Arsenal exodus
Skysports.com wants to hear your views
Last updated: 16th July 2008
At the start of the 2007/08 season, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was inundated with options for his midfield starting berths.
However, a year on and The Gunners are looking a little lightweight following a number of departures.
Lassana Diarra opted to join Portsmouth in the January transfer window, before Mathieu Flamini, arguably Arsenal's star performer last season, parted company with the club in favour of a free transfer to AC Milan.
Alexander Hleb has made no secret of his desire to leave, and is now poised to complete his transfer to Barcelona, while experienced Brazilian Gilberto Silva has reportedly flown to Athens to seal his proposed move to Panathinaikos.
Wenger has so far brought in teenager Aaron Ramsey and playmaker Samir Nasri in a bid to bolster his squad; however the aforementioned sales leave the Frenchman with little depth heading in to the new season.
So what now for Arsenal as the club look to end a three-year wait for silverware? Is Wenger likely to buck his usual trend and spend big on the likes of Xabi Alonso or Gareth Barry?
Or will Wenger stick to his philosophy of youth and either promote from within or bring in one or two younger, usually unknown, additions?
Send us your views by using the feedback form below and we will publish a selection of the best.
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Comments
John bosco Turinimana (Arsenal fan) says...
My best team is Arsenal; that team has the good players. Arsene Wenger is a genius are so wrong. Every year these youngsters are going to be great but it never happens. I think that Wenger will get it right for buying Eto'o and Archavin. I hope my team for winning all cup.
Posted 08:24 22nd July 2008
Mr m United (Manchester United fan) says...
This is crazy talk. Arsenal have been a great football club and will continue to be so (and this is from a Man U fan). Of course we love to give the gooners stick but that is part and parcel of being a football fan. I would love to see other clubs approaching the transfer market in the same way as Wenger does. Of course I hope Man U win everything this season but it is great to watch Arsenal play football - they, along with Man U, play the best football in the premiership and europe.
Posted 07:54 21st July 2008
Nicholas Griffiths says...
There is no doubting Wenger's ability to spot and develop talent. However, these days Wenger always seems to be "building a team for the future", but as soon as the players reach their peak they are sold and their positions filled with younger and cheaper replacements. However talented Wenger's teams may be, in recent years they have all been relatively inexperienced. On the flip-side, Man Utd have combined youth and experience by keeping hold of their seasoned veterans, knowing only too well how valuable their input is, both on and off the pitch.
Posted 19:17 20th July 2008
James Mitchell says...
As usual this summer the bombardment of ridiculous and arrogant comments from Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea fans comes Arsenals way regarding our transfer policies. Let us not forget these are all teams that now have foreign ownership and recieve their 'pocket money' from other nations. Arsenal are built on a strong foundation of values and in my opinion are a much bigger club for doing so. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool need to concentrate on where they're going to spend their foreign millions, while Arsene Wenger does what he does best and signs players that suit our attacking play that has been branded the best football in Europe. I think we should keep Adebayor, Hleb never passed the ball and so isn't a real loss, Flamini was only ever interested in money and Gilberto was right to move on after a sterling service to Arsenal FC. I think in order to get the goals needed to win championships we should sign players like Sergio Aguero from Athletico Madrid, Rafael Van Der Vaart from SV Hamburg and Obafemi Martins from Newcastle United. In our defensive department i would like to see the addition of Phillippe Mexes from AS Roma and Royston Drenthe from Real Madrid. Sadly we missed the opportunity to buy Orlando Engelaar from FC Twente before he moved on to Schalke 04. As usual Arsene Wenger will do us proud this summer, and next season with or without spending a fortune, we will be pushing for major titles and honours. Bon Chance Arsenal! Et vive monsieur Wenger!
Posted 17:30 20th July 2008
Hikki Monk says...
I am a gunner but i am shocked at people's reactions. During the season, some of these players that have left were being hailed as the best in the league but are now being dissed by the same people just because they are no longer with arsenal. How is the void going to be filled with the club not buying any realistic options? Do they expect to reap where they did not sow? We suffered last season with injuries at critical times in the league, what will happen if we are hit with injuries with an even thinner line up of players? We can perform well and even challenge for honours with this squad, but you can all forget about silverware. Man U and the other top clubs are not getting weaker by any means. I cannot stop supporting the gunners but i am not blinded at what is going on. what are the board thinking.. Isnt it them that are stingy? You only reap what you sow and we've seen that in the past three seasons.
Posted 17:30 20th July 2008
Simon D says...
Arsene Wenger continues to defy my belief that each season Arsenal won't be able to compete, so I hope I am wrong when I believe that they may start to become the world's biggest feeder club, buying players for hundreds of thousands and selling them for millions as they already seem to do. Their current transfer budget each year, the size of the squad and the talent of their squad, and the total cost, is barely comparable with chelsea and man utd's, yet they continue to compete in cups at home and abroad. A while ago they outfought the giants barcelona in the champions league final for most of the match with only ten men, and with even a horrible run at the end of last season they finished just 4 points off man utd and 2 off chelsea, in that respect I don't think there is a big 2 in england, but a big 3, I trust in Arsene Wenger's genius, but I still fear they could be down and out if they don't spend on 1 or maybe two (?) big players. The problem is how do you do it without unsettling the team Wenger has cultivated? The man knows more than me, and I hope (and in some strange way, believe) he's right; if he is they continue to defy the spending tradition, but my instinct still worries me a little nonetheless. Arsene: prove me wrong please.
Posted 15:54 20th July 2008
Kev Kelly (arsenal fan) says...
Every year we get written off by all, yet we are always in the top four. When Viera left we were gonna struggle but Fabregas stepped up, last year Henry left and Abebayor became a 30 goal player. Hleb was a good player but not the best in the team just look at the stats, Nasri will be good after he adjusts to the premiership. Gilberto was a great servent to the club but lost a bit of his edge last year. I think Diaby could be the one to make that CM position his own this year. Ramsey will be great in a couple of years. All we need is one more class centre back to cover Gallas/Toure if they get injured. Dont forget we only finished 4 points behind utd last year & if Van Persie, Rosicky & Eduardo were not out for so long who knows what would have happened. We have a lot of young talented players that are ready to take the game by storm Walcott, Diaby, Denilson,Djouru, Song to name a few. Wenger has never let us down before & knows when to let players go & who to bring in.
Posted 15:45 20th July 2008
Kandiah Nadarajah (Arsenal fan) says...
Wenger is short of experienced players in some positions.He must buy a few experienced and classy players and blend the kids with them. Arsene Wenger also has to shed some ineffective players like Sendores, Djouru, Eboue etc.Hope he will consider these points
Posted 12:02 20th July 2008
Sunduzwayo Zimba (Arsenal fan) says...
I think the manager Arsene Wenger knows what he is doing. I am very confident that the Gunners will resurrect next season and trophies will start flowing at the Emirates. I trust Wenger because he just does not buy just for the sake of buying like some managers. Lets be patient and wait for his next move.
Posted 12:15 19th July 2008
Phil Marriott (Newcastle United fan) says...
Wenger is not finished, he will simply add from within. Ramsey will take Walcott's reserve spot and Walcott will play even more and therefore replace Hleb. Selling plyers is the price you pay for a massive new stadium and Wenger's talent at holding stability is vital at this time. As for the transfers, Lehmann is uneeded and makes too many mistakes. Flamini is a loss but obviously only cared about money. Gilberto never plays anymore anyway. And as for Hleb, he was sold for around 13 million after only scoring 4 goals last year. Kieron Dyer did better than that and Dyer was rightly villified for his poor attitude and little end product. Selling Hleb for so much is as wise as when Anelka was sold for a fortune. In Wenger you should trust.
Posted 17:03 18th July 2008
Ben Ward (Arsenal fan) says...
I can't believe all this talk of Wenger is finished blah blah blah. Two seasons ago Arsenal finished 20+ points behind Utd. Last season it was 4pts. The 3 midfielders Wenger has let go are all replaceable. Hleb will never contribute enough goals to be an Arsenal great so he got rid of him for a profit. Yes Flamini played well last season but there an abundance of good holding midfield players available. Wenger has already replaced him with the Portuguese u21 fella. Gilberto was passed it. Again no worries. Having seen the reserves and youth team play, I can assure all you Arsenal haters that Wenger has plenty more rabbits to pull out of the hat. Remember the name Jack Wilshere. The guy is going to be an England star. Walcott will shine this season. Ramsey might take a little while but he'll be developing. This time next season we'll see. Arsenal are going to push Utd all the way
Posted 14:25 18th July 2008
Tang F (Arsenal fan) says...
I don't believe what I'm reading here. I understand the ManU, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea fans talking about how we're finished yet again this year because of Wenger's decision to sell some of these guys. But c'mon gooners. This is the same thing they always say about us because they're used to spending 30-50 million pounds on players a year and have either debt out the rear to fund it. This time last year everyone wrote us off with these same players that are being sold and let go. Flamini was average at best, although he had some fairly solid performances at left back. Gilberto was doing well but was faltering and just getting ineffective. Lehmann was getting on everyone's nerves as usual and showing his age on the pitch. Hleb was deemed as one of the worst players in the premiership - lets be honest, he was good but frustrating as a traffic jam. Where are his goals? His assists? After a great run this past season which ended trophiless only because of bad luck/injuries and horrificly poor officiating, now Wenger's lost it by letting them go? Man, this is like Groundhog's Day. These day, there's nothing you can do if a player wants to leave. It seems pretty obvious, and I agree we need more strength and depth, particularly in the midfield and defensive end, but if we get a couple of key signings more, we'll be fine. The core of the team that makes us great are still here - Fabregas, Van Persie, Clichy, Sagna, Eduardo, Rosicky, Walcott. Jesus, these posts are almost worse than when Henry left....and look what happened then.
Posted 13:56 18th July 2008
Harrison Read (Arsenal fan) says...
I think that Wenger will get it right in the end he always does. look at when Arsenal sold Vieira, everybody said we was going to loose everything but we got to the Champions League final that year. Yeah maybe we haven't won anything in a while but we have the players to they are just a bit inexperienced at the moment i would liek to see two more signings a higher profile player and a centre midfielder who will put everything on the line for arsenal like Flamini did im not to bothered over Hleb i think Gilberto is the biggest loss along with Flamini
Posted 13:37 18th July 2008
Barry Thurlow says...
I am an Arsenal fan, the first game I saw was at Highbury in 1952 verses Portsmouth, it was a birthday present from my two uncles one of which was a Thfc supporter the other is an Arsenal supporter thank god he chose the game, I was 7yrs old at the time. I read with interest the thourghts of other Arsenal fans but, I cannot understand the negativity of some comments, firstly Arsene Wenger has changed our club until it is unrecognisable from what it was before he came, although I had wonderful games, seasons, trophies, players that made me proud to be an Arsenal supporter over the years, I have never been prouder than I am today to know any team that Arsene Wenger puts out will give any team in the footballing world a game, and more often than not a beating. Nobody, no player, no team, no club, no nothing is perfect, but to show weakness to others not supporters of Arsenal is disloyalty to your club. so come on you whingers, stop critisizing our Manager, players, or the clubs policies, and get behind all that is good about our club.
Posted 13:25 18th July 2008
John Pablo (Arsenal fan) says...
I'm an ardent Arsenal fan but i don't expect anything from them even this season,reason being,it's either Wenger changes or they get a better focussed and ambitious coach.He spots good players but the moment another team shows interest he pulls out,he's not a fighter like Sir Alex,when he wants a player he gets him no matter what.How do you allow a player like Flamini go?ok he's gone,replace him with a mature player with proven record ie Yaya Toure,G.Barry or Alonso not Wenger,why buy so many young players then you don't play them?how does he expect to gain the experience?Wenger has to stop practising his economics in soccer and become a civil servant in the ministry of finance in france.fans are bitter and dissapointed with him
Posted 12:45 18th July 2008
Edward Burke (Arsenal fan) says...
I think Wenger has to stengthen his team up agin this season and try to hold on the the players that he has. I think Wenger is always too comfortable during the transfer season. Every year rumours go about saying that Barcelona, AC milan etc want one of Arsenal's player and instead of Wenger saying they are not for sale he just stays calm which he should not do at all. All that does is give that player time to think about what he should do, but if Wenger were to say he was'nt for sale then the rumours would go leaving the player no desire to leave. Now I know some players at Arsenal had the desire to leave like Flamini and Hleb and Wenger can't really do anything about that but Wenger should try to prevent the rumours from going to the player or make it a big deal, this way the player does not have any second thoughts on leaving And now that Flamini, Hleb, Gilberto and possibly Adebayor are gone I think Wenger should by a new centre Defender like Richard Dunne or Yaya Toure, a centre midfielder like Gareth Barry. And as for strickers I think Wenger should'nt buy anymore and play Van Perise and Walcott up front and when Eduardo is back, put him in the squad aswell.
Posted 16:58 17th July 2008
James Clarke (Manchester United fan) says...
It's unbelievable how content all these Arsenal fans our with the destruction of their team. They have just lost Hleb, Denilson and Flamini and then bought in a 21 year old player who couldn't get into a useless underachieving French team. Only Arsenal fans could say this is good news. He's never played in this league and is suppost to come in and fill a gap that took Flamina and Hleb took three years to grow into. Then we come onto Aaron Ramsey, I may just sound bitter but the only thing special about him is his age. He couldn't even get into the first 11 of Cardiff, what use is he. The only thing else to point out is the fact that your not going to get Garreth Barry or anyone else, doing that would wipe out the point in selling Hleb and everyone else to pay of the stadium debts.
Posted 16:57 17th July 2008
Nick Portch (Arsenal fan) says...
I cannot believe the comments on this forum to the effect that Wenger 'is finished'. Have these people forgotten that Wenger is the man that single-handedly transformed the fortunes of the club, enabling us to build a state of the art stadium and increase the revenue further, while at the same time generating success on the field. We have won many trophies under Wenger including leagues, FA Cups, (and doubles) and we have qualified for the Champions League every year he has been in charge. In his first 8 years at the club we didn't finish outside of the top two, and all this was achieved on a fraction of the budget available to other managers, including Ferguson. In answer to Jason Kavanagh's comment that Ferguson is the 'greatest manager of all time' - could Fergie have achieved what Wenger has achieved on the budget available to Wenger over the years - NO WAY. In my opinion there is no contest as to who is the best manager, and this will be proved over the next few years as the young side blossoms and some of the additional Stadium revenue is put at Arsene's disposal.
Posted 16:42 17th July 2008
Alay Azim (Manchester United fan) says...
I see no reason why Arsenal fans are so optimistic. You guys can go on and on about how United and Chelsea buy the title(heck, we produce more players than u guys ever do), how the Emirates is a great stadium and how Arsenal play the best football in Europe. The fact is, Arsenal will not win another league title unless Wenger is released. The guy has seriously lost his mind! What's the point of building a team of the future if your first-team players want to leave within 3 years? Wenger needs to change his philosophy. Flamini, Lehmann, Gilberto and Hleb leave for a combined fee of around 13 million whereas Ramsey and Nasri arrive for a combined 17 million. And I thought Wenger was brilliant with transfer negotiations! The real question is, are Arsenal fans confident enough that Arsenal will not lose any first-team player next season? Before long, Fabregas will want to leave too! One more thing, you guys seriously need a better captain than cry-baby Gallas!
Posted 16:39 17th July 2008
Vicki Cornish says...
To the Man Utd supporter how is your team as young as ours when you have giggs and scholes still playing. Surely they are about to pensioned off. Then what for Utd ??? Wenger is a genius, who had heard of Vieira, Henry, Fabregas, etc. Once they were established in our team everyone wanted them. It is a worry that we haven't bought any other players apart from Ramsey and Nasri but I still have faith in Wenger. We also have Rosicky and Eduardo to come back from injury, I still believe we would have won the league if it had not been for the injury to Eddie. It knocked all the players for six as well as the birmingham players as well.
Posted 16:22 17th July 2008
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