I am compiling a list of players we can sell this summer. Two simple criteria
1. Spent enough time at Arsenal and not proved themselves, but taking up a first team position, thereby giving a false sense of depth to the squad
2. Sale value which can be added to the transfer kitty so badly needed this summer.
Here is my list.
1. Hoyte: It seems crazy to keep a backup RB of his quality when we have so many others who can fill that position when required and do a better job than him. Being British, he would fetch a tidy sum. Villa need a RB when Mellberg leaves in the summer. 2M is quite possible.
2. Senderos: We need a new CB and someone has to go. It is a straight fight between him and Djourou. Sendy has got enough chances to prove himself and it is also likely that he can be a regular player at a lesser club. As much as I like him, I think we should cash in. 3M would not be too much if we sell him in England.
3. Gilberto: Of course, this is assuming Flamini stays. In which case, we could do without him. Being an experienced player, he would fetch a decent sum. Remember Ljunberg got us 3M, so Gilberto can too.
4. Diaby: What is his position in the team? I have no clue. Not DM, his defensive skills are poor, his work rate poorer. Not AM, we haven’t seen him there and won’t either with Cesc around. Winger? No way, we have seen enough of that. Just a good player but no position to play? Sell him to a French club for 2M.
That’s four players who can potentially earn 10M. Add to that, the reportedly 25M kitty available and we have enough to buy at least two TOP quality players. If spent prudently, we can even manage to buy 3 very good players - CB, winger and striker (which is what I think we need).
40 Responses to “Players we can (and should) get rid off”
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I have had the feeling for months now that Flamini will be gone and therefore Gilberto will be needed to blood the new DM whoever that might be. My other hunch is that the other DM’s will be from inside the squad and will include two of the following players, Denilson, Song, Toure and Djourou.
I have mixed feelings about Diaby because of his immense talent, but unless Arsene projects him a a CM he needs to go.
Based on Arsene’s actions in the latter part of this season I am convinced we will get another MF and either a CB or Striker.
My reasoning behind this is because he has been playing Traore as a left winger for the last 6 reserve games and probably will use Vela and Traore as left wingers next season. He also seems to be content in utilizing Eboue and Walcott on the right wing as needed for tactical purposes and even when we go to a 4-3-3 he never employs 2 wingers. He uses overlapping wing backs to create the width which eliminates the use for two wingers, ala Brazil.
His recent use of Song as a CB indicates he will be going in that direction next season and may well feel that Toure, Gallas, Song and Djourou can hold court. This also may mean that Senderos stays as a squad player.
With RVP injury concerns and the big question mark surrounding Eduardo’s return we may well see Arsene get another versatile forward who can also play on the wings or in midfield.
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 am
Hoyte should stay, he is a Gooner through and through. With him, you know that he won’t fuck you up like Flamini or Henry, no matter if he is not a top class player, it’s good to have him around!
My list is quite short actually, only Senderos and Gilberto(even if Flamini goes)!
Replacing them and buying a left winger and we are all set to go all the way next season
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 am
Sheed, that’s precisely my point.
If Diaby stays as left winger, I am not sure Wenger will buy a new one. In his mind, it’s Hleb, Rosicky, Eboue, Diaby and now Vela. On paper, that’s good. In reality, Rosicky is always crocked, Eboue is not very good, same with Diaby and Vela is totally new.
If Diaby leaves and Eboue moves to backup RB (when Hoyte leaves), it actually frees up two slots on the wing. Vela is sure to take up one, and that way, we can be guaranteed that one new winger will be signed. At least, in theory.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:15 am
Apologies for going off topic..but was just discussing with my Man Utd fan friend about how we were still in the race …but he told me that Man Utd have all but got the title sewn up because
(1) Curbishley has been quoted as saying that ‘it would be an injustice if Man Utd do not win the title’
(2) Steve Bruce is an ex-Fergie Player and Wigan are more or less safe
And so this friend expects to see a lot of youngsters being blooded into the first team by both these sides in the 2 remaining games of this season…
That has kind of deflated whatever little hopes I had…Arsenal were more or less out of the race so we should probably not have any problems….but if I were a Chelsea fan…I would probably be very upset with what Curbishley has said. No wonder Avram Grant has blasted Curbishley for airing his views like that. Hope the end result of all this is that West Ham have to field a full strength side against Man Utd and (hopefully) beat them
… if he does field youngsters..I see Chelsea making it a big issue out of this.
I don’t mind if Arsenal eventually don’t win the title..but I do want the Gunners to still have a chance going into the last day of the season….would make for a great final day.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 am
Nip, I agree that Diaby is not that good playing there, but he has so much talent, it would be ludicrously to sell him. And he is a good squad player, we need to have a good bench if we want to win the title.
I would like too see Vela upfront, not on the wing, coz he is not a natural winger and will be most effective if he plays as a striker. And we might see just that, RvP is always injured, Dudu is not back till January maybe, Theo is better as a winger than Vela and Bendtner and Ade are not the perfect partnership, so it would be good to see Vela and Ade paired upfront
So, a new left winger is required, no matter if someone leaves or not, it is a must!
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 am
Wenger is still unsure if Flamini will stay or go…expects to know the decision one way or the other by Saturday ..so maybe there still is a bit of hope.
And he’s calling the UCL final….the 39th league game that everyone hoped for ..haha
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Diaby should play as an attacking central midfielder as cover for Cesc. He is great at getting the ball, and driving forward (like PV4). But he can’t tackle, he is too lazy and doesn’t have enough nous to play the holding role.
I don’t mind him on the left wing also, he is a very good 2nd choice there. No way I would get rid of Diaby. A great squad player, and one I think that will really improve as he gets older.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
Wayne, are you serious?
We have ZERO chance of winning the league. Its over. Its been over for a while now.
Flamini and Hleb are both likely to go… perhaps we should not be talking about who else to send packing, seeing DEPTH was a big issue.
and…
stop with the … these sales will bring in 10 million + we have “X” to spend.
WE DON’T OPERATE THAT WAY. We are very very very unlikely to spend a big wad of money in the transfer market. Don’t hold your breath on that one.
We have money. We have had this alleged CASH to spend for years… its not going any where…
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
calm down stag, wayne is talking about a mathematical chance dont get your panties in a twist.
as for cash, how do YOU know that we have cash to spend?
have you ever moved homes in a crunch before?
do you have a clue how debt works?
do you know that the fact we have a high value - is based on our assets - and it does not mean we have a high disposable income?
keep on moaning like a prat. that is all you ever do.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Just in case I forget, here’s some gratuitous insults to my fellow posters - muppet, numpty, moron, tard, twit, twat, troglodyte, soul-raping anus-faced nutsack. That’s better, now I feel part of things again.
Flamini is 99.9% certain to move, according to the leak from his team-mates in the Mail.
The sad thing about this is we don’t make any profit from turning him from a busy utility player into a defensive dynamo.
Still, onto fixing the hole that surely can’t be filled by Gilberto.
Liverpool are already making offers for Gareth Barry in the £10-14 million range, which effectively moves him out of Wenger’s shopping comfort zone. No overbidding for homegrown players remember. This is a shame as I really think he’d be a great fit for us - English, hard-charging, never say die, a captain, gets about 7 goals a season, and at 27, he’d give us 4 good years without any ‘transition’ mularkey. Also, he puts in 35 league appearances a season. No big injuries for the past 5 years.
So, barring any Euro shopping surprises, I wonder who will see moved into midfield.
I suspect Wenger will try some wacky ideas out over the summer. Diaby? Song? Touré? (This isn’t so crazy. Barry started out as a CB and left back, I think.) Well, if any of those are going to work, they need some major attitude and temperament adjustments. Flamini, to his credit, was Mr. Bustle, a triumph of workrate over natural skill.
would be
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Here’s one encouraging statistic:
If Arsenal avoid defeat at Emirates Stadium on Sunday they will complete an unbeaten season at home.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
@Stag…yup..chances are really slim and near to non existent ..but hey..everytime the Man U guys start talking about the double and how we have not managed to win anything..it doesn’t do any harm to remind them that inspite of everything they have not managed to wrap it up just yet :)) ..but as I said..if I were a Chelsea supporter I would definetly not like what Curbishley said.
And regarding transfer money…there is no logical reason why the board will not spend the cash if they had it. If money is all they are after ..all the need to do is to cooperate with Usmanov and they will probably get all the money that they ever need.
I’ve said this earlier..but i believe that Arsenal were expecting a lot of cash for debt repayment from the sale of houses at Highbury..but with the housing market crash..maybe that has mad them redo their calculations. We will know the real benefit of the stadium expansion only after a period of 4-5 years..till then we just have to wait and hope that Wenger can buy some great players who have escaped everybody’s notice.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Interesting article, could be true, could be BS: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/05/02/ufnflamini102.xml
It says that Flamini has told everyone he is leaving for AC Milan. Could be kind ofa sideways/backwards move. Milan is in real dnager of not qualifying for the CL next year. If that’s the case would Flamini be happy playing UEFA cup football? Of course, Milan will probably be back in the CL the following year if they don’t qualify this time, but athletes aren’t generally that far-sighted. Also, would he be stuck behind someone else at DM and not get steady playing time? If that was the case, why would he be happy doing that. I think he’s as good as gone, but it makes for an interesting scenario to watch play out.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Emmanuel Eboue would be a good replacement for Flamini. He’s done right back, he’s done right-midfield, and I am absolutely convinced he has the qualities to well in there. Wenger will slowly walk over to him in Austria in pre-season and break the news and Arsenal would save themselves another wad!
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
On the flip side, Gattuso has said he would like to play for England. I know he’s 30, but I think it would be a good fit. The question is whether he would fit in the EPL - he thinks he would do well there. He played in Scotland in the late 90s, but I have no idea how he did there.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Like me, we can all keep on wishing and hoping that Arsene will purchase an experienced GK. MF, Winger and Striker in the off season. However, when reality sets in we will wake up from our dreamworld and see 2 field players acquired and a GK on a Bozman if available.
Traore/Vela will be on the left wing and Eboue/Walcott on the right. Vela will be cover for RVP/Eduardo as he was originally a striker.
A versatile central MF will be brought in from Timbuktu with a name we will be unable to pronounce and turn out to be another Sagna. The second field player acquired will be dependent on who is sold. If Senderos gos we will probably see a CB. If Senderos stays and Gilberto leaves we will probably see a DM.
If Senderos and Gilberto both stay I have run out of @#$%$# ideas.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Seattle, its NOT a sideways move for Flamini.
He is trying to GET PAID, while he is a valued commodity.
He wasn’t even a regular in our team prior to this season.
If he gets a big contract, he’d be INSANE not to take it… he’s not a star player that has made big amounts of money, going to a big club… it is sometimes about security in life.
Arsenal doesn’t break the bank for the Flamini’s of the world. If AC Milan pony up more than Arsenal, then he’s nuts not to take it. One Eduardo injury, and he could be done.
Fred, twist this you punk.
Its been reported repeatedly every year that Wenger has CASH TO SPEND, he chooses not to.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Why some of you guys can’t discuss normally?
It’s always the same, no matter if we win, lose, draw, you just look to slag someone. Even if we sign Ronaldinho and Messi, you’ll still moan about something and someone. Just chill a lil bit and talk about Arsenal, we are here because of them, not about how someone is stupid, some other is a moron and stuff like that.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
One up Sheed, totally agree with your comment. Let’s discuss Arsenal, not slag people.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Question to Sheed. Are you really Sheed or just a Sheed Wannabe?