People underrate those squads now, they were old squads but elite players. Vidic and Rio were considered the best CB pairing usually, they had the best array of strikers usually, Rooney was considered world class then and Carrick was a top class CM, alongside ageing greats like Scholes and Giggs.
Not to mention they had about 10 or 15 signings costing much more than our transfer record at the time.
Yeah, That squad was fine. They just aged when Moyes came in.
The only area they were poor at was central midfield.
It’s true that Cazorla won’t feature for us much this season but he is still here and is still earning a lot of money.
But, most importantly, he hasn’t been replaced even though he has been one of our most influential players, and I consider his injury one of the main reasons why we dropped out of the top four.
So whatever happens, Ozil, Sanchez and Cazorla will need replacing and we all know that isn’t going to happen.
Ozil
Sanchez
Cazorla
CB
CM
Backup for Bellerin
We are so fucked next summer.
I agree that strengthening s rival like we did selling RVP to Man U was unacceptable but it would be worse if, after this season, Man U got Ozil for nothing and he went on to win the PL title with them.
It should never have got to this situation.
The fact that our only two world class players could both leave for our rivals, and for free, is a disgrace, especially as we know they won’t be adequately replaced.
You keep saying this and we obviously need a rebuild. We won’t necessarily get the same standard of player but shifting away from a number 10 to a 4-3-3 may help us. We’ll have plenty of wages and funds to throw at players with about 500k-600k a week or more in wages freed up. The likes of Griezman, Dybala, Bale, Fekir, Lemar, Forsberg are all looking at moves next summer. If the big clubs go for Ozil/Alexis they probably don’t get one of those in the same window. Then there’s lesser talents like Mahrez and Barkley. PSG might shift one of Dimaria or Draxler. There will be a merry go round of talent.
We either get some young talent or re-sign our best players, happy days
Better let them go to rivals at 30 than 29. Does anyone really want a 33yo Ozil jogging around on 300k-400k a week? Losing a player slightly before their 30th birthday is usually the best time to lose them.
I think the talents like Mahrez and Barkley are the ones we are likely to sign, just to confirm or new found stature of 5th/6th and being a Europa League club. Obviously I’m hoping its the likes of Dybala and Fekir though lol.
If we got one of the elite players you said, like Fekir, Dybala, Bale, Griezman, Lenard, etc, and one of the second tier bu still very good players like Mahrez, Barkley or Draxler, that would represent a decent window, even if we do lose Ozil, Sanchez and Cazorla.
It would show a semblance of ambition if we also sorted out the GK position as well.
But I have seen enough transfer windows to know this isn’t going to happen although I would prefer it if you were right.
Dybala will goto one of Barce, Real or United and Fekir probably the same. It’s obvious that both are the next big thing. We only got Ozil and Alexis because we were the richest club willing to pay the fee and wages. United turned down Ozil and went for Dimaria instead of Alexis.
I could see something like this happening:
Barce; Dybala, Greizman
Real: Fekir, Aguero
City: Alexis, Messi (yes it’s rumoured)
United: Ozil, Bale
Cheslea: Draxler
PSG: Complete Mbappe and sell
Bayern: The German national team
Arsenal: whoevers left over they don’t want which would leave Mata (free), Forsberg, Lemar, Mahrez, Barkley
Ultimately we’ll get about 3 players for numbers alone unless Asano or Perez come back
Just on a short note.
We played that 4-2-3-1 for quite a few years… and then started to use 3-4-3 from the end of last season… players are not yet comfortable and fully adapted to this formation, and we switch to 4-3-3 next season or so???
Don’t think this is a good idea.
If only we signed Fekir in the summer just gone before he just started dominating.
Before anyone knew if he’d recover from that very serious injury? Aulas is no fool either, he isn’t selling one of the best prospects in world football until he reaches his potential. We were scouting him before his injury though, we rated him higher than Lacazette a few years back by all accounts
It’s not ideal but we have to take some risks if we want to land top quality, as you said yourself no way we can compete to sign top quality once they have reached their potential.
While it might appear that we have no clear replacements identified for Alexis and Ozil, I think there is a plan afoot here. The recent appointment of Sven “Diamond Eye” Misnlintat as the head of recruitment at Arsenal is the first piece of the puzzle. I wouldn’t be surprised if we sign a few young, unheard of players in January, players that might go on to feature in the first squad next season. I think we know we can’t compete with City, PSG and United for the best players out there. I mean, even if we have the money, the best players don’t want to come to us. So we plan to go the Dortmund way. We will still probably make 1 or 2 big money signings, if Arsene is really interested but for the most part, I think we are going to rely on uncovering young talent and making them superstars.
This would be the ideal scenario but you are assuming Wenger has some sort of transfer strategy.
The fact we are in this mess where next season we won’'t have any world class players would suggest that we have no transfer strategy other than the bare minimum.
Even with 200m to spend, how are we going to convinces any top quality player to come here?
From the outside we look about the most unambitious club in Europe and all our best players are leaving.
I don’t think we’re as bad as you’re suggesting to be honest. Yeah we probably won’t attract the top tier of players. But we’re still a big club - decent players will still want to play for us, Lacazette signed for us after he knew we were in the Europa League. Liverpool have signed decent players while being out of the CL too. There is lots of talent out there. The clubs bigger/better than us can’t buy ALL the decent players.
We have a lot to offer. We pay high wages, we’re in London, this season aside we’re a CL staple and we have a funny social media team. What more could you want?!
I feel like he’s generally well accepted that he only signed for us because of Atletico’s transfer ban and he’d made it so clear to Lyon he wanted to leave that he couldn’t stay. I think we were a convenient out for him.
There are always going to be good players who could improve us who we will represent a convenient out for
Fine by me. Maybe we can be a convenient move for Mbappe one day too.
Anyway, selling players on to bigger clubs is something we’ve always done.
I agree we could sign top quality players and that Lacazette came here knowing we weren’t in the CL but he also knew that he would be playing alongside Ozil and Sanchez, which would be very tempting for any striker.
Next season they won’t be here and we are going to be struggling for the top four trophy again.
If we don’t qualify for the CL this season, then it is less likely we will the following season as well, and we will have dropped down to a level where it will be even more difficult to attract good players.
This is true but we lack the ambition, and there is a clear reluctance to spend what it takes to win, or even challenge, for the top trophies.
As I said, we could sign world class players, but since we have been at the Emirates we have only signed two, and they are leaving, and Wenger only signed them because they were available at a price even he couldn’t turn down.
Any club who has ambitions of competing for the top competitions have to have top quality players, and after this season and we will be the only top European club without a single world class player and I don’t see that changing while Wenger is the manager and Kroenke is the owner.