Posted on Friday, 31st August 2012 by Rob Fisher
It is a dangerous game to venture comments during a transfer window, particularly as it draws to a close, but the cumulative news about Theo Walcott’s contract situation deserves some mention.
If what we are hearing is correct, and Theo:
A) Has not signed a new contract despite the club’s so-called ‘ultimatum’. And b) Is indeed staying till the end of the season on an ‘amicable’ basis – with the intention of trying to negotiate a deal somewhere between the 75k mark the club has allegedly offered and the 100k he allegedly wants, then I can only say, with Laurel and Hardy, that this is another fine mess the Arsenal management team has landed us with.
At a time when the old wounds of Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas still pain us and the fresher injury of Robin van Persie departing for Manchester is still high on our minds, why, oh why, would Arsenal choose to go down this road? It makes no sense at all.
For a start, it tends to suggest he called the management team’s bluff: sign or be sold was the tough (and actually the right) message. That clearly hasn’t happened.
What makes things worse is we are now faced with the unedifying spectacle of this set of negotiations dragging on through to the end of the January window, with the constant speculation of ‘will he/won’t he’ sounding a large note of uncertainty throughout the club at a time when the new players need stability and balance as they gel with their team-mates.
There is the further question as to whether he is actually worth it.
His performances are inconsistent: great pace, but questionable decision-making when it comes to crossing the ball is there to be seen.
He is not a first-choice England starter – Roy Hodgson appears to favour The Ox over Theo in his team selections.
Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud are allegedly on 70-80k-a-week. Is Theo
really worth that kind of money?
There is also the final and obvious question which is if this arrangement is on an ‘amicable’ basis, why not sit down and get the deal done here and now just like any other transfer deal we are going to have to do while the window is open?
Keeping the door open any longer than it needs to be for the press to continually question the manager and the players about the future of Theo is a huge mistake and can only have an unsettling effect on the club.
Do it, don’t do it. But don’t create another fine mess for us to deal with across the next three months.
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Tags: Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Robin Van Persie, Roy Hodgson, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott
Posted in View From The Sphere | Comments (18)
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August 31st, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Wenger gets 7 mil a year for this shambles,it is an utter utter disgrace.We have 150 mil in cash reserves and we still balance the books or make a profit,it is unbelievable and detriment to the club that a penny pinching manager is killing our club.
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mike Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 6:00 pm
You dont know what you are talking about. If it is that simple, then you do it.
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Steve Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Wenger lining his own and his owners’ pockets, very simple. Sell and don’t properly replace. Any further questions?
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Yes I have a further question. How exactly do you imagine Wenger lines his own pockets by not signing players ? It’s one thing to say (as I do) that he has made lots of mistakes and has little tactical nous. But another to imply he is bent and self seeking. Among his problems …. he is too principled and too loyal to his players.
August 31st, 2012 at 4:38 pm
OK – so you are in charge, do you? :
a) Pay him the 100K/week he wants and make him the highest paid player earning 20K/week more than any other player at Arsenal.
b) Sell him.
You have only a or b to choose.
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Rob Fisher Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 6:56 pm
….sell him. Without a moment’s hesitation. Remember Darius Vassell from Aston Villa. Exactly the same ‘problem’. Massive pace: dubious finish, poor crossing. I can’t see him getting better!
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August 31st, 2012 at 4:58 pm
if we shipped out some of the rubbish then we could afford his wages.
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August 31st, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Have to agree. This is a shambles and we never seem to learn. Just who deals with these matters is unclear but our ability to assert any control over the players is clearly questionable. Why we allow these things to progress beyond two years left on the contracts beats me, other than wenger simply doesn’t know whether he wants to keep them or lacks a clear strategy for the future. Panic buying last summer and a failure to manage this seasons departures unfortunately implies both are real possibilities. Some bizarre purists view that everyone loves the club is desperately naive.
On a related point what we will do without backup for giroud or diaby – one not yet in the groove and the other still to prove he can get through half a dozen consequetive games is a joke.
Wenger needs to understand that if he puts coded mesages messages out the fan base (we will buy a special player, we are very active etc) then fails to deliver does nothing other than increase the disappointment and the belief that what is said and what is done are never one and the same.
Whatever, the arsenal faithful will turn up week in week out and remain loyal to the team….but wenger has to know that a failure to excite us and compete on the pitch for trophies, in the market for players, coupled with feeding us what seems like misinformation is no way to treat the very very loyal and tolerant fanbase.
Bottom line in my view is that 7 years ago we were top of the tree. All we had to do was spend on one great player each year and we would have dominated. Wenger screwed up (whether this is the board or him no one will ever know) and he is still trading on our good will. Something has to change very soon!
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 12:00 am
> Kroenke in his various sporting club investments does indeed seem to trade on the fans’ loyalty. His clubs (or his sons) are financially sound but don’t win much.
> Wenger has been a terrific Director of Football and a Mentor for the younger players. But he has never been a great Coach. I am sure you appreciate the difference.
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August 31st, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Wenger is unwilling to part with players even when it is proven they are not good. The reason for this is that he is not willing to invest money in new players.
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August 31st, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Why ,because Walcott is not worth more then £75k in fact he is not worth £50k ,a sprinter who puts on boots.
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August 31st, 2012 at 5:31 pm
mr wengar surely u are a mad man selling good players frm d club and u accept not to buy at all u are not wanted in dis club any longer just go……
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August 31st, 2012 at 5:40 pm
my ppl walcott is nt d one to b blame cos he has no suitor t change him at d post where he plays so all d blame is on wenger who desided nt to bring gud player so walcott just deserve what he is saying……..
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August 31st, 2012 at 5:45 pm
And u will take over his job & win d EPl & d CL. A retard u r Samuel!
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August 31st, 2012 at 6:39 pm
My belief is that AW is getting old. He is a confidence bigot who believes NOBODY but him is smart. If he tilts his wage structure in a manner that the new entrants earn a little less and the older players earn a bit more, then there will be less attraction for the very good players to look elsewhere. But I doubt if he will listen, after all he’s the boss. Personally, I believe that he is getting to the end of his tether: I predict that Arsenal will not make the top four this year!And just a caper: why AW resist players leaving the club for higher pay when he is the highest paid Manager?
Atin
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August 31st, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Great comments folks – thank you for reading.
I think a large part of what we’re up against is the legendary ‘pay structure’ which, despite assurances to the contrary, seems to be rigidly in place. Until this is fixed, the prospect of bringing in, and more importantly, being able to keep top class players just won’t happen.
The fine mess continues with the news that two strikers have gone out on loan today: Bendtner to Juve and Park to Celta Vigo. Sold? No. Shipped out on loan, with us still paing the majority of their wages!
Unbelievable and totally ludicrous. The fine mess is getting worse. And we are not about to bring any one in (apart maybe another ‘older’ player from Chelsea) in the time that is left tonight.
Same mess. Drives us all nuts!
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August 31st, 2012 at 8:26 pm
As usual the same rubbish from the club. Injuries & suspensions will come and we will have the likes of Djourou and Squillaci in a makeshift defence at the Nou Camp/San Siro/Bernabeau in the Champions’ League next February/March.
It’s the taking part that matters, not the winning after all & at least the balance sheets look good!
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August 31st, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Perfectly legitimate questions about the wage structure articulated here. With such high prices charged, fans must get more militant about where the money is actually going.
Walcott and his agent do look to have called the club’s bluff. He should have been made to sign by the deadline or sold. What weight will any ultimatum carry for the next contract refusenik? This is a pretty shocking precedent to set from someone of Wenger’s experience – or is it Gazidis and Law are meant to be sorting this sort of thing out?
The transfer window hasn’t closed but no sign of a back-up striker. You can bet Giroud or Podolski will get injured in the course of a season – who of heavyweight status will now step in? And no specialist central defensive midfielder. Is Wenger really going to persist with Diaby in that role? Like Denilson before him, it is obvious to everyone that he is not up to the job. If a Wanyama, Capoue or M’Vila type of player isn’t signed, it does not bode well. By the time the January window rolls round it may be too late – Arsenal may be out of the title race. I love the Arsenal style of play and would support Wenger’s general approach but some of this does not look good for the coming season.
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