So it very much looks like the case of 'welcome to The Arsenal Krystian Bielik'

[Classic Jorge]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/08/arsenal-krys tian-bielik-legia-warsaw (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/08/arsenal-krystian-bielik-legia-warsaw)

“I’ve made a decision [to join Arsenal] and I’m not going to change it,” he said. “I am looking forward to an agreement between the heads of the clubs. I realise that the negotiations may take some time. I am, however, confident it will happen soon.”

[Pat Vegas]

[redgunamo]

[Pat Vegas]

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

[Classic Jorge]

The lad's quality, a real footballing defender. Can easily fill the mythical DM berth too.

Apparently Schalke have beaten off Milan for his signature but if I were Arsene I'd be prepared to toss off the whole of Italy to land him.

[Rich]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

while simultaneously satisfying his own desire for youth.

There's your headline.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

I seem to recall the consensus being that we shouldn’t be in for a very good player.

One happy to join the club and accept his place as 4th in the pecking order being the order of the day as such. A player good enough to be a first 11 player would just upset the Mertesacker/Koscielny axis.

Crazy talk I thought.

[Classic Jorge]

Or the fact he's been injured for an age.

Not that it usually puts arsine off, of course

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Given the number of deals we have given them over the years I would have thought relations were good.

I mentioned yesterday that I was of the impression we had asked for Nastasic in late August but were declined. Would feed into your bad blood theory but then it may have been as simple as loan v permanent deal.

[Classic Jorge]

Add to that the fact they keep gazzumping us on players and I imagine there's a fair bit.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Who did they gazump us on?

[Classic Jorge]

But definitely Jovetic

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

That being said it did appear to the untrained eye that we somewhat dragged our feet a little, his name being linked forever and a day.

A lesson we seemed to have learned in the summer with Sanchez, see Wenger's comments recently on getting the job done quickly.