Transfer Season: Futures of Cesc, Clichy + Cahill, Gervinho set to sign?

Welcome to another transfer season edition. Wouldn't normally do two within such short space of each other but the last few days have warranted one.

Gervinho
I'll start with the Ivorian striker who has been "close to joining Arsenal" for the last few months it seems. Well it looks like the wait might finally be over. According to L'equipe (and what google translate on my computer can make out) Arsenal have sent an offer to Lille for 12million euros with Gervinho agreeing a four year deal. L'equipe also states that the deal could be done by Wednesday.

What do I make of the signing? If you've read my previous posts you'll know I have had very little experience of seeing Gervinho play but from what I have seen, he looks a decent signing. Although he may not be up there with the Benzemas and Falcaos we had previously been linked with, he will bring a boost to our team. He's quick, strong and can finish. He scored 18 goals and got 10 assists for Lille last season and apart from RVP, no one got close to that for us really. Imagine if we had two strikers actually performing well at the same time. If only.


Gary Cahill
Next up is the news that after months, even years of fans screaming at Arsene to sign a commanding CB we may be about to get our wish. According to the Telegraph, the English defender Gary Cahill could be on his way to the Emirates very soon despite strong interest from Manchester City. Although him being English will mean his price is automatically raised by £10million (I'm looking at you here Liverpool), he could be a bargain in the long run. Although I'm not convinced Cahill is the complete solution to our defensive woes, it could be a big step in the right direction. He's tall, strong and aerially very good. Having someone who can deal with corners would be a massive boost. It looks like the CB arrival will be between Cahill and Samba. I have no real personal preference but if I had to make a choice I'd rather Cahill. I think him and Vermaelen would make an excellent partnership and in 5 years time, Cahill could be the best defender in the world. Then again, I also thought Squillaci was a great bit of business....

Cesc Fabregas
Now on to the slightly more depressing part of transfer season, players potentially departing the club. It's common knowledge that Barcelona have wanted our captain back more or less ever since we signed him from them and his return is something that is looking more and more likely. Although the BBC article saying we'd be willing to sell Fabregas (Found here) is something we have known all along, it shows how we are in a real battle to keep him. It's understandable that Cesc wants to return but as I've said all along, we should sell him for no less than £45-50million. Although I fear the final price (should Cesc leave) will be a lot lower than this, in my eyes my estimation reflects what he means to Arsenal and how much we would need to even half replace him. If Barcelona really want him they'd pay that much. In an interview with ona fm, Cesc said "I'm very calm. Transfer season? If something happens, it's because it was meant to be. I'm always optimistic". Despite Barca not wanting to pay enough and our efforts to keep him, I believe Cesc's wants will ultimately decide his destination and from that quote it doesn't look great. If he truly wanted to stay he would say so clearly but in reality, it looks like he wants to leave. I fear we may have seen him play his last game for the Arsenal.

Gael Clichy
I'll finish with some new news about our error-prone left back. According to the brilliant @GoonerTalk on twitter (great for transfer news, find the article I'm about to cover here), Roma have made a last-ditch effort to try and sign Gael for around 6-8million euros while he ponders a contract extension. In reality, Clichy's departure could be a blessing in disguise. It really does pain me to say this as I love him but the errors he has made in the past few seasons have cost us severely. Finding a replacement would be very difficult as there aren't too many top class left backs out there but if we really do want to move forward as a club, it may be time to let Clichy go. This said, if he does choose to stay I'll still be happy. I do think he contributes a lot to the side and as long as these lapses of concentration (and his crossing..) can be addressed, he can still do a job.


I'll leave it there for today, I'll be back soon

Joe (@Tilley_96 on twitter)

Transfer Season: Ricardo Alvarez, Nani and Insulting Catalans

 

Right, here goes another transfer season edition and I'll start with probably the biggest news involving Arsenal recently. That man above is NOT a Lionel Messi lookalike (anyone else see the resemblance) but is in fact the player that is apparently as good as signed for arsenal. News about Arsenal's interest came out months ago but it looked to have fizzled out until the Palermo President, Zamparini, said he had signed for Arsenal. Not the most reliable of sources, as many see Zamparini as a little bit mad but nonetheless, it looks promising. July 1 will see at least one player announced according to many people on twitter and that could also be the date for this signing to be confirmed. Keep the date free.

Ricardo Alvarez from Velez isn't a household name which will disappoint some fans but by the looks of things (for example, here) and the opinions of many on twitter, he doesn't look a bad signing at all. I know next to nothing about him, but I already want him signed. With a name like Alvarez, he is destined for greatness... However, there is one problem. He likes to shoot, but I'm sure a few training sessions with Arsenal will solve that.

Next on the agenda is a story which could easily be a load of rubbish, but never mind. SkyBet this morning had that Portuguese winger from United who Almunia always performs so well against (shudder) as favourite to join Arsenal, with a swap deal involving Nasri on the cards. However, as @15yearoldgooner pointed out to me on twitter we were also favourites to sign Joe Cole and Joey Barton. (Quickly on the Barton subject, we were linked with him last week but I don't think that would ever happen. I can't see Wenger being the sort of man to accommodate a man like him. Let's face it, he is a thug). Odds mean nothing really so I wouldn't get too excited about this Nani deal. Also, when I asked my followers on twitter whether they'd swap Nani for Nasri the answer was no and I agree with them. They're equally talented players but Nani is a whining diver, to put it lightly. As good as he is, I hope this deal doesn't happen.

Now, onto that Spanish club that are determined to offer as low as possible for the captain of our team. I've heard different figures floated around the past few days but the rumours are (which I saw here) that Arsenal have rejected a bid for Fabregas of somewhere between 27-31million. No matter what the figure, anywhere in that range is insulting. Cesc Fabregas has been our most important player for the last 8 years or so and we should not sell him for anything less than 50million really in my opinion. If Barcelona are willing to (apparently) pay 38million for Alexis Sanchez, who's relatively unproven compared to Cesc, then they are bordering on deluded if they think we'll accept 31million for Fabregas. The whole transfer saga involving Fabregas has shown Barcelona display themselves as complete fools and I would love nothing more for Fabregas to come out and say he is staying at Arsenal and Barcelona can do one. They're motto is "more than a club" but for the past 18 months or so they've acted as the complete opposite.

Staying on the Fabregas issue, I heard a ridiculous story the other day and I can't remember where, sorry. Somewhere on twitter I saw that Arsenal will sell Fabregas due to the fact he can't be used in Arsene's new plans for a 4-4-2. Whoever came up with that story is mental. Where did Cesc play when Henry and Van Persie were in the side? Also, Cesc is a central midfielder. 4-4-2 gives place for 2 central midfielders. It's not rocket science. Some journalists these days will say anything to sell papers

I'll leave it there for today as transfer stories have been a bit dead recently involving Arsenal. Samba, Gervinho and co are still in progress we are being led to believe. If you see any other stories let me know and I'll try to cover them in future posts. At the start of the new month, I think we'll start to see a lot more deals being confirmed

Joe

There's always next year...(part 5)

Wow, it's been a long while since my last post. Annoying obstacles kept popping up but hopefully I'll now be able to blog regularly again. Today is the 5th and final part of my views on this summer's transfer window and the only remaining position is striker.

Since my initial squad, things have changed quite a bit, so this will probably not reflect my thoughts of April/May. Because of this, I'll be setting this one out a little differently - a small section on each of our current frontmen and the ones it seems Mr. Wenger is interested in.


Robin Van Persie:
This is no exaggeration - Van Persie is one of, if not THE, top striker in world football*. No, I'm not drunk and no, this isn't through Arsenal-tinted glasses. As a complete forward, I can't think of anyone better right now. Torres (haha), Rooney, Eto'o, Villa, would you really take any of those over RVP?
He has power, pace, sensational skill on the ball, can shoot with both feet, good heading ability, penalty taker, leadership and most importantly, a real Arsenal man. Of course, there is still the one huge problem - injuries. Even this season, when he was extraordinary, he missed a large chunk of the campaign, which is why we need one more lethal striker at the club.

*Messi is excluded as he's obviously some sort of robot sent from another planet to show earthlings up at their own game and Ronaldo's excluded because, well, he's a [insert derogatory remark here]

Nicklas Bendtner:
Yes, he's been forced out on the wing too often. Yes, his goal tally is still pretty decent. Yes, he has the potential to be a world beater. But at the end of the day, the Dane just hasn't backed up the big talk with any big performances. If Bendtner was good enough, he'd be starting every week. Wenger doesn't believe he is, so he has to go. Nicklas' attitude is all wrong, the fans don't seem too bothered and he has already said he "100% wants to leave". In my opinion, has a mouth close to matching Ibrahimovic and has the wasted potential through sloppy work-ethic too. Wonder if they're related?

Marouane Chamakh:
I really hope Chamakh makes it at Arsenal. He gives us something different up front and when RVP was out injured, the Moroccan was in fine form. Unfortunately he's gone to pieces since the turn of the year. Indeed, the alleged reasons behind that have been leaked recently but I don't want to go into that. Hopefully next season he can win back the fans who have turned and get back on track.

Carlos Vela:
The greatest player on earth, when you're 4-0 up at home. Carlos is the master of delightfully chipping the keeper when it means absolutely nothing. Three seasons to show his worth and couldn't even make the West Brom team. As much as I was desperate for him to succeed at the Emirates, time to move on.

Samir Nasri:
There's been so much talk about Sammy recently and I really don't want to go over it. We know he's brilliant, we know he wants a shed-load of dosh. Let's just wait and see. I expect he'll stay but IF he goes, I'd rather sell him to a foreign team - would hate for this to be another Cashley/Adepaymore situation.

Andrei Arshavin:
I love the little Russian maestro. Everyone seems to want rid, "he's too lazy" they say. Shava is a luxury player and one we need. He has that unique ability to be out of the game for 89mins and then produce one moment of pure genius.

Gervinho:
At the tail-end of last week, it seemed as though the contract was all but signed and the Ivorian would be holding the shirt with delight on Arsenal.com. As of 21st June, it still hasn't happened. I still think the deal will go through though - and will be most pleased when it does. It seems like Lille's triumph last season has just been put down to Hazard but Gervinho was awesome as well. Hopefully he'll settle in quickly and we can see him at the Emirates Cup.

Radamel Falcao/Karim Benzema:
The boss said he's looking at Benzema, Falcao's agent confirmed Arsenal are willing to meet his buy-out clause. Both stories have gone quiet the last few weeks and although we'd have to smash our transfer record to get either of them, I have a sneaky feeling one of them (or someone of their ilk) will join. Personally, I'd go for the Colombian.

The Fantasy Signing:
Of course, you'll be expecting me to write Lionel Messi here. But no. It's Darren Bent. What do you mean 'Am I on medication?', Bent would be the perfect signing for us. The number of chances we create every game that are wasted is unbelievable. I'd love someone like Bent, just to stand in the 18-yard box and goal-hang. We need a poacher, someone who'll stick it in the net rather than try another pass. Plus he's a gooner.
It'll never happen, but I can dream about spending £30m on an over-rated English striker with zero technical ability, can't I?


And there we have it. I'm hoping it'll be a relatively busy summer in N5 and if it is, confidence will be high come August. If you have any feedback on the posts, let me know via twitter. Maybe if we get enough of your views on the squad and potential transfers, there could be a follow-up post solely with them. Thanks for reading,

Raj (@JattGooner)

Transfer Season: Cesc, Gervinho and Greedy Samir Nasri?

Ah, I'm back. Apologies for the lack of posting recently but a mixture of things like school and technical difficulties have meant its been hard. Anyway, on to the more interesting stuff.

There's been enough transfer rumours and gossip the past few weeks to last a lifetime so I'll focus on the main few to bring you up to date. Although, its been hard to miss it all on twitter! Before I start I'm awarding the worst transfer rumour of the week award to the guy who said Arsenal were signing Torres for Diaby + 18m. Really? If you're going to make up false stories, at least give them a little credibility. 

I'll start with the man you can see next to this text. Captain Fabtastic. (Has that phrase been used before? Surely it has...). Today an interview done with Cesc has emerged and I first read about it here. The brief message of the article is that Cesc has said he is happy at arsenal and does not know what will happen this summer.  Although it is early days and we have a long summer ahead of fighting to hold onto the player who can do this I, unlike many, am feeling optimistic about our prospects of keeping him at the Emirates. Firstly, he has come out and said things already that a certain Frenchman hasn't (I'll come onto that later) and if he was as determined to leave as most think, he wouldn't have. Also, Cesc loves arsenal and has a long term contract. Barcelona don't want to pay the amount we evaluate him at. At the moment, all these add up the Cesc leading us out again next season. We've got Cesc Fabregas 

Having spoken about a man who loves Arsenal and playing for Arsenal, I'll move onto a man who may not completely share the attitude. Samir Nasri. Since my last post the developments on Nasri has that he has said he won't rule out a United switch, he's sworn at a fan for suggesting he should leave and told us not to listen to the papers that are publicising his spoken comments... All very bizarre. Anyway, the latest is that he is apparently resuming talks with Arsenal (partly detailed here).  I personally think Nasri has realised his attempt at getting more money failed. The rumours, and I stress rumours, last week were that he was demanding 160k a week. No one should be paid that much, especially after half a good season. The fact he is asking to be paid more than Cesc, who has given us around 6 full quality seasons is atrocious. Besides, ask anyone whether they'd rather keep Cesc or Samir and I'm pretty sure I'd know their answer. Sort it out Samir. As Wenger put brilliantly "Its great clubs who make players, not other way"

Now onto the more happier rumours of players joining Arsenal.  The footballer that has been very strongly linked with Arsenal the past few weeks is Gervinho or as I like to call him "Crazy Hairstyle Strike III". The rumours are now very strong that Arsenal are very interested and discussing a fee with Lille for the striker. So much so that even the BBC have reported it here, almost 3 weeks after the world of twitter gained knowledge of this. I'm not going to lie and say I have watched this man week in week out since he was 7 years old. In fact I know next to nothing about him apart from the fact his hairstyles would make Sagna's look acceptable in society and that he has a brilliant name. However from what I have seen on youtube and heard on twitter, he sounds a decent acquisition. Maybe not the world famous name some fans want, but a good signing nonetheless.

I'll finish with a few other transfer stories. According to many people on twitter the transfer of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Arsenal looks as good as done and is apparently set to be announced on July 1. Wenger has wanted this guy for a while so there must be something special about him. If he can make as a big impact as Walcott has, I'll welcome him with open arms.

The central defence saga is going on with rumours we're, still, looking at Chris SAMBAAAA (read my last blog post) and Gary Cahill. Personally, I'm not sure if either man would be my first choice if we could sign any centre back but both have PL experience so I'm not going to knock the approaches. I just hope a deal is done for one of them sooner rather than later so the defence has plenty of time to work together, and they need it!

That's all for now, I'll discuss more rumours in a future post. Hopefully by then one of these deals will become finalised. Well obviously apart from Cesc or Samir leaving but you know what I mean.

Joe