[Alf]

I'd like to take the pi55, but Everton are even worse.

[GiRTh]

Four defeats in a row.

[Denver]

Arsenal are in a position where Liverpool were after Rafa left.

Struggling to make the champions league will struggle to get Europe all together will struggle to bring in quality player unless they pay way to much wages to them and will struggle to find a world class manager to replace Wenger and will go for a mid table manager instead

[bitontheslide]

Wenger can't be far off getting the boot now

[GiRTh]

[GiRTh]

[Alf]

Arsene who?

[GiRTh]

A fitting send off to our greatest ever manager.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Alf

Arsene who?

Wenger

[GiRTh]

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

[GiRTh]

[GiRTh]

Mikel Arteta is strong favourite to replace Arsčne Wenger at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta is the strong favourite to succeed Arsčne Wenger as manager at Arsenal, with productive talks having progressed between his camp and the club.

Conversations are so advanced that Arteta is giving thought to the people he might want in his backroom team. It is unclear whether Steve Bould would stay, with Wenger’s assistant not always seeing eye to eye with Arteta when they were together at Arsenal.

The club have considered the merits of a number of managers, including Max Allegri, but the current Juventus manager wants greater control over budgets and recruitment for the next cycle of his career. Those demands do not match the Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis’s vision for the job and Allegri is understood to be leaning towards staying in Turin.

Arteta would be happy to take a job more akin to that of a head coach. That would not compromise the structure put in place by Gazidis. Last November the club appointed Dortmund’s Sven Mislintat and Barcelona’s Raul Sanllehi as head of recruitment and football relations respectively.

Arteta, a former Arsenal captain who played for the club from 2011 to 2016, has been working as a coach at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola since July 2016. City’s manager has said he would not stand in Arteta’s way if Arsenal come calling.

“If he decides to move because he has this offer, this option, I will not say you don’t have to go,” Guardiola said. “I want the best for my friends and he’s a friend of mine. If he decides to go, I will be so sad but I will understand his decision, because it’s his career, his life, his family.”

Mikel Arteta is strong favourite to replace Arsčne Wenger at Arsenal

Heard this form a decent source last week and now the story is picking up speed. He may end up being successful but I'd rather a more experienced manager. I have a feeling Allegri is going to Chelsea which would free up Antonio Conte. If that happens I'd like Conte as next Arsenal manager. But wouldn't it be a very Arsenal thing to do to appoint the inexperienced Arteta when its clear there are going to be many experienced managers moving clubs over the summer

[Shaun]

To be fair though GiRTh, Conte was an experienced manager and he - whether his fault or anyone else's - has turned Chelsea from champions into a very damp fifth. I just don't think 'experience' is as much of a guarantee of success any more and hopefully Arteta's picked something up from working with Pep. From the other "bigger name" options I don't really see anyone too special to feel any strong sense of demand towards.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Shaun

To be fair though GiRTh, Conte was an experienced manager and he - whether his fault or anyone else's - has turned Chelsea from champions into a very damp fifth. I just don't think 'experience' is as much of a guarantee of success any more and hopefully Arteta's picked something up from working with Pep. From the other "bigger name" options I don't really see anyone too special to feel any strong sense of demand towards.

My number one choice is Allegri but I really dont think we are even looking at him.
I still like Conte even after the disaster of this season. Our players need coaching and vast majority of players who have played for Conte all rate his coaching methods. And of course his record at Juventus was astonishing. So if he was to become available I hope we get him over Arteta or the Liverpool assistant manager. My feeling is that those two are top of the list for our clueless board.

[Shaun]

I wouldn't mind Conte either tbf, if I'm just being shallow because he seems like a nice guy and pretty cool Also cultivated probably one of the greatest ever defences with Juventus and that's precisely what we need to concentrate on. Attacking-wise we're all set.

[bitontheslide]

Arsenal are close to signing centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund for a reported Ł16m.

The 29-year-old Greece international has a year left on his contract with the German Bundesliga side.

It is the latest step in Arsenal's drive to rebuild their defence with experience and leadership.

The Gunners are also working on a deal to sign Switzerland right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, 34, on a free transfer from Juventus.

The Premier League club intend to bolster their squad with signings who are immediately ready for first-team football and, over time, continue to recruit younger players for the medium to long term.

An example is Papastathopoulos' countryman Konstantinos Mavropanos, 20, who joined in January and was the first signing overseen by new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, formerly chief scout at Dortmund.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44279973
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Seems to me they just want to give commentators a headache

[Denver]

Why why they go for someone so injury prone

[Shaun]

He's referred to as Sokratis on his shirt thankfully

[Shaun]

Lucas Torreira seems set to follow. With it looking like Wilshere is on the way out, I wonder which keeper will be shown the door. Hopefully Cech, but I can't see that happening.

[Shaun]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) on Feb 3, 2020 at 9:42am PST

If anyone needs me I'll be catatonic with grief

[bitontheslide]

[LeatherTrumpet]

200 games in 10 years is a joke

and he can f off about coming to WHUFC as we dont want him

[GiRTh]

With absolutely no sadness I see Jack Wilshire is leaving Arsenal. Someone else can now deal with his inflated ego and bad attitude. We wont miss him and his departure will only make us better. We need to learn lessons from Walcott, once we suss they arent good enough...get rid. certainly dont allow them to play close to 400 games for the club like Walcott did.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Shaun

Lucas Torreira seems set to follow. With it looking like Wilshere is on the way out, I wonder which keeper will be shown the door. Hopefully Cech, but I can't see that happening.

The biggest signing of the summer IMO. Finally we'll have a proper defensive midfielder and not the make shift deep playmaker that Wenger loved so much.