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Another fine mess

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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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18 comments

  • Rob Fisher says:

    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!

  • Dave28 says:

    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!

  • Les Arse says:

    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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