I don't think anyone believes Suarez is our only target, but targets and signings are 2 different things. All we are interested in are signings, we are battle weary with stories of targets.

However much some of us hate him, Wenger wants Suarez and he wants out of Liverpool so a deal will be struck.
Maybe we should offer Walcott in part exchange as i don't think they can combine well together.

ebouefan wrote:

At the moment everything has died down except for the Suarez story. What we intend to do and what we can actually do are different things. We have already lost the opportunity to take advantage of a full pre season to bed in the newcomers.

What do you mean by "died down"?

The Bender bid came from nowhere (small speculation weeks before and then nothing) as did the Suarez reports (everyone was looking to Higuain). This is the way Arsenal have conducted their business for over a decade.

And as for bedding in newcomers and a requisite timescale; it's a myth and we all buy into it. Players adapt as and when they do. Some sign early and take months to get into it, some sign late and hit the ground running; the only important thing is to have top players signed on 31st August.

Captain wrote:

And as for bedding in newcomers and a requisite timescale; it's a myth and we all buy into it. Players adapt as and when they do. Some sign early and take months to get into it, some sign late and hit the ground running; the only important thing is to have top players signed on 31st August.

Given that the squad is quite bare even now and will have to play champions league play-offs from the start it is imperative to get the signings in before mid-August.

Are you suggesting that our squad isn't good enough to despatch with the crap we always play in the qualifiers? That's a stretch.

This squad came fourth last season, nobody has left; it is more than good enough to survive three weeks without a signing.

Captain wrote:

Are you suggesting that our squad isn't good enough to despatch with the crap we always play in the qualifiers? That's a stretch.

This squad came fourth last season, nobody has left; it is more than good enough to survive three weeks without a signing.

With the way play-offs work it is likelier we can get tougher opposition. The crap we always play? The Udinese games took their toll and we got battered at Old Trafford and also lost to Liverpool at home.

The squad only found some really good form when they just had the league to focus on. With no other striker Giroud is going to be playing 5 games in 2 weeks. Per and Kos also have to be fit and start all 5 because we have no-one else at Centre back (Wenger has alluded to playing Sagna there but in reality he's played less than 5 games in his Arsenal career at CB so is hardly proven)

Did we qualify for the champions for the last decade or not?

Moving on then; is there a discernible difference between the team that ended the season and the one that started it? What is the difference?

If we had signed a centrehalf, would they actually be starting ahead of kos and per?

Have these guys ever played two games a week for Arsenal before?

So many questions, so few answers...

Captain wrote:

Did we qualify for the champions for the last decade or not?

Moving on then; is there a discernible difference between the team that ended the season and the one that started it? What is the difference?

If we had signed a centrehalf, would they actually be starting ahead of kos and per?

Have these guys ever played two games a week for Arsenal before?

So many questions, so few answers...

A: Yeah but how many trophies did we win during that period because I am not saying we won't qualify merely that it will affect (Bare squad playing multiple competitions) our season because it has before

A: Who knows but at least we would have more choices than having to shift our first choice right back who is an unproven centre back or some kid which we will have to do unless Kos and Mert can play all games for the next 3 months

A: Yeah they have played two games a week and evidence suggests that they were worse off in the league when they did

Eerm... Dude, you replied to my post in which I said that the important thing is to have the right players on 31st August, not some mysterious 'bedding in period'. Now you're talking about three months and the whole season. Why did you shift the goalposts?

Captain wrote:

Eerm... Dude, you replied to my post in which I said that the important thing is to have the right players on 31st August, not some mysterious 'bedding in period'. Now you're talking about three months and the whole season. Why did you shift the goalposts?

No when you referenced Kos and Mert in particular you didn't mention anything about 3 months or August 31st to that particular reference. To answer your question if that's the case is that asking the same pairing to play 5 games in 14 days is asking a lot same with Giroud.

That's what is asked of every first choice at a champions league team for as long as anyone can remember.

And there's not a "no" about it, what I said was very clear.

We can handle the truth, we just don't like it. So there.

When it comes to Suarez though, doesn't really matter when we sign him. He's going to miss games. He can miss them and get paid by Liverpool, or miss them and earn 150,000 pounds per week while he sits on his arse.

Captain wrote:

ebouefan wrote:

At the moment everything has died down except for the Suarez story. What we intend to do and what we can actually do are different things. We have already lost the opportunity to take advantage of a full pre season to bed in the newcomers.

What do you mean by "died down"?

The Bender bid came from nowhere (small speculation weeks before and then nothing) as did the Suarez reports (everyone was looking to Higuain). This is the way Arsenal have conducted their business for over a decade.

These days you simply don't make a transfer without it leaking on twitter and the papers almost from the start. Very different times from the last decade.
At the moment we have nothing but Suarez story. You can choose to believe it or not. I do.

Except when you bid for Bender? Or Suarez?

Captain wrote:

Except when you bid for Bender? Or Suarez?

You just don't go bid for a player and land him, at least not at Arsenal. Anyway Wenger himself has confirmed we are not close to anyone. He is usually telling the truth when he says this, these days.

So bored of this story now.