Trabelsi - the next piece of the puzzle?

[lewdikris]

Now we've got Reyes and the longterm first choice strikeforce is in place, could/should Ajax's brilliant right back Hatem Trabelsi be, to use Wenger's description of the new number 9, 'the next piece of the puzzle'?

Trabelsi speaks about us, Chelsea and Juventus here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=r ... &type=lgns

He wants to sign a pre-contract with one of these three in the next few weeks, and is a self-confessed Arsenal fan...

I think he would be the best purchase we could make this summer. It would allow Kolo to play at centre back, and the two combined on the right of defence would give us an explosive ability to both attack and defend on the right hand side.

The guy's simply magnificent - easily the best right back in the world at the moment. And he wants to play for us!

With him in the team, we would have possibly the most complete first XI in world football...

C'mon Arsène sort it out!

 

[Mark]

i really hope we make a move for him, our defence would be bloody awesome with him as our RB, and if he's available for free we really should take this oppurtunity.

 

[patrick42uk]

would be a quality signing. dein talked about making free signings in the summer, and this could well be one of them. i dont know about best 11 on the planet, but it would give us quite an enviable back four.

 

[Mark]

if we signed trabelsi and yaya, in a few years when reyes reaches his peek, we could have one of the best teams on the planet. imagine it...

Lehmann

Trabelsi Toure Campbell Cole

Ljungberg Yaya Vieira Pires

Reyes Henry

we might need a new GK by then since lehmann will be old, hopefully taylor or stack will develop into world class keepers.

 

[lewdikris]

If Wenger's tempted to go for anyone I think it could be Trabelsi. He's a perfect Wenger defender. What Lauren does pretty well for us, and where Toure when he plays there is explosive is operating as a winger so that Freddie can drop inside.

Trabelsi gets up and down as well as Toure - but he's also a good enough defender so that if Toure goes on a run he can drop into central defence and keep things tight - Lauren's not good enough to do that..

 

[GoonerGurjit]

I can't see it happening. Wenger seems more then content with his options at right-back.

 

[Ridge]

well, his 27 years old.. but the most importnant is, he's free... :angel

 

[Beany]

Looks like he's just using the ANC to agitate for a money move.

Then again if he's on a free...

 

[laolu]

we should go for him. Trabelsi is bloody brilliant and that would be one hell of a bloody coup.

But look at it this way, this time in 2006, we'll be without Toure, Trabelsi, Lauren, and possibly Kanu . do you want that to happen?

 

[Anonymous]

I would LOVE it if we signed this guy. I saw him playing for Tunisia the other day and he was outstanding.

But i dont think we will, mainly because we dont really need him. There is no doubt he will make us a better team but put yourself in Wengers shoes. He sees we have Lauren, Kolo and Hoyte who is very promising. Lauren is not a bad player, in fact i think he is quite good. Trabelsi is a better player, but Wenger is very loyal to his players, and the signing of Trabelsi would probably spell the end for ralph, who really has done nothing wrong.

You could i suppose move Ralph up to right sided midfield, his prefered position, but again we have Freddie, Reyes, Parlour and possibly Pennant who can all play there.
He would need a very large contract if he were to come to us, and reall i dont think it is worth it for a player we dont need. But i would still love it if it happened!

 

[lewdikris]

Yeah but Wiltord and Kanu are also 'quite good' ... as are Ali and Bentley. And we bought Reyes anyway! If a player's available at the right price, if he'll make the team better and plays our type of game, Wenger has always said he'll go for him. Trabelsi is all of the above.

I'm not saying Wenger will do that, but it's a distinct possibility, and an obvious option.

O, and Laolu - Kanu won't be here next year, let alone 2006, and i'd expect if we did go for Trabelsi that Ralph would go in the summer, or move permanently into the midfield.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah but Wiltord and Kanu are also 'quite good'

And are most probably leaving in the summer.
The signing of Reyes was needed.

 

[GoonerGurjit]

I think Wenger's happy with Lauren. In essence we don't need Trabelsi and I think that's the way AW sees it. We're very well covered at right-back with Lauren, Toure and Hoyte.

 

[laolu]

O, and Laolu - Kanu won't be here next year, let alone 2006, and i'd expect if we did go for Trabelsi that Ralph would go in the summer, or move permanently into the midfield.

I said possibly and I don't think there's room for Lauren in that midfield. If Trabelsi comes, he leaves then

 

[JGooner]

This is feasible. If Trabelsi arrives on a free, Lauren can be sold to a Spanish team, where he can finish off his career in the country of his birth. Hoyte will deputise for Trabelsi, Toure will be CB partner for Campbell. Sounds good to me.

 

[Anonymous]

i think everyone is forgetting about senderos lol i know our back 4 will be

toure campbell senderos cole

in the future so no need for a new rb thats toure's place

 

[laolu]

senderos hasn't proven himself and he has to prove himself before there's any hope of him getting a place in the arsenal XI

he is still very young so there's still ample time left for him

 

[Mark]

senderos is a good talent, but i think he will be kolo's partner in the centre when sol retires, toure prefers to play as a CB, so i think we should play him there and get trabelsi and then hoyte can hopefully take his place there after a few years too.

 

[GoonerLuke]

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=r ... &type=lgns

I think Trabelsi is just positioning himself for a fat signing on fee wherever he goes. If Chelsea want him they will probably get him by paying him 2x market value.

 

[lewdikris]

I'd say Trabelsi is good enough and coveted enough to choose a club for reasons other than sheer cash...

If us or Juve really really want him he'd choose either over Chelsea and their megabucks...