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This is a very strange summer. As fans we are just sitting in limbo waiting for new signings whilst the hinges on the exit door at the Grove have been oiled – Clichy has already gone, Bendtner and Almunia look set to follow whilst the situations of Nasri and Fabregas have yet to move on from the current stalemate.
The boss seems to have nailed his colours onto Kieran Gibbs’ mast for the left-back slot next season. For me, it is an unnecessary risk – if he needs to play regularly he should go out on loan, and how you can suddenly expect a massively injury prone player to step up from ten starts a season to forty or fifty I really don’t know. At a time where we need to add experience and quality, not replacing one of our most experienced players is a strange move. I approve of the Clichy sale, but he does need replacing. Gibbs has been far from convincing though the talent is there.
Getting rid of the passengers in the squad is vital, but so is replacing them with better players – teams improve naturally year on year in most cases, but supplementing a squad with quality improves depth and the overall quality of the side. Take a player like Bendtner for example – he is the best provider of a cross in the side and one of the best to be on the other end of them as well. Whilst he does have fundamental flaws as a player, those qualities he does bring do need replacing as we are losing parts of a dimension that we don’t have an awful lot of anyway. I hope I have eventually managed to get my point across there.
The fact that no new arrivals have been forthcoming has brought even more frustration to Arsenal fans. It is entirely understandable and only a natural reaction to what has been a pretty poor four or five months both on and off the pitch.
We need to see some fresh blood and we need to see it pretty quickly. The pre-season tour of Asia has just started and the traveling party – or squad – looks pretty weak on paper. Going into a season with that squad would have me worried, thankfully there is time to forget that.
I’m giving media a wide birth at the moment, the official site is not hauling me in either. I guess right now we just have to watch what happens and not over-react.
Good luck with that.
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Arsenal are finished. you can feel it now and see it, there is to much cash flying around in the top flight for a team with morals like arsenal to make any kind of impact, 20 mil for downing?? 35mil for Carroll… Henderson 20 mill, jones 20mil? The market is out of control. the only thing is left is the badge and the history of the club.
it’s taking ages and ages to see any movement this year…not just at arsenal but everywhere…barca, real, man city, chelsea…hardly any business.
what gives?
Wenger did say it will start picking up at the end of the month for everyone.
Thing about transfers is that they are like dominoes, one has to fall for the rest to do so.
e.g Real Madrid gets Aguero then Benzema will be more affordable.. we just have to be patient.
Also I hope that Clichy gets replaced, I have heard good things about Pedro Botelho in Spain, he scored 4 goals for them from left back, thats more goals than Clichy and Gibbs have managed in their Arsenal careers put together, lol… but is about defending I know, no idea if he is ready but he was not taken to the Asian tour so perhaps he isnt ready to be cover.
Watch what happens and not over-react us fans are in meltdown,wenger is doing much to change things either,if we thought last season was bad,just wait untill next season when issh will definitely hit the fan.by the end of august we will be out the c.league and 9 points behind the leaders…..
“Bendtners the best supplier of a cross and the best to have on the other end of one” are you choking my chicken. The only person that ever rated Nicklas Bendtner was Nicklas Bendtner. That miss against Barca sealed the deal for me, he was still giving it about how good he was after that match. Sell him for a quid to show his Father/ Agent/ Fanclub his true worth
Not* doing much
Just 7 weeks to go until deadline day, we are already in pre-season and our first game is under 5 weeks away now!
We NEED the new players coming in (whoever they are) as much time to gell in pre-season as possible.
We are in danger of going into a tough opening of the season including a MUST WIN CL play-off tie, without having new signings available as they will have missed pre-season.
We really do need the Nasri/Cesc situations and new signings sorted by the start of The Emirates Cup.
If this is not the case, I will be extremely worried of being out of the CL AND the PL title race by the end of September no matter who we sign, or who stays (as they will not be ready).
gibbs as replacement for clichy is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!! spend some f*cking money arsene ,,,with the amount of work this squad needs to make us stronger than last season, wenger has a problem with the time remaining and i am getting very worried about august
Wenger must not play the players out of position. henry/Walco/Wiltford/RVP and a host of others. As fae as is possible,players bought should be allowed to play in their natural position.I know there are merits and demeits in Wenger’s policy.
In the long run the player will play best in his natural role.Btw cut out the marathon passing and dont repeat dont times 1000 one thousand overplay/oevrpass and show off/show boat.
Nick Bender needs to disappear and play in the championship for a couple of seasons, simple as. I like Gibbs, I think a back up for Gibbs should be brought in, make competition there and try bring out the best in him. Our problem is we do not start each season where our playing potential finished the season before. Its back to square one every year as we try and coach a load of new players to play prem football.
Wenger is a C***. I gave up on him since the carling cup final. I predict a massive rage outpouring with thousands snapping at once cos of him. It won’t be contained this time though.
Another lot of know it all gloomer,doomer moaners coming here to display their ignorance of all things Arsenal,Football and player usage. There are currently 5 players in the back available for Arsenal: Sagna,Vermaelen,Djourou,Koscielny and Gibbs. Jenkinson can play as a substitute as well in the back 4 and there is still Frimpong and Miguel if things get really short. Vermaelen can play in the left back position as he does for Belgium. Daniel you crowing clown. You are so pessimistic that you can’t even do basic math…the end of August will mean that only 3 EPL games will have been played, hardly the end of a season you wanker. Arsenal have always been very strong in the playoff rounds and WILL come out safe and secure again as they’ll have further strengthened the team by then, which is what you whining losers have been carrying on about all summer.
Ever since he converted Henry into a striker he’s been playing with players ‘perceived’ strengths. No way is Arshavin or Bendtner a true winger.
As much as Bendtner is a twat, I think Wenger will miss him WHEN van Persie gets injured…..
I trust gibbs..we need more english player in line up, he’s need to step up..and he’s ready..mark my word
We knew Clichy was ready when he replaced Ashley Cole bcoz eventhough Ashley was super, there wasnt much to pick btw himself and Clichy whenever he was out of d side. Meanwhile, Gibbs has shown that he’s nt ready. I pray Clichy’s replaced appropriately. As stated there haven’t been movements everywhere but that’s not saying all clubs are in d same level of direness as AFC raises the bar in that regard!
People you are very fast to slate Gibbs! Gibbs can defintedly turn out for a good season and not forgetting he’s one year old and wiser with experience. We are always bless with the Left Back berth and if the pre-season shows Wenger he can’t cope I had to believed he’ll dig into the market to buy a last minutes replacement. I’m just waiting for Cahill or Samba to compete for the central defensibe berth, as well as an experienced goalkeeper so both this deals we should as usual expect any deal done before the close of the transfer market.
Gibbs is far too light weight and injury prone to be a regular and consistent performer defensively,hes more of a flair winger type for me.You need someone more muscular and someone who can absorb and shake off lots of tough tackling challenges,someone like sagna.Now that is how i see it and if you see it otherwise fair enough but that is my view of which we all have one.Arsene you are failing us so,so badly.If you cant see our crystal clear weaknesses im afraid you shouldnt be in football management fact.Another fact is we have plenty of resources at your disposal so you have no excuses for failing so many.All of your cheap,frail,nervous,useless,pathetic defensive recruits in recent years are absolutely unforgiveable for someone of your supposed astuteness.Just sign samba its that simple.
I’m nervous about not replacing Clichy as well. Wenger’s just assuming he can step in and fill that role right away. He is a promising player but can Arsenal afford the mistakes of an inexperienced left back in important fixtures?
If Cesc is sold to Barca maybe a player like Abidal in the deal would be a good temporary solution until Gibbs is truly ready.
With that said, Clichy was a nightmare at the back. He blew the offside trap against Barca, got caught with the ball in league matches, and really didn’t contribute much going forward. Good riddance.