Cole is leaving, but Reyes isnt going anywhere. also, watch out for a guy named marc randal(sp?) i believe this is another gem wenger has uncovered.
I would disagree. The Kuzchek is amazing in between the sticks. It was only a period of time before someone signed him... Did you even see him play last season vs everyone? I bet you he is better than Almunia. Well that's what I think anyways. Remember the game when he came in for the injured WBA keeper at Old Trafford 2 seasons ago, and earned a name for himself? He was amazing that day...
I was referring to the deal. I still don't understand what they actually agreed to, or how much Kuzcheck will eventually cost. And frankly i don't really care. But i do know one thing, Fergie won't be taken for a mug.
I got ya antifan. Personally though I find Kuzchak a real interesting goalkeeper. He has come through the ranks and I firmly believe he'll get a chance to impress this season at United... As for himself, he has indeed signed a four year deal while initially it was only a loan move.
I stopped reading half-way through the second line...and threw up... Kuszczak...Kuszczak was friggin amazing last season. Considering the team he was in and all, of course he didn't get enough praise, etc...We'll see how he does at Manure. If VDS starts laming out, maybe Kuszczak can step in with a few games and show what he can do. I kinda wanted to see him at Arsenal as Lehmann's understudy, but oh well.
while the loan was on, the buy option was around 4mil euro or so....I'm guessing the final deal was around the same number.
How many goalkeepers out there are not better than Almunia? I bet you will have problems naming them. Heck I rate David James higher than Almunia..... Kuszczak is just like many good EPL goalkeepers, he made some very good saves but he has also made some bad mistakes last season. What he has going for him is his age; he's 24 years old and still can improve. I do rate him highly but I do not think that he would be anything more than a backup keeper while Van Der Saal is between the sticks. Which makes me wonder, why haven't we lined up a replacement for Lehmann, who is already 36 years old? I do not see Almunia to be good enough to be the next Arsenal no 1.
Honestly, how much do goalkeepers develop while sitting on the bench? No experienced goalie will be happy playing only in Carling Cup games. I don't see the point in bringing in a #1 until we need one.
Has Almunia ever done this?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxs8llNBP00 Note: He is a quality keeper, but I had to point this one out!
All keepers have done something stupid in their time. VDS's stupidity was moving to Juventus, where he was shite. It was painful viewing. That's why he ended up at Fulham. Kuszczak signed a three year deal with West Brom and that runs out at the end of the season. They had an option to extend it for a year but I assume they haven't taken it up. Therefore we get him on loan this season and on a fee next, since he has already signed a four year contract. McShane and Steele were the compensation.
Came across this as I was trolling the Chelski boards today: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9296568&postcount=76 These "fans" don't have a clue. Imagine a Chelski "fan's" paranoia if all the club had spent on transfers during this silly season was 7M GBP on 1 player. Slightly off-topic, I know, but I thought it would add some perspective to this thread.
Firstly, i want this Cole saga to be over with. im am now indifferent to whether he stays or goes. secondly, reyes is going no where. thirdly we need another CM and thats it. Ive been watching all the preseason games and we got people who can fill a secondary CB quite nicely, curtis davies is the only quality CB we could get that would even be willing to play second fiddle. watch out for a certain O'ceaurill .
1. i want the cole saga to be over with, im indifferent now as to whether he stays or goes. if i had to choose, id want him to stay. 2. reyes isnt leaving. 3. almunia is a very capable GK, (see CL group games.) 4. we dont need a CB, ive watched all the preseason in austria, and we have some up and comers who can fill the secondary CB role quite nicely. (im really looking out for O'ceaurill) and Curtis Davies(to me) is the only quality CB who would play second fiddle to senderos or Toure. and they are asking for way over what hes worth. 5. Flamini however is not a capable CM, he does the job as LB defensively, so he can play there in a pinch, but we are in need of some good cover there, offensively or defensively. (however mark randall is looking like the next cesc to me. )
Cole not being in the team picture would pretty much clear things up to me. Maybe he won't leave though, at least not this summer. I want to see Yaya signed for a miraculous bargain, and that'll make me happy.
Almunia will never be good enough to be our #1 when jens is done - which should be at the end of the season. We do need another CB. Preseason games aren't the same as going up against eto'o and ronaldinho in a CL game. We have king kolo, then senderos who is almost ready to take the 2nd spot full time if he can work out his issues against physically intimidating players. Djourou is our work in progress, and while he is great for his age, is still just a player we slot in for emergencies. Do I even have to name Cygan in this, or can we move along? We were fortunate with injuries that toure was pretty much fit all season last season, or things would have been a lot more difficult than they were. This season we can't expect the same number of games out of him, especially if he winds up on the injury list. We need another CB who is a little better than senderos, no matter his age, or else at this point senderos doesnt even have to challenge for his place in the starting XI, much less fix all the kinks in his game. An older, more experienced player who can lead the backline in toure's absence is what we need, someone who will come cheap, someone like Thuram, several weeks ago. Between clichy, hoyte and flamini, I'd say LB is well covered. DM is still just a wasteful gilberto, and an injured, inexperienced diaby. I'd fix this second, and then if both cole and reyes leave, I'd spend the combined income on one AM who can slot in anywhere, and a striker - someone different, who can use their head, get scrappy goals, and open up spaces. Instead of an all in one player like Reyes, i'd replace him with 2 players with different specialties. Baptista would be nice, but because of his visa situation, won't work out. We better hurry up and sell, so we have time to buy. What happened to our's and chelsea's deadline to have cole wrapped up by the end of the week? Nothing happened, so does this mean he is staying?