All New Summer 2008 Transfer Merry Go Round/Rumour Mill

Twinblade

Twinblade

Twinblade

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Well then. There are only 3 league games remaining until yet another season is closed and then it will be the ever annoying and highly entertaining time of the transfer market.

The annoying Davedev is touted Berbatov around to anyone who might want him and as ever the man himself is keepig quiet, rumours are Robinson and possibly Ledley King are leaving WHL also, and we are linked with Gomez as the replacement between the sticks.

There have also been suggestions we want to raid Scotland again for the now Player and Young Player of the Year Aiden McGeady.

Arsenal are considered by some to be looking at making wholesale changes, with rumours of Flamini and Hleb moving on, and possibly Adebayor.

If the rumours are true that the Special One is off to Inter, will the likes of Drogba and Lampard join him in Milan?

The tabloids and SSN are already awash with articles on who is going where and who is not wanted there. So, who are you hoping your team keep hold of this summer? Who would you like your club to sell, and as the summer draws on, who have you been linked with, are your impressed with the signings/rumours?

Lets here your thoughts.
 
Spurs have apparently being linked with a £3m swoop for Getafe defender Daniel Diaz and also there are rumours on Setanta News that we are also preparing to end Tal Ben Haim's hell at Chelski.

Why oh why we will want that muppet is anyones guess. We appear to be going from 1 extreme with not enough defenders to the other end with far too many.

Also, Cerny has come out and said he will be leaving WHL this summer, and if the rumours are true that we are letting Robinson go ('Boro look interested in him as it is suggested Schwarzer is leaving there) then we need a new keeper. We already have Alnwick who would make a capable number 2, but wouldn't mind us stealing Carson from under Villa's nose.

Personally I don't think we need to spend heavily in the summer as we have the players there to finish in the top 5, just need to ensure we spend enough to keep Berbatov at the club.
 
Fubsy said:
Well look what happened to Arsenal. They simply didn't have the depth for them to cope with the sheer amount of games they had to play with their small (i say small as their "first" team selection is small) squad.
If Arsenal had spent say an another £30m on 2 more players they may still be sat at the top of the league, as they would have been able to cope with the injuries and tough fixture list.
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Thats the problem though. Wenger doesn't appear to want to spend big money on signing established players. He would rather buy in young and unknown talen and hope they can cut it.

I have heard reports that Carlos Vela is going to be used more next season by Arsenal, but again, he isnt proven in the Premiership. He is currently playing on loan at Osasuna and has only netted 3 goals in 24 appearances. Is he realistically the goal scoring answer that Arsenal need?
 
B1gbeard said:
Aye but Arsenal clearly need to invest in a bit of depth. How Man Utd or Chelsea need to is beyond me when you look at their benches.

It seems to be a clear attempt to buy up all of the best talent to prevent other teams from doing so and would be considered a monopoly in most other businesses.

Its mostly the attitude of the fans though that still expect their team to spend and spend regardless of current squad.
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If you look at United though. They have signed Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani last season with the intention or phasing out Giggs and Scholes because they are past their best and cannot compete at the top level game in game out this season.

It is what United do better than many other clubs. Sir Alex recognised that Scholes and Giggs can no longer cope, and knew they would have 1 at most 2 bit part seasons left in them. So bringing in the replacements early to get used to the way United play, get them the experience early, so when the old guys retire the young guns are ready to slot straight in without upsetting the team fluidity.
 
Tunney said:
Well the rumours are that Dawson, Gardner, Kaboul and Chimbonda are on their way out of WHL. Bringing in two new players isn't over the top but I'm afraid we're going to do our usual trick of replacing mediocrity with mediocrity. :(
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I having to agree with you here.

In an ideal and injury free world, our back four should be Bale, Woodgate, King and Hutton. However with King's knee problems, and possibilities that Ramos might not want him to stay we could do with keeping Dawson.

He could use the pre-season to get used to playing alongside Woodgate and we can go from there. Its obvious we need to strengthen the team in some areas, but buying players that no-one has heard of isnt always the answer. Granted it can sometimes work, but more often than not it doesnt.

Out of the four rumoured to be leaving only Gardner would be ideal for me. Kaboul could do with another season, Chimbo is a moaner, and I wouldn't miss him if he went, but until Bale is fit he is coping at left back.

Its the midfield we need to look at too. We usually buy midfielders in abundance, but as of late we lack quality in there, and really need a left sided one.
 
I have read rumours on google sports news that Arsenal have moved swiftly to snap up Mark Milligan of Sydney FC. Apparently the 22 year old Australian Full Back has quit Sydney FC to seal the deal.

Obviously this is the type of player than Arsenal fans are after to help regain their hold on the Premiership.
 
Tunney said:
I disagree.

At the back we have King, Woodgate, Hutton and Bale. That's a decent back four when they're all fit. Add another quality CB and we'll be sorted.

In midfield and attack, we're going to need several new players. It's obvious that Berbatov is off so we need someone to replace him. Modric should fill the AM position well but he'll need a decent DM along side him. Lennon might be off and Malbraque does a job on the left wing but I'm sure we could find better. That's potentially a whole new midfield for the 08/09 season.

I might have to get Keane on my shirt to be on the safe side. I'm sure they'll be a few shock departures before the end of the close season.
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I am not disagreeing with the quality we have at the back, but the stats speak for themselves. We have a shocking defence (one of the worst in the league).

Granted, Bale and King have rarely figured, but thats even more reason to strengthen the backline as those coming in are not capable of filling the gap enough to keep clean sheets, you can also include the DM in the defensive problems, because it is their job to provide defensive support.

Attacking wise we havent had a problem this season, we have scored more goals than most teams. Admittedly we havent killed teams off enough and thats something we need to address when we look at Berbatov's replacement (like you I agree with him being off in the summer).

With Berbatov, there is no doubt he is world class but he doesnt do himself any favours with his attitude. He was served us well in the last 2 seasons and has forged a superb partnership with Robbie. However, someone who lacks commitment shouldnt be part of the squad, and hopefully we can get the rumoured £25m for him and bring in a world class replacement.
 
Crouch and Defoe wouldn't be a bad partnership. Also, if they hit it off and start scoring bucket loads. We know both players can, then you have an instant England partnership.
 
It could just be what Ar5ena1 need though. They have failed to land the Premierleague title and not succeeded in Europe so maybe a change of personnel and a rebuilt team under Wenger might bring the fresh new look to spur them on next season.

I wouldn't be worried about them sending the wrong message about not payng the likes of Flamini and Hleb huge wage packets and not being able to compete. Personally, neither player has done enough to warrant a hugh pay deal, thus being on par with some of the biggest names at the club.

Arsene knows what he is doing, and if a big named player became available, I am sure he will do what is necessary to lure him there.

Still hope they dont though, and we can nick 4th from them next season ;)
 
CliffyG said:
Why on earth would Wenger be interested in Thuram, if im not mistaken hes a left or right back and we have 2 of the best in the league already. Silly rumour.
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Thuram has been playing centre back for the past few seasons now because he is old and past it.

Still, it shows the level of ambition that Wenger has now if players who are on the verge of retirement are his main transfer targets.
 
I always read/hear that players want to play for the best teams in the world. Given that the World Club Cup is both a waste of time and rarely gets given any coverage, I would consider the winners of the Champions League as the current best team in the world.

Therefore, it would put both Manchester United and Chelsea as the best 2 teams in the world. Therefore, I cannot understand why he would want to leave United...Oh yeah, its for the money :rolleyes:
 
Although it pains me to say it, Nasri would be a good signing for Arsenal, obviously providing he lives up to his potential and doesn't just become another foreign import who fails to adapt.

I have watched a fair bit of Ligue 1 football on Sky and he looks a decent player, and isnt afraid to have a shot.
 
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