Rob Shepherd ‏@robshepherd5 13m
Arsenal increase offer for #suarez to £42 million ... He wants to talk to #afc but #Realmadrid hovering #lfc surely can't keep him

qs! wrote:

Once you are going over £40m we should definitely be looking at other big name targets.

Beside Rooney, who else is available?

Doesn't really matter. You use the money to improve the team in other places instead then. Plenty of work that needs to be done anyway. We could sign many strikers who would improve us and score a healthy number of goals next season.

Fantastic.Mr.Fox wrote:

qs! wrote:

Once you are going over £40m we should definitely be looking at other big name targets.

Beside Rooney, who else is available?

Ibrahimovic would be my choice and apparently he's available. His salary and his brief history with Arsenal would be an issue if we want to bring him to the Emirates.

I'm not sure what the situation is with Lewandowski. But, is he so adamant on leaving Dortmund for Bayern only that he won't even consider any other offers? I think, Dortmund would gladly take 30 million for someone who'd strengthen their biggest domestic rivals for free, the next season - then, it'd be only up to the player.

I'd rather get Suarez than Lewandowski, even if there's a 10-15m price difference.

you would think, but that whole situation is confusing to me. it's not like he's leaving on a free next summer to sign for a spanish or english club, it's bayern.

Irish gunner wrote:

I'd rather get Suarez than Lewandowski, even if there's a 10-15m price difference.

The problem is - we might not go too far up from 40 million.

Secondly, if Madrid come in, we don't stand a chance anyway.

Iloveyouarsenewenger wrote:

Irish gunner wrote:

I'd rather get Suarez than Lewandowski, even if there's a 10-15m price difference.

The problem is - we might not go too far up from 40 million.

Secondly, if Madrid come in, we don't stand a chance anyway.

Very true

Klaus wrote:

Doesn't really matter. You use the money to improve the team in other places instead then. Plenty of work that needs to be done anyway. We could sign many strikers who would improve us and score a healthy number of goals next season.

I think the forward line is one area where you need someone world class, improvement isn't enough.

Bayern says you're wrong.

Ribery is a 90 in FIFA mate.

So yeah, FIFA says you're wrong.

Right, but Ribery isn't a striker, which proves my point. Neither is Müller who was even better last season. Mandzukic is though. He scored exactly half as many goals last season as Gomez managed the season before that. He's one of the best buys Bayern have ever made, and it's not because he's this unbelievable footballer who can do stuff mortal men only dream about. He's just a fairly limited, hard-working player with good linkup play and off-the-ball movement who doesn't get in the way.

Like I said, plenty of work to be done at Arsenal if you want to sign better players and improve the team. No need to spunk it all on Suarez who isn't that good a fit anyway, just because you need a better striker and he's the only one possibly available in the window who is perceived as 'world class'.

Oh I agree it doesn't have to be a striker, I'd take anyone in the forward line, i.e. the front 3/4. But even then who else is there that's close to Suarez's level that's a realistic option for us? There may have been a few earlier this summer but our dithering has pretty much left us with no real alternatives that I'm aware of.

I'd don't think it's a awful idea to spend 50m on Suarez and another 20m on another top drawer player and then wait till next summer to try and complete the team. Personally I think Suarez would be a great fit, but that's another conversation.

Think we've royally fucked this one. Higuain wanted to come and I'm not convinced Suarez does even if we Real Madrid don't outbid us. Surprised we didn't go fir the safer option, very unlike us.

The safer option was too expensive in the end. I'm a big supporter of Higuain but he is not in the same class as Suarez. Saurez is a game changer. The only concern is this now

Rooney, Suarez, Bale
Spurs, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Madrid

Two teams are going to be left hungry here. Which two? North London teams perhaps?

Suarez is probably interested, but I don't think Liverpool will sell to us in a million years no matter the size of the bid. Have to say, it pisses me off that Jovetic went to City for £26 million while we're wasting our time here.

But Klaus, did he ever want to come here? You saw in the paper today that Navas said he didn't want to join us because he could chase trophies at Citeh. Yes, Jovetic was cheap but it's only applicable to us if he would be interested in us.

Think you've put it well Klaus: we're effectively wasting precious window time on something that is unlikely to materialise.