Yeah I think he’d be daft to go to Spurs, given he’d be third fiddle to Kane and Son.
He’s been a background player long enough and if he fancies a proper challenge we’re the logical choice. I’m confident we will get him as long as we don’t dick City around with the fee.
Sounds like the papers / click bait sites making sure they get their saga to me.
Not really sure why spurs would be after a big money-forward when they need everything but! If I were them I’d be looking at wing backs, CMs, CBs and a new keeper.
Also, don’t forget half their budget will instantly go on paying for Romero and Kulusevski, if they want to keep them.
Us and spurs are doing very different things so we’re going to appeal to different players.Originally Posted by cricketsi
Spurs are a team built around Kane and Son, who are going to be 30 and 31 this year, led by Conte, who rarely stays anywhere for more than 18-24 months - their needs are very short- / immediate-term so they’re going to appeal to players in their peak years (28-29yo) or just coming to the end of their peak years (e.g. Perisic). They’re going to be less appealing to the best young players because all of their major selling points will likely have moved on or be on the decline by the time they hit their peak years.
We’re the opposite of that - our best players are all 20-24, and we have a young manager who’s building toward something in the mid- / long-term. Our “project” still has its best years ahead of it, and when we hit them we’ll have a good 5 of 6 years at that level to make something happen, so we’re going to appeal to the best young players - players who are looking to develop and grow as part of something, and get a lot of minutes at a big club from a young age. We’re not going to appeal to players who are in the middle of their peak years, or who are coming to the end of their peak years - basically players who only have a couple of years left at the top of their game and don’t have time for a project.
Where we might see some cross-over is players in the 24-25 yo bracket - players just about to enter their peak years, but who still have a lot of time on their side. There will be pros and cons to either club there, so with them it will probably come down to ‘fit’ and opportunity.
Is it possible to find 11 players in the 20-24 age bracket who will stick around if a 5-6 year project starts to bear fruit? Won't they use their game time and increasing exposure, coupled with the assumed successful (or at least progressive) outcome as an advertising pitch for the bigger clubs? The players aren't here for the club or the fans any more, they are here for the money.
If football really wants to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots it needs to find a way to make contracts enforceable, or at least ruinously prohibitive if breached. Look at the dogs sniffing around Saka. What do you think a kid that age is going to do if offered some obscene amount of cash every week and a brighter spotlight elsewhere? Do you think he's going to hang around out of loyalty to the club? Or in thanks for the club helping him to achieve what he's achieved so far?
Is it possible for a mid-level club like Arsenal (financially speaking) to retain a full team of young players dedicated to long service? Hell, you have to start renegotiating improved contracts with players 5 minutes after they arrive these days.
Of course football is going in the exact opposite direction and turning contracts into confetti. The Mbappe deal is beyond the bounds of conceivable absurdity.
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Sure it is. For a little while, at least. 5 or 6 years of patience might be stretching it, but I think you’d get a good 3 or 4 years before they started getting antsy - more than enough time to show that it’s worth sticking with if there is something to it. And tbh if “the project” hasn’t shown any signs of going anywhere by then then it’s probably time to tear it down and try something different anyway.
This is nothing to worry about, though - it’s the same for all clubs. Top players come and go - always have, always will. Some leave for glory, some want the status of being the big dog, some want to be closer to home, some want to experience a different country, some get bored and want a new challenge - even the most successful sides have to put up with it (Mane wants out of ‘pool, Jesus, Sterling and Zinchenko could all be leaving City, Gnabry isn’t signing an extension at Munich, Kane tried to leave spurs last summer, etc). For me the sign of a big club isn’t being able to desperately cling on to your best players - it’s being able to casually brush off their departures and move on without breaking stride (like Liverpool did with Suarez, Sterling and Coutinho).
As long as the players you invest in have resale value and you’re keeping their contracts topped up then you’ll always get another spin, and thankfully we’re getting much better at that. On a personal level I’d obviously love for Saka to stay here his whole career and lead us back to glory (and I think he’ll sign at least one more contract with us), but if he wants to leave then I’m not going to lose any sleep over it - he cost us nothing and he’ll leave for ‘rebuild the team’ money if he goes. The players I really worry about are the Özils and Aubas and Lacazettes of this world - players who cost us a fortune in fees and wages and then leave for nothing. As players I don’t miss any of them in the slightest, but in terms of moving on those are the departures that really hurt.
Last edited by I am invisible; 11-06-2022 at 03:37 PM.
Ffs, why does everyone in Europe suddenly want a striker this summer? I thought we we’re going to have a fairly clear run at whoever was on the market, but now spurs, chelsea, psg, juventus, etc are all trying to horn in on our racket! Fuck. Off.
Because we are not in Champions League and they can.
It's our fault for bottling the top four race. It was ALWAYS going to come back and bite us.
Lots of chatter about us bringing in a new right winger (Bowen and Raphina the latest names linked). Hope we can find a way to move Pepe on and give Saka some meaningful cover.
I hear you, I don't really care if you re right or wrong because I couldn't give a toss about this club any more. But for fans who do, I hope you are right, although I think you are probably more hopeful than confident. The real cost of second best is measured in many ways. One wolf whistle from a genuine top tier club, which Arsenal no longer is (by choice), and I place precisely zero value on the integrity of the player. I think they are all whores, personally. Out for top dollar above all else. I can't think of an example that says otherwise. But surely there is one, somewhere. Arsenal needs eleven, on the cheap. Can that happen?
Not really.
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I am on the same page as you.
Am I still in love with Arsenal Football Club? Not really.
I am 55 (yep, very old!) and remember the club as it once was, traditional.
There is no way that I can totally switch off and not look at their results. But I certainly won't lose sleep if they are doing bad.
The strange thing is that I hate Spur#s just as much! Not sure why, but I do. Some things never change I guess
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