could provide the crosses in for Adebayor. I think it would need to be someone stronger, rather than someone else like Walcott. I don't really have someone in mind right now, but I do believe Arsenal could do with someone better out there.

And then there is the middle of the park. Without Flamini, I think we are going to struggle there. Sorry, but Gilberto is too old to be an every game starter, although I would love to see him stay and be used in a similar role this year, because Arsenal could use his experience. But I don't think the Denilson, Song, and Diaby are ready to fill that role. Other's may disagree, but I just don't see the three of them working out. To me, Gareth Barry would be the kind of guy to go for, because he is quality, and he has those leadership abilities. But seeing as how others are linked to him, and Arsenal are not, I highly doubt that he would join Arsenal (or that Arsene would try to buy him).


Defense-- If you use Eboue as a right back and not as a midfielder, I don't think that Arsenal really need to shore up the winged backs. Clichy and Sagna are the perfect pair, and Eboue and Traore(who in my opinion is good enough) to be the back ups. In the middle of the defense, we need one more guy, because I don't think Senderos is the guy to lead the team if Gallas or Toure get a long term injury. And I am not a big fan of playing the central midfielders in that role, something that Arsene likes to do.


Goalkeeper-- Lehmann is gone, Fabianski is not quite a starter, and I think Arsenal could bring in a guy to challenge Almunia. Vito Mannoe is not ready to be brought up from reserves yet, so I think Arsene needs to go out and bring someone else in. Brad Guzan was a name being thrown around, but he has been shocking so far this season in the MLS. So maybe another decent/ great keeper who can challenge Almunia for the number one spot.


So in conclusion, in my opinion, Arsenal need to bring 5 new players. I would love these 5 to be more experienced than the younger guys that Arsene usually brings in, but I also don't see him bringing in 5 new guys who are ready to go straight to the first team (or Starting XI)

[AriseForLife]

Honestly I don't really care that Flamini is leaving. I would like to see Jeremy Toulalan, Mathieu Debuchy (has played really nice the last two seasons for Lille), Fabian Ernst (quality CM which would fit well in our scheme), Hedwiges Maduro (young talented CM), or make a move for Xavi.

As for attack I think Huntelaar would be good, but Arsene would never pay £20M for a single player so you can forget about him. Mario Gomez or Kevin Kuranyi would also be good buys.

I would LOVE to see Rafinha added to the team because he would give us cover at 4 positions since he can play RB/LB/RM/LM. He would probably cost about £12.5M which is within Wenger's limits considering that is how much he paid for Hleb. If we are going to go for youth then we should splash the cash on Lulinha of Corinthians because his buyout is only €20M and for a 18 year old wunderkind that would be a good foundation to build around with him and Walcott as ones for the future. I think we should poach Michael Delura from AEK Athens because he is a talented RF/RWM that would give us some lenght on the wings.

I have always been a fan of Sebastien Frey and wish Wenger would have bought him back in 2002 when he was heavily linked with Arsenal. I think if that had gone down we would still be using him as our #1.

Should in an interesting summer for Arsenal, but if Arsene doesn't strenghten up you can get ready for Cesc, Adebayor, Van Persie, and possibly Walcott leaving within the next 1 or 2 years. I personally wish Van Persie and Rosicky were sold.

[Thade2532]

but Van Persie and Rosicky when fully fit are good but its a shame theyre always injured, id give them a season or two but if a good offer comes in then Wenger should consider it