Jack Will Not Be Going To U21 Euros; Bendtner Could Be On His Way Out

When I saw that Arsenal have given Barcelona a helping hand by letting them use our training ground as a base for their 'Cup final' this weekend I thought to myself; Why?

After all their disgraceful tactics in trying to lure Cesc Fabregas back to the Camp Nou (and it has been a liberty) we have done them a favour.

Either we are Barcelona's bitches or we are the classiest club in the history of mankind.

If it was down to me when they asked to lend the facility's at London Colney I'm afraid my language may have been more colourful than Joesph's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

In my opinion Barcelona play the greatest football of all time but as a club they stink. They stink more than Isonitriles. Now I don't know what an Isonitrile is but, by all accounts, it is the sixth worst smell in the world.

Arsenal have shown an amazing amount of courtesy to Barca here. And loads of class. The media would do well to remember this in the future when they slag us off.

As for the Champions of Spain I hope they remember this.

We have shown them a huge amount of respect, more than I can show them, in doing this so I hope they respect us as much too. Especially regarding Cesc Fabregas.

If Pep Guardiola enquires about our captain and gets a knock-back then that should be that. No more of this talk about Cesc's Barca DNA or him wearing Camp Nou print underwear.

Leave him be and respect Arsenal's wishes. Our act of kindness should not be forgotten by the Catalans.

Sadly I reckon their memories are like a Goldfishes.

They are probably laughing at us behind closed doors. Not only do they try to tap-up our players they also talk us into letting them use our training ground.

You couldn't make it up.

I hope that they show the class we have shown them this summer. Unfortunately I'm not too confident Barcelona, and anyone associated with them, have any

i think we've already proven time and time again that we are a club with alot of class. thats what makes arsenal so great.

Dumb question: Was Arsenal ever in the frame for David DeGea? He's a brilliant keeper, and the price sure was right. Just wondering. I think that this summer is going to be interesting for a lot of club, with the looming UEFA fair play fiscal strictures. And prices are crazy high right now, leaving a lot of teams looking for cheap diamonds.

I'm pretty sure Fabregas is staying put. Despite all rumors, we have other needs and are looking to fill them, mostly on defense, but also up front. With a total 50m transfer kitty, Fabregas by himself is more spendy than our entire transfer budget. Might he go elsewhere? No way. He's said before that the only club he would leave you for is us, and I believe that.

The real question for you is defense.

Don't know where you got 50mill transfer kitty from. Best estimates I've seen are around 35mill and that includes wages, but doesn't include possible funds we get from selling players.

No, we were never in for DeGea. Last summer we were in for Pepe Reina but I think everyone expect Szczesny to be our goalkeeper now.

Sorry, I meant that OUR transfer kitty is 50m.

lol whoops! My bad

Right, in order to head off some of the usual confusion around what
we have to spend I thought I’d put together this article.

The big question surrounds this mythical, unspent war chest that
stubborn old Arsène likes to sit on and shout “NON!” when anyone asks
about it. Do we actually have a fund like that? Not really, in my view.
Arsène’s war chest is whatever cash the club produces each year plus
proceeds from player sales. There’s no unscrupulous outgoing that
accounts for money that isn’t spent (the board don’t take dividends), so
any surplus will technically pass on to the next transfer period. More
realistically, the surplus is generally less than we presume due to the
cost of wages, signing on fees etc.

The  intention with the “spend what you earn” model is
sustainability:  money that can be spent on players is the “extra” money
produced by the club so we can afford to spend it while player sales
are a windfall and can too be spent on players sustainably. That’s the
model we work under, so let’s see what numbers that gives us to spend.

Cash the club makes is – in accounting terms – “operating profit”
which is basically the cash the club makes from it’s operations (TV,
commercial and matchday activities).  Our 2010 operating profit for the
football business was £56.8m, which is a sizeable sum.  I’m specifically
using the football side of the business as property profits are a
one-off. If we go and blow property profits on  Messi, we spend a large
sum of money based on a temporary income stream and are left paying his
wages for a good number of years.

Hence, given our preference for a sustainable business model, I don’t
believe the amount of “property cash” we have to be of any use in
regards to our transfer funds. It’ll probably be spent on hard
infrastructure – facilities and the like – that will benefit the club
but not result in us incurring substantial costs.  The best indicator of
our summer spending power is how much extra cash the club’s business
produces: our £56.8m operating profit.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we can go out and spend £56.8m. 
Even with no new additions, the general level of wages rises. Players
who come from nowhere such as Wilshere will likely have been (or will
be) handed a new contract and substantial pay rise. Big name players
such as Nasri have yet to sign extensions whilst there were several
youth and reserve team players who have signed on the dotted line. What
that means is that general wage growth is quite high: between 2009 and
2010, our wage bill was up over 6% (an increase of over £6m if you like)
whilst since 2005 the wage bill is up nearly 70%.

Those figures do, however include the wage growth as a result of new
signings. While a new signing’s wages will probably be mostly offset by
the wage saving from a player sale,  it seems reasonable to expect that
buying players will boost wage growth. Since we’ve been at the
Emirates,average year on year wage growth has been 7.5%. That includes
the wages of new signings, so for our “current squad” wage growth figure
I’m going to use a  slightly lower figure of 5%. That shaves £6m off
the fund, leaving us with roughly £50m, from which any potential
transfer fees and wages need to be deducted.

Now let’s imagine the impact of two signings on that £50m. Player one
is a “big name” signing, costing £25m and on £100,000 a week. Player
two is an Arsène special, costing £10m and on £40,000. Signing player
one will cost the club in his first season £30.2m (his transfer fee and a
year”s worth of wages). Signing player two will cost the club £12.8m in
transfer fees and wages during that first year. Buying both would mean
the club have £7m left in the coffers for any January acquisitions. The
following summer, assuming everything remains equal (bar the trend 5%
wage growth) the available cash for transfers would be down roughly £13m
due to the additional wage costs of these two signings plus the trend
wage growth (rough budget of £37m)

I think that illustrates the problem well. Unless we can offload
players and put the cash recouped on transfers and wage savings towards
transfers, these apparently huge sums of money we have don’t actually go
very far. Even if we forget about player one and instead expect three
signings in the  “player two” bracket, we’re still looking at £30m on
transfer fees and over £6m extra per season on wages.

What this also demonstrates is how wasteful transfer fees are. Read
back: buying player one and two leaves us with a mere £7m at the end of
it, but the following summer (when the budget is down only due to their
wages) the budget would be  £37m – even taking into account wage
inflation – yet we’d already have a big name player and a
Koscielny/Vermaelen type. The wages of individual signings don’t est up
the budget too much, it’s the general wage growth that proves costly
(the trend increase of 5% is the equivalent of an extra £100,000/week
player on the wage bill). Tranfser fees on the other hand do eat up the
budget rapidly. Much better then, to avoid spending on transfers (say,
by having a great youth academy) and only dip into the market
occasionally when needed.

So with some of the transfer targets being banded around, how does
this all shape up? All of this assumes Cesc stays: selling a player for
£50m does tend to change the budget somewhat…

For my money, I’d like to see us bring in an offensive wide player.
Hazard seems the most likely target, but having signed a long term
contract, his fee and wages would likely account for about half of our
budget. There’s also been a few concerns around the defence,with
Squillaci’s signing not having lived up to expectations. Kyle Bartley
certainly seems to have potential so could be in the centre back mix,
but if we did look for an external candidate, someone such as the
much-linked Vertonghen would cost around £12m-£15m.

These two alone would pretty much account for our budget and would
represent a fair increase in the wage bill, so some departures seem
probable. With my suggested wide player coming in and Ramsey’s return to
fitness, I can’t see Tomas Rosicky getting much game time and with him
being a senior player he’s probably earning quite well too. While he
wouldn’t yield too much of a fee, I expect his wages could cover the
best part of a Hazard-type signing. Nasri and Clichy’s contracts are yet
to be signed but we tend to leave those until the summer anyway so it’s
not like they’re at an impasse in negotiations. If however either of
those two didn’t sign, they’d be sold to cash in while we can.

As an aside, each year the  same old controversy always happens after
the transfer window shuts and the year accounts come out, showing
substantial cash in the bank, prompting howls of protest. There’s a few
misconceptions amongst those screaming bloody  murder at Wenger: One, he
in no way profits from not spending, neither do the board. In a normal
business, post-tax profits can either be reinvested into the business or
given to shareholders as dividends. Our board don’t take dividends and
haven’t for a while, so anyone who believes Wenger’s frugality is given
the okay from above as the board line their pockets is simply wrong.

The nature of the club means that after season ticket renewals, our
expenses generally exceed our income on a week by week basis. Because of
this, club cash is always going to be high at the start of the season
and then be drawn down over the course of the season, with the biggest
requirement during the summer when there are no games played but wages
still due. Cash in the bank at this point is in no way our leftover
transfer war chest.

For those accounting types reading, it’s worth noting that while I’ve
deducted transfer fees off operating profits, transfer fees don’t
actually appear on club accounts. Instead they are amortised over the
length of the contract (fee paid/length of contract) and charged to the
accounts bit by bit. As this doesn’t reflect when the cash actually goes
out of the club it’s a pretty pointless system and isn’t much use at
all in my opinion.
 

www.blogspot.com

Is the club was successful I mean winning trophies players wouldn't be asking so much for pay rises and new contracts otherwise leave the club (think of Nasri). And by winning trophies the club would also receive a major boost in income. And under Wenger "reign" at the club so many players have been sold for a fortune (Henry, Hleb, Toure, Adebayor and soon Fabregas ...) when they were acquired for so little so the margin should be spent on transfer.

Whats wrong with spending some of that money on the shareholders?

Oh man...Disqus really hates me, I was so inspired this morning and it didnt keep my comment.

You see Homey? Not even the Disqus...

Hey but I really look fwd to a post on the Martin and Sairax leaving, I saw a couple of comments but it clearly deserves a post (man it deserves a post more than Denilson leaving!)

We definitely will have a post up about it sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Well see, the info sorta slipped out.  It wasn't supposed to be released just yet.  Mommy wrote a comment a few days ago that she's going to miss daddy's match previews.  So then I asked if that means he's leaving the site, or if that just means we're about to go into the offseason for a while.  And then mommy spilled the beans about herself and daddy.  But we still don't have any further info beyond that.  It's rather suspenseful though, in my humble view.

I spilled nothing!

I'll let the record speak for itself on that issue.

Great news on the Bendtner front! Thats of 2 of 5 down...

on the Arshavin issue, you saying he bring another dimension and you want he to stay but to come of the bench. I believe as he is Arsenal second top paid player he should be given us more than what he gave us this year. That's why i think he should go, since the four goals ate Liverpool he is on a decline. If we are going to keep that 4-2-3-1 formation our two wing players need to do and extremely good job and only Nasri did that job this year. Theo tries but still hasn't got it hope he is better next year

so Zenit please take mr Arshavin i would even put some of my own money to help in the transfer fee lol

Arshavin is an experienced player and should also bring composure and mental strength to the team but he definitely isn't providing any of this instead he brings his negative attitude (looking down), his dodgy work ethic, his lack of focus and commitment (missed simple short passes and bad choices). And he isn't a strong threat as he often loses the ball in duels so for a player this expensive he should better go somewhere else.

he's had a confidence problem, and he's expressed his desire in working to better himself for the next season. your comments on his simple mistakes can be attributed to just about anyone on this team. nasri hasn't been useful for the most part of the second half of the seasons (assists/goal-wise) and yet not much critisism of him from you. i'm not saying he's a bad player either. it's just that the team is in structural shambles. a few key players play out of their natural positions. defense is immature, morale is down. quit piling in on arshavin.

I am well aware that Nasri had a poor second half of the season but yet he's a much better player than Arshavin and he can play a major role in the future of Arsenal (if he stays). What I find the most annoying about Arshavin is his attitude, always negative, provocative (why on earth does he have to put his finger to his mouth the very few times he scores as if the critics he receives aren't justified) and of course the work ethic and desire. You will rarely see Nasri being lazy either defensively and offensively whether you can barely say the same for Arshavin. Even RVP (the striker) is working harder than him defensively ...

I thought he was "shushing" the opposing fans.. since he usually does it in front of their supporter section...

Look at his pay, then look at his stats, then rank that against other players with similar pay and look at their stats. I'm not going to do the hw for you, but there are numerous good players that you'd be a fool to sell, which make the same or more $$ than Arsha and rank below him in stats...

well i sure we will never win a trophy with guy like playing

Well, one of my favourite parts begins apparently. And it is a favourite because my imagination goes wild and adrenaline pumps up. (Afterwards I realize that Wenger only bought two soon.to-be-stars and sold half the team but whatever).

I have read too much this morning to comment seriously, but I am glad because it maybe means that something differente can happen (buying one soon-to-be and selling 1/4 of the team instead haha).

I see with pleasure that the link Sairax posted is about a bak/ or midfield player, who is under 24 (maybe then not 16). I dont know the guy, apologies, but seems good enough for a start. Was Charlton playing Championship?

On other stuff, someone commented that Kun wants out of Atletico, well, that should be the signing for Wenger, Atletico isnt selling from what I read, but offer him decent money and a player we dont want but thats not bad. Kun is the kind of guy I was trying to define a few posts back; a perfect match to our great Robin, in my humble opinion.

But defence is the worrying part, and depth. A classic Wenger move wont fix it imo, but I hope he can come with half-Wenger moves (if that guy Jenkinson is near the 25 years old then maybe this one is already a half-Wenger move).

What? yeah I am awake, I am just day dreaming :)

I dug this out of moderation for you

Thx! Disqus keeps on hating me :(

The Finnish Football Association have confirmed that Arsenal have signed Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic.

http://younggunsblog.co.uk/201...

That's certainly just what we needed to hear.

Not to mention many people are suggesting that this signing could signal that Eboue is a goner

This story dates back to January though. Arsenal have been looking at him for a while. I wouldn't use this as an indicator of Wenger's current intentions in the market.

Let the summer of disappointment begin....

I also read that Clichy wants out as well.  And that he has one year left on his deal, so we're pretty much forced to sell. 
Regarding the Cesc stuff, I think I've finally decided we should sell.  The bit about going to Barcelona while his team is fighting for 3rd place on the last day of the season kind of clinches it for me.  If he goes, there's going to be a massive turnover this summer.  And also a lot of new money to hopefully spend.  I just hope that we're still a net purchaser and not a net seller when it's all said and done.  We've done enough of the net selling in years past.

If he goes, then I sincerely hope and pray Wenger decides to get a proper replacement (Gourcuff, Schweinsteiger, Jesus Navas) and not assume Ramsey will pick it up for us.

"Bringing in an established midfielder to replace Fabregas would kill Ramsey." This is a prophecy, right here.

Any ideas who'll be captain next season, assuming Cesc goes?

I think the only candidate is Vermaelen with Van Persie and Jack as vice-captains. Jack will be a fantastic captain someday, but he's too young for that burden right now and TV5 is the only guy that's experienced, can organize a team and looks like he gives a crap.

But you're assuming that Vermaelen is going to stay fit and, more importantly, return to his 2009/2010 form. Isn't that kind of risky?

He'll be fine. In the one game that he's played, he has cemented himself as our best CB. If we base all our decisions on whether or not we think our players will stay fit for a whole season, we would have a squad of 50. He had one bad season. We just have to assume it was a one-off and move on.

One thing I like about the transfer window is that I learn about guys I'd otherwise never heard of.  So in randomly looking around at some players who might be interesting, I found someone who really interested me.  Does anyone know anything about Balázs Dzsudzsák?  We've been linked to him a tiny bit.  His scoring return seems unreal for a non-striker.  And could fit into the left winger/forward role nicely.  I dunno... I'd like to read more.

I think Jack should be captain because his worth ethic and passion exceeds those of any other Arsenal player, and because those two qualities are what you really need in a captain. His age and inexperience should not disqualify him. Sidney Crosby won a Stanley Cup as a captain at age 21, and Jonathan Toews did it at age 22. Apples and oranges and all that, but I think this strongly suggests that a young captain can be successful. The only reason not to do it is if it would hamper his development. I could see that you may want him to focus on his game and not have to worry about the added media/fan pressure or off-field responsibilities that come with the armband. I just think Jack has exactly the qualities a captain should have, and Arsenal have no better alternative.

Yeah, I know of Dzsudzsak. Beast of a winger, although somewhat unproven because the Eredivisie is his highest level of play in his career so far. Liverpool have been linked with him for a couple of years now, but I think he'll stay one more year. It's important to note that PSV's attack flows through him, and apart from Toivonen, they lack a good striker. So, naturally Dzsudzak will get a lot of goals. Also, free kick specialist ;). Could be a good buy, but I think he'll want to stay at PSV one more year to win the title and then move on (he's 24).

Wow, y'all are serious ninjas with this stuff.  Thanks for in the info, JG.  It still does puzzle me though.  If his name were, say, Gareth Barry, and he played for a team like, say, Aston Villa, then he'd fetch, say, about 12m pounds.  But seeing as how he plays for a team in the Dutch league and has a name I can't pronounce, he's not on anyone's radar screen.  I don't really get the hype machine over some players, when the same hype machine misses guys like this.  There have only been a million examples of guys going from the Eredivisie to the EPL and having smashing success.  I don't see why a team like Arsenal would frown on his level of competition. 

Robben, Van Persie, Vermaelen, Alex... I could go on, but I shant.
If we're getting a winger, my #1 priority is still Hazard. He seems like a match made in heaven for Arsenal. Failing that, I could definitely see Wenger going for a partial unknown like Dzsudzsak or Amalfitano. Simply put, Wenger is not your average manager, going only for English "good boys" that cost 1000% more than their actual value. And despite his shortcomings, we have to commend him for that.

I like Hazard, but I think if we're going to buy another "tricky winger" type player, he should be left-footed (as is Dzdzydbzhddhcn and not Hazard) since we already have a few, unless Nasri goes. Then we should sign both.

I had the exact same thought.  Of course we'll end up netting a nice profit off the sale, even with the purchase of a replacement.  But yeah, we gotta get someone with quality.  Too bad we're a year late on Ozil.  As always, I know less about the players in the market than everyone else here, so I can't really rattle off names. 

Fabregas for Messi, straight up.

That works for me!