Winter Transfer Panic Buying and Misery.

[selassie]

I can live with Xhaka, as long as we’re still looking to strengthen CM.

But if we strengthen CM then I doubt he’ll want to stay anyway, so that one might resolve itself.

I dunno... he’s a long way from our worst CM, and he does go on these decent runs of form, but I just have an issue with players that need other players alongside them to ‘fill in their blanks’ - you shouldn’t have to use two spots in your starting XI to make one complete player.

Yeah, he's an issue but not our biggest issue.

The problem we have now is that we have question marks in pretty much every area of the First XI which is a major concern considering what we have spent over the past few seasons.

We have no room for error now, we have to get our recruitment right if we want to close the gap on the top 6 or whatever you want to call them.

I personally think there are 6, maybe 7 teams in the league that are unquestionably better teams than us, off the top of my head....Liverpool, City, United, Leicester, Spuds & Chelsea. I think at present we fall into the top 7-10 kind of level with teams such as Everton & Southampton. We are a Europa league level team now, I don't see us as a CL challenger until we improve the team.

[selassie]

it's partly relative, i.e. he's not as bad as he was so people are thiinking 'Xhaka's ok' but he still has that ability to be sent off for something stupid, which will never leave him, plus he's too slow and overall just seems a bit of an a*sehole

i won't feel we've got a team that's genuinely ready to compete until we've got rid of flawed players like him for something better

Yep, outside of Partey and ESR, our midfield is a complete mess. I'd happily trade any of the others....Xhaka, Ceballos (not our player anyway), Elneny, Willock, Torreira & Guendouzi for new players.

[I am invisible]

we've messed up on Balogun

with Saka last season, we made him feel he'd be part of the future by playing him every week up to the point he signed a new contract (then stopped playing him so much for a while )

but for some reason with Balogun we're doing the opposite and it ain't working

it's a real messup by Arteta and Edu IMO

These things tend to come down to nothing more than being in the right place at the right time sometimes. I remember everyone giving us grief for letting Yaya Toure slip away, but the reality was he had the Invincibles' midfield in front of him at the time, so who would you have dropped to give him minutes?

With Saka and ESR, the stars have almost lined up perfectly for them, and they've hit first team readiness just as we've found ourself really short on quality in their areas. For Balogun the route into the side looks tougher - he's up against the likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Martinelli.

It's so annoying because I really think his path to the first team will suddenly open out this summer - we just need that extra 6 months to be able to clear a path for him, but unfortunately that's just what we don't have. What can you do though? At 19, he's already got a reputation for running down his contracts to strengthen his hand, so I don't think this situation is entirely the club's fault - if he's not showing any signs of committing then of course we're going to give the minutes he wants to someone who either has a future here or who we can boost the value of and sell for a profit.

[I am invisible]

it's partly relative, i.e. he's not as bad as he was so people are thiinking 'Xhaka's ok' but he still has that ability to be sent off for something stupid, which will never leave him, plus he's too slow and overall just seems a bit of an a*sehole

i won't feel we've got a team that's genuinely ready to compete until we've got rid of flawed players like him for something better

I loved Le-Grove's analogy yesterday...

...Thomas Partey is a fucking dream. I remember working in a factory when I was young. I thought the babes in there were true babes… then I’d head into London town and realise the truth. We’ve been looking at factory babes in midfield. Mo and Xhaka look sexy together when we have injuries, but put them in All Bar One in Fenchurch Street next to Thomas Partey in his Top Shop stilettos and you suddenly realise what you’ve been missing.

[I am invisible]

Yep, outside of Partey and ESR, our midfield is a complete mess. I'd happily trade any of the others....Xhaka, Ceballos (not our player anyway), Elneny, Willock, Torreira & Guendouzi for new players.

This has to be the focus this summer. Defence and attack both jump up a level when midfield is doing it's job.

We wouldn't even need to sign a replacement for every one of those guys - I reckon we could probably lose 4 or 5 of them and only need to recruit 2, if the standard is high enough.

[Mac76]

I loved Le-Grove's analogy yesterday...

[Mac76]

These things tend to come down to nothing more than being in the right place at the right time sometimes. I remember everyone giving us grief for letting Yaya Toure slip away, but the reality was he had the Invincibles' midfield in front of him at the time, so who would you have dropped to give him minutes?

With Saka and ESR, the stars have almost lined up perfectly for them, and they've hit first team readiness just as we've found ourself really short on quality in their areas. For Balogun the route into the side looks tougher - he's up against the likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Martinelli.

It's so annoying because I really think his path to the first team will suddenly open out this summer - we just need that extra 6 months to be able to clear a path for him, but unfortunately that's just what we don't have. What can you do though? HAt 19, he's already got a reputation for running down his contracts to strengthen his hand, so I don't think this situation is entirely the club's fault - if he's not showing any signs of committing then of course we're going to give the minutes he wants to someone who either has a future here or who we can boost the value of and sell for a profit.

yes, some good points there, for me I'd try to fast-track Balogun into the side where I could, to convince him to stay - after all we did it with Saka last season up to the point he signed - but sure, given both Laca and now Auba have remembered where the net is, plus with Martinelli returning, it's not easy - a big pity though

[I am invisible]

yes, some good points there, for me I'd try to fast-track Balogun into the side where I could, to convince him to stay - after all we did it with Saka last season up to the point he signed - but sure, given both Laca and now Auba have remembered where the net is, plus with Martinelli returning, it's not easy - a big pity though

I honestly don't know how I'd play this one? Selling Nketiah in this window would be ideal, but I can't see us doing that unless Balogun commits first. Which he probably won't do unless we clear a path for him first! Mexican stand-off.

[Mac76]

I honestly don't know how I'd play this one? Selling Nketiah in this window would be ideal, but I can't see us doing that unless Balogun commits first. Which he probably won't do unless we clear a path for him first! Mexican stand-off.

Nketiah's such trash I'd sell him regardless - we've got Auba, Laca, Martinelli and if we had to we could even put Saka or Pepe up front and they'd do a much better job than Eddie

[I am invisible]

Nketiah's such trash I'd sell him regardless - we've got Auba, Laca, Martinelli and if we had to we could even put Saka or Pepe up front and they'd do a much better job than Eddie

Yeah, I guess it doesn't make much difference at this point - if we're planning on selling Nketiah anyway, and if Balogun's going to leave anyway, then we might as well sell Eddie now, get 5 months out of the better player, and then spend the Eddie-money in the summer?