i think real madrid need a top class central defender as carvalho isnt getting any younger and pepe hasnt looked great.(as a central defender).another couple of quality players and they will be seriously challenging barca next year…
Philippe Mexes, the bastard. He has broken my heart. He’s signed for Milan on a Bosman.
I see Milan signed Taiwo also.
Yes, Taiwo signings for Milan today.
I want the following players (in order of squad numbers) to leave Arsenal Holdings plc this summer:
Manuel Almunia (estimated wages 55k per week)
Abou Diaby (estimated wages 55k per week)
Tomas Rosicky (estimated wages 75k per week)
Carlos Vela (estimated wages 35k per week)
Denilson (estimated wages 60k per week)
Sebastien Squillaci (estimated wages 50k per week)
Gael Clichy (estimated wages 60k per week)
Armand Traore (estimated wages 50k per week)
Rough saving of 440k per week or 22.8m over the course of a season.
I haven’t watched enough of other European leagues or other Premier League teams to know who I’d like them to sign this transfer window so I won’t comment on that for fear of being exposed by the more knowledgeable posters on the forum. Not holding my breath for many signings anyway, the following will happen:
- a youngster from Brazil will sign for an undisclosed fee, he’ll remain in Brazil until January 2012 before coming to England and immediately going on loan to a team in a second tier European league to get a work permit.
- Thomas Vermaelen will be fit and ready for the new season and Arsene Wenger will justify his decision to not buy another central defender by stating that Vermaelen is like a new signing.
- Cesc Fabregas will be sold to Barcelona or Real Madrid for 35m which is a decent price in my opinion given his injury record (has started only 22 of 36 Premier League games so far this season, only played in 5 out of 8 European games - he missed half of the group games in an ‘easy’ group which resulted in Arsenal finishing second and being drawn against Barcelona). Ronaldo had won two (maybe three Premier Leagues, not bothered checking) and a Champions League when he went for 70m, he also had a good injury record so 35m in that context is a decent price. Would still prefer if he stayed.
- There will be no other signings.
- A maximum of two of my wishlist above will leave (Almunia and Vela).
Traore cannot be on 50k? God bless us and save us.
As good as Fabregas is, I think Arsenal could cope without him. Badly need a commanding centre half. The goalkeeping situation seems sorted but I reckon they need decent backup for RVP - Chamak (don’t know how to spell it) hasn’t cut the mustard.
Don’t think it’s been a disastrous season for Arsenal but I suppose they could have won the league if they were mentally stronger.
Has Denilson been injured this year or just out of favour? Haven’t seen him play that often and he looked like he was gaining Wenger’s trust/favour over the previous couple of years.
Mostly out of favour I believe, although I’m open to correction. For the record, tinnion, I think you are a bit harsh on Diaby and maybe Denilson.
On Traore I’m only going on what I’ve read on a few blogs. My numbers are pure guess work. The wages are out of control at that club anyway, Samir Nasri is stalling over a contract worth 120k per week, this is a guy that has only score two goals in the second half of the season when the pressure came on and misses a relatively simple 1-on-1 at 1-1 against Bolton when a goal would have kept the title race alive for another week.
Arsenal have effectively had to try and cope without Fabregas this season anyway. They had a great opportunity to win the title this season and they lost it against the likes of Newcastle, Stoke, West Brom and Sunderland, they were the types of games Fabregas was missing this year.
Denilson is a very very limited footballer, he never passes forwards, always to the side. Looked brilliant maybe two or three years ago but has regressed massively.
Diaby is one of the most frustrating players at the club (along with Andrey Arshavin), immensely talented and athletic and capable of brilliance but just doesn’t do it when needed. Scored a ludicrous own goal at Old Trafford last season and got himself sent off against Newcastle opening the gates for the four goal collapse.
Could be argued that it was a successful season for them as many had predicted they’d struggle to stay in the top four but when you see how winnable the league was and the ‘easy’ run in they had you have to consider it a massive disappointment.
Can I ask , how you believe the goalkeeping issue is sorted ClarkeyCat?
Arsenal need a few hatchet men.
Szczesny will be Arsenal’s No. 1 next season and I’d have no complaints with that. Has done well since he came in and hasn’t really made a mistake (Carling Cup Final was Koscielny’s fault, one could arge he shouldn’t have come out and given away the penalty in the Spurs game but I think that’s forgiveable). Szczesny also has the type of personality to cope when the inevitable cock-up happens, seems like a bit of a nutter, you need that in a goalkeeper, it’s no position for sensitive souls who will dwell on mistakes.
Fabianski will provide decent back-up too, he was doing well before his season was ended through injury. Signing a goalkeeper would a waste of precious resources.
Do they not have stacks of money to spend Tinnion?
Fair enough BT but I couldn’t agree, Szczesny has looked like a diaster waiting to happen most times I have seen him play, if Arsenal fail to sign a goalkeeper again this summer it’ll be another massive mistake by Wenger.
A myth, wages are very high at the club Farmer. Whereas some clubs would have three or four senior players earning very large sums and the rest of the squad earning a good bit less on a sliding scale, Arsenal seem to reward mediocrity and injury proneness. Tomas Rosicky (on an estimated 80k a week) has been a bigger waste of money over the last three years than Winston Bogarde ever was.
I also looked at the interim accounts for November 30 2010 a while back, when you strip out the property development business, football operating costs exceeded football turnover in the 6 month period to November 30, 2010. (For the most recent period football costs exceeded football turnover by about 7m, there was a 1m surplus in the corresponding period in the prior year). A worrying trend given the property development business has almost run its course. I acknowledge that interest charges will decrease over the next year or two as most of the debt is paid down but they’re not included in the football operating expenses anyway. From the latest results, the football business is spending more than it is taking in and that can’t continue. Any new signings will have to be offset by decreases in wages elsewhere (hopefully Diaby, Denilson, Rosicky and co.).
There was a c. 100m in cash on the balance sheet at November 30 but I think that’s earmarked for other expenditure like paying down debt. Stan Kroenke could easily pay himself and Usmanov a dividend out of that cash too, his offering documents made no reference to leaving that cash in the club. He paid something like 11,750 per share for shares he recently bought, he could reduce that by 2,000 per share by paying himself a dividend from that cash.
I’d estimate that Wenger will have no more than 30m available to spend this summer and that will have to cover transfer fees, signing on fees, wages for the new player and wage increases for existing players (e.g. Samir Nasri is about to get a rise to 120k per week).
will there be any takers for robbie keane? maybe that mickey mouse club up north (celtic) will finally be able to afford him. if he wants to stay in england i am sure there are plenty of clubs in division one willing to take him… its the same standard as the SPL, well maybe a little higher…
Christ, imagine typing that and still pressing Post despite knowing the fumbling around for wit hadn’t come off at all.
I’d have my doubts about Arsenal’s keepers too but I’d certainly be prioritising other areas first and centre back in particular.
who is fumbling around for wit?? the witty ones are the ones who think celtic are in any way, shape or form a big club…at least outside of a league thats about as good as league one…
Any chance you can get your parents’ permission to post on here son? If you’re older then twelve then I’m afraid you’re actually retarded.
What tinnion said. They believe Szczesny is the answer.