Klaus wrote:
Don Pacifico wrote:

For all his improvement over the last 18 months though, does anyone actually feel like he's set the world alight?

No.

(I answered for you)

(Thank you.)

No, but I think it's mostly a matter of time until he has a proper breakout season if he keeps it up. The longer he keeps going without a serious injury interruption the more he'll improve.

Yeah, I know what you mean but I've been telling myself that for the last few years and nothing has changed. 

Kinda reminds me of Theo. So many of us thought he'd eventually come good and he never did.

Not sure where he will play at Chelsea. If it's right wingback then he not much better than Moses

Throw the £40m plus the balance needed at Southampton for van Dijk

Any sources for the 40M price? Sounds a bit high for us.

Ox isn't smart enough to become a great player. He always holds on to the ball and he drifts out of the game mentally. I've no worries about losing mediocre talents like him. He's not even as good as Theo.

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

Not sure where he will play at Chelsea. If it's right wingback then he not much better than Moses

He's never going to get his game in midfield for them anyway. His bullshit PR stunt of saying it was all about where he played is going to be completely exposed there.

It's brilliant business which should have been completed long before 2 positions were weakened to try and convince him to stay.

I do think he will flourish under Conte though.

Don Pacifico wrote:
Klaus wrote:

(Thank you.)

No, but I think it's mostly a matter of time until he has a proper breakout season if he keeps it up. The longer he keeps going without a serious injury interruption the more he'll improve.

Yeah, I know what you mean but I've been telling myself that for the last few years and nothing has changed. 

Kinda reminds me of Theo. So many of us thought he'd eventually come good and he never did.

Yeah, there are some question marks over his character for sure.

I think Theo was always very limited though. Chambo has a lot more tools by comparison. It's easy to forget that he's still pretty young too. He only turned 24 last week. This is the age where players usually break through.

I'm just sad how it's all turned out. It seems like yesterday that RvP was mouthing surprise upon seeing Ox getting substituted after he'd been our best player against United.

Now watch him score and assist against us in a few weeks time at Stamford Bridge.

Till he winds his contract down and goes to Y***ted. At least we got some money for Chamberlain. Now if only we could sell the other 2 frauds from Soton.

Tbh it doesn't really matter if we sell Mustafi and Chamberlain. The squad is bloated, with far too many average players on high wages.

Klaus wrote:
Bryant wrote:

I have a feeling he's going to do better under Conte. He's the type of player that needs to be more controlled and disciplined to get the best out of him.  

Agreed. He's a power player who knows how to dribble. Conte has built top class footballers out of much less in the past.

He's the only player in our squad with pace and power (Welbeck too but lol). I think we will regret selling him but looking at his attitude yesterday we have no choice.

I rate him and think he has great potential. When he's on song he can make everything look effortless from his range of passing to dribbling. Hope Chelsea don't fulfill his potential. We will struggle against him when we play Chelsea though.

Kel Varnsen wrote:

Tbh it doesn't really matter if we sell Mustafi and Chamberlain. The squad is bloated, with far too many average players on high wages.

Who are our starting centre halfs now though? We can't go a season with Kos, Mert, Holding and Monreal as our options. We have to sign a Mustafi replacement.

dreamlord wrote:

I'm just sad how it's all turned out. It seems like yesterday that RvP was mouthing surprise upon seeing Ox getting substituted after he'd been our best player against United.

His arsenal career peaked that season tbh

Qwiss! wrote:
Kel Varnsen wrote:

Tbh it doesn't really matter if we sell Mustafi and Chamberlain. The squad is bloated, with far too many average players on high wages.

Who are our starting centre halfs now though? We can't go a season with Kos, Mert, Holding and Monreal as our options. We have to sign a Mustafi replacement.

Wenger is probably thinking, I can play elneny or Belik there for time being.

Talk that Alexis has handed a transfer request.

Rohit wrote:

Talk that Alexis has handed a transfer request.

😆

Rohit wrote:

Talk that Alexis has handed a transfer request.

Seems like fake news. 

Rohit wrote:

Talk that Alexis has handed a transfer request.

Could you blame him? I couldn't.

Clrnc wrote:
Klaus wrote:

Agreed. He's a power player who knows how to dribble. Conte has built top class footballers out of much less in the past.

He's the only player in our squad with pace and power (Welbeck too but lol). I think we will regret selling him but looking at his attitude yesterday we have no choice.

I rate him and think he has great potential. When he's on song he can make everything look effortless from his range of passing to dribbling. Hope Chelsea don't fulfill his potential. We will struggle against him when we play Chelsea though.

We will struggle against Chelsea regardless, and most other teams in the Prem if the last two games are anything to go by.

Good riddance to the Ox. He was never going to do well here and has moved about three inches beyond where he was as a 17 yo player.

Too injured and too based on just pace and power, no technique at all.

evoh_1 wrote:

Good riddance to the Ox. He was never going to do well here and has moved about three inches beyond where he was as a 17 yo player.

Too injured and too based on just pace and power, no technique at all.

Technically he's fine, he's just not intelligent enough to be a top player. He'll do well at Chelsea with a clearly defined role within a structured team though.

Fuck off Ox. Done fuck all in 7 years and thinks he's peak `Ronaldo. Yesterday's non performance was unforgiving. Sell him and sell him hard.

Looks an even bigger mistake to have played him yesterday if all of that was going on in the background.

Irish gunner wrote:
evoh_1 wrote:

Good riddance to the Ox. He was never going to do well here and has moved about three inches beyond where he was as a 17 yo player.

Too injured and too based on just pace and power, no technique at all.

Technically he's fine, he's just not intelligent enough to be a top player. He'll do well at Chelsea with a clearly defined role within a structured team though.

He needs someone like Conte to whip his tactical game into shape.

Not just his tactically game though, he can't reliably control a football. From watching him since his he got here it had been an issue but you thought he might work it out. That just hasn't happened at all.

Ox at Chelsea will be an interesting case study: it's assumed that Conte has a clear vision on where and how he wants to play him, that this will be communicated effectively to Chamberlain and that he will take it on board and be a better player for it.

So why did Chamberlain play yesterday when he was this close to completing a move? No wonder he didn't give a shit.

Does Wenger have any pride left?

It's complete BS on pronciple, how would you feel if you were Kola, sitting on the bench behind someone who'd rather be playing for the opposition?

goon wrote:

It's complete BS on pronciple, how would you feel if you were Kola, sitting on the bench behind someone who'd rather be playing for the opposition?

To be fair he was benched because we played our only rightback on the left wing. 😆

Mirth wrote:

So why did Chamberlain play yesterday when he was this close to completing a move? No wonder he didn't give a shit.

Does Wenger have any pride left?

Of all the fucking things he has done this has to be among the worst. He fucking plays the guy who is desperate to get out as RWB and then fucks over Bellerin at LWB. I can not for the life me make any sense of this, tactically or logically.

It wasn't too long ago Bellerin wanted out as well but decided to stay when Barca rejected him.

I would have sold him and Ox, then got someone else in. Neither are good enough imo, at least with Ox I saw more potential as RWB but I'm really not convinced about Bellerin.

Ray wrote:

It wasn't too long ago Bellerin wanted out as well but decided to stay when Barca rejected him.

Yes - but that was before pre-seasons started and he had time to reflect and he presumably had the time to sort his head out. Players want out all the time that's not the issue anyway. The issue is that Chamberlain was less than 24 hours away from finalising a deal and we still picked him in a hugely important game.

Yeah of course playing him when he isn't there mentally is idiotic.

goon wrote:

It's complete BS on pronciple, how would you feel if you were Kola, sitting on the bench behind someone who'd rather be playing for the opposition?

How would you feel if you're Giroud and were told that the club's record signing is ahead of you in the pecking order only to find that both of you are on the bench for Danny fucking Welbeck?!