Signing a decent youngster is nothing to moan about. We saved 900k on a 2.4m signing and that's a large part of what your upset about. Signing this kid doesnt make a blind bit of differance to any other deals.

Yous are like " if I can't have my favourite coat on today im staying in all year".

speedy wrote:

Signing a decent youngster is nothing to moan about. We saved 900k on a 2.4m signing and that's a large part of what your upset about. Signing this kid doesnt make a blind bit of differance to any other deals.

Yous are like " if I can't have my favourite coat on today im staying in all year".

its does appear this is our midfeld signing for jan. he's going straight into the first team squad according to wenger. hence the need for a quality holding mid is being pushed to the summer

“Yes, he will go into the first-team squad,” Wenger said. “He’s a defensive midfielder, 6ft 2in [tall], he has a good energy level and technical level. It’s a gamble but, on what we saw, it’s worth to take the gamble. It’s an awful lot of money for a player if he doesn’t succeed. If he does succeed, then it’s cheap.”

But Wenger retains an interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan although he swerved a question about him on Friday. “He’s not a defender,” Wenger said. “At the moment, we are more looking for the defensive department.”

Maddening to read those comments but unsurprising.

Segway wrote:

Maddening to read those comments but unsurprising.

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2015/01/17/arsenal-new-boy-will-go-straight-into-the-squad-for-manchester-city-clash/#more-692384

what's as infuriating as the fact he says that he's going straight into the match squad & that we've spent half the transfer window p*ssing about on this, is that he's now looking to give some validation by saying it's under 2m but it's a lot of money unless he makes it = cue the development via playing time and not signing a genuine starter to kill his opportunities.  We spent more on the likes of Walcott, Ox, Rambo & others at the same age FFS.

“It’s less than £2m. It’s an awful lot of money for a player if he doesn’t succeed. If he does succeed then it’s cheap. Yes (he will go into first team squad).”

i joked he might play against monaco, hell, he might get the armband for the match

1. Wenger is trolling
2. Media is twisting his words
3. Quality DM being available in January was always a long shot and if he has anybody lined up for summer then its all good
4. He also hinted at us being on the lookout for a defender

Of course he'll go into the first team squad. Along with Akpom, Zelalem, Hayden and a few others who won't play a minute this season.

He probably won't play but it just means we are stuck with the average DMs we have . Same old fucking story, yes signing youngsters is good but Wenger has always used it as an excuse not to sign top quality.. Just happened in the summer with Chambers and we have paid for it.. He might be waiting for the summer . He might not.. Don't really care at this point because his mentality has not changed and we will have the same scenario in the summer but with a different position.. He will never complete a squad. The cycle continues.

What Capi said.

Wait - if he's going to the first team, where does it leave Maitland-Niles?
(only half joking there).
Art - crocked, Flamini - great at shouting and waiving.
Coq, Maitland and Bielik. CL here we come.

marv3llous wrote:

1. Wenger is trolling
2. Media is twisting his words
3. Quality DM being available in January was always a long shot and if he has anybody lined up for summer then its all good
4. He also hinted at us being on the lookout for a defender

and if he doesn't or it fails to eventuate because we fail to retain top4 then what = no reset/save game button available.

If this were to be the case he should be immediately sacked & frakk the sentiment or niceties.

He's not gonna play.

Unless of course Le Coq suddenly becomes Le Croq

marv3llous wrote:

1. Wenger is trolling
2. Media is twisting his words
3. Quality DM being available in January was always a long shot and if he has anybody lined up for summer then its all good
4. He also hinted at us being on the lookout for a defender

Yes quality DM's have not been available for years because he hasn't signed a decent one since Song nearly 3 years ago

banduan wrote:

He's not gonna play.

Unless of course Le Coq suddenly becomes Le Croq

It's not that we expect him to play as a result of going into the senior/match day squad, but more so that AW has said that he will not sign starting players ahead of developing players - even those not part of the current starting squad.  He said a season or two ago that he must also consider the next group of players when he considers the length of contracts for senior players, particularly when there are players looking to break into the team or require playing opportunities. 

Gunner89 wrote:

marv3llous wrote:

1. Wenger is trolling
2. Media is twisting his words
3. Quality DM being available in January was always a long shot and if he has anybody lined up for summer then its all good
4. He also hinted at us being on the lookout for a defender

Yes quality DM's have not been available for years because he hasn't signed a decent one since Song nearly 3 years ago

If only a player of Songs ability had been available last summer.

Anzac wrote:

He said a season or two ago that he must also consider the next group of players when he considers the length of contracts for senior players, particularly when there are players looking to break into the team or require playing opportunities. 

Yes, he doesn't want to 'kill' players. But a stopgap DM you know will have about 3 years in him won't kill Bielik. The worry is that he thinks Arty is still that player - as much as I like him, that's a no go area.

Song wasn't a DM in his last season here, and he definitely isn't one now.

The fact is that Wenger's had 3 years to sort out a DM issue and he hasn't.

You can use all sorts of excuses to justify to yourself that he couldn't though.

He's had more than 3 years. Frankly we haven't had a good enough DM since Gilberto left. Thats 6 years ago.