*Official* English Football Season 2009-2010

[The Sean]

An interesting one for the Gooners:

12.21: Interesting stuff from Italy. The Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Arsenal have offered £13m plus Nicklas Bendtner for Roma's Montenigrin striker Mirko Vucinic.

He has already endeared himself to Gooners by saying Tottenham "is somewhere I wouldn't go". Roma want to keep the striker but that kind of money could be too tempting to turn down.

 

[sledger]

An interesting one for the Gooners:

12.21: Interesting stuff from Italy. The Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Arsenal have offered £13m plus Nicklas Bendtner for Roma's Montenigrin striker Mirko Vucinic.

He has already endeared himself to Gooners by saying Tottenham "is somewhere I wouldn't go". Roma want to keep the striker but that kind of money could be too tempting to turn down.

Not particularly keen tbh. I don't really rate Bendtner all that much, but he is now an established first team player and has picked up some decent experience. Not only this but he adds some physical presence up front and can actually win the ball in the air, something none of our other foward players can do, so for this reason I would regret seeing him leave.

Secondly, Vucinic despite being a decent enough player, I don't think he would add a great deal more than a lot of the current crop can provide, esspecially with it coming at the expense of another established first team player leaving I would not be in favour of this move.

 

[The Sean]

Fair points. It's a lot of money too - given that Bendtner has been mentioned in terms of £6-10m in recent weeks, it would mean Arsenal effectively spending somewhere close to or in excess of £20m on Vucinic.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Hug please.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I'm Usher, ftr.

 

[sledger]

Fair points. It's a lot of money too - given that Bendtner has been mentioned in terms of £6-10m in recent weeks, it would mean Arsenal effectively spending somewhere close to or in excess of £20m on Vucinic.

Yeah exactly, money that could be spent on strengthening the areas of the team that actually need it. Fair enough that some people want the attack bolstering, esspecially after Adebayor has left, but it's wise to remember that Arsenal didn't struggle last season through lack of goal scoring, their games were lost in midfield.

 

[sledger]

I'm Usher, ftr.

Let me spell it out, C H I V A L R Y.

 

[chaminda_00]

Surprised Eto'o is that young, I guess it cus he been around for ages now. Still he didn't seem like the player he was a couple seasons back when I saw him in the CL last year. Though he is clearly still getting the results if you just look at stats. Still reckon Ibra a class above right now.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

but it's wise to remember that Arsenal didn't struggle last season through lack of goal scoring

Umm, didn't you go five straight games without a goal?

 

[sledger]

Umm, didn't you go five straight games without a goal?

Didn't you go five straight days without a hug? Dwyer not doing his job properly imo.

But yeah fair point, it was the games in which we did score and then screwed up that were the real fails, imo anyway, could obviously argue that had the games without a goal been won/drawn the others wouldn't have been so costly.

 

[duffer]

We struggled to create anything let alone put it in the net while Cesc was out injured. Arshavin more or less catalysed our revival last season and once he and Cesc came in we looked very very fluent in large parts. Was a throwback to a couple of years ago and if Tommy can stay fit (haha) I like our attacking options.

As much as people were happy to scapegoat Gallas he was excellent during the second half of the campaign and it was only when he got injured that we started copping goals left, right and centre.

Wrt to Bendtner, has to be one of the laziest rumours I've ever heard. A week after selling a big striker we sell the only other striker who can head the ball in our team? Save the fact that he for all his critics scored 15 goals for us last season he's going nowhere.

Tbh I don't think we'll buy anyone else. Wenger is utterly convinced, Denilson, Diaby and Song are going to be world class and when that myth is shattered he'll be utterly convinced Ramsey (who is excellent tbf), Wilshere (same as Ramsey) and other guys in our reserve team (Frimpong, JET) can take their place. Resigned myself to not signing a midfielder and battling it out for 4th and a cup run.

 

[duffer]

Said he massively regretted ever leaving Arsenal a while back, feel sorry for him really, but ah well. Turned out Wenger was spot on in letting him go mind you. Wouldn't mind to see him return short term to cover for Nasri mind you, obviously never going to happen though.

On the night before we played a huge Champions League game in Milan he and his agent goes to meet the Inter top brass. Lost all love for him right then and there. Makeweight is about right for him tbh.

 

[sledger]

On the night before we played a huge Champions League game in Milan he and his agent goes to meet the Inter top brass. Lost all love for him right then and there. Makeweight is about right for him tbh.

Ah yeah, had forgotten about this tbh.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

In other news, has anyone been watching the Chelsea pre-season games? I must say, Sheva has looked very sharp and quick across the ground. I believe he is available on a free at the end of next month? Reckon he'd be a great pickup for Liverpool. He's a classy and experienced player who would probably be willing to ride some pine behind Torres and if he's regained even a little bit of his speed through serious pre-season conditioning (so I've been reading he has) he'd be worth the punt. Let's face it, even if he is past it, he's still better than Voronin and N'Gog.

 

[duffer]

Would he want to go to Liverpool? Could probably retire well paid somewhere in Italy or Spain and live it up.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Yeah no doubt, I don't see it happening, but if they keep Xabi and Masch they're favs for the title AFAIC. You'd think he'd have to be motivated to redeem himself somewhat.

Still personally think he has plenty to offer as a backup and Liverpool are the most desperate for someone to fill that role when Torres is injured. Of course it's not likely and he'll probably end up at a lower tier Italian club or head on back home to the Ukraine.

 

[Ikki]

Yeah no doubt, I don't see it happening, but if they keep Xabi and Masch they're favs for the title AFAIC. You'd think he'd have to be motivated to redeem himself somewhat.

Still personally think he has plenty to offer as a backup and Liverpool are the most desperate for someone to fill that role when Torres is injured. Of course it's not likely and he'll probably end up at a lower tier Italian club or head on back home to the Ukraine.

It's a good idea and he seems to be the kind that would get along with Rafa and the rest of the players but I doubt it will happen. I think Rafa is pushing Babel to play when Torres is not there and the likes of Ngog and Nemeth behind him are in line.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

It's similar to the Owen situation in that there's essentially nothing to lose and everything to gain. He's been written off by everyone and free, what's the catch really. I dunno, was just thinking about his options the other day during the Milan game where he was superb in his 20-odd minutes. Obviously it's not going to happen.

 

[Agent TBY]

Arsenal fans gleeing over the Hunter news, surely?

 

[The Sean]

Arsenal fans gleeing over the Hunter news, surely?

Is it any more than just another rumour at this stage?

Seems the complete antithesis of Wenger-type player to me, though perhaps that would be the point.