Ah right. I agree that he should be a squad player at Arsenal, but realistically if he signs he'll be our best striker. I actually think that him and Giroud (although embarrassingly short of what the Manchester clubs have to choose from) might work as a partnership up front, although of course we won't play 4-4-2.safcftm wrote:Regarding part a, Ba isn't going to the ACON this season because Senegal didn't qualify so if he signs you've got a full half season with him.northbank123 wrote:Huge assumption really, Wouldn't be surprised one bit to see him go QPR.
At the end of the day the chances are that he will score goals in some capacity. Although this capacity will undoubtedly be reduced when cast up front with only Gervinho and Ramsey either side for support.
But he ain't worth having a ***** over because:
a) He's going to the African Nations (I think) and at best he'll miss several weeks, at worst he'll be completely knackered afterwards.
b) He ain't world class by any means.
I would quite happily take him but he's not fit to shine van Persie's boots.
IMO Ba is a very good player, much better than the hideously overhyped Cissé. Being one of those who enjoys watching Newcastle lose I watch pretty much all of their games that don't clash with Sunderland matches so have seen a fair bit of the lad. He's got a good touch, puts himself about and is a good finisher in addition to being handy in the air (although far from being a target man). The issue with him is obviously the injury risk, for £8m he would be a very sensible squad addition but most people think his knees are a bit of a ticking time bomb and it would be just typical if someone signed him and he broke down soon after!
Whilst I think he's a good player though, I'd only see him being a squad player for Arsenal. Firstly, if Walcott is to be given chances up front that would mean having to play 4-4-2 but Ba has always looked much more effective when played as a lone striker (hence him and Cissé hardly ever partnering each other for Newcastle, one tends to be stuck on the wing). Secondly, although his touch is good for a big lad and he can finish, he isn't great at linking play and I think your passing style means the striker needs not only to be able to pull the ball down but also to be able to hold it up and play good passes to the likes of Wilshere, Podolski and Cazorla.
I think he'd score more than Giroud, but not by enough to make him a class signing and it would mean no central berth for Walcott. If Arsenal were to get a new striker they should be setting their targets higher because a player who could do a job as a squad player isn't really what you need. Llorente is no doubt a bit over optimistic but I think Dzeko would be a good signing for Arsenal, very good player who simply hasn't been getting the run of games he needs at City, the problem (as always with them) would be wage demands but then they're probably used to having to contribute to at least some of the wages of their ex players! He'd be a much better fit for what you need than Ba but for £8m Ba would probably get you around 8-10 goals a season even if given a bit of a bit part role.
Dzeko is class but Mancini would have to be an idiot to let him go. He's the only reason they're still in touching distance, having a player who can rescue you 1/2/3 points from a game where you've been gash for 80 minutes it absolutely priceless. Besides, he'd probably go to Italy because somebody there will happily pay him well over £100k/w.
I actually think Llorente would be more realistic given that he's out of contract in 6 months and isn't quite good enough to really feature on the radar of the top clubs.
I've heard a lot about Ba's 'injury risk' but looking at his stats he's played 33 and 36 games in the past two seasons (for clubs not in Europe) and has already racked up 20 this season, not really that bad, has he has a long-term injury in the past or something?
For me Llorente is a big target man who would have worked well in highbury back in the day but will not suit the vast spaces on the pitch at the bowl. I also don't see the point in buying another target man when we already have Giroud - you can argue whether he is good enough or not but surely if we buying a striker then it should be a different type of striker especially given the appalling service from our crosses 
) so it wouldn't surprise me tbh
