Last week I exclusively told you that Arsenal had had a bid accepted by Blackburn Rovers for Chris Samba, in the region of £9m. Samba has recently been out the country on holiday and both parties have waited for him to return to tie up the deal – mainly the wage agreement. I don’t expect us to have too many problems paying him the wages he wants and the deal should conclude fairly quickly. There is no big rush and no other club seems interested in putting in a offer for Samba’s services.
He returned to the UK on Wednesday and there should be meetings taking place before the weekend. Arsenal are also swiftly concluding a deal for Lille attacker Gervinho – there is currently no indication as to when the respective announcements will/would be made, but don’t get twitchy if they don’t occur immediately. They are always carefully timed.
Arsenal are still actively pursuing another center-back, and believe it or not, another goalkeeper. Any other transfer activity is set to be based around the futures of current starting eleven players Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and captain Cesc Fabregas – all with uncertain futures.
Young defender Tom Cruise, who was released by Arsenal, will have a trial at Reading next month in a bid to win a professional contract.
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The reason why nobody else it after him is because he’s not good enough. And this practically all but ends the signing of cahill as we already would have at least 6 CB’s.
Very bad news if it’s true
Is this centre back cahill by any chance?
If we got Samba, do you think wenger would sign cahill aswell?
your comment of “There is no big rush and no other club seems interested in putting in a offer for Samba’s services” says it all really…I’m not a massive fan of Samba’s, having watched him a few times. I found him to be ponderous, slow, and lacking in leadership. Having said that, a back 4 of Sagna, Samba, Cahill and Vermaelen would be more attractive than the current one. Though that may necessitate a move to 4-4-2.
2 CB’S ? Oh my wow
just want to say
YEAH RIGHT
[...] has identified 27-year-old Samba as the man to solve Arsenal’s defensive worries, while prolific attacker [...]
i think we will only bid for hazard if nasri or fabregas leave.
I’m not even an Arsenal fan and I’m exited for you gooners at the moment. With the proposed back four of Sagna/Cahill/Vermaelen/Clichy(or his replacement) and Samba/Koscielney as back up – the rest of your team will be completely free to do their brilliant attacking work without the worry of getting back to defend.
Bring in Gervinho and Hazard or Alvarez and the title is yours, even if Fabregas and Nasri both leave.
SAVE IT, SAVE IT, SAVE IT DARLINGG
You lost all credibility when you said we are in for another keeper.
Wenger stated clearly he is not in for a keeper.
Exactly my thoughts also eddie, I to have seen him play and for his aerial ability alone he’s a great asset considering the amount of dead ball goals we conceded last term. the back 4 u’ve named would be a dream. Come on the gunners.
Sorry to dissapoint all but if you read Samba`s verified Twitter account he hasnt been out of country but in London a few times, so cannot belive this story as much as Iwant Samba to sign for us!!!!
Another thing if us Arsenal fans weren’t so fu@kin negative we’d be doin well. Just enjoy the transfer season and get behind whatever team that lines out next yr.
What do u guys want……for fuck sake we are about solving our ever present set piece problem yet y’all are moaning…arsenal fans…
Someone tell wenger, in the alternate of this,sell cesc, bring Nasri central to play infront of jack and song. partner RvP with Gervinho or Falcao to alternate upfront with theo on the wing. left wing put Nzogbia. back Vermaleen/samba/cahil and the rest remains. these would be players planning 100% for arsenal..
yes, its the arsenal fans fault that the team has been playing so badly for the last 6 years!!?? **facepalm**
Really hope the arrival of Samba + another centre half wouldn’t mean the departure of Djourou or Koscielny.
KEEP SHOPING!!!! CAHILL SHOULD EQUALY COME COS ITS LONG OVERDUE ARSENE WENGER PLSSSS BUY MORE!! GUNNER TILL ETERNITY WITH WNGER OR WITHOUT HIM….
Looks to we as if Wenger is considering going 3-5-2/3-4-3
Clichy will be gone then we must buy the sakho or cahil if the sakho is come then he play as left back but the cahil is coming vermalian is the lb both are fit to the lb……
Samba is a decent squad player. We need a proper Partner for Vermaelen in my view. This is hopefully Cahill.
If Clichy goes we need a proven prem LB. Step forward Leighton Baines. Gibbs is not ready and it would unfair to launch Carl Jenkinson into the fray.
I’d say this means Squillaci is out. With at least Verm, Samba, Kossy and Djourou as our 4 CB’s. That is fairly decent. And IF we were to get Cahill then one of Kos or djourou would also go surely.
Personally I’d like to see a marquee central midfielder signed. Song has become complacent
“FACEPALM” Thats funny… Anyway Samba is exactly what we need. Most fans say what we’ve been lacking is desire & heart well that’s something Samba oozes. Make up your mind people.
Hedgewire is right. Arsenal fans complain too much nowadays. I wish the complainers would go support Man Utd.As for the REAL Arsenal fans it’s “In Arsene we trust” and always will be.
Wenger’s frugality has left us in strong financial footing and completely ready for the FIFA financial fair play rules that will hit Man Utd and Barcelona hard for their debt.
As for the signing of Samba, it’s perfect. It’s just what we need and he will be a starter not a squad player like some people are suggesting.
hed be perfect for arsenal, at last a strong physical player in the back who is a no-nonsense defender and will get the job done.
great buy for arsenal, just the type of CB we need
NEXT SEASON
Szczesny
Sagna Samba Vermaelen Clichy
Wilshere
Nasri Fabregas
Gervinho Falcao Van Persie
Samba is a decent signing in my opinion, but would of preferred cahill or evdn hsd a look at phil jagielka from everton, i also agree with goonertank we need a new midfielder song is ok but we need a real work horse, soneone who will put the tackles in and allow our playmakers to stay further up field, flamini did this job really well
I think that Samba is a solid signing that will go a long way to helping us in the Premier League. Yes he doesn’t have the most pace but his aerial prowess will be quite valuable against the likes of Stoke, Newcastle, and the like. I feel like a djourou, samba or verm, samba cb pairing could be more of what arsenal really needs for matches in the premier league. Another cb signing of either sakho or cahill would be nice but I like kos and think he has a lot of potential, and his style of play works very well in European matches.
does anyone know why gervinho is being signed? Because I always thought he was being brought in either as a backup winger or as first choice to leave theo free to partner rvp up front, but a lot of people seem to think he’s a replacement for nasri which I hope isn’t true because 1) he’s no way near nasri’s quality and 2) gervinho and walcott are both primarily right wingers (I know walcott’s a striker but you get what you mean) and I wouldn’t want wenger finally signing a true winger and then playing him out of position on the wrong flank
Creative writeup! I love it. On d issue @ hand, i think d signing of Samba is a gr8 addition considering AW’s comment on d kind of players arsenal fans should expect dis summer. He’s d strong type, both on air and on d ground. Cahill will also b a gd buy to d team having nations cup smiling around d corner. I believe with d presence of these 2 gr8 players, fatigue will never b our problem in that dept. Keep d faith!
@pridder,,,,,,how do you know nasri is better than gervinho?are you a football expert or sumtin ? i like nasri but he went missing after xmas,while gervinho was scoring and assisting ALL season on the way to a league and cup double,,,you spoofer!!!!!!!!!!!
alrite pal calm down, no im not a football expert but I’ve followed lille in the french league past few seasons and I’ve followed arsenal all my life, I think I know enough to compare the two. I’m not saying gervinho isn’t quality I’m glad we’re signing him, but nasri is world class and gervinho just isn’t. Plus I think your forgetting nasri is playing in the most competitive league in the world in a team that completely collapsed towards the end of the season whilst gervinho been playing in a far easier league for the team that eventually won it, there’s a huge difference. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it.
I agree that Arsenal need a solid central midfielder as Song is so complacent and spends far too much time Fannying around with the ball to really instill confidence in his abilities.
Please please Arsenal go for Vertonghen, he can play CB, LB, DM and would be an Excellent signing in my honest opinion!
Add to that Hazard and Arsenal will not be far away
i think with samba and cahill in arsenal there’ll be a lot of super subs with the likes of koscielny and vermalaen. Djorou nd squillaci are out of the race.
I agree with @pridders , Gervinho i think will be a good player but not a nasri replacement. not yet anyway, because we don’t know how he’s going to adapt to the EPL. he should be good squad player, and wenger will hopefully have the quality to confidently rotate the team and give key players a rest from time to time. He hasn’t been able to do this with the likes of squillaci, denilson, etc. the only back ups.
[...] [...]
I think most people would say right now that Nasri is a better footballer then Gervinho… Don’t have to be an expert to answer that question. In the future who knows who will end their careers with better stats but as of right now on past form no question Nasri is a better player in the better league.
our defensive problem is not because of the players,it is the tactics from the coaching staff or the manager.Alladayce can turn our defence water tight with these same players,so will Mourinho. Believe me,we will still leak goals even if we buy Vidic and Terry.we need to change our defensive tactics.Wenger believes that attack is the best form of defence,but things dont always go as planned.you can lead 4-0 at half time only to let Newcastle score 4 as well.Wat if you cant attack because RVP has been red carded,how r you gonna defend.If i had the power,i would have replaced Pat Rice with Alladyce when he leaves.unfortunately big Sam is at West ham now.
lol @ Sam Allardyce comment.
trolling? or just really stupid?
It is true we want an experienced keeper because mannone and lehmann are both leaving and certain people at arsenal have told wenger he thinks too much of himself but didnt you guys see his performance against france? Wojo is crazy he quickly gets off his line and jumps on top of the striker like when we played the spuds hahaha bale got owned!
Gervinho is class and he is exactly what we need…..he’s got lots of pace to burn and quick feet…..stop being an ass nasri is not a winger….gervinho is. So why compare them….
another added advantage would be that when we play the rovers next season, samba wouldn’t be there to pressurise our keeper, lol
may be Wenger will try nasri and fabregas in the center so 4-3-3
——-seczhny——
sagna—samba—-tv—-gibbs
——fabregas—wishere—–
———–nasri————
walcott————–gervinho
———–rvp————–
and also i belive what wenger sign
I’ve always thought Samba was a bit slow, but he was very good the last time Blackburn came to the Emirates.
Theo can play left wing as well as right. I’m hoping AW starts playing him in a more central position.
northbanksy…..Id like to see walcott up front, with his pace and finishing he could become one of best in prem, look whst happened in his first game for england as a striker
Samba will be a great signing, he will offer good aerial threat. I think his ball control is very underrated. Remember at ewood early in the season when he set off Diouf for that goal against us, that was an excellent bit of football.
Vermaelan. LB
Cahill. CB
Samba. CB
Sagna. RB
Don’t be surprised to see this one coming
big chris & gazza cahill-double bubble-luvly jubleeee!
We should not be thinking of selling Koscielny or Djourou or Vermaelen if both Samba and Cahill come into the Sqaud. We play four competitions and keeping players fresh is the key. Just take a look at the current champions Ferdinand, Vidic, O’Shea, Evans, Brown and Smalling (Jones recent addition). The more centre backs you have of good standard creates competition and the ability to improve and keep key players fresh for the run in and the ability to compete in all four competitons.
I still say we need a Falcao and a Parker to create more depth to the midfield and create a much needed ruthlessness in front of goal. Goalkeeper not that fused but if we did it would be someone like Schwarzer who would bring alot of experience and give Sczezny time to develop.
@John
Before reading your comment I would have thought 5 CB’S is WAY TOO MANY. However you’ve convinced me (which isn’t an easy thing to do lol)
You’re right. We’re going to have so many fixtures this year and to have 5 cbs is actually a good thing. Although Id sell clichy and put Vermaelen left back. I think a great thing wenger has done recently is buy players that can operate in more than 1 position. Although it isn’t ideal, having a player like vermaelen who can play LB AND CB will do us good if hit by injuries. I’d start guys lyk Djourou and Kosciely in games in the carling cup and smaller teams at home. and have a back 4 of Sagna Samba Cahill Vermaelen agenst tougher opposiion
Excuse me GunnerSawArse have u ever heard the statement that the fans are the 12th man, look at manu their fans are behind the team rite up to the final min an how many times have they pulled sumtin out of the bag.It gives the team confidence. Arsenal had a great away form last season because the fans that traveled were great win loss or draw.At home it was all moans. Kick in the ball bag…….
[...] http://wearethenorthbank.com/arsenal-close-in-on-samba/ http://thegoonblog.com/2011/06/wage-agreement-all-that-is-left-in-samba-deal/ [...]
Yeah samba sagna vermimator,cahil,kocielny parker song wilshere fab nasri falcao rvp walcolt oh wow perfect to win double or triple
I agree with the notion that we should keep all our defenders, with the exception of Squillaci. In the goalkeeping department Id bring in Given to rotate with Szczesny and Fabianski. Final additions for me would be a center mid and striker (Parker and Falcao) and of course keep our key players. To summarise.. Out: Rosicky, Denilson, Bendtner, Squillaci. In: Gervinho, Samba, Cahill, Parker, Falcao. Finally lets bring in a fresh face in the backroom staff with strong defensive and tactical nous.
hedgewire is bang on the money, until the fans who booo realise the damage they are doing well, its not gonnae be pretty.