SUMMER TRANSFERS - Your thoughts on who did and did not sign

[Justin-AFC]

I fell for it. I admit it. I actually f**king fell for it. I actually believed Ivan the Terrible and AW. I thought this summer was going to be different. Yet again we have made a laughing stock out of ourselves. We are only flirting with world class players so the fans won't kick off. It is getting f**king annoying to be honest. Agree with the last poster. Remy and M'bia on the last day and if we are lucky a 4th place finish. How the f**k Napoli took Higuain from under our noses I will never know. At least we got an injured 20 year old called Yaya

[g88ner]

Last minute panic buy of Remy and Mbia from QPR, I'm telling ya!!

Dont forget Ba or Cisse

Ah, no need to panic... still a month before the window shuts

[swimmer1]

what a bunch of amateurs we are cringworthy

[northbank123]

frankly our back 4 are average at best.

Second best in the league. Keep hearing criticism of our defence.
Was defending that scrabbled us into the CL.
Seems obvious to me we need at least one forward. Two if Sanogo isn't ready immediately.
Been a hole in our squad for two seasons.

Seems to me that we can only defend properly to the detriment of our attacking play. Games where we defended very well were pretty much all backs to the wall after we'd nicked a goal. Games where we went out and played some good stuff going forward, we tended to look shambolic.

I'm struggling to think of many games where you can say we were very impressively both defensively and going forward. Anybody disagree?

We may have been second best defence but that's in a poor defensive year. We defend well when everyone digs in and yes that stymies our attack BUT it should be the reverse. If we had a defensive 6 (DM, Gk and back 4) capable of a low 20 goals season then our front 5 would be confident to play and dare I say it we'd still have RVP and titles.

43, 29, 37, 32 - last 4 title winners' goals conceded tallies. Low 20s is just not realistic. Basically you're saying if we nearly halved our goals conceded from probably our best defensive season (performance-wise) in a few years and had a 10-15 goal headstart we'd have a shot.

And if we're committing 6 players defensively how much faith are you placing in Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski and Giroud? That's a far inferior attacking 5 than the top 3 and tbh other than Cazorla I don't think any of them score as many as they should.

[Swifty]

frankly our back 4 are average at best.

Second best in the league. Keep hearing criticism of our defence.
Was defending that scrabbled us into the CL.

We may have been second best defence but that's in a poor defensive year. We defend well when everyone digs in and yes that stymies our attack BUT it should be the reverse. If we had a defensive 6 (DM, Gk and back 4) capable of a low 20 goals season then our front 5 would be confident to play and dare I say it we'd still have RVP and titles.

Whats a poor defensive year.....

Apart from actually witnessing poor defense throughout the league last season we also saw the top 4 average 38 goals conceded. Averages for the past 4 seasons have been 36-38 whereas prior to this they were consistently around 27-28, thats quite a jump. So last year was a 'poor' defensive year. We have been consistently 4th in defence among the top 4 in all but two seasons since our last title in which we conceded only 26 goals hence my comments. So, while its not glamorous, you cant win too many titles if you're consistently off the pace defensively - even when you have RVP, Fabregas et al still at your club.

Therefore i reitierate - I don't see anyone of our 6 defensive orientated positions that would cause an outcry if they left - that says enough on its own. Also, we have no one - no one - that can do a proper job at DM. Has Mourinho tracked down Essien, i bet he has.

[falkirk goon]

summer 2013... just the same as previous summers...absolute shite 40m for suarez i ask you we could/should spend it elsewhere,but we all know that lord Ahole wont. What a complete fuck up of a window.

[g88ner]

So Liverpool say the contract is watertight ... this is either a huge balls up by Arsenal, or a rather elaborate way of avoiding spending £30m+ on Higuain

If we don't stump up the £50m or so for Suarez, then Gazidis and Wenger risk missing out on a top striker completely now - Not that it'll matter mind... Wenger will still get his new contract and Ivan will get his annual bonus

Still 4 weeks left, but it's looking like a wasted summer. That'll make a change, eh

[defleppardisking]

Is Louis Saha still available?

[Red Gunner]

I'm surprised that so far no one has mentioned Gomis.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Just a thought swifty but if the rest of the league and especially the top 4 have conceded more goals could it just be that the rest of the league teams have improved offensively.....

[swimmer1]

Bet there boardroom meetings are great bundle of fun laughing at the fans Gazidis lets start with Higuain lets see how we can get them on our side then throw in there face us spending over 30 million don't they know we only got 120 mill in the bank board cracking up great one Ivan Wenger hand up my turn let start a Suarez rumour board laughs how about a this how about putting in a 40 mill but and listen put a extra £1.00 on it this will be the ultimate piss take board lets do it and hope they don't agree board cracking up .Then Silent Stan finally speaks and gets all serious and tells Dick to get Remi for under 7 mill before he gets put away .Board Claps

[Swifty]

Just a thought swifty but if the rest of the league and especially the top 4 have conceded more goals could it just be that the rest of the league teams have improved offensively.....

It could but i would argue our current and recent defence is vastly inferior to that of the early 2000s
Ps I could be wrong of course.....

[Swifty]

I'm surprised that so far no one has mentioned Gomis.

Gomis.......

[rigsby]

I think we're witnessing Wenger's last summer at the club. The lack of activity will lead to a first finish outside the top four this year. No doubt about it. We've been lucky the last 2 years as Spurs have collapsed, but next year they've strengthened as have Liverpool. We are seriously lacking upfront, and it does baffle me why we've lost out on Higuain over 7 million, when we're going to be, if we actually want him, spending 50 odd million on Suarez.

For me it now looks like we've missed out on everyone who is a top striker. No way will we spend over 50. I think we were serious with Suarez, but we've been misinformed by an agent. That's our own fault. The Fellani contract clause ends today so there's another player gone. It really is a shambles at negotiation level. This is simply not good enough and is a failure of Dick Law,Gazidas and Wenger.

If this thing floating about that the board want him to spend and he isn't, then he has to be let go. I've supported Wenger through some ridiculous criticism, but my own feelings have always been that he's a manager in which modern football has passed him by. For someone who modernised the game it's an extremely sad sight that he'll be hounded this year by the fans and the press.

[highburyJD]

I think we're witnessing Wenger's last summer at the club.

I thought that when we bid for Suarez. Seems an vanStaplec*nt to ManUre, short-termist, signing. A last season signing? Learning from Fergie?

The lack of activity will lead to a first finish outside the top four this year. No doubt about it.

we obviously want to spend, I'm sure we will. Weird to decide pre-deadline it's done. Weirder still to claim there's "no doubt" we will finish outside top 4, every bookie disagrees with you.

We've been lucky the last 2 years as Spurs have collapsed,

their end of season form under AVB was actually very good

but next year they've strengthened as have Liverpool.

Sperz look to be doing well 'so far' in the transfer window. Liverpool have strengthened? Who cares, so have Swansea

We are seriously lacking upfront, and it does baffle me why we've lost out on Higuain over 7 million, when we're going to be, if we actually want him, spending 50 odd million on Suarez.

narrative is we lost out because RealMadrid moved the goalposts mid negotiations. I wish we'd got him but understand the principal.

For me it now looks like we've missed out on everyone who is a top striker.

let's hope our scouts have a greater depth of knowledge

No way will we spend over 50.

I think you're right. Not even sure if I want us to TBH

I think we were serious with Suarez, but we've been misinformed by an agent. That's our own fault. The Fellani contract clause ends today so there's another player gone. It really is a shambles at negotiation level. This is simply not good enough and is a failure of Dick Law,Gazidas and Wenger.

so far not so good. The window is still open. Doubt Toffee's will get more than that clause anyway.

If this thing floating about that the board want him to spend and he isn't, then he has to be let go. I've supported Wenger through some ridiculous criticism, but my own feelings have always been that he's a manager in which modern football has passed him by. For someone who modernised the game it's an extremely sad sight that he'll be hounded this year by the fans and the press.

whether he should be let go, and whether he'll be hounded, are determined by results - not by how people are feeling half way through the transfer window...

Our squad badly needs strengthening. Fans and team morale need lifting.
I pretty much hope we don't sign Suarez but we really do need a boost