Arsenal

[pornomagboy]

Would take that Wiltshire fella of them once fit

 

[GreersElbow]

Could do a job?

Personally, if he wants money more than he wants football - let him go, I don't think he's the spectacular player many Arsenal fans make him out to be. He's good, very good. Just hasn't reached the potential he could have under Wenger.

I can't see him making many starts for City if he goes, probably end up being another Nasri, either start on the bench, or end up on the bench before the full 90 minutes. Liverpool would massively improve their strength if they got him, Rogers' style of play would suit Walcott. Should be interesting nonetheless.

 

[Falkor]

Would take that Wiltshire fella of them once fit

He never will be imo, has Ashton all over it again imo

 

[Tricky Dicky]

As a side-note, I saw the Arsenal line-up before their game at the w/e thought it must be the weakest team they've fielded for many years.

 

[Simster]

Arsenal offered him £75k a week and Walcott has turned it down.

Delusions of grandeur with bells on. Mind you, he's obviously seemed what perma-sweaty fat overrated scouser Wayne Rooney somehow managed to extract from Manchester United...

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

I have NEVER understood this 'he doesn't have a footballing brain'.

That's rubbish to be honest.

I'd agree with saying he is more 'reactionary' in that his best things are when he has to make a decision on the spot rather than having 5 seconds to make a decision. However he VERY good last year and got A LOT of assists (13).

I still think he'll agree his contract though.

 

[Rugrat]

There's a sheep thing going on at Arsenal, one out all out. I reckon Wenger is past his sell by date, they need a new face and someone to whip up a bit of excitement there

 

[Gritt23]

I don't think Walcott became the player they wanted him to be. Bullet-paced, yes, but still can't really provide that killer ball or position himself well enough to either be on the end of other people's hard work or help out in defence. If they get £12m for him now, they should be fairly pleased, i think.

Agreed. they took a big expensive gamble on a young talent that hasn't really trained-on in the way that people expected. he still shows flashes of his potential (2nd half vs Spurs last season) but just cannot deliver regularly. Seeing as it was an expensive gamble that hasn't come off, getting £12m back looks like good business to me.

Oxtail-Chamberpot looks a VERY different player to me, as he is developing very nicely so far. Another season of development like the last and he is a nailed on England starter every game, something Walcott has never quite managed, despite undoubted raw talent.

 

[JBizzle]

Honestly, I don't see this being a big problem for Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain is already proving a more disciplined and consistent footballer, plus Walcott's issue has always been his staggering lack of consistency. None week, he'll score twice in a sensational comeback against Spurs, the next he'll stink the place out and be unable ton control the ball.

In my opinion, he's had a unique chance under the one of the best coaches for developing young players in the world and frankly I don't think he's taken that chance. If you look at other young players under Wenger, Walcott has been a disappointment with some very memorable performances but now they have Podolski, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho, their wide options are sufficient.

As for Arsenal, they'll still finish top 4.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

There's a sheep thing going on at Arsenal, one out all out. I reckon Wenger is past his sell by date, they need a new face and someone to whip up a bit of excitement there

I think he is doing a phenomenal job considering he is living within his means (in budget). You see what the likes of Liverpool and Spurs have done with their money and can only be in awe of what Wenger has done with his.

His problem is, he has been so PHENOMENALLY consistant for about 15 years that people have lost context when he has a tiny blip.

 

[grummitts gloves]

Wenger took Henry from Juve and converted him from a winger to a striker and it obviously worked well. Walcott was a striker at Saints and Wenger tried to make him a winger. Massive fail. As said before, Walcott is an instinctive player. He could of and should of been the next Michael Owen in terms of style of play.

Arsenal owners are losing the plot. Selling all your best players and not re investing is crazy. I know they wanted to make sure the Emirates was all paid for as quickly as possible but they make huge amounts of money and don't give enough to Wenger to let him compete with the top clubs. The top players have left because the club shows lack of ambition. How long before the crowds start dropping because they are paying top dollar and getting nothing in return?

If and when Wenger leaves, I'd be very interested to hear the real story. I think it maybe a case of him keeping a dignified silence about the owners attitude towards the club all the while he is in their employment. How can he be happy to see his team go from an outfit that went a whole season unbeaten to not winning anything for 7 years?

 

[Storer 68]

I don't think so as Arsenal paid a lot less than the original fee for Walcott as it was supposed to be in three payments yet they were desperate for cash at the time so doubt no sell on clause.

It is understood Walcott has been offered an improved five-year deal worth £75,000-a-week.

If no agreement can be reached, reports suggest Arsenal will sell him before the 31 August transfer deadline.

Blimey, turn down a five year deal netting him £19.5 millions in the hope of getting something better!!! And he's not even a regular. Not suprised that Arsenal's owners are looking very hard at their bottom line,

The only pressure on Wenger is to make the latter stages of the Chapions League. Arsenal can forget about winning the PL as ManUre and mancity have taken this out arsenals' stratosphere financially and clubwise. Best they can hope for his third place behind the manchester clubs, unless someting goes spectaulalry wrong

 

[Rugrat]

I think he is doing a phenomenal job considering he is living within his means (in budget). You see what the likes of Liverpool and Spurs have done with their money and can only be in awe of what Wenger has done with his.

His problem is, he has been so PHENOMENALLY consistant for about 15 years that people have lost context when he has a tiny blip.

I don't disagree with any of that, only that I think it might be time for a change there, the real impact of the key departures may well be felt for the first time this season. I s'pose a lot depends on what the key objectives of the club are, to win stuff or make (not lose) money. The two things aren't mutually exclusive but the current trend of splashing out big bucks for fairly ordinary players (Jarvis and Fletcher this week) seems to be on the up and Wenger will need all his shrewdness if he is to survive I reckon, and that assumes he will want to.

 

[shaolinpunk]

The race for fourth spot should be pretty interesting this season - with Arsenal seemingly imploding there will be a number of teams who think that if things go their way they could sneak in. Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle must all be in with a shout, with Liverpool, Everton and perhaps even Swansea thinking that if they can take points off of the other teams challenging they'll be in contention

 

[Storer 68]

The race for fourth spot should be pretty interesting this season - with Arsenal seemingly imploding there will be a number of teams who think that if things go their way they could sneak in. Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle must all be in with a shout, with Liverpool, Everton and perhaps even Swansea thinking that if they can take points off of the other teams challenging they'll be in contention

hardly imploding mehinks. The board have just got a different set of priorities (pay for the ground) at the moment than the manager (invest in better players than I've got). and if the race for 4th (FFS) is the best thng the Premier League has got going for it, then there is no point even being in it

I think the move of van Persie to ManUre speaks volumes for the lack of ambition at Arsenal at the moment. No trophies in 7 years and losing the one player who has carried them for that time to their closest rivals must indicate a slipping down of their abiity to compete at this level. their place has been taken by ManCity as the only challege to ManUre.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I think the move of van Persie to ManUre speaks volumes for the lack of ambition at Arsenal at the moment. No trophies in 7 years and losing the one player who has carried them for that time to their closest rivals must indicate a slipping down of their abiity to compete at this level. their place has been taken by ManCity as the only challege to ManUre.

Without RvP they probably wouldn't have finished in the top half last year, and that was his first injury-free season for a while.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Arsenal owners are losing the plot. Selling all your best players and not re investing is crazy. I know they wanted to make sure the Emirates was all paid for as quickly as possible but they make huge amounts of money and don't give enough to Wenger to let him compete with the top clubs. The top players have left because the club shows lack of ambition. How long before the crowds start dropping because they are paying top dollar and getting nothing in return?

If and when Wenger leaves, I'd be very interested to hear the real story. I think it maybe a case of him keeping a dignified silence about the owners attitude towards the club all the while he is in their employment. How can he be happy to see his team go from an outfit that went a whole season unbeaten to not winning anything for 7 years?

But they have re-invested. Giroud, Cazorla and Podolski which cost about 35m in total and maybe another play or two before the window shuts

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

But they have re-invested. Giroud, Cazorla and Podolski which cost about 35m in total

Or one Andy Carroll....

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Without RvP they probably wouldn't have finished in the top half last year, and that was his first injury-free season for a while.

You're suggesting Arsenal would have finished 23 points worse off?

REALLY?