Héctor Bellerín

[JimJams]

Aside from the Liverpool v Arsenal bias, why has he chosen Mert over Kosc?

- Having just checked the video, it seems that this is all one big joke.

 

[SC49]

Aside from the Liverpool v Arsenal bias, why has he chosen Mert over Kosc?

- Having just checked the video, it seems that this is all one big joke.

I honesty couldn't tell. He seemed pretty serious at times.

 

[thespus]

Aside from the Liverpool v Arsenal bias, why has he chosen Mert over Kosc?

- Having just checked the video, it seems that this is all one big joke.

At 1:20 he says, "It's definitely not Koscielny."

 

[Stevencc]

It's RedmenTV - the channel and it's content are a joke that they themselves aren't in on.

 

[Mustard]

I'm really going to enjoy the summer of 2016 when Barcelona, fresh from their transfer ban and desperate for an Alves replacement, come for Bellerin kicking and screaming about Barca DNA and we refuse to sell.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Delusional.

If Barca want him they'll get him.

 

[smat]

Oh yeah, just like they got... Ok bad example

 

[thespus]

Wenger refused to sell Vieira—a much bigger star than Bellerin will be at that point—to Madrid for multiple summers. We certainly won't be desperate for the £10-15m Barca may offer at that point. Not saying it won't happen, but delusional is a strong claim. I tend to think he'll eventually return to Barca, but I don't think it will happen for a few more seasons. They'll have to find a stop gap.

People forget how arrogant and competitive Wenger was before the lean, new-stadium years. If we prove to kick on and challenge for the title, Wenger isn't the pushover those with short memories perceive.

 

[Mustard]

Not delusional. Barca will need a replacement in 2016 and I think it is unlikely we will sell him then, especially as he has been rumoured to sign a new contract soon and his contract currently already runs at least a year beyond then. Not a chance Barca don't buy a replacement in 2016 as Douglas and Montoya have both turned out shit and Alves will be gone. As thespus said we will atleast hold out until he has matured for a lot more money.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Since when do new contracts mean anything? Since when is it unlikely that Arsenal would sell a player to Barca? I think if Arsenal fans seriously believe that they've turned the corner into a club that doesn't have it's players nabbed by bigger clubs then you have another thing coming.

 

[JimJams]

It's the crest of a wave thing. They're in form, best in the league at the mo, so they're fantasising a little about what might be. After a shit spell, or a bad result it goes lopsided the other way. Like after Monaco.

 

[smat]

Since when do new contracts mean anything? Since when is it unlikely that Arsenal would sell a player to Barca? I think if Arsenal fans seriously believe that they've turned the corner into a club that doesn't have it's players nabbed by bigger clubs then you have another thing coming.

We used to have our players nabbed by smaller clubs like City, so I'm happy with our progress at least.

 

[Mustard]

Contracts put the onus on the club to sell rather than the player. A few years ago the club would have been inclined to sell but you would be mistaken if you thought that is the case now. You can dismiss it as bravado if you like but just yesterday Wenger said (speaking about Wilshere) that we don't need to sell our best players anymore. There is a reason we can invest in players like Özil and Sanchez and not sell the likes of Ramsey, Koscielny or any of our other best players the past few years. Look at the bank sheets, this isn't 2010.

There is always a bigger fish, and few bigger than Barcelona, but that doesn't mean that they won't have to pay massively over the odds to get him given that we have no reason to sell. We're not obliged to sell him to a bigger club and we certainly don't need to. Arsenal were a selling club out of necessity a few seasons ago but that's not the case anymore.

 

[SC49]

Since when do new contracts mean anything? Since when is it unlikely that Arsenal would sell a player to Barca? I think if Arsenal fans seriously believe that they've turned the corner into a club that doesn't have it's players nabbed by bigger clubs then you have another thing coming.

Really? that's quite clearly the case now that we're no longer using most of our resources to pay off the stadium debt and we have new, bigger and better commercial deals. You have to be seriously stupid to think otherwise.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Um, everyone else has signed and/or is signing bigger and better commercial deals too. It's not like clubs of a similar stature, if not a greater stature, without massive stadium debt, don't still have their players plucked by Europe's elite, so you're living in a fantasy world if you think that Arsenal won't continue to too.

If Barcelona come calling then Bellerin will force his way out.

 

[SC49]

Um, everyone else has signed and/or is signing bigger and better commercial deals too. It's not like clubs of a similar stature, if not a greater stature, without massive stadium debt, don't still have their players plucked by Europe's elite, so you're living in a fantasy world if you think that Arsenal won't continue to too.

If Barcelona come calling then Bellerin will force his way out.

no and no

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

/bookmarked

 

[thespus]

If Barcelona come calling then Bellerin will force his way out.

I'm not saying he won't. But we'll be in a better position to demand a high fee or to keep him an extra season or two provided he's under contract. As I mentioned, Vieira tried to leave multiple times before Wenger sold him.

 

[SC49]

/bookmarked

Please do. Are we introducing a time frame here? and are we going to make things interesting with a bet?

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Nope.

 

[merseyboyred]

It's the crest of a wave thing. They're in form, best in the league at the mo, so they're fantasising a little about what might be. After a shit spell, or a bad result it goes lopsided the other way. Like after Monaco.

Spot on Adrian.

 

[thespus]

Team has responded very well post Monaco including a win over United and a thrashing of Liverpool.

It firmly reminds me of the progress we've made when people come out with the typical Arsenal cliches. We spent nearly a decade as the team "poised to fall out of the top four" then it was "well they're remarkably consistent at qualifying for the CL but don't went trophies and sell their best players." Then it was the player they spent money on is gash and "they'll forever be pushovers in big games". Then we won a trophy and had our highest point total in years, only City having a more successful season. "Wenger should still step down." And now we look poised to beat last year's point total and are favoured to repeat as FA Cup champions, yet it's same old Arsenal celebrating ineptitude. If anything, the plight of Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers is a massive testament to Arsene Wenger, yet there are those (neutrals, too) who actually think Rodgers is a better manager.Our same old Arsenal standards are rising and people are having to find new criticisms. It's quite nice.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

It's the same every season. People predict this could be the year you do well, then you pay like shit and people say you might drop out the top four, then you finish strongly and make it. You only seem to remember that fact though when things are going badly. I'm not sure what it looks like now, but your points total before the Liverpool game was identical to the season before.

 

[thespus]

1) Points totals aren't exact yearly comparisons given the variables that change season to season. If we want to apply that logic, we could finish with 84 points this season which is what Liverpool achieved when they challenged for the title last season and would have won the title in 2011. 2) Last season was our best season in quite some time, so I'm hardly discouraged.

It's a positive season and the narrative of expectations around Arsenal is changing; it's mad to deny that. Wasn't so long ago people reminded us every day that we hadn't won a trophy in nine seasons and sold all our best players. If we do finish as FA cup champions, we'll had the second best season among English sides for the second straight season. We're not setting the world alight, but we're not maintaining the status quo as JJ, MBR, and yourself seem to be implying.

Brendan Rodgers received a virtual blowjob for finishing second last season. Then he did poorly in the transfer market and is going to finish worse than Arsene Wenger has in nearly two decades of English football, yet there are folks (Arsenal fans included) that think Wenger achieving second is just another mirage which will be used to keep Arsenal fans oblivious to Wenger's "clear" shortcomings, just like the FA Cup was, just like finishing 4th was, etc.

 

[JimJams]

I've not said you're maintaining the status quo, I just think that some people are deluding themselves if they think that just because you're getting better and have no financial worries, it means you won't be selling players against your wishes. The idea that players only left you because the club needed money is also deluded. That's not to say that's your view Spus, but it certainly seems the view of some. If Bellerin has hopes of one day playing for Barca, and he's one day good enough, then he'll play for them. Same with any player who has hopes of playing for certain (or just bigger and better) clubs. Lots of young English lads will grow up wanting to play for Man Utd, Arsenal, hell maybe even Chelsea, and if they make their name at Yeovil, move onto Villa and then a big club come calling, whether they need the money or not, you know he'll be going there. It's basically law, but one that certain clubs fans seem to hate having applied to them. I watched Man City v Arsenal with my Arsenal fan brother in law, and he just bemoaned City saying 'There's Sagna ex-Arsenal, Clichy ex-Arsenal, it's wrong the way they just buy our players'. So he got the 'There's Theo - Ex-Southampton, oh and Oxlade Chamberlain Ex-Southampton' response which he didn't much like. Went quiet after that. Anyway, the point is but for a very few select clubs there's always someone who can take your players away, whether it's mutually agreed or the player has to throw a hissy fit to leave it's never really in the clubs interest to hold on to want away players. Only the very financially desperate clubs sell because they want to in order to sort the books out, as I'm pretty sure clubs at any level would rather keep their best players than have the money. So it's not really a case of "Oh we don't need money now therefore nobody will leave us".

 

[Mustard]

I've not said you're maintaining the status quo, I just think that some people are deluding themselves if they think that just because you're getting better and have no financial worries, it means you won't be selling players against your wishes. The idea that players only left you because the club needed money is also deluded. That's not to say that's your view Spus, but it certainly seems the view of some.

Nobody has said that, but it is certainly a major contributing factor. The likes of Nasri, Adebayor, Toure and Clichy would never have never been sold in the situation we're in now. Nasri (and I think Adebayor) even said that the club forced them out. Song said the same about his move to Barcelona. Even if these players did want to go, it was largely in part to the club being unable to take the next step, often as a result of us selling our best players, and this comes back to finances, the situation perpetuates itself. Even both Cesc and RVP played on this 'lack of ambition' to get themselves moves for small fees than we would get now (and RVP would not be sold to a rival now). Cesc would have gone no matter what, and Bellerin will too if he has the same mindset, but we're in a much better position to let the player leave on our terms now.

Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich. The 3 clubs who could probably have our players if they wanted. The difference between now and 5 years ago is that a) we're financially strong enough to hold players against their will if need be to get a better fee in the future (see Suarez) and b) players will be more happy to stay at a club that buys Sanchez and Özil than one who sells Cesc and RVP. So long as Bellerin is contracted to us, and all the evidence from Bellerin and Wenger recently has been that he is happy to stay and will sign a new contract, we hold all the cards. He has a price as every player does, but it will be very big based on our strong negotiating position. In 2016 if Barca come calling there will be little point in us selling seeing as his value will likely increase when he is 24/25 and hitting his prime. If they want to overpay in 2016 then all the power to them. It's no secret that they will buy a new RB then but simple supply and demand dictates that we're in a good position to get a good fee, and if we don't want to sell then, we won't, Barca DNA or not (although he actually now talks like he's lived in Islington half his life).

 

[smat]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-boss-arsene-wenger-i-like-852371

“You should know that each season, it is imperative to show a profit of between fifteen and twenty million pounds."

 

[Mr. Scruff]

. Nasri (and I think Adebayor) even said that the club forced them out.

I remember that saga and there is absolutely no way Arsenal forced him out.

If he said that he's clearly talking out of his arse.

 

[Mustard]

I remember that saga and there is absolutely no way Arsenal forced him out.

If he said that he's clearly talking out of his arse.

I certainly don't think it was just that (I personally don't blame him for wanting to join City at the time) but the link Smat posted above sums up the situation at the club at the time. From a football standpoint it was obviously a bad move to sell him to a rival but from a financial standpoint it probably made sense to sell him then than lose him for free the next season.