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Looks like it could be one of the most exciting deadline days in recent years.

Shock of the day? Hargreaves to Man City is pretty surprising even though it's a free transfer

<3 transfer deadline days. Hoping for 1 or 2 signings for Newcastle

BBC are reporting a rumour that Jimmy Kebe is going to Leicester. My Leicester supporting sons are loving it.

Will the last one to leave the Mad Stad please remember to turn out the lights  >:(

http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,90202.225.html

really good, neutral thread with all updates, will get to like 80-90 pages, but if u just want to refresh and scroll at work its v.good.

I love this transfer deadline day...it's ussually shit and dissapointing but looks to be really good this season.

Arsene showing that he is panicking massively by signing players he could have signed weeks ago...wonder who else he'll bring in.

BTW, love the Hargreaves signing by Man City..VWP them, an incentivised deal means there's very little risk and potentially a big reward as he's a top class player when fit.

Sky appear to be shooting for the every player is joining every club route!

As they always do...they have been guessing for weeks. TBF to them they have to cram an entire hour worth of proper news into 24 hours and that's not an easy thing to do.

You two can turn any thread into a Sky Hateathon.

Left wing liberal whores.

I love Sky sports..think it's superb TBH..It's the only part of the evil empire that I have no problem with (I just hate 24 hr news channels as it turns everything into gossip, BBC News 24 is bad for this as well).

To be fair to Boldie, he isn't an optimist.

Sandy

You're not wrong :)

anyone remember Vicente (30 years old now)?

we are very close to signing him, not bad for a championship team!

He'll be alright provided he shakes off his reputation as the Spanish Darren Anderton.

I understand the tour of the training ground started with the physio's room, at which point he said 'I've seen enough - I'm happy'

:) Ferreira sighted at Chelski ground apparently. Good signing for them

Boldie's digs at Wenger are killing me.

Gyan hands in transfer request?

Heard Balotelli to Newcastle - would love that to be true. Will probs be Macheda tho.

Heard that as well...would be ridic if that happened.

Would be ridic good if we got him, cant see it happening tho

fml knew yday Anton was joining QPR. Shoulda made some monies. :(

lol, rest of the country knew about 3 days ago tho met.

lol...would be incred if they ship Tevez there as well...just to teach him that Manchester isn't as much of a shit hole as he thinks it is :)

Don't really get the excitement behind transfer deadline this year.  Not a patch on the year City tried to nick Berbatov or the year West Ham fans genuinely thought they were going to win the title after signing Tevez and Mascherano....

GFY

we'll take him if he really wants to see a shithole.......

Matched Fulhams offer for Bryan Ruiz and theyve let him talk to us ( Newcastle > Fulham ainec) and also made a bid for liam ridgewell

Surprised more clubs haven't been in for Ridgewell.  Good solid prem defender imo

Wilshire just tweeted,, Arteta back on.

we've signed palacios and crouch, get the fuck in.

Crouch on the end of Delap's throw-ins.  Win.

just need a another midfielder or 2. we have everything else.

Apparently not :(

Quite happy with Arsenal's business; Mertesacker, Santos, Arteta and Benayoun.

We offered less money because where an absolute joke of a club, STEAMING.

Looking forward to watching Shola lead the line, gg us.

I actually no nothing about Ruiz but I knew we wouldn't strengthing in the one place that was absolutely essential, strikers cost money and we aren't going to spend whilst Ashley's there, Carroll left for £35 million and we replaced him with Ba on a free transfer, GFY Ashley, as far Pardew, the man's a spineless clown. Club is a joke.

Our next game! Can't wait now!  ::)

So fkin tilted, diagf Ashley, gl us upto Jan, not that we will get anyone then

lol, least you aint us. fkin bates, n1.

http://www.transferleague.co.uk/

Net transfer spend since premiership started and since 2003- some amazing figures, Chelsea and City spent over 400m net since 2003- doesn't include today's xfers

great business by stoke WP

yep, great signings added to what they've already done so far in Upson, Woodgate etc.

They tried to land Adam Johnson on loan too which would've been great. Palacios, Crouch, Jerome all excellent for them tho.

Coates v Crouch?

Got to feel for Everton fans.

bigtime, arteta was the one player they couldn't afford to let go

They got Royston Drenthe as compensation! Moyes has his work cut out.

had a cheeky £30 on everton for relegation at 18s.

this is a great bet, they're in massive trouble IMO.

Same here, for once I think we've had a great transfer window, very pleased.

Everton 9-4 for a bottom half finish?

More than happy with Stoke's dealings, got them, at 18-1 +34 points in the handicap

Really? Very pleased? Great transfer window??...Distinctly average considering what your team needs IMO.


 You were interested in buying Mertesacker last season (and in december) and didn't sign him even though he would have cost you roughly the same.

Arteta is another player you could have gone for ages ago but didn't. You were interested in him in 2009 but didn't pursue it...since then he has not improved as a player but has picked up an injury or two. He hasn't been nearly as good since 2009 as he was before then. Arteta WAS a great and interesting player but the last few years he has been distinctly average...OK, maybe better than the people he was on the pitch with but that's because he was with a very average everton side. Arteta had 4 assist last season ...hardly something to get excited about unless you're still using the 2008 version of football manager.

Benayoun is a decent player and definitely a type you need...not top class but OK..Congrats on a loan move, you're still a big club.

Don't know enough about Santos, heard from Turkish friends on Holland that they expect him to struggle but hope he does OK.

Boldie, your glass is always half empty.

Yes they are great signings; a 6ft 6 solid defender with 70 odd international caps is exactly what we need, just because we didn't sign him last year doesn't mean that we no longer need him, perhaps Bremen didn't want to sell him last time, perhaps he didn't want to leave then, who knows?    Arteta has moments of brilliance in him, Arsene obviously thinks he can bring that out of him.    Benayoun is decent, but again there are always two teams and a player involved in transfer negotiations, perhaps it's not all Arsenals fault we didn't sign him permanently rather than on loan (perhaps the transfer will follow if he likes it there?)

True, I'm not an optimist :)

I am just amazed that you guys are happy with this. A few years ago you played the most attractive footie in the league..it has now all gone to pot. Your flair players are going, odds on V Persie being gone next season??, and you're not replacing anyone with anyone special. If I were an Arsenal supporter I would be gutted.

Liverpool are bringing in players, Spurs are bringing players in AND keeping Modric (though he's a big like Cesc and will probably go next season), ManU spend a bit of dosh, Chelsea are moving on with some nice moves.....Arsenal couldn't even bring Cahill to the emirates FFS.

The competition is getting stronger and you're not. Not sure that's something to be happy with mate.

Boldie GTFO. Massive post explaining why but cba to post it. Surely you can't know the financial position of Arsenal and each club they deal with over a period of years as it sounds like you do? Judge a transfer window at the end of the season or in a few seasons. Got to be an oracle to do otherwise. Especially when admitting you don't know enough about one of the players.

Okay boldie, care to back up your dissing of all things Arsenal with some hard cash?

I'm willing to bet Arsenal still finish in the top six this season, how much would you like @ evs.?

Doesn't that sentence say a fair bit in itself though?

Arsenal have gone from being 'the best team in Eng' to genuine contenders, to a guaranteed Champ league team, to battling for a Champ League place to being 50:50 ish to make the top 6.

I'm neither here nor there with the signings they've made, but are obviously weaker than they were 2 months ago when it was widely ackowledge they really need to improve things.

Obviously we have gone somewhat backwards this season  compared to last, but Fabregas going was always going to be tricky to absorb and combined with Nasri's situation the loss has been compounded.

There is obviously stuff going on behind the scenes that is not in the public domain too but I think people are writing us off a little too early as i still think we have a decent squad having added some necessary experience yesterday.

Really?  Who Spurs have brought in?  Parker?  Yeah he may stand out in a team that was relegated last season but his he ready for title challenges and Champions League, Chelsea didn't think so?  Adebayor?  He's on loan (ffs eh), but personally I think that's an excellent signing :D  Oh yeah they managed to turn down £40m for player that wants to leave and gave a shocking performance in a 1-5 loss last weekend.  And they couldn't bring Cahill either, perhaps Bolton are throwing spanners in the works rather than Arsenal not being able to sign him.    That was it for Spurs, I guess they couldn't do too much after we stopped being linked to players afterall :)

Liverpool have made a few signings but none of them could be considered amazingly better than our signings.  Signing Bellemy back is really moving forward eh?  Chelsea same again, very quiet from them I thought, can't see a massive improvement on their squad.  Man City, well when money is no object  you can't argue, but then they've signed some howlers in recent times.  Man U have made some great signings, I'll give you that.

If the people aren't available, you can't sign them.  Are you sure you're not just trolling with your anti-Arsenal hat on?  You should swap with Arsene, he's got a magic hat.

lol @ evens on a 1-4 shot with all bookies.

I used to love watching Arsenal play footie. They played the best football in the UK by a country mile but the last few years Arsene's stubborness has cost Arsenal. If the stories about the Arsenal warchest being approx £60-70mill, and having been that for years, are true Arsene has just messed up by being stubborn in the past few years.

Barcelona have the same mentality as Arsenal about playing the beautiful game...but even they sack the manager if he fails to deliver for a very long period. 6 years now since you've won anything..that shouldn't be good enough.

Your memory must be evading you because Arsenal played the best football in the league LAST year, beat MU, Chelsea and Liverpool at home and choked against minnows

I will take 2-7 top 6 finish

Liverpool have moved forward massively in terms of the squad this summer.  Bellamy IS an improvement on Ngog (despite being a bit of a ****, and is a squad player rather than a first XI signing). We needed someone who was willing to sit on the bench a great deal of the time, so that limits the players who'd be interested in such a role.

Downing, Henderson, Adam, Luis Enrique - all good additions to the side.  We've definitely had more 'good' come in than go out.  Mereiles is the biggest loss, but other than him I don't really see who we're going to miss. 

OUT:  Kyrgiakos, Jovanovic, Insua, El Zhar, Ayala, Cole, Ngog, Poulsen, Konchesky, Degen, Aquilani, Mereiles

IN:   Downing, Henderson, Adam, Luis Enrique, Coates, Bellamy

That's a successful transfer window imo.

I'm not saying they're not good signings, I'm saying that they're on a par with the signings we've made.

I'm saying the 'net' change through the transfer window is more positive for Liverpool than for Arsenal (imo).

One swallow doesn't make a summer, Blackpool were in a similar position after a few games last season.

LOL at all the scousers crowing after three games.

Both Liverpool games finished 1-1 but point about choking against minnows is true

?

I wasn't talking about form or league position.  I was talking about the player changes during the summer transfer window, and if the overall net effect has been positive in terms of strengthening the squad or not.

It's around nine months too early to judge but on paper it looks good.

Sacking Wenger would be a huge mistake, as for Liverpool/Arsenal, Liverpool clearly have the better team and I don't think it's close. Arsenal will prob finish 6th and I'd say that's about how good they are right now.

Think Spurs have made a mistake not selling Modric for £40m.

Meant Barca sorry, nice of me to group Liverpool as a game big game tho :)

No chance Everton getting relegated.

Saha and Stracqualursi were always gonna be first choice strikers ahead of Beckford/Yak.

Arteta missed a lot of last season so hes not gonna be as a big a miss as say two years ago.

Everton will finish in top half, there are 10 worse teams than them and they have a brilliant manager.

Chelsea in the past few months, including Jan transfer window as they made some big signings then,  brought in; Torres (who surely will improve again?), Luiz, Mereiles, Mata and Lukaku (who will be a big player for them) and have kept their best players (inc Drogba etc)

Spurs; Friedel; Adebayor (loan), Parker and, more importantly, kept Modric. (One bad game doesn't make him a bad player). So essentially strengthened their team.

Liverpool; Suarez, Carrol (though I still think they paid massively over the odds for him) Downing (Meh,  but he has fitted in well much to my surprise), Enrique, Henderson. Lost Torres and Raul in the same period. Definitely improved their team.

Man U, obv stronger again.
City; Obv no-one can compete with them in the market.

Arsenal; Gervinho (good player, no doubt), Park (meh) Mertesacker (as above), Santos (don't know enough about him), Benayoun (you really needed a player like him so that's a good signing), Arteta..(as above..Flashes of brilliance don't cut it BTW..you want to be challenging for trophies FFS..you need a perm brilliant player). Out; Cesc (always gonna happen so why was this not anticipated earlier in the transferwindow??), Nasri, Clichy (And loads of deadwood which is obv very good.). Weaker than you were last season when you were already weaker than before etc.

For a club like Arsenal the continual decline in your team should not be good enough. You have a nice shiny new stadium, you have a good philosophy about football and everything in place to be a very successful and exciting club.

But you've done nothing with it in the past few years...that's the dissapointing thing. It's not being anti-Arsenal, or even anti-wenger who clearly has done a great job at Arsenal. I just think Wenger has had his time at Arsenal and should be replaced by someone else..probably after this season when you have failed to win anything again.

So we may as well pack up and call it a day?

I think we're always going to disagree on this, I really don't see how you can see the signings Spurs have made as strengthening their side yet ours isn't strengthened.  Fabrigas and Nasri are a huge loss  but the world isnt full of world class players to replace them with.   We played a fair chunk season without Fabrigas and Nasri wasn't the player in the last half the season he was in the first, not that it's a good thing to lose two world class players.

I'm excited about our signings, especially Mertesacker and Arteta, I think they'll do well and what I've seen of Gervinho this season he's looking good too (when he's not getting sent off!) 

Like I said, your the glass is half empty, especially when it comes to Arsenal, personally I think it's great improvement. 

No, completely not...absolutely not. Like I said, you have everything in place to be awesome (again), Barcelona-esque even, but you need something to change..and I think that something has to be your manager. (Cruyff got sacked at Barca as well because it simply wasn't working anymore with him as the manager. Didn't make him a bad manager, and it doesn't he was easy to replace. He is still a legend in Barcelona because of his lasting legacy.

Wenger's lasting legacy could, and should, be that he turned Arsenal into a club that played superb football , the way it's meant to be played. But it won't be that if this keeps up.

Am I on at 2-7?

Level ?

For a top6 finish? No, I would still expect arsenal to finish top6...but why is this all-of a sudden good enough for Arsenal?

That is what tilts me....you went from being the best team in the league 5-6 years ago to being happy getting a top 6 finish. It doesn't add up.

I can see where your coming from, your back 4 is a monumental improvement. You have Vermaelan, Mertesacker and Santos added to your back 4 plus the best RB in prem.

The whole world seemed to massively over react to the 8-2 defeat to Man Utd. Wenger had 2nd/3rd choice players playing due to injuries and suspensions.

Fabregas and Nasri are big losses obv but getting your back defence sorted was a massive priority. If i remember rightly Fabregas missed a lot of last season and Nasri faded away towards back end (not saying they arent top class). Arteta/Benayoun are astute buys from Wenger. Premiership experience and will fit in well the way Arsenal play.

So Overall Id say yes it is an improvement.

Ps Bendtner's done one.

Bendtner going is an improvement in it's own surely :D

True, he was Arsenal's Babel.

He wasn't that bad.

Whilst Arsenal got some good signings through the door none of them were (if you believe the press) Wenger's top targets: he missed out on Jagelika/Cahill/Samba before turning to Metersacker and refused to pay the money wanted for M'Villa and Hazard. I also read on Sunday that Arsenal were in for Phil Jones in January, bid 8mil, were quoted 10, and bailed.

Whilst a few iffy results don't make him a bad manager he still has no experienced midfield general/ball winner and It's very odd that Wenger waited so long to bring in reinforcements, or at least didn't have any lined up, when it was well known both Cesc and Nasri wanted to leave as far back as June. Both Liverpool and Man Utd got their most important business done very early, allowing the players a pre-season together.

I love watching Arsenal play, I think this season sadly I'll be watching a North London mini-league battle for fifth place.

It's been stated as fact that Blackburn agreed a price for Jones with both Arsenal and United.

He simply preferred to go there.

Arsenal made ok signings.

They made signings compliant with being the 5th best team in the Premiership which is the only place I can see them coming.

Stoke on the other hand made great signings for the way they play football.

They paid over the odds, but they are showing ambition and have money to spend after decent league finishes and european qualification.

Can Jerome, Palacios and Crouch play in the Europa League? I assume they can? I have got £40 on them winning it @ 100s so am delighted with the purchases.

In this transfer window yes, but back in January they could've got him for £10m, but refused to go higher than 8m:

"In the search for a centre-half in January Arsenal offered £8m to Blackburn Rovers for Phil Jones, at around the same time as they offered £10m to Everton for Phil Jagielka. Blackburn said that Jones was as valuable to them as Jagielka was to Everton and so Arsenal would need to pay £10m. They refused."

I quote from here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/29/arsene-wenger-arsenal-transfers

Logic doesn't make sense though does it? Offered 10 for Jags, 8 for Jones. Both rejected.
B'Burn say Jones was as valuable to them as Jagielka was to Everton. Everton turned down 10mil so Arsenal would have to pay whatever Everton wanted for Jags. This could have been 15, 20 mil we don't know. Not 10mil though as Jagielka was more valuable than that to Everton.

champions league spot i reckon...

If this is a bet you really want I will accomodate you Dubai.

The whole thing about Arsenal's transfer strategy is that they(transfers) must conform to our self-sustaining policy.

We cannot compete with the fees or salaries that clubs with billionaire sugar-daddies or clubs which are prepared to gamble by going hugely into debt (and running the risk of following in Leeds' footsteps) are forking out.

This means that we have to wait until those clubs have done their business before we enter the market.

No its a bet to make someone "put up or shut up"- not meant as impolite as that but thats the general phrase for it, so u get my drift

The price is probably about right

Yeah figured hence "if you really want it"...nothing done.

No, the quote states 'Arsenal would need to pay £10m. They refused." So they could've had him for 10m.

Spurs really really should have taken £40m for Modric

This post is bang on.

Think Arsenal/Wenger are far too underrated.