The European Club Soccer Off-Season Thread

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

if you were tanking the fans of teams in English football who have had it 'easiest' in the last 8 years, ranking Arsenal anywhere in the bottom 95% would be ludicrous

how has it been tough?

It's relative. It's true they haven't had it tough compared to Portsmouth or Rangers fans and I wouldn't compare them to lower league clubs at all but for a club that got used to being at the top of the heap, they have had a long dry stretch.

7 or 8 years finishing either 1st or 2nd, during which stretch they won 4 FA cups and had 6 finals appearances and now haven't won anything since the FA cup in 2005, mainly because they have kept their budget while Abramovich and the other sugar daddy owners have vaulted past them. They also usually lose their top two players almost every summer against the wishes of their fanbase by insisting their wage structure stay in tact; van Persie, Song, Nasri, Fabregas, Adebayor, Toure, Hleb, Henry, Cole, Vieira, Flamini and many more over the last 7-8 years, while some of them aren't great today they pretty much all exited while they were still very productive and many of them well loved by the fanbase.

They're due to start winning again. They've built their club the right way, on good solid financial footing while clubs like Chelsea and Man City have vaulted past them while running huge losses.

I don't care that much for them but I think they might have their day again in the next few years.

[Bagor]

Agreed except for the part that Rangers fans have had it rough unless you mean they've been deprived of the chance to thrash city centres and practice their bigotry and sectarianism. It's a nothing league anyway.

Apart from that they won a trophy last season.

[d_phaneuf]

they have gotten to watch some of the best players in Europe play for them, play at a brand new stadium, finish in the top 4 every year

I mean, look at Pompey/Wolves/Blackburn etc. list can go on

Arsenal's problem is they are owned by people who view the club as a successful business

[M*A*S*H 4077]

ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) tweeted at 11:15 AM on Sun, Jun 09, 2013:
German newspaper Bild is reporting that Robert Lewandowski will "definitely not go to Bayern [Munich]" this summer.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Agreed except for the part that Rangers fans have had it rough unless you mean they've been deprived of the chance to thrash city centres and practice their bigotry and sectarianism. It's a nothing league anyway.

Apart from that they won a trophy last season.

Ha, well I agree that Rangers fans have among them probably the lowest of the low in terms of UK football fans but I bet there are lots of normal people who support them too who aren't idiots getting painted with that brush. At least I hope so.

Their reputation is pretty much destroyed off the pitch now and they have another 2 years at least before they can even compete for the SPL, it will probably be a decade before they are on financial footing to be competitive in europe or maybe even against celtic again.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) tweeted at 11:15 AM on Sun, Jun 09, 2013:
German newspaper Bild is reporting that Robert Lewandowski will "definitely not go to Bayern [Munich]" this summer.

oh thank god!!!

[polak]

Robert needs to make up his freaking mind. I'm ready to buy a long sleeve jersey with his name on whatever team he picks.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by polak

Robert needs to make up his freaking mind.

Or ... he needs to rein in his agents, running around saying that a deal is done when obviously it isn't.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by polak

Robert needs to make up his freaking mind. I'm ready to buy a long sleeve jersey with his name on whatever team he picks.

not his choice..

raphael honigstein ‏@honigstein 7h
I don't see this as a negotiating ploy. Watzke categorical about this.

raphael honigstein ‏@honigstein 7h
Dortmund encouraging foreign bids, obviously. but chance of Lewandowski going anywhere else is zero, imo.

raphael honigstein ‏@honigstein 7h
Smart decision, imo, even if they miss out on €25m in the process. sends out a strong message: money isn't everything

raphael honigstein ‏@honigstein 7h
Dortmund have told Lewandowski he won't be sold to Bayern this summer

[d_phaneuf]

I wonder where Bayern go now

Suarez possibly, or just play Goetze or Muller as a false 9

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

I wonder where Bayern go now

Suarez possibly, or just play Goetze or Muller as a false 9

I just dont' see Goetze playing high. He's going to hold with Schweinsteiger.

[d_phaneuf]

I think Javi Martinez will be there, Kroos was all ready pushed up to make room for it

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Martinez will play the holding position IMO

I still maintain Kroos will turn out to be the heir to Schweinsteiger for German soccer.

[rubecube]

Rumours that Spurs are interested in Mario Gomez. I don't put much stock into them. His wages are pretty high, aren't they?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Rumours that Spurs are interested in Mario Gomez. I don't put much stock into them. His wages are pretty high, aren't they?

I dont know what his wages are but you'd be incredibly lucky to get him. I'm a huge fan of Gomez.

When Bayern first bought him I hated him, but his play over a couple of seasons won me over. Liverpool were interested in getting him on loan one year but the deal fell through and then he lit it up.

His strike rate on chances he gets is remarkable.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Gomez scored a goal every 80 minutes this past season, by far making him the most efficient striker in the Bundesliga.

I am similar to Locke, I didn't like him for years as he kept missing easy chances but now I would much rather keep him over Mandzukic. Not that I see that happening.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

Gomez scored a goal every 80 minutes this past season, by far making him the most efficient striker in the Bundesliga.

I am similar to Locke, I didn't like him for years as he kept missing easy chances but now I would much rather keep him over Mandzukic. Not that I see that happening.

The biggest difference between Gomez and Mandzukic is that Gomes is more of a talismanic #9. Hes a big man in the box but he needs service.

Mandzukic is similar in many ways to Lewandowski, hes a more mobile striker, willing to come deeper to recover the ball and attack the net from the sides. That style of player is more suited to the system that Bayern play.

[The Big Chill]

Gomez would be brilliant for Spurs. I think they should focus all their efforts into getting him and put Damiao (sp?) aside unless he's the only option. The papers have said Gomez would like to go the England, so if that is true, you have to like Spurs chances at getting him. The CL teams seem to have their sights set elsewhere, so Gomez's options may be limited, and taking a pay cut to go to Spurs could be his best option.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Locke

I dont know what his wages are but you'd be incredibly lucky to get him. I'm a huge fan of Gomez.

When Bayern first bought him I hated him, but his play over a couple of seasons won me over. Liverpool were interested in getting him on loan one year but the deal fell through and then he lit it up.

His strike rate on chances he gets is remarkable.

I'm pretty sure his wages are north of 150k, but I could be wrong. He will be leaving Bayern though it looks like.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/trans...t?ICID=PP_2460

Mario Gomez's agent Uli Ferber has revealed that the prolific striker is likely to leave Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window.

The Germany international has lost his starting berth to Mario Mandzukic and has been linked with clubs such as Fiorentina and Napoli in recent weeks, while he has supposedly caught the attention of a number of Premier League sides, too.

EDIT: Found the Spurs rumour. It is Bleacher Report, but 7M would be a steal for Gomez.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...or-mario-gomez

[Locke]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I'm pretty sure his wages are north of 150k, but I could be wrong. He will be leaving Bayern though it looks like.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/trans...t?ICID=PP_2460



EDIT: Found the Spurs rumour. It is Bleacher Report, but 7M would be a steal for Gomez.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...or-mario-gomez

Thats crazy, 7M would be an unreal steal for a player like Gomez. Last season he was one of the top 5 strikers in the world.

Spurs would be insane not to get him for that, to hell with his wages.