Loic Remy

[Gutter Boy]

Perhaps seen as a cheaper option to Jay Rodriguez? Can play several positions in a front 3/4 and will probably get some goals. PL proven and experienced.

Not top of my wishlist as I'm not sure we get to play to his strengths, but wouldn't be unhappy if we did sign him.

The cheaper option to Rodriguez is to get Lamela playing. Very similar type players, but Lamela has a much higher ceiling.

 

[braineclipse]

The cheaper option to Rodriguez is to get Lamela playing. Very similar type players, but Lamela has a much higher ceiling.

I was thinking more in terms of position. Rodriguez played most of his games on the left, a position where we're a bit short on options. Whilst also being capable in most other attacking positions. For me it seems a bit of a waste playing Lamela on the left.

 

[DubaiSpur]

FFS. Wake up you lot. If we were to only pick players who had us as their first choice then our team would consist of just Andros Townsend, Harry Kane and Tom Carroll right now. Newsflash - ANY foreign player would rather play for Arsenal if the offer was given, unless there's exceptional circumstances like with Vertonghen where they tell him they'll play him in midfield. There is no loyalty in football, especially not from foreign players to an adopted club in an adopted league.

That doesn't mean that a player can't show commitment and passion when wearing our shirt and deliver top quality performances. Berbatov in 2007 and Modric in 2011 both quite publically wanted to leave, but still spent the following seasons being one of the best players in the country. Our 5th highest goalscorer of all time was a boyhood Arsenal fan who came to us from West Ham. There is a statue of a man outside the Emirates Stadium who admitted he was a Spurs fan as a kid.

In some cases, the player rejected by a team could be extra determined to make a point that they were wrong to do so. Always good to have a player with a bone to pick with our rivals isn't it?

Look, if it was Alexis Sanchez or Alvaro Morata or a player of that caliber stalling us like Remy apparently is, then by all means give them time to make their decision. However, Remy is not a player we should be stalling any moves on other targets for: he's not that good. I have nothing against players who consider us second-choices or third-choices but end up moving here: I am quite grounded in realism when I admit that we aren't the most attractive team out there, and likely will never be for a variety of reasons. However, we're still appealing enough to make a vast number of players consider us to be their first choice, and many of those are significantly better than Remy, so why turn down a player who wants to be here for one who wants to be here subject to no bigger team coming in for him.

 

[clevelandspur]

The cheaper option to Rodriguez is to get Lamela playing. Very similar type players, but Lamela has a much higher ceiling.

That may be true but Rodriguez shouldn't cost a huge fee. His contract is up after next season.

 

[NWND]

That may be true but Rodriguez shouldn't cost a huge fee. His contract is up after next season.

Plus his injury is a bad one and i'm sure will have reduced any fee significantly in addition to any contractual situation.

 

[harr1984]

a. He's not a top player, if he were he wouldn't be at QPR and been on loan to Saudi Sportswashing Machine.
b. I never said we shouldn't go for top players.
c. The whole point I was making was if a player says "you're 2nd choice" I wouldn't buy him as its clear he doesn't want to come.

My point was any good player wouldnt have us as our first choice so you're pretty much limiting who we can go for. I doubt Remy has come out and said to anyone 'Spurs are my back up plan' but he is obviously going to wait and see if a better club comes in for him, like so many players we have been close to signing have done....

 

[Gutter Boy]

I was thinking more in terms of position. Rodriguez played most of his games on the left, a position where we're a bit short on options. Whilst also being capable in most other attacking positions. For me it seems a bit of a waste playing Lamela on the left.

But you only want one quasi wide forward/striker. On the other side its better to have either a creative player (Lallana/Eriksen) or more orthodox wide player (Ward-Prowse/Konoplyanka).

Rodriguez and Lamela would be some mad kind of a 4-3-0-3 with almost 3 strikers.

That may be true but Rodriguez shouldn't cost a huge fee. His contract is up after next season.

With his injury he might never play top level football again. He won't be the same player again, it's just a case of whether he'll be 98% of the player (which will be virtually unnoticeable) or 90% of the player (where he'll have to adapt his game completely or drop a level).

There's no way we can take a risk on him till at least January, probably next summer.

 

[braineclipse]

Look, if it was Alexis Sanchez or Alvaro Morata or a player of that caliber stalling us like Remy apparently is, then by all means give them time to make their decision. However, Remy is not a player we should be stalling any moves on other targets for: he's not that good. I have nothing against players who consider us second-choices or third-choices but end up moving here: I am quite grounded in realism when I admit that we aren't the most attractive team out there, and likely will never be for a variety of reasons. However, we're still appealing enough to make a vast number of players consider us to be their first choice, and many of those are significantly better than Remy, so why turn down a player who wants to be here for one who wants to be here subject to no bigger team coming in for him.

I agree up to a point.

However, with the World Cup coming up there will quite likely be something of a transfer standstill for a while anyway.

Say Sanchez is another attacking player we consider buying, someone that would be way ahead of Remy in our list of targets. We're not going to be able to move on him until after the World Cup. And probably we can't move on him until later in the window anyway when bigger clubs have potentially moved for someone else. Perhaps we could move for Konoplyanka, but wouldn't other clubs do too at that point? And if someone like Liverpool or Dortmund tell him that they're interested, but they won't move until after the World Cup most likely Konoplyanka will wait too.

So here we are, waiting. I'm not saying we should put everything else on hold until Remy makes up his mind, I agree he's not that good. But chances are we'll be waiting anyway, so we might as well include Remy in our decision making 3-4 weeks down the road when the transfer market is starting to get unstuck.

Godot...

 

[harr1984]

Additionally you can debate whether Remy is a 'top' player or not, he has to prove himself at a top club first thats for sure. But I'd suggest his pace,skill and strength ensures he's a more complete and versatile striker than any currently on our books...

 

[braineclipse]

But you only want one quasi wide forward/striker. On the other side its better to have either a creative player (Lallana/Eriksen) or more orthodox wide player (Ward-Prowse/Konoplyanka).

Rodriguez and Lamela would be some mad kind of a 4-3-0-3 with almost 3 strikers.

I think Lamela is capable of being very creative.

You also don't want "just" the first team. Someone like Remy or Rodriguez that can play multiple positions will always be useful in a squad.

 

[braineclipse]

Additionally you can debate whether Remy is a 'top' player or not, he has to prove himself at a top club first thats for sure. But I'd suggest his pace,skill and strength ensures he's a more complete and versatile striker than any currently on our books...

Disagree, I think Adebayor is a lot more versatile.

One of my biggest concerns with Remy is that he's a bit one dimensional actually. Great when he has space to run into and we can attack on the break, but more limited when we're playing against a well organized team sitting deep. Perhaps a bit harsh from my side, just the impression I've gotten when I've seen him.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Disagree, I think Adebayor is a lot more versatile.

One of my biggest concerns with Remy is that he's a bit one dimensional actually. Great when he has space to run into and we can attack on the break, but more limited when we're playing against a well organized team sitting deep. Perhaps a bit harsh from my side, just the impression I've gotten when I've seen him.

Agree - he's an ideal forward for bottom half teams who hit long balls over the top/break quickly.

But he's not much use with a defence set in front of him like top teams have to play against. He doesn't have the movement, guile or intelligence.

 

[NWND]

Disagree, I think Adebayor is a lot more versatile.

One of my biggest concerns with Remy is that he's a bit one dimensional actually. Great when he has space to run into and we can attack on the break, but more limited when we're playing against a well organized team sitting deep. Perhaps a bit harsh from my side, just the impression I've gotten when I've seen him.

He is one-dimensional, but that doesn't mean he can't be an effective weapon. I agree with the Rodriguez comparisons, in that I think Remy's best position should we sign him would be a wing-forward playing off Adebayor as a source of goals. Adebayor would be the centre-forward leading the attack and in that respect, Remy's pace, directness and accurate shooting could be an extremely effective weapon alongside Adebayor and Eriksen.

 

[AdamB]

Agree - he's an ideal forward for bottom half teams who hit long balls over the top/break quickly.

But he's not much use with a defence set in front of him like top teams have to play against. He doesn't have the movement, guile or intelligence.

So pace isn't useful if you play for a top team? Would we have got the same fee for Bale had he been slow? Not comparing the two players obviously. I'd much rather pay £9m for Remy though than the ridiculous prices being reported for people like Lallana and Rodriguez

 

[NWND]

Its not so much the fact he said Arsenal, it could've been any team, but that he considers signing for us as his 2nd choice.

So if we had the opportunity to sign Fabregas because Chelsea and Man U pulled out the running we shouldn't sign him because we'd be 3rd choice?

 

[Gutter Boy]

So pace isn't useful if you play for a top team? Would we have got the same fee for Bale had he been slow? Not comparing the two players obviously. I'd much rather pay £9m for Remy though than the ridiculous prices being reported for people like Lallana and Rodriguez

I'd just buy someone with much more allround game/versatility in different systems instead - ideally Konoplyanka or Griezmann, who are both available for a decent fee (under £15m) because of their contract situations.

 

[milo]

I think Lamela is capable of being very creative.

You also don't want "just" the first team. Someone like Remy or Rodriguez that can play multiple positions will always be useful in a squad.

You wouldn't want to bet your house (job) on him finding form this season though, so I can see the sense in bringing in other options, especially ones which offer goals.

 

[braineclipse]

He is one-dimensional, but that doesn't mean he can't be an effective weapon. I agree with the Rodriguez comparisons, in that I think Remy's best position should we sign him would be a wing-forward playing off Adebayor as a source of goals. Adebayor would be the centre-forward leading the attack and in that respect, Remy's pace, directness and accurate shooting could be an extremely effective weapon alongside Adebayor and Eriksen.

And that's why I would be perfectly fine with us signing him.

You wouldn't want to bet your house (job) on him finding form this season though, so I can see the sense in bringing in other options, especially ones which offer goals.

Agreed, we need options.

What I do like about Remy is his pace. If we imagine a 4-2-3-1 with Lamela, Eriksen and Paulinho in behind a lone striker for example we don't have a lot of pace in that trio. We have Lennon, but if this board is a good measuring stick he's falling out of favour. We have Townsend, but he certainly has his limitations too.

Another player with a lot of raw pace wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as he has skill and smartness to go along with it. I remain a bit unsure about Remy, but he seems like a fine option.

 

[milo]

Agreed, we need options.

What I do like about Remy is his pace. If we imagine a 4-2-3-1 with Lamela, Eriksen and Paulinho in behind a lone striker for example we don't have a lot of pace in that trio. We have Lennon, but if this board is a good measuring stick he's falling out of favour. We have Townsend, but he certainly has his limitations too.

Another player with a lot of raw pace wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as he has skill and smartness to go along with it. I remain a bit unsure about Remy, but he seems like a fine option.

Agreed. The other thing that we lack in those three are guaranteed goals. Eriksen did well in the second half of last season but if he and Ade took a dip in form then we look a bit blunt. Remy would help address that.

 

[P.D.]

I'm going to guess that its more likely he wants to concentrate on the WC and his mind is already occupied so will speak to clubs afterwards. That sounds fair enough to me.