January transfers

Arsenal boss Wenger 'honoured' by Valencia striker David Villa's come-and-get-me plea
Last updated at 14:49 18 April 2008


Arsene Wenger has admitted he is an admirer of Spain striker David Villa.
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The Valencia marksman revealed he fancied a move to the Barclays Premier League and said the attractive style of play at the Emirates Stadium made Arsenal his preferred destination - despite long-running interest from Chelsea.
Flattered Arsenal boss Wenger admitted: "He (David Villa) has said some very complimentary things about us which we take as a big honour.


I rate him highly as a player but I will not make concrete investigations for anyone at the moment.?
The Frenchman is instead concentrating on the final four games of the season but could be tempted by a swoop for Villa in the summer.
The 26-year-old has continued to impress at the Mestalla - scoring 11 in 20 La Liga games - despite Valencia's poor showing this season.
Valencia are fourth from bottom and fighting relegation, despite pre-season hopes that they would challenge for the title.
Earlier this week, Villa said: "I watch the Premier League a lot and the team I'm most attracted to is definitely Arsenal.
?Their brilliant one and two-touch football and the whole style of rapid counter-attack which dominates the top level of the Premier League now is the one which suits my game best of all.
?I think I'm made to succeed in England but of course it's one thing saying it and quite another getting there and then doing it.
?The Valencia president always told me he wouldn't sell me until summer 2008. If an offer comes in I'm hungry to test myself in England.?


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-560537/Arsenal-boss-Wenger-honoured-Valencia-striker-David-Villas-come-plea.html#ixzz2FTWMuu9M

Its not going to happen with villa but i too would jizz if we signed him lol. One of my all time fav players

First things first...get a back up keep in....I shit myself every time big shez goes down injured or from a rough one....a defensive mid...and a striker....

Be interesting to see who we get linked to....

Huntelaar demanding 100k a week according to tribalfootball.com

Go for it, I would think.

Personally...I think it would be a waste of time and money in huntelaar....at 29 not exactly young and if it took him a year to adapt..we would have a 30 year old in 100+k a week and still only be a probable hand full of goals to the better....and to be honest he was not that great at Milan or Real....if we could get him on a dirt cheap fee then take a punt at it...but if we are prepared to pay 100+k to someone then there could be some better options out there....take Ba for example,cost about the same could prob get him on slightly lower wages,prem ready,banging in goals at left right and center at the mo and at a better club I think he would be amazing......

Ba has issued a come get me plea to Arsenal saying, "Arsenal is the kind of club that makes you dream". Ba, who apparently has a £7m release clause in his contract would be a great signing for Arsenal who are in desperate need of a quality striker, having already scored 11 premier league goals this season. However Arsenal fans are (or should be) concerned by Ba's dodgy knee, apparently having a pin in his knee to keep it together. Knowing Arsenal's injury record, his knee who probably explode upon signing a contract with us and he'd be out indefinitely. I say we go for Papiss Cisse instead, not been good this season but already has proven last season that he can cut it. Especially considering that Ba was shit when Cisse was on fire so it could or could not work out with either of them, except with Ba you having a ticking time bomb.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/12/16/3608045/demba-ba-arsenal-are-the-kind-of-club-who-make-you-dream

On huntelaar for 100k? Screw that, he's wayy too old and limited a player to be earning that much with us. We could do A LOT better for 100k.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/klaas-jan-huntelaar-set-for-new-schalke-1497514

Huntelaar might not be an option anymore!

Anyone know much about this Strootman fellow?

I am assuming he is a defensive mid-fielder. How does he compare to the likes of Gilberto, Flamini, Song and Arteta?

Is he the real deal?

I would ideally want someone who is the perfect balance between Song and Arteta - nothing flashy but simple passing, good positioning and physically strong. Sounds like how people have been describing M'Vila.

Don't need a defensive mid-fielder in the Flamini mode - I feel Wilshere and Diaby (if ever fit) provide our team with the tempo Flamini used to (despite being our most defensive mid-fielder).

Ideal mid-field signing would still be Fellaini.

Upfront, though very welcome, Huntelaar, Villa and Ba are not ideal signings for one reason or the other.

We have been linked with him a few and I really do wish the club makes a real effort to sign Cavani.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/360155/Edinson-Cavani-agrees-to-talks-with-Arsenal-and-Liverpool-says-Napoli-star-s-agent

Been really impressed with Lewandowski the few times I have watched him play but if United are interested, we have no hope at all of signing him.

One Yoann Gourcuff please

Gourcuff had kinda been disappointing at Lyon mostly, not to mention at Milan. He was only ever very good at Bordeaux for 2 seasons. I think he'd be disappointing for us too, but ofcourse Wenger always gets the best out of french players.

Only strikers I'd well and truly be happy with are Cavani, Falcao or Lewandowski, all genuinely proven players. Lewandowski to United seems a bit farfetched to me considering they already have 2 of Europe's best strikers and a very good back up in Hernandez and a semi decent 4th choice back up with welbeck. He'd probably go to chelsea but if they sign Falcao I think we have a very realistic chance at getting him over any Italian teams since Real and Barca dont need him and also not city.

Gourcuff is still the best looking player around.

As for Cavani or Lewandowski, would be over the moon if we signed either. Genuinely exciting players.

Even if are in with a shout, Lewandowski certainly would be next to impossible to sign in January. Dortmund have got to believe they have a shot at CL glory this year.

Stopilla Sunzu will be signing for Reading if twitter is to be believed and Newcastle are signing Loic Remy.

Meshaal wrote:Stopilla Sunzu will be signing for Reading if twitter is to be believed and Newcastle are signing Loic Remy.

Could that last part be a sign that we're closing in on Ba or Cisse?

Hisham El Mawan wrote:

Meshaal wrote:Stopilla Sunzu will be signing for Reading if twitter is to be believed and Newcastle are signing Loic Remy.

Could that last part be a sign that we're closing in on Ba or Cisse?

Since I have exams nowadays, I have been thinking alot about Arsenal.

And yes - it might mean we are closer to getting Ba.

Seen some rumors linking us with Fellaini or M'vila too on twitter.

Ba and Fellaini / M'vila would be excellent signings for the January window though to be honest as much as we need Ba right now, it would be a short-term solution.

Should at any stage, the board / Wenger decide we need to challenge for honours, we need to bring in a striker or attacker of Cavani's caliber. A strike force of Ba / Giroud / Podolski / Walcott is not going to win the big games - need a forward of the highest quality for that.

So seeing as to how I am now in football manager fantasyland right now:

January -

In : Ba, Fellaini / M'vila / Strootman

Out : Arshavin, Chamakh, Santos

Followed by a finishing 3rd or 4th in the league, get past Bayern Munich in CL and a good run in the FA Cup.

Summer -

In : Cavani, Reina / Julio Cesar / Begovic, back-up LB

Out : Fabianski, Mannone, Squillaci

Next season, challenge for titles under a top-class new manager.

Meshaal wrote:

Hisham El Mawan wrote:

Meshaal wrote:Stopilla Sunzu will be signing for Reading if twitter is to be believed and Newcastle are signing Loic Remy.

Could that last part be a sign that we're closing in on Ba or Cisse?

Since I have exams nowadays, I have been thinking alot about Arsenal.

Shouldn't you be thinking about your exams?

no Huntelaar..

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11887/8353858/Arsenal-target-Klaas-Jan-Huntelaar-has-ended-speculation-over-his-future-by-signing-a-new-deal-at-Schalke

vyom.chaudhary wrote:no Huntelaar..

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11887/8353858/Arsenal-target-Klaas-Jan-Huntelaar-has-ended-speculation-over-his-future-by-signing-a-new-deal-at-Schalke

Quite glad really....8 odd million for a 29yo non premership proved at 100k a week is way over the odds...

All paper talk wasnt it, and so is Villa unfortunately.

Villa wouldn't move to any club in January, he's not a January singing! He'll stick around at Barca, no matter how annoying it is to play second fiddle to Messi.

Huntelaar might be a goal scorer but I don't think he would've solved all our problems anyway. There's no guarantee of his effectiveness in the English league and he's neither the quick sticker up front nor the striker who acts as the fulcrum of the side like Giroud can be. He just scores goals, yet if he doesn't do that then we're in trouble. In the long run I think Walcott is so limited, to throw money at him would be a piss take. The five players who have re-signed give us some sense of stability in the long run. To keep Theo and give him far more money than his true worth just so he can play PS3 games with Jack would beggar belief. A far more interesting player in the mould of player he claims to be is Loic Remy, who's not having a good time of it at Marseille this season.

The lack of a strong midfield is chronic but given that AW hasn't see fit to fix this gap in the squad since 2008 then I doubt he'll do it now. There are dozens of this type of player round Europe, all we need to do is make a good offer. The cancer of the mediocre player who we can't get rid of it because he's being paid inflated wages is our other big problem though. Ridiculous business model.

John Foxall wrote:Villa wouldn't move to any club in January, he's not a January singing! He'll stick around at Barca, no matter how annoying it is to play second fiddle to Messi.

Huntelaar might be a goal scorer but I don't think he would've solved all our problems anyway. There's no guarantee of his effectiveness in the English league and he's neither the quick sticker up front nor the striker who acts as the fulcrum of the side like Giroud can be. He just scores goals, yet if he doesn't do that then we're in trouble. In the long run I think Walcott is so limited, to throw money at him would be a piss take. The five players who have re-signed give us some sense of stability in the long run. To keep Theo and give him far more money than his true worth just so he can play PS3 games with Jack would beggar belief. A far more interesting player in the mould of player he claims to be is Loic Remy, who's not having a good time of it at Marseille this season.

The lack of a strong midfield is chronic but given that AW hasn't see fit to fix this gap in the squad since 2008 then I doubt he'll do it now. There are dozens of this type of player round Europe, all we need to do is make a good offer. The cancer of the mediocre player who we can't get rid of it because he's being paid inflated wages is our other big problem though. Ridiculous business model.

Brilliant post.

Personally I don't think losing Walcott hurts Wenger as much as losing Fabregas, Nasri and van Persie did - he is just talking the contract up alot to get other clubs to bid big money in January.

I hope you're right. However, in our current position selling any of our forwards can't be defended in January.

Arshavin and Chamakh will eke out every last pence of their contracts so we can't get rid of them. I don't think Gervinho can ever be considered a starter, what he can do is be a sub that gives us energy and scares the opposition (and his team-mates sadly) on the break. Podolski just doesn't make a big enough impact apart from his goals (what Jonathan Wilson among others predicted before he signed), so we really need Walcott, whatever position he plays in. The truth is that we've got ourselves a really strange bunch of forwards, almost all of whom pose some kind of problem. There is no straight-forward player that can be relied upon. It's no good saying that we need a world-class start, we haven't signed one since Bergkamp. But we've been successful in the meantime through signing players that have real talent even if it's raw.

The problem now is that we've signed too many players with limited talent (some really ridiculous signings such as Almunia and Chamakh) who simply aren't in the right bracket of player for an aspiring club like is, or players who for one reason or another just can't improve (Gervinho and Walcott.) If it were easy to identify a future forty-goal-a-season striker then all clubs would be doing it, but Gervinho and Chamakh sure never ticked enough boxes.

I don't think the problem is that we've signed many with limited talent. Happens at every club. It is that the ones that have turned out to be brilliant have all left (Cesc, RVP, Nasri, Ade, now Walcott)