please tell me this isn't true :pray:
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...ct_435281.html
if it is... :ilt:
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please tell me this isn't true :pray:
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...ct_435281.html
if it is... :ilt:
This sounds more promising re a new striker
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...rd_435283.html
Yeah I see that hope it isn't true but if it's down to Arteta and Edu then it will happen :(
if they like his influence on younger players then fine, make him a member of the coaching team, but as a player sorry, no, we have far better in both Mari and Holding
Under no circumstances should we be offering a new deal to Luiz. The sooner we move on from these Chelsea has beens the better.
Fuck this season - fuck it right in the face. I’m taking up residence in the make-believe thread for the next few months until stinking reality kicks in again in the autumn...
In possibly the most Arsenal transfer rumour of all time, we’re trying to sign a goalkeeper who’s serving a year’s suspension for doping...
https://www.goal.com/en/news/arsenal...51lxnk8u38e0k6
For the record, I’m open to buying players who are doping - nothing else has worked.
Looks like it will be a major clear out this summer.
Some journos reporting Leno, Xhaka, Bellerin, Luiz and Willian all want out.
Laca, Elneny, Nketiah and Nelson must surely be up for sale as well.
Plus the loan players without a future, Kolasinac, Torreira, Guendouzi, AMN, Mavropanos and maybe Willock.
That's a huge number of outgoings, can't say I'd be too bothered with any of them leaving though.
Yeah, a lot of big talk about needing to be “ruthless” this summer - hopefully that means more than just firing Ruth from accounts.
I’ve seen some publications mentioning 5 of 6 names, but my count of players that need to go is closer to 20!
Leno
Runnarsson
Bellerin
Luiz
Chambers / Holding / Mavs (sell 2, keep 1)
Kolasinac
*Elneny
Ceballos
Torreira
Guendouzi
AMN
*Willock
Ødegaard
*Willian
Nelson
Nketiah
Lacazette
(*Wouldnt be surprised if these players stayed)
Then there’s Xhaka who is down to his final 2 years - if there’s no new contract offer / he’s not signing an extension, then we’ll need to make decision there too.
And we’d have to consider any serious offers for Auba and Pepe too
I won’t defend Arteta for much right now, but when you see it listed out like that, that’s an incredible amount of players that he either doesn’t need or want, can’t count on or can’t afford to keep!
(And, yes, I know 2 or 3 of those names are self-inflicted, but still... what a mess!)
Yeah, I have a feeling our hand may be forced with Xhaka - if we are looking to bring in another CM (and the names we're being linked with aren't backups), then he's not going to stick around to sit on the bench when he could probably go back to Germany or to Italy and go and play for CL side.
I'm not sure he's one we would have actively sought to move on otherwise, given the sheer number of other 'outs' we might be looking at (inc. up to 7 other CMs!), but if he's down to his final 2 years, and he's not committing further, then, by the club's own self-imposed standard, we have to cash in and move on.
On the plus side, we have volume on our side, even if not too many of those players would bring in huge fees. Plus the squad was already bloated, even with extra European games to manage - with just domestic games we’ll probably only need to replace 1 in 3 players.
Bissouma is there on a plate, if we want him - he’s already handed a transfer request in, and he’s mates with Pepe and Gabriel from Lille. Probably too easy and obvious for our lot though.
One interesting rumour I heard was Zakaria, with Xhaka going the other way back to BMG - probably just some website putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5, but it’s an interesting idea. If Xhaka does go then we’ll need 2 CMs and that would be a neat solution for one of them.
On a related note, fair play to Xhaka if he does genuinely want out - that would make him one of our only wantaway players who’s been professional enough to keep doing his job to the best of his abilities each week. He may be limited in a lot of ways, but at least he shows up.
Luiz confirmed as leaving this summer. I think he has been better this season but still glad we are moving on. Hopefully Saliba can make his mark.
Free Willian with every purchase!
Ceballos heading back to Madrid at the end of the season - cracking start to the summer so far!
I was thinking yesterday about how Timo Werner ia a) shit, b) on a big contract and c) plays for Chelski
I'd say the chances of him ending up at Arsenal in the next few years are pretty high...
Willian is expected to leave in the summer according to that Fabrizio Romano bloke.
Please say this isn't a wind up :pray:
So... what’s going on with the RB situation? Bellerin’s obviously off, but it doesn’t look like we’re 100% sold on any of the other options either? Kind of feels like we’re flinging shit at the wall and seeing what sticks?
Chambo is decent and personally i don't think Soares has been given enough of a run for us to be sure of him either, another problem with all Arteta's tinkering
I'd sell Bellerin and and Cedric. Bring in a 1st choice right back and back up left back. Keep Chambers.
Judging by all the chopping and changing it doesn’t sound like Arteta really rates any of them as first choice material (fair), so I guess we’ve been auditioning these guys for the role of backup?
I wonder if we’ve maybe already made up our mind that £75k/wk is just too much to be paying a backup RB (Cedric) given our financial losses, and have started looking at Chambers as an alternative? Or it could just be as simple as Chambers stepped in as cover one week and hasn’t deserved to be dropped since?
Either way, we definitely need a first choice RB - Tierney makes such a massive difference to how Arteta wants to play and we instantly drop a couple of levels whenever he’s out. Backup for Tierney and a right-sided Tierney have to be priorities this summer.
Willock - keep or sell?
Ødegaard - buy or bye?
I would sell Willock if we were to receive a big offer. I know he’s done well at Newcastle but I don’t see where he fits in with us. It’s a bit like Iwobi where he didn’t really have a role with us and Everton just offered silly money for the sake of it.
Don’t see what Odegaard has done to merit a big transfer, has he done more than Ozil would have? Not sure.
odegaard started well but he would be very expensive. if we get an offer for willock then selling probably be best unless arteta actually has a plan for him.
we need to raise money, bellerin looks on way out which should raise some.
Yeah, I still think I’d sell Willock. I keep flip-flopping on him, but like MO I’m still not 100% sure what he is or where he fits? He’s almost like a second striker, and, whilst that might be a useful option at times, I don’t think he has the creativity to go with the goals that he’d need to be a starter for us. And if he’s not getting regular starts I can see his confidence and form sliding again. Cash in while he’s on a roll and reinvest.
That being said, I think we should push hard on the fee - he’s probably scored about 80% of Newcastle’s goals since he went there and that’s pretty much kept them up, so that comes at a cost. And he’s homegrown so there’s no quota issues! I would imagine Newcastle would want at least £30-35m for someone like Saint-Maximin if anyone came calling, and Willock has outshone him on his loan, so that’s the minimum I’d accept. Anything less and I’d tell them to stroll on.
Agree with you chaps about Ødegaard, too. As a January loan I thought it was a fantastic bit of business. As a permanent move, though, I think we could probably get someone better for less than Madrid would want.
definitely i was thinking exactly the same - he kept them up single-handed and if they keep him, then with saint-maximin and wilson fit, plus Almiron's been good lately, they could be a lot more successful next season - so we should absolutely push hard on it
Thoughts on what happens to current squad?
Assuming Ceballos and Odegaard are returning to RM, for me;
Keep
Leno - not our biggest issue
Ryan - seems solid back up
Chambers - done enough and home grown
Holding - as above
Saliba - has to be involved next season
Gabriel - first choice
Mari - solid back up
Tierney - obviously
Partey - obviously (but needs to improve)
Elneny - ok back up but sell if decent offer
Smith Rowe - obviously
Saka - obviously
Pepe - redeemed himself
Martinelli - obviously
Auba - needs to get his mojo back
Loan
AMN - full season on loan to pump his value
Nelson - as above
Sell / release
Bellerin - time is up
Cedric - can't afford a 3rd choice RB
Luiz - bye
Kolasinac - bye
Willian - bye
Guendouzi - hasn't worked out
Torreira - as above
Xhaka - peak value
Laca - as above
Eddie - Balogun takes his spot
Willock - only if offer is big enough
That should leave space for 3-4 signings and a couple of the youngsters (Balogun and Azeez)