WTTGT Writer: Simon Bourne (Site Editor) – Follow Me
We can expect Fabregas’ Barcelona jaunt to be wrapped up before long, but if Samir Nasri does join United, and Gael Clichy does join City, is this the end of Arsenal as we know it?
Replacing three first-team players is never easy, especially when two of them are arguably the first names on the team sheet. Taking into account Arsène Wenger’s transfer policy, and the fact that he generally buys youngsters, I would suggest there are not three players out there who could immediately replace the likes of Nasri, Cesc and Clichy.
To replace one player is hard enough, but to replace three is nearly impossible so assuming that the three transfers do eventually go through, what next for Arsenal?
Liverpool are strengthening, as are rivals Tottenham, while Everton and a few others are flirting with the coveted fourth Champions League spot. Are Arsenal now to be talked about in the same category as these respective teams, and no longer a team that can be mentioned in the same breath as United, Chelsea and City – Championship contenders?
The fact that two of the star players are effectively leaving Arsenal to join two of these Championship sides respectively tells its own story… right?
Does Arsenal’s board room concede that the immediate future is that fourth place finish in the league and no longer an honest battle for the league title? Is it a case of accepting that the spending power of City and Chelsea will ultimately guarantee that they finish about Arsenal every season until the Gunners can effectively match their spending power?
If the names in question do leave Arsenal, could it spell the end of the Arsène Wenger era?
The situation certainly poses a lot of questions that only time will tell, but without three of the club’s main players from last season, 2011/12 will surely struggle to emulate that of last year.
My fellow gooners, do NOT despair, rejoice, remember the woefull end to the season time after time(I call it melt down march), for how many years now? This is a good thing, a REAL shake up,these players weren't good enough to win the league last season, why should they win it next season? The answer simply put is they wouldn't have done. Major surgery was required and regardless of how these changes come about they had to and now have. Nasri isn't the player the world seems to think he is; after watching him for the past few seasons I can honestly say he isn't world class he's had half a season playing very well then injury and nothing. Cesc has been injury prone for 2 years now, in fairness probably because we flog him half to death (I'm concerned about the same happening to jack) and not really been the 20 goal a season midfielder we all know he is because of it. As for clichy can't tackle, can't cross which are the only two things arsene asks of him. With a possible £62m coming in from the sale of those three alone some real rebuilding can begin. These are exciting times for us red and white'aholics far from the doom some would have you believe, simply because arsene has NO choice but to buy, I cannot wait for the start of next season with a reinvigorated team and who knows maybe next season we can start filling some of those blank spaces at the emirates that have been taunting us for so long now!!!
dude, there are only roumors, no one can know for certain who will leave.
wenger said he wants to keep hold of clichy, so why would he sell him for peanuts to our rivals? doesn't make any sense.
cesc is leaving but will he leave this season? when barca have to pay 40 mio euros for sanchez (that is what udinese is holding out for), i highly doubt that they can spend another 50 mio (euros) on cesc.
nasri to old trafford, give me a break! as it was said, he will not be sold to manure.
what the hell is going on with these players? samir said quote,' dont believe everything you read in papers or see on tele' concerning his so called move to manure, i know the press make things up, thats them, but for samir to behave the way he is towards arsenal is discusting, i am so dissapointed in him, but i guess there are very few loyal players anymore, its total greed, i hope hes sold to city then maybe he will end up like the rest of the players they bought, all sold on to lower clubs. as for cesc, ok, he wants to go to barca, so everyone keeps telling us, except cesc himself, when is he going to be a man and actually speak to the arsenal fans who worships the ground he played on, he owes us that much. as for arsene, didnt he say that cesc wasnt for sale at any price, he kept saying hes not for sale. ' IN ARSENE I DONT TRUST ANYMORE!! WE'RE GUNNER WIN NOTHING WITHOUT OUR CAPTAIN!
Arsene wenger should just leave the club because we are all annoyed nasri leaving clichy on his way dats nonsense pls he should be sacked(coach)bcos no players been bought exccept jekinson wats it
Fabregas is an exceptional player who's heart is elsewhere, and Nasri has been a promising player who's had half a good season. Clichy is an OK player but recently error prone in defence & a very poor crosser of the ball. If all 3 go there's likely to be an additional 60-65 million available to spend on reclacements, who will be more committed to the club.
Wilshere & Ramsey are more than capable of stepping up to the task of replacing them with Lansbury as back up, plus whoever AW brings in.
every time chef(wenger) you respect… every time and in the end of season we are forever 4th on premier league …. and for a long time we event seen a CUP how it looks.. and let s forget about champions league….. buy everytime hot perspectiv players and sell when they become stars…. as gunner i understanded that for you is much important Bussnies than titull of arsenal… ronaldinho was a star but what happened after… and we all trust wenger but where we are SIX YEAR or we must wait e DEKATE…. sellin all our best players … go to the final and lose…. thanks wenger that we never ended 5-ith premier league table…. what more to expect that to prey this year we dont goo to championship league……….!!!!!!!!
It sweaty palms time but we have to trust the boss! He has the experience the knowledge to come through this. He's knows he owes us fans and I have faith he'll do the right pieces of business. In WEnger we trust!!!!!!!!!!
If we can get a good price for Samir, would it really be the end of the world? I don't think so. And by the way, Cesc's heart hasn't been in Arsenal for years, so £32m would represent good business. Samir only had 4 good games for us last season. Our problems are a lot more fundamental than Cesc and Samir, and we have never won anything under Cesc leadership because he clearly isn't a leader and a winner. Tony Adams was a leader and a winner. Viera was a leader and a winner. Cesc is not. Good player, good assists, but doesn't have the killer instinct, like Ferdinand for Manu or Terry for Chelsea. It will make no difference whatsoever if Nasri leaves, there is nothing over the last season that should make you think that. Arsene must know that his management style was a great failure last season, not only in terms of the way we played and how basic our errors were in defence and managing set pieces defensively, but also in his manic misplaced belief in a system that was clearly never going to last the season. He is the main one that needs to improve next season because quite frankly there is an argument that we should be automatically relegated for having so much promise and not beling able to show that killer instinct and deliver some silverware. I'm still hurting over the cup final although none of it surprised me. Wenger, raise your game, son!
Sense and sensibility, to other aliens like me nothing makes sense. ” Is this the end of Arsenal as we know it”? I sincerely hope so. I would get as much a kick out of watching an Arsenal reuild as I would from winning trophies but that`s just the misguided opinion of a poor supporter , the board would take a different view I`m sure.
Well, here we are July 1st, the hare is running, where are the hounds?
Have we not heard all these before? Our best players been linked to other clubs? About our finishing below the top 4 cos we did not buy the players fan A,B or C wanted wenger to buy? The only disgusting thing is that these pathetic arsenal fans re refusing to understand that no matter how good a player is,he can not hold arsenal to ransom. Nasri,fab and clichy re just some of the good players in the world. If they decide to leave(which the club is trying to avoid),wenger will get somebody to fill their place whether a youngster or an experienced player. The english media re succeeding in turning the fans against the manager with their lies cos they know wenger won't come out to say anything(if he does,they'll put a twist to whatever he says). Now you ve a number of ignorant fans insulting wenger for not buying players linked to us by the media or for not tying up transfer deals quickly as though it is that simple. Stop being fooled and support the manager.
Is this the end of Arsenal as we know?
Yes, it is BUT in a positive way. If you asked why? Because, with these players, we weren't consistent enought. Every year we did lose Cesc for a while. Every crucial time, we did lose points because the defence wasn't stable enought. Bendtner and Denilson, WTF are they? Do they think they are too good players for Arsenal? And Nasri, why do we need a lair any way? He had one fine season and he thinks he is a star?
Just get rid of this guys. If they are unhappy, they will hurt the squad. If they are not playing with their hearts, then players that would give everything for the club should play. The players should know that the club is bigger than anything else. I don't know anything about you guys, but I think the fans are loving Van Persie, Wilshere, Ramsey, Arshavin, Eboue, … more than this 5 players.
Don't forget that before Wenger, Arsenal was just playing boring football. We were finishing in the middle of the table and no body was talking about Arsenal. But Wenger was the person that did change everything. We are know one of the healthiest teams in the world because of Wenger.
So believe in Wenger! We have the quality to play for the title. Last year, nobody did count us for a title race, but we were the team that was chasing Manchester United and not Chelsea, Liverpool or Man City.
Don't worry, have trust in Wenger and Arsenal and everythin will be okay.
No-one has left our club yet, although cesc will surely leave..and tha isnt the end of arsenal.Clichy can go in my opinion, he osnt even an average defender, more a winger!
Nasri is different though…to sell him to rivals is a double whammy…another lump on top of the mountain that we will need to climb to overtake man utd….shooting ourselves in the foot. This particular transfer would declare to the footballing world where we stand in the pecking order of clubs. Well beneath man utd!….its shows a club that has surrended its belief and desire to be the top team in the prenier league and to use an urban slang phrase: be man utds bitch!
This shouldnt be allowed to happen….wenger should be demonstrating to ALL his players that we are a BIG club and will recruit quality players, not cheapo french disasters and freebies.
The thought of this is depressing…..its shows what we already know about our club….struggling to maintain 4th place.