The almighty 2016-2017 summer transfer window thread

Wenger would go from having no defensive midfielders (the likes of Flamini and Arteta) to having Xhaka, El Neni, Coq. The other CM is bound to be Cazorla / Wilshere. If we sign Kante on top, that would be defensive midfielders galore.

Sad to see Rosicky leave

I would bring in Kante as well as Xhaka to be honest. Then we can have Coq & Elnenny in the Flamini & Arteta roles and Wilsh & Ramsey can be options for more advanced roles like back up no 10's or a starting winger in Jack's case.

Kante is ridiculously unproven though. One good season in a team that plays the exact opposite style we do.

So was Coquelin but that didn't stop people claiming he was world class after one season when in reality he is just an OK player

Kante is ridiculously unproven though. One good season in a team that plays the exact opposite style we do.

£25m release clause. It's a no lose

I have a feeling most of you don't understand how to evaluate a player. Coquelin is not an OK player. He's been brilliant in our set up and added that defensive minded discipline which was missing. Sure he didn't quite continue from where he left off after the injury but that's fine. You forget that our record against the top 5,6 clubs in the Premiership. We had woeful results against the likes of city. That changed with Coq in our side. City away is a very good example when he locked Silva out of the game. We won at old trafford and started to sit back and hit opposition on counter etc. He's been nothing short of a revelation for our side. Football is being ruined by social media and youtube as it seems. If you don't find idiotic youtube compilation of a player with stupid background music and a title like "The genius passmaster" or if Gary the attention whore Lineker doesn't tell you a player is good, you seem to believe he isn't. Next time you decide to judge a player and sound like a professional, look in the mirror and repeat to yourself that you have 0 knowledge of football and you're just a fan of the sport.

Do one

Name a big side that has a destroyer like Coquelin in it. Oh wait, there isn't one.

Coquelin is a very useful player and integral to a lot of games away from home. At home he is simply not necessary when the other team is camped on the edge of their box.

So was Coquelin but that didn't stop people claiming he was world class after one season when in reality he is just an OK player

Point being that there are plenty of proven DMs if we feel like shopping. Xhaka, for one.

Xhaka isn't really a pure DM though. More of a deep lying playmaker ala Xabi Alonso. I think it is a great addition though, tough away game at United? Xhaka - Coq in the middle with Ramsey out wide. Home against Burnley? Xhaka - Ramsey through the middle.

I'll never forgive Wenger for that moronic bid for Suarez £40m + £1. Had he bid £55-60m they'd have sold him.

Suarez is the best striker ever. Even if he'd only stayed at Arsenal for 1 season, he'd have won the league with us. No doubt. He single-handedly dragged Liverpool to second.

I used to be a big fan of Wenger, now I despise him.

A senile fool, coward, stubborn donkey. Also a bad loser, always someone else's fault or blame bad luck. You'd have thought with Leicester winning the league he would run out of excuses, but he still found some. I don't even listen to what he says any more, don't watch his interviews. He just pisses me off.

Chelsea as much as I hate them had Matic and won the league. And no Matic isn't a passer, playmaker etc. he's ball winner. Arsenal with Gilberto Silva. And also it's about team's discipline. Our tactics isn't a rigged one, it's more of a free flow with freedom to creative players. Long story short you need balance and Coquelin does exactly that. As for playing home, on a numerous occasions we have been punished on counter attacks by "lesser teams" when everyone including our midfielders were charging forward. Guess who helps in those situations? A defensive minded, disciplined midfielder.

Matic started his career as a playmaker.

Gilberto was also very comfortable on the ball, he managed to score 10 League goals in his second to last season here as he moved to a more advanced role.

I think Xhaka is very much a quarter back anyway, don't think you'll see him go full Ramsey and try and play as a false 9, he's more happy being a constant option a bit deep and having the occasional crack at goal, very much like Xabi Alonso who was essentially an elite Mikel Arteta (Arteta at Arsenal that is). And that is something we desperately need.

Matic started his career as a playmaker.

Bellerin started his career as a winger.

I think xhaka would fit will in the prem. The hyper aggressive mauling on defense is encouraged by the officials, and he is versatile enough to play at several depths, depending on what is tactically required. The real question is whether wenger can actually implement any sort of tactic.

Xhaka isn't really a pure DM though.

Few players are nowadays. He's a Matic type more than a Xabi Alonso type.

Bellerin started his career as a winger.

And he's a full back whose defensive game isn't great but is very comfortable on the ball. Matic is comfortable on the ball and able to pick out the playmaker with ease due to his previous role as a playmaker.

And I'd argue against that Ix, from what I've seen he is pretty much a deep lying playmaker. He sits very deep naturally but is able to conduct from there and enable quick transitions into the attacking third. Very much like Xabi did, he isn't necessarily a tough tackler but is a very aggressive individual and of course captain of Gladbach. So that type of backbone is a much needed ingredient into our side.

I will say though despite his addition is needed, it doesn't help our title chances much unless we bring in a first choice striker as currently all of our centre forward options are completely average.

With Welbeck's injury we're definitely looking at a first choice striker, and that has been confirmed by Wenger. Still don't think it will be an established and proven player though. Just not our style to aggressively go for top talent if the club wants to hold on to the player (Higuain, Benzema, Icardi, Lewandowski, etc).