http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...icle1045670.ece

Yes its from the Sun, but at least there are direct quotes, however theres a few problems:

1/ I doubt we're after him or a striker.

2/ He's touting himself around.

3/ We won't spend 20 million +

4/ Furthermore, Chelsea are serious on him and if we are after him then Chelsea would offer more.


Of course this could all be sorted out by us selling Rarely Visible Player (IT :good: ) and use that money and some to sign Villa.

Yes please.

exactly what is needed.

1) Why wouldnt we be after a striker when its obvious that a striker is what we need more than anything else?

2) Id rather hear a player say i want to join Arsenal than join anyone else

3) We will if a player is worth it

4) Players personal choice plays a part here. Do you think Chelsea were not after Torres?

:pray:

Yay! Another striker interested in joining us but destined to end up playing for a rival... :coffee:

The Villa story is all over the papers and TV here this morning.

It's a big story because tonight is the Copa Del Rey with Valencia v Getafe.

It appears that David Villa did say what he is supposed to have said about Arsenal. He is touting himself around because he is sick of Valencia and the terrible football they play.

He commited to an extra year at Valencia because the President biggest dufus in Spanish football begged him to stay. The agreement was until Summer 2008. Villa wanted another club sorted before the Euro 2008 Championship.


From my point of view he would have the impact of Torres and Ronaldo at their respective clubs if he joined. No offence to RVP or Ade but this guy is in Level 1 of World Strikers.

He is one of the Worlds best. He needs less chances to score than nearly all top players at present. He hits them from anywhere, in the 5 yard area and out at 30 metres.

If he says he wants to play for Arsenal, why can't we for once be a club that telephones Valencia asks the price, negociates the fee, draws up personal terms and have him signed and paraded before anyone else can think about before Euro 2008.

It would be a dream to have him play.

But as usual Arsene will ignore all of that. Let the moment pass, watch him join Chelsea like Torres joined Liverpool...and say we didn't need him we have Carlos Vela joining and thats enough strikers.

Ahhh the frustration of missing out on a player that would love to play for us.

In total agreement.

It really is sickening to see us consistently miss out on the top talent in Europe, especially when they are basically asking us to come and get them.

I can pretty much guarantee right now that this dude will not be wearing the Arsenal shirt next season :(

We seem to prefer players who scuff 9 out of every 10 chances they get in acres of space.

Would love to see him play for us, however I can't see it happening, Valencia are having a terrible season, even Edu can not get in the side, Wenger wont spend 20mill, when he gives his press confrence on Thursday and is asked about Villa, he would probarbly say something like, "yes he is a great player, but we are not in for him as we have plenty of strikers at the club......"

Signing him will be too good to be tru..
I feel we will miss out on this..knowin' Wenger


This will put Arsene's words into test about not been scared to spend big.

IMO we need competition upfront. Certain strikers are in the comfort zone..
I like bendtner but I think we should sell him . A strikers choice like this

Ade
Villa
Rvp
Eduardo ( when fit)


Will be a very good look..
Walcott can rotate while RVp ( will get injured again) and Edu are still out.

I don't agree - personally, I feel we need to keep all of the strikers we have, and buy on top of those.

If Ade gets injured, we need some height up field, which Bendtner can provide. I know many feel that the jury is still out on Bendtner, but I reckon he will come good.

No one knows just how Eduardo will be when he recovers from his injury, both mentally, and physically. You can see with RvP that he is struggling to regain match sharpness after such a long time out, it will be twice as bad with Eddy.

Normally I would say no to taking the chance of spending £20m on one player but after the season Torres has had I would say go for it.

If we sign Villa i will literally cream my pants

I'll donate £100 if that would help to purchase him

He is what we need, we have missed out on silverwear this season due to the fact we have relied on 1 or 2 players scoring the goals, 2 wins in 12 is relegation form not a side that should be top of the league and on its way to stanford bridge next week.

We also need a left winger, when Rosicky is in the team they have to man mark him, they now double up on Hleb as they know Diaby or Fabregas or whoever is not a danger on that side. And when Eboue is on the right they know he's going to get a yellow card and his game is then gone..

Sign him up

NO thanks he is an absolute cock, and we already have Eoboue and Gallas for that

I suppose he'll do :coffee:










:pray:

:pray:

Only Arsenal would ignore one of the best strikers in the world wanting to join though :rolleyes: :(

If AW fails to inquire about David Villa who lets face it we could get the price knocked-down because the league position they're in then It would arguably be one of his biggest mistakes, but I'll wait for the Summer Trasfer window to come before I get my hopes up

So is a certain Portuguese no7 winger for Manchester United. But what has he done, eh.

I'd take Villa in a heartbeat, even though up front is one of the lesser places we need to strengthen. Top class players like this don't come along often, especially not ones that have already spoken about a desire to join us.

Sadly Wenger will do nothing.

Maybe a double swoop and get David Silva too, can play on either wing or in a db10 role.

^^^ahhhh i miss DB10 :(

i really wish there was even the slightest possibility of this happening, but 50 times bitten, 51 times shy

dream come true if he signs, imagine the positive impact this would have on the team,

the players would be lifted, ade would know that someone is breathing down his neck if he keeps scuffing chances,

also with another striker we can rotate the team more, RvP and Dudu can play on the wings, both are skillfull and can put in great crosses, thus eliminating the need for more wingers, and hleb can be moved to the middle to cover for cesc when he is need of a rest,

also im sure that we would score so many more goals with a striker of this calibre in our team, he wont be afraid to shoot (properly) from anywhere around the box, and is pacy and skillfull so will be able to create his own chances which our current strikers, Bendy and ade are just too clumsy to do

you're right, villa would be a dream signing, someone of that standard would lift the team after a tough, disappointing season and the it would give cesc getting a top top player in.

i don't think we can underestimate the impact buying someone like like villa would have, it is exactly the sort of signing that will refocus our current players and make them commit to the club

Just in case the story coming from the Sun puts anyone off.

I just want to let you know that the Sun got it from Spain. It appears that in the pre Copa Del Rey interviews given as a build up for the game. David Villa was asked by a group of Journalists about his future.

He was very open and it appears that he actually said more or less what has been printed. He didn't say sign me up now. He said he'd love to play in England and think Arsenal would be ideal for him because he watches them a lot and loves the passing style.

The context was not thats his intention to sign for us, but just talking out loud about the kind of style that would suit him.

I believe the Interview will be shown during the news round ups over here at 3pm. Then I can see for myself.

Arsene pick up the damn phone and get that player here. It's time to show intent and send a clear message to all people Arsenal that we mean business.

VILLA

i have been watching this youtube vid, who do we have in our team who can score goals like these? bar maybe dudu, (RVP if he ever remains fit long enough to regain his form)

ill bet that even with a keeper badly off his line, the majority of our players would be unable to put the ball in over his head, you need composure and finishing ability, something this team do not have in abundance atm

Elche, you're getting me all excited...


over nothing.. :(

Wenger has to sign him.

I think this one could happen. It'd be a straight swap with RVP in terms of squad profile.

Villa's 26...quite, much older than you think but he'd fit in well with our style.

As for Chelsea, unless there is a total revolution i can't see what he'd add?
United already have shedloads of players like him and Liverpool have Torres so unless they play him on the right it'd make no sense and Spurs..well possibly but only if they lose Berba to United or the Chavs.

Problem with it is RVP. This was his season but has AW had enough ogf him and who the hell would give you a fair price for the bloke..Madrid maybe?

Wenger WON'T sign him.



Prove me wrong Arsene.

Just sign Villa and keep RVP - we know he will get injured. Sell Bentdner though and promote Theo to CF more often.

Someone start a petition online

and email the end result to arsenal :lol:

Wont happen

Thats signing Villa not the petition

It may depend on what euro rate they value the player, it is so bad at the moment the exchange rate that his value could sore to over 20 mill

We should get Darren Bent for 16 million :p

Or Jeffers for 8

His style of play would be ideal, maybe Wenger considers RVP more of a left mid player now or in the future, if he considers him at all. The question with Villa is, is he better than what we have ? Yes he is, are we likely to score more with him in the side ? yes I'd wager we would, would we generate more money as a result of buying him ? oh now here's a poser, probably not. Not going to happen then. Would we command more on a sell on value than what we'd pay ? at 26 unlikely, deffinately won't happen then.

but surely if we signed villa, his goals and there would be a lot of them, could win us the premiership or even the european cup, in which case he would generate the money we have to spend to get him. add in the fact that if arsenal were to sign a superstar player then, given the last one was bergkamp, or maybe overmars, fans would fall over themselves to buy a villa shirt. In cases like his, wenger's book balancing doesnt cut it for me. villa would make his transfer back, im sure of that

I hope he doesnt see RVP as a left winger as he hasnt got any pace to be much of a threat. I think he likes to play 4-5-1 to accomodate Hleb, maybe he's scared playing 4-4-2 will disrupt our passing game aswell. Thing is Hleb is nice and pretty in there but he's not rarely a genuine threat when it comes to scoring goals. A second striker should score plenty of goals and Hleb just doesnt chip in with enough..

Did you want me to give you the translation of what he actually said? God I hate the Sun and the way they twist things to make it sound like he is trying to sell himself to Arsenal, it's just as easy to write a twisted piece saying that he wants to play under Rafa Benitez, with Torres and for Liverpool...

I'm not saying he doesn't like your club, he clearly does - it's just the way the Sun go on (dirty frelling scum) you'd think he was begging to be signed.


It was from an interview in today's El Pais


CAYETANO ROS - Valencia - 15/04/2008

Have you hit the wall?

- If we look at my numbers in general perhaps. But if we look at the numbers of matches I’ve played, I’ve scored 12 goals in 22 games. In that case, it’s not a bad return.

Do you still consider yourself what many people call an ‘instinctive goal-scorer’?

- I try not to think about ‘how’ I’m going to score. I just try to be focused so that I will put the ball in the back of the net when the opportunity presents itself.

Against Italy, for example, you scored a cracker out of an otherwise ordinary performance.

- I struck it well. Just the way I wanted to. It wasn’t a fluke but yes you could say it was out of instinct.

Do you feel ashamed of your team’s poor season?

- That’s a word nobody likes to hear. We’re hoping to end the season in the most dignified manner possible.

How do you get to the point where you’re just 5 pts from the danger zone?

- We started the season well, but there have been some situations that affected us greatly.

Did you understand the sacking of Quique Flores?

- I was happy with Quique. If you look back it wasn’t the best decision to sack him, but at the time everyone was calling for his head. The club made the decision but we’re all equally guilty.

Do you feel that the decision to marginalize Albelda, Cañizares and Angulo has done more harm than good for Valencia?

- Yes. I’m not just saying it because they’re mates of mine, the numbers are there. It has hampered us. They are very important players both on and off the pitch. They were the players with the most years and matches played for Valencia in the squad. They had a lot of experience at this club.

What did you learn from Quique?

- He didn’t like making any mistakes and he always went over them during the week. Individually, he was of much help because he’d always be there for you in the bad moments. When I was in great form and scoring goals every week we wouldn’t talk at all. But he would approach me in the bad times and I’m thankful for it.

And what about Ronald Koeman?

- He’s been here a lot shorter. He came into the club with a built squad and his own ideas. You learn from every one, more or less, to play other positions. With a 4-3-3 at times, I’m playing on the wing.

Despite all that, the team is not scoring many goals.

- Just because you’re playing with more strikers it doesn’t mean you will score more goals. The players were used to a different system and we’re having a tougher time with this system.

Would you have liked to have been trained by Benitez?

- Yes, from the comments of my Liverpool mates or the ones here in Valencia who played for him. They tell me that they’ve learned many things from him. It’s a pity that we didn’t coincide.

Would you like Marcelino as a manager here at Valencia?

- He’s very similar to Quique in terms of personality, of keeping a group together and demanding the most. I played for him at Sporting when I was 17 years old and it was a very positive experience for me.

Should the national team play with a 4-4-2 or a 4-1-4-1 formation?

- Both systems have worked well for us. It doesn’t matter.

Are you compatible with Torres?

- Yes, both on and off the pitch. We like playing together. I don’t want to disrespect Atletico but Torres has been through some tough times and now he feels liberated. And the way Liverpool play suits his abilities, which are up there with the best in the world.

Would you adapt to English football as well?

- I think so. Their football is fast, counter-attacking, which is the best for my qualities. Of course it’s a different story to get there and be successful. As a fan, I like Arsenal because they play one, two touch football and they’re very good at it. And because of my mates, I like Liverpool.

You spoke of a pact with Valencia’s majority owner, Juan Soler, about your Valencia exit. Do you trust him?

- When some clubs expressed their interest in me, he told me that he didn’t want to negotiate and that we would discuss it next year.

You mean this summer…

- Yes but if an offer arrives for me I will have to speak to the president [Agustin Morera], not with the majority owner.

Where do you see yourself playing in the future?

- I’m currently under contract for five years and a very high buyout clause.

Are you happy with the money you’re making?

- I don’t know. The most important thing is emotional stability. And in the previous two years the team was playing at a very high level. We’ll see what this team will look like next year and that’s when we’ll make a decision.

From 1 to 10 how would you grade Valencia’s sports management?

I would give it a 4. Let’s see if we can win the Cup final and our final six games. That would give us a few extra points.

What would you highlight about Getafe? [Cup final rivals]

- They’re on a moral high because of the way they played against Bayern and their good football. They know each other very well and are able to rotate while keeping the same level of performance.

Should Valencia have played on Sunday like Getafe thus having the same days to rest before the final?

- In life there are pros and cons. And the pride of playing on three competitions means that you will have less time to prepare for the next match.

In which ways is Valencia a better team?

- In terms of history and experience. And with players that have proven themselves in this kind of games. Who says we can’t play the perfect match? If we’re able to do so, there aren’t many times that can beat us.

eh?