re: Arsenal 2012/2013 Season Long Thread

I don't see why Xavi can't play at least 3 more years. His role isn't too physically demanding. Pirlo is still going strong at 33 (34 maybe?).

Iniesta is only 3 years older than Cesc. He should also be able to play for 3 or 4 more years I would think (with no injuries).

Cesc has started all of Barca's matches this season I'm pretty sure. What did he expect going to Barcelona?

Yeah, he's just pissed he always gets subbed off.

I honestly wouldn't. The cost to bring him back could be used to fill bigger holes than creative midfielder. and i love me some Cesc. Not to mention he went on strike to force his move. Not sure what kind of message that sends to our players or supporters.

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Not to mention he went on strike to force his move. Not sure what kind of message that sends to our players or supporters.

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That he went back to his hometown team thought Pep would be there and that he would play. It didn't work out. He can come back to a club we know he loves plus at the time of the strike do you blame him for doing it. We bought no one to put around him and had plenty of time to do it. After selling him and Nasri do you not remember we only bought out of panic from the 8-2 game? Now that we are bringing in talent maybe he will see that and want to come back.

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The cost to bring him back could be used to fill bigger holes than creative midfielder. and i love me some

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Yea but we already seen that Arsene thinks this team is good enough and doesn't plan on buying anymore. I think he would reconsider that when it comes to Cesc. Plus if Cesc comes he can take the cam spot and Cazorla can move out wide. That would give us much needed creativity from out wide plus Cazorla has played there plenty in his career. Cesc is one the best midfielders on the planet and to say you wouldn't want him is baffling to me.

Significant amount of revisionist history there. He was surrounded with a lot of talent. Bad luck with injuries, including his own, doomed us. We didn't panic buy because of the 8-2 game. We were forced into the position to buy before that we just hadn't completed anything. That loss didn't effect our buying.

Sure we brought in talent, but there's no real difference in our policy considering we also sold our two best players from last season.

I think the main thing is you guys think he will be cheap. Barca will not sell him for any less than 30mil. And pardon me for not wanting a guy who quit on us and was a large cause of the horrible situation we had during the last transfer window. Not to mention him going on strike severely lowered his transfer price. Cost us at least £15mil.

He's a great player, but we're not in the financial position to outlay the cash for him. We would be better aided buying elsewhere.

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We didn't panic buy because of the 8-2 game.

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You are naive. That is the reason we bought Arteta. And those other deals you were talking about, don't believe for a second that we would have went through with all of them if we weren't forced to by that shambolic game we played. It showed that we had virtually no depth. Then all of a sudden the deals came through on signing day.

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Barca will not sell him for any less than 30mil.

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And you know this how? I guess you have an inside source. If Cesc causes enough of a stink they may be willing to drop the price a bit.

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He was surrounded with a lot of talent.

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Key word is was. Players left and didn't get replaced. I know shocker. We were coming off a terrible collapse the summer Cesc left. I believe, though maybe wrongly, that if Cesc is available that Wenger will attempt to bring him back. People get mad at Cesc for forcing a move. He had to force it or he wouldn't be at Barca. Wenger wanted him to stay that is why he did what he did. He gave Arsenal many years of world class football. He didn't win anything. The club showed no ambition besides staying in the top 4 so he left. I was never mad at Cesc and will never be that he left. He earned it unlike some others. That what separates him from the Nasris of this world.

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All the players who left bc Arsenal "lacked ambition," if they would've all stayed Arsenal would be the most talented team in the EPL right now

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But they didn't because Arsenal didn't surround them with a team capable of winning a trophy. And that is just one part. The other is Arsenal had too many deadwood players sitting on 50k-70k a week and we couldn't or didn't have the money to pay these players improved contracts. Its not they all left at once. It started with Vieira. He left and they didn't bring in a good enough replacement and then the cycle went on and on.

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Arsenal shouldn't be viewed as some fricking prison where you work off your sentence and then have earned the right to leave.

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Not what I meant. I was simply saying Cesc gave us world class performances while at Arsenal. So for people to get mad at him for leaving for Barca, where he is from and happen to be the best team in the world, is silly to me. When I say earned I mean he gave a lot to the club so for him to want to do something for himself, like going to Barca, I have no problem with it.

We were linked to every player we picked up before the Manchester United match. We were clearly making moves to fortify our squad. But Cesc coming back and then going on strike and Nasri being sold forced us to leave it late. correlation does not equal causation.

because he's worth a whole hell of a lot more than that and is still a valuable contributor. Not to mention he'd be on the open market this time around. Common sense, no inside source.

The talent we sold until Cesc was more than adequately replaced by new signings or young players already on our roster.

Still doesn't change the fact that if they had waited one or two years Arsenal would be in a great position to win trophies. shite take just Van Persie, if he's on Arsenal this year and not Man U who's the better team?? Arsenal. And that's one fricking player, not five. Also we can't spend the way Chelsea and Man City or even Manu do, we just can't. We can spend the way Liverpool and Tottenham do.

I agree we can't force them and we just need to accept that, but it also means I have no qualms in rooting against them regardless of how well they played while here. We could still add some players in January but the problem isn't the transfer fees, the problem is wages for players who don't work out. The Denilsons, Bendtners, Chamakhs, Arshavins, Park Chu-Youngs, etc. cost way more than their initial transfer fee, which is way Wenger is so picky. Take Cazorla for example, Wenger has wanted him for awhile bc he knew he'd fit the system, but he had to wait a couple of windows for him to become available