Christmas comes early to North London - Transfer thread

their is a rumor that we are signing dolphinhead? lolz yeah right

he has been shown for who he is too...

 

So we need an Ultra-competitive box to box MF who never runs out of energy, can tackle, pass, track back and make smart forward runs....


Flamini?

 

I would go for the 4-3-3 any day of the week. Our midfielders are definitely best suited there. Diaby/Denilson/Song/Fab I think all play best there. Walcott not so sure.

 

see, that's what annoys me.
the half of the group of players we currently have seem to fit better in a 4-3-3, but i actually think a 4-4-2 diamond may be the better way for us to play, with a couple of playing staff adjustments (ie. add wingers)
4-4-2 would suit better up front i feel, and it would also pull the 2 outside midfielders back into a role where they actually have to help defend. this also reduces our full backs being caught up around the oppositions corner flag so much, allowing them to concentrate better on helping the centre backs. not to mention neither of our fullbacks can cross well with any great consistency.
add in chamakh and van persie both being tall and it just begs for good crosses from the wings instead of this "perfect" walking the ball into the net stuff when every other team knows if they cram their box we will find it difficult to break them down.
to make it viable requires wingers who are prepared to track back and who can pass a man and who can cross accurately. i'm not sure we have that, apart from nasri (who i genuinely think would be much better as a proper winger than how arsene generally uses him).
arsene will stick with 4-3-3 though, i'm sure, and we will buy for that system.
does anyone else think the 4-3-3 is part of the cause of our rubbish defence?

 

4-3-3 the defense isnt as good but ohhhh the attack is def better.

 

Hasn't our defense been better this year than the past few seasons? In which we were generally playing a 4-4-2.

 

I think I would welcome him back with open arms.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...er-windfall-from-Highbury-property-sales.html

sounds liek good news

 

a bit of search around and you'll get
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/actim?league=eng.1&year=2008&cc=5739

now now calm down now. i guess you didnt check the date as it was last season's denilson.

people seem to forget he is only 22. why sell him when he makes a good squad player?

 

I see this morning that the tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb owners at West Ham
have come out and said that no players in their squad bar Parker are
considered 'unavailable' this summer. (Ya have to wonder how long a chap
like Zola will hang around with those two mouthing off to the papers every
other day in team affairs. I think Zola is a likeable chap and for his
sanity will need to move)

Anyways, considering this it got me thinking of Matty Upson and whether he
could again do a job for us - Whilst I know he hasn't had the best of
seasons. He'coming into the prime form age for a centre half. Has Premier
League experience and strikes me as someone who could add a bit of grit and
leadership qualities in and around the dressing room.

As much as anything though - He's in the last year of his contract so we
should be able to get him at a reasonable price. Something which may appeal
to the economically prudent manager of ours.

What do people think - With Gallas probably off in the summer and Silvestre
to. Could Upson come in as another Arsenal old boy like Campbell has done
and do a proper job for us alongside Vermaelen next season? (Still think we
may need another centre half but we'd have
Vermaelen/Upson/Djorou/Campell/Bartley)

Thoughts..?

 

I don't think we should settle for a One Season Wonder!

 

Clearly my season ticket renewal letter will be with me any day now!

 

I'd take back Flamini too, but I don't know about the idea of buying someone who we let go for free. :-\

Anyone know how Matuidi has been this year?

 

AA is still dreaming about a Barca move



http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=777861&sec=england&cc=5901

Andrei Arshavin says a move to Barcelona would represent the "pinnacle" of his career, but Arsenal's humbling experience against the Spanish and European champions has soured his enjoyment of their football.

Injury meant Arshavin missed the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final defeat to Barca when Lionel Messi scored four times at Camp Nou to send Arsenal out of Europe. It made uncomfortable viewing for Arshavin as he was reduced to the role of a spectator.

Arshavin was the subject of a bid from Barcelona following his impressive performances at Euro 2008 but financial issues meant a transfer from Zenit St Petersburg never materialised, and he eventually joined Arsenal in January 2009.

But the forward - who is not shy in expressing an opinion and was recently described by Arsene Wenger as a player who "speaks his mind" - appears to still dream of representing the Catalan club at some stage.

"If I played just a year in Barcelona it would be the pinnacle of my career," Arshavin said in the Daily Mail. "Barca are the best team in the world and I enjoy their style of play so much. But after watching them against Arsenal the enjoyment has quickly turned to sorrow. Barca, it seems to me, are now so far ahead of any other club."

Barca must negotiate their way past Inter Milan to reach the Champions League final having lost the first leg 3-1 in Italy. Arshavin has attributed that surprise result to the "genius" of Inter coach Jose Mourinho and stated he would be an ideal candidate to manage the Russian national side in the future.

Arsene Wenger has not made Arshavin's select shortlist of potential Russia coaches, but the forward has reserved some glowing words of praise for the man who brought him to Emirates Stadium.

"Mourinho is magic," Arshavin said. "When the coach is a genius, he can beat any other team, even those who are stronger. I believe there are three ideal coaches for Russia: (Fabio) Capello, Mourinho and (Guus) Hiddink.

"Wenger is also a good coach, but the Russian team is better suited to the other three. I can't imagine Wenger outside of Arsenal. I think it's impossible. He is more than a coach. He works not only with the team, but also shapes the club.

"He's not only responsible for what happens on the pitch on Saturdays and Wednesdays, but for everything else - how the club works, who they buy, virtually what sponsorship contracts are signed and where to go for pre-season training. He conducts everything."

 

Arsenal's Arshavin Still Dreaming Of Barcelona

I say we make his dream come true.

 

Shock! Horror!

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-ar...ws+(News+Feed)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

 

So we are discussing Denilson's progress by pretending this season didn't happen and looking at last year's stats? The fact that the best support for his quality requires looking at last year and not this year is telling.

Where does he rank in the current list? I didn't see him in the top 100 but maybe I missed it. Dropped at least 85 places in a season...still think this statistical service proves something about his quality and progress?

 

Conceded 37 through the weekend this year and 39 in all of yesterday so I'd say we are pretty much even between the two years. We have scored 10 more goals so I can see the argument for the 4-3-3 from an attacking view.

It would be great if we went RvP - Chamakh - AA across the top. But then you have to look to putting Cesc in front of two more defensive mids as you'd have four players charging forward (Cesc, RvP, Chamakh, and AA). Is a 4-2-1-3 viable?

RvP ---------Chamakh----------AA
---------------Cesc---------------
-----Song--------------Diaby-----
Clichy----TV------????------Sagna
--------------????----------------

Actually, I don't hate that... Not sure that Diaby is a locked in player and I know that could be Diaby/Denilson. Those top three have some friggin' fire power.

I do wonder if it is better to switch RvP and AA. I know that you traditionally would play them that way for crossing but I think they's both shoot better with their dominant foot to the inside. Depends on how they'll be used.

 

It depends on philosophy. I prefer to have them cut in on their stronger foot so I would switch them. If you are looking for them to get to the endline and cross, leave them there. Traditionally, RVP has played out right for Holland to cut inside.

 

And I think that is where I am coming down.

Two notes, apparently we are now being touted as having tons of cash on the way in and Rodwell might be the player bought with some of it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/7636485/Arsenal-manager-Arsene-Wenger-to-receive-transfer-windfall-from-Highbury-property-sales.html

Replace "Diaby" with "Rodwell" in that prior line-up and that's a very young but very, very talented team. Still would need a very good CB and GK so I question how much money gets thrown at someone like Rodwell but it is exciting.

 

FWIW, I hope Denilson will start to put on some size now that he's going into his mid-twenties.

Hilarious that Alan Davies says he looks like he's from a Brazilian boy band.

 

what exactly is going on with arshavin? he gives out really mixed signals.
if he really wants to go then i'd say let him. if not then he needs to stfu about barca. in deaner's lineup he is a straight swap with nasri. i could live with that.
i can see this escalating over the next year or 2 until arshavin forces himself out at less than we would expect to get.

 

I think Nasri ends up subbing for AA or Cesc and possibly a DM if we are behind.

I love the new flexibility we would have with Nasri, Rosicky, Bendy, Vela, Gibbs, Eboue, and Denilson on the bench. A lot of different styles and abilities offering Wenger a lot of options depending on the opponent and the situation (not "The Situation")