Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Rocky7 
Date:Saturday July 21 2007
Time: 2:00PM
UK time is: 15:10:10
Choose your club
Other Sites
Network Navigation
Vital Partners
'If It's Football, It's Vital'
Arsene Confirms 'No More Strikers'
Arsene Wenger says he doesn't need to buy anymore strikers.
Le Boss has always believed in his young players and claims he has all the power he need in a strike force in van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner, Walcott and the recently purchased Eduardo.
The admission came while Wenger heaped praise on last season's top scorer, Robin van Persie.
"Robin can score goals. He`s a good mixture between Dennis Bergkamp, a typical goalscorer and a tremendous player like Henry. So let`s hope he can mix his game well.' Wenger said to The Sun
"I think he is developing very, very well. He has become more mature and he benefits from the good work of Emmanuel Adebayor, who makes room for him.
"The two always combine well together. We have also signed Eduardo da Silva. Why should we sign another striker?
'We don`t collect them — we buy the strikers we need. And we expect Nicklas Bendtner to move forward and show us some aspects of his talent this season too."
Wenger also confirmed he is not trying to sign former Arsenal player Nicolas Anelka. When asked if he was chasing Le Sulk, he simply replied 'No'.
Seconds Out! Vital Boxing is here!
Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Monaco
Please help Vital Football by spending 3 minutes on our survey: The 3 minutes Vital Survey
Your Comments
Alright Arsene, how about a winger then?
Andy-bayor
Di Maria? Or even Ribery, Malouda ;-)
Goofle
Agree Andy. If he diesn't sign a winger then I think you better get typing ;)
Rocky7
Ribery or Malouda???? Don't think they will be coming Goof. Hard ass midfielder would be nice. I agree with le boss tho, we don't need and more strikers: Van Persie, Adebeyor, Eduardo & Bentdner with Walcott also. Plenty me thinks.
GunnerBlood
A hard ass midfielder? Really. They wont play in our team tho. Like you would take Fab out for a tough tackler.
Goofle
I understand where Le boss is coming from, coz we do have the quality upfront but I would be a wee bit re-assured if we signed another striker to cover for injuries. And a winger, most definitely yes.
prits
You've done it again Mush, I was writing an article about Wenger's praise for van Persie. >:0
simmy8_2000
What do you reckon the chance are though Rocky (on a winger)? I'm not really sure, because the season is starting in 3 bloody weeks!!
Andy-bayor
I can't think of a winger we could honestly sign AB. There are just non available at the minute. I heard a rumble that Nasri could be on his way, but that was ages ago and now he is injured.
Rocky7
the only other thing I thought Rocky (probably in desperation) was that Drenthe refused to talk earlier in the week as Spuds and Chave were competing for him - no chance we put an offer in there is there?
Andy-bayor
I would doubt Drenthe, or any more players for that matter AB. I imagine that we're pushing our luck with hleb and ljungberg as opposed to snapping up a winger.
Phantom of the Grove
And I may add that I'm not opposed to that idea as well.
Phantom of the Grove
thought you'd bring anelka back. I know he is 'trouble' but he is also a superb striker and could (almost) replace Henry. Not sure anyone can totally replace him!
The Fear
No Goofle, I mean a hard ass midfielder to play beside Fabregas. As cover for Gilberto. Or do people think Flamini is up to the job?
GunnerBlood
Arsene will use Eboue or Walcott for width. I doubt we will see any other signings. RVP and ADE up front with Dudu and Nic for extra.
themadafrican
Sounds like a fair call madafrican although Arsene did say that Sagna was cover for the ACN, which would make you think that he's not intent on pushing Eboue up to midfield - which is Hleb's place. Having said that though, Sagna looks handy on the wing too, so he could be a good sub for Hleb after 70 minutes if Arsene wants to try a slightly different approach.
Andy-bayor
Still worried about those crosses from corners, was a big problem last year held my breath every time they were taken; have we improved??
alwaysgunner
Andy,i dont think we're gonna see Sagna pushed on the wing,he is a natural defensive specialist and with Theo/Freddy/Hleb we're not gonna see people getting shifted!!
Dudu imo will be huge on the Forward position cause he plays on the left and right and not to forget CF and not to forget Nicklas and our 2 masters Ade and the great Dutch Man
Babeasta
but nobody good wil sign as cover will they. Luka Modric would be a decent winger?
Goofle
pedersen?
k_chelski
GB, don't you think Diaby's ass hard enough?
Joe_@**
I think Diaby is good enough there. But I agree with Andy, the squad looks balanced, though a wide mid-fielder will complete it. Cant think of anyone out there, tbh.
prits
Joe, I like him, but he is not a great tackler.
GunnerBlood
He is a great tackler. he just needs the chance to play alongside Cesc and be told to stay back. he has not got the discipline of a Gilberto or even Denilson to sit back. When he gets his head round the idea of sitting back he will be immense.
Goofle
To a certain extend, I feel that the lack of steel problem since the departure of Vieira still hasn't been fully addressed. Thus GB you have a point. The problem is we Bergkamp has retired and as someone suggested here, Fabregas is the hybrid of these two legends, therefore there's no way we can leave him out even though he is deemed a bit lightweight to operate at the center of the park - some may argue that is being pushed around lesser last season. Nevertheless, our midfield now is not as inpenetrable as it used to be with likes of Petit, Vieira, Edu & Parlour around. Ideally, Gilberto-Diaby combination in 4-4-2 would be more intimidating physically but that would mean we'll be losing those Bergkamp-esque passes from Fabregas. There're pros and cons in every situation but with Gilberto-Diaby, we could win more headers at the park and win possession quicker through more effective closing on opponents when size does matter. So it's dilema to us. Furthermore Denilson & Flamini are not physically imposing enough
Joe_@**
I disagree about Denilson. He is a nasty little bugger at times. Maby not Diaby strength but more than Csec or Gilberto. Gio isnt physical he just times it right and is an invisible wall. Diaby - Cesc - Deilson is the future with Theo - Ade - Rvp up front >>Arsene Knows<<
Goofle
For my money there is no scenario for dropping Fabregas. He is our greatest asset. Agreed he will need to be rested a couple of times throughout the season, but Cesc not as the first name on out team sheet?? I think that would be lunacy. I don't want to live in the world of 'suppose suppose', but I wonder would Edu have left if he knew Arsenal were about to sell Vieira? He would have been a great alternative to pair with Gilberto, or even at times with Cesc.
GunnerBlood
I wonder why no one is talking abt a Cesc Diaby partnership.. it mite well be the one which would be employed at the start of the season.
arsenalrulz4ever
Baring injuries and lack of fitness, the starting 11 for Fulham will be.
Jens. Eboue. Toure. Gallas. Clichy. Tomas. Cesc. Bert. Hleb. RVP . Ade.
He might go with Walcott instead of Hleb depending on the Freindlies.
I dont think the new boys will start as he will want them to have a look see at the pace of the English game. Under Sanchez, Fulham will be a different prospect. They will be quick to close down and much more organized.
I think RVP could end up with 20 this year and I would not be suprised if Dudu doesnt get 12 to 15. If Ade can chip in with 15, Theo with 8 to 10 and Nic another 8 to 10. We should do alright and Wenger will have shown himself again. The Master at putting a Championship team together without a tonne of money.
themadafrican
we should still go for Anelka, the guy can play on the wing, and so can Eduardo, and he will give us the much needed firepower we still need upfront. you can't expect a strike force of RVP, Adebayor, Eduardo and Bentender to challenge for the Champions League. Thierry is impossible to replace, but we should atleast get someone who's got the finishing quality and pace like him..
luckys_10
To hell with le Sulk. Wengers plan is clearly to bring more goals from midfield and I think Van Persie is about to have a massive year.
GunnerBlood
I think we are generally OK even though it looks like we're still slightly lightweight on the physical side of our game. Having said that, it's obvious that our two key problems last season were nothing to do with this, i.e. putting away the chances we created, and going behind to relatively soft goals too often. It's just those games in the Premiership where its up North, in the middle of winter, on a less than perfect playing surface, where we need to dig in, win the physical battle and vary our game, that I think we could be found wanting.
Gooner_Vin
Gotta agree with Gooner_Vin here. I think though that our 'goal-drought' will end now. Apart from the focus on shooting in training, with the introduction of Dudu and Nicklas we now have 2 new faces with more of a 'direct' streak in them who will seek to score rather than weave and dazzle. I believe that even though these 2 may be 3rd/4th/5th choice, psychologically they will push the guys ahead of them to be a bit more direct too, so I'm happy this will work out. The 'soft goals' issue is a bit more difficult and although we have 2 world class centre backs, they haven't quite gelled. Don't know what the answer is, but hoepfully they play together more this year and they get a chance to do this.
Andy-bayor
On our central midfield partnership, I think that we may well be seeing Diaby replace Gilberto after this season is over. I believe that the days of a Vieira figure in the middle are well and truly over, and we shoudl not try and replicate it right now. Joe said above that Flamini & Denilson are not imposing enough, but I'm not sure that would be a problem if we had a few others around them who were also a bit more terrier-like. What I mean is that rather than one major hard-man, it's more realistic right now to have a few 'semi-hardmen' if that makes sense! I'm a big Flamster fan, and I hope we get to see some more of him this year. Clichy as well started to show proper teeth last year. Hleb and to an extent Rosicky's styles are a bit too nice - Arsene should get them to be more like bad-boys these year or threaten to loan them out to Blackburn for a year!
Andy-bayor
It wasn't coincident that we won the most trophies when we collected the most cards! Of course I do not wish us to develop that bad boy reputation again & being victimised by incompetent refs every other game, costing us points through suspensions. However, a figure who would strike fear into opponents even before a match kicks off would be good. Also, our 'goal-drought' was not only due to the our incapability in putting away chances. In a lot of games in the previous seasons, we simply did not create enough. Remember those games when all of our players running rounds outside the penalty box and while our 10 opposition players camping inside t?
Joe_@**
Gilberto should miss the first game at least so its Den or Diaby and we will see who Wenger preffers. Its Den at the mo.
Goofle
I support the boss and we should all forget about Anelka. He doesnt fit into the team and am pretty cofident we have the talent and the capability to bang them in in plenty
Zimbolicious
Have Your Say
Recent Articles
Wilshere - More Points Needed From Big Teams (Thursday May 23 2013)
Who Is Your Vital Arsenal Player of the Season? (Tuesday May 21 2013)
Newcastle United 0 Arsenal 1 (Monday May 20 2013)
VIDEO: Wenger Praises 'Exceptional' Attitude (Monday May 20 2013)
Arsene Wenger, Now Is The Time (Monday May 20 2013)
The Moment That Made It All Worthwhile (Sunday May 19 2013)
Happy St Totteringham's Day To Gooners Everwhere (Sunday May 19 2013)
Team News: Last Game Of The Season (Sunday May 19 2013)
The Squeaky Bum Preview (Friday May 17 2013)
Wenger Confirms Sanogo Deal Almost Done (Friday May 17 2013)
Archived Articles
Vital Members League (view all)
| 1. | nikolaijns | 60 |
| 2. | Rocky7 | 53 |
| 3. | Naijagunner | 48 |
| 4. | Wyn Mills | 34 |
| 5. | prits | 22 |
| 6. | flv | 21 |
| 7. | Nwankwo25 | 20 |
| 8. | gunnerkid107 | 19 |
| 9. | No 10 | 16 |
| 10. | julieloveshenry4ever | 16 |
League Results (view all)
| Latest Results | ||||
| Newcastle | 0 | - | 1 | Arsenal |
| Arsenal | 4 | - | 1 | Wigan |
| Q.P.R. | 0 | - | 1 | Arsenal |
| Arsenal | 1 | - | 1 | Man Utd |
| Fulham | 0 | - | 1 | Arsenal |
| Arsenal | 0 | - | 0 | Everton |
League Table (view table)
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1. Man Utd | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 43 | 89 |
| 2. Man City | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 32 | 78 |
| 3. Chelsea | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 36 | 75 |
| 4. Arsenal | 38 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 73 |
| 5. Spurs | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 72 |
| 6. Everton | 38 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 15 | 63 |
| 7. Liverpool | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 28 | 61 |
Breaking League News
| And Still More On Benteke, This Time Agent Denials
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 15:08:00
|
| Villa Hospitality Scoop The Main Awards - Again
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 15:00:00
|
| Scout Report - Lawson D'Ath
» Reading : 24/05/2013 15:00:00
|
| Last Season Was A Necessary Evil
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 14:00:00
|
| Early bird catches the worm
» Spurs : 24/05/2013 13:50:00
|
| Eric Lichaj To Be Released?
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 12:22:00
|
| Lambert Answers Benteke. Another Undeserved Saga?
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 12:13:00
|
Current Site Poll (view all polls)
|
|