I get your point of view on principle and normally I wouldn't advocate spending such sums on a single player myself. As you suggest, we can afford to, but not within the current strategy. If Wenger was willing to spend 100 mill on Mbappe (which I am increasingly hearing was true) then I see no reason why we can't take a hit now. People just blindly choose to believe it isn't possible because that is what they would have the club do themselves.
I think we've wasted vast sums of money of players we didn't need to buying players we weren't fully convinced about or buying cheap...so buying twice rather than just going for the right quality in the first place. I understand there is a need from a lot of people to suddenly see everything the current regime is doing as studiously wise and canny but I really question the Leno purchase which itself was no small fee considering we don't even expect him beyond doubt to be first team. I am certain that had we actually signed Oblak instead of Leno most people would have made their peace with it, be justifying it and praising it in equal measure!
I would love us to sign a world class midfielder but we're not going to sign one for 70 million.....it would cost probably in excess of 100 mil....see Milinkovic-savic. Besides, we've already done smart business on Torreira....so the key position their is addressed unless Ramsey gives us another headache by leave, which he may still do.
We should always be looking to improve wherever the position....we could win the league with an inferior keeper to Oblak, but the rest of the team needs so much work we would have even more work to do in the other positions. We've made our decision on the goalkeeper already so yeah I'm debating for the sake of debating (which some on here oddly seem to be failing to understand despite being enlisted on a chat forum).
Yes, if Ramsey decides to go, we'll need a CM. If Xhaka can't improve his game, we'll need a CM. If Ozil can't adjust to playing on the wing, we'll need a replacement for him as well. Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan are close to hitting 30 as well. If it cost £100m for a superstar player, it is what it is. Supply and demand. All the more reason why I'm against spending close to that amount on a position that isn't high demand / short supply. Nome of our rivals have spent anything close to that amount on a goalkeeper, even the super clubs. Where is the evidence that £70m is the new standard for a goalkeeper?
No idea! It’s all gone very quiet.
I really hope he stays - his engine will be a real asset if we’re going for an intense, high press, and his ability to effectively double-up as either a third midfielder or a second striker will certainly be useful for those overloads that everyone keeps going on about.
Having said that, I also hope we have a deadline and a backup plan and in mind, if it comes to it.
One positive is that I haven’t heard shit from the player or his agent, agitating for a move away, and there’s been no leaked stories of interest or cryptic farewell tweets.
It isn't anything like a new standard. I just think given the profile of the player he is worth it....and from a purely business asset point of view (not my personal inclination....just playing devil's advocate) it is certainly a reasonable investment.
Like I said, I get why others don't but I really believe he is. Like I also said, this is partly motivated by my being plagued with doubts about how good Leno is.... but when he finally plays for us, if he proves to be a worldie, I will rightfully congratulate the current regime on an excellent choice. It is about time we had a world class goalkeeper just as I thought after we finally signed Aubameyang it is about bloody time we had a world class forward.
I don't see a problem personally, though I agree about inflating the market, you say we can find talent but in 22 years we haven't found once top class keeper, if it was that easy most top clubs would find one and not bother buying one in. Chesney isn't top class IMO, good keeper and all that but not top class.
The reality is finding any top class player is hard, regardless of position, Spurs found Kane (we had him in fact but didn't rate him oddly) and didn't need to spend megabucks, Liverpool have found several top strikers at decent money as well.
Maybe not, but every club that has won the titlein England in recent times has had a top keeper I think, but it can make the difference between winning it and not winning it, in big games where chances are few and far between a keeper can be the difference between winning and losing
Gazidis is going to AC Milan.
Weird.
NOTE: The location of this post has been moved and the thread title (which was previously Wenger is Leaving) has been manipulated by a notorious pro-Wenger moderator. What was previously a message that contained no profanity and made a comment on a real life event has now been manipulated by a deliberately provocative title. An old and crude propaganda and censorship technique.
That would be utterly bizarre.
Milan might want him but I really doubt he’s going to leave during the most important period of his time with us.