I'm sorry guys, but I don't quite see Denilson developing into anything better than a good squad player. For me, he's a decent player who does everything at a level that is above average.

But that's just it!

I feel he's lacking one quality that makes him an outstanding player. For example, Cesc has vision, Ade has power, Van Persie has technique and Clichy has pace. From other clubs, you have Gerrard and his semangat, Rooney and his aggresion, Ronaldo's dribbling and Terry's leadership. These players did not train hard and work at to attain these qualities during the course of their professional career, but these qualities were already apparent when they were youngsters and were polished further as they matured. Right now, I just don't see any aspect of Denilson's game that has the potential to be world-class. (Add on here coz I didnt read Star_Ghazzer's post in full. Bad habit I know) --> With all due respect to Star_Ghazzer, I believe that short passing is a basic skill that all footballers should have, moreso for a midfielder... Unless of course you're Alex Song, this skill is optional 

I don't deny the lad is playing well at the moment, and yes he is still young... But I just don't think he has the quality to sustain this form in the long term.

I agree with Chronic that the Flamini-type player is the best solution for our midfield, but at the moment there are no prominent players in world football right now that fits the bill. And unfortunately, Denilson is not the type of player we desperately need in our midfield right now.

... I hope I'm wrong though...

You're right, Gilberto never had anything to offer going forward, but he had the physical presence and the defensive instincts. And again, I agree with you we missed good ol Gilbert when he was not playing.

But do we miss Denilson when he's not playing? I don't know about you guys, but I have never felt the urge to say "Dammit, we could have won if we had Denilson"...

Oh and Lorik Cana's aggresion will exponentially increase Arsene's red card collection!

I not totally agree with your earlier statement. Denilson might not that great compare to other players who are similar age as his. But do remember, he does contribute some assists (and he is currently the most assists midfielder than any other gunners). With the absence of cesc, he is important to use (It will be a diff story if Arshavin joins us).

my dearest dudes n babes,
worth to read.

Arshavin deal breaks down

Denilson may have good number of assist...and no doubt he's a good player at his age. Perhaps Zan81 meant the physical presence... not really well built and not scary...

Scary and pumping midfielders my opinion is like edgar davids, rui costa, gattusso, keane, vieira, stig tofting...

my dearest dudes n babes,
worth to read.

Arshavin deal breaks down

Denilson is playing well at the moment and deserves to be in the First XI with Fabs out. Its just my opinion that I don't think Denilson has the potential to be a world beater.

Tofting  ... Now there's a guy you don't want to mess with. Is he still in jail?
Haih... Kinda expected... I wonder if AW's praise of Ramsey is to gee up the kid ahead of Cardiff, or is it bvanother way of telling the fans "We can't sign Arshavin... but we have Ramsey *grin*"

You should read the soccernet forum. It is really analytical.

I think that the argument for a defensive midfield is this. To relieve the pressure of the attack we need to have a solid base so that the attackers can concentrate on attacking without having to worry about the defence. I believe that if everyone attacks and we concede a goal, we get worried and the attacking players will have a stigma on going all out attack. Of coz all out attack is nice to see but when the attackers are confused on whether they should go all out attack or stay back a little. I think the solution would be to go all out attacks with a strong defence to repel attack by the opposition team.

Zenit handed Arshavin ultimatum

Russian star ready to force exit

Andrei Arshavin's agent has indicated that his client would be willing to buy out his contract at Zenit St Petersburg.

The Russian playmaker is growing increasingly frustrated with the ongoing saga surrounding his future.

He has made no secret of his desire to secure a move away from his homeland during the January transfer window, but has so far failed to secure such a switch.

Premier League giants Arsenal are believed to be leading the chase for his signature, but Zenit's ever-increasing demands continue to delay any potential agreement.

"Unfortunately in this matter there is no movement," Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter told the Russia press.

"The sticking point is, of course, money and rather the totally unacceptable amount of Zenit's demands for Andrei.

"The position of the club remains unchanged and that is the reality that we have faced for a long time.

"If the situation remains unchanged we will use Article 17 of the Fifa rules and buy out the contract of Andrei at the club, which could happen as early as November this year.

Free agent

"In that situation, Zenit would have to be satisfied with a much smaller amount than they are offered by representatives of Arsenal.

"If Andrei becomes a free agent, he will get many proposals, from England, Italy and Spain."

Arsenal are reported to have tabled a £12million pound offer for Arshavin, but Zenit believe their prized asset is worth more than that in the current market.

"The situation has not changed since Friday, which means Arsenal would like to pay only £12m, not one cent more," said Zenit's general director Maxim Mitrofanov.

"And we, at Zenit, are ready to discuss with them about maybe a better offer from our side.

"We are ready to make a step forward to them, but they should do the same.

"However, I have told the people from Arsenal we are ready to discuss a lot of things to make the situation easier for them.

"They have a deadline, as I understand, until 26th January, because after that, they should have some time to get another player and I respect this position."

Sky

This discussion was inspired by the same discussion on arsenal land that you mentioned

We are still lacking someone of the stature of Paddy, not even Fabs is able to offer the dynamism and engine that our previous midfield general does so easily. Like mentioned before, if Diaby is able to recapture his form and grow into a Paddy-like player, I'd put him ahead of Denilson. But right now Denilson deserves his place.

I'll leave out Alonso since he's not our player, but Fabs + Alonso would be my first choice should we ever reignite the bid for him in summer and actually manage to get the lad.
I believe a partnership where our two CMs are able to attack and defend simultaneously would work better than letting Fabs focus only on the attack while the DM sits back ala sweeper style.

Fabs + Gilberto didn't work as well as Paddy + Gilberto. Paddy and Gilberto worked well because Paddy started our moves from the back and carried the ball (and the team) forward while Gilberto used his positioning to block passing channels. Gilberto was never the fiercest tackles anyway (not even close to Paddy's prowess), but of course he never shied away from any physical challenges. Fabs, as brilliant as his vision is, doesn't appear to me as a full fledged AM ala Kaka or even Rivaldo if anyone remembers him. Having him operate deeper with runners latching onto his passes would be a better option.

The combination of Fabs + Matty worked well last season not because Matty is a pure defensive midfielder, in fact if anyone watched him closely Matty actually joined the attack on a regular basis. What he lacks in physique he makes it up with energy and hustle-bustle, and he manages to bring the ball from our defence to our playmaker (Fabs) quickly. A pseudo box to box midfielder, if you like; but definitely not a Makelele/Toulalan sweeper.

Finally about our difficulties in breaking down anti-football teams - We're not the only one. MU had trouble with Bolton and only managed to scrap a last minute victory too. Yet I'd like to see us being more nasty in tackles, I actually miss the days where everyone is complaining about us being the number 1 red-carded team in the league. Denilson, Song, and even Fabs are all guilty of losing tussles and tackles this season, Diaby offers us more physical brute but his ball distribution is appalling.

Zenit handed Arshavin ultimatum

Russian star ready to force exit

Andrei Arshavin's agent has indicated that his client would be willing to buy out his contract at Zenit St Petersburg.

The Russian playmaker is growing increasingly frustrated with the ongoing saga surrounding his future.

He has made no secret of his desire to secure a move away from his homeland during the January transfer window, but has so far failed to secure such a switch.

Premier League giants Arsenal are believed to be leading the chase for his signature, but Zenit's ever-increasing demands continue to delay any potential agreement.

"Unfortunately in this matter there is no movement," Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter told the Russia press.

"The sticking point is, of course, money and rather the totally unacceptable amount of Zenit's demands for Andrei.

"The position of the club remains unchanged and that is the reality that we have faced for a long time.

"If the situation remains unchanged we will use Article 17 of the Fifa rules and buy out the contract of Andrei at the club, which could happen as early as November this year.

Free agent

"In that situation, Zenit would have to be satisfied with a much smaller amount than they are offered by representatives of Arsenal.

"If Andrei becomes a free agent, he will get many proposals, from England, Italy and Spain."

Arsenal are reported to have tabled a £12million pound offer for Arshavin, but Zenit believe their prized asset is worth more than that in the current market.

"The situation has not changed since Friday, which means Arsenal would like to pay only £12m, not one cent more," said Zenit's general director Maxim Mitrofanov.

"And we, at Zenit, are ready to discuss with them about maybe a better offer from our side.

"We are ready to make a step forward to them, but they should do the same.

"However, I have told the people from Arsenal we are ready to discuss a lot of things to make the situation easier for them.

"They have a deadline, as I understand, until 26th January, because after that, they should have some time to get another player and I respect this position."

Sky