This guy has the physical attributes to track back

I've seen some ligue 1 games on setanta and he has the talent to be a very good winger. if he comes we should try to avoid turning him into a pass merchant. i've seen some comments mentioning he loses the ball often - i say good, we need a player like this. let him express his individual skills and not get bogged down into playing in triangles all the time. levae that to cesc ,nasri etc. we need a pacy, unpredictable player who can beat their man on the outside, draw defenders, and make runs in behind. basically walcott + dribbling ability.

If that's the case, at least half of all Arsenal fans will hate him for the first few years he's here.

I think when he does move it'll be to us

We better be focusing on this guy over Oxlady. Hazard is really exciting, and if Arshavin's body can no longer take the toils of the premier league, then we need someone who can come in and be productive soon.

yep, we need a real player, not some english kid who scored a couple lucky goals on errant crosses

I dont think we need a first team wide player at all at the moment. Hopefully Nasri and Theo will have those positions tied down for years to come. Maybe in the summer if we get rid of Arshavin, but it's not a priority.

Tim, the idea is that if you have another reliable winger on the team, then Nasri can spell Fabregas or Wilshere in central midfield on days we need to rest one of those two players. It is probably not our bigget priority, but I can almost smell a period when we will have 2-3 of Fabregas, van Persie and Walcott all out in coming weeks.

kamikaze wrote:

yep, we need a real player, not some english kid who scored a couple lucky goals on errant crosses

The fact he's English has nothing to do with whether he's good enough for us or not.

I know it's frustrating having to wait 2-3 years before a players makes a significant impact, but I look at the likes of Bale, Walcott and Ramsey and think if this guy is as good as the hype then we have to get him.

If we need someone to come and make an impact right away then go out and buy another winger like Hazard in he summer.

Otfgoon, the problem we have is that neither Walcott nor Ramsey are anywhere near the finished product. Same with our home-grown Wilshere and many others on the team. If we spent the next two years investing mainly in playes to help the first team, I do not believe that we would necessarily mortgage the future. Apart from RvP, the first team has a good 7 or 8 years at the top left in it.

Don't get me wrong Zico, I think we should sign top class ready made players too where we need them, I just don't think we should turn down the opportunity to pick up someone who'll be a star in a few years either, especially since we can actually afford to do so.

when were we even linked to this kid btw

otfgoon wrote:

Don't get me wrong Zico, I think we should sign top class ready made players too where we need them, I just don't think we should turn down the opportunity to pick up someone who'll be a star in a few years either, especially since we can actually afford to do so.

Given the base of young players we have, I'd rather invest in scouring greater London (or whatever area we are allowed to recruit in) for the best 13 - 15 year olds right now) and focus our big cash on players who are ready-to-perform. If Oxlade is potentially a Ronaldinho-type talent, then you snag him, otherwise, just hope that Brady can develop another Jack or two in the next 5 or 6 years.

Zico wrote:

Otfgoon, the problem we have is that neither Walcott nor Ramsey are anywhere near the finished product. Same with our home-grown Wilshere and many others on the team.

If you think that Hazard at the age of 20 is a more finished product than Walcott or Wilshere you'll probably be disappointed.

Klaus
I have said time and again, that I would rather go for players who can contribute now and I have mentioned some of those here and elsewhere. I want finished players of the quality of a Cahill or Subotic (not necessarily them). My preference is for guys who are ready today. Failing that, an established young player like Hazard is fine. My last priority at this point would be signing a raw 17 year old.

My overall view is that we have a lot of good players who can still grow on our team. The current team largely has many years ahead of it and can dominate England if we just add the missing pieces now. Thus, I do not think that that getting another 17 year old is a priority unless we are certain he is the next Ronaldinho.

Tony Montana wrote:

kamikaze wrote:

yep, we need a real player, not some english kid who scored a couple lucky goals on errant crosses

The fact he's English has nothing to do with whether he's good enough for us or not.

it has to do with why he's rated at 10m GBP though. absurd price. and we have plenty of homegrown players already, so that's not a factor.

Zico: Like Ricky said, a lot of the lads we have are delivering the goods right now even if they've still developing. I don't really see the problem. And I don't see any either-or-scenario that involves Chamberlain and Hazard. They're not even the same type of player.