Claudius wrote:

This cheating midget is absolute quality.

He's like 190cm.

Yup, he just looks like a contemptible little child.

Klaus wrote:

I just like that we're rumoured to be in for a central mid again. I rate Coquelin, but it's absolutely ridiculous for a club like Arsenal to enter a season with him as a regular starter. And deep down Wenger has to know that. This type of bullshit was fine a couple of years ago when we had no money and one Alex Song, but that's not the case now. These days we have many monnies and no Song.

Is it? I don't think it's too far fetched to claim that he's been PL's best DM in 2015, so who could we realistically get that's better? I too would prefer someone in the mold of the 2013/2014 version of Arteta, but who would that be? I mean, Busquets would obviously be perfect, but unless the stars align, we're not getting him.

He hasn't been the best defensive midfielder in Premier League at any point. That's RAWK talk. Coquelin offered a solution when we had backed ourselves into a corner and he did it well, but fucking hell. There's a reason he was loaned out to Charlton half a year ago. You don't hand a fringe player a starting spot on account of a few months of good performances, and you certainly don't enter a new season with him as the only viable solution. Wenger is about to back himself into a similar corner again.

Dont see anything wrong with having Coquelin as a starter tbh. We could do with a proper backup to him though.

Neither do I. I think it's a risk worth taking at this point. The kid has earned his shot for me, and we have adequate back up within the squad. Of course if there were an option to buy a genuine upgrade for a decent sum, then we should consider it. Otherwise I'd be prepared to risk it and reinforce in January if necessary.

If a clear upgrade would be available, we would buy. Same goes for strikers or any other position in the squad. If not, an adequate backup will do.

No. If clear upgrades aren't available you go for marginal upgrades. Football is all about margins. The difference between 2nd place and a league title is usually ₅ points. I honestly thought Wenger had learnt this lesson given his recent transfer dealings. You don't stick with Gibbs and Szczesny because they're cheap and can do a job. You get players with more upside even if they're not top class, like Monreal and Ospina, and then you try to improve on them too in the future. It makes a difference in the end when you add it all together.

People can think all they want that there aren't any possible improvements in defensive midfield for us, but it's a delusional opinion. It's like when the illuminati at Liverpool claim that Jordan Henderson is one of the best midfielders in Europe.

Klaus wrote:

He hasn't been the best defensive midfielder in Premier League at any point. That's RAWK talk. Coquelin offered a solution when we had backed ourselves into a corner and he did it well, but fucking hell. There's a reason he was loaned out to Charlton half a year ago. You don't hand a fringe player a starting spot on account of a few months of good performances, and you certainly don't enter a new season with him as the only viable solution. Wenger is about to back himself into a similar corner again.

Aw hasn't looked to sign/use a player of his type/role since Flamini in 07-08, and Le Coq was only 4th choice at the start of last season behind Arteta, Flamini & Chambers. 
As such despite his heroics last season I'd still say that he's not the preferred type of player & to include him requires AW to juggle the midfield and make yet more compromises away from his preferred ideal, so as to yet again compensate for not having/signing players who are fit for purpose, along with not being willing to change the basic ideal so as to better suit the players available.

I've said it before and will repeat that the biggest loss this summer, after not upgrading Giroud, has been missing out on Schneiderlin.
We are now gambling on a guy who has only been good for 6 months as i think Arteta and Flamini are finished at the top level.

You let Schiederlin and Kondogbia slip away. Wenger is counting on Arteta

The benchmark when it comes to defensive midfield players, not a chance in hell Barca would sell him.

Kondogbia is not a holding midfielder. He can barely pass the ball.

JazzG wrote:

The benchmark when it comes to defensive midfield players, not a chance in hell Barca would sell him.

Which is where this much lauded policy of 'only signing players who will improve our quality' becomes utter Spin Dr BS if the targets are unattainable/unrealistic, regardless of any level of funding.

What exactly are you complaining about? Serious question here.

AW.

jones wrote:

What exactly are you complaining about? Serious question here.

Impossible 'targets'.
Utterly pointless to wait & see IF such players become available unless there is some basis in reality.

How I see it pointless would be complaining about "impossible targets" indicated by an absolute horseshit source. That aside - what else would you have Wenger do but going for players he thinks will improve our quality? Sign shitsters despite them adding fuck all to the team? Even Real and Barcelona don't always get their targets (immediately), why would you complain if we couldn't lure a starter on the best in the world?