The talking about Arsenal FC thread (1 Viewer)

[oh shit]

Have they ever really, aside from Shevchenko, Veron and maybe Desailly, attracted bona fide superstar players at peak age on a regular basis?

It's usually younger players who grow into stars, or older ones on the way down. English clubs have signed some really top class players in the last few years like Silva and Mata but I get the impression that they only went to England because Barcelona and Real can't buy everyone so they passed on them.

As I said the mid-table clubs have bought well, I imagine that the new TV deal is having an impact there, Norwich must have far more cash than Levante who finished in the same position in Spain.

Yeah, they have. Look at Man City from 2009 to now. In fact, they're still managing it, uniquely. Look at Chelsea 2004-2009 - Drogba, Carvalho, Cech, Essien, Robben. At Liverpool; Fernando Torres, Mascherano (and remember him and Tevez at WHU??), Xabi Alonso. You couldn't put that Liverpool side together like that now.

Look at who is doing business at the top end now. PSG, Monaco, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Napoli. The market's stratified a lot more, which Wenger right pointed out the other week - it's either £10m for a decent prospect or £25-£35m for a proven player. That wasn't the case 5 years ago. But even so, it's different. Clearly money is no object to England's current CL sides, it's just that the players are going elsewhere.

 

[Unicron]

Yeah, they have. Look at Man City from 2009 to now. In fact, they're still managing it, uniquely. Look at Chelsea 2004-2009 - Drogba, Carvalho, Cech, Essien, Robben. At Liverpool; Fernando Torres, Mascherano (and remember him and Tevez at WHU??), Xabi Alonso. You couldn't put that Liverpool side together like that now.

I was thinking more in terms of profile then talent in that regard, all those you named are fantastic players, but their percieved stature in the game was not all that high when they arrived in England. What I was thinking of were things like City derperately chasing Kaka' a few years ago, and not getting him.

 

[Hector Grey]

United's failed courtship of Ronaldinho is up there too. That was never going to happen.

City are the exception here: Ya YA was at the top of his game, Augero too, even Tevez, and Dzeko was highly rated. But they're offering the kind of mental money that the French lads and the Russians are. DO you think Hulk and Witsel thought to themselves "the better ball is being played in Russia..." did they fuck. The current model is unsustainable, and UEFA have to be strong in the FFP yoke. The English teams are better off not getting invovled. Sit tight and there'll be no competition in europe in a couple of years.

 

[Unicron]

Higuain deal seems to be slipping away, and as it does the prospect that Suarez will be the guy increases, which is incredibly dispiriting.

Handball against Ghana I don't mind, he was correctly caught and punished within the laws of the game, Gyan was the one who fucked Ghana there. The diving I'd hate but part of the game I guess. The biting, I'd hope he didn't do it again. I couldn't get past the Evra thing.

 

[Hector Grey]

Higuain deal seems to be slipping away, and as it does the prospect that Suarez will be the guy increases, which is incredibly dispiriting.

Handball against Ghana I don't mind, he was correctly caught and punished within the laws of the game, Gyan was the one who fucked Ghana there. The diving I'd hate but part of the game I guess. The biting, I'd hope he didn't do it again. I couldn't get past the Evra thing.

He's also a cunt. But sure, he remains our cunt.

 

[Unicron]

But sure, he remains our cunt.

Hope he stays that way

 

[Hector Grey]

Hope he stays that way

I'm ambivalent meself. I cheered a Paul Ince goal once. So there you have it.

 

[Hector Grey]

The talk is that Arse are offering 40+ million now. Oh, Arsene.

 

[oh shit]

£40,000,001

 

[washingcattle]

£40,000,001

Vintage Arsenal.

 

[Unicron]

Vintage Arsenal.

We paid £333,333.33 for Malcolm McDonald.

 

[Hector Grey]

I keep reading that Arse's current record fee was 15 million for Andry Arse Shaving. That's not right, is it? How much was Reyes? or Carzorla?

 

[Unicron]

I keep reading that Arse's current record fee was 15 million for Andry Arse Shaving. That's not right, is it? How much was Reyes? or Carzorla?

Cazorla was 12, we took advantage of Malaga's financial problems last summer.

I always thought that Reyes was 16 (that's also what I thought we paid for AA) but that might have been the fee if all the add on clauses had been activated*.

I have to say I'm impressed by Liverpool's resolve on this issue, I'd have considered Suarez to be a distressed asset at this stage but they're attracting a huge bid when it seems that, publically at least, there's only one club in for him.

This has become a hugely divissive issue amongst the Arsenal fanbase, all of a sudden many people have developed the same intimate knowledge of the nuances of the Spanish spoken around the River Plate as some Liverpool fans.

* Just checked the wiki, which claims an initial £10.5, going up to £17.

 

[Hector Grey]

Cazorla was 12, we took advantage of Malaga's financial problems last summer.

I always thought that Reyes was 16 (that's also what I thought we paid for AA) but that might have been the fee if all the add on clauses had been activated*.

I have to say I'm impressed by Liverpool's resolve on this issue, I'd have considered Suarez to be a distressed asset at this stage but they're attracting a huge bid when it seems that, publically at least, there's only one club in for him.

This has become a hugely divissive issue amongst the Arsenal fanbase, all of a sudden many people have developed the same intimate knowledge of the nuances of the Spanish spoken around the River Plate as some Liverpool fans.

* Just checked the wiki, which claims an initial £10.5, going up to £17.

It's a thorny issue alright. I wouldn't call it divisive, because i don't know of one lad who would have forgiven him that, but the consensus was "stupid cunt, situation needlessly exacerbated by stubborn Glaswegian" rather than "dirty racist". But again, them's the nuances you look for when it's "your" player. He's no Sinisa Mihajlovich. But he is a knob. 20 games suspended in 2 years. Openly courting a move mere months after a lucrative contract extension, and all the other stuff. Funny, he seems like an okay bloke off the pitch. At least he's never killed a man, or floored a burglar, or smashed up a McDonald's, or slept with his brother's wife, or driven a solid gold Lamborghini, or shot a trainee, or been accused of rape....

Like I say, i'm ambivalent. for 55 million, I'd cheerily say adiós. BUT the money would need to be reinvested almost immediately, and anything less makes Liverpool look like a selling club. Spurs did they same tactic with Modric, which was a fight they eventually lost, and are doing it now with Bale. Seems like being a top 4 club might not attract the same level of player as it used to (posts passim) but more pertinently it means you're not going to keep a hold of your assets. Europe's elite will be queueing up for Phil Jones next year, you'll see. HA HA HA. God, i wish.

In short, if i thought there were 3 top players lined up to spunk the money on, I'd fling him out now. As it is, Liverpool really need the cunt, cos, like we say, if United and Arsenal are having difficulty attracting pretty good players (Higuian isn't Falcao, for example) what chance have Liverpool.

I think they'll tell him if we don't make top four this year, you can fuck off. In fact, if we do make top for, you can still fuck off.

 

[oh shit]

he wants to go to Arsenal.
fine. I just hope we sign Bernard to replace him.

 

[washingcattle]

http://havearsenalspentanymoneyyet.com/

 

[Unicron]

http://havearsenalspentanymoneyyet.com/

NOT TRUE.

We've paid off Andre Santos and Denilson to leave. *weeps*

 

[Hector Grey]

Kenny Samson is living on a park bench.

 

[Unicron]

It's going to happen. Where's Anzhi when you need them? Why isn't Carra sending round his dodgy mates to sort Suarez out?

Fuck

 

[Hector Grey]

Does Wenger really want this nutter in his team? Also, as of now Arsenal aren't officially a CL team, are they? Wouldn't it be delicious if he signed and they fell at the qualifying hurdle, then lost fourth place to Liverpool and Suarez bit Theo Walcott in training and Theo got rabies and his legs fells off. Wouldn't that be delicious?