From Brendan in Dublin:
What’s up Arsene Wenger’s transfer sleeve?
I hate transfer speculation and try to avoid it now.
Loved it when i was a kid – Running down to the local shop to buy The Sun to check Steve Williams had actually signed. That was exciting.
The whole dynamic has changed in a world of social media and the internet. Progress.? All we have now is a plethora of websites feeding bogus agent stories and making up sensationalist stories of their own to drive traffic and ad revenue.
Benzema to Arsenal? I don’t buy it for a minute.
I don’t think Arsene has the slightest interest in Benzema.
A good striker- Yes.
A Wenger player 3 years ago – Yes.
Yes because he could mould him the way he wanted. More chance of Fabregas re-signing than Benzema to Arsenal. He’s not quick enough, doesn’t play the Arsene mobility game and is certainly is no Suarez.
Arsene wants game-changers who can do it themselves.
Would Giroud be at Arsenal if Arsene had the money he has now when Giroud signed ? I very much doubt it. I like Giroud, by the way,
One that he definitely interested in is Reus.
Reus for sure – who isn’t interested?
Has Arsene got the money? Yes.
Would Reus like to come. Best pals with Ozil, apparently.
Reus has speed, mobility and a thought process with a football at his feet that would leave Einstein trailing in his wake.
Is he in the Ronaldo/Messi league – any one who laughs at that proposition should watch the goal he scored against Juventus last week.
Only Ronaldo and Messi could score that goal in that fashion. Stunning.
Glided across three quarters of the pitch like a sprinter, presence of mind and composure to nutmeg the defender at the edge of the box and finish it in the top left hand corner. I’ll say it again: only Ronaldo and Messi could score that goal.
Wenger would take one Reus over 3 Benzemas. Benzema can change a game when he has Ronaldo, Rodriguez giving him the ball – Reus changes games on his own
The big question. Would Reus come and would Arsene pay the money with his injury record?
My suspicion is yes to both. London is a big draw. Wenger would see value in Reus at £58m quid in a way he’d see Benzema as a waste of money for half that. He’s an economist, he likes value.
It was interesting to hear Mourinho talking about Arsene’s transfer spend last week in the media as if a barbed jibe. Jose never comments without intention.! Never
He knew he was talking rubbish and it would irk Wenger. Chelsea have been selling a stock of players for the last 3 years which has hugely reduced their net spend while Arsenal still have all the value of their team of 24 to 27 year olds.
Mourinho’s comparison was a farce but he played to the media and knew his ‘Greek budgetary arithmetic’ would drive Arsene crazy.
What’s more pertinent about Jose’s comments is that he also knows the chatter on the transfer market and knows that Arsenal have something big in the pipeline otherwise why the bluster and broadside at Wenger about spend. He just wouldn’t bother.
He wants to be able to say “but look at Arsenal- look at that massive spend”. He’s gearing up for it. Sitting on his hands like a petulant and manipulative little 6 year old.
Reus to Arsenal. Not as far fetched as one might think. I would not rule it out.
Myles says:
Hope you’re right, Brendan.
Reus is a speed-machine who would get people off their seats in the Upper Tier.
A superfast goalscorer would get the crowd rocking and help Alexis Sanchez.
That goal is a breakaway from a corner by four Borussia Dortmund attackers and the other three make it easier for Marco do his thing.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the Reus goal with only 195,000 views
The German motorway police know all about the speed of Marco Reus.
Oddly enough, the last time I mentioned the lad on ANR was on the day Dortmund played Juventus in the Champions League:
He’d already been stopped five times for speeding since 2011 and in December his Aston Martin was stopped again and the police finally realised he’d been driving without a license.
Reus, 25, had never passed his test. He admitted he had been stupid. The authorities decided to give him a record fine for a motoring offence: £427,000.
Myles says: Nobody’s perfect
Thinking about Marco Reus reminds me of another blond flyer, Uli Hoeness.
One night in the early 70s I was watching a particularly good Bayern Munich performance on TV with my Scottish flatmate John Mair. We used to go to Spurs and Arsenal together.
Uli Hoeness was electrifying in that match and John said, “If this is football, what have we been watching every week?”