Well, back to Groves now. He also told that he wants Downing along with Nasri in the team and not as a replacement for the French playmaker.
‘If he comes into Arsenal’s side as well as Samir Nasri, then great, but not because of Samir Nasri.
‘If Samir Nasri goes, Stewart Downing won’t be a replacement for him because they are different sorts of players.’
‘Nasri is a player who has got guile and creativity around the box. Downing is more of an energetic player who will give you a bit of pace on the left-hand side and decent delivery so if he’s an addition to the squad, fantastic.’
Spot on there Mr. Groves. Arsenal shouldn’t even entertain the possibility of signing Downing, let alone replacing Samir Nasri.
So why is Downing not a good signing?
I don’t know if you guys agree, but I’ve got serious reservations about the English international.
First is his price-tag – £20 million for someone who isn’t going to be a regular starter? You must be joking, especially if Wenger is your manager.
The Frenchman rarely pays huge sums for even first-team players. So the odds of Wenger signing Downing are as good as the Spurs winning a double next season! And moreover, Gervinho has just joined us.
He will compete with Walcott for a place in the right wing; though I feel one of these two will play a more central role this season. Plus we’ve got Miyaichi to think about. So Downing would be more of a liability than a good addition to the squad. Downing doesn’t inspire much as a footballer. He will never fit into the passing style of football at Arsenal. He isn’t a technically sound and has never exhibited a passing range that will enable him to succeed at Arsenal.
His biggest asset is his pace, but is he quicker than Walcott? His delivery into the box is good, but if Van Persie is going to lead the line, that too would be wasteful. Van Persie is better on his feet and Arsenal always play along the ground, even inside the box. Besides, Arsenal have a much better player to target in Mata. He is a Spanish international and will roughly cost the same amount as Downing. But unlike Downing, Mata would give the likes of Nasri, Walcott and Arshavin a run for their money. So that kind of a signing is what Arsenal require.
Perry Groves has a hugely better football brain than me, but he probably forgot that the squad he was referring to was Arsenal and not some ambitious mid-table club!
Signing Downing makes very little sense to me (the £20 million price-tag, is ridiculous) and I don’t think he will give the balance or the options for Wenger, and isn’t going to improve the squad by even the smallest of margins.
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Traore, Wilshere and Gibbs are left-footed. Groves z another one who relies on media decorations about players who are, atmost, average.
True he’s a quality signing bt I dnt think we need a left winger now we hav so many wing players( nasri, arshavin,walcot, ryo miyachi) . And also he’s overpriced.
Downing to me,is an average player and price tag with him is much…. I will rather buy another player with 20 million than buy him… AW should buy a better player for us…
Stuart Downing is over hyped, he will never be a good addition to us, he has lost his pace, his positional sense is poor and at best he is a good crosser which is not the way we usually play. So downing who looks like has gone to pool, is more hype than substance.