The Arsenal Thread XII

Giroud even said he doubts di matteo knew who he was. Chelsea wouldn't have gone for him.

Didn't he say he turned down Chelsea because he doubted Di Matteo knew who he was? And I'm sure he meant that in a figurative sense.

Didn't he say he turned down Chelsea because he doubted Di Matteo knew who he was? And I'm sure he meant that in a figurative sense.

I don't even think he would have been in our plans as a first team player, not to say he's a bad player, but since abramovich is insistent in us playing torres and getting him back to form, I think we'd just use sturridge as backup striker to torres. Di matteo chooses the team sheet anyway, remember yuri zhirkov, signed during hiddink days, manager changes and he's never used. Same thing would have happened here. Despite him possibly being a better alternative to torres, like zhirkov is to malouda.

If he goes to Juve seeing him and Pirlo linking up would be beautiful

I'm hearing news of Jovetic.

I don't believe RVP when he goes on about you lot having no ambition and the investment etc. I mean you've already bought Giroud and Podolski and it's been what 6 days into the transfer window...

I can promise you that he has lowered his sale price. Sure his agent could have told clubs that but all they'll have are his words and you telling me agents are trustworthy. But with this statement we have LESS baragining tools. It like how Barca were able to get away with underpaying for Cesc, they knew he was theirs. If you don't think his statement was force the club to let him go, what exactly do you think it was meant to achieve? Update the fans?

How could you in anyway blame the club for a statement and say it isn't disrespectful? Again I ask you, what was the statement meant to achieve? It's extremely pointless and distateful.

The 'Arsenal' way of doing things is to keep things inhouse as much as possible, it's a policy that been long part of the clubs tradition and I don't see the point of changing it to earn some cred points with 'fans' like Piers Morgan? They provided us with enough information up to now and I haven't heard much outcry over it until this statement was released.

Well, once again I think it has to do with how far along in his own career van Persie is. If you look at some of the players who have made up the core of our current squad - Arteta, Song, Sagna - they're all good players, but not regarded on their own as having the capability to make us a formidable team - not, to use an overused term, 'world class'. And as to the players who are thought to possibly have the potential to turn us into one - Wilshere, Chamberlain; arguably Ramsey, Szczesny, Coquelin, Miyaichi - that's still going to take a bit of time to come together, which may be what van Persie doesn't think he can afford. Giroud and Podolski both strengthen the squad - significantly, I'd like to think/hope - but they probably don't give it the level of immediate boost that van Persie wanted. Or that's my reading of the situation, anyway.

You think olivier giroud is being loyal to montpellier by joining arsenal, you think he's getting less wages here than he is in france? It's ok to take their priced assets, but it's not ok for another club to take yours because it shows unloyalty, hypocrisy don't you think?

I'm not blaming the club as such, I just doubt this is some kind of shock. I think this is really only news to the public, people in Arsenal or around RVP would have known. I think its a negative thing to happen, but I think its one they allowed.

I understand the policy of doing things in house, United hardly ever discuss these things. But situations like this, like Nasri and Cesc, like Flamini make the club look like mugs. It makes it look like they have no idea what is going on with their players. I don't think that is the case, I think there were aware, but not releasing a statement first or ensuring RVP didn't is poor management.

Van Persie will look at Giroud, and see a footballer who was playing in Ligue 2 not that long ago. He'll then look at Chamakh who moved from the same league, and has done little to nothing for the past 18 months. He'll look at Podolski and see a player who didn't cut it at Bayern, and who captained his team to relegation. Look at the signing of Park last season, another who was relegated with his team. RVP sees this chap every day, what is he supposed to think? 'Great, he brings in money from Asia', but ultimately that won't help win the trophies he desires.

That's what I said to Zurich in our thread. I have no idea how much Giroud was on at Montpellier or his contract at Arsenal, but with the financial strength of the Premier League, as demonstrated by the huge £3bn bumper deal recently, it's quite likely that he's got a significant pay rise after tax. I guess he was getting a lot of game time at Montpellier too and silverware are may be equal chances at both clubs in the short term? Montpellier is a wonderful city and I know I'd be never leave there if I wasn't get anything significant advantage from moving away.

He'll look at Podolski and see a player who didn't cut it at Bayern, and who captained his team to relegation.

Not a shock, perhaps, but I think we'd be forgiven for thinking it wasn't that obvious. For one, there was the constant buzz about van Persie's affection for Arsenal and London; more pertinently, there were the reports about how van Persie would probably consider staying if we reinforced enough. Now, maybe on the back of our late surge in the season, we thought Podolski and Giroud (and the prospects of more) would represent such reinforcement; now it is emerging that van Persie doesn't think so. But what if instead of Podolski and Giroud, we'd gone and signed Neymar and Cavani? My point is that I don't think van Persie necessarily had his heart set on leaving Arsenal well before this transfer window started - though he was probably thinking about it more seriously than we might have imagined.

If he wants trophies and doesn't care about money, he could go Celtic!!

That's a little harsh, its a team effort.

Same thing could be said about Messi and Argentina. If you understand what I mean...