While I agree with you, I feel like they're the ones (along with City) that are most likely to sign another player or 2.
Is the KdB deal done for City? United are more likely to try to sign another defender than anything else at this point, depending on how the DDG sale works out.
So Wenger thinks the same squad as last season with Cech in goal is enough to try to win the league this year. I do not. This is going to be a long season.
Didn't Wenger say something to the effect that he would win the league in the next 3 years or something?
Looks like a one team league this year, and everyone else playing for table scraps . This Wenger in or out thread is largely useless at this point, because everyone knows he's staying for life if he wants to . There is a perception by many that he is bigger than the club.
I'm not sure that he thinks that - which raises the question of if Arsene cares about winning the league.
It's as simple as this: for the Board, he wins enough to keep him around and makes the team a ton of money. He stays as long as he wants.
He has said time and again that what he enjoys most about his job is being a teacher and developing players . Maybe his intermediate level analysis supersedes immediate needs: that is to say, he's not going to sign players that may one day impede The development of youngsters he has lined up. Like when he ruthlessly sold our captain to make room for Fabregas and when he refused to buy back Fabregas not only because of ozil and Ramsey and JFW but also, long-term visions of Crawley and Zelalem. I imagine that there is some aspect of this in his thinking, i.e. when coupled with other reasons--costs and values, analyses of other players relative to costs , etc it all makes sense in his mind .
Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but one could say the purchase of Ozil, Cazorla and/or Sanchez has impeded the development of Wilshire, Ramsey and/or Ox.
Alternatively, those players could improve and force themselves into the team. It's not like there aren't positions that are ripe for picking, it's just that our homegrown players have serious flaws.
I don't disagree with that, but then it goes back to begging the question about the overall transfer policy. As if the application has been spotty. If players with flaws can be replaced even in Wenger's eyes then it's rather surprising some of the ones for whom he's not bought an upgrade. It's the inconsistency that drives fans mad. Buy Ozil for an already "full" midfield, yet leave Coq and Giroud as the only linchpins for their positions.
We aren't winning the league with Wenger in charge. He's unwilling to either 1) spend the money or 2) adapt his tactics to anything but a barca-style tikka takka that we'll never have the talent to pull off. The club needs a breath of fresh air. My hope is that a new manager is brought in next summer and given a war chest to build the team he wants and we start a new chapter. In reality, I think Wenger may be here for another few years and that top 4 and a domestic cup will continue to be the standard. And that is very unfortunate. I want to take a risk with a new manager and a new direction, knowing full well things could be worse for the first season or so, rather than living in this groundhog day.
I can't decide if it's better to try really hard and fail (pool, spurs) or not really try at all and finish 4th. Also, I think this will be a boon for Football Manager sales as millions of Arsenal fans will get it just to bring in anyone in the transfer window.
Fourth place was a means to an end, it was never supposed to be the end itself. If Wenger can't mount a serious title challenge (82+ points), he needs to leave. I'd rather a manager come in and try and fail, than see a manager content with standing still. Top 4 is rather meaningless to our club now. It gives an opportunity to play in a competition where we do just enough to get out of our group and get stomped in the next round. We don't need the money from the competition anymore.
I agree with most of your post. I disagree with the bolded part, though. Being in the CL is still vital when it comes to attracting top talent, and falling out of the top four makes it very hard to get back in. See also Liverpool FC.
around mid-season last year - he knew.. win at city and good run/more steel/Cup win - he knows again now - he's losing knowledge... depends on what he can conjure up. top four alone..he has to go...saving grace for him is a trophy and/or league challenge... even if we get that, structure needs to change. Get back Dein....Gazidis and co. need to humble themselves a bit, and get him back and leave him to manage transfers. Should Wenger leave, get Pep, or Simeone. Or Ancellotti. If Real doshit again, it could help us on two front...Benz and Ancellotti.
Yeah, given what happened this window I'm worried about keeping Alexis and Ozil. We may have less time than we think.
Where are they gonna go? If any of the teams that they would go to (eg. PSG, Real, Barca, Bayern) wanted them they'd be gone. The only team that is on our level right now is Juventus, who seem to perform better but don't have as much money.
They still have options. Maybe not with the big 3 of Barca, Real and Bayern but if word gets out that either of them is unsettled/looking for a change, I don't see why City, Man U, Chelsea, PSG, etc wouldn't start sniffing around. not like it hasn't happened before!
Barca bought injured vermaelen, song and Hleb off us, PSG bought David Luiz for 50m and you think they won't be interested in özil, kos or Sanchez if we hit the rocks?