There we have it then, the window is firmly shut.
Looking in through the window of summer 2014 I can see a nice collection of players have been acquired for our future entertainment.
We have some genuine competition for the goalkeeping position in David Ospina. He may or may not be better than Fabianski but I feel he is a bigger threat to Wojciech simply because he has no baggage; he has never been dubbed with a disrespectful nickname like “Flappianski”.
The French No.1 RB Debuchy has replaced the French No. 2 LB Sagna, and he looks to have a better delivery and be equal to Bac in other departments. He is of course younger.
Chambers can play at CB, LB and we are assured CDM. That is good news for us going forward and he looks a real gem.
We wanted a world class striker, well that is exactly what Alexis Sanchez is. It’s no good saying he is not a striker – Arsene says that is what he has bought him as. Therefore that is what he is.
Joel Campbell has come in and Arsene has been good to his word and kept him at the club. Had we bought him, people would be very excited about his acquisition.
That’s 5 very good players who have come into the squad before yesterday’s madness.
People (very stupid people) say most, if not all, of these players are replacements and not additions. Completely ignoring the fact that with a fixed limit of 25 squad players, ALL incoming players can only be replacements. All that it is possible to do is replace squad players with better squad players. As far as that goes I feel we have done just that.
In addition to these, yesterday we signed Danny Welbeck from MUFC. With Giroud being long term injured we needed a player who can play at CF and link-up play. It seems he is ideal for that.
Back in June I was arguing on twitter with someone who suggested we should sell Giroud and replace him with Welbeck. This was my tweeted reply
“If we replaced Giroud with Welbeck, I’d join the BSM, AST, start reading Le Grove and be a WOB overnight.”
I stand by that.
Giroud is, in my opinion, a better player than Welbeck, and I would have been furious if we had sold Giroud and Welbeck was his replacement. However as an understudy and cover for injury, he will more than suffice. He is also of an age that a big leap forward could easily be achieved.
Now, looking out of the window I can see some players walking by that we could have bought.
A CB seemed to me a must. Goodness only know why we didn’t get one, and when I next see Goodness,I’ll ask him why!
Perhaps I would also have looked for a DM that could learn from Mikel and cover for him when he needs a rest. But we do have Flamini and perhaps Jack too. I think if jack wants a starting place, the holding role looks his best bet. We’ll see.
All in all I think its been a good window. I also think if the right players had been available then we would have gotten them and it would have been even better.
I feel that had Giroud not been injured it would have appeared a lot more impressive a window than it is currently perceived.
However, whether we are completely happy or not, we march on with the troops we have, at least until January when the madness will begin again.
By pedantic george aka @Blackburngeorge
Positively Arsenal 
I just tried to watch Les Bleus vs Espana….???
France has got to be the most random-styled team at the moment.
They bore the f**k out of me and are overrated.
I have nothing against Deschamps but is this all it takes to manage a national team?
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carmon Gains, Suarez & Falcao are south american.
Poorer economies, poorer football leagues, poorer backgrounds, less opportunities.
please dont wake him up …let him continue in this mystical journey of intelligence and observation….
i guess the career path of players outside the hype of the premier league is insignificant to register as a factor….poor zidane only played at cannes till 20-21….
get it? we are dealing with intellectuals here..no kidding…
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Szcz
Bellerin-Chambers-Hayden-Gibbs
Rambo-Coquelin-Jack
Ox-Welbeck-Campbell
+Martinez, Ajayi, Mertesacker, Diaby, Podolski, Sanogo, Gnabry.
Could this team do the job, say in the C1C?
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Is it possible Gains, that you haven’t watched enough games Falcao has played in?
I can’t make the same excuse for Suarez though.
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Rooney is at least 2 classes below Suarez. Lets not get silly.
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George: “Rooney is at least 2 classes below Suarez. Lets not get silly.”
Why, because he had one awesome season in a team that only played in the league? You’re right, let’s not get silly.
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Rooney was very very good a few years ago, admittedly in a technically low skill league. He had to play 2nd banana to Ronaldo when he should have been in his prime, then as the only quality baller in midfield for Fergie’s last gasp Utd. team with Judas leading the line.
As for comparing him with McBitey – sorry but there is no contest, i had yo say it but the Uruguayan is far the more natural talent.
Rooney has had the odd good day, though.
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Hunter: “for the same reason luke shaw cost 32m …..”
I don’t follow this. What does Luke Shaw have to do with Falcao and Suarez not reaching the same level as Rooney despite them being the same age?
“falcao? anonymous? …ok this is the point where i say goodnight as i do have sympathy for real life donkeys ……. ”
Yes, anonymous. I don’t consider the Portuguese league or finishing outside the CL places with Atletico de Madrid to be an accomplishment. He’s a good player, no doubt, but let’s keep our heads straight, shall we? Rooney was a super striker before those two wanabes showed up and they’re the same age. Let’s have some respect.
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How the hell do we always end up taking about that buck tooted gimp all the time?
Is this the new version of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon?
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the daily mail runs an article about what stage todays top players were at age 19…i kid you not…could this be the source of such inspirational comments ?
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lol dc…
lets talk welbeck..he wants to be the new henry. maybe thats hybris but im happy to see him try. he’ll do fine
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Hunter: “carmon Gains, Suarez & Falcao are south american.
Poorer economies, poorer football leagues, poorer backgrounds, less opportunities.”
please dont wake him up …let him continue in this mystical journey of intelligence and observation….”
Bullshit. Uruguay and Colombia aren’t the Faroe Islands. Falcao and Suarez have only had a couple of seasons each at the top level because they’re simply not that good.
“i guess the career path of players outside the hype of the premier league is insignificant to register as a factor….poor zidane only played at cannes till 20-21….
get it? we are dealing with intellectuals here..no kidding…”:
Zidane didn’t play at Porto. He went from Bordeaux to Juventus, while the Serie A was still considered a top league, and then he went to Real Madrid.
Falcao only had a couple of good seasons at Atleti before being bought by Monaco. No one is downplaying the career paths of those outside the hype of the premier league, but let us not delude ourselves. Suarez nor Falcao have had the same carrer trajectory as Rooney.
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Hunter falls for all the hype in the world. Hahahahaha!!!! First with David Luiz and Hummels and now Falcao and the buck toothed biter. And you know what’s funny, they both cost less than Garreth Bale.
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The way Fergie (& Moyes) used Welbeck all over the frontline & defensively really increased his value as an option for AW. His left foot ain’t too bad either.
I repeat..Danny’s a 20goal+/5 assister in the making.
I cannot wait.
Oh and I’d like to see more of Ozil & Santi in the middle…(& Mozart)
Let Alexis, Ox, Theo, Campbell (& Serge?) ply the wings some.
Hope AW has the gall to spread the minute appropriately.
The squad is deep, we’re PUMA-rich, the time to flex is NOW!
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Gains : “I don’t follow this. What does Luke Shaw have to do with Falcao and Suarez not reaching the same level as Rooney despite them being the same age?”
that just like shaw benefits from being born/part of a system of hype so is rooney (both sold as relative teenagers for exaggerated prices only due to the demographics really rather than actual talent/value ratio) he is still very good dont get me wrong, but not at that ultimate world class level. he wouldnt hold first spot in any major league top teams ( barca, madrid, bayern, milan back in the days). Also to shine in english football with a significant lower player development rate is easier than say latin american where the talent pool is larger, thus greater competition , something aman touched upon with the words less opportunities…..
as for calling falcao anonymous it amuses me for it shows your limitations … you ask for this respect and you are ignoring a back to back european champion who won both finals with his goals plus youre absolutely oblivious to say the career path and whatever sacrifices of suarez and every suarez to get where they are because of personal spite…. ….
oh and if rooney is a super striker then i dread to think what youre gonna say for the rauls and ronaldos of this world…please stop….
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Dunga has gone van Gaal on us…….
NEYMAR REPLACES THIAGO SILVA AS BRAZIL CAPTAIN
http://www.espnfc.com/brazil/story/2020716/neymar-confirmed-as-new-brazil-captain-by-dunga
..madness abounds worldwide.
(i wonder whats next?)
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Gainsbourg69
September 4, 2014 at 11:26 pm
my zidane comment was a dig to your “rooney was at united first team 18 y.o” ….lol… porto has nothing to do with it….
if youre saying now that porto are not big enough then you expose yourself even further and i guess no point having any discussions with such fundamental differences in football principles, history and perspective. porto has 4-5 european trophies and arsenal has a silly one just to give you a perspective. porto know what theyre doing…dont worry.
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and would you really call rooney a “striker”…all his life he is left ( inside) forward no?…support or shaddow striker at best. ..and wasnt all this circus going on about stop playing him as left forward and play him “in the hole”….lol… i.e behind main striker “where he can be devestating setting up and getting into scoring positions hurrah” ? just checking…
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You know what they say when you find yourself in a hole, right?
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By the way, I wasn’t slagging Porto, I was slagging the Portuguese league.
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Neymar is a marketing powerhouse and the other Brazilian players kiss his ass. Dunga needs a leader.
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Hunter: “as for calling falcao anonymous it amuses me for it shows your limitations … you ask for this respect and you are ignoring a back to back european champion who won both finals with his goals plus youre absolutely oblivious to say the career path and whatever sacrifices of suarez and every suarez to get where they are because of personal spite…. ….”
Sorry, I was more focused on Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo and other CL level talent to ever focus on Falcao. By the way, Falcao is a back to back Europa League champion, my dude. Let’s not get it twisted.
Who is this Luis Suarez? Suarez ‘s one awesome season in the BPL came last season when he was twenty six. Rooney had been winning the league and CL when he was twenty four. He has been at the top of arguably the best league on the planet going on a decade now. Let’s not get too carried away now.
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“You know what they say when you find yourself in a hole, right?”
you should know fella ….
1. hammetfhh unknown
2. jenks and his cafu runs crosses
3. ancelotti cant play with tens
4. djourou > luiz + hummels
5. rooney > suarez + falcao
6. falcao anonynous
LOL…..
“Falcao is a back to back Europa League champion, my dude. Let’s not get it twisted.”
oh i see so the europa league is not bit enough for you , nevermind he influenced both finals……
I know you only watch/follow epl…..it shows from the bullshit you write….
now get lost you clown you have no fucking credit anymore to talk to me about anything football related…. have a nice day 🙂
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He has been at the top of arguably the best league on the planet going on a decade now.
HA HA !
best league or more expensive? best league in terms of football or the biggest show?
how come the best players of this league……leave for spain? woa……..tell us genius
the only thing from this neanderthal product league that can stake a claim to words like “best” is arsene fucking wenger…nothing else.
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pires and suarez come here and piss on this league and gains will tell us about manu and england’s poster boy who swears and dives all the time but because fergie won titles we have to place him next to rauls ronaldos suarezs and falcaos….
AUF WIEDERSEHEN …..
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If this league is so fucking useless for the past decade H why can’t Wenger win it ?
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If all the players in the EPL are so shite why have we not managed to finish even in the top two for so long, let alone win the trophy ?
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BECAUSE THEY WONT LET HIM a.
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“How come the best players in this league …. leave for Spain ?” Do you mean Arsenal players H ? Song and Hleb perhaps, Cesc ? an aged Bobby Pires, Jose Antonio Reyes, Fran Merida – and Thierry in his final season ?
It does not seem to me the “best players” leave for Spain
You need to be more specific
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Well they used to let him
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oops sorry for caps…
wenger was spending 15-20m and the others 150m….whos going to get the help?
manu had half the england squad and arsenal the dirty cheating foreigners …… chelsea got kenyon..had cole lampard terry…and millions to give around and feed the system….
need more ?
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“How come the best players in this league …. leave for Spain ?
or ronaldo….suarez…….henry…….
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xavi alonso…fabregas….
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just cause united wins titles with evans and wes brown dont make them better players than say subotic/vermaelen ….does it?
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united has been disqualified from bilbao and muniain …..enough said.
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and that was in europa league…..lol….the one falcao won back to back ….with his goals…
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Some players leave English clubs because they want to play in Barcelona and Real Madrid, fair enough.Along with PSG they are the only clubs able to match the sort of eye £ eye watering sums available in the EPL. EPL clubs are reluctant to sell to domestic rivals unless they are forced to.
Some players come to the EPL for the same reason. YaYa Toure, Ageurro, your idol Falcao, Di Maria, Alexis, David Silva and – the man with revolving dNA Cesc.
The reason players move is business, unless you believe the “it’s always been a dream bullshit”
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united would also get 10-12 points per season thanks to fergie…….. and then we would have their fans and media telling us how rooney evans carrick etc are right up there with the very best in the world…..bollocks…
the next generation, wenger’s generation is the only group of players that can genuinely reach the world class status of their european counterparts and thats only because they are taught, trained to think and act and play in a continental/ european football style and not the “get stuck in” sort of education kids get here……
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Some players leave English clubs because they want to play in Barcelona and Real Madrid, fair enough
Oh OK A.
problem is those clubs enjoy a history reputation prestige that is more attractive as a package ( country, climate, etc) ….whereas for all them to come to england its only about the money or in some cases to put it on their cv’s …..
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Nothing wrong with using stats if the are correctly sampled, its the interpretations of them that might be wrong at times. If so people should challenge it.
For instance i dont think goals/games ratio defines a players finishing skill. Its chances converted that counts in that aspect.
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Some players come to the EPL for the same reason. YaYa Toure, Ageurro, your idol Falcao, Di Maria, Alexis, David Silva and – the man with revolving dNA Cesc.
they come here for the money and are willing to put up with hostile media, refs and cunts breaking their legs because they get ridiculous salaries…..
while in madrid and barca they go for the greatness of it 😉
di maria didnt want to come……..falcao was always planning madrid…agents thought a bit different …. henry came for wenger..as did cesc…. city players come for the money…chelsea the same…..
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Another thing people tend to overlook is the role of a player when analyzing his stats.
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If I recall at the time Thierry had a choice between signing for Arsenal or a loan to Brescia.
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i know apropos i agree. ..people call ozil a playmaker when he cant keep ball or control tempo or dictate play…ozil is stealth weapon to glide between lines pop unexpectedly and release players with his quality one touches…playmakers are xavi cesc pirlo scholes etc…. ozil does not do that. this is just an example…please people dont get mad
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A. if you think the wenger influence/connection ( theyve known eachother from monaco) had no bearing in henry’s decission then what can i say…..
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do you rally think he came because of the great history in the 30’s and the massive european history……..have you read what he said …that when he came he didnt really care and didnt see it that way but once he left he got the arsenal bug…that for him it was a job/career path…
put it this way….wenger formed an ithaca for certain players who joined forces to raise the middle one to an establishment calling them cheating foreigners.
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“A. if you think the wenger influence/connection ( theyve known eachother from monaco) had no bearing in henry’s decission then what can i say…..”
I am sure Thierry was very relieved to hear from Arsene and receive the offer from aRsenal after his poor season at Juve and that the club were about to loan him to Brescia.
If TH was however so keen on joining up with Wenger why did he move to Juve in 1999 rather than Arsenal in the first place H ?
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because juve is a bigger club than arsenal…just saying…… without wanting to offend
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because arsenal maybe never made a bid
because monaco only sold to juve
so many options……
and yes when you go for juve and it does not work and your confidence is shattered you go back “home” to father to raise your spirits ……
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