Phil Jagielka to Arsenal?

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Pogue Mahone said:
For all the hype about Vermaelen, Arsenal were very porous when he was in the side. He got caught upfield a lot. Very athletic and skilful but positional sense not the best. Conceded a good bit more goals/game than they did with Djourou/Koscielny.
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I've always had a theory in me head that we could play Vermaelen as a holding mid. He's probably the best ball-playing defender in the Prem and his tackling ability (which is quite underrated) will come to the fore. He's also a good option for LB..Wenger needs to get a quality defender in one way or another. Koscielny has some raw attributes which could be molded, but Djourou hasn't looked the same since he picked up the injury back at OT in the FA Cup. He's very much a form player and won't give you a consistent 7/10 every week (deviates from 5 to 9).
 
If he gets Jagielka I can see him playing Vermaelen at LB all season. I don't think he's as suited to playing out there. Jagielka and Vermaelen looks a better partnership (on paper) to me than anything with the others in it.
 
TheHorse'sMouth said:
I've always had a theory in me head that we could play Vermaelen as a holding mid. He's probably the best ball-playing defender in the Prem and his tackling ability (which is quite underrated) will come to the fore. He's also a good option for LB..Wenger needs to get a quality defender in one way or another. Koscielny has some raw attributes which could be molded, but Djourou hasn't looked the same since he picked up the injury back at OT in the FA Cup. He's very much a form player and won't give you a consistent 7/10 every week (deviates from 5 to 9).
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Yeah, good point about Djourou. When he's good he's majestic, when he's bad he's dire. Does seem to blow hot and cold.
 
alastair said:
If he signed for us, I'd rip up my season ticket on the Emirates pitch on the first day of the season. Never forgive, never forget.
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Luckily for you Wenger also holds grudges and I would be shocked if he went for Shawcross

Even though the incident was a complete accident
 
alastair said:
Djourou/Koscielny was a good partnership for us last year, and as ever, it was broken up by injury. Centre-half isn't as much of an issue as left back, which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
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Wenger has already said that he won't be bringing a replacement for Clichy, hasn't he?
 
alastair said:
I'm hoping that's a comment of similar truth levels to Fergie when he says 'I'm happy to start the season with what we currently have.'
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Ferguson usually means it when he says it. It's not unthinkable that we will start the season with the current lot, in fact it's very probable. It'd send a wrong message to good players like Gibbs and Traore if he backed down on his words.
 
Team Brian GB said:
Who has been playing there pre season?

And what is Carl Jenkinson like in the little you've seen of him.

And another question while I'm at it, does Arsenal still play Barnet pre season?
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Carl Jenkinson's been really poor from what I've seen. Worried already. And no, I don't think we're playing Barnet this year. Gibbs has been at left back, and I love him, but he's injury prone.
 
Jenkinson looked very good in the few minutes he's played, a bit early to be writing him off.
 
TheHorse'sMouth said:
I've always had a theory in me head that we could play Vermaelen as a holding mid. He's probably the best ball-playing defender in the Prem and his tackling ability (which is quite underrated) will come to the fore. He's also a good option for LB..Wenger needs to get a quality defender in one way or another. Koscielny has some raw attributes which could be molded, but Djourou hasn't looked the same since he picked up the injury back at OT in the FA Cup. He's very much a form player and won't give you a consistent 7/10 every week (deviates from 5 to 9).
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It's an unpopular view really but I really rate Koscielny. His performance v Barcelona at the Emirates was absolutely magnificent. He had a very solid opening campaign if you ask me. Hopefully much more to come next year.
 
Anyone think that Jagielka and Vermaelen are a bit of a strange partnership? A little too similar in their defensive approach I'd have thought, both very aggressive defenders.
 
Brwned said:
Anyone think that Jagielka and Vermaelen are a bit of a strange partnership? A little too similar in their defensive approach I'd have thought, both very aggressive defenders.
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Not the tallest partnership either.
 
alastair said:
It's an unpopular view really but I really rate Koscielny. His performance v Barcelona at the Emirates was absolutely magnificent. He had a very solid opening campaign if you ask me. Hopefully much more to come next year.
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Yeah I agree, he produced some decent-ish performances over the course the season and in the second half of that game he looked absolutely world-class. Didn't give Messi any room to breathe at all..saying that however, he's also had some terrible moments (Carling Cup Final, the Spurs win at the Emirates, Newcastle 4-4 etc.). I know he wasn't fully responsible for the mistakes in those and other games, but the defensive work by the backline (which he was a main part of) was shoddy at best and cost us at key points during the season.
 
He'd be a great signing for them. I think Wenger is wise to a steely English centre half rather than some poncey unproven foreigner.
 
Sharky7 said:
Also played a bit with iggy, loves United. You didn't go to Knutsford High by any chance K Stand? Or are you an alty boy?
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No mate. Neither of them schools.

I went to junior school with him and my two best mates were really good friends with him so we played a lot out of school too.

How'd you come about to play with him?
 
K Stand Knut said:
No mate. Neither of them schools.

I went to junior school with him and my two best mates were really good friends with him so we played a lot out of school too.

How'd you come about to play with him?
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Ah ok, Phil was in the same school as me, Knutsford High. Used to know him well but haven't seen him since I moved to Sweden. Despite him being a red I'd still delighted for him if he gets a move to Arsenal, it's the biggest club he'll ever get chance to play for!
 
Sharky7 said:
Ah ok, Phil was in the same school as me, Knutsford High. Used to know him well but haven't seen him since I moved to Sweden. Despite him being a red I'd still delighted for him if he gets a move to Arsenal, it's the biggest club he'll ever get chance to play for!
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Yeah id be happy for him too but also gutted to see him playing for that bunch of cnuts. Have always harboured dreams that we'd sign him but gave up on that with the signing of Smalling.

Think he is a class defender and would probably suit Arsenal as well as potentially giving him the chance to cement an England place!
 
alastair said:
It's an unpopular view really but I really rate Koscielny. His performance v Barcelona at the Emirates was absolutely magnificent. He had a very solid opening campaign if you ask me. Hopefully much more to come next year.
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He reads the game well and can time a tackle, it's just he has laspes of concentration is and physically weak which lets him down. If he bulks up he could be a very good defender.
 
Right.

Fast forward to June.. Vidic, Rio and Evra will all have left. We will be outside the top 4 and unable to sign the best players. We will need experience in the defense and somebody who would be interested in coming. Moyes loves signing players from Everton..

Welcome to Manchester United
 
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