Agreed. Need better access to Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and maybe even the States. Barca recently picked up an interesting 13 year old down in Los Angleses. I'd say Spain, but it looks like La Masia has that place on lock.
Transfer Business at Other Clubs (aka the other Wish List)
Well, and we scout La Masia pretty heavily, so...
And it's not as if he's picked up any real bargains there in the past couple of seasons either.
He's despised for his magpie ways by quite a few of the fans of French league clubs these days.
Particularly Marseille fans from what I hear.
What happened to his rumoured trip to South America?
Was probably there to scout opportunities to be a commentator during Copa America.
Captain wrote:The problem is what we are spending it on.
Yeah, nothing.
Not to worry, we signed that 19 year old who played a couple of times for Charlton. Tall defender who has played in England. That's the defence sorted for this summer then. 
According to this article (unreliable?) we attempted to hi-jack the Friedel move to Spurs.
:hmm:
I'm pretty sure that's nonsense, the Friedel move was agreed quite a while ago.
We will be looking for a cheap, elderly goalkeeper for the #3 spot though I'd imagine.
I wonder if Spurs will be moving Gomes this season then? Only real explanation, because I doubt Friedel went there to be #2...
He would represent a very short term No 1 solution. He just turned 40
Would have been a good player to have on our roster just in case our Poles don't perform
Just sign up Lehmann FFS
Caligula wrote:He would represent a very short term No 1 solution. He just turned 40
Would have been a good player to have on our roster just in case our Poles don't perform
Well it's too late now.
Do anyone one of you have any sense of what Wenger's overarching transfer strategy will be for each of the areas of Goalkeeping, Defense, Midfield and Attack?
The Jones bid has really left me bewildered and I have no clue what his thinking is elsewhere.
I suspect, personally, that Wenger's being caught out by the market again. Things moving very quickly early-doors - don't know if he expected this.
He expected it; that's why he made the comments he did at the end of the season.
This is the exact problem with Wenger; he's smart, he has his finger on the pulse and we all know exactly what he thinks of player x and y.
It's the outright deceipt that people get annoyed by.
Then again, after scouting Jones for a couple of years, we end up getting caught on the hop by the mancs. And I'm sure the sums of money involved already are surprising everyone.
It wouldn't be the first time it's happened, and the fact that he's on some commentary job at the moment, whilst other clubs are completing big signings makes me suspect he's not been fast enough out of the blocks, yet again.
Don't really know though. Just don't rate or trust him.
Wenger doesn't have to be there to sign players personally at the end of the day.
Don't give a shit about Jones if I'm honest, young talent, scouted, it is what it is; we haven't missed out big time there. Same thing happened with Smalling, it's just player choice which, realistically, is what it comes down to.
I know for a fact that Arsenal has better scouting systems than practically everybody, I also know for a fact that we don't like 'playing ball' when it comes to agents and intermediaries on any deal and I think it's quite harsh to blame that on Wenger as, in my opinion, it is a direct result of what happened with Graham and the board's inherent distrust.
What I'm sick of is the complete lack of interest interest in established players although, to be fair, that may have alot to do with boardroom issues. Maybe.
Capi, how would you see board room issues diminishing our interest in established players?
Or you referring more to cost than experience?