***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

[stlducks]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

1. Our attack greatly fizzled at the end of the season. We need depth and we need different options. Pepe + Ceballos both help with this.

2. I still think Tierney gets done, that door has not shut at all as of now.

3. It’s been reported for weeks we’re still looking at signing a CB—there’s still plenty of time.

4. Everyone forgets that our defense suffered once we lost Holding. He’ll be back this year, which will help.

The signings we’ve made will unquestionably improve this squad. We’re not challenging for a title, but we’re greatly helping our chances of getting back into the Champions League, which is our first priority.

If you don’t think the moves we’ve made do not improve the team, that means you didn’t watch a lot of Arsenal last season. Our attack was fairly toothless down the stretch and by no means was carrying us.

I feel like these are the same type of points and same conversations I have had when Arsenal signed Aubameyang.

"Wait until Koscielny comes back"
"Ramsey returning will help"
"We need to bolster the attack"
"We are still rumored to sign a CB"

I think Pepe has potential to be really good but I also think Iwobi, Nelson and Willock could be really good to help the attack. All focus and money should be on the defense. Even with Holding back, Sokratis is aging, Mustafi is terrible and both fullbacks could be improved.

I still think Arsenal finish 4th (mostly due to United and Chelsea not improving much.) I just don't understand when a problem like CB is so obvious, why not improve it ASAP. Like Liverpool did with CB and GK.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I feel like these are the same type of points and same conversations I have had when Arsenal signed Aubameyang.

"Wait until Koscielny comes back"
"Ramsey returning will help"
"We need to bolster the attack"
"We are still rumored to sign a CB"

I think Pepe has potential to be really good but I also think Iwobi, Nelson and Willock could be really good to help the attack. All focus and money should be on the defense. Even with Holding back, Sokratis is aging, Mustafi is terrible and both fullbacks could be improved.

I still think Arsenal finish 4th (mostly due to United and Chelsea not improving much.) I just don't understand when a problem like CB is so obvious, why not improve it ASAP. Like Liverpool did with CB and GK.

Hooray, my points could only be responded to with generalizations. But, let's unpack those generalizations, yeah?

"Wait until Koscielny comes back"
We defensively improved once he returned from injury as it meant less Musttafi and we had lost Holding, so we desperately needed his return. We've always been more defensively sound when he's in the squad than when he's not.

"Ramsey returning will help"
One of the reasons our attack was completely toothless down the stretch was losing Ramsey to injury. Losing him is a massive blow—which is why we need to add depth and different options up front, whether that comes from youth promotions or new signings.

"We need to bolster the attack"
Yeah, because we lost Ramsey and we also became overreliant on Kola overlapping and providing balls into the box. We were one dimensional and lacked a second option—a player such as Pepe can give us that option.

"We are still rumored to sign a CB"
Well...we are. There's a difference between Arsenal supporters clamoring for a signing and trusted sources saying we're in the market. David Ornstein has said repeatedly we're looking to sign a CB this window—I don't believe that was the case when we signed Auba.

Weird, it's like all of those things that were said have merit.

As for Auba, when you have a chance to sign a player of his quality, you sign him. I spoke about this in here around that time, but there is a massive reliance on contacts and agents within the game. You can't just sign whoever the hell you want if you don't have a relationship with the agent for starters. The reason we signed several former Dortmund players was not just Mislantat recycling his past buys, it was the fact that we could make those signings because we had the right relationship with the agents to get the deals across the line.

To me, this is also a case of not being familiar enough with the club but instead just familiar with transfer rumors, headlines, or just talking to thickheaded supporters who will spout the same nonsense year after year without any depth to their argument.

The seasons before the 11/12 season, on this forum, I noted how RVP's absence due to injury was greatly affecting our squad and it would have the same impact as Drogba being out for Chelsea. I was told something to the effect of how nonsensical that was.

In the 11/12 season, a healthy RVP scored 30 league goals for Arsenal (and then we sold a title to United, but enough of that). What's my point? I don't understand how people can so confidently make claims, generalizations, or one-off points about clubs they don't follow closely.

I'm not saying you should follow the club more closely, or that without doing so your opinions are invalid. However, your point was that what we've done in the market would not "greatly improve" our squad—that is a ridiculous statement if you're at all familiar with how we ended the season.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I don't know that Iwobi is as good as outsiders rate him, and Willock plays centrally, not on the wing, just fyi.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I don't know that Iwobi is as good as outsiders rate him...

As of now, I think he's a great squad player. He can help change a game when brought on, depending on the game.

[JHedges2]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I don't know that Iwobi is as good as outsiders rate him, and Willock plays centrally, not on the wing, just fyi.

As of now, I think he's a great squad player. He can help change a game when brought on, depending on the game.

Very Jekyll and Hyde IMO; much like Mkhitaryan.

Some matches you watch him and say WOW. Other matches you watch him and say WOW--and are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I wish he’d stop trying to place his shots and instead just smash them. Whenever he scores it seems like it’s due to him just putting his foot through it.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

Ryan Shawcross broke his ankle today.


Not a single tear was shed.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

Also super excited for Xavier Amaechi to be the next Arsenal product to leave and flourish.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

Also super excited for Xavier Amaechi to be the next Arsenal product to leave and flourish.

We can't keep them all, and he turned down our contract extension.

It's all that damn Jadon Sancho's fault!

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

We can't keep them all, and he turned down our contract extension.

It's all that damn Jadon Sancho's fault!

my guess it was much like the Serge Gnabry situation where he wanted first-team minutes and Arsenal decided that they wouldn't promise that. While I'll applaud the club for being honest in those situations, it sucks to lose people like that.




Laca left today in a boot, hopefully he's not injured too badly.

[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

Laca left today in a boot, hopefully he's not injured too badly.

Word is a twisted ankle, taken off as a precaution.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

While I would probably prefer a centreback, if we get Tierney and Pepe across the line, I'd pretty happy with this window. We aren't title contenders, and we shouldn't buy like we are, I don't think the centreback market right now is particularly healthy, and it might be a good idea to take a turn in January to see if someone becomes available at a more reasonable rate, as opposed to overpaying slightly for one right now(See: Mustafi, Shkodran). Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal, Holding, Chambers can all slot in at centreback, and personally I'm a bit curious to see if Chambers can cut the mustard. I think first team time will do wonders for Chambers as well, he's got great versatility, but I hope that throughout this season he can make a position fully his and develop from there.

I think we should be able to fulfill our goals of challenging for the top 4, and have a complete buy-in to the system for Emery. My hope of all hopes is that we don't get in to a situation where Emery feels the need to change up what he wants to do because we are higher than we should be. I'm also far more interested in how we play against the bottom half of the Premier League because we often drop too many points down there, and obviously we'll all be keeping an eye on our away form to figure out if we can somehow stop that from getting worse.

[jb12780]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I heard a dirty rumor that Mustafi might be going to Roma.


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[JHedges2]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

and obviously we'll all be keeping an eye on our away form to figure out if we can somehow stop that from getting worse.

Wait, is that even possible...?

Also seeing rumor flying about Khederia potentially in on a free? That makes for an awfully crowded midfield...


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[Krebstar]

Re: ***The Official Arsenal Gunners" Thread***

I heard a dirty rumor that Mustafi might be going to Roma.


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Ornstein has confirmed that we're in talks with multiple clubs regarding his departure.

THIS IS IT!!!

Honestly, I'd rather see any minutes he would get go to Chambers or Medley. I don't care that they'll make mistakes—at least they're younger and will definitely be hungrier than Mustafi.

Ornstedin said Mustafi wants to stay and prove himself...what a joke. He's had years to prove himself, and if what we've seen is him trying to do so, yikes. If what we've seen is him not trying because he doesn't care and is too comfortable then it's even more of a reason to move him on.