mooks

They're losing their best player.

He also said the transfer market for him starts now ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arsène Wenger says there is 'no chance' of Arsenal signing Luis Suárez David Hytner The Guardian, Thursday 22 August 2013 http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/22/arsene-wenger-arsenal-luis-suarez Arsene Wenger said that there was categorically no possibility of Arsenal reviving their interest in Liverpool's Luis Suárez before the closure of the transfer window. He has seen two bids, the second of £40,000,001, rejected for the unsettled striker and there had been some hope at the club that the situation could somehow turn in Arsenal's favour, despite Liverpool's refusal to sell. But Wenger gave short shrift to the notion after his team's Champions League play-off first-leg victory over Fenerbahce in Istanbul. Asked whether the bid to sign Suárez was over, he replied: "Yes. There is absolutely no chance of that." Wenger, who failed with a £10m offer for Newcastle United's Yohan Cabaye, said that he remained in the market for a midfielder. "Quality-wise we don't need anybody but number-wise we are short," he said. "We lost [Alex Oxlade-] Chamberlain, [Mikel] Arteta to injuries and [Abou] Diaby is also out – three international midfielders. We tried to bring one in but we are working on that. "You have to understand that there is still a long way to go. The transfer market starts for me now and a lot of activity will happen between now and 2 September. It starts now. It is like a poker game. People hold their cards as long as possible and see what is happening out there. In the end, they go for decisions. "First everybody goes on holiday and nobody wants to do anything. Then, in many clubs, there are manager changes. They need to know the squad before they make a decision. There are many, many things but it is always like that." Wenger was asked whether he was any good at poker. "No," he replied.

Did we or did we not make a bid for him? He was my shout back in November. Water under the bridge now ...

He's just speaking in general terms - not saying we need to sell to buy more players this transfer window. All true but Dule was suggesting some kind of cost/benefit analysis between purchasing Willian and getting into the CL. Whatever we pay for Willian would be a certain expenditure while the hypothetical financial benefit of qualifying for the CL is tenuous at best. Not only could Willian turn out to be ill-suited for the Premiership or go down with a long-term injury even if he is a £25-30m player he could make the difference between us finishing 7th and 6th (for example). Bale is an £80m player we are told but his team finished fifth last season.

How on earth can we tell in advance whether a player will be the difference between us finishing in or out of the CL places? Andy Carroll?

:applause:

Liverpool's Luis Suarez feud 'ended when skipper Gerrard acted as peacemaker with Rodgers' 18 Aug 2013 22:30 By Darren Lewis Captain understood to have sat in on clear-the-air talks between striker and manager that look set to leave Arsenal disappointed http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/liverpool-luis-suarezs-feud-brendan-2183624 Steven Gerrard brokered the peace deal which is expected to see Luis Suarez stay at Liverpool. It is Gerrard’s part in healing the rift between Arsenal target Suarez and manager Brendan Rodgers, that could have the biggest impact on the Reds' season. With Liverpool insisting Suarez will not be sold, either to the Gunners or any other club this summer, the wantaway striker has had no choice but to swallow his pride and apologise. Suarez, however, was unsure about the way in which he would be received by Rodgers and, it is understood, Gerrard accompanied the Uruguay international when he went to see the boss. Gerrard’s intervention is thought to be a signal that Suarez has been accepted back into the fold by this team-mates. It is also likely to sound the death knell for under-pressure Arsene Wenger’s hopes of signing the 26-year-old - who scored 30 goals last season - for Arsenal before the end of the summer window. Liverpool defender Kolo Toure said: “Luis Suarez was defending what he wanted, the club was defending what they wanted. “The club know that by keeping him we are going to be really strong because he’s one of the best strikers in the world. “I believe what the club did is right. We all wanted him to stay. You never want one of your best players leaving to go to another team. “It’s no problem having Luis back. We love him. We all just wanted him to resolve his problem with the manager, come back and score our goals “The manager is very clever and has sorted it out with him. We are all really happy that Luis is back training with us.”

A couple of days old but haven't seen this mentioned anywhere. One of my favourite players - the headline is misleading, though. Ex-Liverpool star Javier Mascherano fancies reunion with Rafa Benitez at Napoli By: Charles Perrin Published: Fri, August 16, 2013 http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/422603/Ex-Liverpool-star-Javier-Mascherano-fancies-reunion-with-Rafa-Benitez-at-Napoli BARCELONA star Javier Mascherano has hinted that he would like to link up again with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez at Napoli. Mascherano, who has been played out of position at centre back admitted recently he would be open to leaving the Catalan giants should an offer be forthcoming. "You never know," Mascherano told Spanish paper El Pais. "In football, you have to be prepared for anything. There were calls from somewhere else, but no offers. "There are always doubts. You are at Barcelona and you have to fight for your place." And Mascherano has raised the spectre of a move by saying he is in regular contact with Benitez. "Moving to Napoli? I can only say that I speak with Benitez often," Mascherano told Italian paper Il Mattino.

AC Milan rival Liverpool in the chase for PSG defender Mamadou Sakho AC MILAN are rivalling Liverpool in the race to sign Mamadou Sakho from French champions PSG. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/333275/AC-Milan-rival-Liverpool-in-the-chase-for-PSG-defender-Mamadou-Sakho By Nick Lustig/Published 18th August 2013 Sakho, who handed in a transfer request last week, wants to leave the French capital after not being guaranteed a first-team place under new manager Laurent Blanc. Liverpool made an £8m bid for the defender earlier this month, as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his defensive options with uncertainty remaining over the futures of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. According to reports in Italy, Milan are hoping an offer of a season-long loan with an option to buy will tempt the French club to temporarily part with the 23-year-old. Liverpool in contrast are keen to secure a permanent deal for Sakho, who has also attracted the interest of big spending Ligue 1 side Monaco. Sakho is desperate to leave PSG in order to gain first-team football in what is a World Cup year. The centre-back, who has been capped 14 times by the French national side, wants to remain in contention for Didier Deschamps' squad for next summer's showpiece in Brazil.

Thought I'd add the latest from everyone's favourite journalist, John Cross. Demonstrates his objectivity on the Suarez saga ... Arsenal lack answers to tough questions Posted by John Cross http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/arsenal/id/2072 Come on. It wasn't as if Arsenal fans didn't see it coming. They just didn't think it could turn this bad, this quickly. And the reason that fans saw this coming is the club's farcical summer in the transfer market that left them on the precipice. Arsenal left themselves open to this crisis because their squad is now threadbare through a lack of signings, letting too many go, leaving it all too late. Arsenal lost 3-1 to Aston Villa not because of referee Anthony Taylor, but because they were ill-prepared, outfought and made mistakes. You can blame Taylor for some poor decisions -- including the second penalty -- but did he miss great chancesć No. That was Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla. Thankfully, Arsenal fans do seem to be directing their anger and frustration in the right area, rather than glossing over defeat with a rant at the referee. Post-match, manager Arsene Wenger was hardly contrite, with fans chanting "spend some money" in his ear for the majority of the second half. "You bring me those players and I will look at them," he snapped at reporters in his news conference. Forgive me, Arsene, but I thought it was your job to sign players. And it's no good talking about getting deals done now before the end of the August window. Arsenal have had three months since the end of last season. The only signing they have made is Yaya Sanogo. They have released, sold or loaned more than 20. It meant the bench was so short against Villa at the Emirates that they had to put Emmanuel Frimpong on it. Frimpong was once a prospect, but these days seems more interested in his clothes range. He is a Championship player at best. So from a summer that promised big names and big signings, Arsenal are left with Frimpong on the bench. Frankly, it highlights the depth of despair in inept management and allowing the squad to decay and become short of numbers and quality. Wenger can surely no longer trot out the line about being able to sign only players who are better than they have already got. There's a lot better than Frimpong. Harsh, but fair. Add to that mounting injury problems. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Bacary Sagna all went off injured against Villa, with Mikel Arteta, Thomas Vermaelen and Nacho Monreal already sidelined. And Laurent Koscielny is now banned for Fulham next Saturday after his red card. Arsenal are so short of players it's frightening. Never mind the "two or three" players Wenger has been promising in the transfer market. Arsenal need a new goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, a wide man and a striker. Tot them up. They go to Fenerbahce for a Champions League qualifier, which will define their season with the prospect of having to take kids and reserves. It is embarrassing. The promise of summer transfers raised expectations. The club went public on how much they had to spend. They've not spent a penny. Yes, there are two weeks of the window left, but is it acceptable for an experienced manager to go into the season so ill-preparedć Definitely not. After all, the fans don't get reduced ticket prices until the new players arrive. No wonder they are angry. Wenger is hesitant, and his philosophy of developing young players seems to also mean that spending big is a sign of weakness or failure. Maybe that is why he has been reluctant and has been dithering. On top of that, chief executive Ivan Gazidis and their transfer fixer, Dick Law, are caught in the eye of the storm because they failed to deliver Arsenal's No. 1 target, Luis Suarez. And no one else has been signed. If Arsenal continue their nightmare start and go out of the Champions League, will top players still want to join? That's the worry. It's one game into the season and yet Arsenal are facing a crisis. The fans are unhappy, there's no signings and they go to Istanbul with half a team. It's a shocking way to start a season, and yet Arsenal have brought it upon themselves.

That was actually a save from Begovic

Just learned of this site on the Lucas thread http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x139oa5_philippe-coutinho-vs-stoke_creation

Wenger has a serious psychological block about spending money. The opposite of most managers but a real problem nonetheless.

1. Lucas 2. Coutinho 3. Sturridge

It hasn't been coached out of him yet

I really don't know much about the reliability of different publications in the UK given that I don't live there. I just find it odd that the bookies are so convinced of this loan and yet there's been no mention of it on here.

Haven't seen any other mention of this - perhaps the source is "suspect"? Raheem Sterling in line for West Ham loan switch RAHEEM STERLING is likely to sign for West Ham before the end of the transfer window, according to the bookies. By Jack Wilson/Published 12th August 2013 http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/331990/Raheem-Sterling-in-line-for-West-Ham-loan-switch Liverpool have loaned out Pepe Reina to Napoli and Suso to Almeria, while Martin Skrtel could join Napoli. And Sterling could join them in leaving on a short-term deal as Brendan Rodgers looks to give the winger more first-team game-time. Skybet make the Liverpool and England ace just 4/5 to make the switch before the September 2 deadline. The pacey 18-year-old started the season in sublime form last season but his performances tailed off. He is currently on bail after allegedly assaulting his Miss United Kington girlfriend Shana Holliday. A Liverpool FC spokesman refused to comment on the court appearance but said: “Raheem has denied the charges.”

Remember the rationale for the Hicks and Gillett takeover in 2007? Arsenal have built a new stadium and practically paid for it during this period. In the meantime we're obsessed with managerial merry-go-rounds and whether we can get an apology from our diving, biting, cheating striker who thinks he's too good for us. Wenger will go if he can't change his mindset from the penny-pinching of the last 8 seasons but he's done a remarkable job to get them where they are (new stadium, no sugar daddy, consistent top 4 side).

Champions League final in 2006, semis in 2009, in the running for the title in March/April at least two seasons during that span. I'd take that right now.

I think you'll have to retract some of that Close enough ... it means: "Luis Suárez has confirmed with me that he is not separated from the Liverpool team. He is training differently in order to recuperate from a knock to his left foot. BS meter: 10/10

I can see Wenger leaving by mutual consent if they don't get through their CL qualifier or if they have a mediocre start in the League. He's been brilliant for them for so many years, keeping them competitive on a relative shoestring while building the new stadium - but this will be a bridge too far for many of their fans.

Am I missing something? Or was apologising to the manager and his teammates not a prerequisite to LS playing for Liverpool again?

Not exactly 'Hicks and Gillett' either. FSG are responsible sports owners. The way Henry handles the Suarez affair behind the scenes will be key to whether they continue to have confidence in him.

:applause:

I had never heard of him tbh I'll be more circumspect in the future if he has a poor journalistic reputation