Northern Monkey ... who can't upload a bleeding Avatar
Not sure Ozil will command a huge signing on fee unless he goes to China. We can pay Sanchez a signing on fee for this deal, pay him £300k a week for the season and have a £60million release clause (with 10% payable to the player himself) should a club choose to meet it.
Call me Dick Law.
True, he isn't going to change. We knew that. Moving to a back three must have been hard enough for him.
I think the one key area where we are light is midfield, where we pretty much know we are going to struggle again for periods of the season as the usual suspects struggle for fitness and form.
The players you all mention will mostly end up going on loan for a season. We are not going to be able to sell all of them/any of them because they are either ****, constantly injured or hugely overpaid- sometimes all three.
The squad is a bit better than it was. Can’t really ask for much more than that. The nagging problem is that we kind of know the problem isn’t just about the players. We know how, why and more or less when our season is going to stagnate/blow up and we know we will finish between 4th and 7th. I doubt that activity in the transfer market in the next two weeks is going to make any real difference to that.
"Plenty of strikers can score goals," he said, gesturing to the famous old stands casting shadows around us.
"But a lot have found it difficult wearing the number 9 shirt for The Arsenal."
Northern Monkey ... who can't upload a bleeding Avatar
I'm fine with finishing between 4th and 7th with the occasional cup run. It's the failure to challenge for any sustained period that is frustrating. I think if Arsene bought in 2/3 £50million players in the next two weeks, we'd be able to give it a good shot. Instead we will end up with a front three of Rhys Nelson, Giroud and Theo at some stage this season. Inspiring stuff.
Central midfield seems OK - We have Ramsey and Xhaka, we have Wilshere who played for the yoofs the other day. We have Elneney and Coqulein. We have Maitland Niles. We have Santi Cazorla who is going on cross trainers again. So this area is positive.
I would like him to spend in order to formulate a challenge. Finish 4th but only a few points off top, having given it a really good go until April/May and I think most fans would be happy. One way to achieve this scenario would be to purchase some new talent (for which we must pay the going rate).
Capitulate to 8th in Feb and finish the season well to claim 5th on the final day and they will not.