i thought koscienly had a really good season if he hits the weights i think he could be very good defender.
Edit: joss i was wondering what players would you hope arsene brought?
So do I. Excellent on the ground, and although that's not all you want in a player (especially not at Arsenal), it's half the equation and I feel he's decent enough in the air to form a solid partnership with Vermaelen, who provides the aerial dominance.
Not sure about players, but at the start of the window/end of the season, I said we needed a LW, RB and CB.
Don't want us to go overboard with signings because we haven't won anything for 6 years, though. Wenger hasn't achieved what he has by bowing to public pressure every time there's a blip. We need investment, but we don't need more than 1 CB IMO. Bartley and Miquel will both get chances next season (one will probably go on loan, I'd expect the latter) and we should still be letting that happen and sticking to the 10 year plan. We have to breed them in slowly so they're ready to really challenge for the first team in 2/3 years time.
Bearing that in mind, I think Samba or Jagielka are our best options. Both experienced, with a few years left. More experienced than our other CBs (which is what we need), and that also means they're less likely to block the development of Bartley and co. - 2/3 years in the First Team and then step aside and provide the experience in the changing room rather than on the field (by which time Vermaelen will be experienced, and Bartley will be nearing 'peak').
Not keen on Cahill tbh - good player, sure. But is £17m (Minimum since City are keen) a realistic price to pay for a player who will expect to be in the first team for 5/6 years (assuming he doesn't leave before then!) and simply block the development of young players we've put so much time, and money into? I don't think so.
[Sorry for the essay!]
Any more news on where the likes of Denilson will be heading this summer
Don't know about Denilson, but "the likes of..." I assume includes Bendtner and co? Vela is staying (for one more season at least), Bendtner ISN'T going to Dortmund, confirmed Klopp.
Would you take Alvarez, Joss?
Honestly? I've never seen him play so I can't really say... From what I've heard, he's quick and versatile which is pretty much the model example of a player that Wenger seems to pick up out of nowhere and develop into a top talent. Could be brilliant, could be awful. Could well need time to settle in, and I don't know where we'd play him? He certainly seems to be seen as a squad player more than anything else but the interest from Roma, Malaga and Palermo has driven his price up so I'm no longer sure if he's worth it.
I also don't know the validity of these rumours. I know we WERE interested, but dropped out when they asked for £12M. Then Palermo's president said we'd already signed him to one source (and that we were 'interested' to another). He seems highly unreliable and it's a bit too convenient that Argentinian Radio and other sources have picked up on it and say we're firming up our interest now. Could well go to Roma IMO.
let me tell you why i said RVP:
Back in August when he got injured AGAIN vs Blackburn i said in a RAGE sell him as he is always injured (A)
I know, I was joking
I just have faith that Clichy will rediscover the form he had two seasons ago, he was a quality LB.
If not, surely Gibbs is ready to make the step up by now; what we've seen of him so far has been very impressive.
Think he really needs competition. Far too easy for a player with injury problems and no real competition for his spot to have a drop in form and concentration levels. If Gibbs can stay fit for the majority of the season, and with Traore likely to be given one more chance (largely because no one else wants him!), he could well find that form again IMO.