Could a Partnership Between van Persie and Walcott be the Way Forward for Arsenal?

By: Sairax | May 26th, 2011

FBL-ARSENAL-AJAX-BERGKAMP

The end of another trophyless Arsenal season has gooners everywhere wondering how this Arsenal team can get out of its rut and move forward. It’s obvious that a couple of quality signings would no doubt improve the team, but I thought I would look at our current resources to see if there is something new or different we could try next season.

henry bergkamp 4 If you are an Arsenal fan, or if you have been watching football at all during this decade, you would surely know about the “Invincibles”. That was the team of the 2003/04 season who won the Premier League without losing a single match. There were several key players from that squad, including Patrick Vieira (who served as captain), Robert Pires, and Sol Campbell. Leading the team up front were two of the best players that Arsenal and the Premier League have ever seen: Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. Bergkamp and Henry were players of great skill, pace, and power. Their goals were not only vital to Arsenal’s success, but were also beautiful to watch on their own. They displayed artistry and hunger for success in equal measure. I am reminded of a quote from Bruce Lee where he said:

“Here is natural instinct and here is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. If you have one to the extreme, you’ll be very unscientific. If you have another to the extreme, you become, all of a sudden, a mechanical man…no longer a human being. So it is a successful combination of both, so therefore, it’s not pure naturalness, or unnaturalness. The ideal is unnatural naturalness, or natural unnaturalness.”

I think these words apply so well to our former striking duo. They combined their natural, raw talent with hard work and purpose. This is what brought them so much success at our beloved club. We’ve been missing our numbers 10 & 14 in recent years, but this season we’ve seen those numbers again, only instead of Bergkamp and Henry, it is Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott who wear the 10 & 14 on their shirt. Can they be the key to our future success? Could a re-envisioning of the old 10 & 14 pairing work with van Persie and Walcott?

This past season, Wenger has often employed a 4-2-3-1 formation. This seemed to work best when van Persie was played at the top with Samir Nasri and Walcott on the wings and Cesc Fabregas in behind van Persie. The solid pairing of Alex Song and Jack Wilshere allowed the four most attacking players the freedom to move and attack with fluidity (Song and Wilshere would often use their movement and switch positions with our attacking players when needed). In the winter months, Arsenal’s performances with this attack worked beautifully and efficiently, particularly in the matches against West Ham (away), Birmingham (away), and Chelsea (home). Looking at these games, what stands out is how well van Persie and Walcott played. Both of them scored goals and were racking up assists as well. Even in games where Nasri or Cesc were switched out with another player, van Persie and Walcott still managed to find each other and combine to create opportunities, and more importantly, goals.

DV818780

This season in the Premier League, van Persie had been on fire ever since he came back from his injury. In total, he scored 18 goals in the Premier League and claimed 7 assists. All of his goals came after January 1, matching the record of Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry, both of whom had also scored 18 goals in the league after January 1. He set a new Premier League record by scoring in 9 consecutive away games in the league. His consistency in front of goal was one of the shining lights in a very dark Arsenal season. Walcott, though not as prolific, enjoyed one of his best seasons for the club in 2010/11. Though he suffered injuries that put him out at various points in the season, he still managed 9 goals in the league and 7 assists. Of those 7 assists, 5 of them have been for van Persie. This somewhat has to do with the fact that Walcott had been played out wide right for the majority of the season. His crossing was better and he was making great runs and linking up well with van Persie and the other players, particularly at the beginning of the season when he enjoyed his best run of form. One really good example of Walcott supporting van Persie was in the game against Wigan at the Emirates where van Persie claimed his first Arsenal hattrick. Fabregas played a lovely ball over the top and Walcott ran onto it and got into the box. He had a defender on his back, but he held him off well as van Persie made his way into the penalty area. Walcott left the ball for van Persie who smashed the ball into the net at a seemingly impossible angle. Another example can be found in the 1st half of the now-infamous game at St. James’ Park. The first half saw Arsenal play some brilliant football. In the 10th minute, Arsenal were up 3-0 when Diaby found Walcott at the edge of the penalty area and Walcott delivered a low cross to van Persie who scored. However, the best game to display the potential of our current 10 & 14 pairing was in the match against West Ham at Upton Park. All 3 goals that the Gunners scored that day involved van Persie and Walcott. At 1-0 it was another Walcott cross for van Persie to sidefoot into the back of the net. The second goal came when van Persie ran in behind the Hammers’ defense and took the ball to the byline and cut it back to Walcott who smacked the ball in the goal. The third goal saw Walcott draw a penalty and van Persie step up to score from the spot.

DV893618 No one expects van Persie and Walcott to be the new Bergkamp and Henry because that isn’t possible. What they can do is try and form their own successful partnership by playing to each others’ strengths and finding ways to complement each other on the pitch. What may have to change in the current setup is where they both play. Currently, van Persie is deployed up top with Walcott out wide, but both have shown that they can adapt to other positions. Walcott often drifts into the centre when pockets of space open up and van Persie has a tendency to drop deep to collect the ball. If Walcott were to play up top with van Persie in behind, it might be more natural for both players. Walcott’s pace would certainly be a huge asset when taking on defenders. At the moment, Fabregas plays in the hole behind the striker, but he himself has said how he feels more comfortable in a slightly deeper role, so a switch for him could work as well. The “Invincibles” team is often referred to as having played in a 4-4-2 formation, but as Zonal Marking points out, it could be seen as a lop-sided 4-2-3-1:

“Dennis Bergkamp dropped into space whilst Thierry Henry drifted to the left when Arsenal didn’t have possession, making Arsenal incredibly dangerous on the counter-attack. Additionally, the wingers made outside-to-inside runs, with Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg almost reinventing the wide midfield role with their incredible goalscoring records.”

With Walcott gaining more experience on the wing, he could similarly drift wide as Henry used to and van Persie can move up the middle where he has been so dangerous for Arsenal recently. Depending on who our wide players will be next season, this setup could be very effective, especially on the counterattack. Walcott has mused previously about playing with van Persie:

“In a 4-3-3 I do a good job on the right given more licence to drift inside. Next season I’ll be given a few more opportunities, maybe in the FA Cup. Thierry [Henry] was the same. He started out on the wing and only became a striker when he was about 22. He joined here at 22 and the boss developed him into a striker. He might be doing that with me, I don’t know. It would be great to have a career like him.

“Maybe I could play up front in a two with Robin. I’ve set up so many of his goals this season, probably half of them. We just seem to have that connection. I love playing with him, he loves playing with me and we are gelling very well.”

It’s good to know that we still have options to change things up within the squad. Of course, bringing in another decisive striker can only be of benefit to the Arsenal team, but seeing the possibility of a new, re-imagined 10 & 14 partnership that harkens back to some of our best times as a club is an exciting idea. What makes me believe that this idea could work is not just the numbers on the shirts or the stats from the season, but the players themselves. Walcott was left out of the World Cup squad last summer and instead of sulking, he started preparing for the upcoming season. He has a great attitude on and off the pitch and has been trying to improve himself as a player as much as he can. You hear stories about how he stays behind after training, even getting Sagna or one of the goalkeepers to stay behind so he can practice with or against them. David Beckham had helped Walcott with his freekicks and crosses and you can tell that he has improved this season in both areas. He is not Thierry Henry; he lacks the pure skill and vision of a player like Henry. The thing is, he doesn’t have to be Henry. He just has to find a way to be effective and, at the end of the day, he just has to find the back of the net, which we are already seeing he can do. Looking at van Persie, he has such immense talent and skill, it is a pleasure to watch him play. He has a drive and a hunger to succeed and we have seen him excel this past season, scoring at almost a goal per game ratio. For both Walcott and van Persie, fitness has been an issue, and there are still concerns about them missing significant amounts of time due to injury. That’s when our bench players like Chamakh have to step up (or even a new striker brought in over the summer). It doesn’t have to be our permanent solution or our only solution, but at least with Walcott and van Persie, Arsenal still have some hope.

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Category: Robin van Persie, Tactical View, Theo Walcott

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JG

Final ends, Barca 3-1 Man U. As expected, all Barca.
Being a Barca has to be soo easy. It's like watching the Kentucky Derby and hoping a horse wins.
Homey_Mills

I broke down and watched the last 30 minutes of it. A reminder to me of two things. First, there's no shame in losing to Barca as an Arsenal fan. Second, Man Utd is so beatable. Makes me more upset we didn't mount a better challenge in the EPL. I'm thinking the best two teams in the world are both in Spain, but the EPL is still there for the taking next year.
Chris

And at least we can draw some satisfaction in being the only team to have beaten Barcelona in the CL this year.
JG

For all of the talk about Barca being hypocritical, whiny divers, hading the trophy to Abidal so he can lift was a truly heartwarming moment.
Bundhel222

the common denominator in the last 6 years is arsene wenger. players have come
and gone. adebayor, hleb, gilberto, henry, flamini, pires, lgunmberg, diarra,
silvestre, eduardo, gallas, toure, reyes, cole, senderos, sol. wenger has been
given time and overseen such a great turnover of players. half those players are
still good enough for our team and the others are only not good enough because
they are too old. scratch that. give me gilberto, henry and sol back tomorrow.
im beginning to think we are back in another transitional phase looking ahead
with a new team. so did wengers vision come and pass us by with the highest
position being 3rd place and no trophies? 6 years in the making and thats it???
denilson, diaby, eboue, rosicky, hleb, senderos, almunia, are the core of
players that revieved the batton from the former great arsenal and played part
in the era of successive failure. now cesc and RVP aside who were also part of
that core. those players mentioned are rubbish. i just what wneger gone. even if
he decides to spend money i have no faith in him to undo the loser mentality he
has driven into arsenal. we dont not win because we dont spend money. we dont
win because we have arsene wenger as manager.
Bundhel222

Arsenal are in fantastic shape - finishing fourth is a wonderful achievement and
we are in such a strong position to challenge on all fronts next season
-especially with the recent purchases of those two experienced campaigners we
signed from Barcelona the other day. And there was the Arsenal fans worrying and
fretting that Wenger would sit on his hands and do nothing - it just goes to
show that you should trust the manager. So we might possibly have Cahill, Sakho,
Jagielka or Baines in defence and Hazard in midfield should Nasri and Fabregas
realise that winning trophies and being successful is the whole point of being a
top class footballer and of course up front we might possibly have Benzema,
Falcao or Bojan. I have an idea why don' t we change the name of the club to
Arsenal Fantasy FC - all the players linked and none of them coming in. The talk
builds up and up and once the season tickets are sold shock of all shocks
nothing - am I wrong here ? Should Arsenal fans be content with paying the
highest prices and never winning anything ? I am just amazed - startled that
some on here can say that everything is hunky dorey and we should be grateful.
Is third or fourth every season and the odd win against United, Chelsea or
Barcelona good enough for people on here ? If it is then stick the fork in
because we are done - come on ask more for your support !
Homey_Mills

Are all of y'all going to watch the CL final? I can't bring myself to watch it. I hate both teams so much, and our season was such a disappointment. I'll just read the baseless transfer rumors instead.
Kelgamunl

well the summer is upon us again and the manager is running his lying
mouth again. As i said before there will be no significant changes at
Arsenal this summer, i can bet that.
And there is this talk about that wenger is having a look at Ryo
Miyaichi and am sure wenger would prefer to bring him back and not spend
a cent (Cheap Skate).

But let me high light some issues:
A lot of people are saying we should not sign cahill or samba because
there respective clubs have not done well, even fighting relegation, in
one of the toughest leagues in the world, BUT where did Feyenoord
finish???? They finish 10th with 44 points in a pub league like holland
BUT yet wenger will look to bring him back to burden us with more young
players. This reminds me of the vela issue he was playing well in spain
and when he came to England he has struggled. People are saying he did
not get enough chances BUT good players don’t need a lot of chances and
to compound that he went to westbrum a supposed lesser team compared to
Arsenal and still did not make the grade, that says a lot.
A mexican bloke posted a blog on one of the Arsenal blogs and he gave
some interesting information: He said he saw a lot of Hernandez in
mexico and that he had limited ability BUT what he lacks in ability he
makes up with tactical awareness and good positioning, he didn’t mention
vela BUT he forgot the most important element, the MANAGER and that’s
the main difference between Vela and Hernandez, MAU and Arsenal.
People are also saying Bedtner did not get enough chances, Rubbish!!!!,
he got enough to prove himself (good players don’t need many chances) if
his first touch had been better we might be looking forward to the CL
final.
When you see players who have been at the club so long and can’t cross,
can’t defend, bad positioning, won’t shoot, and the worst of all at this
level, can’t trap
(no excuse) it brings the question of What wenger is teaching these
players

Regardless of what anyone says wenger is running Arsenal he can do as
he pleases unchallenge. Most people are blaming the players BUT how
could you when wenger bought them, when a child does wrong Who should
take all the blame????
The team has gone way backwards this season when after so long we should
be getting stronger, How can people come here and justify wenger’s
plans to me he has failed and his plans as well. Now all the best
players want out and they are right because MONEY is not all,
footballers want to be recognized for footballing achievements and
wenger and the board all YES men can’t get that.
look at spurs Gomez played well BUT he made some bad errors so am sure
he is gone in the summer if he were at arsenal he would be given a next
chance.
A footballers career is very short and it is the job of the manager to
identify very QUICKLY who has got it and who hasn’t.
Wenger based on the events of the last six years you should be fired,
you gave yourself a long contract and your well payed too, BUT you seem
to want to prove people wrong instead of admitting you errors and move
on, you bought a whole lot of players of the same type thereby limiting
you tactics, Whose fault is that???

One more year no way you should leave now go back to france or some
other club so they can fire you in 2 seasons when you go trophyless.

You will change very little in the summer and shop in the dumps of
france as usual.
You said we can’t spend 50 mill, who ask you to??? 40 mill can give us
what we want am sure so your making excuses, AGAIN
You also said we would add some players BUT depending on who you buy we
could still have a situation of no improvement like bringing back Ryo,
what has he done, score a few goals in Rubbish league, leave him for 2
more seasons and hope Feyenord win the dutch league so he can get a
winning mentality Because he sure won’t get it at Arsenal under you.
If i were a agent i would never advise my player to go to Arsenal, look
at smalling am sure he now realises he made the best choice and not come
to arsenal.
We don’t pay big wages, BUT we instill a second it best mentality in our
players, and don’t win shit, who can we attrack??? not top class
players for sure.

All because wenger is bigger than the club……………………..
J___V

You really do sound like the petulant little kid yelling at mummy in tantrum fashion saying "I want! I want!" Well tough. Stop bloody moaning, thinking you know best. You don't. At the start of the invincibles season I had said to people that i thought we could really fade away here. I didn't think we would be able to compete for ages. Ok, we had a great season that year but clearly there has been a decline. I'm so grateful however that we have had a guy in charge who could work within those financial constraints. New unknown players come in & who in many cases wouldn't standout in a bottom half side but still we challenge, compete & stay at the top end. The frustration is born out of the current inability to meet wenger's previous successes. Do you really think any other top manager would have even stuck around under the restriction he faces financially? He's put his own reputation at stake. One where he was successful. Won trophies year on year. He could have gone elsewhere, namely Madrid but he actually cared enough to stay. It probably appeals to his nature to win at a club which currently has no right to be in with a shout of the premiership. Yet we stay there and everyone expects. I don't think people realise that whilst we've won nothing over these last six years, we might just have dodged a bullet. I didn't enjoy this season just passed. It's the worst we've played & we've shown more weaknesses than ever before under this mans reign. I also think however, that there will be a change in approach this summer, partly due to necessity & also through there genuinely being more funds available. I'm not blinded by wenger and his history. I've seen and heard enough to simply know that he's good for us. I hope he keeps his nerve and sees this thing through. So many of these other top guys would have walked off to a bigger club bemoaning the fact that the only reason they failed was because there's no way the club can compete. They'd be right. They can't compete.....but he can. Our worst season under wenger this most definately is but quite often the darkest hour comes just before dawn and with this guy in charge I'm betting.....this is our dawn!
Zito_v2

You are seriously deluded, for every Hernandez, there's a Michael Owen, or Owen Hargeaves, what about Bebe? Anderson? Oberton? and for your information, Vela is a gem, watch how he plays for Mexico against national teams that are miles better than EPL teams, he shines, but he can not get ahead of RVP as we only play one striker.

Do you know how long Gomes has been at Spurs? Did you not notice how quickly we put Fabianski in for Almunia? or switched to Wojo?

Your plan makes absolutely no sense, if we start getting rid of players that make mistakes or bloom late, I hope you know there would be no players at all. Players makes mistakes, it's a 90 minute game, get over yourself, everyone deserves a second chance, it's a test of mentality. Do you not see how Madrid is right now?

You wouldn't even be talking about having all this money to spend if Wenger wasn't here, sure 6 seasons is a bit much, but firing him is downright mental. Thank goodness you're not an agent, it's not like Arsenal has produced some of the best players in world football right?
Perry S.

Well said.
Lana Dawood

I sure as hell miss our old number 10&14!
arn00b

I think you guys should get a real striker. Not someone who could also play as a striker, your team is filled with people not playing their best positions, from Bendtner all the way back to Almunia. A real striker (and maybe a defender or two) would make the difference between winning the league and 4th.

Having said that, I have a question for you. Would you welcome Anelka into the team on a one-year contract basis?
Ian

uh... almunia isn't playing in his best position? I thought there was only one position for goalkeepers
arn00b

That was a joke. Almunia's best position is on the bench. Or "at Spurs."
Ian

uh... almunia isn't playing in his best position? I thought there was only one position for goalkeepers
FredJacob

hell no,
J___V

I had Been thinking that actually anelka would probably do a very good job for us. Is a far more intelligent player than given credit for & far less trouble but it simply won't happen even as a stopgap.
JG

No. He's too old now, and it could be that, given his personality and past with Arsenal, he could turn the dressing room into a Gallas-type situation. Give me Falcao or Benzema rather than Anelka.
arn00b

A few things I have to mention. Anelka brings age and experience to the team, something which Arsenal could use. You guys brought Mad Jens back, so I can't see how Nic is too old.
Second, he is better than Chamakh and Bendtner. His touch is better, he gets Chelsea through the group stages of Champions league year after year while Drogba rests or serves his suspensions. He also carried Chelsea when Gene Hackman was Heisting the Chels.

He's good playing out wide in a 4-3-3, and has even played as a playmaker for Chelsea when needed.
Does not mind being benched for someone else, even if the someone else is Kalou or a statue of a Spanish striker that can only score against Championship-heading teams if it rains hard enough. Can you name other top strikers that would take that treatment?

His image is far from the reality. He's not dissing Arsenal or any other club unlike a few strikers we know...

His team-mates genuinely like him, as we've seen when the French squad sided with him in the Domenech fiasco. And that was not his fault, however the pro-Dom camp wants to spin it.

Ancelotti was asked about Nic's supposed outburst to Domenech and said "From my squad, I'd think that Nic would be the last person to say such a thing." The last. When asked who would be the first, Ancelotti laughed and refused to answer. (AC?)

Anyway, Anelka has worked with 9-10 managers outside Chelsea and I lost count on Chelsea and he has shown nothing but professionalism.

He wouldn't give crap about "needing to win trophies" like many - having won the Champions League and BPL, he played at Bolton without complaint.

As a Chelsea fan, I can tell you that I prefer Anelka to Torres, Bendtner, Kalou and Chamakh.

Yeah, he's 32, but strikers, especially intelligent strikers, can play for long.

It seems that he will be forced out by the moody Chelsea beast and I hope that he finds a great place to play and win things. I wouldn't mind seeing him win the Premier League with Arsenal next year, knowing that Chelsea isn't interested in winning and I don't want any Mancs to win it.
Orion

Fair play to you, sir. Yeah, I wouldn't mind him on the Arsenal team sheet either. I don't remember his time at our club, but I do know that he strikes me as a guy who puts his head down and tries his best game in game out.. and we need more of that in the Gunners' locker room. Then again, the World Cup fiasco might point out a touch of arrogance and selfishness, in my humble opinion. Still, a bit of character never hurts provided he doesn't overdo it a la Gallas.
kavgooner

I DO remember his time at the club (I'm that old!) and he was extremely gifted, fast and clever. But he was also sulky, petulant and arrogant. I've watched him as he journeyed from club to club and I can see that he has grow up and matured into a 100% professional. It's like he is at peace with himself and simply concentrates on producing the best performance he can on the pitch. He has perspective but still always wants to win.
Homey_Mills

I'm still not sure I'd want him, but this comment was interesting to read.
degeros

I think Walcott is still not quite there yet as a center forward. He's at his best when he has the space to run at the defence or to latch onto through balls. However, that has been achieved mostly by drifting in from the right behind the full back, and it remains to be seen whether he can replicate this if he starts in a central berth. (I'm thinking he probably would drift to the flanks from the center)

Furthermore, if the opponents play a tight game and deny Walcott the space, he's pretty much rendered ineffective. His finishing has indeed improved, but his positioning and timing still
needs quite a bit of work. He can't hold the ball particularly well
either, and he's not exactly a good header of the ball. I'm not saying he can't eventually mature into a center forward, but it just doesn't seem plausible at the moment.
FredJacob

i sure hope he learns to dribble the ball better so he can take on those defenders like nasri
jenikcarl

He does dribble well... vs Barca 1st leg in the opening minutes. I think he replicated the same skill in an EPL match too. Don't remember which one though. Its a lil unfair to see him prospering in a central role if he is always playing on the wing. Its time he gets a few games as a central striker if that is his intended role.
Perry S.

A handful of decent matches does not make up for an uncountable amount of poor performances. His dribbling skills are well below par...
jenikcarl

I might be beating the old drum of potential but it does mean that he can add that facet to his game. If we are expecting a Nasri sort of performance with the ball from Walcott, we are probably bound to be disappointed. He is a different player in the sense that he does make a lot of off the ball movement. Without Fabregas or a player without a similar sort of vision, Walcott's runs will often go unnoticed or not put proper use to. That being said, if Walcott can perform these dribbles when we are facing a wall of defenders, it will add a new dimension to his game as well as the team's play.
Perry S.

So true are these words.
FredJacob

My only concern with buying a next striker is that he might end up like Bendtner since we stay with a 4-2-3-1, so this striker might be place out wide
jenikcarl

I agree. However we will be playing in 4 competitions. If a new striker arrives, we will have enough chances to play him in a different formation allowing us to rest Persie and rotate him with the new striker and Walcott. I still think Chamakh did a good job when he was given the chance and a new striker in the mould of a Benzema would push him to the fourth place in the pecking order and probably deprive us of our Plan B.
Gigi_man

I totally agree, I think they will be tighter the upcoming season.
But I also think (and I mentioned this a while ago when a post on henry goals) that these 2 had an amazing defence. Adams, Keown, etc, and then Paddy to break the midfield. A lot of games in that invincibles era , the score was like 1-0 or 2-0 or 2-1, and a lot of games tied or lost this season were, 3-2, 2-1 or 3-3, meaning that our goalscoring ability isnt that far, but pur goalkeeping skills are less close.
No disrespect to Chesney, Verma, Sagna, Kos, Djourou but something was missing with Squizz, Clichy, Denilson, imo.
Gigi_man

RvP vs Barza goal of the year, I voted for that beauty!
jenikcarl

Referring standards are so varied. Saw Hernandez kick the ball after an offside whistle. I was wondering if there would be a yellow card. I feel robbed. What could have been for us...
jenikcarl

Only Persie could have scored that.. I will never be able to forget ... The dink from Clichy, the run from Bendtner towards the far post, Valdes anticipating a cross, Persie looking up and seeing Valdes move just a small bit and the most wonderful goal I have seen live! It was pure brilliance from the man! The goalie never expected it!
Gues

It will be intresting to see how we line up at the end of the summer. But a lovely post highlighting how we could line up
Homey_Mills

Speaking of another striker, I read we made a bid on Falcao. Giddyup. I hope that's true.
Chicago Gunner

That would be awesome, but that position is not Arsenal's most pressing need, so I find it highly unlikely that Arsenal would dish out that kind of money at that position.
Homey_Mills

If and when we sell Bendtner, on top of potentially losing Nasri and/or Arshavin, that position absolutely becomes a top priority. I think it is already. Of course I'm referring to the wing/forward position in our current formation. I think that's where a guy like that would fit, with his size and skills. I don't think he'd necessarily compete with RvP for playing time.
Chicago Gunner

What I meant to say is that I can't see Arsenal spending $50mil on someone who plays RVP's position, especially if Wenger plans to stick with the 4-2-3-1. If Falcao would play on the wing as an attacking midfielder, that's a different story. What formation does he play in now? I still think Arsenal would benefit most by locking up a pimp left back, although I certainly acknowledge the need to address midfield with Fabregas leaving. I guess I just think you need to build from the back, defense first and so on. Let's tidy up the back line and see how we do.
Orion

Bah, hambugs. I think his agent said that probably to drive up his value. Surely, we won't shell out that kind of money? Surely..?
Chicago Gunner

If this report is untrue, why hasn't Arsenal denied it?
Homey_Mills

I don't think they have the time to refute every crazy rumor out there. Let's just hope it's not a crazy rumor.
Gigi_man

Oh my God, Homey...my feelings are on the edge reading this! I would loooove to have that guy here.
On the other hand then I wont set my hopes too high to keep my heart unbroken.