The release clause doesn't kick in until next summer supposedly, which is why BM are so willing to cash in.

otfgoon wrote:

I think Biggus meant that the club wouldn't spend that money rather than he wouldn't spend it. Equally ludicrous statement mind you.

He's been making these statements for the last few years.

Biggus 2013 re Ozil: Need your head checked if you believe we'll spend 40m on any player.
Biggus 2014 re Sanchez: Need your head checked if you think we'll spend that kind of money again, Ozil was a one off.
Biggus 2015 re Cech: Need your head checked if you think we'll spend 12m on a 34yr old goalkeeper.

And we didn't, we spent 10m on a 32 yr old goalkeeper.

You're both wrong, he was 33 when we signed him.

I was closer.

Xhaka = Vieira + Laudrup. :drool:

Will be nice seeing someone physically dominant in our midfield again, and not just someone who can hold their own

flobaba wrote:

Xhaka = Vieira + Laudrup. :drool:

Equivalently, Laudrup = Xhaka - Vieira. 

Math checks out.

Laudrup is probably the best passer I have ever seen. That means Xhaka falls short, terribly too I might add, in comparison to both players.

Should probably add that I do realize flobobski wasn't entirely serious...

This bloke looks to me to be the type that gets angry when losing. Me likey

This is what Gladbach's sporting director is upto.

We're lowballing them

we offered £19m

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/story/2876128/borussia-monchengladbach-suggest-bid-for-arsenal-target-granit-xhaka-is-too-low

why even fucking bother

I wonder if Gladbach are making everything public (The amount... the bid...) to try to get others involved. It could be a tactic they use to raise the price of the player. We did something similar with the Cesc bid from Barca. We announced it on Arsenal.com, we never announce bids.

hopefully some other proper club comes in and buys him and we do fuckall this summer, then maybe there will be riots and wenger will do the sensible thing and leave

And then on deadline day when we sign Flamini again, Wenger will be able to say "look, we tried to bring in..."

From the signals Xhaka's made it sounds like we've well and truly turned his head before even approaching Mönchengladbach, then gone in with a shitty low bid.

He's still under contract until 2019, so they're not under immense pressure to resolve his situation.

Still think this will be done by this time next week.

Sweet as

If we got him for £19m … plenty more in the kitty

Just bumped into him in a restaurant in Islington, he said it's a done deal.

Otf #itk

P.s: Mad PhotoShop skillz

otfgoon wrote:

Just bumped into him in a restaurant in Islington, he said it's a done deal.

Whoa! We're signing Cartman? Can he play DM?

PS has anyone ever told you you look like Xhaka?

We'd be more likely to sign Kenny who dies every episode.

Rex wrote:

We'd be more likely to sign Kenny who dies every episode.

He hardly dies now. They stopped him dying every episode like 12 years ago.

Kenny dying is basically my one piece of knowledge on South Park. And the bastards took even that away apparently. Cunts.

I recall our opening bid for sanchez being 19m, seems to be a dick law tactic. Hopefully it will settle in the low 30s and we can wrap this u

Do not fuck this up arsenal

We don't sign Kennys. We make them

Gazza M wrote:

I recall our opening bid for sanchez being 19m, seems to be a dick law tactic. Hopefully it will settle in the low 30s and we can wrap this u

Do not fuck this up arsenal

its just a dick tactic.

why does our club do everything in their power to make us hate them?

Stop believing everything the papers/websites write!

They need you to get angry otherwise it'd be a really boring story/summer for them.

Nothing wrong with negotiating anyway, as long as it gets done.

if we're confident that we have a verbal/personal commitment from xhaka, a bit of haggling isn't the end of the world

(in b4 someone compares it to the suarez debacle)

a couple things:

1. it could just be paper nonsense. woudldnt be the first time. that said, there is plenty of reason to question our negotiation tactics, given recent history
2. there is a value to getting players in early. everyone talks about the adaptation period needed. getting deals sorted sooner allows the player to start getting everything in order. there is more to moving to a new club than just showing up on the first day of training
3. there is a difference between negotiating and just fucking around. if gladbach value him at £35m, for instance, then us offering £19m serves no purpose. obviously we want to pay less than 35m, but we know £19m wont get it done. so why even offer that? this isnt a video game. surely if we are interested in their player we've told them, and they've told us what they want. so why make an insulting first offer?

If it's an insulting first offer, they'll walk away. If they don't then it's not insulting.

My 2 cents-

Player has a release clause of 30m euros from 2017. Gladback reportedly want 50m euros. A big difference from the clause. Our club known to haggle. Hopefully they can meet in the middle and agree because I don't see many players of his type in the market and very real possibility that club doesn't have alternate targets or dither on those going by past experience.

What's depressing is we will spend the whole transfer window haggling for this guy and may or may not get him with nothing done about the Giroud-sized hole upfront, the Walcott ditch on the wing and the Metesacker-Gabriel highway at the back.