Arsenal

[hercules]

Coquelin seems to be gettin better every game, he's growing into the role and has really made a difference. Against Liverpool he was everywhere and gives the defense good protection. I think we really do need to go and buy another defensively minded midfielder in the summer and say goodbye to flamini.

As for ospina, I don't think he's good enough to be our no1, as has been said he's too Hollywood. The whole team have played better since he has been in the team. I think it's the end of the road for Szczesny, a shame as when he first got into the team he had so much potential. But he's a waste of space.

[The Fox]

Agree that it does look like Szcz might be off in the summer. I suspect Wenger has grown tired of him still having glaring maturity issues (both on and off pitch) at the age of 25. It's a shame because I get the feeling there's a bloody good keeper in there if only he wasn't such a tit.

[gooner4life]

Forget Arteta, what he offers technically he gives away physically, in the big games we got spanked in last season it was mainly due to Arteta not having the legs to compete, I'd be very disappointed to have Arteta in our centre mid position for any games against the big teams or the especially physical shit teams.

Arteta, Flamini, Diaby and Rosicky all need replacing in the next 12/18 months.

It would be a perfect summer if we could bring in Cech, Schneiderlin and Reus, i'd like us to add another centre back soon as well.

[toythatkills]

Why the fuck would Chelsea sell us Cech? That makes absolutely no sense at all. I'd seriously doubt we're going to sign anyone in defence as well. Mertesacker, Gabriel, Koscielny, Chambers, and Monreal in a pinch is probably enough depth in that position assuming none of them leave.

[hercules]

I can't see us signing a CB either. Think chambers will play their more next season as bellerin has deservedly pushed ahead of him at RB. Also can't see us signing Cech. Really dunno what other keeper we could try to sign, Just hope we do. I just hope we go and sign the players we need early.

[The Fox]

Forget Arteta, what he offers technically he gives away physically, in the big games we got spanked in last season it was mainly due to Arteta not having the legs to compete, I'd be very disappointed to have Arteta in our centre mid position for any games against the big teams or the especially physical shit teams.

Arteta, Flamini, Diaby and Rosicky all need replacing in the next 12/18 months.

It would be a perfect summer if we could bring in Cech, Schneiderlin and Reus, i'd like us to add another centre back soon as well.

Obviously Arteta has mobility issues but that had little to do with those hammerings last season. City 6-3 he didn't play. Liverpool 5-1 he got totally abandoned by Wilshere, who was a frigging disgrace that day (Wenger also at fault of course; he should have either forced Wilshere to drop deeper, or hooked him for someone who would). And Chelsea 6-0 the whole setup was ludicrous from the manager and it was compounded by the red card.

Arteta-Ramsey double pivot was brilliant last season. I can't remember us struggling badly in any fixture where they played in midfield for absolutely ages. I still think he's got something to offer. Flamini and Diaby need to go though, I agree. Javi Martinez would be incredible to replace them but I doubt he'll be for sale. Schneiderlin is probably more doable.

[gooner4life]

I'm not convinced by Chambers, I think he's a fair way off the level he needs to be, and he's certainly not a right back.

Chelsea will sell Cech to whoever pays the asking price, i'd imagine the asking price will be a bit higher should it be Arsenal asking, but he will be leaving for sure.

[The Fox]

I thought Chambers looked really good at centre back, considering his age and inexperience. Not the finished article by a long stretch, but very promising.

I dunno about Cech, he's better than either of our keepers but I'm not convinced it's by much, and he's still prone to the odd clanger (particularly at his near post). You can bet your ass Chelsea would want a lot of money out of us. Getting on a bit too. I'd like him but I dunno, it doesn't seem a very Wenger-ish signing in terms of price vs age.

[SeanR]

chesney took this photo

https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/posts/10153005666382713

[Dude Ranch]

Haha Jesus Christ, you are literally listing the traits of a midfield destroyer to counter my claim that Coquelin is just a midfield destroyer, which is limiting. Great stuff.

It's not limiting though. He's an enabler. He's a willing water carrier.

[pinholestar]

Don't see Mourinho countenancing the sale of Cech in a deal that would strengthen a potential title rival. He's very shrewd when it comes to things like that & there'd be no shortage of suitors abroad, I'd warrant. Hard to be sure just what's going on with Szcszney long-term. It's not like Wenger to give up on a player that's worked their way up through the club from a young age, although his patience has evidently been severely tested in this latest instance, so who knows?

As great as it is to see us develop into a team of genuine depth & quality all over the pitch it's still frustrating to have another season of 'what-if?'. If we hadn't ballsed-up the start of the season with that weird 4-1-4-1 we were playing then we would've been right up there. Get Schneiderlin in & a top-quality replacement for Podolski/Walcott (although if The Ox continues to improve next season that may not be completely necessary) & we're good to go, I reckon. I just want to get that Mourinho monkey off our back at The Emirates in a couple of weeks' time to prove that we really can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

[The Fox]

It's not limiting though. He's an enabler. He's a willing water carrier.

But it would be better if he had more in his locker personally, no? I dunno how people can say Arteta is useless because he's slow, but then ignore Coq's deficiencies which are just as damaging in certain situations (like my previous example of the Newcastle second half). IMO they both limit us, just in different ways. Arteta's deficiencies can be covered to an extent when Ramsey is there to do his running, and Coq's comparative lack of ability on the ball can be covered by Santi. The problem with that Arteta and Cazorla are both the wrong side of 30 and we need to look beyond these combos.

I'm absolutely not saying that Coq's useless, or belittling the value of ball winning, just that I would like someone who's a better overall footballer than him going forward. I think a guy who hassles and harries like a terrier but doesn't really contribute in build up play, preferring to off load the ball to Santi ASAP, is ultimately only going to get us so far. Just the same way as a guy like Arteta who's very comfortable on the ball and positions himself intelligently off it, but who basically can't run, has only got us so far.

Tbh I suspect even the people in here who rate Coq more than I do overall would probably agree that we should still sign someone in that position in the summer(?)

[ryodi]

I thought Chambers looked really good at centre back, considering his age and inexperience. Not the finished article by a long stretch, but very promising.

I dunno about Cech, he's obviously better than either of our keepers but he's still prone to the odd clanger (particularly at his near post), and you can bet your ass Chelsea would want a lot of money out of us. Getting on a bit too. I'd like him but I dunno, it doesn't seem a very Wenger-ish signing in terms of price vs age.

Van der Sar was 35 when he signed for United. I know everyone prefers a young keeper they can have for years like Courtois or Hart but a confident experienced veteran can be worth the loss you wouldn't inevitably take from lack of sell on value. Especially when Chelsea would want around £10m for him compared to the £2m United paid for VdS at the time.

[toythatkills]

Tbh I suspect even the people in here who rate Coq more than I do overall would probably agree that we should still sign someone in that position in the summer(?)

You keep playing Coquelin and he keeps improving, imagine how good he could be for this team for the next ten years. You sign Schneiderlin and bench Coq, and he stagnates or fucks off. You've got the older Schneiderlin, sure, but there's no real way to tell how he'd integrate.

It's a gamble, obviously, maybe he won't continue to improve, but if it's a gamble Wenger took I wouldn't hold it against him. It's not like gambling by starting a season with 1.2 center backs, there's some sense in this one.

[toythatkills]

Arsenal Under-21s to play Stoke: Iliev, Maitland-Niles, O’Connor, Bielik, Ormonde-Ottewill, Diaby, Arteta, Gnabry, Wilshere, Crowley, Iwobi

[The Fox]

You keep playing Coquelin and he keeps improving, imagine how good he could be for this team for the next ten years. You sign Schneiderlin and bench Coq, and he stagnates or fucks off. You've got the older Schneiderlin, sure, but there's no real way to tell how he'd integrate.

It's a gamble, obviously, maybe he won't continue to improve, but if it's a gamble Wenger took I wouldn't hold it against him. It's not like gambling by starting a season with 1.2 center backs, there's some sense in this one.

Is he going to improve enough on the ball though? It's pretty clear that he's under instruction to offload the ball ASAP and he gets totally bypassed in build up play. If he was technically up to it in terms of positioning and passing range, why would we putting 100% of the responsibility on Cazorla? Especially when we've seen the midfield struggle vs pressing against Spurs and Southampton. If Santi has a bit of an off day and the forwards aren't ultra clinical, we'll lose. And that's not even against top notch sides.

Maybe a new signing in midfield depends on Wilshere. I would never have thought it but yer man Daley, formerly of this parish, reckons we were willing to listen to offers for him last summer, and he's being linked with City at the mo. How reliable that rumour is though I couldn't say. Seems far fetched to me but who knows.

Question for y'all: if City put in an offer, would you sell Jack this summer, (assuming we've already signed someone like Schneiderlin or Martinez)? And if so, what's the minimum you'd deal at, given their desperate need for 'homegrown' players?

[hercules]

It wouldn't completely surprise me, I'd be sad to see him go but he just can't stay fit and with his play style, will always get injured. The thing is I don't think we'd sell unless the offer was 20mil+ but if that offer was on the table after us signing Schneiderlin or whoever, I'd take the offer and sell him.

[Dude Ranch]

I think a guy who hassles and harries like a terrier but doesn't really contribute in build up play, preferring to off load the ball to Santi ASAP, is ultimately only going to get us so far.

Title winning form you mean? He might not be perfect but he's young, already on the books and has given us the kind of protection in the middle we've been begging for. He got a chance and took it. It works. I don't see how you can drop him at the moment and buying a replacement for tens of millions who gives us more going forward is the opposite of what we need, I think. Coq stays where's he's needed, wins the ball and gives it to Cazorla, Ramsey, Ox, Ozil, Sanchez etc. That'll do me.

Would I buy somone else? Probably. I'd sell Arteta and if we got a genuine world class maestro in I'd let Cazorla go back to Spain. He's been a total joy this season but at his age I think it'll be downhill from here unfortunately and he'll end up like Arteta with a lack of mobility costing us. Having said that I think Cazorla is one of the most technically accomplished players I've ever seen at Arsenal.

[Steve007]

Agree that it does look like Szcz might be off in the summer. I suspect Wenger has grown tired of him still having glaring maturity issues (both on and off pitch) at the age of 25. It's a shame because I get the feeling there's a bloody good keeper in there if only he wasn't such a tit.

He's too erratic and makes abysmal decisions. He's also shown absolutely no improvement in the few years he's been at the club and there's nothing in him that suggests there's a good keeper in there somewhere, which is fucking alarming in my book. Might get £4-£5m for him if we are lucky.

[pinholestar]

Question for y'all: if City put in an offer, would you sell Jack this summer, (assuming we've already signed someone like Schneiderlin or Martinez)? And if so, what's the minimum you'd deal at, given their desperate need for 'homegrown' players?

Yep, if we could get £25m for him & with the English player premium I'm fairly sure we could. You described the issues with him earlier & I'd broadly agree with what you said. Talented player on his day & he had some good games for us earlier in the season, but his ankles will always be a recurring problem & I don't see him being a regular in the starting eleven if everyone's fit. That's a big 'if' of course & there's a worry that Santi could tail off sharply next season, but I often feel that shoehorning Wilshere into the side is detrimental to the way we play & I can't say I'd miss him all that much.

[toythatkills]

van Persie's ankles were always a recurring problem as well but he was okay in the end.

I'd be sad to lose Wilshere, tbh, if only for the fact that so few players seem to grow up at Arsenal and then actually make it as top footballers, and Jack was one of the few who looked like he would.

[Steve007]

I too would be sad to see him go. It's just so frustrating that he can barely string a few games together before his inevitable next long lay off.

[Liamness]

Why the fuck would Chelsea sell us Cech?

Mourinho has already shown he doesn't take much issue with selling players he doesn't need to rivals anyway, and besides he has worked with Cech for years. They've probably already come to an understanding as to how his departure will happen, it'll come down to what the player wants.

[carlito]

£40 million for Mata isn't exactly mate's rates.

For all his posturing Mourinho doesn't give a shit what players want if it doesn't suit him.

[Gommy]

An end of season with Arsenal finishing 2nd and potentially beating Chelsea in the run in, would be very surprised to see Cech move across.

[The Fox]

£20m for Wilshere is barmy: he's young, 'homegrown', high profile, England first XI, very talented, decent amount of time left on his contract. Even with his injury record his market value is surely way higher than that.

[The Fox]

He's too erratic and makes abysmal decisions. He's also shown absolutely no improvement in the few years he's been at the club and there's nothing in him that suggests there's a good keeper in there somewhere, which is fucking alarming in my book. Might get £4-£5m for him if we are lucky.

Woj had been a bit more shakey in early 2014 admittedly, but in the calendar year of 2013 he was excellent, and overall 2013/14 was a good campaign for him as you yourself acknowledged at the end of last season:

I also have to mention Szczesny as one of the most improved players. I hope he continues to improve and signing a decent replacement for Fabianski will keep him on his toes and ensure he doesn't become complacent.

I understand that you think he's a dick - I do as well - but it does seem that his personality is colouring your perspective of his abilities a bit too much.

[toythatkills]

The issue is that it literally is his personality which is so badly affecting his abilities. He's obviously a gifted keeper, but he's a fucking idiot, and the two simply can't exist together. It looked like he'd grown out of it but so many backwards steps since that decent run of games he had.

[Steve007]

I'm not too worried about his personality. I've grown up with Arsenal players having 'different' personalties & issues. Just look at what Adams & Merson got up to in their younger days, especially with a spell in prison, drink & drug related issues. They just happened to have world class talent and strong characters to rise above their problems off the pitch.

Szczeesny had one decent season as I said, but he's no good for us and for his own sake he needs to find a club where he can start again. I wouldn't be too upset if Ospina remains #1 for next season as I think he's half decent but of course I'd love to sign a real world class keeper but there's not many of those around. I think Cech would have been good 5 years ago but not now. He's past his prime.

I'd perhaps take a punt on Igor Akinfeev who's still one of the top keepers in Europe and wouldn't cost the earth.

[carlito]

Well I think Szczesny could be an absolute star for Arsenal.

He's a kid in a very mature position - look at the ages of keepers when they hit their prime and compare it to him. He's been dicking around and I think he's being taught a very stern lesson.

I just cannot see how anyone could think, attitude aside, Ospina is the better keeper.