Winter Transfer Missed Opportunities and Regrets

[IBK]

Which needs to be highlighted as another big error, both Neto and Sterling were last-minute panic loans and famously Neto can't play for us in the LC so some of the games he might've taken off Raya were a no-go anyway

The error, I think, was in not planning properly for failing to obtain our primary targets. By the time the summer transfer window was closing we had no opportunity but to panic loan.

Ironically, the knock on effect of these 2 loan signings - that prevented us from loaning the likes of Ferguson and Rashford in January - is a great example of how unplanned signings can come back to bite you in maybe unexpected ways. Which partly goes to explain our reticence to do anything re a striker in January.

Like I say, more and more last Summer is turning out to have been the real problem for us. Personally, I look to that rather than our stance in January as the real grounds for criticising the club.

[Mac76]

The error, I think, was in not planning properly for failing to obtain our primary targets. By the time the summer transfer window was closing we had no opportunity but to panic loan.

Ironically, the knock on effect of these 2 loan signings - that prevented us from loaning the likes of Ferguson and Rashford in January - is a great example of how unplanned signings can come back to bite you in maybe unexpected ways. Which partly goes to explain our reticence to do anything re a striker in January.

Like I say, more and more last Summer is turning out to have been the real problem for us. Personally, I look to that rather than our stance in January as the real grounds for criticising the club.

Well yes, exactly, both those panic loans were the result of a poor summer but I think we could still have done more in Jan on the attacking front if we'd been working towards it, instead Arteta thought Jesus was good enough to tide us through, which he never was even when fit

[IBK]

Well yes, exactly, both those panic loans were the result of a poor summer but I think we could still have done more in Jan on the attacking front if we'd been working towards it, instead Arteta thought Jesus was good enough to tide us through, which he never was even when fit

Perhaps re January. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong answer to this in truth. Yes - we are clearly short of a striker, but by the same token there's nothing to say that (1) the right player was available or (2) any signing would not have affected our loger term plans adversely...or guaranteed us the league this season.

Where I agree with you is that there appears to have been a distinct lack of planning in the forward department over the Summer, evidenced by our panic loan signings...

[HCZ_Reborn]

Le Grove who seems to have made himself Minister of propaganda has claimed that the board felt it wasn’t able to get its targets, so it would gamble on the players we had last season getting us the same amount of goals this time around and the enforcement in the left back and midfield areas were in anticipation of expected injuries we might get there.

For me if that was true we wouldn’t have made the move to bring in Sterling on loan. It was a panicked recognition that selling players like we did left us short. I’m no fan of Nelson, I like his work rate but appalling first touch and whilst it’s easy to be wise in hindsight…we’d have been far better off keeping him and leaving Sterling to rot with Chelsea

[Chippy]

Looks like the risk of not buying another striker will come back to hant us....Martinelli is having a scan on his hammy today. You could not make it up.

[Niall_Quinn]

Looks like the risk of not buying another striker will come back to hant us....Martinelli is having a scan on his hammy today. You could not make it up.

It's not bad luck though, is it? I'd rate the chances of us picking up injuries between now and May as close to 100% The chance of those injuries occurring in the players that get tackled the most (or what passed as tackling last night) probably stand a higher chance of getting injured.

The board (not Arteta if the ITKs are not full of shit for a change) decided the close on 100% certainty of picking up injuries was a risk worth taking. That's the bit you couldn't make up. It takes next level incompetence, not a lack of imagination. Or greed beyond measure.

[Mac76]

It's not bad luck though, is it? I'd rate the chances of us picking up injuries between now and May as close to 100% The chance of those injuries occurring in the players that get tackled the most (or what passed as tackling last night) probably stand a higher chance of getting injured.

The board (not Arteta if the ITKs are not full of shit for a change) decided the close on 100% certainty of picking up injuries was a risk worth taking. That's the bit you couldn't make up. It takes next level incompetence, not a lack of imagination. Or greed beyond measure.

agreed on all of that except the bit about greed - if they were greedy they'd want the club to win things as it will increase revenue etc

[Mac76]

We really have to hope Everton do us a favour. 6 points I'm not too worried about, there's long enough to go that we could get that back. 9 points...not so much.
I guess a draw would acceptable and probably the best we can hope for.

it is ofc possible we could catch Liverpool, but for me it is very unlikely, hence why in my own mind I'm not holding out any hope

looking at the last ten games both sides have won 6 and drawn 4 - and therein lies the problem, yes Liverpool aren't perfect but we simply have almost no chance of maintaining the type of level, especially with a squad that's dwindling by the minute, to chase them down

[IBK]

It's not bad luck though, is it? I'd rate the chances of us picking up injuries between now and May as close to 100% The chance of those injuries occurring in the players that get tackled the most (or what passed as tackling last night) probably stand a higher chance of getting injured.

The board (not Arteta if the ITKs are not full of shit for a change) decided the close on 100% certainty of picking up injuries was a risk worth taking. That's the bit you couldn't make up. It takes next level incompetence, not a lack of imagination. Or greed beyond measure.

But Arteta has been given £700M to spend on players since he arrived, and we are the third biggest net spenders in the league during this time (after Chelsea and Manure).

I agree that our players are being overplayed, and some of our injuries are down to this. It's obvious that we have under invested in the forwards department. But I am not sure that the fault is simply that the owners don't care, or have refused to make the investments we need. As I've said before, I think this is more likely to be the result of over-rigidity in terms of acceptable transfer targets than simple greed. And I think that if not actively supported by our manager then he is still on board with the club's longer term strategy.

Hopefully Martinelli is OK - and we now have a break to try to get our players firing again.

[Niall_Quinn]

But Arteta has been given £700M to spend on players since he arrived, and we are the third biggest net spenders in the league during this time (after Chelsea and Manure).

I agree that our players are being overplayed, and some of our injuries are down to this. It's obvious that we have under invested in the forwards department. But I am not sure that the fault is simply that the owners don't care, or have refused to make the investments we need. As I've said before, I think this is more likely to be the result of over-rigidity in terms of acceptable transfer targets than simple greed. And I think that if not actively supported by our manager then he is still on board with the club's longer term strategy.

Hopefully Martinelli is OK - and we now have a break to try to get our players firing again.

I'm saying - IF the stories are true - Villa wanted to sell Watkins and Arteta wanted to buy him, despite knowing he'd lose Sesko. Obviously Arteta believed we were dangerously short up front and that couldn't be allowed to persist through the end of the season. That makes sense from a football point of view. It's not a guarantee of a title, it doesn't mean Watkins might not get injured in his first game for us, but for him to get the goals we'd need to overhaul Liverpool he has to to be playing here regardless of what else happens.

Non-football people decided the fee was too high, his age was wrong and the sell-on fee was a potential problem. So THEIR priorities are clearly paramount over and above football. It's about the finances with them, even when the requirements of the team are unequivocally clear. Is it unfair to say that? Business first then, which by definition is a lack of ambition in a sporting sense. This lot aren't going for what is possible, as you might get with a moderately wealthy owner trying to keep a lower league club in business, this lot have control of one of Europe's biggest clubs and they have clearly shown their hand in terms of priorities and intentions.

Did they spend 700mill? That's where I would like to see a real breakdown of Arsenal's finances rather than just spending figures. We sold a lot to finance that 700 mill too, and TV companies financed some of it and prize money from almost winning things. How much has been invested by the owners beyond their purchase of shares? I honestly don't know. If it's a lot, out of their own pockets, then okay, maybe it's harsh to say they have no interest. I suppose it takes something to part a billionaire with his money. But if it's little or nothing, and considering they've seen their wealth increase on paper at least, I'd ask what's it to them if we win or lose on the pitch provided we are winning on the balance sheet?

We are competing, money has been invested to stop us plunging down the table. But do you see any real evidence of a desire to go beyond this level? Surely the summer and this January are all the evidence anyone needs to see these owners have their focus elsewhere? Quick check on the P&L account, fly in for the big games, photoshoot and mural painted on stadium, hop the private jet back over the pond and leave the bums in the comfy offices to count the beans and ignore the manager. Certainly seems like this to me.

We aren't talking nice to haves, we're talking clear and present football requirement at a critical point of the season. I don't think there's any excusing this away. It's negligence, incompetence, you could even say it's a lack of duty. A serious clubs says, 60mill, for the finished article today, when we are desperately short, and still in the hunt for the PL and CL? Where do I sign? Do you want your arm back?

Our lot, well, we're worried about the sell-on fee. Come on now, am I being unreasonable or reaching conclusions by taking huge leaps?