New Deals Shock For Long-Suffering Gooners
Oct 11th, 2017 by 'holic
Today Arsenal were involved in a remarkable U-turn from recent policy and have been reported to have been negotiating new deals with the players who are just about still at the club. Dick Law has been reportedly whizzing round Shenley like Lovejoy at a jumble sale looking to secure the bargains of the week.
First came the news that Calum Chambers had put pen to paper on a deal that ties him to the club until 2021. With the club fast running out of fit central defenders this could be the start of a new lease of life at the Gunners for the 22 year old.
As Gareth Southgate pointed out in the week he hasn’t got to many homegrown players to pick from in the Premier League. If Calum gets a chance and grabs it with both, er feet, he could yet make the plane for England’s triumphal flight to World Cup glory.
If the old ticker hadn’t been jolted enough for one day Mesut Ozil’s agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut, allegedly revealed to Turkish media sources …
“Ozil wants to play another 2-3 years in the Premier League. Talks with Arsenal are ongoing regarding a new deal. What I can say right now is that negotiations are going well.”
On the face of it good news, but lest we forget Mesut has also been linked with his former employer, Jose Mourinho, at Old Trafford. It’s not looking likely at this stage that United will be relegated this season so that will remain a concern, probably until January.
Stand by for further shocks in the coming days and weeks? A new deal and comeback for Matthieu Debuchy perchance? Then the burning question of them all. Could Alexis be persuaded to go to Paris in exchange for Julian Draxler in the January window? Why wouldn’t he opt for that when next summer he could trouser his transfer fee to join his old boss, also in Manchester.
Talking of Alexis I see he will be fresh at the start of next season for whoever fills his wallet in a summer where he will be free to talk to potential new employers after Chile’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.
My one serious point of this evening concerns those who have questioned his motivation for the rest of the season. He may or may not be a disruptive force in the dressing room but one thing he has always done, wherever he has played, is to give a hundred percent every time he crossed the line. He loves playing football. That isn’t likely to change.
Also having a quiet summer will be Aaron Ramsey after Wales last gasp failure to make the play-offs. He does appear to be one who will need an arm around his shoulder and lifting. This will be a test for the manager and his staff in the coming days. Hopefully Rambo will want to take his disappointment out on our future opponents, starting at Watford on Saturday.
Come back on Friday evening for reports of further contract signings, a new director of football, and a preview of the Watford match.
56 Responses to “New Deals Shock For Long-Suffering Gooners”
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As if there wasn’t enough international football getting in the way, UEFA’s new Nations League starts next year. http://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/newsid=2507364.html#/
Harking back to what you said in the previous post and about Ramsey above, I have to say that that Welsh team really does play for national pride. The unaccompanied rendition of the Welsh national anthem before the Wales-Ireland game showed the fans at one with them in that.
The big signing mystery intriguing me is the Overmars story. If this is true ( and it doesn’t come from a likely source) it presages a big change and maybe the return to THOF of the great Dennis Bergkamp ( sorry got carried away there!) .
Whatever if it is true it’s very significant news because it either means Wenger is finally accepting help or we are preparing tpfor his departure.
Arse. Well, you gotta do it somewhere.
Haha, arse indeed Tone. 🙂
Chambers signs a contract extension? The Holloway Road will be awash with bunting and battenberg in joyous celebration this evening.
I’m somewhat confused with the rumours linking Marc Overmars with a return? Is he to fill a director of football role or is he coming back with a view to playing?
Nice stuff H.
Beers on the bar for everyone. That even includes the learned rev the mad cow loving one from across the pond.
No sweaties though. They can buy their own.
Not sure what to get for Xmas ?
You do now
https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2017/oct/11/89-trailer-documentary-recounts-arsenal-dramatic-title-win-at-anfield-video
From previous post
Thank you Solid Gooner
North Bank Red, lets hope Rambo really steps up and stays loyal
Regarding Chambers, it’s a make or break season for him IMHO
Being serious for one post, Chambers signing means we can now loan him out, hopefully to better than Boro, to prepare him for taking over from Kos when the time comes.
It’s the Daily Mail but this is good. Bob Wilson interview
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4971260/Bob-Wilson-agony-daughter-s-death-raising-millions.html
Nor do I doubt Alexis’s love of the game and willingness to give one hundred per cent. But his efforts are not always towards working with his team-mates, and I worry that he’ll be more than ever trying to do it all himself as his Arsenal tenure runs down.
It’s a bit early to be saying it’s make or break for Calum this season, NG. CBs aren’t sprinters and rarely mature fully until their late 20s, with many still playing well up to their mid 30s.
I agree his recent form isn’t as promising as his early games when I went on record in this forum as suggesting he had the makings of a club captain in the TA6 mould. But he still has plenty of time to learn, imo.
Thanks GH.
Very topical, I wonder if AW read
the bar discussion on Calum and
decided to get him signed.
We spent 30 odd million on Mustafi
and that was at the old rate for
Centre Backs! We need to replace
Per at the end of the season, we
have to say weekly prayers to
the Tendon God for Kos’s achilles
and Nacho is not getting younger.
To me, we have to be hoping like
hell one of Rob or Calum come
through and Mus steps up fully
over the season.
Cynic
Thanks for featuring that. I’ve arranged a Christmas lunch at the Reform Club for Willow. It’s a fine charity. Bob Wilson is a wonderful and courageous man. Wasn’t a bad keeper either
Lovely stuff Cynic and TTG, a charity well worth supporting.
Gotta love that photo of Bob Wilson between the sticks in a snowstorm in Cynic’s link. Priceless.
NBN@1
I saw a different report on that and
my first thought was is it an
April Fools thing.
Another pointless competition 🙁
for our players to get injured in.
Cheers H! And good work fella to TTG!
OM@18: UEFA may be a joke, but not of the April Fool’s variety unfortunately.
Calum Chambers is 23 in January. For me he is yet another NBT panic buy. He hasn’t developed to anywhere near the level required. I accept that centre backs can mature later in life but you would have hoped to have seen a lot more from him by now? Constant loan periods would not be taking place if he was really that good.
I would love to see him make it but I really don’t see it. This is his 4th season with us and he’s played 30 odd games? If we are saying he’s to take over from Kos in 3 years time then in my opinion he should be good enough to get a starting place by now.
True enough Ned.
They certainly don’t limit themselves
to April 🙂
Top work TTG, both of his autobiographies are fascinating reads for different reasons. Seems like such a nice guy and so totally Arsenal that if you cut him, he would bleed red.
What? Oh.
Looks like 4-6 weeks for Mus
according to AW in the team news.
Decisions tomorrow on Kos, Kola
and Sanchez.
Good news is that Danny & Ozil
are available.
Be great if Kos makes it, Kola too.
Defensively the Kos, Nacho, Kola
triangle is pretty sound for us on
the left.
Oh and the Overmars story was
denied outright.
Steve T. Afraid you have made an intelligent decision about Chambers @21. Now that we have signed him once and then signed him twice I can only hope you turn out to be wrong but must say there have not been enough signs of him making the expected progress to this point. But the biggest question in my mind is why we signed him in the first place. Now the phrase “throwing good money after bad” comes to mind.
Today’s bundle of glowingly positive Arsenal news.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41592531
*wonders if “glowingly” was the absolutely appropriate word usage*
Mustafi 4-6 weeks. Can’t figure out if the glowingly positive part is the 4 weeks or the 6 weeks.
Ohh..Can you believe it?… :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZSvfGfgSKw
Blast from the past!
😀 😀 😀
“89” available on Nov. 20? Can’t wait! (Chris, Nov. 29 down under)
89 relived, wow all i remember is Thomasssssss ringing in my ears every single time. Fever pitch the book and the movie passes by the eyes and makes you so wish that you were there that day and time.
Back to reality and reality is Alexis and Ozil set to leave. Good or bad? of course bad for we do not have a like for like replacement who would come over at the drop of a hat in Jan or the summer. Alexis for all his sulking is still our best player and Mesut for all critics is still the best no 10 around. We really should not have got it this late but then when have we done anything straight forward.
Chambers signing a contract extension could mean 2 things. He and Holding are being considered as our present/future for Per is done, Kos has Achilles and Mustafi, well never mind. Does not give me too much confidence with this for we have been crying out for a solid proven CB from a long time which still remains unaddressed.
On to Watford and it looks like stoke game all over again unless we take our chances and score first. Else, lot of possession no clear cut chance and one chance taken by deeney and co. Hoping thats not the case for we have the premier league live event here in Bangalore with more than 30000 expected to be there. Wouldnt want to see bunch of moronic united/pool fans mock us. Come on Arsenal, Bobby is home this weekend and he would want fond memories of Bangalore and the game.
A super computer predicts that Arsenal will lose to Watford 1-0.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/865721/Premier-League-predictions-gameweek-8-super-computer-sportgalleries
hello
SteveT, bt8b and others: Chambers kept Holding out of the England U-21 team in the U-21s Euros this year so somebody must see something in him.
He seems like a player who has yet to find his true position.
At the Academy, Bielik and Pleguezuelo are well regarded centre halves with either as potential long-term replacements for Kos, but both seem to be being brought along in a very low key way.
BB@28: excellent link. Football on a proper pitch, too — muddy and sodden.
ksn@31: This supercomputer has Arsenal more likely to win than Watford. So what do supercomputers know?
http://www.dratings.com/predictor/european-football/english-premier-league-computer-predictions/
And hello to his cba-ness.
What odds on the ‘Holic pound going on a 3-2 away win available at 20s?
https://archive.org/details/TheThirdPolicemanByFlannOBrien
the fact that i am no more irish
than most of you
who cares
.
.
was funny
.
moooooooooooooooooooooo
?
is it about a bicycle ?
can’t be what?
Ned@33. That doesn’t bode well for Holding then does it?
I will be amazed if Bielik ever makes it at Arsenal. I’ve never heard of the other fella?????
Is Wellington still on the books? Can Joel Campbell play at centre half?
Is Wellington still on the books?
No, we gave him the boot.
Apropos 26 May 1989, BJ, I’ve seen the match, read the book and watched the movie, all I really need now is a time machine.
Pleguezuelo was another recruit from Barca but has been on loan to Spain until this season. He is apparently highly thought of but has had injury problems (!) and his development has been so low key he has yet to make an appearance in a first team squad as far as I know. Bielik has been converted into a centre back but has been seriously injured this season (!!) . So we’ve got those two Chambers, Kos and Mustafi injured. Made a lot of sense to sell Gabriel for £10 million to Valencia.
I’ve moved a lot on Wenger in the last year and I’m finding his planning ( because he decides everything) increasingly chaotic. It’s not clear to me that he has career plans for the likes of Chambers, Wilshere and Iwobi that hold water and that is without the likes of Debuchy who is causing us to haemorrhage Money because he is unsellable and unloanable . Also not sure who are our reserve wing backs. I’m not accepting Nelson is a wing back.
Tough game on Saturday. Before I went away I sat next to a Watford supporting friend who raved about Citeh but felt they had a real chance against us. I think he is right although we have a very good record there.
Steve T
Wellington occupied a week of Dick Law’s time at the height of the window . We tried to exercise an option to take him from Fluminense to Bordeaux making £1 million in the process( whooppee) but he failed the medical at Bordeaux and we had to sell him back to Fluminense. A strange sense of priorities methinks
I have been reading the name Pleguezuelo hoping he makes it at Arsenal if for no other reason than to plague the match announcers who would no doubt butcher his name for years. Bellerin has been the regular right back for over 100 games and the match announcers have nearly 100 different variations of how they pronounce his name. In this day and age you would think there might be a way for them to learn …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ6yHmR80B0
TTG at 42, selling Gabriel for just £10 m was one of the dumbest decisions this season. It is coming back to bite us. Gabriel would have been an asset against a team like Watford. It is amazing that we also wanted to sell Mustafi.
We must play Per more often as he is excellent at organizing the defence though the flip side is we would not have any pace at the back if we have Holding, Per and Monreal playing.
TTG. It would’ve made a lot more sense not to have bought him in the first place? Another total waste of money.
I have no idea why we continue to try and poach next best things from all over the globe. I dread to think how much time, money and effort have gone in for virtually no reward. I will be amazed if the likes of Chambers, Bielik and even Holding have that much of a future here. Holding I would suggest is the most likely of the three.
No doubt we will continue to look for scraps thrown from the Barca academy. No doubt we will end up with more that spend countless seasons on loan before we spend weeks trying to eventually give them away.
If only we had spent a similar amount of time working out trying resolve the contract issues for Alexis, Ozil and LJW? Wow. Now that really would have been ground breaking progress
Ksn. Selling Gabriel was far from dumb. What was dumb was not investing that and other money in a top quality centre half. Something we should have done years ago.
Is it National Grumpitty Grump
Grump Grumpitty Day?
I have no idea why we continue to try and poach next best things from all over the globe.
I don’t think we have been. Our transfer policy needs looking into IMO because something is not right when you buy someone, knowing he has no chance at all of playing first team football for your club, then loan him out for six years, sell him to the club you got him from, buy him back to sell him but can’t so sell him back to the original club again.
Wellington is not alone in being bought when there’s absolutely no prospect of being a first teamer. Ever. Something stinks.
It is !
And raises bat as a complete
coincidence.
Calum should best stop with sagging his shorts every stoppage (is this Puma fitting our players too tight?!?), and realize the open chance he has to become a #d pick. Btn size and ball-play, him and Holding could be the start of an English evolution from long-ball tactics. More games should breed better execution, if they’re taught right.
Sorry, Gooners! But i’m all for a Jan Alexis for Lemar or Draxler; followed by Ozil or Theo for Amadou Diawara.
Ops aside, 3pts tomorrow pls! UP..ka-boom!
i refer the honourable ‘holic
to comments he made
last paragraph above
.
.
*taps watch*
.
.
thankfully only connect is here
to call me a dope
right to my face
.
DON’T PAY YER TV LICENCE
…. fight the power
or
…. fght h pw r
Finally, here ya go ya big bollix! 🙂
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“more tea vicar?”