S-Clarke

Shawcross has been looked at by us, but as far as I know isn't a viable option due to cost and he wasn't too interested himself. Would only consider moving top club. Man Utd also have a buy-back clause in the contract.

Us We've made them rich.

Owen's agents seem to be panicking...

There's no way any club could come in now anyway, way too late. He's either going to be here on Friday, or still at Bologna.

Seems to be the case. As I said, all the talk about the deal being off...on...off...on has always originated from his tweets. I imagine we've kept constant dialog with Bologna in a much calmer manner that he ever suggested. There will always be hitches in a big deal like this for a club like ours. It would be naive to think it would be a straight forward transfer. The problem with the medium of twitter is that you have someone who can air all the linen and fabricate it to put their club in the better position. That's how I see it anyway.

It's all about the evolution of the squad, some players will continue with us and some will be left by the wayside. It's what happens if you're ambitious and want to keep pushing for the top. There will come a time where players like Lambert are left by the wayside. Billy scored massive goals for us, and I still think he'll play a role this season - but it will be a reduced one. I imagine he'll go out on loan after christmas to get some game time. For £1.5m though, we got our moneys worth as he helped us over the line. Sometimes that happens. Brum did it with Rowen Vine a few years back, scored some big goals as they secured 2nd - but was then left by the way side when they were in the prem.

As said, this fella can play along the front 3. So he can operate frot he left, right or up front. He's got pace and trickery to beat a player and also provides plenty of assists for his team mates as illustrated in his stats for his country and clubs. Since pre-season I've looked at the way we setup, through the middle it's very pretty and we look incredibly impressive and tidy moving the ball around - it always seemed to grind to a halt as soon as we got to the final third though, as we lacked a player who could take someone on and beat them for pace. This guy will give us the attribute we lacked and it will go a long way to making this formation a success. This guy will be a bit of an unknown quality at first, so teams won't really know a great deal about him - so he'll be a great weapon. But I think we can all be assured that he won't be used as an out and out striker.

Now we're PL - we need PL goal celebrations!

He won't have an answer to that, but it just fits his current agenda perfectly.

Got to love the press. Grab a quote, twist it all over the place. That's what they get paid for!

I really don't rate Downing, but he'd probably do a decent job for a club at our level. The problem with him is that he lacks any real pace to beat a player, seems very predictable and slow in his play. He did alright at Villa I guess, but wasn't ever one of their stand out players. A decent winger with a good cross on him, but pretty much your typical over-priced average english player.

I thought, as he said, it was to do with the % to Panarol? The player has to have a medical, agree a work permit and visa. Bank Holiday in the UK yesterday. Saints won't announce it until they have assurances on that side of things. He seems to woffle a load of rubbish.

And they've already agreed a fee for their replacement player. If Muyaka and Tadanari Lee can get a WP and clearance, then Ramirez can. Thte'yre doing my head in when we all know it's pretty much done, they continue to stir.

He wouldn't be plan B, he's just stiring it for whatever reason. Probably just another player the agent has offered us the possibility of signing. Lots of hot air and talk around Bologna by the looks of it.

That tweeter (Works for the local Bologna paper iirc) seems too love string things, and make stories out of absolutely nothing. All the panic articles have originated from him over the last week. Typical local press.

Starting Mayuka from the off? Brave! Won't happen. Probably similar to the Wigan line up, but Guly out and Puncheon in. That's the only change I can see, unless our new CB will start.

The people that moan about our lack of activity are the same people that are now moaning about this addition. Wums galore on this board. Sort it out mods. They're starting to run the place.

He won't get a better deal at Villa as to what he has here. They're a club on the down, we're a club on the up. No brainer. There's also no chance we would accept a bid for our main striker this close to the deadline, so don't worry about it. Clubs want players, agents leak it, but most of the time the leaks don't come to anything. He'd cost more than £4m too.

What's it on about now?

Lee, Rodriguez, Lambert and Sharp will all play a part. We need them all. This guy comes in as an alternative to what we don't have at the moment. I honestly don't know what's hard to understand about that. We're improving the squad by adding something EVERYONE was saying we lacked. Come on.

It's not a bad offer, but to play at the top table now you're talking 100k plus p/w for your top players. I don't believe in that myself as I think it's crazy, but if Arsenal want to compete then they're going to have to stretch slightly. But they obviously can't for whatever reason.

We needed pace up top, we've got it. What's there to moan about? CB's will come in. Multiple deals can happen at any one time.

Arsenal must offer players smarties as contract or something. What's that - Nasri, Cesc, Van Persie, Song, Theo.......weird club. They've not replaced any of them either, or they have tried to - but much lesser quality. A club that seems to be quietly lowering the wage bill and the calbire of players. That new stadium has taken the edge of their competitiveness player-wise.

Everyone said we needed pace in the final third. This will give us pace in the final third. Job done. CB's will come as well, lots of things happening.

Rickie will not leave. Don't panic.