Tag Archives: Arsenal transfer

Where do we stand with Scott Parker?

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1) Scott Parker

Speaking to the press following England’s 2-2 draw with Switzerland, Scott Parker made it clear that he will be leaving Upton Park this season and will rejoin the Premier League. Despite winning the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, Parker was unable to stop West Ham being relegated to the Championship. Parker told reporters that he will be looking to hold talks with new West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, in order to negotiate a move away from the club that he joined in a £7 million deal from Newcastle in 2007. It is thought that he feels that he must be playing regular Premier League football if he wishes to retain his place in Fabio Capello’s England squad ahead of the Euro’s next summer.

“Oh yeah, for sure. That’s where everyone wants to play, in the Premier League, and I’m no different. I’m sure he [Allarydce] will give me a call and we’ll go through things.”

2) Paul Merson

Paul Merson has stated that Arsène Wenger needs to sign top-class players who have experience in the Premier League, believing that Scott Parker represents one of the best opportunities for Wenger to bring in a player with the ability to help end the club’s trophy drought.

Speaking to The Sun this week, Merson had nothing but praise for the West Ham captain:

“He [Scott Parker] was the best midfield player in the country last season. Arsenal need to buy players who are going to perform now, not in two or three years because really they haven’t got two or three years to spare.

“He might be 30 but you know in the next two years he’s going to bring a trophy to Arsenal because of his energy. He’d also help bring along Jack Wilshere too.

“That’s the kind of player who I’d be looking at. He would come in and hit the ground running and it won’t be, ‘Oh well, next year he’ll be better’. Arsenal don’t have next year.”

Merson also made it clear that Arsenal need players who are able to perform from day one, rather than players who take several months to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League. With years of Premier League experience, Parker would therefore seem to be the perfect signing for the club.

“[The club needs] people who are going to come in and settle straight away, not take six or seven or eight months and be thinking they don’t play like this in Holland or Italy or Germany. This is the hardest league in the world.”

3) Steve Rowley

The News of the World are reporting that chief scout Steve Rowley is extremely keen on signing Parker, believing him to have the ball control and ability required to play at Arsenal. Parker was hugely impressive last season and it is no wonder that there are a number of top Premier League clubs interested in bringing him back to England’s top-flight. Despite this, Rowley is thought to be having a tough time convincing Arsène Wenger that Parker is the right player to bring to the Emirates.

4) Arsène Wenger

The News of the World is also reporting that, despite the interest expressed by Steve Rowley, Arsène Wenger remains unconvinced that Parker would fit in to Arsenal’s style of play. Parker’s age is also an important factor, as Wenger is normally quite reluctant to offer long-term contracts to player over the age of 30. It is thought that Le Boss has asked Rowley to focus on scouting players from South America and France. However, this goes against everything reported by other newspapers over the last few weeks – with suggestions that Wenger has expressed an interest in Parker.

5) Straight Talking Gooners

At Straight Talking Gooners we don’t really know how this transfer is going to play out. Parker clearly wants a move back to the Premier League, and has the ability to play for one of the top clubs, but there have been mixed reports in the press and it is impossible to know how Arsène Wenger really feels about bringing him to the club.

In my opinion, Parker would be a great signing because he has years of Premier League experience and would be relatively cheap (around £10 million) compared to some of the other midfielders that we have been linked with. However, it is extremely unlikely that this transfer would be concluded any time soon. If a deal is to be done, don’t expect to hear about it until the end of the summer.

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Transfer Talk: Friday 13th May

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Salomon Rondon

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are scouting the 21 year old Malaga forward, who has scored 16 goals in 31 games for the Spanish side this season. He’s bagged a few for the Venezuelan national team as well, both at U21 level and as a full international. He is said to command a fee of up to £18 million, so many would consider such a player as out of Arsenal’s reach. He only made the step up to La Liga last summer, so I don’t really understand where such a high fee would come from.

Supposedly, Arsenal scouts were in Spain last weekend, and saw Rondon score in a 3-0 win over Athletico Madrid. With Bendtner and possibly Chamakh both looking for a fresh start, Wenger may be encouraged to strengthen his attacking options, despite Arsenal having scored the second highest number of goals in the league this season, with 67 (Utd scored 73).

Likeliness Rating: 3.5/5

Felipe Melo

Following his £21 million move to Juventus from Fiorentina two years ago, Melo has received mixed reviews. Having played only 53 times in two seasons (bear in mind Wilshere has played 42 times this season alone), you could say that the Brazilian has had a bit-part role at the Turin club. However, he has been on the end of great media attention after superb displays against AC Milan and AS Roma. His fiery temper has earned him some criticism, but it could be exactly what Arsenal are missing. 

The 27 year old defensive midfielder would push Alex Song for his place. Such competition could allow both players to thrive, and perhaps Arsenal could properly adopt a 5-man midfield with two more defensive-minded players dictating the play. Despite this, I’m still 100% behind a return to the 4-4-2 formation, in which I believe Melo and Fabregas/Wilshere/Ramsey could forge a strong partnership.

His agent has spoken of his possible availability this summer. He may come with a hefty price tag, but it should be lower than the £21 million that Juve signed him for (unless he has a ridiculous clause in his contract).

Likeliness Rating: 2.5/5

Kevin Gameiro

Arsenal may be looking to purchase another player from Ligue 1 side Lorient, French striker Gameiro, after we signed Koscielny from the same club last summer. The 23 year old striker is quite prolific, with 54 goals in 115 games for Lorient. If we take into account that he plays for a mid-table French side, and he has a ratio of almost 0.5 goals/game, imagine what he could do playing in front of Fabregas, Wilshere and Nasri. I’m already excited.

With Arsenal able to offer Champions League football to Gameiro, it shouldn’t be too difficult to entice him to the club. With a French speaking manager, and plenty of French speaking players, we have everything necessary to attract him. It seems like a typical Wenger signing – our manager would be silly not to take a look at this talented striker.

Likeliness Rating: 4/5

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