(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread (Part 2)

https://www.thesportsbank.net/arsenal-2/alexis-sanchez-not-for-sale-arsenal-told-juventus/?

He sure did. It's just mental to think that we pay $34m for Xhaka and they think they can get Sanchez for that price. Surely Wenger wouldn't be considering it unless $80m came in for him.

I reckon. The guy is 27 and peaking. 34m would be a joke. 

Isaac Hayden has gone to Newcastle United on a five year deal. Alex Manninger training with Liverpool and may be offered a 1 year deal. He's 39 now.

Talk of Draxler overnight, 43mil. I'd be KEEN for that. 

Wondering what is going to happen with the striker business. Lacazette and Lukaku talk died down. 

Are any of these guys worth the investment? 

I feel like unless we get the mythical Lewandoski or a Higuain or some such, there's not much out there to upgrade/compliment Giroud. No decent strikers at the Euros... Ronaldo was named at striker in the team of the tournament - in reality Giroud was the best proper no.9 throughout, and he had a typically Giroud tournament - scored a few, assisted a few, but when it came to the semi and final, he's a good team player, he's not a superstar who will turn the game for you by himself. If we buy any of these strikers we are being linked with they are all pretty expensive gambles. 

We could do a lot worse than spending some serious cash to put someone else of Alexis' quality on the other flank, and leave Giroud/Walcott/Welbeck to lead the line. 

                           Cech

Bellerin-Mertesacker-Koscielny-Monreal

                 Cazorla-Xhaka

             Sanchez-Ozil-Draxler

                         Giroud

That would be a high quality ball-playing side... could also put Ramsey or Wilshere into that midfield without losing quality. 

I'm surprised Reus isn't being talked about, or Aubameyang

Seeing some Higuain rumours on Twitter.

Get in my son!!!

Just saw your tweet about that Surge.

EXCITE.

Higuain is one worth stumping up a boatload of cash for - kept Aguero on the bench right through the Copa America too. 

Is it ideal, though, if it's a swap for Giroud?

Surely we'd need to still bring in another striker in that case...

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/07/11/report-arsena...

I wouldn't even click the link. There is a reason I have blocked HITC from my newsnow arsenal feed. clickbait of the worst order.

Really upset about this Henry news. 

I wanted him involved with us from here until he manages, to see if he could be good enough to manage us in the first instance. 

It was awkward last year whenever Henry criticised us during his punditry, it's not normal for someone to hold two roles like that. I honestly would've thought Henry would've chosen Arsenal in this situation. 

Touche :)

There were other articles mirroring the same content, they were just the first one I clicked. Lesson learned...

my son says Higuain has been offered insane money to play in China

Reported 650k a week.

China is ruining football with this shark.

Meh if it wasn't China it was united, chelsea, city, etc. 

33.5m a season.

That is insane. 

The worst part is, they'll be a 'super league' and it will actually just be made up of Chelsea's and Cities, with no history what so ever.

No one gives a fudge about their league though. With every new name they sign the interest does not grow at all.

Plus they have limitations on how many foreigners can play in each team. So you get Hulk and Jackson Martinez playing alongside some Chinese fisherman or the bloke who runs the fried rice shop down the road.

The potential Chinese football market is a little bigger. And, they have cash to burn.

I think his point is that the global interest in the Chinese market won't be that big.

Yes they have a huge enough market to sustain themselves, but why would someone from a western background get excited about a brand new league in SE Asia when they have established to focus on first.

Way to be a racist cod

Good on them for putting money towards it. What else are they supposed to do? They have the money, why not spend it? Every other club on the planet does, including Arsenal.

Shark, if China weren't this focused on football the Nix probably wouldn't have a major sponsor right now.

The Chinese don't need outside interest. Their population self-sustains a league without relying on any overseas revenue and even paying these huge wages and transfer fees will see them reap a profit. They aim to have 50 million children and adults playing football by 2050 and if they do that, they will dominate. They couldn't care less about overseas interest.

I'm not disputing this in the slightest.

I'm just saying that for all your 'world famous' players that go there for the cash they won't ever hit the heights of greatness like Messi, Zlatan, Giroud because China never will be a great league.

Bazinga.

I see what you did there :-)

How can you be the best if you don't win a league stepped in tradition & prestige? Or the world cup?

Well, they shouldn't play for Arsenal then :P

So, China will never win the World Cup (they way England are going, they may win their first before England win their 2nd :P)... tradition doesn't mean much and what's prestiges changes. The FA Cup used to be the pinnacle of the English game, now coming 4th in the league is prioritised. Culture is not sacred, the world changes, nothing is set in stone.

You're starting to sound like Leggy, old beyond your years stuck in a time long ago not embracing the global nature of the sport.

Higuain has turned down the chinese deal, a reported 600k per week, to stay in Europe

Higuain has turned down the chinese deal, a reported 600k per week, to stay in Europe

Ask fans of Preston North End and Huddersfield how all that history and tradition is working out for them

Nailed it. 

Europe may be the world power right now but when China decides to do something, they throw everything behind it, government, money, infrastructure and there may be 1 or 2 players who think "nope, greatness is more important that money" I'd warrant there'd be a lot more who think "I'm going to make the most of what is a short career. $300k per week vs $150k per week? where do I sign and who's hand can I shake?"

Don't get caught up in the romanticism of football, club and country. 

Exactly. People always love to bring out the population figures when England fail at something as it suits an anti-English agenda, but on that same basis surely China should be the best at everything.

The population thing is a bit of a red herring. You can still only put 11 players on the field at once. India has a billion people and is cricket mad but they aren't consistently dominating Australia or England or South Africa, who all have much smaller populations. Likewise, Mexico has 120 million people but are consistently worse at football than Uruguay, which is about the size of NZ.

The huge domestic market might mean that China can bankroll a domestic league which attracts world class stars but they're still a long, long way from producing world class footballers of their own. There's reasons to be sceptical that they could do that any time soon. Simply throwing money at it doesn't necessarily work. Look at the US, which has basically been trying that for decades without really delivering. People say, oh, but the best athletes in the states don't play football though - well they don't in China either. They get identified as kids and put into training camps to win medals in individual events at the Olympics.

And that's assuming China will continue to have the money tto throw at football development. There's serious reasons to be concerned about the long term health of their economy. There's a government fueled construction bubble, an ageing population, environmental degradation, tensions between urban development and rural poor, and the risk of political upheaval against the CCP. 

I look forward to calling you from my retirement home in 50 years going HA - see - European football is still the best.

I better start looking after myself.

...and Wenger will still be AFC manager

Fudgeing hell you're probably right. 

In Sydney news, tickets go on general sale next Tuesday. However I received an email over the weekend from Arsenal as a "digital member" (ie, signed up to arsenal.com) that there will be a presale at 9am GMT on 16 July (8pm this Saturday our time). Not very clear where to actually access it but the email links through to the Arsenal in Sydney page that lists the ticket prices so I assume through there when it opens. Have emailed the Arsenal box office to ask. Not sure if they were the right people to ask but there are no contact details on the Arsenal in Sydney page so couldn't see anyone else to contact.

Have also discovered there is a Ticketek presale on Monday, just need a Ticketek Australia account. Also an Optus presale tomorrow if anyone knows someone in Australia who could lend them an Optus login. Through Ticketek I also see there are 2 match pass options which are slightly cheaper than buying tickets to both games separately.

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh...

Good. Hope more follow suit.