Asa you're right, we were fools not to get Suarez. He has just the right mix of technical ability and hunger for goals we need. Such a shame we've missed that boat.

In terms of your perfect summer, you sure you dont want another cm? ok ramsey may turn out well, but i'm not sure he'll be that robust character we lack, certainly in the near term. By not adding in that area, we're also risking giving denilson and diaby gametime. It's no coincidence that when they play we are disjointed and generally hindered.

Looking back to the start of the season I'm pretty sure Wenger wasnt banking on Wilshere turning out like he has, so I just wonder what his idea for midfield was. Cesc plus Song plus? Must have been hoping that his belief in the shitsters would miraculously materialise!

Wenger said, in August I think or possibly early September, that he didn´t buy a defensive minded CM due to the emergence of Frimpong.

He said the same thing about Wilshere too.

asajoseph wrote:

For me, Hazard, Lukaku / Neymar, and Cahill would be an absolutely perfect summer.

What this man said.
I think that Hazard / Cahill is a reasonable request of the manager given the years of underinvestment in the squad. Would also make up for the money we wasted last summer on Koscielny, Squillaci and Chamakh. In hindsight, that was an awful transfer window.

I think we can forget about the Lukaku/Neymar part, but I genuinely think there is a real chance we'll get Hazard, and am keeping my fingers crossed we get Cahill.

I wouldn't want want Neymar anyway. Brilliant talent, but I think he'd want to move on from us pretty sharpish. 1-2 seasons max. At least with someone like Hazard I can see him spending a good amount of time at the club.

i'd rate last summers window as one of the worst under wenger

Yeah, our best new players were the kids-Shezny, Djourou and Wilshere.

I don't think we need another CB as long as Vermaelen's injury is a one off. Djourou has kept up his form long enough to be our second choice. Kosicelny has been fine as third choice and with room to improve and I think he will grow because that's one thing he's been pretty consistent at. Squillaci has been our best fourth choice defender in years and he's finishing the season strongly - ahead of Kosicelny atm.

Generally speaking we've chopped and changed our goalkeeper and center backs and still joint-second in the least number of goals conceded which I'm pretty pleased with. And partnerships do need time to form while players settle down, I think we'll only know where we stand if we can finally go with a majority of Szczesny, Djourou, Vermaelen, Kosicelny playing together for a season to see whether they can work together and be a unit.

Put it this way, I feel that our existing defenders and goalkeepers will improve. I do not feel Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Chamakh and Vela will ever make the step up. Therefore, I feel we need a striker, winger and midfielder before we start reeling in defenders.

General Mirth wrote:

I don't think we need another CB as long as Vermaelen's injury is a one off. Djourou has kept up his form long enough to be our second choice. Kosicelny has been fine as third choice and with room to improve and I think he will grow because that's one thing he's been pretty consistent at. Squillaci has been our best fourth choice defender in years and he's finishing the season strongly - ahead of Kosicelny atm.

Generally speaking we've chopped and changed our goalkeeper and center backs and still joint-second in the least number of goals conceded which I'm pretty pleased with. And partnerships do need time to form while players settle down, I think we'll only know where we stand if we can finally go with a majority of Szczesny, Djourou, Vermaelen, Kosicelny playing together for a season to see whether they can work together and be a unit.

Put it this way, I feel that our existing defenders and goalkeepers will improve. I do not feel Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Chamakh and Vela will ever make the step up. Therefore, I feel we need a striker, winger and midfielder before we start reeling in defenders.

Thats entirely true tbf, especially the first para.

With Miquel or Bartley as fifth choice, thats as good a 5 defender as you can find anywhere in europe. Vermaelen's injury for the whole season has sold us short and really compromised's Squid and Kos adaptability time. Where can you find a better 3rd and 4th defender elsewhere? Its a fact these 4 defenders is the best quartet of defenders in Wenger reign.

We need a striker. If we're so obsessed with carrying on with Wenger's ethos, we need to sign the best young starlets out there, youngsters who have 10 years in them and are capable of contributing in the here and now. There's no point buying deadbeats like Chamakh or Elmander or Forlan.

Tim wrote:

I wouldn't want want Neymar anyway. Brilliant talent, but I think he'd want to move on from us pretty sharpish. 1-2 seasons max. At least with someone like Hazard I can see him spending a good amount of time at the club.

You wouldn't want 2-3 years of impact? Strange.

I just get the feeling with Neymar that he'd come with a shit load of baggage. He's probably got a billion 'agents', or people claiming to work for him, a huge entourage and hanger's on. Plus he seems a bit mental and immature. Maybe I'm a bit too cynical when it comes to Brazilian 'wonderkids'.

If we did get him I'd be very excited though. Cant deny that. I'm just not sure exactly what we'd be getting.

I think you're exactly right, Tim - he would come with a lot of unwanted crap, but can you imagine how good that boy is going to be in the next 2 or 3 years?

There is no denying that Hazard would be a much better fit into our team than Neymar. Having said that, getting any of them would be huge.

I'm with Tim. If you sign Neymar, you're signing 173cm of petulant nothing who already thinks he's too good for Arsenal, and England to boot, and his circus. And at this point you're probably paying 25m+ for him.

When has he ever said he's too good for Arsenal or England?

I'd be delighted with Neymar, but it would be a fairly risky signing.

Burnwinter wrote:

I'm with Tim. If you sign Neymar, you're signing 173cm of petulant nothing who already thinks he's too good for Arsenal, and England to boot, and his circus. And at this point you're probably paying 25m+ for him.

Yeah, but even if he leaves after doing the business we'd have had 2-3 years of god football out of him and probably be able to ship him out for £40m+ by then.

Fine. Get lukaku whilst Chelsea worry about Neymar then. Done. Like i said, no point mucking about with 2nd rate crap again.

It makes me laugh that you hard-nosed pragmatists are talking about solving anything with untested kids like Lukaku and Neymar.

Eto'o and Villa were established stars three years ago. Eto'o knocked us out of the CL playing for Barcelona five full years ago and he was already a 25 year old player then. The situations are not comparable.

Trawling some stats: When Eto'o was Neymar's age he was loaned to Mallorca from Real Madrid (where he'd been a reserve for some years) and scored 6 in 19 appearances.

I'm sure Neymar will be a massive player and I'd love us to have him, but he's not a sure thing in Europe.

You didn't get me Burnwinter.

I was saying that Eto'o and Villa used to be our dream players three years ago. People used to be unhappy about Wenger not flexing our financial muscles enough to get them.

Whereas now, people just want to get young players who are touted to be the next Eto'o or Villa.

Burnwinter wrote:

It makes me laugh that you hard-nosed pragmatists are talking about solving anything with untested kids like Lukaku and Neymar.

What's the alternative?

Burnwinter wrote:

It makes me laugh that you hard-nosed pragmatists are talking about solving anything with untested kids like Lukaku and Neymar.

Well, if we're going to spend big bucks, somehow I imagine Wenger would feel more comfortable doing it on a youngster like Neymar or Lukaku rather than Cavani - which would likely just make him feel dirty.

In an ideal world, he won't even be the man at the helm next season, but can't see Kroenke sacking him sadly.

otfgoon wrote:

Burnwinter wrote:

It makes me laugh that you hard-nosed pragmatists are talking about solving anything with untested kids like Lukaku and Neymar.

What's the alternative?

Drogba?

Is Drogba even available? And since when did he stop being a pikey cheap knob?

asajoseph wrote:

Is Drogba even available? And since when did he stop being a pikey cheap knob?

Rumours around that he's on his way out of Chelsea in the summer.
He's a git alright but he'd be useful.

He would be useful if he could stay fit. But I don't really think we need another player with such a dodgy injury record recently, least of all a knob like him.

asajoseph wrote:

Burnwinter wrote:

It makes me laugh that you hard-nosed pragmatists are talking about solving anything with untested kids like Lukaku and Neymar.

Well, if we're going to spend big bucks, somehow I imagine Wenger would feel more comfortable doing it on a youngster like Neymar or Lukaku rather than Cavani - which would likely just make him feel dirty.

Neymar? Lukaku?

You'd be better spent looking at players that had a similar profile to Nasri, Koscielny, Vermaelen when they signed. I think Hazard matches that criteria.

qs! wrote:

You sign a tried and tested sure thing like Torres or Dzecko.

y va marquer wrote:

Drogba?

I'm not sure a 33yr old in decline is the answer, even if he was available and willing to come here.

I mean I wouldn't say no, but I'd certainly prefer Neymar.

What about that French guy that everyone is always dismissive about? Can play out wide or up front and bangs in the goals. I know he's not a big name but neither was Hernandez, and he is a French international.

What, Gameiro?

Bleurgh.

Is he not very good? I've never actually seen him play.

He's alright. Hardly the calibre of player we should be after though. He can actually shoot, though, which sets him apart from the last budget signing we took from France.

Drogba may move clubs in summer, but Chelsea will surely never sell him to us or another English team.

Is Drogba out of contract?

OR just 'available'?

He's not out of contract, but there's been strong rumours for a while that Chelsea want to get rid and that he'll be heading back to Marseille.

I don't think he's out of contract.

There is nothing certain about his availability, as well. It's just speculation because him and Torres are not playing together.