Squillaci to the Arsenal

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This has been rumored for about a week. I looked for a thread and couldn't find one. Surprising; apologies if I missed it.

Now word is floating around that he's scheduled a medical with Arsenal.

For those who don't know him, he's a 30-year old cb at Sevilla, but previously with Monaco then Lyon. Some number of caps for France.
 
Been linked for a long time with Arse.

Can't say he's ever really impressed me but he's French so I guess he fits all criteria to be a Gunner.
 
Any ideas on a transfer fee guys? or is he on a free?
 
He's no better than okay. I certainly can't see him being a first choice if Koscielny is as good as Arsene thinks.
 
6.5M. I'm happy with that, he's good enough to start though I expect him to be back up.
 
peterstorey said:
6.5M. I'm happy with that, he's good enough to start thought I expect him to be back up.
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What's your source regarding the fee of £6.5M?

I don't think he's good enough to be a regular and I can see Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou (if fit) all go ahead of him, but I think he's a really good back-up. Good signing overall if the fee is around 6M.
 
Sevilla arent a team I watch more than 4-6 times a season. But when I have seen them he's been their best central defender and off the top of my head I cant think of any feckups to report.
 
Spanish rags are saying 6/6.5M plus possible add ons. Probably right since Seville always drive a hard bargain.
 
Gooney said:
What's your source regarding the fee of £6.5M?

I don't think he's good enough to be a regular and I can see Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou (if fit) all go ahead of him, but I think he's a really good back-up. Good signing overall if the fee is around 6M.
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Yeah I read somewhere that the fee is around 6M. He is already 30 and it is going to take time for him to settle down and get used to pace of the game. They should have spent a few more and got a better defender.
 
RDCR07 said:
Yeah I read somewhere that the fee is around 6M. He is already 30 and it is going to take time for him to settle down and get used to pace of the game. They should have spent a few more and got a better defender.
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True. But looking at the circumstances and going into a new season with only three central defenders with a week left of the window, I think it's a decent signing. I can't imagine Wenger not trying to sign a "proper" central defender earlier, but failing to do so, Squillaci emerged as a "last resort."

On the other hand, signing Koscielny for around £10M, I don't think Wenger will spend a huge amount of money on a second central defender.

I would have hoped for a younger Smalling-esque signing that could act as cover and maybe develop into a regular. Squillaci is 30 and I would be surprised if he signed more then for three years.
 
Not seen alot of him, but from the very little I have seen he hasn't stood out. I guess at 6m in today's market, aged 30, he will just be a decent back up defender. And if Koscielny is successful, that is probably all they will need defender-wise.
 
Thats a lovely name. Very onimatpious.
 
Gooney said:
I would have hoped for a younger Smalling-esque signing that could act as cover and maybe develop into a regular. Squillaci is 30 and I would be surprised if he signed more then for three years.
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This is definitely a right-now signing. I'm sure AW wants to see how Djourou will develop (though I think he's losing faith). And behind him, we have a couple of young defenders in Bartley and Nordveit who might turn out.

We tried to make a younger Smalling-esque signing last winter -- very Smalling-esque -- but some old man with a big red nose scuppered it.

Pexbo said:
Thats a lovely name. Very onimatpious.
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That's what has me most excited about Sebastien.

Though he's definitely second-choice in that department after Emir Spastic from Montpellier.
 
Are all Arsene's scouts French? Does he have any knowledge outside French football? It did him wonders 10 years ago but he really should broaden his horizon just a bit. Couldn't he have signed a PL veteran for that money?
I don't know about you Gooners but I'd be pretty tired about know with all those Frenchman. It's not like they generally get along with other nationalities very much. Evra is the only one I can think off and that's from a couple of professional footballers I've heard this. Maybe thats why he has so many of them. A couple would be trouble.
 
Gooney said:
True. But looking at the circumstances and going into a new season with only three central defenders with a week left of the window, I think it's a decent signing. I can't imagine Wenger not trying to sign a "proper" central defender earlier, but failing to do so, Squillaci emerged as a "last resort."

On the other hand, signing Koscielny for around £10M, I don't think Wenger will spend a huge amount of money on a second central defender.

I would have hoped for a younger Smalling-esque signing that could act as cover and maybe develop into a regular. Squillaci is 30 and I would be surprised if he signed more then for three years.
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Erm, that would be Kos. He was clearly signed as a player who Wenger thought would develop his game at the club, he's only 24 and hasn't had much exposure to first grade football. There's also Nordveit and Bartley, who fit the bill as young 'developing' CB's.

:lol: Literally the last thing we needed was to spend £10m on an unproven kid CB. What we obviously needed was a dependable, experienced back-up defender. And that's what we've just got, it seems.
 
Snow said:
Are all Arsene's scouts French? Does he have any knowledge outside French football? It did him wonders 10 years ago but he really should broaden his horizon just a bit. Couldn't he have signed a PL veteran for that money?
I don't know about you Gooners but I'd be pretty tired about know with all those Frenchman. It's not like they generally get along with other nationalities very much. Evra is the only one I can think off and that's from a couple of professional footballers I've heard this. Maybe thats why he has so many of them. A couple would be trouble.
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That's racist! :wenger:

But seriously, name one experienced international (for a good country) that we could've signed for £6m within the Premiership? Especially this close to the close of the window. FFS Bolton valued Cahill at £30m!
 
Gooney said:
True. But looking at the circumstances and going into a new season with only three central defenders with a week left of the window, I think it's a decent signing. I can't imagine Wenger not trying to sign a "proper" central defender earlier, but failing to do so, Squillaci emerged as a "last resort."

On the other hand, signing Koscielny for around £10M, I don't think Wenger will spend a huge amount of money on a second central defender.

I would have hoped for a younger Smalling-esque signing that could act as cover and maybe develop into a regular. Squillaci is 30 and I would be surprised if he signed more then for three years.
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At least he's younger than Silvestre or Campbell.
 
peterstorey said:
6.5M. I'm happy with that, he's good enough to start though I expect him to be back up.
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So, you've spent around 17m on two CBs this summer, neither of whom has previously kicked a ball in the Prem.

Failing to persuade Gallas to stay another year or two has proved costly in financial terms it seems. I guess you need to hope that it won't prove costly on the pitch also.
 
GlastonSpur said:
So, you've spent around 17m on two CBs this summer, neither of whom has previously kicked a ball in the Prem.

Failing to persuade Gallas to stay another year or two has proved costly in financial terms it seems. I guess you need to hope that it won't prove costly on the pitch also.
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Where as signing gallas will most certainly cost you on the pitch. An injury to gareth bale and your whole season is down the tubes.

If anything it has forced wenger to bring in some new blood. Which is what we needed. Vermaelen had never kicked a ball in the premier league and he is better then all your backs bar king as long as king is playing 1 game a month.
 
We take Campbell off your lot as he hits the top of his game. You sign (essentially) an Arsenal reject once he's over the hill.
 
Christofaux said:
Where as signing gallas will most certainly cost you on the pitch. An injury to gareth bale and your whole season is down the tubes ....
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What's the connection between Gallas and Bale? The former usually plays as a CB and the latter is currently playing mostly in LW.

If Bale gets injured, Modric can shift out to LM and someone - dos Santos perhaps - will replace Modric as the central attacking mid. Or else Huddlestone might play further up the pitch and Sandro or Palacios will play as DM. Either way, it'll hardly be "season down the tubes".

Christofaux said:
.... Vermaelen had never kicked a ball in the premier league and he is better then all your backs bar king as long as king is playing 1 game a month.
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You realise, I suppose, that Spurs conceded the same amount of league goals as Arsenal last season? The Spurs CB pairing for the majority of that time was Dawson and Bassong.
 
GlastonSpur said:
What's the connection between Gallas and Bale? The former usually plays as a CB and the latter is currently playing mostly in LW.

If Bale gets injured, Modric can shift out to LM and someone - dos Santos perhaps - will replace Modric as the central attacking mid. Or else Huddlestone might play further up the pitch and Sandro or Palacios will play as DM. Either way, it'll hardly be "season down the tubes".


You realise, I suppose, that Spurs conceded the same amount of league goals as Arsenal last season? The Spurs CB pairing for the majority of that time was Dawson and Bassong.
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and now you have a Gallas who is a year older and year slower... who conceded the same amount of goals... this helps you how?
 
cesc's_mullet said:
.... You sign (essentially) an Arsenal reject once he's over the hill.
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As I've already pointed out in the Gallas thread, this doesn't square with the facts.

Arsenal didn't "reject" him. In fact quite the opposite: you wanted him to stay for another two years, as proven by the contract offer which Gallas turned down.

Attempting to re-write history is rather a sad and silly thing to do.
 
Gallas was back at Arsenal last week and told to piss off, that's why he's at Spurs.
 
GlastonSpur said:
As I've already pointed out in the Gallas thread, this doesn't square with the facts.

Arsenal didn't "reject" him. In fact quite the opposite: you wanted him to stay for another two years, as proven by the contract offer which Gallas turned down.

Attempting to re-write history is rather a sad and silly thing to do.
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Had Arsenal wanted him to stay, they'd offer him a contract that he wanted and he'd sign. He had no reason to go to Spurs otherwise. Signing a 33-year old defender that Arsenal didn't want to keep is hardly putting one over them.
 
Christofaux said:
and now you have a Gallas who is a year older and year slower... who conceded the same amount of goals... this helps you how?
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Isn't it obvious how having Gallas helps us?

Woodgate may not ever play again and King can only play here and there. Before we signed Gallas Spurs were just one injury to Dawson away from having a CB pairing of Corluka and Bassong (and believe me, Corluka is not great as a CB). Now we have another specialist CB, one with great experience in the Prem to boot, to provide cover in case of injury.
 
:lol:

Who the feck are you trying to kid?

We offered Gallas a contract on our terms. He wanted ridiculous money, he was duly told he could go sit on one. Do you really think he'd have chosen Tottenham over Arsenal if both clubs offered the same money?

He's clearly after his last big pay-check before he retires (and fair enough). A far more illustrious club in Juventus offered him a multi-year contract which he turned down. Along come the Spuds with their check-book out and here we are.
 
Sarni said:
Had Arsenal wanted him to stay, they'd offer him a contract that he wanted and he'd sign. He had no reason to go to Spurs otherwise. Signing a 33-year old defender that Arsenal didn't want to keep is hardly putting one over them.
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What bollocks.

If you want rid of a player whose contract is about to expire, you just let them go. You don't offer them a contact worth 80k per week for 1 year, or 50k per week for 2 years.

The squirming of Arsenal fans around the facts on this issue is highly amusing.
 
GlastonSpur said:
So, you've spent around 17m on two CBs this summer, neither of whom has previously kicked a ball in the Prem.

Failing to persuade Gallas to stay another year or two has proved costly in financial terms it seems. I guess you need to hope that it won't prove costly on the pitch also.
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The first being a spectacular and fit success. Gallas is another permacrock just what you need eh?
 
GlastonSpur said:
What bollocks.

If you want rid of a player whose contract is about to expire, you just let them go. You don't offer them a contact worth 80k per week for 1 year, or 50k per week for 2 years.

The squirming of Arsenal fans around the facts on this issue is highly amusing.
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We actually don't give a shit that he's gone and are actually glad.

The fact he went to spurs is even better.
 
:lol: at Glaston trying to turn this around.

He was offered a contract on our terms. We didn't want to meet his ridiculous wage demands considering he was 33 and at the end of his career. Wenger doesn't like to offer players over 30 years of age multi-year contracts for several reasons.

Gallas wanted more money. We didn't offer it to him... If we were clearly that desperate for him Wenger would've just given him the contract he wanted.

The Spuds have, and here we are.

:lol:
 
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