Arsenal to pip Everton for goalkeeping prospect

Hardly devastating news if we miss out on this player. Hopefully Robles will be good enough one day...

As I recall, the last time we went 'head-to-head' with the Arse for a young player, the person in question was Aaron Ramsey. Not sure he'd get in this present team. The only one I can remember us actually signing when we were up against them was Tony Cottee - he certainly wouldn't!

Ken - Mirallas was wanted by them also apparently.

Ken, are you being sarcastic when you say Ramsey wouldn't get in this present team?!

Steven, actually it was a bit tongue-in-cheek; but just out of interest, who would you drop for him?

Ken, any of the current central-midfield pairing, on current form, he's probably been the best player in the Premier League so far. He has drive, positional sense, strength and flair.

It sounds unfair on Barry or McCarthy because they've both been excellent so far (also who knows how good McCarthy might become), but Ramsey is a level above them when he's in top form like he is now. He's keeping Wilshere and Rosicky out of a starting spot at Arsenal.

James - "the best player in the premier league" that's a bit far-reaching. He's certainly having a good season so far (wasn't quite up there last season) - but, not to desert my blue-tinted glasses, there's a bloke called R. Lukaku - who scored a couple for Belgium last night - who's had a pretty good start too! And if I was a North-Londoner, I'd push the claims of a couple of the Spurs imports.

Ken, I obviously don't think he's the best player in the Premier League in general. Considering the start Arsenal have made, though, and the number of goals he has scored from deep-lying midfield, both in the league and in Europe, many pundits have been claiming that he has been in better form than anyone in the Premier League this season which is what I was agreeing with.

We've all been going wild over Barkley but his stats are nothing in comparison to Ramsey's thus far. Ramsey's always been seen as the poor man's Wilshere though, he'll never get the credit that he deserves in comparison to some of the other media darlings. Him and Flamini were solid in the centre of midfield for Arsenal and that's why they're at the top of the table.

Trust Arsene to mess it up however by bringing Arteta back in and shoving Ramsey onto the wing – a draw predictably followed. Managers just cannot resist tinkering can they – they're always trying to fit five into three rather than having the stones just to drop someone.

James: "on current form, he's probably been the best player in the Premier League so far."

Ken — "the best player in the Premier League? that's a bit far-reaching. He's certainly having a good season so far "

James: "Ken, I obviously don't think he's the best player in the Premier League in general."

Even when two people agree on exactly the same thing, it doesn't stop a TW dust-up that has nothing to do with the original post. This could go for 100+ posts easy. Bloody pro-Ramsay Brigade!

Nick.............Attaboy!!!

Anybody else spot the (minimal) contradiction in James' posts as highlighted by Nick?

Nick, that wasn't a dust-up, more like handbags.

Signs off, looking for somewhere where Eugene (4 Popes) Rouane is prowling.

PS. As I'm a Proddy-dog, could somebody tell me whether the title "Pope" carries a capital letter or not? ie. I know it should be Pope John-Paul, but if I'm referring to the office rather than the individual what do I do?

But there wasn't a contradiction Ken.

If you read again you'll see in arguing something you thought James said you countered it with what he actually did say. Or near enough any way.

Hey, its international break... YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWN. What else we gonna talk about?

Have to go with James. Ramsey is my player of the season so far.

Ramsey is very good, but player of the season so far? Wow, that;s a steep claim in my eyes. As for comparisons with Barkley, well he has had far more playing time in the EPL so not really a fair comparison at all right now. I think Ramsey is a great player but personally I find Barkley a far more exciting player who will eventually be on a level above Ramsey.

I'd agree Jackie, it's not a fair comparison, player-wise. I was making the point that others such as Barkley and Wilshere get bigged up by the media hugely whereas Ramsey – although at the current moment he possesses superior stats to either of them –seems to slip under the radar because he's not a fashionable player.

The number of goals and assists he has from defensive mid is staggering though and the Arsenal fans themselves rate him as their player of the season so far. If he's the highest rated player at the club that's top of the league he must be fairly close to being the best in the Prem over the first 6 or 7 games - not ability-wise but form-wise.

James, I can see Arteta being a bench player when he comes back from injury.

Arsenal don't have a lot of squad depth, dare I say it, we have more options going forward and in midfield than them for the first time in years.

Going forward I would say you were right Ross. I'd rather have Lukaku Kone Jelavic over Giroud and Bendtner.

In midfield, however I can't agree. We both play with a central three, our first choice appears to be Barry, McCarthy, Barkley followed by a reserve line up of Gibson, Osman, Naismith (perhaps?). As you can see should Barkley get injured we have to start shifting people around and using a wide player liek Pienaar/Mirallas/ or Deulofeu behind the striker.

Arsenal can field any number of top class midfield threes. Their first choice at the moment appears to be Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil in the middle. Should all three get injured they could easily field Diaby (dm) Wilshere (cm) Cazorla (am). Even if those three got injured they could still field Frimpong (dm) Arteta (cm) Rosicky (am). There's three high class midfield trios before you even get into their fringe players like Miyachi or rotating players into different positions. That's just a like for like comparison. They have three high class number 10s, any of whom could walk into our team. We have one proper one who is 19.

We've got better depth at the back and upfront and even arguably in the goalkeeping position but in central midfield I think Arsenal are the best stocked out of any of the teams.

Very true James, but I think next season will be the crunch for Martinez. He won't be able to keep Lukaku permanently, so the priority next season is to definitely get a 20 goal striker.

LB is priority in January.

What worries me Ross is that this season its not as though we're even getting used to playing with a 20 goal a season striker, we are getting used to playing with someone who could turn out to be THE top striker in world football in a few years. Even if we went and invested heavily in a Sturridge like figure (obviously not the original himself), a 20 goal a season striker, he still probably wouldn't offer us everything Lukaku does. We can't go out and find another Lukaku, he's an absolute one off. Chelsea haven't really found anyone to replace what Drogba gave them until Lukaku came along. There's so many big target men out there with strength and pace (our very own Anichebe being a prime example when he bothered to use either of those attributes) but to find a striker who has these things plus a footballing brain plus an ability to finish and the skill to hold up play and play in others is rare indeed.

18 goals last season for West Brom James, so he is nearly there.

There's Defoe, would he want to go up north? Doubt it.

Bent? Don't know. He really has slipped in recent years.

To be honest, I kept saying James during the summer window on here that we should have gone for Defoe, especially in a World Cup year, as he would get the first team action that he needs to get the attention of Hodgson.

Dead right, James. It will be a long time before we have a player of Lukaku's ability playing centre-forward. We should go for everything in every game we play.

Fortunately we now have a manager who will do that. It won't always work as last week showed, but playing this way is the best chance we have of getting a European spot.

I agree, James #143, I haven't seen a forward like Lukaku at Everton for years. He offers so much, he has an array of different talents in his armoury. I feel confident he will score every time he plays. He could well become one of the world's top forwards.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I believe we did pip Arsenal to Mirallas.

No doubt Lukaku is a beast of a player, when you consider he is only 20 that is crazy. If he continues scoring and getting better I honestly don't see how even Chelsea will keep hold of him, Barca and Real Madrid will come sniffing. What would be hilarious is that come the end of the season he say's he doesn't want to go back to Chelsea, I know not likely but....

In terms of who do we get that can replace Lukaku, well I hope Martinez is scanning abroad because I honestly don't see us finding another one of him in the UK.