Some thoughts from @foreverheady.
All this transfer speculation is interesting. Find it hard to think what might happen. Feel that the forwards are all done for this year because of Sanchez and Campbell adding to what we already had. As ever, much will depend on Walcott and Oxlade returning fully fit, but if they do then I think we have all we need there. I can’t see Balotelli adding to what we have as feel he is too needy. Not having an encyclopaedic knowledge of world forwards I don’t know if there is anyone available who is better than Giroud. I suspect there isn’t, which is why we have bought Sanchez. He might be very good indeed so let’s hope he scores lots of goals.
Don’t know about Khedira but sense he has the look of someone who thought he would be joining us but has now been told that won’t be the case. Suspect his injury just before the world Cup final put AW off as there were already slight doubts about his injury record maybe. I think that Schneiderlin would be a very useful player, but again sense that we could have already made a decisive and successful move for him had we really wanted him.
I can understand why there might have been interest shown in Carvalho, who I understand prefers to be known as William. Just William. That will sound funny, especially against Chelsea. He is certainly the sort of player that the fans think we need, and I guess we just wait and see if AW thinks that way too. They will say he is the new Vieria if he does well, the new Diaby should he ever get injured. I haven’t seen him play so can’t comment.
I keep coming back to Pogba, and the reason I do is because AW is probably putting his final side together and I can’t imagine that he isn’t on the wish list and that he hasn’t been in serious contact with him. Actually, all that means is that he is on my wish list, but it is good to dream.
And I guess that the Vermaelen situation needs sorting, and it is a racing certainty that whatever happens there the manager will be blamed, either for not upgrading or for selling to a rival – or both those things come to think of it.
I think that we will have a very good season and will play some scintillating stuff at times. I do worry about our defence though, and will be interested to see how that is organised this year.
Positively Arsenal 
Who would you rather buy, Alexis for £35m or James Rodriguez at £63m? Toto Schillaci won the golden boot in Italia 90 and where is he now?
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And that Gary Lineker Gains – he never amounted to anything !
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james rodriguez is a good player. but certainly not as good as the hype or the amount paid by madrid for his service. but as we all know, madrid dont buy players for what they are capable of doing but for the amount of jersey they can sell.
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Madrid over pay, but they buy some really great players. Rodriguez is one of them
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yes george, james is a great player, but i doubt if madrid really need him. towards the second half of last season, they seem to have found a balance in the side with modric and alonso holding the midfield which alowed ronaldo to move freely, while di maria played from the wing. but with kroos alonso and rodriguez in the side, i cant see ronaldo playing the free role he played last season. will ronaldo accept a fixed role in the side?
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George, we under pay, but end up with players like Alexis, Ozil, Santi, Nacho, Giroud, Ramsey, Mertesacker and Koscielny. How do you like them apples?
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Ozil was discarded only a year ago due to tactical differences between he and Ancelotti. Now they have bought an inferior player for one and a half times what we paid for Mesut.
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The notion that Ancelotti does not know what he is up.to.is a bit like suggesting Arsene d
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? …. does not do tactics
Excellent manager and Kroos and Hametfth great signing
Just be thankful he did not cast his wicked eye toward Laurent
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I’m not suggesting Ancelotti doesn’t do tactics. However, they sold Ronaldo’s Paul McCartney in order to fit an incredibly overvalued Bale into their team and now they’re trying to sell one of their key players in order to raise funds to buy someone who isn’t as good as one of their bench warmers.
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gains
rodriguez and ozil are not like for like. they may seem to play the same position but they have different mentality. while ozil can work well with ronaldo, i doubt rodriguez will. james will rather finish a job than assist others while ozil will rather assist than finish a job.
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i doubt if rodriguez would be a madrid player had falcao not been injured. i bet most of the assist by cuadrado would have been for falcao.
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Ronaldo is one of the greatest players I have seen in my lifetime, and he has performed consistently at the very highest level for a long time now. At times his feats have seemed superhuman. He will be 30 this coming season and seems to have been around forever. But he is only flesh and blood and the niggling injury that marred his World Cup may herald a new era where he struggles to perform week in, week out, so it is easy to see why Ancelotti may be building a new team around Roriguez and Bale.
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https://t.co/f6fFOmVt6m
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I see Thomas Eisfeld has left us and signed for Fulham this morning.
A talented young player who at 21 needs to play first team football to develop. It may looking at our current midfield riches he recognised the chance was not likely at AFC.
Fingers crossed Magath gives him the chance. Good luck to you young man.
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Eisfeld’s been sold to Fulham.
I had high hopes for him.
Hopefully there is a Vela clause in the deal.
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So George,
Madrid’s policy will be all out attack next season? Because their back line is pants.
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Anicoll
It appears that Arsenal have got another 15 year old German out of La Massia.
Some unpronounceable (or spellable Greek name). Maybe GP can help?
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Georgios Spandoudakis – central midfielder- a comparative doddle name wise !
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FH
i still expect ronaldo to still be around for some time. he takes good care of his body and he’s very talented. but as for bale? i dont rate him as much. he is a good athleth and has a very strong will to succeed. but the talent is clearly not there.
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there is some talent,
but he is more predictable than Arejen Robben in wanting to turn inside for a shot.
But, if you leave him to run outside – he can accelerate past you.
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Good luck to Eisfeld. I hope he does really well at Fulham and goes on to have a successful career.
If Madrid did “building around” they wouldn’t have let Ozil go, deemed DiMaria surplus to requirements, pushed aside one of Spain’s best young talents in Isco, allowed Makelele to leave, bought David Beckham to play as a central play maker, kept Vicente Del Bosque and not had a biannual managerial merry-go-round like they’ve had for the last decade and a half. They buy players who have the potential of selling tons of shirts and they try to stuff them into their team. If any of you think Ancelotti is going to play Ronaldo, Bale, Modric, James and Benzema in the same team, then you clearly have no idea about his managerial style. We’re talking about the guy who couldn’t figure out how to fit Seedorf and Ronaldinho in the same side, so he stuck Massimo Ambrosini in his line up.
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Well if Real Madrid were looking to unload Bale, next Summer say, I suppose, I just suppose, I might just be a little bit interested in him turning out in the red and white. It would give Aaron a little friend to speak Welsh to if nothing else.
Can you imagine the bloody squawking from the chicken run if Bale was unveiled at Colney?
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Yes BALE TO THE EMIRATES headline is pure, unadulterated transfer fantasy porn
(quivvvvvvvvvers with pleasure)
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Anicoll
You can reduce Georgios to George but not much can be done with Spanoudakis. Anyway, is can only sound as it is written. It’s one of the easier names to pronounce. Well easier than Hadjichristodoulopoulos……
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Sorry my reply was in response to DC!
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Steady the buffs Andy Nic!
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I suppose it is nothing more than coincidence that Pogba happens to be in New York the day we are flying there.
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Arsenal were very keen on Isco a few years ago, anyone remember?
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Shame about Eidsfeld but he needs regular football like you say hope there’s a Vela clause in the deal. From the comments Jeorge Bird has made about our numerous youth signings we have once again recruited top talent lets hope the new youth setup can help them realize their potential.
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This is why we bought a 28 year old RB.
Gideon Zelalem:
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They can keep Bale as he’s been splattered with Galactico shit. I’d rather wait a year or so for Campbell to mature under Wenger.
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NB
The only way is up!
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Limpar’s Assist always said in the past that Rambo was Wales’ best footballer when compared with the the escapee from the laboratory. Different players, I am not implying the other is poor, but he was right!
Limps is up there with Frank, the long lost Polizano, Passenal and others here when it comes to having a reliable eye, not including me!
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eisfeld is no more more a teenager, he needs to play regularly. i hope he gets his chance at fulham.
how many of our youth team players are in the squad to NYC? is campbell on board?
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layksite, squad info here
http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2014/7/23/5931031/arsenal-on-tour-travel-squad-announced
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“It’s one of the easier names to pronounce. Well easier than Hadjichristodoulopoulos……”
Fortunately in my part of North London, I’ve grown up with Greek people, so I don’t do too badly on the pronunciation! It’s interesting that we have 3 Greek prospects in the youth team now. Could that be the next Country to make the breakthrough? AFC are pretty good at spotting the trends and getting in on the ground floor of where the talent is coming from.
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thanks dups, but is it official yet? i find it dificult to believe we’ll go on tour with only one striker and without any recognized central defender. where if sanogo and afobe? maybe there will be another batch.
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Passenal
I’m going to the Emirates Cup. I would love to meet up again. I’ll be with my son…
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It’s not just Arsenal fans that are full of shit, especially those that pick teams and question Arsene
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I’ll be at the Emirates cup as well Georgakis, so I’ll be happy to catch up then.
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Cool…….
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Reckon the kid will be known as Spandau.
Hope he’s as neat on the ball as Tony Headley was dapper.
I just cannot wait to see
Joel C in red and white.
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This may have something to do with too…
http://www.arsenal.com/news/community-news/arsenal-launch-elite-academy-in-greece
To be fair, Eisfeld moved from Dortmund because he was struggling to get near the 1st team. I respect his decision to move on, he looked at the players in front of him and the ones coming up behind him. He was close to breaking through but not close enough for his liking. There are a lot of players competing to be the breakthrough player Gnabry was last year (before injury) this season.
I rightly tipped Gnabry last time round but I am undecided which youth player will breakthrough this time round. I would love it if it was Akpom, but I think he may go out on loan. I think Jenks is going to have great season – simply because he wants it so bad. Debuchy takes a lot of pressure off him and he is going to surprise a few.
Alex OC is the other player I think whose game will develop, kick on and could be in the running for most improved player of the season. Obviously barring injury that is, because if he can overcome them, people will stop laughing when I compare his potential game to a certain Argentine!
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**I meant to add, the Greek players being scouted and connected with the club.
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Who are those Chelsea fans kidding? Mourinho doesn’t give a flying fuck about the academy.
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Tomáš Rosický
captain?
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loyal to arsenal and leads by example.
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i just hope the world world cup doesnt negatively affect our season. the pre season has started a bit later than other clubs and we are yet to get the bulk of our first team back in the squad. the new players who need to get used to their new mates as soon as possible are also yet to arrive. i guess this is the price you pay for having so many world class players in your team.
i hope alexis and the other guys are back soon enough for the emirates cup. because the community shield may be too competative for them to start their pre season.
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