SirBalon

The thing is that I can understand Guardiola spending on defenders because it seems to be the only part of his setup that doesn’t seem to gel like he would wish his team to play throughout. Only Stones seems to get it and the issue has been finding someone more secure than Stones but that can play with the ball at his feet like he can... Is Laporte that player? I don’t think he is for various reasons although he is quality and he can grow into it. Pep would’ve been better off having bought or battled with Barça for Yerry Mina or maybe go in for Iñigo Martínez who is a rock and is no mug with the ball at his feet. The issue with Laporte is that many clubs have had their eye on him and were waiting for him to really make it big time... So he’s (Pep) thought, I’m gonna get in there now before Barcelona or Real get in there. How can Guardiola complain about these things when he’s been able to buy or bid for who he wants in the positions he’s wanted to address? That’s the point! None of the other elite clubs have been in for a centre-back in Europe apart from Barcelona for a third man where they’ve brought in Yerry Mina as I said at the start of this post. The issue is that SOON City WILL have to sign a front man and THAT’S why he’s already started lamenting himself with a prelude to the summer.

Small transfer fees and wages compared to who? To PSG? Typical lament every coach! Why doesn’t he add the fact City aren’t able to outbid or outspend their sister club across the Channel!

I like the way the wall gets bored in the end!

I think this part shows you how much Wenger is to blame mate. Let’s not forget that we had no technical team or director before and the interest in Lacazette is a long one that goes back at least 5 years. The fact we never acted upon it was because those in charge were never under so much pressure, a pressure from the fans and even the media that has been getting more and more intense. I agree with you in the sense that Lacazette was the player we went in for because the club couldn’t or didn’t want to go for anyone else and in the end it was a punt! A bet like so many bets in so many of our signings that ends up being expensive financially with money thrown away and also detrimental to our competitivity.

Me too and it’s no wonder with Godín being the eternal centre back and Giménez being another of their young talents.

It’s a pity we can’t recall old posts from tff because I wrote quite a bit about Lemos especially when we (Arsenal) signed Gabriel from Villarreal. I said he was superior and that he would’ve been a better signing (cheaper) than the Brazilian. But then again we paid more for Xhaka than Chelsea did for Kanté and that says it all.

I just hoping not only for Barça’s sake but even more for the player’s that this is the right move and the reason I say this is because Barcelona seem to have sped up the process with Arthur after they got a leaked report from a Real Madrid scout that had travelled to Brazil to try and get access to Arthur. I heard this from a very senior journalist on Spanish radio some nights back and I believe what he said. What I’m getting at is that for Arthur’s Barcelona adventure to be a good one for him, it hasn’t to be something well planned out by the club and not a rushed job that has been followed for a long time... It’s when things are done like they were with Coutinho that they end up being the right move not only for the club but also for the player. That long arduous scout following was also done with Ter Stegen for over five years and look at how that’s turning out now. I’ve seen a lot of Arthur and he is a massive talent, a player that has more than just one facet to his game. If the move is done properly it will be a very big benefit both for the player and Brazil to come into Barça at this time.

Who knows why they’ve even been talking mate. Do you remember last year Pochettino was spotted having dinner with the Barcelona president in Barcelona? This was right after Luis Enrique had announced he would be stepping down as head coach at the end of the season. For the following week a whole load of speculation was twisted this way and that where in the end Pochettino himself made a statement saying that he was close friends with Bartomeu and that these dinners and lunches happen without actually meaning anything in the world of football everywhere. He then added that he could never coach Barça because of his Espanyol past. Obviously Barça’s interest in Arthur is well documented and they’ve actually been following him for a few years now but because he’s come to prominence now, well they’re connecting him with a move, it then again he’s being associated with moves to other clubs even Real Madrid. As to where he would fit in... Well he’d be another squad player, a quality one and teams like Barcelona who aspire to win everything they compete in, then the more quality players that arrive, the better. Remember that players could be leaving in the summer and that could open a door for him to arrive. Then again this meeting may not have been connected with a prelude to a signing and may have been about something else which would actually be strange because all of these things cost time and money.

Apparently RCD Espanyol have reported both Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets for stating in last night’s post match press conference (after Barça eliminated Espanyol from the Copa del Rey) a reference to Espanyol being from Cornellà instead of Barcelona. They do play their games in their new stadium situated in Cornellà which is an orbital town of the city of Barcelona, but they’ve (Espanyol) seen it as incitement to violence between the fans in the soon to be played La Liga derby between both clubs. This could carry a 4 match suspension under the the new anti violence rules set last year.

According to all four main Spanish sports newspapers (MARCA, MUNDO DEPORTIVO, AS and SPORT) André Cury (Arthur’s agent) are today negotiating the arrival of Arthur to Barcelona in the summer.

Has anyone ever died from that.

That’s even worse then... What you’re saying is that we bought Primark goods that someone had placed in a Gucci shop.

Shhhhhhh... Women mate! Women are the ones that cry that they want tons of clothes and then when they look like crap because the clothes quickly lose their shape they go out an buy the same thing again which defeats the object really.

I would say it’s like buying clothes at Primark... You can buy lots and have all sorts of colours and styles for a cheaper price but if you want quality then that costs more and you don’t have to keep going back to the shop because it’s ruined so quickly to replace the old one.

Mauricio Pochettino in an interview for a Spanish sports newspaper... just this quote which made me laugh out loud! ”I would rather return to my farm in Argentina than coach Barcelona, Arsenal or Rosario Central” A true football man!

Coutinho didn’t get long due to coming on in the 68th minute, but you could already see that he suits the style of play at Barça and why the technical team fought so hard to sign him. People must remember that Coutinho wasn’t a whim on the fact Barcelona got the Neymar money in the summer. What I’m saying is that the interest in the former Liverpool player didn’t begin then and they have infact been following his progression all the way back when he was on loan at Espanyol as it has been consistently well documented in the Spanish sports papers over the years. It also looks like the senior Barça players are really happy to have him on board as they feel he has the potential to be one of the biggest players on the planet. It was a very good debut for him last night.

Trust a Toffee to be the first to post this!

I’m an Arsenal fan and don’t give a shit about the shareholders to be frank mate.

I don’t right now mate but I’ll find the, for you if you don’t want to search and post them when I have a moment. But it’s common knowledge mate.

Read David Dein’s quotes over the years and what he wanted to work towards for Arsenal in his true belief and was ousted by the shareholders when he started to become too vocal.

I really wanted to go to Google so you have to forgive me for my off the top of my head selections considering what you answered me. Juventus in the modern upto date era and I don’t have to tell you what they’ve managed to achieve by building a whole new stadium and included buying the land. Add to the fact they’d not too long ago had to promote themselves after dodgy dealings in a relegation punishment. FC Porto in the middle era dominating their league and winning the Champions League. But because you added all that inflation and football income... Manchester United who totally remodelled their stadium in the middle of their English dominance and continued their dominance and won two Champions Leagues.

That’s rubbish mate and known to be untrue. I have a good friend that had that question vetoed at a shareholder’s agm. It’s known to be a load of crap anyway... How many clubs have totally refurbished their stadiums or built whole new ones in recent years without having to be handicapped in maintaining competitiveness? I can start to reel off names if you like mate.

I feel honoured that I’m part of your longest relationship.

They’re men at the end of the day and where us lot direct all that towards a female orientated sexual scenario, they do it the other way around when they’re being boystrous which you can imagine where it goes.