Arsenal

[Dude Ranch]

It's been suggested that Hleb will complete his move to Barca today. I think the money asked for Ashavin is too high for us right now, though. I think he'd be a good buy at the right price.

[Lucas]

It's been suggested that Hleb will complete his move to Barca today. I think the money asked for Ashavin is too high for us right now, though. I think he'd be a good buy at the right price.

This.

Did I read Ashavin is injury prone, or did I make that up in my brain?

[toythatkills]

Dunno about injury prone, but Wenger has said he has doubts over his fitness, doesn't think he'll be able to "play a game every three days" because he looked exhausted against the Spanish. Do we need another second striker anyway? Isn't that the role Nasri has been bought to play? A replacement for Ade (and Flamini, natch) would make more sense.

What's happening with keepers too? Surely Lehmann needs replacing, unless we're ready to rely on Fabianski and Almunia

[Dude Ranch]

Dunno about injury prone, but Wenger has said he has doubts over his fitness, doesn't think he'll be able to "play a game every three days" because he looked exhausted against the Spanish.

That might have been mind games, sowing seeds of doubt.

Do we need another second striker anyway? Isn't that the role Nasri has been bought to play? A replacement for Ade (and Flamini, natch) would make more sense.

True. I wonder if he'd play left cos we can't rely on Rosicky's fitness.

[Peter Hitchens]

It's interesting, because if Arshavin actually wants to move to us specifically now... perhaps we could knock the price down a bit. If he insists he wants to move to us even with other clubs offering the price they want for him.

But then, he's still likely to be at least £15m, which is surely a luxury we can't afford when we're more urgently in need of a central midfielder and (probably) an Adebayor replacement. Even if Van Persie manages to stay fit this season, I'm not sure he would really work in partnership wtih Arshavin/Nasri... he tends to drop off himself, so we'd be missing an out and out striker. Bendtner did well this season but he's still some way off reaching Adebayor's standard.

[Benji]

I'm sure we'll get someone if Hleb does join Barca today, gotta be either Yaya Toure, Arshavin, Barry or maybe some other unknown.

Wenger always does this...

[toythatkills]

Bendtner did well this season but he's still some way off reaching Adebayor's standard.

The season before last Adebayor was still some way off reaching Adebayor's standard of last season!

[Dude Ranch]

Nigel Winterburn is to join Paul Ince's backroom team at Blackburn to work as defensive coach.

[Peter Hitchens]

The season before last Adebayor was still some way off reaching Adebayor's standard of last season!

True, but Adebayor played nearly every game that season and held the line well (often on his own in the abscence of Henry/RvP), even if he wasn't as prolific as this season. Bendtner has mainly been coming off the bench and although hes looked promisng I wouldn't want to rely on him as first choice.

I suppose RvP or Arshavin with Eduardo or Walcott could grow into decent partnerships. But it would take time and the team would have to adjust to losing Adebayors strength and height, as that became a big feature of our play last year.

[Silent Runner]

So these Gareth Barry stories. Any substance or just Villa trying to wring a few more quid out of Liverpool?

[BlinkyBear]

So these Gareth Barry stories. Any substance or just Villa trying to wring a few more quid out of Liverpool?

Arseblog as ever seem's to have an idea of the score:

Morning all,

we'll start with the Sun's story about how we are interested in Gareth Barry. They ran a story last week saying we might be trying to nick the Villa man from under the noses of Liverpool but it seemed more like the kind of story planted by Barry's people to get Liverpool to finalise the deal. However, the Sun quotes Martin O'Neill, who says:

Myself and Steve Walford both know Arsene Wenger’s assistant Pat Rice. He phoned Steve to ask how the Liverpool thing had gone and said that they might show an interest. At the end of the conversation Arsenal said ‘that’s fine’ and that they’ll let us know. That is exactly what happened

So it's hardly earth shattering. We rang Villa and said we 'might' show an interest. I don't know if he means we rang and let them know at the end but it is at least a tentative link to a midfield player. Depending entirely on the price this could be a decent move - Barry needs no time to adapt to English football, what with being English and all, but if Villa are holding out for £18m from Liverpool then that's probably put him out of our price range. The over-inflated prices of English players never ceases to amaze me though - £17m for David Bentley would be hilarious if it wasn't so depressingly stupid.

[Peter Hitchens]

So these Gareth Barry stories. Any substance or just Villa trying to wring a few more quid out of Liverpool?

It seems plausible that we're interested in him... but hard to believe we'd be willing to pay more than Liverpool. Perhaps Wenger's tried to get some cheaper options for the position but has now decided he might have to bite the bullet and pay big money? Or perhaps he's waiting on the Hleb/Adebayor deals to see whether he can afford it.

[Lucky]

Don't know if anyone has seen it, on Arsenal.com they've been doing the greatest 50 gooners ever.

Pat Jennings was 10th

Charlie George was 9th

Brady was 8th

Seaman was 7th

Pires was 6th

Vieira was 5th

Ian Wright was 4th

The top 3 haven't been revealed yet but it looks like being Cesc, Henry and Bergkamp, probably in that order?

Not far off I suppose.

Hleb and Adebayor didn't make the 50

[KRP]

No Tony Adams!

[Lucky]

No Tony Adams!

Yeah you're right. I just looked and he's not in the top 50. That could mean he's one of the top 3 but who out of Cesc, Henry and Bergkamp will not make the top 50 then?

What fucking idiots voted for this?

[Petrousgyre]

Yeah you're right. I just looked and he's not in the top 50. That could mean he's one of the top 3 but who out of Cesc, Henry and Bergkamp will not make the top 50 then?

What fucking idiots voted for this?

Cesc. He's only been with us for what, three seasons?

[dogsout]

Surely there won't be a place For Fabregas. To say that he is one of the three best Arsenal players ever at this stage of his career having achieved so little (that's not a dig, just in comparison to the others) would be wholly wrong IMO. But then, I'm not a Gooner.

[Silent Runner]

Yeah you're right. I just looked and he's not in the top 50. That could mean he's one of the top 3 but who out of Cesc, Henry and Bergkamp will not make the top 50 then?

What fucking idiots voted for this?

Looking at the picture they have on the site it looks like Cesc is the player left out. So that means Arsenal fans who voted in this consider Ashley Cole to be a better player than him. Hmm.

[Lucky]

Cesc. He's only been with us for what, three seasons?

Fair enough, but surely he's already done enough to make the top 50.

Anelka got in and how long was he with us?

Even Cashley got in and he's a cunt.

[BlinkyBear]

Isn't it for previous players though?

I've not seen anyone in the current squad get in so far. I might be wrong though. I hope I am anyways, given that Cashley Cunt got in.

My top 6:

1.Henry

2.Adams

3.Bergkamp

4.Wright

5.Pires

5.Seaman

[hercules]

It's past players that's why the likes of anelka and cashley are there but no cesc.

[Art Vandelay]

Anelka scored in a cup final, which is something Henry didn't do. I honestly have no idea how enough people voted for Wiltord to get in, let alone the personification of everything that is wrong with the world got to twenty-fucking-five in the list. I'd rather have David Hillier in there - at least he just nicked a few bags from Heathrow when he was short of cash.

[Petrousgyre]

1. Dennis Bergkamp.

[Art Vandelay]

When I'm feeling blue I search Youtube for Dennis Bergkamp goals. If I were evicted and forced to wear a barrel like poor people in the 20s, as long as I could watch his goal against Newcastle once a day I would be happy.

[Silent Runner]

I love Dennis Bergkamp as much as the next man but number 1 has to be Tony Adams.

[Daley]

If it was the 50 most talented Arsenal players, Dennis Bergkamp would be number 1, then Henry. If it is greatest ever Arsenal player, as in biggest legend, Tony Adams should win.

[Steve007]

but surely he's already done enough to make the top 50.

Not yet!

My number one would have to be Dennis. The man is a god & genius. He's one of the reasons why we are such a big club today, he's the reason why so many great players signed for us in the last 12 years, he's the reason why we won so much. I don't use the word often, but he's a legend and the best player I've ever seen. Henry is a very close second, but no one could pick a pass like Dennis could, the man had such vision.

I'm just gutted that I'll never see the attacking flair of Pires, Henry, Freddie & Bergkamp working as a team again. The stuff we played with these players was mind blowing. Dennis was the key to all of this.

[Steve007]

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has blasted the summer transfer market as out of control. He said football is living in a fantasy world during a time the business community is heading for recession. (The Sun)

Does anyone else think we will be better off in the long term because we invest in youth & don't pay lots of silly transfer fees that the likes of Liverpool do?

[Lucky]

It's past players that's why the likes of anelka and cashley are there but no cesc.

Yeah you're right actually, it is only past players.

If it was the 50 most talented Arsenal players, Dennis Bergkamp would be number 1, then Henry. If it is greatest ever Arsenal player, as in biggest legend, Tony Adams should win.

I agree with that.

It looks like Gilberto's off. Good luck to him.

Some of these big time muppets should take a leaf out of his book.

[Steve007]

It looks like Gilberto's off. Good luck to him.

He annoyed the shit out of me most of the time he's been at the club. His best season was 2006-07 when he was by far our best player. He always looked a bit of a clown at Highbury though! Wenger has always seemed to rate him highly, but he's been a good bloke and invaluable to the youngsters at the club.