Soldato
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Several players did, I don't read much into friendlies. Jenas was woefull!
**Summer Transfer Thread: News, Rumours and Speculation**
- Thread starter daz.wallace
- Start date
Well, in his last season he started a grand total of 7 games meeting the criteria, so less than half. Not saying he has a bad record, just that 'negative' stats like that (i.e. saying we only dropped x number of points under certain conditions) always set alarm bells ringing for me, as it disguises the sample size.
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Fair point.
For what it's worth, he done his knee ligaments and missed half of that season. The previous season he played 31 of 38 league games and without checking, i'd guess the majority games he missed were away games.
Fair point. Maybe the reason why we may go for somebody like Silva as competition for Riera is because he comes inside. We've already got Riera who sticks to the wing.
I've mentioned before (regarding Babel) that with Torres up front and the way we play, that I don't think we need old fashioned type wingers who get to the bye-line but more tricky players with close control who can come infield and link up with Gerrard.
Woody is injured, I think King is just being wrapped in cotton wool for the season to start. No point him playing friendlies or training, he is just naturally awesome.
Hahaha you actually said that.
Yes, funnily enough, in a league of 20 teams, we do know that we won't get 40 league games out of a player.
Caporegime
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He only confirmed what i've been thinking; He's clueless.
Or, maybe there is a secret plan to increase the size of the PL?
Soldato
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Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Arsenal defender Kolo Toure in a deal worth £15m, while the Eastlands club also expect to sign Chelsea captain John Terry and Everton defender Joleon Lescott by the end of August.
Full story: Sunday Times
WHAT?!?! We are selling Toure??????
We finally booster our defence and then we sell one going back to square one? Tell me this isnt true.
Full story: Sunday Times
WHAT?!?! We are selling Toure??????
We finally booster our defence and then we sell one going back to square one? Tell me this isnt true.
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Yeah. I can't see him leaving, it has always been about engineering a new contract with Chelsea for Terry.
This whole transfer saga come the end will see Terry still wearing a Chelsea shirt with the added bonus of a 30-40% increase in wage.
The whole team looked a little off, I just put it down to pre-season friendly
As for this mornings news, just no. We need to be getting rid of these type of players not bringing them in
MW
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Would you turn down £1m a month?
City have been sniffing around Toure for ages, I think Hughes rates him highly.
What annoys me is the prices being mentioned, we could probably get around £15m from a 'normal' clubs, but I'd be wanting over £20m from Man City. Especially as they are arguably our biggest rivals for 4th spot.
IMO he's versatile player who can also play RB or in midfield (I'd like to see him tried alongside Cesc) and I don't really see the logic in selling him for £15m when it would cost around that to replace him.
Soldato
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I am hoping this is paper talk. £25m and I wouldnt mind but like you said we would have to spend £10-15m for a replacement who would probably be another "promising youngster"
Caporegime
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Why replace him, we have Djourou remember
Wenger does this every year, have a season where injuries led to inadequate cover, buy someone, send another guy on loan or sell them leaving us back to where we started. It does my head in, even more so that, anyone care to guess how much Silvestre is on per week? Considering titles won at Utd, time there, a few contract's probably, he must have been over 60k with time left on his contract so I can't imagine him leaving Arsenal to also sit on the bench for much less?
You could argue he is maybe at the age where he's thinking about coaching and helping other players, but considering the way he's playing, as in, terribly, I don't see what an inexperienced coach who is crap in the first team offers to Arsenal.
Toure will probably be happy to leave, he was extremely uphappy at Xmas when he handed in a transfer request and was barely a part of the first team for long spells of the first half of the season. Remember those frequent injuries that magically healed themselves if anyone else became unavailable, then, off the pitch he'd again pick up a knock when someone was fit again. This by the way from one of the players who in the past 4 years generally never missed a game. I think Wenger mistreated him, dropped him, and again ate his words as when he got 2-3 games in a row he and Gallas again looked very formidable.
If we lose Toure and Senderos we're again back to last season just Verm in for Toure, any injury and we're back down to Silvestre/Djourou/Song which always left us looking awful at the back.
Not sure why you think we'd buy a replacement. Wengers always done this two centre backs and turd cover routine, its bitten us in the ass in all but one season that I can remember. With Verm in already as a replacement for Toure I always expected one of Toure or Gallas to leave, especially after the way they've been treated by Wenger this year. Remember everything seems to point to the fact that Gallas isn't signing(and might not even be offered because of Wenger) a new contract so he's likely to walk for nothing end of this coming season.
As for Terry and the 1million a month offer, wasn't the offer always 250k a week, even when this was mentioned 3-4 weeks ago, did the Daily Fail really take a month to work out whast 250k x 4 = ?
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Not always, we had Bould as cover for Adams and Keown, Keown as cover for Adams and Campbell, Upson as cover for Campbell and Keown, and Keown as cover for Campbell and Toure.
It's only really been the last 5 years where quality cover has been lacking, which (hopefully) should now be resolved with the purchase of Vermaelen.
Soldato
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I think Crouch will bring more to the team than Bent so that's an upgrade that should even leave us with a profit as we'll surely get more than £10m for him. Bruce has also confirmed Sunderland are in talks with Bent.The whole team looked a looked a little off, I just put it down to pre-season friendly
As for this mornings news, just no. We need to be getting rid of these type of players not bringing them in
MW
Also apparently Spurs have accepted an offer of £7m from Everton for Hutton. Not too happy about that really. I see Everton, Villa and City as our biggest rivals and closest to our level.... we shouldn't be selling players to them, apart from crap ones of course! http://www.clubcall.com/everton/everton-agree-fee-tottenham-ace-925396.html
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You'd probably struggle to get £7m from most clubs though, I think with the arrival of Naughton and Walker it was only a matter of time before Spurs would look to recoup some of that investment.
Along with Man City, Spurs now have arguably the most in-depth strikeforce in the league (5 £10m+ strikers) so it would make sense to offload Bent
Along with Man City, Spurs now have arguably the most in-depth strikeforce in the league (5 £10m+ strikers) so it would make sense to offload Bent
Caporegime
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Since Adams retired we've had trouble, Keown wasn't at all bad but he was always ever so slightly lacking, and he was ageing and really slightly slow. Upson was a left back with Arsenal, barely played, was barely cover and wasn't 1/10th the player now that he was then. Keown after Toure was here, was really on his last legs and wasn't great cover. But I really meant the last 5-6 years anyway. We had one of the best defensive line ups around with Adam's and campbell and without many injuries, but since then Wengers just not been willing to get any quality cover in.
I personally quite like Cygan and Senderos but both are players that one game here and there, are horrible, they are form players, Cygan has actually looked pretty damn good since he left because he was in the first team a lot when he left. He had good runs with us and hell even had a barnstormer of a few games at left back bombing up the wing knocking people out the way with his momentum and even getting a few good crosses in. Also got a brace in a fantastic defensive performance of a game when he had some form. Senderos looked a joke as cover for a while then got a run in the team and we had a make shift back 4 get a defensive record in the champs league.
Really for cover you can't buy a first team player elsewhere and hope they'll be ok with no form, you should buy a good cover player from another team so you know they can step up when needed. Senderos, Cygan, Djourou, Song, Hoyte(s) and a couple others here and there are all horrible in the odd game.
Chelsea even last year have 3 truly great centrebacks on their books with another couple capable of playing there also. Pool and Utd have far better cover defenders also. Our end season was horrible, losing a bunch of embarrasingly poor games due to Gallas and Toure not playing.
Last year aswell, what on earth was the point of bringing in Silvestre on bigger wages than Senderos then shipping Senderos off, who would have been a damn sight better when we needed that 3rd defender throughout the year. Bringing in Verm was a great move IF we keep both Toure and Gallas, if we sell one, its simply a sideways move that seems completely pointless, break up a great partnership on the hopes of a good partnership?