HOUSEBOAT - Warning: tenuous links ahead!: Page 81 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

HOUSEBOAT - Warning: tenuous links ahead!

lorddulaarsenal

He's not all that anyway.

innervisionscm

Smalling has been linked to us in the Telegraph. He could be on his way out if United buy that big ticket CB they're trying to get. Smalling in, Mertesacker out is the type of moves we need to be making to put a proper squad together.

Klaus

Is Smalling even good anymore? I've barely watched him this season but it felt like Ferguson ruined him completely.

Claudius

He's better than Mert right now but not elite

Klaus

I'm pretty sure Isaac Hayden is better than Merte at the moment too.

innervisionscm

Yeah he looks better this season. Still limited in certain ways but he's a born defender. Not exactly sure why he'd come here to be 3rd choice but Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Bellerin, Debuchy, Gibbs, Smalling, and Chambers is a proper stable of defenders (assuming Gabriel and Bellerin continue to develop like we expect). He'd help us on the homegrown front when we get rid of Szczesny and Walcott this summer too.

Klaus

The homegrown argument is a good point. I hadn't considered that. Who do we have at the moment? Szczesny, Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshere, Coquelin, Walcott... am I forgetting someone?

innervisionscm

Welbeck. Chamberlain will be 21 too next season. Chambers is U21 but he's in our first 25 players so he more or less counts.

Klaus

Oh right, Danny.

I think Szczesny and Walcott will be gone by this time next season too. Gibbs might last a while yet. It would be nice to have more than 8 if possible at any rate. Better to have a buffert than to be forced to leave the squad short when someone leaves.

innervisionscm

I think Gibbs is gonna stay a while too and that's fine tbh, he's not a starter anymore.

Schneiderlin is homegrown too! :drool:

Klaus

Some really good deals to potentially be had this summer inside the league. That's a little unusual, but very welcome at a time when we need to avoid too much transition.

innervisionscm

Agreed. I think we need five players in, and four - a keeper, a squad CB, a defensive midfielder, and a Ramsey backup - can very easily be PL experienced players. We'd need to go outside of England for a forward IMO, but I guess it's hard to know what we're even looking for until we get a better sense of where Wenger sees Welbeck long-term.

Klaus

It's a gamble at this point, but if Walcott ends up leaving (possibly even if he stays) I really feel we should have a long, good look at Felipe Anderson at Lazio. It's just not normal to be that good when you're 21. He's destroying teams on his own right now. He seems to be at his best as a wing forward too, with perhaps a slight preference for the right side.

Ricky1985

Smalling is 50/50 I reckon. He could easily carry on being as he is now for the rest of his career, or he could have some sort of epiphany and become a monster of centreback. Gut instinct is he's not smart enough or interested enough in becoming a top defender and will remain an average PL centre back.

Watched that Felipe Anderson video you posted somewhere above, Klaus (and a few more since), and he does look frighteningly quick and powerful. Maybe not the best touch and technical ability though? Not an overly good passer or very aware of his team mates either? Or have I got the wrong impression

Klaus

Technique is excellent; he's a born dribbler. It's what makes him so exciting. But yeah, he's not a pass master. He's someone who wants the ball facing the goal and then rips opponents to shreds with mean man to man skills. He's been compared a bit to Ronaldo before he geared his whole game towards the physical side, and I can see that. There's a bit of Sanchez too.

QuincyAbeyie

Yeah, I wouldn't typically want Walcott to go, but at the moment there are a few exciting players we could buy to replace him.

lorddulaarsenal

Wonder if wengs is still considering Mings?

marv3llous

Mings is a good name, but my favourite ever was Stopilla Sunzu.

Daz

He's the guy who wrote 'The Art of War' right?

lorddulaarsenal

Yaya banana, areola or polo

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