Arsenal FC a very promising story

[Karabiner]

Just out of curiosity, have there been any big names in football who have come forward and praised Wenger for how he operates in the transfer market? Or is it the case that everyone unanimously agrees that he has no f idea what he's doing anymore.

8 days left of the window and even the rumours are drying up. I just don't get it.

This is the theory I like:


http://arseblog.com/2016/08/premier-league-bubble-affecting-arsenals-thinking/

[BigAdz]

Or the more recent Wenger comment about Rob Holding where he flipantly suggested that instead of the £3ish mill paid, maybe Arsenal fans would have been happier if we had spent 30 on him instead.

That summed up more to me his mindset and arrogance that one modest game means he has unearthed a cheap gem.

It seems to a man almost every football expert, outside the Arsenal Boardroom, of course, now thinks as some of us have felt for years.

[Karabiner]

Holding looks like a tremendous acquisition for AFC to me as does Elneny.

Does anyone seriously think that Stones is worth £45M more than Holding or Pogba is worth £85M more than Elneny?

On the other hand do people really want AW to pay €50M for Mustafi who is probably only slightly better than Gabriel, or €60M for Lacazette, both of whom are more than likely being pitched at double their true worth? Furthermore they will be hard to move on if they don't come good due to the length of contract and salary package.

The transfer market is not an easy game for clubs that aren't being staked by billionaires.

[POWWWWWWWW]

Holding looks like a tremendous acquisition for AFC to me as does Elneny.

Does anyone seriously think that Stones is worth £45M more than Holding or Pogba is worth £85M more than Elneny?

On the other hand do people really want AW to pay €50M for Mustafi who is probably only slightly better than Gabriel, or €60M for Lacazette, both of whom are more than likely being pitched at double their true worth? Furthermore they will be hard to move on if they don't come good due to the length of contract and salary package.

The transfer market is not an easy game for clubs that aren't being staked by billionaires.

Surely the point isn't that they weren't good deals, it's that they are starting players for a team with title aspirations and they aren't good enough to help them compete for it. Arsenal got a good deal on Elneny and he looks good for £5-7m, United overpaid for Pogba. But United are going to have one of the best players in the world playing in CM all season and Arsenal are going to have someone who is good. And they're going to come up against better teams and they're going to get beat, because good players can't compete with world class players. I'm sure Holding is good, and £1-2m is great business, but in a few months he's going to have Messi, Suarez, Neyamr, Ronaldo, Ibra, Lewandowski etc to deal with, and as good as he his for sub £5m he's going to get smashed by them.

This transfer market isn't going to suddenly go back to like it was a few years ago and Arsene will be able to snipe world class players for cheap prices. If they drop points to Watford they could be 8 points behind 3 teams they are competing with. They've got an uphill battle to achieve the absolute minimum everyone expects of them and if they miss CL they have well and truly fucked it. Cos you ain't United and you ain't gunna be able to attract world class talent even if you wanted to and you ain't gunna pay em £250k a week. This is why the fans are so irate now, because once you've been left behind it's a long, expensive battle back.

I like Arsene and the way he goes about his business, but you can't give teams with a lot more resources and better players a head start.

[Karabiner]

Holding looks like a tremendous acquisition for AFC to me as does Elneny.

Does anyone seriously think that Stones is worth £45M more than Holding or Pogba is worth £85M more than Elneny?

On the other hand do people really want AW to pay €50M for Mustafi who is probably only slightly better than Gabriel, or €60M for Lacazette, both of whom are more than likely being pitched at double their true worth? Furthermore they will be hard to move on if they don't come good due to the length of contract and salary package.

The transfer market is not an easy game for clubs that aren't being staked by billionaires.

Surely the point isn't that they weren't good deals, it's that they are starting players for a team with title aspirations and they aren't good enough to help them compete for it. Arsenal got a good deal on Elneny and he looks good for £5-7m, United overpaid for Pogba. But United are going to have one of the best players in the world playing in CM all season and Arsenal are going to have someone who is good. And they're going to come up against better teams and they're going to get beat, because good players can't compete with world class players. I'm sure Holding is good, and £1-2m is great business, but in a few months he's going to have Messi, Suarez, Neyamr, Ronaldo, Ibra, Lewandowski etc to deal with, and as good as he his for sub £5m he's going to get smashed by them.

This transfer market isn't going to suddenly go back to like it was a few years ago and Arsene will be able to snipe world class players for cheap prices. If they drop points to Watford they could be 8 points behind 3 teams they are competing with. They've got an uphill battle to achieve the absolute minimum everyone expects of them and if they miss CL they have well and truly fucked it. Cos you ain't United and you ain't gunna be able to attract world class talent even if you wanted to and you ain't gunna pay em £250k a week. This is why the fans are so irate now, because once you've been left behind it's a long, expensive battle back.

I like Arsene and the way he goes about his business, but you can't give teams with a lot more resources and better players a head start.

I take your points on board, but Arsenal are not going to follow Leeds and Portsmouth down the khazi beyond the U-bend having over-extended their resources chasing the rainbow, and any "fans" who are demanding a policy of "spend spend spend and damn the consequences" are simply fooling themselves and disdainfully creating a whipping-boy out of the best manager that AFC has ever had and who has earned more than his fair share of respect.

[FUN4FRASER]

Holding looks like a tremendous acquisition for AFC to me as does Elneny.

Does anyone seriously think that Stones is worth £45M more than Holding or Pogba is worth £85M more than Elneny?

On the other hand do people really want AW to pay €50M for Mustafi who is probably only slightly better than Gabriel, or €60M for Lacazette, both of whom are more than likely being pitched at double their true worth? Furthermore they will be hard to move on if they don't come good due to the length of contract and salary package.

The transfer market is not an easy game for clubs that aren't being staked by billionaires.

Surely the point isn't that they weren't good deals, it's that they are starting players for a team with title aspirations and they aren't good enough to help them compete for it. Arsenal got a good deal on Elneny and he looks good for £5-7m, United overpaid for Pogba. But United are going to have one of the best players in the world playing in CM all season and Arsenal are going to have someone who is good. And they're going to come up against better teams and they're going to get beat, because good players can't compete with world class players. I'm sure Holding is good, and £1-2m is great business, but in a few months he's going to have Messi, Suarez, Neyamr, Ronaldo, Ibra, Lewandowski etc to deal with, and as good as he his for sub £5m he's going to get smashed by them.

This transfer market isn't going to suddenly go back to like it was a few years ago and Arsene will be able to snipe world class players for cheap prices. If they drop points to Watford they could be 8 points behind 3 teams they are competing with. They've got an uphill battle to achieve the absolute minimum everyone expects of them and if they miss CL they have well and truly fucked it. Cos you ain't United and you ain't gunna be able to attract world class talent even if you wanted to and you ain't gunna pay em £250k a week. This is why the fans are so irate now, because once you've been left behind it's a long, expensive battle back.

I like Arsene and the way he goes about his business, but you can't give teams with a lot more resources and better players a head start.

I take your points on board, but Arsenal are not going to follow Leeds and Portsmouth down the khazi beyond the U-bend having over-extended their resources chasing the rainbow, and any "fans" who are demanding a policy of "spend spend spend and damn the consequences" are simply fooling themselves and disdainfully creating a whipping-boy out of the best manager that AFC has ever had and who has earned more than his fair share of respect.

Ill try to offer a balanced Arsene view given Im a long term admirer from up North ( Sheffield Wednesday fan)

He deserves a lot of respect for what he has done and achieved historically with Arsenal and certainly has/had any eye for a good player Henry .Viera ,Dennis ,Overmars ,Cole, Petit , and Ljunberg etc

Its also true outsiders looking in do not always know the true situation at Arsenal director level  (same is said of any large organisation ) however if he has got money to spend  I cant help but feel he has become ridiculously stubborn ,to the  point where he refuses to go for a top notch player on principal.

Last year in January , Arsenal were second to Leicester and had a perfect opportunity to buy " a Bale " in the transfer widow and push for the title and actually bought nobody .  Why ?

I really admire you and other Arsenal fans Ralph for constantly defending your manager but even the most ardent of fans patience must be now wearing thin ?

In Arsene we trust......but for how long  ?

[Longines]

Looking at the AFC balance sheet it looks like they have £160m in the bank and £266m of retained earnings - would have thought they could afford to spend some without doing a Leeds.

[Archer]

Looking at the AFC balance sheet it looks like they have £160m in the bank and £266m of retained earnings - would have thought they could afford to spend some without doing a Leeds.

Yep, that was for the 6 month accounts to 30 Nov 15. Swiss Ramble predicting £225 million plus in cash for the year end.The highest in world football by a distance.  Of course, not all of that is available for transfers....

A very successfull business but with a majority shareholder owner who is on record as saying he is not really interested in aiming for the top in a sporting context.

[exstream]

Who was the 'a bale'

[George2Loose]

Describing as Elneny and Holding as tremendous? Really?!?!

[muckthenuts]

Or the more recent Wenger comment about Rob Holding where he flipantly suggested that instead of the £3ish mill paid, maybe Arsenal fans would have been happier if we had spent 30 on him instead.

That summed up more to me his mindset and arrogance that one modest game means he has unearthed a cheap gem.

Nailed it. Plus I also recall him saying something similar about Flamini after one game when we had got him on a free lol

[muckthenuts]

Certain other clubs have bought flop after flop in recent times and fair enough, it looks terrible and it's not how i'd like to see Arsenal operate. But at the same time there has to be some balance between shrewdness and being stubborn. We're crying out for a striker and a CB, selling clubs are going to be aware of this so obviously the valuation is going to be different for us than for others. We have to be prepared for this and (on occasion) just pay the money. But under Arsene we literally never do this! By not taking gambles you also let opportunities pass you by (see Higuain 2013) that could make all the difference. If you're a title-challenging club then you are clearly supposed to take the risk on the available market rather than go into the new season knowingly short right?

The question is though are we truly a club who wants to win PL titles? Or just a sound investment for Mr. Kroenke?

[horseplayer]

Holding would be an OK buy as a prospect ( seen him a fair few times and he is not a top level defender and I doubt ever will be) tbf the price he shouldn't be. IF he came alongside a top level defender or even Johnny Evans who for all the mocking in today's market would be a solid buy at 20 million

[Karabiner]

Holding would be an OK buy as a prospect ( seen him a fair few times and he is not a top level defender and I doubt ever will be) tbf the price he shouldn't be. IF he came alongside a top level defender or even Johnny Evans who for all the mocking in today's market would be a solid buy at 20 million

That seems more than a little harsh John.

Holding is 6'2", twenty years old with a frame to fill out and is assured on the ball; he also has a fair bit of pace so what's not to like?

I'd say he has every chance of becoming a top-class defender in the next couple of years.

I wouldn't mind Evans coming in, he was excellent last season for pubis.

[TightEnd]

Arsenal very hopeful that £17m deal for Deportivo La Coruna striker Lucas Perez will be done

Everton thought they had him, then Arsenal came in.....