EliteKiller wrote:Problem for Arteta (and Emery) was that they inherited a very broken squad loaded down with overpaid under-performing dross, add to that the number of ageing players on huge salaries and it was a near impossible task. It hasn't helped that yet more average dross has been added since and that yet more ageing players have been given huge salaries, the reality is brutal ...
What experienced superstar player who can earn 250k a week anywhere wants to join a mid-table squad, where he will be earning less than guys running down their contracts? What young superstar will want to play for a mid-table squad unless it's just a loan season in the EPL shop window, what emerging talent will want to join mid-table squad where he knows that ageing overpaid players are going to limit his playing time ... what juniors sees Arsenal as the top side we were twenty years ago?
The club is rotten, Arteta can't fix that however good he might be, for several years we have entered every transfer window saying the same thing - we must get rid of the dross before we can start moving forward - but we never do ...
This summer we must shift - Mustafi - Sokratis - Luiz - Soares - Ozil - Willian - Auba - and if we don't want them or they won't extend contracts add to that list Laca - Nketiah - Chambers - Kolasniac - Elneny - Bellerin - AMN - Wilock - Nelson - ESM
Sounds ridiculous doesn't it but it's the mess we've got ourselves into and it needs fixing, if we don't then we will just bump along as we have been for five years, slowly going backwards.
Can't be done? Spurs have shifted out 9 players in two years, Liverpool 13, and Chelsea 15 .... it can be done, and it needs to be done ....
Until the club takes action on the contract shambles we've been stuck with since Arsene, then no manager, Arteta included, has a hope in hell of making us into a realistic title or CL contender, not a freckin' prayer.
I agree that the club needs major fixing. But part of the mess is directly Artetas fault. I just wish people would stop blaming Wenger for the mess we are in. Dudes been gone for 2.5 years and people still blame him for our shit squad whereas reality is different.
Emery was backed by the board. As has Arteta. Both made questionable decisions on the squad. Arteta, for example:
- Extensions for Mari, Cedric and Luiz
- Extension for Auba
- Purchases of Partey and Gabriel
- Signing of Willian.
- Renewing Cebellos' Loan deal
I find it funny when people say Arteta is still dealing with Wengers deadwood. Its completely ridiculous. The holdovers from Wengers time here are:
- Auba (key player whos contract was renewed under Arteta)
- Lacazette (Arteta wants him to be extended. Refused an offer from Roma this summer)
- Xhaka (Arteta loves him AND he got extended AFTER wenger left)
- El Neny (Arteta likes him and wants to extend him. The club didn't sell him in the summer despite there being interest in his services)
- AMN (There was a good offer on the table in the summer but the Arteta didn't want him sold).
- Bellerin (The fact that Arteta plays him over AMN AND Cedric, both players Arteta wanted to keep should tell you that Arteta values him)
- Mustafi (another player who Arteta likes and offered him a new deal recently)
- Kolasinac (Didnt sell him this summer despite there being an offer shows Arteta wanted to keep him around)
- Holding (plays over Mustafi and Luiz, both players Arteta likes so clearly Arteta likes him)
- Chambers (The club didn't sell him after Wenger left even though there was an offer on the table for him).
- Saka (Probably our best player)
- Willock (Fans actually want him to play more!)
- ESR (Same as Willock)
All of Wenger's alleged deadwood players are actually valued by the current manager. If anything, the current regime has actually ADDED to the dead weight, including:
- Willian
- Cedric
- Mari
- Luiz
- Pepe (Arguably)
- Saliba (Arguably cuz Mikel the genuis doesn't rate him)
So really, all this alleged Wenger-Era dead weight people keep talking about is all bunch of horseshit. The irony is, most of the players gotten rid of in the last 2 windows by Arsenal so far are the ones that were brought in AFTER Wenger left or were actually valuable players from Wengers reign that have not been replaced or replaced with mediocre replacements or equal but expensive upgrades.
- Torreira
- Guendouzi
- Martinez
- Wilshere
- Ramsey
- Sokratis
- Lichtsteiner
- Kolscielny
- Cazorla
- Iwobi
The club is rotten but Arteta is not free from blame. He has been responsible for playing favorites and was directly involved in adding to the deadweight this summer and wanting to keep the existing deadweight around.