What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly - Transfer Thread

Doesnt matter. I'll give them 25 and Abou and Fabianski. Where do I sign?!

 

Gianluigi Buffon

http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/ital...lkeeper-gianluigi-buffon-set-for-arsenal-move

Rumour out of Juve is that Buffon is set for a tranfer to Arsenal.
If you do get Buffon, congrats!
I still beleive he is the world's #1, still has some good years left in him.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

I'll believe it when I see the photo of him with an Arsenal jersey. But this signing would go a long way towards easing the misery of this past season.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

It's dream come true that we seriously strengthen our squad. If it's true, it means we really mean business next season....woohooooooooo....

Oh wait... I don't wanna get over joyed till it's official... Come on Wenger, do something....

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

Pigs will fly when we spend 21m on a 32 year old goalkeeper who will probably demand a wage of 150k+.

For less than that you could sign Lloris, Neuer or Adler and be set for 15 years (you can also pay them a fraction of what Buffon would get).

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

By most accounts, Buffon has been on the decline lately, and at 32, i'd worry he might have trouble adjusting to a new country and culture. I can't see Wenger risking it.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

I can't see Arsene would go this route either.... its not gonna happen....

 

Not as far as i know. They've got a new chairman, Andrea Agnelli, but it's still the same owners. The younger generation of Agnelli's are reportedly looking for more direct control over their assets.

http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/04/an-agnelli-back-at-the-helm-of-juventus/

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

I don't think he's coming, but I'd pay just about anything for him. I'd be happy to "only" be set for 5 years and have someone behind the sticks who can guide Vermaelen and CB TBD for that length of time.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

This.

And he could teach "Sneezy" and Man-o-man-e" a few tricks.

 

To me, Rene Adler seems the most likely choice. He's 25, 6'3", and is tipped to be the German national team gk although will miss the WC because of a rib injury. Young, national team starter, and Leverkusen finished in 4th place in the Bundesliga meaning they don't qualify for a CL spot. Quite frankly, he seems like an obvious choice but I don't really see much interest about him in the media. The most recent stories about him are of a rib-break a few weeks ago.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

You realize we'd be sacrificing probably half of our purchasing power over the next five years, right? Buffon would cost us over 12 mil a year.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

Where do you get that number?

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

150k a week salary= almost 8 mil a year.

21.5 divided by 5 = 4+ million a year

8+4=12

 

okay, that's just too much information...

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

Assuming Almunia would be headed out (some midtable team somewhere would buy him, maybe 4-5 million pounds) and his salary would come off the books (I have no idea what he is making, but I'd assume it is somewhere in the 40-60 region), the net impact would probably be about 8-9 million a year.

If he had a recent trackrecord of healthy and goos form, I'd say it is worth it. On his current fitness and form, though... probably not. If he would come down to about where Cesc's reported contract is (110k), I think it would be a go. The odds of him taking such a decrease are probably slim.

Though, it would not be the first time in his career that he has taken a sizable paycut.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

If you are going to spend 15m or more on a keeper, it makes no sense to get Buffon, even if he takes a cut down to Cesc's 110k, when you get a keeper who can serve twice as long and pay 40-50k a week.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

Well, do you really think you're going to get Lloris away from Lyon for less than 25-30 million?

And even if say Adler or Neuer are going to come over and cost less on salary, is it going to be 40-50k per week? I don't think any of them would exactly be cheap on the wages - just a good bit cheaper than Buffon.

Buffon is an entirely different situation from any of those younger three though. He's proven at the top level. If the annoying little injuries are just a fluke and he gets full fitness back, he can probably be the #1 or #2 keeper in the world. And if that is the case, he probably has another 5-6 or more years of top level football left in him.

While it is a nice idea - and one I like - to say "sign a kid and have him as your number 1 for the next 15 years," I don't know that to be a reason to sign such a player over a 32 year old keeper, still in his prime years for the position.

How many teams have a GK that has been their #1 for such a long period of time that isn't an academy product or at least of the club's nationality? It isn't exactly common. Players move on.

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

Dear Arsene,
Please sign any of these four mentioned keepers. Thanks.
Brian

 

Re: Gianluigi Buffon

While I think 25mil (+ high wages) is a little too steep, you can't deny his class. And there's something to be said for the sense of security he'd provide over the next few years.

As for his age, keep in mind Van der Sar didn't make the move to United until he was 35. And he's been class for them....

 

To piggyback onto what Terp said, GK success 5-10 years out is hard to predict. Fabs was supposed to be our young guy -- he has the talent and the hands -- and look how he's fared. Terp's right, Buffon has the skill at the level we want. We need an upgrade in talent across the board, and GK is the most glaring position of need. Besides, spending less doesn't always work well either: we spent 5 million on Theo and 10 million on Eduardo and we sure as heck haven't gotten 15 million worth of return from them...

If getting Buffon meant that all we could bring in this year was Buffon, Chamakh and we had to offer Gallas a two-year contract, I'd be OK with that.

 

Seconded

 

Over 30, injury prone, huge salary.

This is the type of player Wenger sells, not the type he buys.

I'd rather have Joe Hart for half the price.