how many people can really both hold up the ball and run in behind? i mean, in theory, those seem opposing tasks. at his best, i think van persie was able to link up before running behind but did he really hold up the ball? as footykid said, though . . . if we have all the ball control/playmaking players on the pitch, we don't necessarily need another. we COULD use a poacher whose main interest is going to get that goal. i think that was why walcott was so successful, as you mentioned previously, while cazorla was available. plus, wenger has been looking for that poacher for eons. i am not remotely advocating higuain over icardi, please don't get me wrong (i have seen a tiny bit of higuain and literally none of icardi so i'm ignorant as f' on THAT discussion) . . . but IF the more expensive fellow who has less shelf life (AND lower/no resale) was able to get us over the hump and get us the league and get us further into CL, wouldn't the difference in "cost" be paid for by the success both in actual (prize) money and intangible (higher value for both transfer prospects AND sponsorships)?
If nothing else, with him, we'll always be financially stable. There will never be a Glazer scare, Portsmouth downfall, or a Liverpool financial stagnation under him.
Well, if anyone was hoping for Gotze http://www.espnfc.com/soccer-transf...eal-to-re-sign-mario-gotze-from-bayern-munich
Great post! Sadly this comes up every year and is easily debunked when you look at Chelsea's rather stagnant financials. Despite having won stuff they are in the same boat as Arsenal - i.e also rans. I would add the following additional points 1. Commercial revenue is largely just a function of the TV audience. As Scudders builds the value of the rights globally, so the value of the primary sponsorships increase. Arsenal just rides the gravy train on that. 2. There is only extra commercial value in being the Man Utd of your league - and now demonstrated by the key Adidas sponsorship. The same thing is shown in germany with Bayern. There is no opportunity for Dortmund to become Bayern 2 in their domestic league. It's not a market position. The exception to this is City who have a strategic position based around Abu Dhabi's global ambitions. So basically from a business point of view, Arsenal just surf the Scudamore wave.
It's not so much the player but rather the amount of money involved. It just makes the whole things seems less "fun" I guess.
Oh, and may as well squash those Icardi rumors. Messi Minutes @MessiMinutes Icardi: "I'm here, and I'm happy here, I say that all the time. My contract at Inter is to 2019. They're my team." pic.twitter.com/0zgXY9kYMg Messi Minutes @MessiMinutes Icardi: “My entire family's objective is to stay in Milan...I'm happy in this city, as are Wanda and the kids." pic.twitter.com/HsGv63ZvwG
would anyone WANT Icardi or any of these other spares? he would be a depth signing, not a title winning type player sadly.
I'd make a run at Lukaku.. we are always a few steps behind actually title contenders when it comes to transfers post Highbury. it's incredible how far we are behind Chelsea when it comes to the buy and stash game. Buy young talent, stash them at clubs all over Europe, bring back the ones that come good. They've certainly messed it up by selling top talent, but at least they bought them in the 1st place and made huge money on their sales. Who is supposed to play CB for us next season? we only have 1 guy who can be relied upon... maddening.
I read that as we're with the top group. Yes, we're "with" the United and Real's in sponsorship but they're still beyond us and there is a tier below us.
Your post blew me away for it's greatness, so I linked to a fellow supporter who is not on BigSoccer. He pissed on your masterpiece because you used "shirt sales" as a metric—which he says is a debunked myth. I apologize. Our fellow fans are assholes.
Only if lewandowski's agent forces the move for 26 mil eur in annual wages and real meets bayern' astronomical transfer fee Unlikely
Disagree. Think Lukaku's first touch makes him a liability for the way we play. Agreed as to all of the above.
We are looking to be properly f'ed for years to come unless we get a new manager after Wenger with the strength to make the club run in a different direction. Just like time value of money. Your brand and image is something that must be managed and the club are painting quite the terrible image.
That's harsh dude - the club's image hasn't changed. Changes will be necessary once Wenger retires, especially for the youth setup, and some division of responsibility will be necessary because too much is on Wenger now. But the club doesn't have a terrible image by any means. It's just irritation during the transfer window that's talking.
I think a trio of: Sanchez - Giroud - Aubameyang with Xhaka-Ozil-Ramsey (Cazorla/Wilshere) that at least puts you in the conversation. now who plays CB? another issue..
Very good article addressing transfers myths. It also touched on shirt sales... http://thesetpieces.com/features/transfer-window-myth-busting/
It's not just Wenger. Kroenke and the Arsenal ownership the last decade have been perfectly fine with getting close but not good enough. It's a long con.