[GiRTh]

I'm excited about this signing for sure. I agree with Drew this is the type of player we have been linked with only for it to fall down for mysterious reasons. Hearing conflicting reports that Wenger upped his bid to meet the asking price while other reports claim he put in his usual piss taking bid but the player wanted to play for us. Just seen a tweet saying he's getting the number 34 shirt so its looking good atm.

Hope we get Morata too but looking at his stats he's doesnt look like a prolific goal scorer. TBH I dont care just as long as we have more options up front.

[Drew.]

Yeah i'd love Morata as well. His goals/assists to apps doesn't look all that impressive but taking into account he's a sub and subbed a lot he gets a goal/assist every 100 or so minutes which is very good. He's a great player who will only improve, just needs to be the main guy at a club not playing 2nd fiddle

[GiRTh]

Grading Arsene Wenger on Arsenal's 2015/16 Premier League Season

The 2015/16 Premier League season was a strange one for Arsenal.

The Gunners finished second in the table—their highest final position since 2005. They also enjoyed the final-day flourish of leapfrogging rivals Tottenham Hotspur to ensure they finished above them for a 20th consecutive year.

However, this remained a season primarily of disappointment—and for that, manager Arsene Wenger must shoulder much of the blame.

The problems stem back to last summer. Encouraged by another FA Cup victory and some strong league form in the second half of the 2014/15 campaign, Wenger chose to enter the new season without a single outfield signing.

The one senior addition he did make, Petr Cech, has certainly been justified. The former Chelsea goalkeeper ended the season with 16 clean sheets—the highest number in the Premier League. However, his success also serves as a frustrating illustration of the impact further signings might have made.

With fitness doubts over the likes of Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta, a central midfielder ought to have been a priority. Mohamed Elneny arrived in January, but he was only deemed ready for the Premier League in March.

Had the Egyptian been with the squad all season, perhaps the Gunners would have avoided having to field the substandard Mathieu Flamini in 16 Premier League games.

A new striker would also have been helpful, especially given the fact that Danny Welbeck was known to be carrying a knee cartilage problem.

Wenger’s performance problems extended beyond the transfer market. The Arsenal boss suffered with tactical issues throughout the season.

The main problem seemed to be that this Arsenal side played without any discernible style. For all the justifiable criticisms of Wenger's teams through the years—that they've been prone to over-complication and can be defensively vulnerable—they have at least always showcased a certain swagger.

That was not the case in 2015/16. Arsenal were not a particularly entertaining side to watch, and given that they have the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in their ranks, that’s difficult to understand.

Arsenal fans grew increasingly frustrated at paying exorbitant prices to watch disappointing football.

The players seemed to lack motivation as well as organisation. Sometimes, such as in March’s 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford, they seemed to sleepwalk to their fate.

There is a mounting suspicion that Arsenal have grown stale under Wenger, and at times in this season he seemed powerless to bring the best out of his players. The most damning criticism of his management last season is that the Gunners regularly looked less than the sum of their parts.

In mitigation, Wenger did at least manage to pull together a nine-match unbeaten run that allowed them to overhaul Tottenham.

It’s also worth pointing out that in a season where Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool all failed to make the top four, Wenger extended his remarkable record of qualifying for the Champions League for 19 straight years in succession.

However, his team still finished 10 points behind Leicester. Claudio Ranieri’s men produced an extraordinary campaign, but their resources don’t compare to those of Arsenal.

In a season when so many of the top clubs fell by the wayside, Arsenal should have had a relatively clear march to the title. Instead, they stumbled.

Wenger will know that with just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract, he may not get a better opportunity to reclaim the Premier League title.

Grade: C

Like most people at Arsenal, Wenger underperformed this season. If he wishes to remain at the helm and sign a new deal next summer, he must raise his game significantly in 2016/17.

LINK

[Drew.]

New home kit and possibly Xhaka announced tomorrow with it

[Shaun]

Is the transfer window even open yet

Bloody fifa games tricking me into thinking it opened June 1

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

1.50

Robbie reckons he spoke to Gazidis and he said he was disappointed in our season and is promising signings.

[Shaun]

I'm slightly more hopeful for Morata now but not as much as I was for Benzema and look how that turned out

[GiRTh]

We cant go into next season with just Giroud and Walcott up front. Those two will get any manager the sack.

[GiRTh]

Arsenal transfer news: Gunners face Hector Bellerin battle with Barcelona as Dani Alves nears Juventus move

This isnt good news. He's one of our lowest paid players in the first team so Barca would look good at this point in his career.

[Drew.]

Usually i'd be really concerned, especially after what happened with Cesc. But Bellerin has no desire to leave, he's said his family's in London and his life is over here now. Barca are twats when it comes to getting their own way though..

[GiRTh]

There was a poll on he Barca website asking the fans who they'd like as their next full back and Bellerin won. They'll get him eventually IMO and remember he came from Barca when he was a kid so he can argue he's actually going home if he leaves. We better make sure we give him a contract thats gonna give him the intensive to stay.

[Shaun]

nothing appealing about Barca whatsoever, they don't even make a game of trying to qualify for the CL every year

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Shaun

nothing appealing about Barca whatsoever, they don't even make a game of trying to qualify for the CL every year

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

More Arsenal transfer rumours. Aubameyang would be perfect but would cost a fortune.

I'd be happy with any of these defenders and of course sort out Bellerins contract.

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

The Vardy deal looks like it it may happen. Even Giroud is saying he's gonna join Arsenal.

[Shaun]

Yeah generally speaking once it's been top story on BBC Sport, it's been tweeted by Ornstein, and our players are talking about it, it's 100% happening

[Cherie]

Shame he didn't stick with Leicester to see if they could at least replicate top 4, can't blame him for making a money move I guess.

[Drew.]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Shame he didn't stick with Leicester to see if they could at least replicate top 4, can't blame him for making a money move I guess.

It's not even a money move, he's already been offered an improved contract at Leicester. Can't fault his ambitions wanting to join a bigger club

[Drew.]

But yeah, this summers window is going to be looong. So many rumours and it actually looks like we're actively perusing a number of players

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Shaun

Yeah generally speaking once it's been top story on BBC Sport, it's been tweeted by Ornstein, and our players are talking about it, it's 100% happening

[GiRTh]

Arsenal: Theo Walcott The Symbol Of Failed Era

Arsenal began life under Arsene Wenger with so many trophies, but the drought is more alive than ever now. Nobody embodies this era like Theo Walcott.

Arsene Wenger was a breath of fresh air when he came to Arsenal. Despite being a hotly-contested appointment, it was clear that the innovations that the Frenchman brought were beyond what the Premier League was used to. These innovations changed player’s diets, changed training methods and brought about a new wave of information.

From the start, Wenger had a knowledge of the foreign transfer market that no one else had. It allowed him to sign Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, the crowned jewels of the Wenger era, with almost zero competition. Nobody knew about them. The Premier League was heavily English, so add in a foreign coach with knowledge of foreign players and he has his pick of the litter.

However, in an age of technology and information sharing, it was not going to last forever. Turning Thierry Henry from a speedy winger to the greatest striker in England was a one-off kind of thing. Wenger would not be able to find a deal like that ever again because now, every team in England was monitoring every inch of the transfer market.

But Wenger tired to replicate that success and he is still trying to.

The man that was supposed to be the next Henry was Theo Walcott, a speedy winger from Southampton that was faster than Henry and scored as young as Henry. However, the game had changed, and Arsene Wenger hadn’t. Walcott picked up so many injuries and could not break into Arsenal’s striker position.

But Wenger stuck to the guns that got him where he was at Arsenal. In spite of the game changing and the physicality increasing, Walcott was pushed to striker, where he, like so many of Arsenal’s other strikers, have been hit or miss, with the majority being miss.

To put it simply, what once worked for Wenger at Arsenal has been figured out, but Wenger will not change his ways. This past decade may have been dominated by debt, but it has also been dominated by Wenger attempting to pull the same tricks that he did when they worked. Only they haven’t worked in a decade.

The transfer market is a highly competitive arena now, one that Wenger shirks in favor of slick signings like Theo Walcott. Only slick signings like Theo Walcott are no longer turning out to be Thierry Henry’s, they are turning out to be… well, Theo Walcott’s.

Then, in spite of all of it, Walcott gets an Arsenal extension for three years of good play in a decade of injuries and inconsistency.

What better to depict Arsene Wenger’s fall from dominance than Theo Walcott’s tragic tale? This may be referred to as the drought era, but it should be referred to as the Theo Walcott era. Wenger has been clinging to these past principles as if they are still some great secret.

Don’t get me wrong. This has been rather scathing against Theo Walcott, but I do not hold it against him. He has been a fan favorite for good reason and he loves the club. But given his injuries, struggles and inconsistencies, he is the trophy of the era, whereas Henry was the trophy of the last.

There is talk that Arsenal can still sell Theo Walcott to Liverpool. This is an interesting proposition because, as is, the Englishman has little relevance on the club. But as another token of the era, Wenger will hold onto Walcott for much longer than he should. Ironically, that is something he seems to have changed between eras. Whereas last era he was known to sell players off when they had passed their prime, this era is known for his willingness to cling to players past their prime.

For examples, look to Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker. Theo Walcott will be the next. Wenger will always find a way to try to prove himself right. Nobody is in a better position to do that than Theo Walcott.

LINK

Excellent article. Agree with every word.

Even though I have, at times, led the criticism of Walcott it gave me no pleasure to read this article. Dont get me wrong, I agree with every word and I still think Walcott is a gigantic p*sstaker but its a shame his career is going down this path and more and more people are assessing him as a failure.

[GiRTh]

Youtube video

Mess of a vid. Made even worse by the idiot Arsenal fans in the comments saying they dont rate Lukaku. Dont these guys realise we aint getting Lukaku, we aint getting anybody.

[GiRTh]

Are the Arsenal fans on the forum surprised to hear that at this point we have made fewer signing than Man U, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea?

Its the same old story again guys. Only this time I dont see a place for us in the top four next season.

[Drew.]

I mean, technically the window has only been open a day and we've made one of the signings of the summer so far & clubs around us haven't made any signings i'm actually worried of yet. For once i believe Arsene will sign more players, i don't even think he believes he can continue with the exact same squad as last year.

Somtimes you need to wait for a big signing elsewhere to happen before the domino effect takes place.. like we saw when Bale moved to Madrid it opened the door for a signing to leave. If we still haven't made progress at the end of the month then i'll be more concerned

[alex_front2]

The Daley Blind rumours are typical, he's the nicey wicey player wet wimpy player Wenger loves.