ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Arteta to Newcastle?

So the silly season as begun. It always brings a smile to my face and it's great for a laugh. This has to be complete bollocks but figured it might make a few people chuckle. Apparently, Kevin Keegan has put Arteta high on his wish-list. Ha Ha Ha ha Ha! Oh those crazy journos eh? What will they think of next?
Trevor Thompson, Croydon Posted 01/06/2008 at 19:49:26

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Viv Sharma
1 Posted 01/06/2008 at 12:54:13

Back at christmas I was praying we would sign Appiah. He seemed exactly the type we needed but now the window is here again no mention of him this time around.

I remember something about a blood infection or something so I looked him up on wiki and didn't notice any health issues but did notice that he is linked with us again. Anyone know anything more about him or is this just old news?

David Nicholls
2 Posted 01/06/2008 at 14:16:54

I heard recenly that we had been linked with West Broms Hungarian Midfielder Zoltan Gera whose contract expires this summer.

My guess is that Moyes will not have a particularly large transfer fund and we are thin on the ground in the midfield area. I've been impressed with Gera everytime I've seen him play. Particularly a few years ago when they turned us over at their place, Gera was head and shoulders above anybody on the pitch.

I think he would be a superb addition to our team and he's free so I'd like to see Moysie do all he can to bring him in.

Mike Dunne
3 Posted 01/06/2008 at 23:59:08

Why would any player want to sign for the car wreck club and their bi-polar manager???

Money trumps ambition. Scott Parker anyone?

Nick Entwistle
4 Posted 02/06/2008 at 08:42:13

Put Emre on that list too Mike... and probably Alan Smith...

Brian Waring
5 Posted 02/06/2008 at 09:30:04

Trevor, if Newcastle came in and offered us 10m, and also offered to double Arteta’s wages, I bet you any money, you wouldn’t see Arteta for dust.

Davey Militwitch
6 Posted 02/06/2008 at 09:53:50

If we got offered £10m-12m for Arteta I would take the money and run.
With that money I would make an offer for Joaquin.

As simple as.

Jason Lam
7 Posted 02/06/2008 at 10:28:30

We should keep all our players until we’re certain the money will be pumped back to buy replacements. Think Faddy!

Trevor Thompson
8 Posted 02/06/2008 at 10:48:54

I think Moyes would want at least 20 million. I don’t think he’s worth that amount, but it would at least make up for him leaving. Money does talk but he seems ambitious enough to want to stay and win something here or at least go to a bigger and better club. If Man United came in for him then I’d be worried.

Ant Mill
9 Posted 02/06/2008 at 11:26:47

We definetly do need someone in the Appiah-mould as an improved replacement for Carsley. Carsley worked very well in a 4-5-1, but struggled to adapt his game when we used 4-4-2. We need a strong, energetic centre mid who can be a huge presence in the middle of the field and let the other players around him i.e. Arteta, Osman and Pienaar create the chances. I think its a shame Sissoko chose Liverpool instead of us, because lookin back now he was available for quite cheap and he may have been ideal. There are obviously alot of options for Moyes to choose from, does anyone remember Achille Emana from Toulose when he played against Liverpool laast year, he looked very impressive in the middle of the park and he wouldn’t cost much, surely he could be as good as Carsley and had much better compusure on the ball.

Joe McMahon
10 Posted 02/06/2008 at 11:42:56

Personally I’d be happy to see him leave at a reasonable price. Last years corners & free kicks from him were just too wastefull, and I’m not having his injury problems as an excuse, half the time he didn’t even look interested.

Seamus Murphy
11 Posted 02/06/2008 at 11:42:38

Not sure we’d be able to prize him away from Lyon but Jeremy Toulalan would be a perfect replacement for Carsley, he’s only 24 and is the best player in that role that i have seen in a long time.

Andy Callan
12 Posted 02/06/2008 at 12:19:29

Don;t you lot think that we’d better start bringing players in rather than fuckin’ sellin’ em all...

We are already 4 or more down from last year and the squad wasn’t big enough then.

We need to sign player; fuck Newcastle they are shite and a gang of right twats. I live up here and can tell you that first hand.

Lets sign before off loading otherwise we will be right in the shite again.

Andy McNabb
13 Posted 02/06/2008 at 10:22:11

Now before you dismiss this out of sight, take a deep breath... better? What about a punt on Harry Kewell, maybe even on a pay as you play basis?

Yes, I KNOW about his injury history but there is no doubting his talent and this morning, the Aussie papers are raving over his performance against Iraq. It may be fraught with potential pitfalls but he would provide an attacking, creative midfield option and would certainly be fired up for the Derby. Yes, I know it's the silly season but maybe worth a thought...

James Marshall
14 Posted 02/06/2008 at 14:17:31

I’d prefer us to sign Harry Hill.

Connor Rohrer
15 Posted 02/06/2008 at 14:31:28

We?d get a lot more than £10-12 million for Arteta. I see players like Bentley and Barry being banded about at around £15 million and I know for a fact that Arteta is better than both. We could get £15 million for him easy and if a crazy club like Newcastle came in we?d probably get more. We all know what the Geordies are like when it comes to spending money.

Saying all this though we shouldn?t sell. He?s one of our best players and his style of play is what where looking for. The football needs to improve and players like Arteta will only help that. Obviously getting him over his injury is key. I?d was dissapointed with him last season but once I read he?d been playing with an injury for 5/6 months I couldn?t have a go. Any player who plays through injury deserves credit and Arteta did that.

We need to be adding better players to likes of Cahill, Arteta, Pienaar, Yakubu and Lescott etc. Not sell one and bring one in. Thats not the way you progress. Get better players around the current players and we?ll move forwar d.

Jason Broome
16 Posted 02/06/2008 at 14:56:05

Better the devil you know...

There is no guarantee that the next guy would be as effective as Arteta.

We have an exceptional playmaker, who is loyal and loves our club so much that he is willing to put the hard graft in even when injured... why sell?

£12M isn’t much for a player of his ability these days and replacing him will cost alot more (not forgetting the wages, pace of the Premiership, rapport with the team, etc).

Arteta can play anywhere in the attacking midfield, and never argues when he has to.

Sell Arteta... are you mad.

We are not a selling club (with the exception of AJ). We have the right balance of characters and styles, we need to add quality not sell it.

Further why are we being linked to unproven £8M CD Midfielders when Steve Sidwell is perfect for the Carsley role. The boy can pass, tackle and run his arse off at £3M problem solved.

Adam McCulloch
17 Posted 02/06/2008 at 16:18:59

If we’re looking at defensive midfielders to compliment Mikel (who I agree we need to retain), how about Birmingham’s Fabrice Muamba - he’s 20, over 6ft which is what we need, and is an England U-21. PLUS they’ve been relegated, though we could all throw out links like this all day long. I just can’t wait til the Euro’s start so that the tenuous links grow even more by the day =P

Ant Mill
18 Posted 02/06/2008 at 17:23:48

That Muamba is awful, he can’t pass and doesn’t have a high enough work rate for that role. And I have really seen much of that Toulalan Seamus, but from what I’ve seen Yaya Toure was a real class act in that defensive midfiled position for Barcelona when I watched him in the Champions League semi final against Man U-nothing got passed him and he kept the ball brilliantly-one of the best examples I’ve seen yet along with Essien. We’d do well to get someone half as good as him.