Five reasons to get excited about Arsenal again

Everybody wanted action. Everybody wanted changes. Fresh faces to get excited about, to plug the gaping holes in a squad that looked nowhere near challenging for the title.

But surely NOBODY expected this:

Five signings in two days. Mental.

From left to right we’ve got André Santos, a stereotypically attacking Brazilian left-back signed from Fenerbahce; Mikel Arteta, an experienced, reliable Spanish central midfielder signed from Everton; Per Mertesacker, a 6’6 German giant of a central defender signed from Werder Bremen; Yossi Benayoun, a superbly-gifted Israeli attacking midfielder signed on loan from Chelsea and; Chu Young-Park, a hard-working, experienced South Korean striker signed from Monaco.

Each and every one of the signings brings superb value to the squad. Let’s take a look at how they will do so.

André Santos

We lost Gaël Clichy early in the transfer window to Manchester City and with Armand Traore following suit with a recent move to QPR, that left us with just the injured Kieran Gibbs as an established left-back. Gibbs is someone I rate highly despite his fragility but at 28 years of age and with plenty of international experience we have a player that, on paper, appears to eclipse the young Englishman. One thing that was always lacking with Clichy was a genuine attacking contribution from deep positions and in Santos we have a player that looks capable of providing this.

I expect Santos to slot straight into the starting line-up and his presence should both improve our side and take some much-needed pressure off Gibbs.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta is another player that I expect to move straight into the starting line-up and injuries aside, he should stay there for most of the season. The Spaniard has bags of Premier League experience and will provide a calm presence in midfield alongside the likes of Jack Wilshere, Alex Song and Aaron Ramsey. He has demonstrated his excellent technical skills, including an ability to wreak havoc from set-pieces and will undoubtedly improve our midfield.

Arteta is a versatile player — he often played on the right-hand side of a midfield four for Everton — and is more defensively-responsible than your average midfielder. He has always been a player that I admire, containing the unique quality of consistently having tangible impacts on a game of football, and he will undoubtedly become both a fan (and squad) favourite within a short space of time.

Per Mertesacker

If Arteta is the signing with the biggest marquee feel then Mertesacker cannot be far behind. For years fans have been crying out for a big, strong, experienced central-defender and standing at 6’6 with 75 caps for Germany Mertesacker is a player that ticks these boxes.

One has to feel that like Santos and Arteta, Mertesacker will go straight into the starting team alongside Thomas Vermaelen. With the underrated Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou moving to third and fourth-choice we all of a sudden have great balance and quality in this area of the pitch.

Yossi Benayoun

Benayoun is arguably the strangest of the five signings but provides further strength in depth in the final third of the pitch. He is a player that divides opinion but I was always impressed with his ability to have an impact off the bench for Liverpool and I remember being puzzled as to why Rafa Benitez did not use him more frequently.

Unlike the previous three signings I do not expect Benayoun to be a regular starter but his professionalism, experience and the danger he provides from the bench could see him make a valuable contribution to the squad.

Chu Young-Park

It is hard to know what to expect from Park, given that he is a player that I know little about. On paper he looks promising: 53 caps for South Korea, not to mention the recent award of the captaincy and a decent scoring rate of 25 goals in 91 appearances over three seasons for struggling Monaco. Korean players tend to come with a never-say-die attitude and are extremely robust and reliable and if Park fulfills that criteria, he will endear himself to the fans and the rest of his teammates.

Our team (and squad) as it now stands

Arsene Wenger and the management team at Arsenal have copped a lot of flak over their pre-season actions — rightly so, too — but you’ve got to hand it to him here: these signings are just what the doctored ordered. Each are over 26, have experience at the highest level and will improve the quality and depth of our squad.

It does pose an interesting question: just what is our likely first eleven going to be? And when everybody is fit, how does our squad look on paper? Here’s how I see it:

All of a sudden things are looking up, don’t you think? The season really does start now.

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Comments

  1. I think in your lineup at the bottom Wilshere and Arteta should be switched because Arteta will be more of a deep lying midfielder and will stay further back in the midfield which will allow Wilshere to really roam forward and take control of that attacking mid spot!

  2. I would have thought Arteta would drop behind Wilshire and alongside Song, allowing Jack to hover further upfront, feeding both VP, Gervinho and Walcott…

  3. this has to be the most interesting summer signings in the past 10 years! I have faith in boss in turning around our faith! Shame on those who said we can’t even qualify for Europa league =.=” I wish those fans can just jump ship, dont care

  4. am begginin 2 luv wenger nd arsenal more,pls can someone tel fifa 2 postpone d internatnal matches while d league commense.al hail arsene ,once a gunner always a gunner

  5. Nice post Andrew, my only worry is we are still dependent on Van Persie up front and if he picks up a niggle this season our squad may lack the depth needed to replace him. However the 5 new signings do look exciting, and on paper enticing. Our attack providing everyone’s fit looks extremely promising, hopefully we can get a good defensive partnership going between the 6 foot giant and Verme, to ease the pressure off the attack to find the net.

  6. Looks like a good season is ahead. Before these signings were made, we had no depth and it was very worrying. The starting line-up you put up ( most people will agree on ) is a combination of experience and youth which will work well.

    We look like we have too many players ( unexpectedly ) but given the amount of games we play each season rotation should be the key to keep all the payers happy. I feel Benayoun is underrated… his game is based of ball control and movement, more like an aleksander Hleb kind of player.

    There seems to be a new belief in the supporters and we Gooners are gonna end the title drought this year!

  7. I always believed AW/board will strengthen the team-I like our starting 11 as it stands.
    And we cleared out the dead-wood, especially Clichy who always gave me palpitations every time(never criticized him in the past as he was ours). I wish we had cleared out Scquillci and Almunia too to reduce our wage bills.

  8. Perhaps now we can smile a bit. Experience is there, most of the players who have done great things for their countries and previous clubs.

    Lets unite and support them

  9. Personally, I value Frimpong a bit more. Reckless, but he’s got lots of time to learn and I think that his display against Liverpool goes to show how instrumental he can be for Arsenal in the coming years.

  10. It would not be surprise to me if Wenger will change the tactics as it was before the time of Fabregas. There are signs there, that Arsenal is heading back to counter strike tactics. I don’t know if he will change the formation… maybe?

    He has bought wingers with direct style and great pace. Now he has also bought a good but slow defender. If Arsenal is still going to play with high defensive line, then Martesacker will be as good as Squillaci. Mark my words for that.

    So it would be logical that Arsenal will let the opposite teams to play now on, and then hit hard with counter strikes. I don’t know what Arsenal will do with Chu Young-Park, if the formation won’t change to 4-4-2. He is not a lone striker. If you have watched a videos of him, you can see that he is more like a poacher type of striker. He would perfect to play side by side with Robin van Persie.

  11. Koscielny still gets a starting berth I reckon, Wenger loves him and he fits our system better than PM4

  12. Im shocked and appalled that the club virtually sacrificed our first 3 fixtures without making any real attempt to bring players in and boost our clearly shot morale. We will never know if we would have signed these players had we not shipped 8 at old toilet but at the moment my only emotion is one of relief.

    Mertesacker – as long as we change our defensive approach this will be an excellent signing.

    Arteta – always rated him and despite a last couple of underwhelming years at Everton i have a gut feeling he will have something of a renaissance under us.

    Park – never seen the lad play so will reserve judgment although i must say writing him off before he has kicked a ball is daft in the extreme.

    Santos – Im getting quite excited by the thought of a full back with end product playing for arsenal. I know there are massive question marks defensively but i guess we have to wait and see. He’s taken my lucky number 11 so he has my backing Cool

    But ultimately ill reiterate what i said in the transfer thread, im just excited about seeing new players play for the arsenal. Sick of the same losers coming up short every year

  13. Think we are same strength as last summer and will get 4th.
    Just.

    GOALKEEPERS

    Szczesny better than Almunia, but still learning the game.

    DEFENCE

    Mertesacker strengthens central defence, but Sagna remains only proven full back.
    We shall see if Santos can defend, or is a replacement for Arshavin on the left of midfield.

    Without a new defensive coach I do not expect amazing things.

    MIDFIELD

    Defensive Midfield
    Boosted by prodigy Dench Frimpong but how I would have loved to have seen an experienced player to guide him, such as Vertonghen or even Parker.
    Song remains ok but not brilliant.

    Creative Midfield?
    Whilst Cesc and Nasri better skillwise than their replacements Gervinho and Arteta, the replacements should be more motivated and consistent (certainly than Nasri).

    Benayoun as an attacking midfielder/second striker is a decent signing on loan, good eye for a pass and it is absurd the slating he has got on here tonight, though I see him as an impact sub rather than a starter.
    Miyaichi too an impact sub learning his game.
    Ramsey in poor form but hope he recovers to pre-injury form when he had a good pass on him.

    ATTACK
    Attack is the “Elephant in the Room.”

    If Robin Van Persie gets injured it will be tough.

    Chamakh in terrible form.
    Walcott is better than most give him credit for but largely unproven up front, even if that is where I think his future lies. Could combine well with Benayoun if RvP absent?

    Afobe a promising 18 year old but unproven in the league, Park Chu Young unproven, Campbell will be on loan.

  14. The line up is superb. Wilshere should play deep thereby allowing Artata 2 go front. Dont 4get that he gives killer passes ands score too. Also the can be inter-changing positions.

  15. Great post as usual. Some people reckon that we might not make it into top 4 team but I really think we can make it with those signings. The most concern is about replacing Fab. We cannot find a player like fab especially with our transfer budget and policy. But look at the other area like the LB and CB. We are getting stronger in that area IMO. I also think that Gervinho is good enough to replace Nasri. And the signing of two midfielders, was a good move to replace one world class player. In conclusion, we are getting stronger in defending area while we might just “slightly” weaker in the middle of the pitch. But don’t forget we still have Wilshere and Ramsey which are still developing as player. We might not win the title in this season but we might get it in another 2-3 years. If things getting in our way, we might win something this season.

    On your prediction on starting line-up is just the same like mine. I think Park and Benayoun will be on the bench and with those players. I’m expecting some tactical surprise from Wenger. Arteta is a very good player despite having no international caps in his career. It just because he must fight with the likes of Iniesta, Xavi and Fabregas, which are the world class players. I’m looking forward to see him play in Arsenal Jersey.

    I must admit, I’m one of the fan who actually feel upset with the way Wenger did early of this season but now he gained my trust back. Yesterday was one of the happiest day in my life as Arsenal fan. Arsenal Till I Die.

  16. We thank God for making Arsene Wenger and the Board to listen to the cry of the fans. We thank God for all the signings this summer. Now it is our time to pray for them to blend well, that God will keep them injury free and grant us success this season. It will be our joy to finish strong after the poor start and all that people have said and predicted about Arsenal this season,
    God bless you all and prosper Arsenal and Wenger
    Silas

  17. It’s now fans frm other club will mend their openions abt arsenal and give credit to our action with this terryfing sighning

  18. Am so excited with it all can’t wait for the international break to be over. we may not have gotten it all but we finally have a decent squad

  19. Excellent. Credits to Wenger. We are bound to win something this season.
    If we ever use a different formation once our new signings are settled, I would suggest
    4-1-2-1-2
    Scszeny
    Sagna-Mertesaker-Vermaelen-Santos
    song
    Arteta wilshere
    benayoun

    Rvp gervinho

  20. I am a little bet happy to the new comer because still i need other experienced player like Frank Riberry, rated 30m, like Sinadjer a Dutchman, Van Der Vart in the come January transfer window b/c the cost is not as such much.

    When i evaluate the above formation it is very good but I prefer Yosi instead of Walcot.
    Still I have one question to the manager why you give loan Jael chambell to Lorient? ??? I can not say any thing about this.

  21. words cnt realy express d way i feel.im in cloud 9 especialy for our new No 4 & 8.

    Thnx Mr Wenger

  22. Here’s something I’m really looking forward to…

    From the commentators:
    “And Gervinho has won Arsenal a corner! Van Persie with the delivery, and here comes Mertesacker…”

  23. this is a fantastic move on arsenal side which we fans has been expectin for so long..mertesacker,park,santos,arteta and benayoun looks like a gud signing for us

  24. I think Arsene Wenger should really buy Yann M’Vila and Marvin Martin but Benayoun and Arteta fit in well too..

  25. yo line up is really beautiful, wilshere is a little more solid than arteta though both good AMs.. Since Santos is more of an attacking left back, there’s more cover in wilshere 4rm that the middle together with gervinho in case santos decides to cut inside 4rm the left wing to pass to arteta or Rvp(both operating front) than passin to gervinho in the left corner…thats if santos attacks. Sagna being solid enough, arteta’s right wing will creep in 4rm the middle yet operating centrally to feed walcott en Rvp as well as gervinho with support 4rm song.. On the pitch, it becomes yo formation in the attack with song providing an extra body past the centre line with now a supportive CD…when we are attacked, in a more pressing style of defending, i see the system quickly changing to a 1-2-1 with our captain tracking backwards leaving walcott and gervinho upfront 4 count attack, with jack and arteta making up the 2, of which he’s(MA8) now ready to pass long wide to walcott… What a formation! Lets go gunners

  26. Howdy Drew, Howdy all,
    Super-duper thanks for the early post.
    Boxing Day here in the States. Very,very nice bit of business. Is it looking a gift horse in the mouth to ask if this could/should have been done earlier? I dunno however the business has been seen to and in grand fashion.
    My favorite new player? Why Andre Santos of course Agorra Brasil! but WOW Mertesacker,Arteta(did NOT see that coming)Benayoun and not to forget the earlier additions Park Chu-Young and Alex Ox-Chamberlain.
    Some of our previous starters will undoubtedly have to make room for the likes of the German national captain and Brasil’s left back. I see everyone has seems to have Wilshere in the starting XI but I’m not so sure about that.
    What does seem certain is that the management has finally seen fit to address our needs with quality and experience something I did not think would happen in such stunning and immediate fashion.
    What can I say? Totally stoked to be wrong!
    Hammer,Shard,Kel.Terry,Shambo,Gruggster whatayathink?

  27. Think you hit the nail on the head man. We are looking a lot stronger with the addition of the five mentioned players. At last after the last few weeks of doom and gloom a cloud has finally been lifted over the Emirates stadium. COME ON THE GUNNERS!!!!!

  28. I can understand the joy which Arsenal fans are going through at the moment and quite rightly so….i mean when was the last time Arsenal got 5 players over a period of 3 days.

    but to be true and frank this is more of damage control. If I look at the first team squad now as below(players in each position with backups) the feeling i get is of relief and not joy!!

    ——————————————————Sczezny/Fabiansky————————————————————Sagna/Jenkinson——–Mertasacker/Djorou———Vermaelen/Kosielny———-Santos/Gibbs—-
    —————————————————Song/Frimpong—————————————————————–
    ——————-Arteta/Ramsey——————————————–Wilshere/Rosicky—————————-
    ———–Walcott/Benayoun———————————————————Gervinho/Arshavin——————
    ——————————————————–RVP/Chamakh————————————————————

    So clearly our backup GK and CF is not good enough. Also Djorou’s form since end of last season has been nightmarish. So these are areas of concern so I think these 3 areas need to be addressed by Wenger in Jan.

    For other areas he has cover for injuries and bad form with Chamberlain,Park,Diaby,Coquelin etc.

    So can we expect 3 more signings in Jan?

  29. Can’t stop thinking how Rosicky has missed the chances to make a impact, although I still have hope tha He will came back to his best and make it to the start 11! Big fan of HIM!!

  30. Another thing! Please, Please take Gervinho out of the First team and put Arshavin, let’s not make the same mistakes as Wenger!!

  31. For People who are criticizing these signings I don’t believe they realize that we bought 5 experienced players in positions of need for around 25 million aka the nasri money. Wenger knew he couldnt get a superstar signing that I still believe hell make in January or next summer without overpaying for a ridiculous price. I for one would rather have 5 good players that all want to be at the club with a good attitude then one star player in nasri who doesnt want to even be at the club. I still believe Arsene hasnt finished with redoing the squad but these signings show his intent in bringing in loads of experience and quality for a very low price.

  32. @Ben
    I’m with you dude,
    although to be honest I haven’t heard too much groaning other than we might have done this sooner. Still, I think it was Shard that mentioned that even if we were to sign the Fantastic Four someone would inevitably carp about. What can you do with people?
    Vox Populi,Vox Humbug.

  33. @andy, although I’m not as appy as some wid the signing of Artet owing to the fact that his best years are behind im and the injuries he has suffered over the past 18 months and i think Wenger could ave done much better wid the players he has gathered, i’m going to put all that behind and look to the near futrue.
    Interesting line up you have chosen although i think the future set up of the midfield should include both Frimpong and Song in a 4/2/3/1 with Arteta omitted from the starting line up. Gervin Wilshire and Walcott.

  34. Its weird how everyone loves Wenger now when they hated him 2 days ago He did splendidly on deadline day. My no.1 target of Samba didn’t come but I am more than happy with our signings, Arteta and Mertesacker are brilliant signings!! Well done Wenger and bring on Swansea .

  35. @JJ
    See how easy it is when you quit being pig-headed and do the right thing?
    Kinda shows the “hate” was not at Wenger the man ad hominem but Wenger the entrenched architect of a flawed and failing design.

  36. @j-j, surely u have seen comments that prove your talking rubbish. Everyone! Daniel, arshavin 4 Gervinho, rubbish. Gooners, keep yr feet on the floor until later.

  37. love the signings, however, like most of you, i wish they were done sooner. gotta say i never gave up hope, but was seriously concerned at times. maybe that crushing defeat at old trafford was the baseball bat across the head that wenger and the board needed to take some action. at least it happened with the transfer window still open, and could make some moves. i shudder to think what may have happened if we came through august doing just so-so, and wenger didn’t make these moves, then it fell apart, and had no way to fix things until january.
    @leftcoastgooner….what the heck is “boxing day” here in the states..i’ve lived here forever, and i’ve not heard sept 1st as ‘boxing day”. isn’t that the day after christmas in the u.k and canada ???

  38. Am very happy that we bought players but I pray that they should be fully commited to our club.

  39. I’ve been thinking about this ‘panic buying’ thing that is being talked about. I’m not sure I agree. Before the ManU game, Wenger had already said he wanted 3 players in. He mentioned being short in midfield, he mentioned wanting a striker because Bendtner would leave and Campbell didn’t get a work permit, and we assumed the third was a CB. We were apparently also looking for a loan deal for an attacking midfielder for a few weeks. Lucho Gonzalez and maybe Kaka were looked at. Whether that was to be the ONE midfield signing or in addition to someone like Arteta I don’t know. Plus Traore was let go and a Brazilian international brought in, which I’m not sure was a ‘panic buy’. If it was, may such panics continue. All in all..Most of the signings were planned at least in terms of the position. This isn’t an attempt to say that we should NOT have bought them earlier, but I don’t think we were ever going to go into the entire season with the squad the way it was. I am content with this squad and what we are seeing is the start of a new era.

  40. @iggypup
    Hey iggy, good to hear from you.
    Yeah,it’s like the day after xmas but no credit card bills to deal with.
    What could be better. I mean besides doing this BEFORE last week’s drubbing.

  41. Really wasn’t surprised by all these signings. Arsene Wenger needed to step up and give some motivation to the fans. I believe he should of made all this moves way before the season started, but my hat is off to you Wenger you really did us proud. With this team I really think that were going to have a great year. LETS GO GUNNERS!!!

  42. Dig those “positive vibes”! Well I got what I wanted, a CB, LB and creative CM, plus Park up front. I think Parks work rate is a major plus and Metesacker and Santos are established defenders who have played at the highest level. Arteta wouldn’t have been my choice of creative midfield and I feel he’s a bit injury prone, but at least he’s fit at the moment. Its Benayoun who is my biggest disappointment, I just can’t see him fitting into our system? With regards to your first 11 Andy, I virtually agree with you but I would have a “fit?” Diaby in place of Song, who I feel has been neglecting his holding role duties and wandering up-front. I also feel Walcott isn’t the “real deal” and Wenger should try blooding Chamberlain & Miyaichi in his place. Both Arshavin and Rosicky aren’t good enough and should be sold on or released. I’m really excited about our next match to see what the line up will be and how they perfom as a team. Come on you gooners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  43. What is this talk of Arteta being injury prone? He has played at least 26 games in the Premier League every season since the 2005-06 season, except 2 years ago when he played only 13 (scored 6 goals though). He started and played in 29 games last season. That doesn’t seem like a very injury prone player to me. What exactly were his injury problems?

    Chamberlain looking good in the U21 match, and Lansbury scored a good goal from a cross from the Ox. Icehammer should be happy with that.

  44. Some of us blived dat AW would sign cos he said so and we ve not been dissappointed by the signings.
    I don’t want to blif its d 8-2 drubbing cos he has been saying so even b4 d match. Let’s see where this goes
    But something within me says its a bold statement and other clubs ve noticed this.

  45. @Shard
    hey dude I just combed over his playing bio.
    Arteta has missed a good number of games with injury throughout his career with Barca,PSG,Real Sociedad,Rangers and Everton.
    But I think we are on a different scale here. His injury problems pale in comparison to what we are used to with the Likes of Vermaelen,or Diaby or RvP or even Cesc.
    Really it’s nit-picking when you look at what we’re used to.
    He seems good for at least 30-35 appearences a year since 2004.
    The year you mentioned is the big exception.

  46. At last we are fulfilled cos we are on the right track to right some past wrongs its time we can also contend for not only the Premier league But Uefa Champions League

  47. @leftcoast

    Hey. I’m not sure if injuries early in his career should be seen as a sign of an injury prone player if he overcomes it. I wish I could find stats of his entire season rather than just the league but don’t have time to really look right now. However. Since you’ve looked, fair enough. Any idea what those injuries have been? Has it been a recurring injury or various different kinds? If we can get 25-30 games in the league from him that is a fair return I think.

  48. watching some clips on youtube–our new LB looks very good going forward, he actually surpasses Chamack going forward. he clearly overshadows Clichy.i look forward to him troubling defenses, but i dont know about his defending.
    Good signings from Wenger, im looking forward to Swansea>>>
    Come on you gooners

  49. @Darragh,
    How you keepin pal? I never called AW a git, I called him a tight, shortsighted git, and I dont think I should have to apologise for that, hes proved to be just that the last few years, his last ditch, post old trafford hammering induced spending hasnt absloved him of the last few years errors, its merely restored my, and many others, fate in him once more and given us hope. Also I used the word git in the most loose context, obviously I dont think hes a git but writing tight, shortsighted best manager in Arsenals history didnt have the same ring to it. 🙂
    @Ice,
    Hammers have done great business, certs to bounce back up buddy.
    @Shard,
    Wel pal I wouldnt say it was panic buying but theres not a whole lot of reason that it couldnt have been done before or just after the Malaysian tour, I mean especially the Mertesacker one, we needed everyone pre season training together and hitting the ground running with our tough opening fixtures, we didnt have, regardless of the injuries or suspensions I really dont think we had the quality to take more than a point anyway…..and the manager and board will have to look at themselves in May should we finish 5th by a point or two.
    Arshavin and Walcotts positions are under serious threat now, Benayoun has a great work ethic and ability to get on the end of a move, he wont stand on the halfway line hel help out Sagna and I disagree with Andy here he may well play himself into AWs thinking, although he was the signing I was least enthused about. Initially felt that he would hinder Myaichi and Oxs progression but maybe hel light a fire under Walcott and Arshavin instead, god knows they both need it, just to mention again how furious it made me on Sunday when Walcott cut out a cross into our box first half and turned and had a serious go a Jenkinson, who was bursting his balls all day getting forward to help him and then been left to deal with both Young AND Evra in defense while Walcott stood and watched, mouth agape probably……NEWSFLASH Theo little buddy, we all gotta work, defending and attacking as a team, otherwise, no success, plus you arent a good enough dribbler, header-er, passer or crosser to be having a go at anyone else, people in glass houses and all that.
    Oh yeah I heard something today from Utd fans giving out stink about Rosicky for Rooneys first freekick, that he walked head down straight out of the wall, not even looking over his shoulder straight toward the halfway line before Rooney even struck the ball,has anyone else noticed this, if he did that its utter bollox and has to be addressed.
    Cant wait for Mertesacker.
    Park has great self belief and is saying all the right things, if he can back it up hel be the surprise package, hopefully we get the goods out of him for the two and a half seasons we have him.
    Dos Santos can play LW or central aswel, hes exciting.
    Artetas just a class act, hopefully with him and dos Santos now we can take RvP off the set pieces and actually threaten from corners and direct fks….the last time I seen RvP hit the target form a free it was in black and white.
    The important thing that Iv been bangin on about here for yonks; their a mixture of proven International quality and PL proven quality, also a good few of them are currently or have been cpt at club or international level, so for this I thank you Arsene….woulda been delighted to see Cahill and Montilivo (class) for when we lose Song for ACNs but 15M was defo too much for a player last year of his contract, which I think was the asking price for both.
    Also Zarate moved to Inter from Lazio on loan with a few to a 15M permanent deal next year which I thought would have been an outstanding coup for us, this guy is like a robust Messi, obviously not the ball carrier Messi is but you watch hel light it up at the San Siro and in CL particularly.
    Just a mention on a topic that weve all had many a conversation about on here, us having the third or fourth highest wage bill in the PL and how was that possible having so many young men aswel as such mediocre league and cup outings…..well the beat on the street is that Nicholas Bentdner was on a whopping 90,000 a week. Could. Not. Believe. It…..supposedly this was the stumbling block for a permanent move away that clubs wouldnt match his wage demands….what the hell is Diaby getting a week then?????? Or come to think of it Squillachi…….or Chamakh who obviously is on serious wages after arriving on a free…..I actually dont think I wanna know the answer to those questions.
    Shambo out……..

  50. @shambo

    Bendtner on 90k?? I DON’T believe it. Think about it for a moment. That is what Fabregas was apparently earning. That is what Nasri was offered. I know you and others think there’s been mismanagement (I think there have been decisions taken which haven’t worked out) but come on. You do not believe THAT. Do you?

    As for the signings not being made earlier. Well. It’s not ideal, and I’d have loved it to happen, but there is a risk in the selling club just getting on the phone to the money bags of the world and asking them if they’d like a piece of the same action that Arsenal would like. And we’d be left with our pockets still full but hands empty and a list of potential targets who are constantly disappearing. Kind of like Mata I guess. It’s a high risk game leaving it late, and has cost us as well of course. But it is also risky going for the players and losing out on them. Add to that the fact that we didn’t have confirmed Champions League football, some players may just not have been willing to come before then.

    The club does need to think of a way to get things done earlier and learn some lessons for the future, but I can’t really think of a way to avoid this. The selling club and player will always seek the best deal, and our rivals will always be looking to gazump us. Oh well.. At least we have them now.

  51. Shambo – I don’t always agree with you, but agree with you on Rosicky in that vid, that was pretty bad.

  52. I’m not sure that Rosicky thing shows a lack of care.. A lack of fight definitely. But I think he reacted that way because it hurt. Which means he does care.. Not the reaction you’d want from a senior player. But I don’t think it’s right to form an opinion on the player from a video clip of a few seconds. I really don’t.

  53. Satisfied with the signings,looking forward to a serious challenge on the league,a combination of youth and experience will work wonders for the club,i just feel it.@ shambo,strange no 1 mention what rosicky did during the rooney free kick,was watching the game with my mate when he pointed that out to me,during the replay,couldn´t believe it,he just walked away from the wall,soon as the ball was played,i mean it could be parried out and you could be needed defensively to clear the ball out,but he just walked away with the ball half way over the wall and into the net and he didn´t even look back,he just walked away with what looked like a slight grin on his face,strange that! Hopefully with the new players coming in,he won´t be having playing time for such antics.

  54. @darragh, were not supposed to agree man, it’d be awful boring on here….and I am wrong more often than not, that why I need you and Shard to knock some sense into me.
    @Shard, C’mon, you know that Im not judging him on a 3 second clip, he was one of my fav players, this is a culmination of planty of lacklustre performances and lask of pride on his behalf for quite some time now. Its simply not good enough, basically, because us fans need so much more from a player who we know has so much more to offer, its actually tragic how badly hes under performed for us, I think weve all allowed for the injuries hes had but he hasnt had two good games in a row and I after seeing that I dunno what more we can do as fans, I mean do we just pretend we dont see stuff like this that is damaging to team morale and the belief system Arsene Wenger is always talking about, a senior player displaying such a negative, defeatist attitude on the pitch and its nit even half time…..Adams/Vieira/ Henry woulda flipped.

  55. Shambo,

    I wasn’t really indicating that you are having a go at the player or judging him on the basis of this.. Apologies. I know you aren’t doing that. and you are right of course about him massively underperforming for us. Still. I never got the impression from him that he doesn’t care or isn’t determined. I could be wrong of course. All I meant about the video clip was that in the context of the match and the way we had missed a penalty and their goals had flown in whenever they shot, he probably felt disheartened. It is also possible that he took a few seconds to shake that off and try and start over. All I meant was that the clip is incomplete. Maybe someone at the match could say if they noticed Rosicky being lacklustre in his effort throughout.

  56. @shard,
    I cant believe thats what the guy was earning, but thats whats been banded about, I really dont think its far off though…top earners would have been Cesc/ Chamakh/ Clichy/Arshavin/ Walcott/ Rvp…..Nasri was still on his first contract and I cant imagine his move form Marseille would have commanded a huge salary, then again I could be wrong, the rest are either at the beginning or middle of their first contracts and I think Bentdners and Squillachis and Diabys salaries would bring a tear to your eye…I mean the overall figure is open to the public so i dont think it would be difficult to divide it out on the basis of who the high earners are and who are on their first second or third contracts with the club…..whether it would be a worthwhile positive undertaking is an entirely different question with a simple answer. No, I really dont wanna know the breakdown of the reason were such high payers with so many mediocre senior players and so many unproven youngsters.

  57. Shambo,

    There’s no doubt the fringe players have been more highly remunerated than at most other clubs. Not quite that high though. Arseblog says Denilson was on 3m a year. Which translates to…umm..just under 60k a week. I’d say that sounds about right for Bendtner, Diaby etc. I doubt they would be any higher because the idea was to have a more equitable distribution. (I said Nasri was offered 90k, not that he was on it)

    Another thing which I have heard, but am unsure about, is that our wage bill – the cumulative figure that is given- includes the salaries of the coaching staff and physios etc as well, while (most) other clubs’ accounts do not do it that way. I can’t be sure it’s true and I’m no financial expert but it might be worth checking out if anyone knows how to do it.

  58. i am just happy that wenger had done something for the fans.we were feeling really bad about a team wiping us 8-2 in the (E P L) this is arsenal for God sake.the line up is cute but i would love to see the japan guy running the right flack if Teo is not there.he has got some beautiful moves.HAPPY SEASON FOR THE GUNNERS.

  59. ur line-up z great & th bench looks good as well. mostly what i belive z that competition among players should b present. No one should be 100% assured of his place in the starting 11 rather they shud work hard 4 t.w can never win without descipline, may be we couldn’t have lost to an extent of 8-2 if all those players on suspension wea present.am optimistic about these signings, coz they are above 26, probably in the last yrs of their carrier, which will make em want to win something b4 they retire.fortunately enough arsenal will be the beneficiary of mental strength and silverwares.up gooners!

  60. Am pretty excited with some solid signings at last (hurray!). But a look at the subs list reveals a worry that if someone from the first 11 gets injured, there are very few who can step up and fill the gap seamlessly. I hope I’m wrong, though 🙂

    There was a report that Eden Hazard was almost a done deal except for the fact that Lille does not have time to find a replacement. Why didn’t AS move for him earlier??!! Anyway, hope he can bring him in in January.

  61. In terms of captaincy, why not Wilshere? Thinking back to the MU game, I think having him as captain made things worse.

  62. @leftcoastgooner
    thanks bro…i feel the same way, just like an early christmas..i should have known that..a little slow on the uptake on my part. man…being a gooner is anything but boring…one day you’ve got your head in the oven…the next day you can’t wait for the next match. i’ve got to say that our line-up now fills me with alot of hope, instead of dread. i’m gonna be out your way end of october to attend the angels halloween party in oakland… i’ll be the one in a full arsenal kit…then off to take a few spins on the giant dipper. i can’t wait..

  63. @Paddy – I think Wilshere, should he avoid being tapped up by Man City in the near future, will be the future Arsenal captain. He fills all the correct boxes except the age one.

  64. Really excited about the signings. If everyone can stay relatively injury-free, I think this squad could do pretty well. If I wanted to be picky, I would say we need a top quality finisher in the box. But who knows, maybe Chamakh & Park will prove to be the players we need in that dept.

  65. And i absolutely do NOT want to see Arshavin & Rosicky start another game for us. I would much rather give Miyachi & AOC a chance. They both look very promising. Or perhaps send them out on loan to gain some good first team experience? What do you guys think?

  66. @darragh – we’ll need someone else to fill those boots in the meantime then. Vermaelen, Arteta?

    @Jose – couldn’t agree more. We seem to score less from crosses nowadays. Look at how Dzeko put in Nasri’s cross at the Spurs game last week – we need someone like that.

  67. Sorry fellow fans but I cannot get overwhelmed by all these signings.
    Mertesaker is obviously a good signing and Santos should be a good replacement for Clichy.
    Buts let stop the rose tinted glasses- Arteta is so good every other big club in Europe was chasing him – yeah right.
    Benayoun was a substitute at best for our of our main rivals and wont be able to play against them.
    Park – lets wait and see?
    In summary its a shambles that one of the worlds greatest clubs are left shopping in the corner shop at the last minute because of lack of planning and foresight by the board and , I am sorry to say, the manager. Why werent Arsenal after Sneider, Kaka, Parker, Young, Mate, Hazard etc etc.
    Would someone who is good at maths try and answer this one- how much have we spent against what we brought in over the last two years- I feel we are once again being treated like fools by the board.
    I was convinced that the take over by Kronke would be bad for Arsenal and I think I am being proved right – no matter how much it hurts me to say it.
    This board must go and Wenger given realistic money to spend and instructions to spend it.
    The last 2 months have been hell for us all and I am afraid I dont see the next 7 months being any better.
    I sincerely hope I am wrong – my heart believes top4 – my head tells me we will be 6/7th at best this year.
    We must demonstrate against this board at each and every game until they go.
    I live in hope as always.
    Sandy

  68. Bloody ‘ell I go up to the beautiful top end for a few days with no internet access and come back to find we’ve just bought an entire team! What’s going on? Never saw any of that coming. Big fan of Arteta and finally we have got some defenders. Benayoun’s a surprise and never heard of the Brazilian but it certainly gives a lift after the gloom of BlackSunday.

  69. @ Iggypup: hey Iggy if you see Al Davis at the Angels party give the ancient fart a kick for me. Also, I check this blog regularly so let me knowwhen you hit the Cruz especially if it’s a gameday and perhaps we cuold take one in together. Brit Arms is out now. It’s always been a ManU shop and the idea of you and I stiitng in there in our Arsenal jerseys giving those asses our money and catching hell doesn’t work for me.The only thing I see in it is a fist-fight and I’m getting too old and mellow for that.
    @sandy: Geez mate can’t you wait to see if the deals workout and then bag on them? Seeing how bad we’ve been lately (3 wins in 14) you might not have to wait that long but to poo-poo the deals before they any chance to prove their worth,what’s the point?
    @Terry: Andre Dos Santos is quality 27 goals in 6 years for the Brasiliero starting left back. A team that has a few quality players to pick from. Neither Clichy or Traore could have ever sucessfully replaced Roberto Carlos.

  70. What an exciting final day for us and I think we came up trumps! The acquisitions made were abit of a shock because it wasn’t our usual ‘get them young and train them the arsenal way’. I did say before that we we’ll be fine with or without new signings but now that we did, I believe we can really challenge for honours!

    J.Y. Park – He’s abit like V. Persie. A ball playing striker that is very technically adept, good mover without the ball and has good work ethic. Gives us a different option from Chamakh off the bench. Can he score? He scored 3 in the International match against Lebanon today.

    Andre Santos – As Andy have mentioned, He’s our typical full back who is highly offensive but has a way better final ball than Clichy whether its crossing or scoring. He is highly experienced and won Confederations cup with Brazil. I actually watched that tournament and thought he defended really well.

    Per Mertesacker – Alot of people are saying he is slow but what they forgot was that he can read the game well. With Szczesny who is quick off the blocks playing as a sweeper, I think that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. What he brings is the discipline and the calmness that we have been lacking when we are under pressure. Need I say his obvious strength in the air?

    Yossi Benayoun – It was a weird signing coz I thought he plays a bit too similar to Rosicky. I think this was made when the Arteta deal looks to have been dead. I think his impact will be in adding to squad depth and also competition for places. I hope he didn’t sign up to unsettle our players like the last player that moved from chelsea did, “Cry baby” Gallas.

    Mikel Arteta – A signing that we should get excited about! The PL experience that he brings is massive. I think this will push our younger midfield generals to work and fight a little bit harder for their minutes. He pretty much carried Everton’s midfield when he was there and I think he will have a major influence in the middle of the park for us.

    Its a bloddy good day because we addressed what we have been lacking for the past couple of years;

    An outstanding defensive line with solid subs (Jenkinson – works extremely hard, Koscielny – I rate him very high, Djourou – did well last year, and Gibbs when he is fit).

    The leadership qualities of our new additions who are also captains in their International teams (Park and Benayoun) and past teams (Mertesaker and Arteta) to help stabilise the team when needed.

    And as everyone pointed out, the lack of depth which was evident in that manure game. This could really get the players to pull their socks up and to play on top of their game every time they get their chance. I have high hopes for Ramsey but he is still a step slower and will continue to improve the more he plays. I would also like to see Wilshere in that hole behind the striker coz he’s got clever movements, massive scoring potential and the passes he gives sometimes are fabregas-que!

    Hahaha what a long post this is. Sorry guys. Our season starts NOW! Time to get behind the team. I’m excited. You should too!

  71. Hatrick for Park.
    Fine showing for our boy. Yes it’s only Lebanon but I seriously doubt MC29 or NB52 would have bagged a treble.

  72. @sandy
    Why would you find someone whose being chased by other teams? Look at how Mata has ended. He went to Chelsea! I hate it but we must accept the fact that we cannot compete with the other teams in term of wages. Sneijder? Kaka? Do you think that they will accept lower wage?Absolutely not. For now, i’m satisfied with those signings. Not that I want Arsenal to limit the wage structure forever. I hope the board will now think again about the wage structure and try to increase it. It’s ridiculous to limit the wage for our top players. As many people inside and outside talk about the wage structure I hope the board will look up again with those problems. Someone from the bench? If he can give something I don’t mind if he was only in reserve for our rivals. I always watch him at Liverpool and my thought was like Andy, why didn’t they use him more frequently? He’s good and our young players can learn something from him as he, like Arteta have many experiences in PL. About Park, yes, wait and see. I believe he have something to give. I’m the fan of Korean work rate. I really think he will be a super sub if there is no formation changes and will surprise those who are not believe he is a good striker. And also, why did your heart say top 4 while your head go to 6/7? Why not 5? Who will be above us? Spurs?No way! For now, just support the team. They need you.
    @Terry
    I was just like you. I went to my hometown and went I came back. I was surprised that we can make it before the deadline. I slapped myself for what I have said after the Man Utd “tragedy”.

  73. @leftcoastgooner
    thanks for the invite…the schedule is kinda tight with all the family to see, the party, and old friends to track down at the various correctional facilitys…(just kidding…their out now)..i’ll try. i’ll put something up the day i got to the boardwalk..maybe we could meet there.

  74. hi all, feeling positive about the new additions to the ammers squad, feel sure we will at least make the playoff. Lansbury did look really good.
    Im not feeling confident about you Gooners after the closing of the trans window, i dont think Wenger made enough of a statement of intent. I believe the verdict is out on Arteta, im just not sure about im at this stage of his career as ive said be4 his best years are behind im. Ben is a good player but in order to play im or Artet Song and Frim must start together.
    Shard, keep it to yourself mate(lol) as i don’t have any facts or stats or inside knowledge or info to hand. Lets just wait and see in the coming weeks or months.

  75. @paddy – I’d hoped Vermaelen would get the nod for captain, but I think Robin will be a good one. He’s clearly our most iconic player at the moment….

  76. My humble question and source of skepticism is, who of the recent signings is the replacement of either Fabregas of Nasri?
    Let’s wait to see what comes our way this weekend, but whether it’s a win, loss or draw, I feel Arsenal board should begin looking for a manager to replace Wenger. Wish the best of the match.

  77. Per Mertesacker looks like a really good buy he is really big and tall and knows how to takcle can not wait to see him in an arsenal shirt he is a really good buy for us

  78. I am happy that our manager decided to address the fans views and make the signings without losing his style again. Hoping the best will come soon and our youngsters will surely learn from them to go for the title , if not this season atleast in the next season. Atleast i expect arsene needs some time to fit them in position and with the current squad he will get us in top 4 for sure.

  79. how the hell wenger is still the manager of Arsenal is quite amazing BUT lets see if these buys (some of them Panic) work out………….

  80. Hey uze guys!
    Check out this link.
    To give credit where it is due I punched it from Zicoinexile over at bloggers.
    I have no idea where he found it but it is hilarious at least.

  81. @kel
    Dude that’s IT for optimisim?
    Heck, I wished he would have panicked earlier and more often perhaps enough to have avoided the ManU Lost.
    BTO I can’t remember what year exactly but the Mancs plastered us
    6-love and we had bergy and patrick and freddie therry and the lot.
    I remember the defensive pairing was Pascal Cygan and I want to say Upton but I’m not sure about that. Anyway, please click on the link on my previous entry.
    I swear by Oden it’s a must see.

  82. @lefcoastgooner i agree completely with you about rather having him having bought earlier which would’ve prevented the OT disaster, instead of buying as a consequence. It was 2001 we lost 6-1 with stepanovs and upson i think it was. i remember thierry scored a great team goal but we were undone by a Dwight Yorke hattrick…

  83. Well, we should be happy with all the new signings as they show alot of experience.
    We need it and I’m sure we will not be disappointed. I dare say that we will not only finish in
    the top four but also good enough for the title.
    Go on Arsenal cos 90% of the real supporters ars solidly behind the team.

  84. After all said and done, the next thing is the return of glory days and of trophies to The ARSENAL.

  85. @leftcoast, for some reason unsavory reason that made me laugh but even more so mate after watching click on the link about Chelsea players disliking Ashley Cole. Pascal Cygan, seems like yesterday. Funny enough i cant remember im making as many mistakes as the CH’s do today. @Krish, Raymond, Sunny and @gofes steady on and give the players time to bed in. Allow them to walk before running or in your case flying.

  86. @leftcoastgooner
    man that was the funniest thing i’ve seen in a long time, and the conversation with a man united supporter from london, i swear they were talking to one of the people i work with that is a man united supporter. hahahahahaha !!!

  87. Iím not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back in the future. Cheers

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