[Thelomen Toblerone]

According to The Sun, Arsenal have agreed a £16mil deal for Hatem Ben Arfa.

If it's true, I'm very pleased as I think he's quality and we need an out and out winger.

I'd flog Hleb, and play Ben Arfa and Walcott on the wings, Fabregas and Diaby in the middle, and RVP behind Adebayor, and then Rosicky, Song and Denilson can cover the midfield.

Although I wouldnt mind Makoun either, just for extra squad depth.

After that, we're supposedly definitely getting a CB, and the only links have been Lucio and Mexes, so expect one of those, both of which would also delight me.

Now, if we can also just keep Rosicky and RVP fit, and maybe sign a better 'keeper too, Arsenal could potentially be real title challengers next year, and not fade away at the death- we've improved massively since the last 2 seasons, and so one or two extra players could make all the difference.

[Macros]

if the papers are to be believed Drogers is heading to italy for £15mil. Seems chelsea will be in the market for a 20 goal a season striker.

[caladanbrood]

Aye, but if they only offer £20mil for Berbatov, which is the current posturing, we might not sell him.

[q21]

Thelomen Toblerone;304910 said:

According to The Sun, Arsenal have agreed a £16mil deal for Hatem Ben Arfa.

If it's true, I'm very pleased as I think he's quality and we need an out and out winger.

I'd flog Hleb, and play Ben Arfa and Walcott on the wings, Fabregas and Diaby in the middle, and RVP behind Adebayor, and then Rosicky, Song and Denilson can cover the midfield.

Although I wouldnt mind Makoun either, just for extra squad depth.

After that, we're supposedly definitely getting a CB, and the only links have been Lucio and Mexes, so expect one of those, both of which would also delight me.

Now, if we can also just keep Rosicky and RVP fit, and maybe sign a better 'keeper too, Arsenal could potentially be real title challengers next year, and not fade away at the death- we've improved massively since the last 2 seasons, and so one or two extra players could make all the difference.

Agreed except that I'd prefer Song on the middle with Cesc. Did you see him in AFCON?

[Thelomen Toblerone]

I agree he's been looking a quality prospect in the middle this season, but Wenger seems to want to play him at CB, every game this season it's where he's been.

Hopefully that's just due to Senderos being shocking though, perhaps once we get a new CB Song can shift into the middle of the park. But Diaby does look promising too, and provided we shore up the defence it should allow for Diaby and Cesc to play together as a more attacking unit.

[Binder of Demons]

Apparently CHELSEA have beaten MAN U to the signing of BOWINGWA for a fee of £16.

And a seemingly amazing story i've heard several places is that MAN U have offered £7 for Micheal Owen!!!!! It seems there is some friction over him being asked to take a lower wage and he's looking to get out.
They're also interested in buying Santa Cruz from Blackburn.

With all the talk of LIVERPOOL looking for a new right winger I'm surprised i haven't heard more talk of them looking at Joaquin Sanchez at Valencia. Before he signed for Valencia he had spoken about wanting to play in England, and since Valencia have such financial problems, he will definitely be sold.

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Binder of Demons;305817 said:

Apparently CHELSEA have beaten MAN U to the signing of BOWINGWA for a fee of £16.

And a seemingly amazing story i've heard several places is that MAN U have offered £7 for Micheal Owen!!!!

Bloomin' eck, what a couple of bargains! Im surprised Man U didnt increase their offer for Bosingwa, they still could have had plenty of change from a £50 note.


I dont think Newcastle would sell Owen, even if anyone offered for the useless lump. Keegan prizes him too much, they dont need the money, and they can just make him see out his contract, then he'll be a year older and a even more past it.

If Owen is asking for more money, he's a fucking disgrace. No-one wanted him, Newcastle were the only ones who would give hima chance on his sky high wages, he's been out injured most of the time and has barely performed when fit, and now he wants even more? What an utter twat.

I haven't seen much of Bosingwa, but what I have doesnt make me think he's worth £16mil or is of top top quality, he looks more of a Villa or Man City or Spurs level player to me, certainly not top 4 quality.

[caladanbrood]

Bowingwa, as he will be known from here on in, aint so great, I'd agree. He seems to have been one of the names bandied about recently as the Next Big Thing, but I'm doubtful about that one.


@Toby - No, Owen isn't asking for more money, Mike Ashley is forcing him to take a pay cut as part of the deal struck with Keegan to keep everyone (well, except Mikey boy) happy. Seems like dumb chairmanship to me - a premiership club should have enough money to have no need for pay-cuts, especially with the extra £50million or whatever it is they get from TV nowadays.

[Sir Bob]

i heard a wisper that arsenal are going to get some belgian center back, Kompany for 15mill never seen him play but he was allways da bomb in hte champ man games!!!

has anyone seen bowinga play? never even heard of him till a few days ago!!!

what about the two relegated clubs, does anyone think any of their players will be back in the prem next year with any particular team? i say 2 clubs 'cause who the feck wants any of derbys!!!!!!!!!!!

[Binder of Demons]

Giles Barnes of DERBY will have several clubs after him if he comes back from injury looking decent again.

Stephen Hunt and Kevin Doyle of READING have both been linked with SUNDERLAND. Nicky Shorey will probably attract some interest as well.

Can't think of any of that Birmingham squad at the moment.

[Sir Bob]

what about mcfaden, larson, forsell, even kapo and zarete(sp) not heard anything i just think their too good for the championship.

never seen barnes play but the reading tri you mentiond are good players, ive always liked lita but thats just me!

[Binder of Demons]

I know what you mean about those Birmingham players, but I could easily see most of them stay for the one year, or at least until the january transfer window.
Zarate is the most likely to go i'd say though.

A lot will depend on what happens to the Birmingham board and the direction they go in from here.

[Sir Bob]

is zarate even theirs though i just had a thought that maybe he is on loan. saw a few interviews with the charmain or diractor(dont know wich one!!) and he looked and sounded very upset about the booing and calling for his head, do you know why the fans turned on him/them? it seemed kinda sudden to me.

[Cougar]

Zarate is on loan from some club like Al Ahly in UAE or Saudi, I forget.

Don't want Owen at Utd, too small, last thing we need is another fucking dwarf up front especially one who can't stay fit

[Binder of Demons]

I think Zarate might be another of those situations like Tevez and Mascherano where no one is quite sure of the player's exact registration status. But I think Cougar is right and he's on loan from someone.

One of the reasons the fans were giving Sullivan and Gold such a reaction is that they themselves caused the boardroom unrest earlier in the season which led to the departure of Steve Bruce. THEY approached some outside investors to take over the club, but then stopped shy of actually allowing the takeover (which may have been a good thing).
But the subsequent unrest caused by this led to Bruce going, and of course he went and duly kept Wigan up.

I think that is the main reason. I'm sure there is the usual feeling that not enough money was given to the manager as well.

[Sir Bob]

owen at utd does seem a strange one, i would think the need(if anything) a striker who is there to score goals and not much else, what with rooney and tevez drooping deep and running everywere they need some who stays prety much in the penetly box!!!

well that explains the biringham thing, i suppose i could have looked at the papers and the internet but im lazy so thanks for doing my work for me!!

[caladanbrood]

Zarate was on loan from a Saudi club, and they want £20million for him, apparently. Which wont happen, though he does look pretty good.

From the relegated teams, expect Kenny Miller and Giles Barnes to be picked up by someone from Derby. Larsson, maybe Kapo and/or Forsell from Birmingham. Reading will lose Hunt and Shorey at least, and probably Lita and Doyle, also Hahnemann might go somewhere to play second fiddle - I'm thinking Everton or Villa maybe.

Fulham may need to spend somewhere in the region of £45mil-50mil over the summer to avoid a relegation scrap next season, and clubs like Sunderland, Bolton and Boro need to spend big as well to make progress.

[Sir Bob]

i think sunderland will spend big, they spent something like 50 mill this year and prob will a again-also kean says there is going to be a clear out so that should free up some wages and money and if richarson is fit that would be like a whole new(and very good) player.

middelsbrough wont progress much but will be midd tableish, with tunci, allialider,alves and even mido they got plenty goals in them and huth pogatez aint to bad at the back.

as always high quality spelling of footballers names!!!!

[Cougar]

I wonder if Utd will be after this Miguel Veloso character seriously, he looks very competent and he would fit in with their current attempts to establish a Portugese colony in Alderly Edge.

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Boro are steadily improving as it is- the only thing they really lacked last few seasons was the ability to score, now with Afonso Alves (who missed a few games through injury since Xmas but will be fully fit by August) and Sanli Tuncay they look as if they've solved that.

They'll progress to 12th I think next year, provided they stay injury free. And that's without making anymore signings, IMHO.



In Arsenal news, Ken Friar was giving an interview yesterday and had to rush off to take an urgent phone call, which he then followed with by saying a signing was imminent. Ben Arfa, who's been strongly linked with us, also said he'd been in talks about a move to London, and it's a fight between Arsenal and Marseille, so it just depends if he's ready to move abroad I suppose.

Meanwhile, Seydou Keita says a top 4 PL club, as well as Barca, have contacted him, and Jean II Makoun (I always thought it was Jean Il Makoun, but apparently it's Jean "the second" Makoun, how weird) is being fought over by Arsenal, Spurs, Juve and a few others, for about £11mil.


So, that signing looks like it's gonna be Makoun, Keita, or Ben Arfa. Expect an announcement within a week or so, I take that to mean.