summer '22 transfer craziness and stupidity

[Mac76]

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/mikel-arteta-arsenal-transfer-decision-23024817

:pray: :pray: :pray:

[selassie]

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/mikel-arteta-arsenal-transfer-decision-23024817

:pray: :pray: :pray:

It's going to be a busy summer for ins and outs that's for sure. Let's hope we get it right again, last summers business looks to be very good TBF.

[GP]

We need a lot of players in the summer.

Backup RB, a CM (two probably) two strikers.

Assuming Eddie, Laca, Xhaka and Leno leave.

[I am invisible]

Well the keeper situation is already sorted at least. And we can add Big Bill Saliba to the defence as soon as the French season ends, so that's two right off the bat.

I think we'll go big for a CF and a left-sided 8. And If Xhaka finally gets his move then we'll need another CM, but I wouldn't be surprised if that sat more in the 'smart buy' category - another Tomiyasu who no one sees coming.

Beyond that I think a second CF and a backup RB might depend on how Balogun and Norton-Cuffy get on for the rest of the season on their respective loans - if we do need to dip into the market there I reckon those will be moves that no one sees coming either.

So that's my predictions - two big moves, and anywhere between 0-3 smart buys.

On the plus side, we've already done most of our clearing before the summer even starts, so for once we won't have to sit around waiting for players to leave before we can do anything!

[IBK]

Well the keeper situation is already sorted at least. And we can add Big Bill Saliba to the defence as soon as the French season ends, so that's two right off the bat.

I think we'll go big for a CF and a left-sided 8. And If Xhaka finally gets his move then we'll need another CM, but I wouldn't be surprised if that sat more in the 'smart buy' category - another Tomiyasu who no one sees coming.

Beyond that I think a second CF and a backup RB might depend on how Balogun and Norton-Cuffy get on for the rest of the season on their respective loans - if we do need to dip into the market there I reckon those will be moves that no one sees coming either.

So that's my predictions - two big moves, and anywhere between 0-3 smart buys.

On the plus side, we've already done most of our clearing before the summer even starts, so for once we won't have to sit around waiting for players to leave before we can do anything!

Also, generally we seem to have moved from a situation where we were desperate for replacement players to 'solve' the team - now we are looking at adjustments to improve it. That is a step change.

[I am invisible]

Also, generally we seem to have moved from a situation where we were desperate for replacement players to 'solve' the team - now we are looking at adjustments to improve it. That is a step change.

Putting aside the playing side of things for a sec, the job these guys have done in turning the tanker off the pitch has been impressive - it's gotten ugly at times, but, you know... this is how the sausage is made. I'm just glad someone has aggressively tackled it because it needed to happen - as you say, for the first time in years it feels like we can think about building again, and aren't just baling water while the tide's coming in.

[Chippy]

Guendouzi has signed a three year deal with Marseille for just £9m.

That seems like a steal in the current climate.

[I am invisible]

Guendouzi has signed a three year deal with Marseille for just £9m.

That seems like a steal in the current climate.
That’s what happens when you only have one interested party and one offer. Unfortunately the problems with Guendouzi’s character are common knowledge within scouting and coaching circles and no one else was touching him. Maybe if he grows up a bit during his time at Marseille then there might be some bigger interest in his next move, but right now no one else wants to take the risk.

[Mac76]

That’s what happens when you only have one interested party and one offer. Unfortunately the problems with Guendouzi’s character are common knowledge within scouting and coaching circles and no one else was touching him. Maybe if he grows up a bit during his time at Marseille then there might be some bigger interest in his next move, but right now no one else wants to take the risk.

so says you - and even if it's true, it's because Arteta's gone and damaged ou asset by freezing him out so publicly

he's pulling up trees for Marseille and Arsenal have been dumb enough to give him away cheaply because Arteta doesn't like him

[I am invisible]

so says you - and even if it's true, it's because Arteta's gone and damaged ou asset by freezing him out so publicly

he's pulling up trees for Marseille and Arsenal have been dumb enough to give him away cheaply because Arteta doesn't like him

Mate, he had issues with his coach at Lorient, with Emery, with Ljungberg, with Arteta, with the coach at Hertha Berlin - where were all the other bids for him, especially at such a knock-down price? No one wanted to go near him.

[Mac76]

Mate, he had issues with his coach at Lorient, with Emery, with Ljungberg, with Arteta, with the coach at Hertha Berlin - where were all the other bids for him, especially at such a knock-down price? No one wanted to go near him.

well i don't know about Lorient but Emery and Arteta basically have the same small-dick syndrome which means they're having to be the big boss all the time - it's the other side of the coin that gets Xhaka first place on the team sheet, he's obviously a real teacher's pet

clubs don't have much to spend atm overall either, plus we dont know the small print, e.g. the option for Marseilles to buy if they watned, ahead of bids from other clubs?

[IBK]

well i don't know about Lorient but Emery and Arteta basically have the same small-dick syndrome which means they're having to be the big boss all the time - it's the other side of the coin that gets Xhaka first place on the team sheet, he's obviously a real teacher's pet

clubs don't have much to spend atm overall either, plus we dont know the small print, e.g. the option for Marseilles to buy if they watned, ahead of bids from other clubs?

I have an alternative view re Arteta and the players he has offloaded. All coaches need to have egos if they are going to make step changes and be successful with the model that Arsenal is now following. Emery was nowhere near strong enough to do what was needed at Arsenal and that is fundamentally to change the mindset of the players. I don't think that the togetherness in the squad can be doubted now, and while Arteta's methods may have been fairly blunt, I can't fault him for this. Few people appear to be able to grasp that the bedrock of a successful team is sprit; unity and mindset as much as talent. If the manager decided that Guendouzi; Auba; Willian etc were not committed to the cause or were a disruptive influence, then I applaud him for letting them go. The manager is not responsible for the club's finances.

As for Xhaka. For all we critcise his mistakes on the pitch he can rarely, if ever, be fairly criticised for lack of effort or professionalism - and remains committed despite the captaincy debacle; and almost being sold in the Summer. the same can be said for Laca - who is turming out to be an amazing captain who leaves it all out on the pitch despite knowing that he will be leaving the club in a few months' time. THAT is the attitude I want to see at the club - not Guendouzi's.

[selassie]

Guendouzi has signed a three year deal with Marseille for just £9m.

That seems like a steal in the current climate.

We more or less gave him away as he had issues with Arteta. We should be thankful we even got a fee for him, Edu has paid off most of the other players we have got rid of recently! :lol:

On a serious note it was a steal in the current climate, he is playing very well over there apparently and is now a regular in the France Squad. Still a troubled character though.

[Marc Overmars]

It’s of course a shame to lose another asset for peanuts but Guendouzi was a little cunt. Not someone Arteta wanted around the place and as the boss that’s fair enough.

Not been the biggest Arteta fan over recent times but I have to applaud him for weeding out everyone who didn’t want to tow the line. The club needed stripping back to the bare bones for years and now we’ve finally got what seems like a settled group. You have to think this summer is the big one where he will look to add the final pieces of the puzzle.

[IBK]

We more or less gave him away as he had issues with Arteta. We should be thankful we even got a fee for him, Edu has paid off most of the other players we have got rid of recently! :lol:

On a serious note it was a steal in the current climate, he is playing very well over there apparently and is now a regular in the France Squad. Still a troubled character though.

Problem is though that it is revisionist and inaccurate to look at how well ex players may be perfroming since they left Arsenal, and then make judgments on the wisdom of letting them go. Whether a player succeeds is down to a multitude of factors - of which perhaps the most important (more than individual talent) is how they gel with their team mates; manager; system and ethos of a club. There are countless examples of players thriving at one club when they were not the right fit for another - in fact this is almost the norm. For whatever reason Guendouzi was not right for Arteta's Arsenal, and we need to accept that and move on. The player himself did as much or more to devalue himself as an asset for us as the manager did, and like MO I think Arteta did the right thing by letting him go. Same goes for Auba - albeit that I think his departure was due to more nuanced issues of him no longer being right for our sysyem, and an impediment to the team spirit and ethos that the manager is trying to instill.

[Mac76]

As for Xhaka. For all we critcise his mistakes on the pitch he can rarely, if ever, be fairly criticised for lack of effort or professionalism .

seriously? how 'professional' is it to constantly be sent off and yellow-carded, or presenting goal-scoring opportunities to the opposition?

[IBK]

seriously? how 'professional' is it to constantly be sent off and yellow-carded, or presenting goal-scoring opportunities to the opposition?

I think you are conflating lack of ability with lack of professionalism. Patrick Vieira is the jonit Arsena record holder for number of yellow cards in one season. He also holds the joint EPL recors for red cards; flirted a number of times with other clubs and allegedly threatened to break Roy Keane's leg. Would you argue that he was unprofessional. Most people certainly wouldn't.

And this is my issue with the Xhaka hate. Most of it stems from the fact that he is in many fans eyes not good enough. In many cases, it is his lack of pace - and desperate attempts to make up for being bested by opposition players - that has led to his bookings. It could be argued that he cares too much, and certainly that he lacks the right temperament to deal with pressure situations, but I don't think this is most accurately described as a lack of professionalism.

By all accounts, the player is one of the hardest training players we have; a 'go to' player in terms of leadership of other players; and generally speaking his injury record has been astonishing - that perhaps speaks to a desire to be in the picth as well as a physical robustness. He has accepted being played out of position (eg LB) without complaint; never bleats to the press; continued to put maximum effort in after being stripped of the captaincy (admittedly after an unprofessional reaction to the crowd); knuckled down after attemopts to offload him to Roma during the Summer, and while he just isn't an 8/10 player (not his fault) can generally be relied upon to give 7/10 performances week in week out.

Given Arteta's treatment of players who don't have the right attitude - including players the club has had to pay to leave - do you really think he doesn't show professionalism to the manager?

I don't particularly want to be a Xhaka cheerleader but I find the hate of this player tiresome. As matters stand he is an integral part of a team that is perfoming well.

[Mac76]

I think you are conflating lack of ability with lack of professionalism. Patrick Vieira is the jonit Arsena record holder for number of yellow cards in one season. He also holds the joint EPL recors for red cards; flirted a number of times with other clubs and allegedly threatened to break Roy Keane's leg. Would you argue that he was unprofessional. Most people certainly wouldn't.

And this is my issue with the Xhaka hate. Most of it stems from the fact that he is in many fans eyes not good enough. In many cases, it is his lack of pace - and desperate attempts to make up for being bested by opposition players - that has led to his bookings. It could be argued that he cares too much, and certainly that he lacks the right temperament to deal with pressure situations, but I don't think this is most accurately described as a lack of professionalism.

By all accounts, the player is one of the hardest training players we have; a 'go to' player in terms of leadership of other players; and generally speaking his injury record has been astonishing - that perhaps speaks to a desire to be in the picth as well as a physical robustness. He has accepted being played out of position (eg LB) without complaint; never bleats to the press; continued to put maximum effort in after being stripped of the captaincy (admittedly after an unprofessional reaction to the crowd); knuckled down after attemopts to offload him to Roma during the Summer, and while he just isn't an 8/10 player (not his fault) can generally be relied upon to give 7/10 performances week in week out.

Given Arteta's treatment of players who don't have the right attitude - including players the club has had to pay to leave - do you really think he doesn't show professionalism to the manager?

I don't particularly want to be a Xhaka cheerleader but I find the hate of this player tiresome. As matters stand he is an integral part of a team that is perfoming well.



err, i'd say that making senseless tackles in dangerous areas of the pitch isn't just a lack of ability, it's also a lack of professional judgement

storming off the pitch telling the fans to f*ck off and throwing the armband away is also a lack of professional judgement

so he's not professional and how you can claim otherwise is beyond me

as far as 'integrl part of the team' is concerned we do perfectly well wtihout him (which we have to do a lot as he gets sent off so regularly)

there's not enough Xhaka hate IMO, he should be booed by every fan when he walks onto the pitch so he and Arteta get the message and he f*cks off out of our club

[IBK]

err, i'd say that making senseless tackles in dangerous areas of the pitch isn't just a lack of ability, it's also a lack of professional judgement

storming off the pitch telling the fans to f*ck off and throwing the armband away is also a lack of professional judgement

so he's not professional and how you can claim otherwise is beyond me

as far as 'integrl part of the team' is concerned we do perfectly well wtihout him (which we have to do a lot as he gets sent off so regularly)

there's not enough Xhaka hate IMO, he should be booed by every fan when he walks onto the pitch so he and Arteta get the message and he f*cks off out of our club

Your last line shows me that there is no point debating this further with you.

[I am invisible]

At the time I think Arteta just had too many fires to put out and had inherited so many problem players that he just couldn’t afford to keep devoting so much time to Guendouzi and his nonsense.

This issue of professionalism isn’t so much about whether players have a rush of blood to the head when they’re on the pitch - it’s about how they conduct themselves around their place of business. Who can be trusted to listen and get on with their jobs without needing constant supervision? And who is a constant distraction who takes way too much time and oxygen away from work you should be doing with the group? We all know the types - I’m sure we’ve all had them at our respective jobs.

If you were just talking about one or two of the latter type in an otherwise professional group then I think we may have been able to work with them, but as it was I think we had so many of them that there was no choice but to break them up and move them on. They’d formed a clique and were feeding off each other’s shitty attitudes, and unfortunately we didn’t get to Guendouzi in time before he’d been become too absorbed into it. In that respect I feel a little sorry for him because I think, if he’d come into this current Arsenal, where the culture and attitude is much improved, then we might have been better able to work with him.

(Incidentally I suspect this is an important secondary reason why we were keen to get Saliba away from the club - there were a couple of early warnings signs that he was gravitating towards that clique and I think think we wanted to keep him as far away from it as possible until it had been dismantled and the club was a better environment for him to be in.)

[IBK]

At the time I think Arteta just had too many fires to put out and had inherited so many problem players that he just couldn’t afford to keep devoting so much time to Guendouzi and his nonsense.

This issue of professionalism isn’t so much about whether players have a rush of blood to the head when they’re on the pitch - it’s about how they conduct themselves around their place of business. Who can be trusted to listen and get on with their jobs without needing constant supervision? And who is a constant distraction who takes way too much time and oxygen away from work you should be doing with the group? We all know the types - I’m sure we’ve all had them at our respective jobs.

If you were just talking about one or two of the latter type in an otherwise professional group then I think we may have been able to work with them, but as it was I think we had so many of them that there was no choice but to break them up and move them on. They’d formed a clique and were feeding off each other’s shitty attitudes, and unfortunately we didn’t get to Guendouzi in time before he’d been become too absorbed into it. In that respect I feel a little sorry for him because I think, if he’d come into this current Arsenal, where the culture and attitude is much improved, then we might have been better able to work with him.

(Incidentally I suspect this is an important secondary reason why we were keen to get Saliba away from the club - there were a couple of early warnings signs that he was gravitating towards that clique and I think think we wanted to keep him as far away from it as possible until it had been dismantled and the club was a better environment for him to be in.)

This. :good:

[selassie]

Problem is though that it is revisionist and inaccurate to look at how well ex players may be perfroming since they left Arsenal, and then make judgments on the wisdom of letting them go. Whether a player succeeds is down to a multitude of factors - of which perhaps the most important (more than individual talent) is how they gel with their team mates; manager; system and ethos of a club. There are countless examples of players thriving at one club when they were not the right fit for another - in fact this is almost the norm. For whatever reason Guendouzi was not right for Arteta's Arsenal, and we need to accept that and move on. The player himself did as much or more to devalue himself as an asset for us as the manager did, and like MO I think Arteta did the right thing by letting him go. Same goes for Auba - albeit that I think his departure was due to more nuanced issues of him no longer being right for our sysyem, and an impediment to the team spirit and ethos that the manager is trying to instill.

Oh I agree IBK. No room for either player in the current squad or Arteta's Arsenal. For all the grumbling of Arteta, he is doing a good job this season and him and Edu bought well in the summer. I trust them in the market on the back of what they did last summer, we are in relatively safe hands with them replacing Guendouzi and Auba so to speak.

[Mac76]

Good article about Rashford - doesn't mention us as a potential buyer but if we make top four i think the Kroenkes will get the chequebook out and I'd like to see him come to us, it feels like a good fit

Yes he's lost a bit of form but Man Ure is a basket case atm and I reckon he'd love playing with Saka, ESR, Odegaard etc

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/11/marcus-rashford-facing-crossroads-with-manchester-united-dream-souring

[Mac76]

Your last line shows me that there is no point debating this further with you.

That seems like an easy way to avoid the rest of the points I'd made, I might be pretty anti-Xhaka but it's all based on fact, in terms of what we've seen on many occasions

[I am invisible]

I’m pretty sure you’ll get your Xhaka-wish this summer, Mac - he’s wanted out since telling the fans to F off, and he’s ended up stuck here because of the pandemic and the dead post-pandemic market. Chuck in the fact that we’re transitioning to a system that clearly doesn’t suit him and I think these next couple of months will be his last in an Arsenal shirt.

[Mac76]

I’m pretty sure you’ll get your Xhaka-wish this summer, Mac - he’s wanted out since telling the fans to F off, and he’s ended up stuck here because of the pandemic and the dead post-pandemic market. Chuck in the fact that we’re transitioning to a system that clearly doesn’t suit him and I think these next couple of months will be his last in an Arsenal shirt.

Well we could have sold him to Roma last summer but Arteta gave him a new contract, still I'm hoping Arteta will finally start to see how sub-par he is compared to the rest of the side, it was very obvious yesterday because as you say he's not the best in that more forward role

[I am invisible]

Well we could have sold him to Roma last summer but Arteta gave him a new contract, still I'm hoping Arteta will finally start to see how sub-par he is compared to the rest of the side, it was very obvious yesterday because as you say he's not the best in that more forward role

There was always willingness to let him go last summer - maybe not desperation, but certainly willingness. I think that move was just contingent on being able to bring in a specific replacement, and either Roma didn't bid enough for us to be able to afford that replacement, or else the move for that replacement fell through so we called it off.

(I also wonder whether it may have come down to the squad not quite being ready to move away from 4231 and the double-pivot at the start of the season, and needing an extra 6 months to fully transition to 433? If you're planning to make his role redundant by the second half of the season, but you still need someone to do the job for another few months until you're ready, then the best solution may have been to keep him around for another year and gradually fade him out, rather than going for a sharp change at the start of the year and having 6 months of disruption as we find our way?)

Whatever the reason, though, the contract extension always felt more like a bribe to me than a 'this is my guy' vote of confidence: the player gets a tidy little pay bump to keep him happy and in return we get another year to find his replacement, whilst retaining his value. It's cost us in some moments here and there, but overall, when you look at where we are now, you can't say it's worked out badly.

I just can't be bothered getting wound up by it any more. It's only ever worth getting stressed about things that you have the power to change, and there's nothing we can do about this until the summer now. It seems pretty clear to me that he's on the way out - 433 is clearly the way Arteta wants us to play, and he's already commented that Xhaka isn't really suited to that left 8 role, and is just doing the job because that's what the team needs. There's an upgrade coming there, so at the very least I expect Xhaka will lose his place in the starting XI when that player comes in. More likely, though, he'll want to move on for a fresh challenge and a guaranteed starting role somewhere else.

[Mac76]

i certainly hope so, he's a weak link and given the stakes we just can't afford to go into every game not knowing whether we'll finsih with 11 men or not...

[Marc Overmars]

Bit of talk about us going for Rashford in the summer.

Interesting one. He’s gone a bit stale now but I also think he’s been poorly coached considering the ability he showed from a young age. I guess he fits the profile of player we’d be after and he’d probably benefit from a change of scenery.

[fakeyank]

Bit of talk about us going for Rashford in the summer.

Interesting one. He’s gone a bit stale now but I also think he’s been poorly coached considering the ability he showed from a young age. I guess he fits the profile of player we’d be after and he’d probably benefit from a change of scenery.

Not looking forward to the English tax on him.. think we should look elsewhere.

[Globalgunner]

Not looking forward to the English tax on him.. think we should look elsewhere.

Not to mention he is probably on a higher wage than anyone currently on our roster. We need to reverse that trajectory. Id take him on less than 200kpw though

[Bumble]

Not looking forward to the English tax on him.. think we should look elsewhere.

depends how long on his contract - how unhappy he is. the new united manager. we need a striker and are going to have to pay alot regardless unless we get lucky. he is also adaptable by playing out wide or up front. definitely think he is someone who would fit in to what we already have.

it will be interesting to see who we sign.

[Gooner23]

I think he'd be a good replacement for Pepe to compete with Saka & Martineli, but dont see him as our new starting no. 9.

Agree with Globalgunner though, can't see it working financially and we shouldn't be breaking the bank for him.

[I am invisible]

Can’t see Rashford being on our shortlist for our main CF move - too similar to Auba, imo, and that’s obviously not what we’re after in that role. Looking at the last few CFs we’ve enquired about over the last year - Abraham, Vlahovic, Isak - I think there’s a clear physical profile there that we’re after.

He’d be a good fit for the second forward that we should be aiming to bring in this summer - someone who can play all across the front 3, occasionally filling in at CF when needed - but it comes down to how much you’re willing to pay for a second forward? Personally, I think someone like a Cody Gakpo is closer to what we’ll go for there.

[selassie]

Not looking forward to the English tax on him.. think we should look elsewhere.

Me too. He would cost a fortune and come on huge wages, he is on 200k per week at the moment apparently. The likes of ESR & Saka who are closer to England's First XI than him would most likely want to earn at least the same if not more than him.

I think we can do better value than Rashford IMO.

Ironically I would be much happier with a DCL and then a primary target. I think someone like DCL would be happy enough as a rotational option and wouldn't cost a fortune (not cheap) or come on huge wages.

[Marc Overmars]

We definitely need at least 2 new additions to the front line and I’d be happy if Rashford was the secondary option. Not sure he’s what we need in terms of that main centre forward role but if there’s a way we could get him without breaking the bank it would be great business. He can play across the front 3 and at 24 you have to think he’s still young enough for a better coach to get the most out of him. Plus I’m sure he’d enjoy playing with the young guys we’ve got too.

We’d have to move Pepe on first though I would have thought. He can’t even get a look in with a threadbare squad, says it all.

[selassie]

Slightly off topic but still kind of related to transfers potentially. Anyway I hope we bring Saliba back for next season and rotate him with Gabriel and White like Liverpool do with Van Dijk, Matip & Konate.

Saliba's reputation is growing rapidly and he has now played twice for the French national team over the past week. Of the three CB's we have, Saliba has the highest ceiling IMO, the kid is 20 and looks a really good player already.

[I am invisible]

Slightly off topic but still kind of related to transfers potentially. Anyway I hope we bring Saliba back for next season and rotate him with Gabriel and White like Liverpool do with Van Dijk, Matip & Konate.

Saliba's reputation is growing rapidly and he has now played twice for the French national team over the past week. Of the three CB's we have, Saliba has the highest ceiling IMO, the kid is 20 and looks a really good player already.

Yeah, I'm really keen to see big Bill Saliba in an Arsenal shirt now - he looks an absolute unit! - but I'm also slightly concerned about the hype that's built up around him and him becoming a constant point of contention and conflict amongst fans (through no fault of his own). Need to remember that he's only just turned 21, has had a really tough couple of years, and he's yet to make the step up to the Premier League or show that he can settle in this country.

On the plus side, he's now a full international and people are already talking £50m valuations, so I think we win no matter where his future lies! He'll be alright and we'll be alright, whatever happens, so let's not worry about it too much.

[selassie]

Yeah, I'm really keen to see big Bill Saliba in an Arsenal shirt now - he looks an absolute unit! - but I'm also slightly concerned about the hype that's built up around him and him becoming a constant point of contention and conflict amongst fans (through no fault of his own). Need to remember that he's only just turned 21, has had a really tough couple of years, and he's yet to make the step up to the Premier League or show that he can settle in this country.

On the plus side, he's now a full international and people are already talking £50m valuations, so I think we win no matter where his future lies! He'll be alright and we'll be alright, whatever happens, so let's not worry about it too much.

Aye, he looks like he has everything you want in a modern day CB. Technically excellent, strong, quick, relatively good in the air. He's still a kid for sure and needs to be eased in but I think he certainly deserves a fair share of game if he keeps developing and comes back ready for next season.

Agree regarding the valuations etc.

[I am invisible]

Aye, he looks like he has everything you want in a modern day CB. Technically excellent, strong, quick, relatively good in the air. He's still a kid for sure and needs to be eased in but I think he certainly deserves a fair share of game if he keeps developing and comes back ready for next season.

Agree regarding the valuations etc.
:good:

I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I’m also trying not to get my homes up - I just get this feeling from him that he’s maybe not quite ready to move away from France yet? Guess that’s understandable when you’re 21, you’ve just lost your mum and have lived through a pandemic - wouldn’t be surprised if he just wants a bit of stability and to stay close to family and friends for another year or so.

Let’s see, though - maybe I’m imagining things, and he’s actually super-keen to come back and show us what he’s got! That would be ideal.

[Marc Overmars]

Looks like City are going to sign Haaland. :sick:

[Letters]

Laca saying he’s talking to other clubs because he wants to play in the CL.
Well maybe if you tried scoring more than once a season you’d be doing that at Arsenal next season, you utter berk.

[Marc Overmars]

Well judging from the shit he’s served up this season, what makes him think he’s even good enough to play in the CL?

Worst Arsenal striker in a long time.

[Letters]

Aye, I did think that. I don't think the top teams will be queuing up for him given his record this year.

[selassie]

Laca saying he’s talking to other clubs because he wants to play in the CL.
Well maybe if you tried scoring more than once a season you’d be doing that at Arsenal next season, you utter berk.

He can't even finish his dinner. His hold up play has regressed too. Apart from a bunch of French clubs, I wonder what CL clubs would even want him?

Despite that I thought Auba was finished and he has flourished at Barca, looks back to his best.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Lacazette is decent holding midfielder, but he certainly ain't a striker!

[Master Splinter]

Gabriel Jesus links from reliable sources in the last couple of days:

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1517580327350382592

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1517896152946991105?cxt=HHwWgoCzpcmg05AqAAAA


Celebrated his imminent move by scoring four goals today.

Would be a good option if he was coming in addition to a more prolific goalscorer. Can play in all forward positions, presses really well and fits the profile of what Arteta wants. No language or settling in issues either and already has a relationship with Arteta.

Most importantly, it's another Gabriel to add to the collection.

[selassie]

Gabriel Jesus links from reliable sources in the last couple of days:

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1517580327350382592

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1517896152946991105?cxt=HHwWgoCzpcmg05AqAAAA


Celebrated his imminent move by scoring four goals today.

Would be a good option if he was coming in addition to a more prolific goalscorer. Can play in all forward positions, presses really well and fits the profile of what Arteta wants. No language or settling in issues either and already has a relationship with Arteta.

Most importantly, it's another Gabriel to add to the collection.

i would be happy with this and another striker. I think he has big potential and would be the star man upfront so to speak of here.

[I am invisible]

Looking at the CFs we’ve made confirmed enquiries or bids for over the last year - Abraham, Vlahovic, Isak - there’s clear similarities there: 6’3 / 6’4, strong enough to hold the ball up and then quick and mobile enough to turn and get in the box, enough presence to occupy and pin a couple of CBs… I would guess we’ll be going after something very similar again this summer for our starting CF.

I really like the look of Jesus and agree he’d be a good choice for forward #2 (especially at sub-30m if that’s legit?), who’s role should be a bit more multi-purpose. Put him on the list.

I also really like the look of Cody Gakpo at PSV for that role - he’s another big lad (6’2, I think) and that kind of presence is something that I feel our forward line really lacks. I think I’m leaning towards that - bring in a couple of forwards who add some serious physical presence who are technical, but who can also simply overpower and opponent when the technical stuff isn’t coming off.

[I am invisible]

Although am I doing Jesus a disservice here? Is he actually a genuine candidate for starting CF? It’s hard to get an exact picture of what he is with the way City play and rotate and switch players around.

My preference is for someone with a bit of raw physical presence, but if he can hold the ball up and then turn and get in the box, and if he can press, dribble and finish in a variety of ways, then why not?

[Mac76]

I agree a bit of height would be good for our next CF - i wouldn' want to go back to endless crosses but we need to have that as a working option at times

[Marc Overmars]

I think Jesus would be a good bit of business. 25 years old, PL ready, already been coached by Arteta etc.

The perfect striker for us is unfortunately also a type of striker that doesn’t really grow on trees. Big, technically gifted, eye for a goal etc. You’re basically asking for the complete forward. We’ll do very well to find someone like that in our budget.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I think we should be looking at Schick as well tbh

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like Haaland to City is imminent.

Probably the signing that will finally help them win the CL.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

They'll still fuck it up.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I'm not sure.

City's whole style is having that extra man in midfield, if they do have the "focal point" striker, surely that just inevitably means they lose some of that presence in the middle. Maybe they will just become even more near-unstoppable, maybe he'll just end up taking goals away from Mahrez, Foden, Sterling and Jesus (Sterling has 12 league goals, De Bruyne 11, Mahrez 11, Foden 9, Jesus 8) or maybe he'll be crocked like Aguero before him and like, well, Haaland. I may be wrong, but do City tend to drop points when this miss a few chances and lose 2-1 in a topsy turvy game, or when they're just nowhere near at it?

Or maybe I'm overthinking it.

Still, what an achievement.

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like Tielemans could be our top midfield target this summer according to Ornstein.

Also, Elneny may have earned himself a new deal.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Sounds like Tielemans could be our top midfield target this summer according to Ornstein.

Also, Elneny may have earned himself a new deal.

I'm happy with Elneny staying tbh.

[Marc Overmars]

Yeah as far as squad players go you can’t really ask for much more. Strong work ethic, reliable, doesn’t over complicate things on the pitch etc. Can go months without playing but still slot in easily when called upon.

[Mac76]

Yeah as far as squad players go you can’t really ask for much more. Strong work ethic, reliable, doesn’t over complicate things on the pitch etc. Can go months without playing but still slot in easily when called upon.

I've been saying for years Elneny was just that, we need those players, Holding too and alao dare I say Chambers, if we still had him we wouldn't be stuck with a choice between Nuno and Cedric

[KSE Comedy Club]

He definitely improved on his loan spell too.

I think he's been better than Partey at times tbh

[IBK]

I've been saying for years Elneny was just that, we need those players, Holding too and alao dare I say Chambers, if we still had him we wouldn't be stuck with a choice between Nuno and Cedric

:gp: Everyone wants worldies in every position, but it doesn't work like that. A successful team depends on reliable and committed squad players - and I have been so impressed with the likes of Elneny; Holding and Eddie at the sharp end of the season (although personally I think Eddie is a cut above and am pleased for him that he is showing it). Remember that Leno too showed real character when called upon. Elneny's contract negotiations show that Arteta is well aware of this, and it is real credit to him that he has our fringe players (Pepe excepted) fully bought into the cause and able to step up when required.

[I am invisible]

Definitely keep Mo. He's one of those players, like Holding, who you can just chuck into a random game without any warning (and without him needing a 3 or 4 game run to find confidence and form first) and he'll do a solid, predictable job. You might not want to build your whole game around him for any kind of extended period, but when you just need someone to come on and shore things up or execute a very specific plan then he's fucking great!

[I am invisible]

What does everyone think about maybe keeping Eddie?

[I am invisible]

Haaland to City announced.

Kane :pal:

[dazthegooner]

Better hope he has better luck at Man City than his father .

[Marc Overmars]

What does everyone think about maybe keeping Eddie?

We need more than one option up front anyway but he’s never going to be the main man with us. If he’s ok with being a support act then cool, give him a deal, it won’t change us going for someone Arteta genuinely wants to spearhead his team.

[Letters]

Haaland to City announced.

Kane :pal:
….bot doesn’t that mean Kane will stay at Spurs.
That’s a bad thing, no?

[I am invisible]

….bot doesn’t that mean Kane will stay at Spurs.
That’s a bad thing, no?
He will if Levy wants £100m+ for him! No one's paying that for a 29yo.

Hopefully he'll resent every stinking minute he's forced to stay there.

[IBK]

What does everyone think about maybe keeping Eddie?

Its a yes from me. Depends on the player of course but particularly if we get CL football why would he want to leave the club, even if he is not our first choice striker? Whatever happens he will get games next season because we are in Europe, and the manager has to rotate. He is still so young, and there are few in the league - even in Europe - at 22 who are close to his level at that age. We love Martinelli, but as a striker Nketiah is in a different league ATM. Plus he is a Hale End graduate and I think his presence will add to the 'home grown' feeling that we are building.

He will be back up of course - possibly to a more senior striker and a front 3 player like Jesus - but he has shown that he would be an excellent understudy.

[I am invisible]

We need more than one option up front anyway but he’s never going to be the main man with us. If he’s ok with being a support act then cool, give him a deal, it won’t change us going for someone Arteta genuinely wants to spearhead his team.
At the very least it’s one less thing that we’d need to get done this summer, and it frees up more budget to put behind the big CF signing, or maybe a replacement for Pepe (who we’re going to take a massive hit in). Secures his value, too, if we choose to sell later, so it makes total senses from a business POV.

The only fly in the ointment could be if he’s already signed a pre-contract with someone else, which he’s been free to do since January.

[Marc Overmars]

To be honest I wouldn’t blame him if he left anyway, I’m sure he probably knows he’s unlikely to be Arteta’s guy. I guess it depends on how hungry he is and how much confidence he has in himself to go somewhere and be the main man. I think he knows he’s been under utilised here but hopefully this patch of form is enough to provide a clean slate for him and Arteta and they give it another go next season.

[Globalgunner]

Couldnt care less if Eddie goes or stays, Best he leave. He isnt anywhere being a top class striker and has never shown glimpse of that potential. Sell and buy Rashford or a target man. Eddie wont score a goal in a tight game against a top tier team. Not now or soon

[Mac76]

we need a bigger squad and can't buy everyone in one go - i think Eddie would be good for league cup games, early FA Cup ties, lower PL sides etc and even potentially as an impact sub in bigger games, but but it depends on whether that's enough for him

[IBK]

we need a bigger squad and can't buy everyone in one go - i think Eddie would be good for league cup games, early FA Cup ties, lower PL sides etc and even potentially as an impact sub in bigger games, but but it depends on whether that's enough for him

But he scored twice against Chelsea; had the ball in the net against (Manure - denied only by a very marginal VAR decision) was very unlucky to score against v West Ham; and has played very well in all 4 of our recent wins (scoring 2 more). Does this form mean that he should not be considered an option for 'bigger games' if he stays?

[KSE Comedy Club]

Eddie may not be considered a 'top striker' but our other 'top striker' couldn't score for toffee and has been dropped for the last 4 or 5 games.

Perception is not always reality.

I think Eddie has earnt his place in the starting 11 - albeit, alongside a better striker if we can get one

[Marc Overmars]

Eddie definitely deserves his place in the side and his contribution is worthy of a new deal, but I don’t think this is going to stop the club going balls out for a new striker. A striker that will probably play a lot more than Eddie too.

I think this is just one of those situations where whatever happens, it will work for all parties.

If I were Eddie though, I’m not sure if it would even be worth leaving. Where else is he going to play in Europe? His only suitors are bottom half clubs.

[Mac76]

If I were Eddie though, I’m not sure if it would even be worth leaving. Where else is he going to play in Europe? His only suitors are bottom half clubs.

yeah that's it for me - after all even if we do get a top striker which i'm sure we will do our best to, he's still only an injury away from playing

[I am invisible]

You only move to a club like a Brighton or a Palace so you can move to an Arsenal in a couple of years time - why bother when you’re already here?

[I am invisible]

All clubs have at least a couple of CFs - he won’t be naive enough to think that we’re going to roll into a season with just him. And that won’t be the case anywhere he goes, either - wherever he ends up, he’s going to have to back himself to compete.

He and the new CF certainly won’t want for minutes or games - there’ll be plenty of both for two players across 38 league games, 3 cup competitions, sub appearances, cover for injury, illness, suspension, fatigue, etc. We don’t really live in a world of best XIs and their cover anymore - it’s far more of a squad game than it’s ever been these days. If we have two strong options for the same position who offer something a little different then we’ll use them as effectively as we can - just look at Martinelli and Smith Rowe on the left.

[IBK]

I think Arteta's desire to keep Eddie is crystal clear. This is another reason why tonight's game is so important - if we get CL football, then there is a big draw for him to stay. The real issue is whether he has already committed elsewhere...

[I am invisible]

I think Arteta's desire to keep Eddie is crystal clear. This is another reason why tonight's game is so important - if we get CL football, then there is a big draw for him to stay. The real issue is whether he has already committed elsewhere...

We've made two contract offers to him over the last 6-12 months and I'm assuming the latest is still on the table. I get why he's been reluctant to sign - he won't have wanted to commit to anything until he had some kind of proof of the manager's faith and trust in time - but the stupid thing is he's probably directly contributed to his own lack of game time precisely because he hasn't committed and signed the contract! No manager is going to give minutes to someone who he thinks is leaving unless has no other options.

Oh well - c'est la vie. Circumstances have since conspired to get him into the team anyway, so hopefully that will be enough to get everyone back round the table and talking again.

[selassie]

Definitely keep Mo. He's one of those players, like Holding, who you can just chuck into a random game without any warning (and without him needing a 3 or 4 game run to find confidence and form first) and he'll do a solid, predictable job. You might not want to build your whole game around him for any kind of extended period, but when you just need someone to come on and shore things up or execute a very specific plan then he's fucking great!

Yep agreed. I actually quite like Mo, we would be hard pushed to find a better 3rd/4th choice CM than him. If we do it will cost a fair bit. I hope he extends.

[selassie]

Eddie may not be considered a 'top striker' but our other 'top striker' couldn't score for toffee and has been dropped for the last 4 or 5 games.

Perception is not always reality.

I think Eddie has earnt his place in the starting 11 - albeit, alongside a better striker if we can get one

Aye. I have actually really warmed to Eddie, he has his limitations, but we should def keep him for squad purposes, he can do a job and will only get better IMO.

[I am invisible]

Couple of links are starting to look fairly concrete now…

Marquinhos - 19yo Brazilian winger at São Paulo - 50m release clause, but we might be picking him up for 2.5m because of a balls up in his contract!

Aaron Hickey - 19yo, ambidextrous fullback at Bologna (surely lightning couldn’t strike twice in the same place) - their director has flown out here to thrash out a €25m deal. Allegedly.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Couple of links are starting to look fairly concrete now…

Marquinhos - 19yo Brazilian winger at São Paulo - 50m release clause, but we might be picking him up for 2.5m because of a balls up in his contract!

Aaron Hickey - 19yo, ambidextrous fullback at Bologna (surely lightning couldn’t strike twice in the same place) - their director has flown out here to thrash out a €25m deal. Allegedly.

Young, Young - where is the quality experience??

[Mac76]

Young, Young - where is the quality experience??

Good idea, let's get Willian back

[KSE Comedy Club]

Good idea, let's get Willian back

I said QUALITY experience ;)

[I am invisible]

Young, Young - where is the quality experience??

It's coming, it's coming. This is just us getting a head start on adding a bit of depth before the season even ends. Quality, experienced players will all be waiting to see if we make the CL or not, and we'll probably be waiting to see if we make it too so we know which list we're shopping from (apparently they have 3 drawn up!).

Hickey looks a really smart buy - we already have the experienced options for his role/s in Tierney and Tomiyasu, but even so he's made 34 apps for Bologna this season so he's pretty much already at a starting level.

Marquinhos is just a straight up bit of opportunism - I don't even think he's in our plans! If he impresses over the summer then he goes into the squad for next season, otherwise he'll go out on loan to Europe and we'll sell him in a year or two.

[Chippy]

This is not good.
https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1129512539?-19387:844

[Mac76]

This is not good.
https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1129512539?-19387:844

can you blame him?

[Chippy]

can you blame him?

Not at all. But he is looks like a bloody good defender. Shame.

[Marc Overmars]

Looks like Marquinhos could be our first signing.

[I am invisible]

Saliba will be well out of Marseilles price range now - wherever he ends up, it won’t be there.

Very much hope he stays with us, but this is one of those rare situations where we won’t lose - we’ll either keep a very good player or we’ll get a big fee to reinvest.

[Marc Overmars]

I don’t think he’ll stay unless Arteta is willing to stick an arm round him and wipe the slate the clean. You’d hope maybe Saliba is motivated to prove him wrong but when you haven’t felt wanted since day one, I can understand why he’d see his future elsewhere. If we can get a big fee then yeah it would probably be more worthwhile to reinvest that than risk moving forward with a player who has an abrasive relationship with the coach.

[Gooner23]

Saliba will be well out of Marseilles price range now - wherever he ends up, it won’t be there.

Very much hope he stays with us, but this is one of those rare situations where we won’t lose - we’ll either keep a very good player or we’ll get a big fee to reinvest.

Will be interesting to see how the Saliba situation pans out, perfect opportunity for the club to show they've learned some lessons on selling better.

2 years left on his contract, we should be looking for 60 mil at least if he wants out. No more loans or cheap deals.

[I am invisible]

I don’t think he’ll stay unless Arteta is willing to stick an arm round him and wipe the slate the clean. You’d hope maybe Saliba is motivated to prove him wrong but when you haven’t felt wanted since day one, I can understand why he’d see his future elsewhere. If we can get a big fee then yeah it would probably be more worthwhile to reinvest that than risk moving forward with a player who has an abrasive relationship with the coach.
Yeah, totally - and no blame to him if he does. Sometimes circumstance and timing just conspire against you and it ends up not being right for anyone. You literally couldn’t have picked a messier time to join this club if you tried!

Also, let’s not forget just how young he was when we signed him, and that he lost his mum just before he was due to arrive… just as the pandemic hit and started closing down borders all over the place! I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a huge element of him not being ready to move away from France at the time, and needing to stay close to family and friends while he was getting his head straight.

One thing’s for sure, though - however this situation plays out, this summer needs to be the end of it.

[I am invisible]

Will be interesting to see how the Saliba situation pans out, perfect opportunity for the club to show they've learned some lessons on selling better.

2 years left on his contract, we should be looking for 60 mil at least if he wants out. No more loans or cheap deals.
Yup, the situation is very clear - we either sign him up to an extension or we sell him for as much money as we can get. Either option works for me.

[Gooner23]

Torreira coming back to us this summer as Fiorentina won't pay the 15 million euro option to buy. Sounds like they unsuccessfully tried to negotiate on the price. All Italian clubs are such pisstakers.

[I am invisible]

Torreira coming back to us this summer as Fiorentina won't pay the 15 million euro option to buy. Sounds like they unsuccessfully tried to negotiate on the price. All Italian clubs are such pisstakers.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll certainly be holding out for one of Juventus’s shit offers for our best players - a rubber band and a paper clip for Tomas Partey or a 16 year loan with no option for Gabriel…

[KSE Comedy Club]

It's coming, it's coming. This is just us getting a head start on adding a bit of depth before the season even ends. Quality, experienced players will all be waiting to see if we make the CL or not, and we'll probably be waiting to see if we make it too so we know which list we're shopping from (apparently they have 3 drawn up!).

Hickey looks a really smart buy - we already have the experienced options for his role/s in Tierney and Tomiyasu, but even so he's made 34 apps for Bologna this season so he's pretty much already at a starting level.

Marquinhos is just a straight up bit of opportunism - I don't even think he's in our plans! If he impresses over the summer then he goes into the squad for next season, otherwise he'll go out on loan to Europe and we'll sell him in a year or two.

Normally I wouldn't have an issue with this, but we are not in any position to be spending money on 'maybe' players.

We have been stripped to the bare bones, we need to spend money wisely on quality team building and strengthening.

maybe if we perform well next season, then we can start to look at 'opportunity buys' - but certainly not in this window.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I don’t think he’ll stay unless Arteta is willing to stick an arm round him and wipe the slate the clean. You’d hope maybe Saliba is motivated to prove him wrong but when you haven’t felt wanted since day one, I can understand why he’d see his future elsewhere. If we can get a big fee then yeah it would probably be more worthwhile to reinvest that than risk moving forward with a player who has an abrasive relationship with the coach.

In this situation, it's actually Arteta that needs to prove Saliba wrong.

[IBK]

Saliba is not bigger than Arsenal AFC. If he doesn't want to come and join the project, sell him and buy someone who does.

[Mac76]

Saliba is not bigger than Arsenal AFC

He probably is that's the issue, why should he come back and run around enough traffic cones just to get a start, when he can do the business for another club?

[IBK]

He probably is that's the issue, why should he come back and run around enough traffic cones just to get a start, when he can do the business for another club?

I'm not trying to argue that he was treated well by the club, but if we take the emotion away, he was signed as a raw talent - went out on loan and has well proved himself in France. He deserves to be given a chance in our first team (and given that we are in Europe he should have ample opportunity to do so - and provide much needed competition) next season. But if he wants away, we take the money and invest on a player who want's to play for us. No one player is bigger than our club.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Saliba is not bigger than Arsenal AFC. If he doesn't want to come and join the project, sell him and buy someone who does.

That's not the issue though.

He was told by an inexperienced manager that he wasn't ready / good enough - and then went on to earn player of the season or whatever it was for Lille - having already been earmarked as a top talent.

So the inexperienced manager should do the right thing, tell him he is sorry and was completely wrong, and ask one of the best future prospect CB's to stay and give him a run in the team.

[Mac76]

That's not the issue though.

He was told by an inexperienced manager that he wasn't ready / good enough - and then went on to earn player of the season or whatever it was for Lille - having already been earmarked as a top talent.

So the inexperienced manager should do the right thing, tell him he is sorry and was completely wrong, and ask one of the best future prospect CB's to stay and give him a run in the team.

:gp:

[IBK]

That's not the issue though.

He was told by an inexperienced manager that he wasn't ready / good enough - and then went on to earn player of the season or whatever it was for Lille - having already been earmarked as a top talent.

So the inexperienced manager should do the right thing, tell him he is sorry and was completely wrong, and ask one of the best future prospect CB's to stay and give him a run in the team.

100% he should. We will never know what is said behind closed doors, but if the manager doesn't do this it will be a gross dereliction of duty. The rest I'm not so sure of. Saliba was treated badly no doubt, but I'm not going to kill Areta for underestimating just how much of a stand out season the player went on to have...

[Mac76]

[/B]

100% he should. We will never know what is said behind closed doors, but if the manager doesn't do this it will be a gross dereliction of duty. The rest I'm not so sure of. Saliba was treated badly no doubt, but I'm not going to kill Areta for underestimating just how much of a stand out season the player went on to have...

i don't think Arteta's capable of apologising to anyone, he's too busy trying to be Mr Big Boss Man...

[KSE Comedy Club]

[/B]

100% he should. We will never know what is said behind closed doors, but if the manager doesn't do this it will be a gross dereliction of duty. The rest I'm not so sure of. Saliba was treated badly no doubt, but I'm not going to kill Areta for underestimating just how much of a stand out season the player went on to have...

To some extent yes - but had also had a very good season the first time round, and this season was an extension of that.

[IBK]

i don't think Arteta's capable of apologising to anyone, he's too busy trying to be Mr Big Boss Man...

Yeah perhaps. Whether he can turn around the Saliba situation may be a measure of whether he is developing as a manager or not...

[selassie]

I don’t think he’ll stay unless Arteta is willing to stick an arm round him and wipe the slate the clean. You’d hope maybe Saliba is motivated to prove him wrong but when you haven’t felt wanted since day one, I can understand why he’d see his future elsewhere. If we can get a big fee then yeah it would probably be more worthwhile to reinvest that than risk moving forward with a player who has an abrasive relationship with the coach.

Saliba looks the real deal to me. I don’t know what has gone on between him and Arteta but we should be moving heaven and earth to integrate him into the first team and extend his contract.

I have a feeling there is a personal issue between him and Arteta and as others have eluded to it might be a bridge too far for either of them to patch up there differences.

If we are forced to sell then we should be demanding a decent fee. The situation looks to be unnecessarily messy TBH

[dazthegooner]

When it comes to Saliba we don't know what has gone on between himself and Arteta but what may not have helped is spending a season with Guendouzi who Arteta did have issues with, either way of we do end up having to sell him we should expect to get more than we paid being that he is a Full French international.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Saliba looks the real deal to me. I don’t know what has gone on between him and Arteta but we should be moving heaven and earth to integrate him into the first team and extend his contract.

I have a feeling there is a personal issue between him and Arteta and as others have eluded to it might be a bridge too far for either of them to patch up there differences.

If we are forced to sell then we should be demanding a decent fee. The situation looks to be unnecessarily messy TBH

Another personal issue, just like Guendouzi, Pepe & a couple of others that he couldn't manage.

Auba was the only one he got right as a manager stamping his mark, but it's a concerning trend if he can't turn things around with some players

[Chippy]

When it comes to Saliba we don't know what has gone on between himself and Arteta but what may not have helped is spending a season with Guendouzi who Arteta did have issues with, either way of we do end up having to sell him we should expect to get more than we paid being that he is a Full French international.

The Rookie has problems with everyone it seems (might be little man syndrome)?

Anyway, Arteta will NOT apologise and Saliba will be sold for £5m and turn out to be the new Virgil Van Dijk.

This is what Arsenal do. We are a banter club.

[IBK]

Another personal issue, just like Guendouzi, Pepe & a couple of others that he couldn't manage.

Auba was the only one he got right as a manager stamping his mark, but it's a concerning trend if he can't turn things around with some players

Lukaku; Grealish; Sancho; Varanne....and (for all the Liverpool worshippers out there - Konate) - all big money transfers who have not lived up to expectations this season. Haverts; Werner; van der Beek also spring to mind from last season and I'm sure there are many more. It's a fact of football that promising players don't work out under certain managers - however celebrated they may be. But Arteta is panned for not making all his so-called big players work, instead of being praised for the players that have been successes under him...

[selassie]

Another personal issue, just like Guendouzi, Pepe & a couple of others that he couldn't manage.

Auba was the only one he got right as a manager stamping his mark, but it's a concerning trend if he can't turn things around with some players

Aye, his management of player personalities or whatever you want to call it concerns me a bit too. I do get the feeling that once Arteta makes a decision with a player that's it and it could at times be to the detriment of the team. It's all speculation and hear say though I guess.

[I am invisible]

Normally I wouldn't have an issue with this, but we are not in any position to be spending money on 'maybe' players.

We have been stripped to the bare bones, we need to spend money wisely on quality team building and strengthening.

maybe if we perform well next season, then we can start to look at 'opportunity buys' - but certainly not in this window.
It’s 2.5m / 3m - getting Lacazette’s wages off the books for 4 months will cover it.

Honestly mate, the only way this will affect our other summer business is if he turns out to be a Saka-level revelation. If I had to guess, though, I reckon he goes straight out on loan to the continent.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Lukaku; Grealish; Sancho; Varanne....and (for all the Liverpool worshippers out there - Konate) - all big money transfers who have not lived up to expectations this season. Haverts; Werner; van der Beek also spring to mind from last season and I'm sure there are many more. It's a fact of football that promising players don't work out under certain managers - however celebrated they may be. But Arteta is panned for not making all his so-called big players work, instead of being praised for the players that have been successes under him...

Nothing wrong with Guendo, he always looked decent when he played. Ye she had a few bad games but nothing I would consider loaning him out for.

Pepe has hardly played enough since he arrived to settle into this league, most notably under Arteta as he only chucks him on when he is desperate.

There will always be sticking points with certain players, but he needs to adapt himself so that he can mange them

[Marc Overmars]

It’s 2.5m / 3m - getting Lacazette’s wages off the books for 4 months will cover it.

Honestly mate, the only way this will affect our other summer business is if he turns out to be a Saka-level revelation. If I had to guess, though, I reckon he goes straight out on loan to the continent.

Need to get Pepe off the books too and cut our losses there. He’s never going to be considered an option with Arteta.

[IBK]

Nothing wrong with Guendo, he always looked decent when he played. Ye she had a few bad games but nothing I would consider loaning him out for.

Pepe has hardly played enough since he arrived to settle into this league, most notably under Arteta as he only chucks him on when he is desperate.

There will always be sticking points with certain players, but he needs to adapt himself so that he can mange them

I agree that Arteta needs to adapt more - maybe he will feel more confident to do so with better general team cohesion. I feel sorry for Pepe, but I don't think his style fits in with the level of control the manager is looking for. Guendouzi was a bit of a prick. I don't think his departure was much to do with his football.

[Marc Overmars]

Elneny has signed a new deal.

Suppose every squad needs a player like him.

[GP]

new contract thanks allah

[KSE Comedy Club]

Elneny has signed a new deal.

Suppose every squad needs a player like him.

I'm happy with that.

Once is hasn't got Xhaka playing next to him he will improve quite a bit I would imagine

[KSE Comedy Club]

I agree that Arteta needs to adapt more - maybe he will feel more confident to do so with better general team cohesion. I feel sorry for Pepe, but I don't think his style fits in with the level of control the manager is looking for. Guendouzi was a bit of a prick. I don't think his departure was much to do with his football.

Yes let's hope that will be the case.

I thought Guendo was the type of 'prick' we needed though :shrug:

Yeh Pepe has been wasted here and I don't think it's been his fault.

[IBK]

Yes let's hope that will be the case.

I thought Guendo was the type of 'prick' we needed though :shrug:

Yeh Pepe has been wasted here and I don't think it's been his fault.

In what way? I'd agree that past teams have shown little devilsihness but without Guendouzi and his antics - we seem quietly to have improved in the 'dark arts' that most successful teams employ.

[KSE Comedy Club]

In what way? I'd agree that past teams have shown little devilsihness but without Guendouzi and his antics - we seem quietly to have improved in the 'dark arts' that most successful teams employ.

Just someone who has a bit of attitude about them.

Tbh apart from grabbing another player by the throat, I don't remember him doing too much bad stuff.

We also can only assume that Arteta found him difficult off the field, there's not really been much evidence of that though

[GP]

Looks like Nketiah is staying.

[HCZ_Reborn]

On 100k a week, proving we’ve learnt nothing

[GP]

20% of what Utd are paying Sancho, doesn't sound too bad.

[Chippy]

Looks like Nketiah is staying.

So ..... Elneny and Nketiah are staying...... Hardly world class :lol:
Here we go.....

[IBK]

Those expecting us to be like a fantasy football team in cheat mode will be underwhelmed by keeping Elneny and Eddie (if the latter is true :pray:). Those of us who recognise that we need to be smart going into a season with Europa rather than CL football should be pleased. For me keeping Elneny - a solid back up/reserve player who has shown that he has the right temperament to do a job when called on - is a no brainer.

As for Eddie - a player who is still (just) 22, with a proven track record of being a prolific (record breaking) goal scorer for England at under 21 level, and who scored 5 goals in 8 starts for us at the end of this season (showing a great attitude when he could have sulked about the manager's previos lack of faith in him). I'm struggling to think of a better striker for his age in the country, and even more importantly he is one of our own and has shown that he is developing - I think he has incredible potential to be something special. Let's also remember that he scored his goals when we were playing with a patched up midfield and an unbalanced team due to defensive injuries.

Now the 'soft' factors. We have committed to a base of talented young players bought into Arteta's project as the way to compete with the massive spending power of the teams above us. Eddie fits this bill.

If Eddie was being re-signed as our main striker I could see the issue, but we will certainly be in for a senior striker, and probably another 'top' player who can play wide or centrally. For me giving him a new contract is smart business, and I'm pleased that it seems as though he is bought into what we are trying to do.

[Gooner23]

Sounds like we are going all in on Gabriel Jesus as our main striker signing. And if Nketiah is signing a new deal that will be probably be it in the striker department. I can't see us signing another no. 9, this summer at least.

Do those two players get us enough goals through the course of a season? I have my reservations but hope to be wrong.

[Chippy]

Sounds like we are going all in on Gabriel Jesus as our main striker signing. And if Nketiah is signing a new deal that will be probably be it in the striker department. I can't see us signing another no. 9, this summer at least.

Do those two players get us enough goals through the course of a season? I have my reservations but hope to be wrong.

Oh yes, we have been here before.

One main Summer target, all our eggs in one basket, and guess what..........Gabriel Jesus stays at City or goes somewhere else. :coffee:

[IBK]

Sounds like we are going all in on Gabriel Jesus as our main striker signing. And if Nketiah is signing a new deal that will be probably be it in the striker department. I can't see us signing another no. 9, this summer at least.

Do those two players get us enough goals through the course of a season? I have my reservations but hope to be wrong.

I reckon of we can land Jesus for say £30/£35M we would be looking also for a player who is a traditional 'target man'...if we are so sweet on Jesus, that's an obvious hole that our pursuit of Vlahovic showed the manager recognises. Won't be a marquee signing, though. This may be part of the reason for offering Nketiah a new deal, and if so it gets my vote...

[IBK]

Oh yes, we have been here before.

One main Summer target, all our eggs in one basket, and guess what..........Gabriel Jesus stays at City or goes somewhere else. :coffee:

I think you are wrong.

[GP]

With Laca going, I think we'll be in for two forwards. Jesus plus another expensive one.

[Gooner23]

With Laca going, I think we'll be in for two forwards. Jesus plus another expensive one.

I just can't see it happening now.

I don't think we're signing up Nketiah on 100k a week to be 3rd choice. And Jesus isn't coming to be back up to Saka.

I'd imagine both have been given assurances about playing time as the central striker.

I think its more likely we see another wide player if Pepe leaves.

[Chippy]

I just can't see it happening now.

I don't think we're signing up Nketiah on 100k a week to be 3rd choice. And Jesus isn't coming to be back up to Saka.

I'd imagine both have been given assurances about playing time as the central striker.

I think its more likely we see another wide player if Pepe leaves.

This.

[IBK]

I just can't see it happening now.

I don't think we're signing up Nketiah on 100k a week to be 3rd choice. And Jesus isn't coming to be back up to Saka.

I'd imagine both have been given assurances about playing time as the central striker.

I think its more likely we see another wide player if Pepe leaves.

Well, Jesus plays across all 3 forward positions, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a target/hold up man if he is signed. I think Elneny's new contract will mean that we are in for a MF and that we are more likely than not to keep Xhaka for another year to end up with 4 central MF's. If Saliba comes in then we don't need another central defender. That means that we are in for a MF; a striker and a withdrawn striker; a RB and possibly a LB - doable with our budget methinks.

[Gooner23]

Well, Jesus plays across all 3 forward positions, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a target/hold up man if he is signed. I think Elneny's new contract will mean that we are in for a MF and that we are more likely than not to keep Xhaka for another year to end up with 4 central MF's. If Saliba comes in then we don't need another central defender. That means that we are in for a MF; a striker and a withdrawn striker; a RB and possibly a LB - doable with our budget methinks.

Hopefully you're right as we're definitely missing a physical presence up front.

I just wonder if Jesus is being signed on the promise of being the main man.

[IBK]

Hopefully you're right as we're definitely missing a physical presence up front.

I just wonder if Jesus is being signed on the promise of being the main man.

I think that he will probably be the 'senior striker' but he is not a hold up/target player and we don't have one. All the reports in January were that were in for this kind of forward, and I think it's essential that we have another way to score goals when we can't play through teams/beat the low block. Given what we were reportedly willing to pay for Vlahovic in January, there will be funds for another forward even given Europa league football - particularly if Jesus can play in Saka's positon when he is not available...

[selassie]

I think that he will probably be the 'senior striker' but he is not a hold up/target player and we don't have one. All the reports in January were that were in for this kind of forward, and I think it's essential that we have another way to score goals when we can't play through teams/beat the low block. Given what we were reportedly willing to pay for Vlahovic in January, there will be funds for another forward even given Europa league football - particularly if Jesus can play in Saka's positon when he is not available...

I like Jesus, think he would be a very good signing even at the 40-50 million mark. He's a very good player with room to improve. About the hold up / target player, I see lots of links to Alvaro Morata today.

[I am invisible]

Sounds like we are going all in on Gabriel Jesus as our main striker signing. And if Nketiah is signing a new deal that will be probably be it in the striker department. I can't see us signing another no. 9, this summer at least.

Do those two players get us enough goals through the course of a season? I have my reservations but hope to be wrong.
Oh I think they’d get us plenty of goals, if we’re talking raw numbers - it’s the variety of goals that I have a few question marks over.

For me, the trick to getting this right isn’t to look at what City and Liverpool have been doing - it’s working out what they’re going to do next. Get ahead of the curve for once. City tried to bring Kane in last summer and now they’ve got Haaland. With Liverpool I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they brought in someone like Darwin Nunez and let Firminio go? Powerful forwards who occupy a couple of CBs and get you a different type of goal when you need it. Looking at the CFs we’ve registered concrete interest in over the last year - Abraham, Vlahovic, Isak - I guessing Arteta and Edu are thinking along the same lines.

I’m not completely ruling Jesus out - if we can’t get a world-class option that fits that profile then I guess we could look for more of a plan B option with Jesus coming in as the main man? That might work, and give us enough balance and rotation to keep everyone happy.

But I don’t see Jesus coming in to play second-fiddle to another CF and spend most of his time covering anywhere across the attack - if that’s the plan for him then why would he leave City?

[Mac76]

I see lots of links to Alvaro Morata today.

he was awful for Chelsea, why would we want hi - oh i get it, we always buy crap players from Chelsea...

[I am invisible]

Lol @ Morata!

I mean I guess there’s always a chance this is us sounding out every option on all 3 of our lists, even the disaster plans, but it feels more like click-bait websites dredging up old links, or even just tossing a hand grenade out there because they know Arsenal fans are the softest touch in town when it comes to getting a reaction.

[Marc Overmars]

I’ve never seen an Arsenal side so lacking up front, so I’m not actually going to be picky this summer about any forward signings. Lacazette went 17 games or so without scoring in open play before he was finally dropped, that is atrocious and it isn’t going to take much to improve on that.

Jesus, Calvert-Lewin etc, whoever it is, sign them up.

[I am invisible]

I’ve never seen an Arsenal side so lacking up front, so I’m not actually going to be picky this summer about any forward signings. Lacazette went 17 games or so without scoring in open play before he was finally dropped, that is atrocious and it isn’t going to take much to improve on that.

Jesus, Calvert-Lewin etc, whoever it is, sign them up.
Yeah, it's a pretty low bar - anyone who can score more than nothing will be an instant improvement!

The other glass-half-full way of looking at it is we finished with just 8 goals fewer than spurs, despite them having the two of the 4 best strikers in the league and us having what we had to work with, and 4 more than Man U with Ronaldo up front - we might be missing the CF, but I guess we must be scoring more than average from other areas.

[selassie]

he was awful for Chelsea, why would we want hi - oh i get it, we always buy crap players from Chelsea...

I don't want him either, he's not getting any younger and he's never been the man either. I think he would flop here and he would command high wages too. No doubt we would have to pay him to leave like others in the recent past :lol:

[Mac76]

I'm a bit behind on this stuff but glad we gave Elneny a one-year extension and it looks like Eddie's new contract is more or less done which i think is a good move providing we do get Jesus or A N Other in

[dazthegooner]

Looks like Laca is going back to Lyon https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-lacazette-agrees-lyon-transfer-27132293

[I am invisible]

Fair enough - best of luck to him!

No fee, but it’s another £9-10m off the wage bill each year.

[I am invisible]

Was just thinking, we could easily see another 9 or 10 players leave this summer on top of everyone we’ve already moved on…

Leno
Mari
Bellerin
Cedric or Tavares (maybe)
AMN
Torreira
Xhaka (maybe)
Nelson
Pepe
Lacazette (already gone)

Gonna be a busy one!

[I am invisible]

Has Eddie actually signed yet?

[Globalgunner]

Has Eddie actually signed yet?

Who else wants him. Of course he will sign

[I am invisible]

Would be nice if they could speed it up a bit - we need to know whether we’re shopping for 2x CFs or 1x CF with more budget free for something else.

[Marc Overmars]

Lacazette’s exit is confirmed.

Another cornerstone of an Arsenal team that couldn’t qualify for the CL after signing.

Bye.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Retired from scoring goals a long time ago. Anything next season will be an improvement.

Bye. :wave:

[LDG]

Sadly just working hard doesn’t cut it.

Cheerio, thanks for the mem….

Errr

Thanks for nothing.

[Chippy]

Sadly just working hard doesn’t cut it.

Cheerio, thanks for the mem….

Errr

Thanks for nothing.
:haha:

[Niall_Quinn]

If Lacashit had worked as hard scoring goals as he did pushing his racist politics he'd have a CL winners medal now.

Most hateful cunt to ever disgrace the shirt, goodbye and good riddance.

[I am invisible]

Big Bill Saliba is coming home and wants to prove himself in an Arsenal shirt…

https://arseblog.news/2022/06/saliba-im-going-back-to-arsenal/

From the player’s mouth. Hopefully we can put this one to bed now.

(Or at least until his next contract negotiation.)

(Which looks like it will be immediately! *sigh*)

[Niall_Quinn]

Is this the guy who never played a game? And he wants a new contract?

This is a new low, surely? Tell him to fuck off and get a hard working British lad from the lower leagues.

[Mac76]

Is this the guy who never played a game? And he wants a new contract?

This is a new low, surely? Tell him to fuck off and get a hard working British lad from the lower leagues.

Fancy yourself starting for The Arsenal do you? :haha:

[I am invisible]

He’s not asked for anything, but he is down to 2 years on his contract now - like it or not that’s when clubs start talking new deals with players to stop them getting into final-year territory, where they start thinking about free transfers.

[Marc Overmars]

City apparently have an interest in Saka. :lol:

Sure it won’t develop into anything this summer but let’s just say it’s essential we qualify for the CL next season.

[Niall_Quinn]

City apparently have an interest in Saka. :lol:

Sure it won’t develop into anything this summer but let’s just say it’s essential we qualify for the CL next season.

And Liverpool. And we've been here before.

[Chippy]

And Liverpool. And we've been here before.

We will not sell
We will not sell
We will not sell
(City Owner) £50m?
(Stan) Thanks very much!

[Chippy]

Hopefully you're right as we're definitely missing a physical presence up front.

I just wonder if Jesus is being signed on the promise of being the main man.

Spurs have apparently contacted City regarding Jesus.

Hmmmmm.... I wonder who he will choose? Champions League or Europa League.

Don't worry though, we have Steady Eddie Nketiah :haha:

[cricketsi]

Spurs have apparently contacted City regarding Jesus.

Hmmmmm.... I wonder who he will choose? Champions League or Europa League.

Don't worry though, we have Steady Eddie Nketiah :haha:

Or, more optimistically, if his primary objective is ensuring a starting role in the Brazil squad for the WC... Will he risk bench time behind Kane and Son, with a team playing a different style from what he's used to, or guaranteed first choice status under a manager who knows him well, aiming to play a style familiar and suited to him?

Call me a fool, but besides the current CL football on offer, I don't necessarily see Spurs as a more attractive proposition than Arsenal. Yes, big name manager, but he's made it clear he'd rather be somewhere else, they're good at what they do, but the style of play may not be so desirable to top quality players, and most of their squad has already peaked, whereas most of ours are at an age where you can realistically expect improvement.

All that said, I wouldn't put it past this club to botch the transfer window, and certainly fear we won't get our business done in a timely manner, because when do we ever?

[Marc Overmars]

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.

[I am invisible]

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.

[I am invisible]

Call me a fool, but besides the current CL football on offer, I don't necessarily see Spurs as a more attractive proposition than Arsenal. Yes, big name manager, but he's made it clear he'd rather be somewhere else, they're good at what they do, but the style of play may not be so desirable to top quality players, and most of their squad has already peaked, whereas most of ours are at an age where you can realistically expect improvement…
Us and spurs are doing very different things so we’re going to appeal to different players.

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.

[Niall_Quinn]

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.

[I am invisible]

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.

[I am invisible]

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.

[Chippy]

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.

[Gooner23]

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.

[Niall_Quinn]

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.

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.

[Chippy]

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.

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 :rolleyes:

[I am invisible]

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.
There’s always another player out there. Always. We just need to get back to what we used to be the best in the business at: clever scouting and unearthing gems (for the bulk of our squad-building, anyway - there’ll always be room on top of that for targeted investment). Sure, we’ll probably always have the mega-rich clubs sniffing around our players, but we’ve always had to put up with that - even before the billionaires and nation states rolled into town we had Madrid and Barcelona picking off Anelka and Petit and Overmars, and constantly unsettling Vieira and Henry. This is nothing new for us - the only thing that’s really changed is that we’ve become really, really bad at cashing in and moving on. It doesn’t have to be a problem, though - we just need to get good at it again. Stop trying to be Chelsea and get back to bring Arsenal.

Can we ever be successful that way when we’re up against a bunch of state-backed clubs with unlimited resources? Maybe not. Who knows? Tbh it’s less important to me than being able find interest in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, and being able to take some enjoyment from following the club and the game on a more day-to-day level. Only one team can ever come out on top each year anyway and there’s more piranhas in the tank now than ever - you have to be able to enjoy the ride as well as the destination otherwise you’re going to spend most of your time as a fan absolutely miserable and resenting every stinking minute of it.

For me, all the fun and the interest has always come from the challenge, and if the modern game is anything it’s certainly challenging! Maybe even impossibly so, but I’m still enjoying seeing if we can find a solution to it, even with all of the various handicaps we’re working with, and even if it’s ultimately doomed to failure. Hand on heart, it would fucking kill me following a club like City or Chelsea, where you just have all of the answers handed to you every year, and never have to work around any problems - where’s the fun in that? Where’s the challenge? It’s the challenge that makes it a game.

100% it’s hope over confidence - I’m not lying to myself or kidding myself about our chances. I can see exactly what we’re up against and what the problems are with the game - I’ve just chosen to take what I can from it rather than rage against things I have no control over.

[I am invisible]

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 :rolleyes:
Man, I feel for you guys, I really do. I’m not one of those ‘well fuck off and support someone else’ types - following a club is a life sentence and it must suck to be tied to something that you can’t walk away from and that is bringing you no joy. Wish I could help, but unfortunately it’s a personal journey - I can’t tell you what you find interesting and what you enjoy, I can only tell you what I’m finding interesting and what I’m enjoying. Odds are you won’t feel the same.

Try not to blame the club too much for the way it’s changed, though. It’s not just Arsenal or even just football - everything has changed radically over the last half a century. That’s just how it goes - shit changes, life moves on. You move with it or you stand still and get left behind. It’s not always for the better, but it’s not always for the worse either - nostalgia has a funny way of making you only remember the good times whilst completely ignoring the bad. There’s a lot of stuff I miss about football from 20 / 30 / 40 years ago, but there’s a lot of stuff I’m really not sorry to see the back of either.

[Chippy]

Man, I feel for you guys, I really do. I’m not one of those ‘well fuck off and support someone else’ types - following a club is a life sentence and it must suck to be tied to something that you can’t walk away from and that is bringing you no joy. Wish I could help, but unfortunately it’s a personal journey - I can’t tell you what you find interesting and what you enjoy, I can only tell you what I’m finding interesting and what I’m enjoying. Odds are you won’t feel the same.

Try not to blame the club too much for the way it’s changed, though. It’s not just Arsenal or even just football - everything has changed radically over the last half a century. That’s just how it goes - shit changes, life moves on. You move with it or you stand still and get left behind. It’s not always for the better, but it’s not always for the worse either - nostalgia has a funny way of making you only remember the good times whilst completely ignoring the bad. There’s a lot of stuff I miss about football from 20 / 30 / 40 years ago, but there’s a lot of stuff I’m really not sorry to see the back of either.

No need to feel sorry, I enjoy being miserable about Arsenal Football Club.

I have just reached the conclusion of "If they don't care about us (the fans), why should we care about them"?
As you say, it is impossible to go and support another team (unless you are truly plastic). I guess also that I am getting to that age where other things become more important than getting bogged down with things you cannot change.

I certainly don't blame Arsenal Football Club for paying players far too much money the fact that because they are paid too much money people are charged a fortune to go and watch them.

Like you, I enjoy things about he modern game (safer stadiums and pitches having grass on them all season rather than the first few months) :)

I am still hopeful that we get a new Manager asap so that we can improve rather than players wanting to leave or not wanting to come back (Guendouzi and Saliba to name two).
I can understand that they do not want to play for a rookie Manager that throws his toys out of his pram every five minutes.

[Globalgunner]

No need to feel sorry, I enjoy being miserable about Arsenal Football Club.

I have just reached the conclusion of "If they don't care about us (the fans), why should we care about them"?
As you say, it is impossible to go and support another team (unless you are truly plastic). I guess also that I am getting to that age where other things become more important than getting bogged down with things you cannot change.

I certainly don't blame Arsenal Football Club for paying players far too much money the fact that because they are paid too much money people are charged a fortune to go and watch them.

Like you, I enjoy things about he modern game (safer stadiums and pitches having grass on them all season rather than the first few months) :)

I am still hopeful that we get a new Manager asap so that we can improve rather than players wanting to leave or not wanting to come back (Guendouzi and Saliba to name two).
I can understand that they do not want to play for a rookie Manager that throws his toys out of his pram every five minutes.

We are of similar vintage. Im old enough to have seen Charlie George in the flesh and can remember my dad screaming about the lunacy of paying £100,000 for Malcom MacDonald (You could buy 3 decent houses for that, he said). Harold Wilson and his pipe. Arsenal are run by a bunch of no hopers. You would be a masochist to get all het up about the nonchalance of the club. No sincere team hires a plain rookie to win things. The people who get my goat are those who cannot see this and call it a "process". Others say it simply our time to be shit. Next year they will be bringing out Vernier callipers and Micrometer screw gauges to measure our infinitesimal progress.

[Mac76]

No need to feel sorry, I enjoy being miserable about Arsenal Football Club

:lol:


I am still hopeful that we get a new Manager asap so that we can improve rather than players wanting to leave or not wanting to come back (Guendouzi and Saliba to name two).
I can understand that they do not want to play for a rookie Manager that throws his toys out of his pram every five minutes.

i thought Saliba had said he did want to come back - it's Arteta who keeps insisting he's 'not ready'

but on your toys/pram point, I couldn't agree more - Arteta's playground posturing (and the way some people seem to think it's acceptable) is the most annoying thing about him

[GP]

https://www.arsenal.com/marquinhos-arsenal-signs-sao-paulo-brazil

Great player.

I've never been disappointed in this guy whenever I've seen him play.

[dazthegooner]

Well that's it then if Nketiah sign's his new deal that's our forward lineup for next season... <_<

[Mac76]

https://www.arsenal.com/marquinhos-arsenal-signs-sao-paulo-brazil

Great player.

I've never been disappointed in this guy whenever I've seen him play.

good news indeed - i look forward to seeing him put out on loan for three years and then sold for £15m to a leading club for whom he scores 30 goals per season

[Letters]

Try not to blame the club too much for the way it’s changed, though.
Agree with this. Arsenal are certainly complicit - the fact they even contemplated joining the Super League shows that basically we are chasing the money as much as anyone. But we aren't to blame. And what's the alternative? If you want to even attempt to compete in the modern game you have to do these things. It is a shame how football has gone. Some things have got better - a lot (if not all) of the thuggery and racism has gone, it's certainly safer and more inclusive these days. But the spiralling money has caused a change from club to business, the fanbase have become customers of that business. Back in the day there was a small club shop by the Clock End selling scarves and badges, now there a megastores with catalogues of endless merch. I mean, just stop and think a minute at how ridiculous it is that fans are now expected to buy a new shirt every single year, at £60+ a pop. Clubs have somehow conned fans into being excited about the new shirt release (I saw Spurs' one the other day - they went with white again... :doh:). And the fans - or a lot of them - just go along with it. I guess the younger ones don't know different. Then there's the blanket coverage, the rise of the Champions League, the billionaire owners hoovering up trophies. It's all gone to shit.

I have found it impossible to completely detach. But I'm nowhere near as invested as I used to be. When I was young I'd have been watching avidly and devastated by a 3-0 loss at WHL. Now I kept a bit of an eye on it, thought "knickers" and got on with my day. Getting older and having a family is definitely a factor in all this, my priorities have changed. But the way football has gone is a big factor too. Sky started a lot of this. They promised "a whole new ball game" and boy did they deliver...

[Niall_Quinn]

We are of similar vintage. Im old enough to have seen Charlie George in the flesh and can remember my dad screaming about the lunacy of paying £100,000 for Malcom MacDonald (You could buy 3 decent houses for that, he said). Harold Wilson and his pipe. Arsenal are run by a bunch of no hopers. You would be a masochist to get all het up about the nonchalance of the club. No sincere team hires a plain rookie to win things. The people who get my goat are those who cannot see this and call it a "process". Others say it simply our time to be shit. Next year they will be bringing out Vernier callipers and Micrometer screw gauges to measure our infinitesimal progress.

Wasn't Super Mac's fee £333,000? I recall seeing that in one of those little write-ups in one of those Panini sticker books. Which, admittedly, is not the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

[Globalgunner]

Wasn't Super Mac's fee £333,000? I recall seeing that in one of those little write-ups in one of those Panini sticker books. Which, admittedly, is not the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

You are right. I checked. Wikipedia says 333,333.34. 1/3rd of a Million quid. My dad was wrong...Thats 10 decent houses.

[dazthegooner]

Looks like the spuds have agreed a fee with Brighton for Yves Bissouma another supposed "Arsenal Target" that was either bullshit from the rumor mill or Arsenal being Arsenal when it comes to transfers.

[GP]

Looks like the spuds have agreed a fee with Brighton for Yves Bissouma another supposed "Arsenal Target" that was either bullshit from the rumor mill or Arsenal being Arsenal when it comes to transfers.

The rapist?

[IBK]

Looks like the spuds have agreed a fee with Brighton for Yves Bissouma another supposed "Arsenal Target" that was either bullshit from the rumor mill or Arsenal being Arsenal when it comes to transfers.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the transfer rumours. Most of them are complete bullshit/clickbait, and the result of lazy journalists needing to create copy or armchair keyboard warriors hoping for re-posts. Its funny how we often assume that just because another club makes a 'name' signing this means that our club is screwed. Happened with Buendia to Villa last season - people (a) assumed that they had got one over us and (b) that Villa were on the up and would be competing with us. Didn't happen. Look at Manure - already stocked full of names and then they sign Varane and Sancho - big name exciting signings...and the great Ronaldo last season...and finished well behind us. Lukaku to Chelsea - the list goes on. By comparison, AFC aced last Summer's signings despite not a single one of them being in the same bracket as the above 'names'.

Are we really so scared of Spurs? We finished just 2 points behind them last season despite them signing one of the most celebrated managers in world football, having 2 of the best forwards in the league (largely injury free for the whole season) and us playing basically without a striker for most of the season. For me, unless there is a massive reversal of transfer form, last year's business indicates that we should be pretty confident that we can (a) land the transfer targets that we want, and (b) that they will be the right ones. Surely we should be less negative?

[I am invisible]

...I have found it impossible to completely detach. But I'm nowhere near as invested as I used to be. When I was young I'd have been watching avidly and devastated by a 3-0 loss at WHL. Now I kept a bit of an eye on it, thought "knickers" and got on with my day. Getting older and having a family is definitely a factor in all this, my priorities have changed. But the way football has gone is a big factor too. Sky started a lot of this. They promised "a whole new ball game" and boy did they deliver...

Mate, I completely detached for a while - walked away for a good couple of years towards the end of Wenger's reign. Love the man, but I just couldn't watch it any more - it was just the same season on repeat, year after year, and it was like watching him die in slow motion. I didn't want to watch it any more and didn't even need to watch it to know exactly how each season was going to go, almost down to the match!

You're right - timing has a huge amount do do with it. When you're in your teens and your twenties you only really have yourself to look out for and you don't really have much of any personal importance going on that's worth caring about, so you end up caring about anything and everything else way more than you should! Football, politics, global warming, etc... you suddenly have strong opinions on just about everything, and start trying to put the world to rights.

And I can imagine something similar happens again later in life - you retire, the kids move away from home, the mortgage is all paid off, etc, and you start looking for other things to fill your time and give you focus. I can easily see myself getting suckered back into it in another 15-20 years!

But then you have the bit in the middle where life suddenly gets serious - you find yourself with more responsibility at work, longer hours, longer travel, you settle down with your partner and start a family, you have a massive mortgage to pay off or you're struggling to work out how to pay the rent each month, you have a household to run, a sea of paperwork on your doormat every morning, and a million other things that need your constant attention... and you just don't have the time or the energy for much else. Without even knowing you're doing it, you start picking and choosing your battles - you work out what's worth your energy and what isn't, otherwise you burn yourself out worrying about everything, even nonsense like football! That's where I am atm.

Football has gradually wormed its way back into my life again over the last couple of years, but I'm managing to keep it at arms length these days and I'm not letting myself get worked up over it. I work full-time, I commute, I have two little girls, one of whom is disabled, who both deserve my time and attention (and money) far more than Arsenal do, and I have very, very little free time - I don't want to spend what little free time I do have feeling angry and pissed off about a stupid game. Right now, I only have room for things that are going to add something positive to my day, so it's a very simple choice for me: choose to find some way to enjoy it and not take it too seriously, or walk away (again).

[KSE Comedy Club]

Looks like the spuds have agreed a fee with Brighton for Yves Bissouma another supposed "Arsenal Target" that was either bullshit from the rumor mill or Arsenal being Arsenal when it comes to transfers.

Another player we should have just bought to instantly upgrade our team by 100%.

We really do have to ask serious questions about our transfer business policy.

It's fucking lame.

[Globalgunner]

Another player we should have just bought to instantly upgrade our team by 100%.

We really do have to ask serious questions about our transfer business policy.

It's fucking lame.

Dont worry. We are keeping Xhaka. Just like a new signing

[Letters]

:lol:

[Chippy]

Another player we should have just bought to instantly upgrade our team by 100%.

We really do have to ask serious questions about our transfer business policy.

It's fucking lame.

We are waiting for top, top, top qualiteeeeee..

[Chippy]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the transfer rumours. Most of them are complete bullshit/clickbait, and the result of lazy journalists needing to create copy or armchair keyboard warriors hoping for re-posts. Its funny how we often assume that just because another club makes a 'name' signing this means that our club is screwed. Happened with Buendia to Villa last season - people (a) assumed that they had got one over us and (b) that Villa were on the up and would be competing with us. Didn't happen. Look at Manure - already stocked full of names and then they sign Varane and Sancho - big name exciting signings...and the great Ronaldo last season...and finished well behind us. Lukaku to Chelsea - the list goes on. By comparison, AFC aced last Summer's signings despite not a single one of them being in the same bracket as the above 'names'.

Are we really so scared of Spurs? We finished just 2 points behind them last season despite them signing one of the most celebrated managers in world football, having 2 of the best forwards in the league (largely injury free for the whole season) and us playing basically without a striker for most of the season. For me, unless there is a massive reversal of transfer form, last year's business indicates that we should be pretty confident that we can (a) land the transfer targets that we want, and (b) that they will be the right ones. Surely we should be less negative?

Whether it's bullshit or not, the Spuds will just leave us behind the way they are going.

[Xhaka Can’t]

The rapist?

ANUSTART

[GP]

ANUSTART

I'll leave when I'm good and ready.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Dont worry. We are keeping Xhaka. Just like a new signing

Is that after every suspension from all the red's he picks up?

[IBK]

Whether it's bullshit or not, the Spuds will just leave us behind the way they are going.

But this is exactly what I am talking about. Why this paranioia about Spurs? While we have been in the doldrums they have finished above us in the league for 6 years but what do they have to show for it - sod all. We have won a major trophy. OK they have their CL money to spend this transfer season but as I said before shiny new signings are no guarantee of success. They will never complete with the state sponsored clubs financially, and they have an ageing squad whereas we have the youngest team in the EPL that has just finished 2 points behind them. Anything can happen, but I don't get this default position that all our competitors will improve while we won't...

[KSE Comedy Club]

But this is exactly what I am talking about. Why this paranioia about Spurs? While we have been in the doldrums they have finished above us in the league for 6 years but what do they have to show for it - sod all. We have won a major trophy. OK they have their CL money to spend this transfer season but as I said before shiny new signings are no guarantee of success. They will never complete with the state sponsored clubs financially, and they have an ageing squad whereas we have the youngest team in the EPL that has just finished 2 points behind them. Anything can happen, but I don't get this default position that all our competitors will improve while we won't...

I think it's more about them strengthening their squad, whilst we have done nothing with a squad that is threadbare at best.

It is worrying to some extent.

The minimum prerequisite for this summer should have been to get all our business done early.

[Globalgunner]

Todd Cantwell of Norwich and Gallagher of Crystal Palace (Chelsea) are players who could improve us greatly but we wont go for them because Arteta prefers to buy defenders we dont really need.

We are not really in a strong position to lure players. What can we offer them?. I hope Edu isnt burnishing his tan in Brazil and is doing his best to get us players we need in spite of the manager

[IBK]

I think it's more about them strengthening their squad, whilst we have done nothing with a squad that is threadbare at best.

It is worrying to some extent.

The minimum prerequisite for this summer should have been to get all our business done early.

I'm not going to argue that ou squad needs serious strengthening but as long as we get our business done over the next month or so I'm not going to panic about what other clubs are doing.

[I am invisible]

I'd love to know what goes into "preparing" our bids? Do we gift-wrap them or nestle them in a basket of muffins or something?

[I am invisible]

Todd Cantwell of Norwich and Gallagher of Crystal Palace (Chelsea) are players who could improve us greatly but we wont go for them because Arteta prefers to buy defenders we dont really need.

We are not really in a strong position to lure players. What can we offer them?. I hope Edu isnt burnishing his tan in Brazil and is doing his best to get us players we need in spite of the manager

We'll know something's happening when Edu starts seasoning up a prime picanha.

[Chippy]

But this is exactly what I am talking about. Why this paranioia about Spurs? While we have been in the doldrums they have finished above us in the league for 6 years but what do they have to show for it - sod all. We have won a major trophy. OK they have their CL money to spend this transfer season but as I said before shiny new signings are no guarantee of success. They will never complete with the state sponsored clubs financially, and they have an ageing squad whereas we have the youngest team in the EPL that has just finished 2 points behind them. Anything can happen, but I don't get this default position that all our competitors will improve while we won't...

It is not paranoia. They are better than us at the moment and the gap will increase the way things are going. They are buying already and we have bought another one for the future.
We haven't just got a rookie Manager, we have a rookie in recruitment (Edu).

[Mac76]

Dont worry. We are keeping Xhaka. Just like a new signing

Is that true!? :ilt:

[Marc Overmars]

Palace away on the first day. Friday night football. :lol:

:rose:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Went well last year. :lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

These are the kind of fixtures where we cannot argue that we are being chucked in at the deep end. We don’t play any of the so-called top six sides around us until the sixth game in (away at United and man is that club in a state)

Palace (A), Leicester (H), Bournemouth (A), Fulham (H) and Brentford (A)

I don’t think you could get much more favourable fixtures to start a season. It’s time for the club to pull its finger out, get the signings we clearly need and give Arteta no excuses

[KSE Comedy Club]

I'm not going to argue that ou squad needs serious strengthening but as long as we get our business done over the next month or so I'm not going to panic about what other clubs are doing.

I agree with you.

However, we also don't want to be left behind by other clubs during and after we have done our business.

There is a certain amount of relativity when it comes to what other clubs are doing.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I'd love to know what goes into "preparing" our bids? Do we gift-wrap them or nestle them in a basket of muffins or something?

I think it's more the financial documents.

It's more difficult when you have to work out the monthly payment breakdowns over 10+ years, rather than just saying 'a payment of £20m will be made'

[HCZ_Reborn]

I agree with you.

However, we also don't want to be left behind by other clubs during and after we have done our business.

There is a certain amount of relativity when it comes to what other clubs are doing.

Oh I think bare minimum we probably need to be bringing in four-five players

If Pepe goes we need a winger, even with Nketiah staying we arguably need two strikers, we need a central midfielder who actually is comfortable on the ball and I’d argue a fullback who can play on the left and right side of defence as relying on Cedric and Tavares is borderline suicidal

Don’t get me wrong, I in no way expect this to happen

[IBK]

It is not paranoia. They are better than us at the moment and the gap will increase the way things are going. They are buying already and we have bought another one for the future.
We haven't just got a rookie Manager, we have a rookie in recruitment (Edu).

The evidence of last season suggests that the 2 teams (at least when our key players were available) were pretty equal. The evidence also shows that our transfer business last Summer was really good. Why all this constant negativity about our team when the transfer window has been open all of 6 days?

[KSE Comedy Club]

The evidence of last season suggests that the 2 teams (at least when our key players were available) were pretty equal. The evidence also shows that our transfer business last Summer was really good. Why all this constant negativity about our team when the transfer window has been open all of 6 days?

Our transfer business wasn't really good, it was just good.

Lokonga - not ready seemingly
Tavares - awful

then in January we stripped the squad to the bare minimum and we are now at least 6 players short, not to mention having other players we need to shift on and replace - Xhaka, Pepe, etc.

Pre season is on the 27th of June, which is a week away.

We really cannot afford to be waiting the whole window to bed in new players. It has happened the last few years and players like Pepe have suffered because of it.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Did Pepe suffer as a result, or did we suffer as a result of bringing a player in based on nothing more than one or two good seasons in a domestic league far inferior to our own?

[I am invisible]

I think it's more the financial documents.

It's more difficult when you have to work out the monthly payment breakdowns over 10+ years, rather than just saying 'a payment of £20m will be made'

I know, I know - I'm joking. It just feels like we spend more time preparing bids than we do actually bidding! It's one of those phrases that I get sick of hearing when it's transfer silly-season.

[Marc Overmars]

Did Pepe suffer as a result, or did we suffer as a result of bringing a player in based on nothing more than one or two good seasons in a domestic league far inferior to our own?

Was widely considered in France at the time that Lille had a huge touch with the money we offered. He was never that good and that’s proven to be the case. An obscene waste of money.

[Globalgunner]

The guys in charge of our transfers at the time were later found to be incompetent and maybe crooked or both. But we have been gash at player buying and selling since DD left. Its the history of us. The ones we want to keep, fight to leave, the ones we want to buy, cost an arm and both legs

[KSE Comedy Club]

I know, I know - I'm joking. It just feels like we spend more time preparing bids than we do actually bidding! It's one of those phrases that I get sick of hearing when it's transfer silly-season.:lol:

So was I!

more making light of our pathetic low ball offers and 'paying in instalments' deals!

[KSE Comedy Club]

Did Pepe suffer as a result, or did we suffer as a result of bringing a player in based on nothing more than one or two good seasons in a domestic league far inferior to our own?

No, I believe he suffered.

He had no pre season with us, then he was brought on in games here and there to try and get him up to speed. Then Emery was sacked and Arteta came in and didn't really like him and never gave him a chance.

If he had time to properly bed into the team, I think we would have gotten a much better version of him in the long run.

[I am invisible]

:lol:

So was I!

more making light of our pathetic low ball offers and 'paying in instalments' deals!

Installments + £1

[IBK]

Our transfer business wasn't really good, it was just good.

Lokonga - not ready seemingly
Tavares - awful

then in January we stripped the squad to the bare minimum and we are now at least 6 players short, not to mention having other players we need to shift on and replace - Xhaka, Pepe, etc.

Pre season is on the 27th of June, which is a week away.

We really cannot afford to be waiting the whole window to bed in new players. It has happened the last few years and players like Pepe have suffered because of it.

I disagree. Lokonga wasn't bought as a first team player - and he looks a really decent prospect. Ben White and Ramsdale are pretty much universally regarded as excellent signings. Tomiasu was the real deal - and we dont know yet whether his injuries were because of being overplayed; bad luck or something more concerning. Odegard was the deal of the season! Jury's out on Tavares yes but he was £6.8 mil FFS.

Taken together - and factoring in transfer fees I think its harsh to say that we didn't do really good business.

The problem is that some Gooners always seem to judge the club by the standard of sheer perfection - which is unfair. I'd love to know what club ever has made 6 signings and all 6 have been instant successes. Even if you want to discount Tavares, 4.5 out of 6 - 75% sucess rate is excellent business in the real world.

[IBK]

Jesus and Fabio Viera....

[I am invisible]

The new Vieira?

[Munchies]

looks shit from the youtube scouting I've just done

And we don't need him in our team

Arteta wasting all our transfer budget on players we don't need as per usual

[HCZ_Reborn]

Yeah have to agree on position, we need a central midfielder not an attacking midfielder we have Odegaard and Smith Rowe for that

As for how good the player is?, no idea and I wouldn’t base an opinion on a you tube video

Feels like we are trying to emulate Liverpool’s strategy of bringing in people from the Portuguese league.

[Letters]

Does he come from Senegal?

[HCZ_Reborn]

No missing the requisite two I’s

[GP]

Apparentl;y he does have two Is

[LDG]

Apparentl;y he does have two Is

Shame he’s one footed :(

[Marc Overmars]

He came from Portugal, he plays for Arsenal

[I am invisible]

Does he come from Senegal?
No, but I guess Portugal is an easy enough swap?

Edit: or what MO said /\

[I am invisible]

Um… don’t really know what to say about this one? Never heard of him before about an hour ago.

I’m guessing he’s going to be competition for Ødegaard, which I’m all for, as long as it doesn’t eat into the striker or left-8 budget.

[Marc Overmars]

Seems like a bit of punt really, not exactly sure he’s needed but with the EL to consider we will need a few more options than we were working with last season.

[GP]

The best Portugese ever to play in the PL.

[Letters]

Vieira whoa, Vieira whoa
He’s not as good as Pat
But we’ll make do with that

:shrug:
Needs work.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Haven't won the league since Vieira left so let's bring in a new Vieira. :bow:

[Munchies]

If the recent transfer targets are accurate (not accurate that we sign all of them)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVYkY72WQAEevW5?format=jpg&name=small

[Marc Overmars]

Don’t see Tielemans happening unless we sell Xhaka.

[dazthegooner]

Don’t see Tielemans happening unless we sell Xhaka.

Sounds like a plan :good:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Don’t see Tielemans happening unless we sell Xhaka.

Don’t depress me, we arguably need Tielemans as much as if not more than a striker….not Tielemans especially but the role he plays in

[Marc Overmars]

Sounds like Jesus could cost us 50m. Hell of a lot for a striker that’s never been the main man but you’d have to think with that valuation City feel like he’s got a lot to give and would significantly strengthen us.

[I am invisible]

To a certain extent I think that’s just the market for CFs at the moment - supply and demand is well and truly in favour of the selling clubs! Add the usual PL / Arsenal tax and it doesn’t take much to get to 50m.

It’s a bit of a gamble, but it should also be an educated guess. He knows the league, knows the coach, looks tailor-made for the way we want to press and build up, and he looks like he has a good variety of goals in him - it’s just a question of quantity? Difficult to say whether he has the numbers in him when he’s been constantly rotated and played everywhere under Pep, but I tend to think that anyone who can score 4 goals in a single game probably has that striker’s instinct (and greed) in them somewhere.

And, you know… he’s also a world-class wide attacker. Even if he’s not quite the CF of our dreams we’ll still get our money’s worth from him.

[I am invisible]

Seen this Vieira lad compared to Bernardo Silva a few times now, so I’m guessing he’s comfortable playing anywhere across the front. If I was a betting man I would say this might spell the end of Pepe (as well as any interest we might have had in the likes of Raphinha).

[Munchies]

Signing Fabio Vieira doesn’t impact Arsenal’s pursuit of Youri Tielemans. Club still see Tielemans as a top priority and remain confident of agreeing a price with Leicester.
https://twitter.com/JacobsBen/status/1537541163250601988

is he any good? Been a bit underwhelmed whenever i've seen him play bar the odd goal