The laughing stock of the Premier League over the past year or so has undoubtedly been the inept forward play of big money signings Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll. The strikers moved for a combine fee in excess of £85million last January and have equally been in dreadful form since the high pressure, hefty transfer fee move.
There is no way that you can hide from the form of the pair, but with a slight improvement in recent weeks with Didier Drogba and Luis Suarez absent, despite not hitting the net, I feel the pressure on the strikers may be easing and performances rising. But until the goals begin to flow, Torres and Carroll will not be let off the hook and time will tell whether they will ever turn into good signings for the amount of money that was spent.
But this season I feel we have seen another calamitous big money transfer that has made absolutely no impact at all on his club since arriving in the summer. Samir Nasri disgraced Arsenal fans by demanding that he moved to the interestedManchester City; who love taking a player from North London; in the summer and unfortunately for Arsene Wenger and the club, there was nothing they could do.
The Frenchmen had his best ever goalscoring season last time out at the Emirates with 15 goals in all competitions from midfield and was one of the Gunners best players in a side that is entering a stage on transition once again under Wenger. The 24-year-old wide man joined City for just over £25million late in August last year but has failed to impress at the Etihad stadium so far since the transfer and is certainly not first choice in his position under Roberto Mancini.
Only eleven league appearances this season for Nasri has confirmed that the likes of James Milner, David Silva, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure are most definitely ahead of the former Marseille youngster in the pecking order and in my opinion deserves a similar amount of criticism as Torres and Carroll for greed and performances.
One goal from open play this season; in a team that has scored 57 in the league already and we are only in January; is not a great return for more than £25m, even if it seems City can afford to lose that amount of money. The fact that when Nasri does get in the City team he is playing with the likes of Silva and Sergio Aguero has allowed him to go unnoticed for the majority of games so far and while Manchester City keep winning, that will stay the same.
Torres and Carroll will play up front on their own when selected in their respective teams and so will have plenty of attention on them throughout the game, with their clubs depending on them to score goals at crucial times. Nasri, like in last night’s 1-0 win away at Wigan, can play for an hour and lose the ball regularly, create nothing for his side and still not one mention of his poor performance and big money transfer was highlighted in this morning’s press.
Nasri’s decision to join City, in my opinion, was made for all the wrong reasons and the fact that he is happy to sit on the bench each week in order to win trophies is something that Torres and Carroll certainly can’t be accused of. He was one of the best players in an improving Arsenal side that gave him big opportunities in the past. Yes, a player can’t be blamed for the ridiculous transfer fee, but his performances have been nowhere near good enough so far in this campaign and it is about time that was noticed.
Written by Brad Pinard for FootballFanCast.com
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7 assists says he has been a success
So,the five goals and 15 assists in all competitons this season make Torres a bargain? Torres has played about the same game time as Nasri, I’d imagine, in the EPL and has, IIRC, twelve assists from CF and is slated as the biggest joke in football for only scoring two goals and so I’d argue Nasri, for doing less, must be a flop too, no?
Torres is subject to a media hate campaign despite, really, being OK this season and prrinarily just a bit unlucky and shooting a little less than he would if full of confidence-saturaday should have seen him score a couple(unlucky with the overhead which assisted Lampard’s goal)and had two pens but was booked for diving-Nasri just looks bad and does little.
Torres dosent have 15 assists in anything wow taken to lying now! Torres has 3 assits in th CL I’ll do the math for you thats five Nasri has more in just the prem and is a midfielder not a striker. You are talking crxp.
The same could be said about Charlie Adam at LFC yet he has 8 assists. However im sure Nasri expected to be playing alot more then he has, but with the players they’ve got he has to work even harder.
Charlie Adam is rank number 42 in the Premier League Player Statistics chart and has 4 premier assists. While Nasri is at 12 and has 7 prem assists. What is this Arsenal fans make stuff up to make themselves feel better day?
Why do you need to LABEL anyone a FLOP?? Also Torres has been in vastly superior form to Carroll and is steadily increasing with each performance. And is taking extra training at his own request. Nasri links spectacularly well with Silva and Aguero when he plays and will be a big part of City’s future. Nasri, Torres and Carroll are as much of a flop as footballers as you must be as a journalist to be writing for Footballfancast.com. Mug
This writer has to be another bitter Arsenal fan, get over it he’s gone!!! If not just an idiot who doesn’t seem to Know that Nasri has more goals and assists than all of the Utd midfielders with the exception of Nani! Has a pass completion rate of over 92% higher than any other attacker in the whole league has played more key passes than any other player in the league in time played and even not including match time is 3rd in the country and yet Arsenal fans and idiots keep trying to label him a flop. Come on now let it go he’s left and he isn’t coming back, I know it hurts but it’s getting embarrassing!
“In my opinion” are the words you use to preface your uninformed and peurile comment on Nasri’s ‘reasons’ for leaving Arsenal. Nasri gave his reasons, the main one being that he had stayed a long time in Norf Lunnon but wanted to win something. He was also keen to realise his true value financially, don’t we all. Well maybe not, some of you are probably paid a damn site more than you’re worth.
Nasri is a valuable member of the City squad, he plays when City want two playmakers, he covers Silva, the most valuable player in the PL, when the little genus is rested or injured, and he earns his corn when starting or coming on as a substitute. These are early days, he will become far more important, just as Iniesta and Xavi are important at barca.
Nasris goals at Arsenal were critical, only he and Cesc were scoring. At City Kun has 17, Edin has 15, Mario has 10, Johnson has 7 etc, etc. Any goals from Nazza are gratefullt received but it’s asists and creativity that he is required for first and foremots.
Only a complete dong brain like Brad Pinhead would consider him a flop.
Alph
It’s about time that was noticed? That is all we’ve heard from Arsenal fans since the season began. Nasri is currently only second to Silva in the PL assists table.you don’t know the reason he joined City, you are jumping to conclusions. If City go on to win the PL this season do you believe he will regret his decision to leave a club who despite being affluent refuse to invest properly in their squad and as such don’t win anything? Nasri played well against Wigan creating 5 chances for City. You name 4 players that are ahead of Nasri on the teamsheet, Barry has been there two years, Yaya, Silva and Milner are in their second year so have acclimatised to Mancini’s style, Nasri as yet has to acclimatise to this style of play and will. Milner received similar criticism to what you’re giving Nasri this time last season and now he is a mainstay in the team. One last point, you claim Nasri is happy to sit on the bench, how on earth would you know this?
You know f all about football. Ignorance writ large.
Nasri is a great player & I support none of your teams. Only a bitter supporter who knows little about football would not rate him very highly. Man City has so many gun players it obviously would have been easier to get game time with a young & building squad like Arsenals. Personally I like Arsenal better than Man City, but truth is Man City are clearly the best team in the premiership & Nasri is now surrounded by more world class players than before. The point here is to get credability & belief in a post dont rubbish a quality player like Nasri….
Pfft nasri a flop? Biased know nothing futbol site.
You’re the real flop ! boring
Strewth man! You must have a talent for something!? It’s certainly not football journalism! Go and try something else.
Bitter writer…he gave best stats and I know your hurting but to make up lies is low even for n Arsenal fan.
What on earth are you talking about?
He has made 15 league appearances this season. What do you mean is he content to sit on the bench? He’s played about as many games as anyone since he arrived.
Truly embarrassing article.