Laurent Koscielny enjoyed his first training session with Arsenal this afternoon, according to French newspaper Ouest France. The centre back joined in with Arsenal’s Reserves and Youth players, who returned to training last week.
The defender joins the Gunners after a fee of around €12 million euros plus potential add on’s was agreed two weeks ago. The agreement also includes a youth link up with FC Lorient, with training methods and young players set to be exchanged between the two clubs.
Koscielny is said to have trained alongside fellow new signings Kyle Ebecilio and Philip Roberts, with the first-team players not yet back for training. Confirmation of Laurent’s transfer is expected shortly, with Lorient announcing his replacement this morning. However, the Gunners are also yet to confirm Francis Coquelin’s loan move to the Les Merlus.
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yay, but when will this finally be announced… ???
It will be announced when Arsene arrives back from world cup duty I think and hope we can expect some action next week.
Oh nice. I guess it’ll be announced later this week, if not tomorrow. And all the other rumours about linking us with other centre halves sounds like Arsene isnt putting his head in the sand anymore.
Campbell is the key if he stays noone else is coming if he doesnt stay then we will go for one more
maybe the algerian CB that J mentioned, I doubt we will spend big for a CB
Why has it not been announced and how can he train at the club before the transfer has been made public or official
Why couldn’t he train there? Lorient wont have a problem because the deal is already done. He couldn’t play in a competitive game but it’s noones business where he trains.
First on the scene, well played.
any pics to back it up?
12 mil euros for fucks sake they have shafted us big time.
what a stupid statement, what do you know about him? just because we’re unfamiliar with him doesn’t mean he’s shit.
Koscielny is worth a lot more
I’m sure that is what you said for Vermaelen too. And look at what he has turned out to become.
@Danish Gooner: I agree – 12M is incredible. Lorient only paid 1.9M for him last summer. That’s a huge return for them! I heard the fee was closer to 8.5M though. Probably the numbers are made up on the spot by the media.
I hope he battered the youths.
Well hes been here since wednesday maybe wenger is seeing how well he does against the reserves and youth teams before finally deciding whether to buy him or not
we have trials for that
and we have already signed him
its just not been made official yet
yeah,best place for him.
danish 12 mill is nothing
its the going rate ….give kolisceny a chance….we want the maximum for cesc, we cant have things both ways
cheers for news dude
Thanks for the info.
If he is with us training why have we not confirmed it officially? Is Bartley going out on loan confirmed?
Good stuff J. Your reliability is outstanding
Agree, thanks for the info, I think the deal is done, just Lorient had asked Arsenal to delay the confirmation until they found the replacement of Koscielny.
So, how should I pronunce his name? :DD
Lorient has already confirmed his replacement if I am not wrong
lorient fan call him Kos
Arsenal if my memory serves me right usually announce new signings on a Friday. Or in this case they may be waiting for his lordship to return from the world cup and wouldn’t it be great if he returned with some well known signings? well we can live in dreams can’t we??????
Yes, you’re correct, but I don’t care, I think, it’s just a formal thing. Who knows, the admin of arsenal.com is retusating the photos of Wenger at the moment :P :D
All will be announed when Wenger gets home from SA. Wouldnt suprise me if we announced a keeper too, Swarzer maybe
The original article from Ouest France is here:
http://www.ouest-france.fr/sport/une_foot_detail_-FC-Lorient-Koscielny-a-Arsenal-mais-Gameiro-n’est-pas-a-vendre_40394-1435277_actu.Htm
From Google translator:
“Done. After several weeks of negotiation, Laurent Koscielny, the young central defender from FC Lorient, has signed for Arsenal. A contract of € 12 million plus bonuses. Laurent Koscielny must participate today in his first practice with the gunners.”
u pronounce it
kos she ell knee
i think
Kos -e-el-nee
JUST CALL HIM KOS THAT WAS LORIENT FANS CALLED HIM
some pathetic fans as usual…well known names…yep guess Rob Green is a well known player now and so is berba…come on guys AW knows what he is doing ..we said the very thing about TV 5 last season this time and look what a layer we have….if not support at least do not put him down before he plays a season for us
I told everyone the other day, there has been a slight medical hitch, he has had to prove his fitness.
guys please dont turn this into a wenger slating session…..he is the best manager we will ever have
Do you know what the problem was bc?
yeah we all know how many goals we conceded with verm at the back
Think he will be a great signing and prove once again that Wenger and his network of scouts are the best in the business. J any news on whether Jack Wilshere will go back out on loan next season? Could be an indication as to Cesc’s future…Great site by the way and your work is top notch!
exactly T.W. was our problem at the back … stupid POST …
we don’t announce signings on a friday only do we?
they must just be waiting for wenger to return so he can pose in the snaps with his new players.
Apart from Chamakh, I don’t remember when Wenger was standing alongside his new signing.
what is it with some gooners !?
i swear you can get more sence out of (spits) spurs fans than a hell of alot of gooners ( or are there alot of spurs fans pretending to be gooners i really dont know .
how many times have i heard wenger needs to spend money ?
wenger should buy this player and that player !
look wenger has just gone out and spent some money what do you get ……weve been shafted !!
mmmmm im sure you really know what your talking about cos you havent ever heard of him !
oh i trust your judgement you sound like you really know your stuff . and if mr wenger has splashed this amount of money on one player you are pretty much garuenteed a decent signing .
and before you go banging on about igor , cygan and other cheap arse signings thats what they were cheap . so spending this ammount gives you a good indication of the class of player wenger believes he has got . has he got it right only time will tell in the mean time we could do without the spurs style comments .
12 million euro for a player with 1 top flight season in france, god i hope wenger knows what hes doing on this one…
That’s the thing,he doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore,time for him to go.12 million euro’s for some unknown player is a,daylight robbery and b,a joke.How the hell are we supposed to get anywhere with signings like chamakh and koscielny,pathetic.
And wenger has the audacity to say he’s going to sign experience,how the hell is this guy experienced.
What you mean like the 12 mill he spent on Vamarlen That went bad didnt it. Bunch of Stupid fans honestly
Come on u guys…just look at TV 5 last season…no one knows bout him until he played for Arsenal…he is the captain of belgian team & also included in PFA PL Team of the Year in his 1st season with Arsenal…now i doubt u want to swap him with other defender…
dan you’re the dumbest person on earth
if a 25 year old is not experienced then maybe you want us to sign a 35 year old
According to the Daily Telegraph, Gibbs and Ramsey were training as well!!
link?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7873774/Manchester-United-ready-to-splash-out-on-Wesley-Sneijder.html
near the end of the article.
I can confirm that Ramsey was NOT training, although Gibbs and Wilshere were.
The Arsenal will announce when they are ready and when it can be done properly. There are two worlds. Old School Arsenal where business is conducted in the proper way and that which is inhabited by the Gutter press and the morons stupid enough to believe them.
So to those of you who want well known names and/or your asses licked by a football club to make you feel more important than you are, go F off and follow Manchester City. On the other hand if you want to feed your delusional brains there is always the Spuds, 50 years and the National Debt of a small African nation have not improved that woeful tank of wank.
The rest of us proper fans know exactly why we support this club. It has more class than all the rest put together, always has and always will. They will only be signing like minded individuals and getting rid of those who are not. Suits me fine. We don’t need to tell them, they know what they are doing.
Love it or leave it, no debate.
Good stuff.
£12 (or €?) for a defender must mean that he is the real deal. I’ve only seen 2 games with him and from what I can tell he is a proper no-nonsense defender. Clears the ball any way he can; bicycle kicks, headers, you name it. If I’m not mistaken he topped the statistics of clearances in Ligue 1 last season. Seems to be mobile and aggressive too.
He is right footed but played as the left sided CB last season. To those who said that ‘he only played for a mid table club’ – Lorient is a very small club, and in his first year he lead them to a very respectable 7th place finish. I bet they’re the very same people who scream for Gary Cahill and Haangeland, for an additional £5 million.
I think there is a trend emerging. Wenger seems willing to pay for his man now. Nasri £13, Arshavin £15, Vermaelen £10 and now this is clearly a sign of this. The stadium move seems to be paying off.
@pakke
absoultely right
wenger is spending money finally
and how can anyone question wengers signing tell me a manager who has done better than wenger in the transfer market
funny that YOUNG guns is reporting about this. I’m not complaining though :)
J
you should do first team aswell maybe in a different section
jamie has a life you know. he can’t spend 10 hours a day on arsenal stuff. he’s only reporting on this deal because of the youth linkup.
Trains with Arsenal Youth. With Arsenal Youth. With Arsenal Youth. Arsenal Youth. Arsenal Youth….
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Idiots like Dan need to get lost, these new signings are going to turn out great. I have a good feeling about them, especially Chamakh. Remember when you saw this and remember my words.
Great News looking forward to his signing heard lots of great this about him.
According to my Polish colleague hid name is
KOSH CHELNY
All i heard was that an independant Dr’s opnion was sought and that a couple of days training under supervision was required?? Probably a ploy for us to get the up front fee lowered by offering more dependant on appearances and trophies, etc. lol!
I think your making this all up and specualting why this deal is taking so long.
yes why should we believe this isn’t just someone making it up because it’s easy to make up a little story like that when the transfer is delayed?
please don’t say your anonymous source. please.
Dan there isnt money at arsenal. Just look at the last crop of signings we have made vermaelen, nasri, arshavin, chamakh if arsenal had the money these deals would have happened alot quicker
John, their is money. The club just finished paying off all the building loans. So they have more money to spend, but Wenger will still not pay more than what he values a player at. I’d say expect signings for players up to £15m, but not much more than that.
I heard Wenger had £35m to spend plus anything else he makes selling players. Simpson is pretty much gone, Eduardo could go plus if we get a Keeper then Almunia will definitly go. I also wouldnt miss Denilson or Traore. We already have better players at the club with JET possibly being set for the first team, Nordtveit played DM and CB so could fill in and Eastmond is just a better DM. Attacking wise, Lansbury, JET, Ramsey, are all better. At LB, Gibbs, is better than Traore and Botelho looks to be coming in too.
John we have more money to spend than any other club in england except for Chelsea and City
and that’s the truth
chelsea and city are better than us in their financial and you know why
this man bought adebayor for less than 5 million euros sold him for 30 million euros in 2 season
quality isnt always shown by how much money a club spends on him and nodoby knows that better than wenger
Could it not have his medical??
Maybe the fact we’re willing to pay 12 million euros is indication that we’re starting to spend some money now? Glen Johnson for 20 million euros anybody?
As for buying an unknown, can you name a single manager in the world who has a better eye for talent?
This is great stuff – I am really, really looking forward to seeing what Chamakh and Koscielny bring to the club. Again, I think Wenger is looking for more players with a fighting spirit, as he stressed in the Chamakh interview, and Kos could be one of these, just like TV. Good stuff.
Wenger does not want any signing announced while he is out of the country. He wants to be there when they sign contracts and have pics taken with players holding up their new shirt. Gazidis is surely talking to other players as well, but nothing will be announced till Wenger jets home.
what is wenger going to do watch him sign the papers?
he has already spoken to the player
I think deal is done and only minor details need to be sorted out
I dont get it why r people so angry that AW bought a player for 12million euros! (he it because he’s not good in football manager?). Last time I checked befor sagna came to arsenal he only had 1 good season and no one complained like that.
I personaly trust the coach coz he wont put this amount of money for a shit player. There must be some quality. I see idiots saying that arsenal should buy villa, messi, xavi, iniesta and others but i think they dont know arsene and r not realistic.
Look at liverpool they spend a lot of money on players, don’t win any thing and look were they are now…im just sayin! spending a lot of money maybe isnt the solution. the only think i can only say is that we need more experienced player that can really help like campbell did
GO GUNNERS!!
Trouble is you cannot win when you hear stories like this, if you say where its come from that could lead to someone losing his job, if you dont everyone thinks you are making it up.
I suppose you should keep it to yourself, when i heard this on Friday, i too thought it was bull, which is why i asked the question on Saturday if anyone else had heard it. But now it has dragged on and the fella has been with Arsenal since Wednesday/Thursday, i believe there is something in it, i doubt it is anything major though otherwise he would have been sent packing. Remember last year when Senderos went to Milan, they declared he was so unfit that he would need a few weeks just to get up to the fitness of the rest of the squad. Anyway time for sleep and hope the deal is announced soon and we can move on to sign some quality, nothing against this fella, but will reserve judgement till he plays a few competitive games that we can all see.
i think bc there was some truth to your story but I think our medical staff has looked at him and decided that he is ok
I like the fact that we want to be sure of what we are getting and maybe we should more of this in the future
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Guys, all this talk of no money.
Economics 101 and a half. The Premier League with one exception is run on debt. The exception is The Arsenal which is run on Income.
Does anyone read the papers, there is no more money on Planet Earth. Those 30 million pound players you so covet will be going for half that within 5 years. By then we will not need them.
I am so looking forward to the repeat of that famous day in the ’30’s when England played Italy with 7 Arsenal players lining up. 2018 in England the World Cup will be brought home by ARSENAL. Look forward to it.
Yeah I can also see a lot of Arsenal players in the national team. I hope Capello changed his mind and start playing offensive because thats what successful teams of world cup do. Lansbury will for sure be in the first team next season and in the national team very very soon.
In all honestly I can’t see us winning the PL or CL next season but you never know. Bayern munchen came from no where with very unknown players for the big audience.
I am looking forward to next world cup
three players are guraanted to be in the first XI
wilshere – Lampard
Gibbs – Cashley
Walcott – Milner/Lennon
welcome Koscielny
thats the comment arsenal fans should have made
good post
I see virtually every other manager is now back at their respective clubs for the start of pre-season training. That is all except Wenger who feels it necessary to still be out in Africa working for French TV and earning a few extra pounds because obviously Arsenal 4.5m wage is not enough. Its about time the fool, realised that Araenal pay him a good salary and with 6 weeks left before the start of the season he still needs at least 3 players to strenghen the squad. Someone should tell the buffoon to get his priorties right.
I support all the above who do not need a new signing to be a well know name just to justify the fee!
For example last season Man City paid £24m for Lescott while Arsenal paid £10m for Vermealen….who ended up with the better player? Who got best value for money? Who was the ‘well known name’ before the season started?
Look at the facts…the last big money signings Wenger has made have been successful; Vermealen, Arsharvin, Sagna, Nasri, Eduardo (injury permitting). So please be positive that when Arsene brings out the check book he means business…
I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise to state who Arsene should sign at CB for £10m…answers on a postcard???
JS. Do you think Afobe and Aneke will go out on loan this season or at least part of it?
aneke is 16-17 and afobe is also 17
they have atleast a year before they go on loan
I think Koscielny would be a good buy. I trust Monsieur Wenger’s judgement. I just hope we have a good season. in as much as he can fortify the defense with an added defensive midfielder. We can go all the way.
To those concerned about why this signing is taking so long, let me just say that I would rather have the club make sure that all of the “i”s are dotted and all of the “t”s are properly crossed before a deal is formally announced. If there is a health or fitness issue, now is the time to discover what it is and how bad it is so that the transfer can either be adjusted or called off–you don’t want to end up closing the barn door after the horse has gone. That’s simply a case of the club doing its “due diligence”, which is good business.
To those concerned about spending 10-12 million on a player who has only had one good season at an upper level, let me make two points: 1.) If a player has the talent and ability and develops to a point where it starts to show, it’s better to grab him then (especially if you know that you can further polish that talent), when he costs 10 million, than wait until he’s a well-known, more experienced player who will cost you 22 million or more. We may not have heard of Koscielny but the fact that his price has risen so quickly would seem to indicate that he is a player that those who work in the transfer market (not just AW) believe has begun to blossom. Which leads me to 2.) The fact that a CB (particularly a French one) is still relatively unknown and uncapped at age 23 does not necessarily mean that he is not going to be a good player. It is virtually an axiom in American sports that bigger men develop more slowly as players than smaller ones–and the very same reasons for this apply equally to soccer (I use the term to distinguish the game from American football). It is not unusual for a gangly, skinny, not terribly well-coordinated 18 year old to turn into a solidly-built, fluidly-moving 23 year old who is now able to consistently use those instincts and talent that he just barely flashed when he was 18. You don’t just come in and lead a league in any professional sport in a positive statistic (passes defensed) as a rookie–which Koscielny did last year in Ligue 1–without having some talent and ability. It would appear, from all reports, that Koscielny is a young CB who has begun to put his game together and blossom as a player. If you noticed R.Domenech’s tendency to rely on dinosaurs and favorites in selecting the CBs on the French National team, the fact that Koscielny did not make the French team is not necessarily a negative.
I don’t know how good Koscielny is or will be–I haven’t seen any more of him than anyone else. But, the reports and indications are positive and I will give him a chance to show what he can do. As for the price that Arsenal is paying for him, if he is a good, young blossoming player who fits well into the Arsenal squad, 10-12 million will be a bargain. But we’re not going to know if Arsenal got a bargain or was ripped off until we see how Koscielny plays over the next couple of seasons. So, let’s wait and see what kind of player he turns out to be.
Finally, one thing that everyone should take into consideration during the transfer period is the fact that just because a player is good, that does not mean that he is a good fit for every team or in every lockerroom. A manager or front office that is looking at acquiring a player does not just look at how well that player has performed for his previous clubs. The club will evaluate the player in terms of how well his skills will fit into their club, into their style of play, and at the position that the club expects him to play. How much better will he make the club on the field and is that difference worth what the club must pay for the player versus what it might pay for a different player? And, the money is evaluated not just in terms of the transfer fee, but the weekly wages the club will have to pay him as well.
Additionally, and perhaps just as important, the club will evaluate the player in terms of how well he will fit in with the other players in the squad. If his personality is such that he will become a “lockerroom cancer” or if he has a history of not getting along with either one of the players already in the club or with his former teammates, very often the more well-run clubs will decide not to pursue that player. For example: last season there were more than a few Gooners who wanted Arsenal to try to sign Wesley Sneijder when word was out that he might be available. Well, as anyone who has been following the WC knows, Sneijder and Robin van Persie don’t particularly like one another. Now, the two of them might be able to put their differences aside (just barely) for 6 weeks during the WC and occasionally during the season for the Dutch national team, but having them in the same lockerroom and on the same training field every day during the season would likely be an unmitigated disaster. So, knowing this, Arsenal didn’t pursue Sneijder. Fans who were unaware of this wondered why not and some even made bitter comments about it. Well, sometimes there are things that go on behind the scenes that the clubs know about but that, despite all of the media coverage, the general public does not. “Lockerroom chemistry” is something that is very important to winning and the better-run, smarter clubs not only know this, but will make it a point of emphasis in evaluating their transfer targets (as well as their own players).
With Koscielny training with the young Gunners, it looks like his transfer is just about done. Let’s hope that it is!
i appreciate ur analysis
6 Jul 2010 @ 10:17 am
comment by Andrew
dan you’re the dumbest person on earth
if a 25 year old is not experienced then maybe you want us to sign a 35 year old
you mug,when i talk about experience i mean players that have played in the champions league or europa cup,when he comes up against that sort of level he will fail.
The fact that he has played against top defenders at Lyon and Bordeaux who were in the Champions League doesn’t count then? Or defenders from Marseille and Toulouse who were in the Europa League?
We wern’t the only ones interested, PSG and Lille were also interested, and perhaps if Lille had got him, we may have made a move for their centre back Adil Rami. Also, he’s 24, not 25, but will turn 25 in September.
About Halliche, he could be just the right kind of signing for us. A decent young centre back, who isn’t ready to start for us, but is of good enough quality to eventually challenge for a first team place, and by the sounds of it won’t cost much.
Edit: I meant top strikers, not defenders.
he scored 5 goals in the champions league he scored against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Olympiacos and he always their top scorer..
Arsenal need to do what bayern munich do blood 2 or 3 ENglish players in like muller, bastuber and contento.
I can see us doing the same with gibbs, wilshere, lansbury but i hope they get a proper chance.
19,20 is the right age for breaking through or otherwise there is too much hype ie wilshere, walcott.
Henri lansbury whos the best young english central midfielder england and for me is detined for great things for England and arsenal and hes a gooner!
bayern is not the right example but germany is
germany has blooded youth players with talent and it has paid off
but BUT they have experienced players to keep these young players in check
which is what we are lacking
we need players like Klose or Podolski who these players can look upto and wenger has been adding these players into the team
Arshavin is one example, chamak another, campbell too
I feel the price is to high for a unknow player who have only played 1 year in the best french league.
Well as we know AW can and does spot talent, this guy looks the part as well.
To all the Idiots (Dan comes to mind first and foremost), wait and give the guy a chance .. think you to stupid to remember back to when we bought Anelke ..450k and peeps like you said who? …. 1 season later we sold him for million £ (not euros) to RM.
So Dan best advice for you is go off down the road to City ..or even the chavs.. think you will fit in with them a lot better ..or maybe you could become a honorary spud as you stupid enough to be one.
Arsenal and AW try do the best they can with what they have, we run our club the correct way!!
12m is a bargain, with a name like Koscielney he will rake in millions from replica shirt lettering alone.
I am looking foward to this signing. Phillipe Auclair said hes similar to vermaelen.
Lets wait and see but what will annoy arsenal fans is you watch when arsenal sign him you will see paul merson and ian wright going on about fabregas leaving cause arsenal are showing no ambition with thier signings. Just watch those 2 will be the first coming out and saying this.
At least with Martin, Keown, Ray parlour they seem to be positive merson, wrighty are both doom and gloom
who cares what they say
I think people who are smart enough will know thats all bullshit others will get sucked into
Chamak – Free
Koscielny – 10 m
Schwarzwer – 3.5 m
possibly another CB if Sol leaves – 6-10 m
and maybe COle too but I dont see it happening I think wenger will give Eduardo and Rosciky one more year to prove themselves
two of these transfers have already happened if other two happen then I will pretty optimistic for next season and we will again do good business
Well played JS…
This would be a good signing for Arsenal but where is the cover for this defence? With our oldies i.e. Gallas, Silvestre and Campbell leaving, there is only injury-prone Djourou left! And we are talking about a club competing in the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Carling Cup! Arsenal’s defence needs more re-inforcements. Arsene, R.U reading this?!!
My first comment here.
Been following this site for well over a year. Must say its amazing work.
Keep up the good work.
Bartley, Gibbs, Lansbury, Wilshere, Walcott, Afobe, Murphy, JET, Cruise, Eastmond, Watt, Hoyte, Randall, Simpson, Deacon, Yennaris, Aneke would like to see us add Joe Hart to this lot and field a complete 18 man carling cup squad of English players just to shut everyone up, perhaps we could eventhrow down the gauntlet and play against an England U23 team.
Hart
Hoyte, Bartley, Cruise, Gibbs
Eastmond, Lansbury
Wilshere, JET, Walcott
Simpson,
Subs: Yennaris, Aneke, Randall, Afobe, Deacon, Murphy, Watt
J
Any news on Ramsey ??????????????????
I heard that he has begun running and light training
any idea how long it will take him to get back into the first team and start competing again
like diaby and eduardo he wil probably suffer niggling injuries and that will keep him away from a bit playing time but I am sure with one more season under the belt of ramsey and wilshere they will be ready to take over Cesc.
I think Cesc wants to go but Wenger will probably keep him another year because he knows Ramsey and Wilshere arent ready yet and they need one more year but next year I wont care if we sold Cesc because Wilshere will be ready and so will ramsey who filled Fabregas boots brilliantly last season
He came on transfer lined on arsenal’s site… so i guess the author of it has no clue about what wenger wants, so other rumors could be true including fulham’s keeper and joe cole even though it came on transfer linked
obviously do you think wenger tells the players who write on the arsenal site
I think only wenger and maybe a couple of other people know who wenger wants other than its all rumours
Guys chill out i said this in another blog that young guns did regarding Kos, i said that if he plays like he played last year and TV plays the same or better, then Arsenal will have the best defence in the PL, period. He wont need any adapting or getting used to the PL. He’ll be ready right away and be ready for the challenge of playing in this league. We should be more concerned about getting depth at CB instead of bashing this guy or Wenger. You havent seen him play? well too bad for you because i’ve seen him play for Lorient all season as i follow Ligue 1 ’cause im French. All the French people were suprised that he didnt get picked for the French squad and we do consider him one of our CBs to be starting at Euro12 and WC14. So take it easy.
yep I have seen him play a few team aswell and I have tried telling tese people that this guy is a gem and he is defintely a starter for us next season
not sure about if he can handle types of drogba because there arent many like him in french league still we will find out next season and is a great addition
I’ve only seen some highlights of Kos but he does looks good. I’m not convinced whether he will be an improvement on Gallas (who was very good last season) but of course he’s still young and should improve in time.
J, I know this isn’t a youth related question but as you seem to have some insider info I’ll ask anyway. Do you know whether the rumours of Arsenal chasing the Portugal ‘keeper Eduardo have any truth to them?
Will there be any squad number changes? TOP
A: Please be aware that Robin Van Persie has requested a squad number change. This has yet to be approved by Arsenal FC.
If you have or are going to place an order for him we will keep your orders until the number change has been approved then print the correct number with his name. In doing this we will not be able to guarantee delivery for kit launch day.
If you have already placed your order and would like to amend the name and number please call us on 0207 619 5000 option 3 and quote your order number.
i know its off topic, so i appologise…. but this isnt a bad read about young wellington silva. you may have read it, but if not, here it is…….
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1182141.html#sweet+seventeen+rio
From what I’ve heard of him from people who have actually seen him play, I don’t think we can go wrong with Koscielny. Last year Vermaelen had infinite critics and even Martin Keown said that he wouldn’t be good enough, then I remember on Football Focus Keown said he was surprised with Vermaelen’s good performances. Wenger barely spends over £10m unless he knows that the player will perform, examples being Arshavin, Nasri, Vermaelen, Henry, etc. Give the guy a chance before you write off his Arsenal career.
As for the youth debate, Arsenal have some brilliant ENGLISH talent coming through, I personally blame the England youth coaches for not picking them. It isn’t a coincidence that the three European World Cup semi finalists this year have won the top three amount of international youth games in the last ten years. It’s an absolute joke that the likes of Simpson, JET and Bartley haven’t even been given a chance let alone a few games.
And one more thing, Koscielny will cost 12m EUROS, which is only £8-9m.
Actually, on current rates 12m euros is about £10.3m. The weak pound has made buying foreign players considerably more expensive for British clubs.
Well still it’s not that much money if you compare the market. Barca have just sold their centre back Chryginskiy (spelling?) back to Shakhtar Donetsk (spelling again?) for only £12m, compared to the £20m they spent to buy him only last summer. The only time I remember Wenger paying more than £10m on a flop was Jose Antonio Reyes, and that was at least six years ago. Wenger knows what he’s spending his money on.
Absolutely, it’s still a good deal if Kos lives up to expectation. Lescott £22m, Toure £16m, Chygrinsky £20m (to Barca). None of them better than £10m Vermaelen, and fingers crossed Kos will have a similar impact.
I wouldn’t say Reyes was a flop, he just didn’t live up to the high expectations of him – 23 goals in 110 games and we still recouped much of his fee. Jeffers was our biggest and most expensive flop in my opinion.
he is coming from a different league do we really want to put too much expectations on him.
Lets be cautious even a player like messi will come with a degree of uncertainty when he comes to a different league
some players fit right in some take a bit more time to fit in
I will be cautious when I say that he can make the same impact as vermaelen
eduardo is a flop. he scored some important goals but hasn’t play a lot. Now wenger wants to ge rid of him. I think that is a good idea o make space somewhere else like a winger.
I think eduardo will come into his own in a 4-4-2 formation but in a 4-4-3 formtion he can only play in the left wing not upfront because he simply isnt tall enough to play there
Eduardo I think will be sold and should be sold not because its good for arsenal but because its good for Eduardo
eduardo is in the peak of his career he needs to play and not sit on the bench and be a squad player. He’s too good to be a squad player and he needs to move to a big club and restart his career in a different league, a different team
I think Eduardo will be sold no matter if we sign cole or not but I think Rosicky future depends on Cole because he will take over Rosciky role in the team if he come although I would much rather stay with Rosicky for another year
a lot of who comes and who goes depends on formation and I think we will stick with 4-4-3 maybe 4-2-3-1 which is a bit more defensive formation but the same thing. 4-4-2 is outdated in europe and this world cup proved it
Bendtner’s injury will save Eduardo from selling:)
bendtner has a groin problem he wont be out for a season
only a few months at most
and chamak and Van persie can cover for him
City are bidding for ballotelli I think he is one player that we need to buy. I think Benitez going to inter is the best thing for us because I doubt he can bring Balotelli into control when Mourinho failed to curve his temper
Balotelli is the player I want even if means losing Eduardo and even Vela
some reportes say were on the brink of signing serdar tasci………does anyone know if there is any truth in this?
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Guys,
I think all of you are correct that TV was a great signing, and I think he will improve 2010/11, BUT the defensive unit last season did not function correctly, and I do not think we can argue that. Set piece defence was a disaster until Cambell joined. I do not think Clichy is helping the case either, but the unit wasn’t working, and TV was part of that unit. Our defenders go wondering when they get excited, and this has to be fixed. The first job is defend, defend and defend. Goals is a distant bonus.
Just my thoughts…..
koscielny could be another vermaelan we hav e to give him a chance. Apparently were in talks with stuttgart over a deal to sign Sedar Tasci,another very good centre half,Quite similar to vermaelan only right sided.
Great news Sead Hajrovic has signed a new contract i personally think hes the best centre back we have got in the club in the youth teams.
Ignasi miguel doesnt look a premiership defender to me. I think hes better suited to la liga or serie a.
This hajrovic looks a real beast
I think Miguel is the best CB we have but angha and harjovic are two promising CBs aswell especially Angha
Miguel is technically very good and if you look through our first team defenders all of them are better than most defenders in the world technically
Miguel is in the Pique mold hopefully he can rise to the same level in the future
JS do you remeber Ondrej mazuch? We were linked him with him a czech republi under 19 centre back?
I know he went to Florentina i dont know why he didnt go to arsenal but i was watching some anderlecht games and he looks a really top top class centre back. Hes really solid hes a like a brick. Hes 21 now but hes one to keep any eye out for. I think we missed out on him and he could go to e big club in the future
that’s how it goes
we lose some we win some
but we have bartley, miguel, angha, harjovic coming through our ranks so I dont mind us missing out on a CB
I will be unhappy if we missed out on a RB or a winger because we are in short supply when it comes to those
Offtopic
Van persie has been pretty ineffective upfront for the dutch do you guys think with the addition of chamak as a real target man and Bendtner behind him wenger will move van persie on to the right?
chamak upfront and arshavin+fab+vanpersie behind him looks like a mouth watering formation
Andrew miguel is technically good but his he physical enoug for the premiership? I dont think he likes the physical stuff.
Pique was a beast miguel i cant seem him being a pique type.
But this hajrovic has really impressed me with his technical ability but also how hes dealt with attackers physically.
Angha looks more of a full back than a centre back in my eyes.
I think when you are almost 6’4 you dont have to worry about attackers being physical
angha is a CB and is better as a CB than a RB but I think he will play anyhwere wenger asks him to play he likes arsenal that much
harjovic looks like he cherishes the rough stuff so another promising CB for the future
Van persie has been ineffective because he does not drop that deep when he plays for holland. he mostly tries to stay up top. also, robben is more selfish and kuyt not good enough to be playing as part of the front 3. At arsenal, there was a lot more pass and move when he was playing up top and robin used to drop deep to be more involved.
If Fab goes, we are definitely going back to 4-4-2. Even if he does not, Wenger might need to think again because he now has 2 tall center forwards. To make the best of Chamakh and RvP, we need to play RvP just behind Chamakh and thus revert to a more traditional formation.
I think in a 4-2-3-1 only RVP has to play out of position not even out of posiiton he’s a second striker so playing of chamak from the right wing might be better for him
chamak and bendtner will play upfront because they are real target man
van persie on the right, vela on the left
and eduardo as I said above will be sold in my view
I am not a big van persie fan to be honest.
I dont think hes good in a 4-3-3 i think hes better as a 4-4-2 off a striker.
Hes got great control, skills but lacks pace and he goes missing for large parts of the game.
He shows flashes but doesnt really do it look at all the big games he never turns up. Hes a good striker but hes not world class.
Van persie is my favourite player and there’s a reason for that
if van persie ever had an injury free season then you will know why
van persie will have a better season if he played on the right rather than upfront because he has skills to get past defender, he will be better playing of chamak then other people playing off him
and he will take all our free kicks and penalties so obviously he will weigh in with the goals aswell
also some of van persie best goals are when he can in from the right and curved the ball into the net from his left foot
pure delight to watch
I think if van perise stays fit then he will be considered in the same category as messi or ronaldo which is the same for robben
Van persie was a dribbler, was a winger not anymore he doesnt have the pace and rarely goes past players.
Hes got the body balance, trick, skill to shield the ball from players he doesnt really go past players please can someone tell me the last time he got the ball and went past 1 or 2 players than score a goal or create a chance?
Van persie isnt up there with torres, ronaldo, messi dont delude yourself.
Yh hes had injuries but he hasnt really done it on the big stage. Every time he plays against man utd, chelsea, liverpool he seems to go missing.
I can only remeber the Blackburn goal when he went past 2 players in the Fa cup and score a nice goal.
He doesnt run at players he likes to create and get ont he end of chances.. Hes changed as a player.
He was better when he was younger at feyneoord he looked awesome, brilliant pace and great dribbler now hes much slower and more of a team player
“Van persie isnt up there with torres, ronaldo, messi dont delude yourself.”
wc is the biggest stage isnt it?
none of the players you mentioned above have done better than Van persie
i will acutally say van persie has done better than those three you mentioned up there
van persie is a second striker who plays off a target man I think we all know this but the truth is that 4-4-2 is outdated ine europe and this wc proved it. 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 are the new formations that are making an impact in europe. van persie is a good fill in target man but I think he will be better served as a winger who comes in and scores using his left foot
van persie started off brilliantly last year and then got injured and then came on in the tottehnham and what an impact he made. I think you are right if you say he has lived up to the talent he has and that’s mostly because he’s very injury prone but van persie is not less than torres, ronaldo or even messi FOR ME
Martin Angha looks like he will play right back. We dont have any good full backs and angha likes to go foward alot i was watching a few under 18 games and he looked like maicon the way he was bombin up and and down.
Hajrovic on othe otherhand looks like he can handle himself and he enjoys the rough side which a centre backs needs in the premiership
Maicon is a class in his own
I think there isnt a single RB in the world who even comes close to his talent
great going forward even better defending and the goals he scored are brilliant
I used to think the same about Maicon but he is not as good as he used to be. Ramos and Lahm arent much worse than him.
Maicons getting a bit overrated here as if he was messi.
done deal, koscielny has signed!
Manager Arsène Wenger said: “Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient. We identified him as a very strong centre half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he’s a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad.”
To JOHN….Did you forget Arsenal 2-1 vs Man Utd at Home,RVP scored the equilliser…Chelsea vs Arsenal 1-2,RVP scored 2 goals in 3 min…He scored Twice vs Tottenham this season..He also scored vs Liverpool…These are the big games I guess….The rumours of RVP wanted by Real Madrid is maybe coz he is world class…The only drawback is that he gets injured….He loves this club and was always loyal…No useless talk to the media…
Just reading about Barca and their empty wallet. After laughing for a good while I wonder if this makes any of their youngsters available at a good price. Maybe they may throw Messi into the deal just to get him off the wages bill. Makes me respect Laporta even less and that’s something
Barca are the stupidest club in history
the cant pay their own players and they want to sign our most important player at the lowest price possible
its is as you said laughable
J
any news if we are any closer to signing Assulin from barca or is he going somewhere else.
I think assulin can do a good job for us on the either wing or in the middle if need be and will be very helpful in FA cup and Carling cup games