And now we wait.
According to multiple reliable sources on twitter*, Arsenal wanted to announce Cazorla’s signing this morning (afternoon GMT) but there’s a hold-up over who signs what at Malaga. When it comes to “club in disarray” Malaga clearly take the cake.
Jaime from Young Guns Blog also tweeted that Cazorla is in London, has met his new teammates, passed a physical, and agreed to terms with Arsenal. This deal is a far down the road as it can get before disappearing over the horizon.
Financially the Cazorla deal represents a great piece of business for the club. Cazorla had a massive €40m buyout and if the rumors are true that Arsenal will have secured his services for €16-17m (around £13m) then this could turn out to be another one of those great Arsene signings. Of course, that all depends on what the player does on the pitch.
We can get an inkling of why Arsene is so eager to bring the player in from my Cazorla By the Numbers piece on Arseblog News last week. Here’s the infographic I made:
As you can see, his dribbling numbers are very good and his key passes rate second among all those listed. Not listed above is that he has a highly effective cross rate at 29% and with Giroud and Poldi in the front three there’s going to be ample chances for his assists numbers to climb. He’s also not afraid to shoot and from what I’ve seen of the player take shots from distance. Anyway, go to the article and read all about him.
So, if we count Cazorla then that means Arsenal have spent £35m so far this season without having to wait for (hardly) any money to come back in to the club in the form of player sales. It also means that we should give credit to Gazidis and Wenger for this summer’s tranfers, and I think, last.
As for the amount of money Arsenal have spent, it’s interesting to me the number of people who claimed this summer that Arsenal didn’t have the money to spend when clearly the books showed that they did. The proof that the club has the money is in the fact that they spent that money with no guarantee of any money coming in. Yes, there are strong links that Arshavin, van Persie, Walcott, Bendtner, etc were all on their way out but none of them have moved on and no money has come in to the club that I am aware of outside of some token fees for youth players and a small remittance on Carlos Vela.
As an aside: Carlos Vela is listed on the Arsenal.com page as an Arsenal player and still holding on to the number 11 shirt but that page is a mess. It claims to be the listing of all the players in last season’s team photo but Vela’s not in the photo and Almunia is. It would be cool if they sorted that page out.
In all likelihood, Arsenal eventually remove Carlos Vela (all reports say he’s been sold) and will recover almost all of that money they spent by selling some or all of the big named players listed above (Arshavin, van Persie, and Big Game Bendtner). But the fact that Arsenal spent the money shows that the club has some financial muscle that I’m not so sure they had last summer.
Which is why I think Gazids and Wenger deserve some credit. If the club had the financial clout that they seem to have this summer, last summer, Cazorla would already be an Arsenal player and I suspect that the club wouldn’t have been held over the barrel by Cesc and Nasri. For example, we know now that the club tried to get Cazorla last year and Malaga swooped or whatever and outbid us. This year we have the money and are getting the player. Last summer, Arsenal had to wait until the checks cleared from Cesc and Nasri to bring in a bunch of targets which caused everyone to use the phrase “panic buy” ad nauseum. This summer, the club didn’t wait for van Persie to be sold and instead just went out and bought Giroud and Podolski.
At the very least, even if you don’t buy my argument that perhaps the club didn’t have money last summer and were held hostage by Cesc and Nasri, you have to give credit to Gazidis and Wenger for hitting their targets early this year. If there was a mistake (and I’m not so sure there was) last year, then at the very least you have to give credit for learning from the mistake. If, however, the club was in a poorer position financially last summer than they are this (after announcing record profits mid-term I should think they are) then it actually makes last summer’s “panic buys” a good bit of business.
I’ve been critical of the club for not doing more with what they have and I might, just maybe, have to soften that a bit. Maybe, just maybe, the club did the best they could last summer and are doing even better this. We won’t know until Wenger retires and writes his tell-all book but until then £35m in outlay on three great signings whilst refusing to budge on the valuation of out top goal scorer and golden boot winner does have a tendency to soften that hard old heart of mine. So, credit to Gazidis and Wenger for what looks like a great summer so far.
The season is looking up, folks.
*No irony.
Agree. And we bought both Cazorla and Giroud at prices far below their “fair market value,” considering that Málaga is imploding and Giroud had a very low buyout clause. Credit to Wenger and Gazidis for getting those deals done (with the caveat of course that Cazorla isn’t official yet). At “fair market value,” those two deals would have increased our effective TTV significantly.
If we manage to get Şahin on loan, that will be fantastic as well.
Things are definitely looking up. Now, about that defense…
Had we raised our maximum purchase threshold prematurely, we would not enjoy the benefits of the ‘Arsenal special price’.;)
I wonder what the Ox’s current market value is?
Market value – 20-25m pounds
PSG/Chelsea value – 30m pounds
Who agrees with me?
Although now that I think of it again, maybe I was being slightly pessimistic.
Didn’t we pay quite a bit for Ox even before anybody knew his name?.. like 15-20M?
So he must be higher…
Liverpool value: 50 Million
One of the most cliched statements that has annoyed me the most is ‘I hope the club has learnt it’s lesson from last summer.’ Wenger has been managing teams for nearly 28 years, what could he have learnt last summer that he wasn’t aware of already? I think you are right that the club didn’t have the money and had to wait until they did to get their targets. No lessons to talk about here, just different circumstances
I don’t understand why the dot com hasn’t listed Vela as being sold. Maybe the check hasn’t cleared.
I think a lot of people think that Carzorla coming in means that Song, will sit back more, but I disagree. I think the cat is out of the bag. Song put up 11 assists last season, do you think he is going to aim to produce half of those or more? I think the advantage we have with Carzorla is that he’ll play where he needs to, so I think he will drop deep if he sees Song push up.
I agree that Song is not going to revert to a purely destructive role. But if we have a genuine playmaker like Cazorla who can produce consistently, Song will restrain himself a bit and not get carried away. Meaning that he will be hopefully a bit more judicious with his passing and not try and be too clever all the time, as he started to do towards the end of the season. Last season with no one really making that playmaker position their own (Rosicky did for a while), it seems like Song felt he had to rise to the challenge.
As we went deep into the season, his tendency to play the ‘hollywood pass’ went up. It’s usually been attributed to him getting a big head with all the praise his previous efforts got, but I think fatigue might be one important factor contributing to his poor decision making. He did play a lot of games (and thank God for that)
I think the top signings in Premier League this summer have been Hazard (the elder), Podolski and Cazorla, and I’d say that while no team would turn down the class of Hazard, by far the better buys were ours.
Giroud is on board AND we may have more good news in Sahin.
We have a gem in Arteta, but what a contrast to last summer’s seemingly desperate activity. It’s opportunistic, it’s ambitious, it’s brilliant.
We were a very distant 3rd, a whopping 19 points behind both halves of Manchester, and scraped into a CL spot by a single point on the last match played. This new look team, if it gels on the pitch, closes that 19 point gap to at least single digits/shouting distance.
I clearly think this year is different. Almost every summer, Arsenal has made one big buy early — Sagna, Nasri, Vermaelen, Gervinho, Chamakh, etc. They don’t always work out (though I think Chamakh did fine — no one can perform from the bench: ask Messi’s understudy.) This year, Arsene upped that to two, with leading scorers from two other major leagues. (I think he knew they needed more firepower, with or without RVP). That alone puts Arsenal ahead of the Mannies and equal with Chelsea in terms of summer traffic. (And Arsenal have not lost Drogba, the one player I’d rather have in the EPL than Van Persie.)
Carzola sounds like a classic Arsenal play, its where Arsene is at his best, and since you point out that Arsenal tried to get him last summer, then it, too, seems an opportune grab.
I think the big difference this year is that Arsenal decided early on not to sell Van Persie, and made plans to replace him early, which is a good move due to his injury history. Van Persie’s outburst on-line was evidence that he finally realized this was the case. And still is, in my view. Compare Arsenal’s attitude to RVP (and to Theo) compared with their attitude to Cesc and Nasri last summer. Complete difference.
What’s also different is the attitude in mid-field. Last season, Arshavin, Wilshire, Diaby, and even Denilson were in the picture. Only one is fit, and its clear to me that Wenger is not going to rely on Jack or Diaby as a fix. Maybe they’ll pull a Rosicky, or maybe they won’t, but Arsenal will not count on it happening at any particular time.
We’ve been loading on more direct players in recent season (Giroud, Podolski, Gervinho, Ox)
With Chelsea loading up on Marin, Mata, Oscar, Hazard (why do they need so many of the same?) and United sniffing around at Lucas to add on to Nani, we are in danger of losing some of our technical edge.
With Diaby back, Cazorla, maybe Sarhin, we will restore our balance and ability to retain the ball but also add a bit more unpredictability to our attack where I felt at times we missed that last season.
From what I hear, the reason they haven’t until now spent big money was due to the emirates debt now down to a manageable £35ish million, with that now under control it should be full steam ahead.
I reckon we could do with a back up goalie, who I don’t know. But all being well we can come 2nd this year, I’m more confident than I have been for years.
Something I read a short while ago Arsenal v Sunderland is on ESPN as opposed to ESPN2, but that doesn’t affect me this side of the pond.
I’m glad you’re softening your criticism Tim, for me I’ve always been roughly where you are now in terms of appraising Arsenal’s transfer activity. I haven’t necessarily liked it but I’ve understood it. And I completely agree with you that Cesc and Nasri screwed us last summer (especially Cesc), and that there was sweet fuck all that Wenger and Gadzidis could realistically do.
One thing is for sure, no-one can look at this summer’s transfer activity so far and accuse the club of a lack of ambition. If people aren’t happy with the quality and number of these new players then they have to go sit in the Usmanov corner. It’s time for people to face up to that reality,
Greg, you seem anti Usamov, I can’t think why. While risking a verbal lashing, american owners of premiership clubs tend to be businessmen first rather than supporters and their involvement with clubs has and is divisive. Their knowledge of history and tradition of clubs seems to be vague to say the least.
I cannot condemn silent Stan or Gazidis ( South African) but personally would have preferred Usamov and Dein not because he is loaded but he is a fan and DD was brilliant behind the scenes.
Usmanov is not a fan. He has actively tried to undermine the well-being of the club… repeatedly. All his talk about funding is hollow. He can write Arsenal a check whenever he wants, but he doesn’t. He is simply saying that to try to rile the opposition to Stan. He advocates the rights issue to shore up his position.
Dein made millions by bringing in Stan and Usmanov. Whatever you think about what he used to do for the club, since he left he has been disruptive at least. His son has made millions convincing our best players to go to other teams.
The enthusiasm for these people’s involvement with the club is baffling.
Craig, I entirely agree with you about Dein and his son since he left.
However when shares have become available why is it alleged through the media that he is paying way over what Stan offered?
I have no problem with the current owners, my point was that personally I would have preferred the alternative at that time.
since when Fat jabba is an arsenal supporter,he is a red mancunian he try to buy them before the Glazer .
Great post, Tim, and great comments so far.
I echo the optimism expressed above. I envision closing the gap between us and City / United this season, though I can also see Chelsea doing so, as they are the other top club that have strengthened well and wisely this summer. United and City will probably make a few additions as well, but in terms of a jump in squad quality, Arsenal has performed better, I think, than any other PL team this transfer window.
Admirably, the club seems less worried this summer about “killing” young or developing players with experienced / better players in their positions. The priority seems to be on increasing the strength of the squad rather than worrying how a player of better quality will affect existing players. Better is good. Better is better!
Based on this incredible logic, I really hope we sort out a deal for Sahin. If we did so, and our signings adapted quickly, I’d be even more optimistic about a really strong finish to the season, and, who knows, perhaps even some silverware.
As for a back-up keeper, I’d love to see us bring in someone experienced and strong, but, if we don’t, I’m also of the opinion that Fabianski is not nearly as bad as some make out. In fact, I thought he looked quite good just before his injury opened the way for Szczesny.
I’m pretty sure I also read this on some blog (maybe even this one), but if you look at the pre Emirates days, Liam Brady, in his capacity as head of youth development, used to complain about the lack of chances players from our academy get in the first team. Cole was the exception and proud example, but Brady was a big fan of Stuart Taylor, and some more of the young guns, but Wenger didn’t really give them as much of a chance as he would do later.
I think Wenger’s always preferred to buy some unpolished/relatively cheaper players, and make them ‘world class’, rather than simply look to youth. I do think it was out of necessity that the youth project started, and of course Wenger also genuinely believed that it could be successful (in my view we weren’t far)
We’re still constantly reducing our average age of the squad actually. We did so last year as Gazidis kept saying), and I think we might this year as well, although if we lose Vela and Bendtner, and end up keeping Squillaci and Arshavin that might not be the case. That is also to do with the 25 man squad rules I guess. We’re going to have to have more churn in players and let players go more frequently.
I’ve always felt we were spending as much money as we could. I couldn’t think of any reason we wouldn’t. I’m often called a conspiracy theorist, but I find it odd that theories about how the board is secretly pocketing all the money don’t get labelled as such.
I agree.
It seem a bit off track to be bleating on about TTV and our lack of spending prematurely, particularly as we are getting top quality players for 12-13m.
I cannot for the life of me see why anyone would want to spend 25m ++ on the same calibre of players just so we can prove an ‘ambition’. Simply senseless.
By being prudent with money the last few seasons and selling our players has been a frustrating time for Arsenal fans but it now puts us in a very strong position I think we will see very soon the end of the massive fees and wages payed as FFP kicks in.We have bought 3 top quality players for 15 million less than Chelsea payed for torres
Let the mugs of Chelsea and Manchester waste their money it will all end in tears like Malaga
It’s also afforded us better ability to play hard ball with RVP because we did not spend all available at one go.
Therefore we are not quite in need of bringing in money to fund our purchases and can actually contemplate the possibility of losing him for free @31, if option is to sell on to a PL rival (god forbid)
The thought that Arsenal might have been restricted in buying replacements or get better signings last reason because we were screwed over by the Cesc and Nasri situation has only crossed my mind a few months back. I started to think about it because of the difference in way of which we handled the RVP situation. Buying two quality goalscorers early on meant that even if we did lose RVP, we wouldn’t suffer as much. Now add to that Cazorla and Sahin (hopefully), our midfield looks better. I would have been satisfied with the Giroud and Poldi signings themselves, but Cazorla and Sahin are amazing acquisitions. Hoping for a backup keeper but wouldn’t be all that disappointed if that didn’t materialize either. Also, kudos to Gazidis and Wenger
Well I agree that they both deserve credit but note that new inflows from two sources had guaranteed by the end of last season: about £15m from Champ Leuague group games and about £20m from increased payout from broadcasters to the 3rd place finisher. So spending £35m was a zero-risk move actually. The credit goes to how well it has been deployed.
People seemed to forget the big difference between last year and this year: Champions League qualification. We did have the money last year but we had to anticipate if we failed to qualify. Thus the Udinese matches were very important, add to that City and Barca tried to play brinkmanship game with us to get the best deal. So the “panic” buys happened (which were actually very calculated).
If we lost the Udinese matches, prospective 30-40 millions revenue from UCL would be lost, so our transfer budget was prepared for that. We couldn’t use it before ensuring the qualification. Add to this, new players would hesitate to join a UCL non-participant. With UCL qualification on hand this year, Wenger could buy the players he wanted easier and quicker. Until we have a new shirt sponsorship deal in 2014, we have to rely merely on UCL qualification to sign new players.
excellent points. The champions league qualification was such a big deal that usually gets overlooked.
Nice to see Tim, the opTIMist, back at it again.
BADUM TISSS.
Yes, wasn’t quite sure what the pessimism was all about but I guess we all suffer from these moments.
Good to see him back. Not sure if I could take anymore of those misery sonnets (good that they are of course)
A couple of points to consider:
1. The debt is seen as actual loan balances – cash in hand. Therefore, if we spend 35M without any offsetting incoming the debt rises on the books. We have not paid down the debt as per Gazidis because there are significant pre-payment penalties.
2. To say we did not have money last year is simply not true as it was there for all to see in the financial reports.
3. The big difference this year is that we targeted our acquisitions early and went after them in earnest.
Having said that, I am extremely pleased with our signings even if RVP leaves, which at this point I am not certain is going to happen.
Another thought as a measurement process to consider is, are we better with Giroud, Poldi, Arteta and Carzola than we would have been with Nasri, Cesc and RVP? Close call there.
Just saying
Better! For me, definitely better with Poldi et al
Good question, Caribkid, but I’m with Ssinderias on this one. I believe the squad is better, even if I think Cesc and RVP are, as individuals, better than any other individual in their position currently at the club (I’m assuming RVP is as good as gone). I’m considering also the fact that, of eight seasons, RVP has only recently contributed to Arsenal, and the informed conjecture that the new arrivals are more robust in their ability to play each year.
I’m also seeing that with all these attacking options, we are no longer reliant on just one player to produce.
So…better. Definitely.
(I forgot to mention Nasri. Need I? He was good for half a season for us, and is now a somewhat bit part player for City. Silva is better than him, Mata is better than him, and I think Cazorla is, too.)
I think we were handicapped last year in our buying because of the CL qualifier. We waited to the last minute because about 35 million reasons.
This year we are certain of our place in the CL. We identified what we need and went after them aggressively because we had confidence in our finances for the upcoming year. I think the cazorla move came more because of malaga’s implosion than our perceived need by Wenger, but I’ll take it. That is unless he thinks Jacky boy and rosicky are both going to be crocked all winter. In which case Cazorla is a necessity.
And I will take what we have now with poldi, Giroud, Carzola, Arteta and a confident AOC any day over any list that has Nasri in it!
Well said. I was wondering if you or anybody might now just how harsh the prepayment penalties might be? You’ve said they are significant, I was wondering how, as I believe that in a pinch, having someone affiliated with the club could potentially pay off the mortgage and alleviate the stiff annual payments we are making on the Emirates. I believe this all jives with FFP (if this is even relevant in a few years time).
I think as a squad we are better than the ’09-10 ’10-11 teams, because there was very little backup for our starting 11. As far as starting 11s, i think the 09-10 team, with Cesc playing behind RVP in the hole, and those two having an absolutely telepathic understanding in those glorious months before Chiellini took RVP out in a friendly match and we all learned about horse placenta, was our best recent team. And it included Denilson, which is a hell of a handicap!
I don’t think anyone believes we have no money to spend.
We spent 55m last season and we have 116m cash in hand.
But to say we have 130m ++ to spend is disingenuous to say the least.
As estimated, (courtesy of Swiss Ramble) we spent a third of the 160m in hand last season. By the same matrix, we spent 35m out of 116m which was a round the estimate I gave.
Just saying.;)
You know, factually that Arsenal did not “spend” £55m last season. They spent £48m and sold over £60m. Arsenal EARNED £12m last season in player sales.
I believe that Arsenal had no money to spend last season. It’s pretty clear that was the case.
There is something very fishy about Arsenal’s finances.
Very fishy.
I liked the post today. I don’t know Cazorla very well so I can’t go through the roof, with excitement, but the numbers sure look right. I remember Gazidis coming out last season and saying Arsenal were “keeping their powder dry” – which was much derided at the time, but now we’re seeing the benefit. They got outbid for Cazorla and Mata last summer, now this summer they pick up three players at absolute bargains (based off their previous season performances). There is still the possibility of Sahin and maybe this Niang kid. Patience really is a virtue. As my realtor keeps telling me, the bus stops every 5 minutes, if you don’t see what you want now, there’s always the next one.
Oh shit! Optimism? It is truly preseason after all. The RvP dross is off the silver lining. Dust off the trophies and clear the cabinets. More medals straight ahead!
I always feel optimistic about the fire power of Arsenal. At least with our new signing plus reportedly loan bid for Sahin, our attacking departement will be saved. I expect our attacking prowess to be on par or maybe better, collectively even without VP.
What i am less optimistic is our defensive departement. It will be a huge burden to Bould to fix our entire defensive performance. 49 goals conceded and if the trend continues, might be getting more, is slightly a frightening prospect. Our make shift defense last season prove that we don’t have as good back up as our attacking department, especially on fullback position. A back up GK is needed not just for cover, but also for pushing the competition which wasn’t there last season. Szczesny even play when he is injured. I really hope at least there will be a positive sign for our defense, even if not as wonderful as our attack.
Without a doubt they deserve credit. Chelsea paid 32 mil for Hazard, we paid about 35 mil for 3 quality internationals. that’s business well done. The big question now is how much gap is there between us and the two Manchester teams?
Out of curiosity, I did an analysis to see how far behind we were from Man City if we tally up the points from Round 8. Why Round 8? Well Round 7 was the away loss at WHL which I felt was the turning point of the season for us when we hunkered down and started clicking as a team and put on a decent run. From that point we scored 63 points and City scored 70. With these signings, we should be able to close that 7 point gap now but that assumes keeping RVP because he was so instrumental last season. I guess what I am saying is that if he leaves, we would probably need another goal scorer up front if are to challenge for the title. If not, we will probably still fall a little bit short. Any thoughts?
I believe that our recruitment this season is solely on countering that problem. With Podolski, Giroud, Cazorla, and maybe Sahin as a deep playmaker, i expect they would recreate the form of an in-form Van Persie last season who almost single-handedly pulled us to third. Maybe a back up striker if Van Persie, Bendtner, Chamack is sold but not a first rate striker like Lewandowski or Llorente.
Yeah I look at round 8 as well, because essentially, it was a month after our deadline day shopping spree. We were already 12 points behind then, and despite a loss of form in January (with the fullback injuries), and the end of season struggles, in 7 and a half months of action, we only lost 7 points on the ‘best’. We do have some ground to make up, but I think the 19 points is a little deceptive. We’re not as far as it seems. But then again, we’re always close but not quite there.
I don’t really think we need another goalscorer up front. Podolski is an astute buy because he can be both a left-sided attacker, and the backup to Giroud. In a pinch we could also put Gervinho or Walcott up there.
Regarding making up that gap on the Manchester clubs, we are going to have to be prepared for a slow start. Our new signings are unlikely to integrate into the team instantly. So while we surely can’t start as badly as last year, it will be a few games before we really hit our stride.
I think Niang might be the third option if RVP leaves. It is a little strange that we’re apparently targetting him considering we have Campbell out on loan, and now Afobe as well. But getting more talent in is always welcome, and U-18 buys are important for their homegrown status. Hopefully we get him because just Poldi and Giroud might not be enough for all the games.
Happy, happy, joy, joy.
For my part, I really want to see Arsenal play hardball with Van Persie. It may cost us 20 million GBP, and that is significant, but even if he has, as i expect he will, a less dazzling season than this past one, he is still a valuable aset as a world class striker who can be rotated with Poldi and Giroud. We have a squad now, and Van Persie is a part of it, a cog rather than a savior with an automatically nailed down starting role. If he provides 15 goals and 5 assists, a modest target, i think losing out on the transfer fee will be compensated for by the fact that he is providing a portion of the points which will keep this club challenging in the league to finish as high as possible, keep it qualifying for and advancing in the Champions League, and move it into the final rounds of the other cups, providing Arsenal with more revenue in league payouts, more gate revenue from more home games, and more television revenue for the same reason. He is more valuable to us on the pitch, where if he plays well, he will help generate more than any transfer fee we are likely to receive.
He’s also going to be making sure his strike partners are able to rest, as he should be able to as well. A squad needs many players, and he is a great one to have, even though he again is almost certainly not going to have half the season he did this year. This year was almost 40 goals, so if he has 20 in him this season, worth keeping him.
I don’t want to see RVP at a PL title rival.
If he moves offshore, we may need sanother striker.
If he stays (and I have mentioned before that the market will give us a strong hand because of a surfeit of strikers), he will have to “play ball”
If he wants to engineer a move a year down the line @30/31, he’d better be knocking them in on a continued basis regardless of Giroud or Poldy.
We can afford to forgo the (potential) 20m IMO and count it as strictly a cost deficit @2.75m.
Again I estimtae that we should have another 14m to play with in the market (on top of the 36m) and without any income from outgoings so to speak factored in which means we are in a strong position to absorb loss income on RVP this season if necessary.
That’s better. I’m glad your a bit more cheery. Not difficult.:D
There was always healthy money to spend but quite clearly not the 130m ++ you estimated.
As per my estimate, a third of available cash works out to exactly around 36-37m.
We should still have money in the kitty for one more signing regardless of outgoing IMO.
The fact that we brought 3 top players in for 12-13m shows you that we clearly still have the clout, pull and competitive edge to continue attracting good names to the club.
Useful statistics on Cazorla. Wouldn’t mind seeing the stats on Sahin, particularly on the defensive side of things.
Seems to me he is a creative midfielder who also has a strong defensive streak in him.
Perhaps if he comes in, a more Flamini type player who can deputise for Song or Diaby in combination if need be and an alternate to Mvila. Considering Coquepin (and Frimpong) being groomed, it would seem an astute choice to consider a loan (with option to buy).
Again, I think it points to the fact that whilst the Petro-rich clubs have severely distorted the market (particularly with impact on wgaes), there is still enough option out there to bring in quality at more reasonable pricing despite.
Until this option runs out, there seems no reason to unilaterarily raise our maximum ceiling on player purchase.
One more thing about Santi…set pieces (scoring from them)
He put four goals in for Malaga from set pieces last season.
We could well do with more creativity and deadliness in this area.
Apparently he takes free kicks with either foot, when it suits. Talk about two footed.
I think it’s why he has so much utility as a signing for us. We have quite a number of candidates to play through the middle but Santi can also challenge Walcott/Ox and deputise LW for Gervinho away on ACN.
The other thing about free kicks is that Poldy and (possibly) Sahin are also lethal from range.
I’m loath to count Sahin as an Arsenal player just yet. Any deal involving Arsenal seems to drag on anyway, and when you add Mourinho as a factor in the deal, despite his public announcements…I’ll believe it when I see it.