Summer Transfer Shit and Everything Else

[dostoy]

It's not real yet, just rumours.

I think he would be a very good signing but who knows.

[HCZ_Reborn]

It's not real yet, just rumours.

I think he would be a very good signing but who knows.

Man don’t spoil a perfectly good gif

Seriously though, will it happen? I don’t know….seems to be more in it than simply paper talk.

His stats aren’t bad for someone his age…clearly not a Haaland goal monster but could be a very good player for us

[Mac76]

I've seen £45-£55 million quoted, I guess in today's money it sounds about right if he's a 20-goal-a-season man

[HCZ_Reborn]

I've seen £45-£55 million quoted, I guess in today's money it sounds about right if he's a 20-goal-a-season man

Just so

[dostoy]

Happy 21st birthday Benjamin.

Now come to Arsenal, score hundreds of goals and win us the PL and the CL.

[Mac76]

AC Milan are after Jesus and Kiwior apparently, I don't mind too much about Jesus but I think we should keep Kiwior, he's a good CB and also a decent LB against lower-table sides

Elsewhere we're after Monaco's Youssef Fofana and maybe Sancho, don't know much about Fofana but he sounds like a Partey replacement, while I think Arteta could get a tune out of Sancho, the price they're talking about is £40 (and a bargain-sounding £20m for Fofana)

Lastly Osimhen might apparently cost £110 which is too much for me, I'd easily go for Sesko instead, we've got Havartz and Leo after all, so don't need to splurge so much on one more goalscorer

[Marc Overmars]

Fulham are interested in Nketiah apparently and could pay up to 30m for him.

Definitely time to move him on.

[HCZ_Reborn]

We do need to bring in money this summer.

Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Zinchenko, Partey, Ramsdale and Jesus….well if we can get money for them they are all expendable.

[HCZ_Reborn]

AC Milan are after Jesus and Kiwior apparently, I don't mind too much about Jesus but I think we should keep Kiwior, he's a good CB and also a decent LB against lower-table sides

Elsewhere we're after Monaco's Youssef Fofana and maybe Sancho, don't know much about Fofana but he sounds like a Partey replacement, while I think Arteta could get a tune out of Sancho, the price they're talking about is £40 (and a bargain-sounding £20m for Fofana)

Lastly Osimhen might apparently cost £110 which is too much for me, I'd easily go for Sesko instead, we've got Havartz and Leo after all, so don't need to splurge so much on one more goalscorer

Osimhen was a bit hit and miss last season, injury at the beginning and generally a bit patchy in form.


I’m also never keen on signing African players up front especially as your no1 striker. With Auba we got away with it a) because they scheduled the 2019 AFCON for the summer and b) Covid messed things around and then he was out of favour

[Mac76]

Fulham are interested in Nketiah apparently and could pay up to 30m for him.

Definitely time to move him on.

It's been time to move him on for at least two seasons, £30m would be a good price

[Mac76]

There's a story that we might swap ESR and Tomi plus about £30 for Osimhen, don't mind ESR but to lose a utility player like Tomi would be a shame, albeit I get that he's maybe a bit injury prone

I'd still go for Sesko personally, Rice aside I'm uncomfortable with paying so much, even if it partly in players, it would stull be costing as much

[Mac76]

Ornstein saying Sesko could be agreed in a week or so, would love to see that

[Marc Overmars]

Never seen the guy play but at 6’5 you’ve got to think he should be able to add something different to the attack.

[Mac76]

Never seen the guy play

This is all you need...


https://x.com/i/status/1797212876832157836

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Never seen the guy play but at 6’5 you’ve got to think he should be able to add something different to the attack.

IMO he would add the things we were suppose to get from Havertz i.e. a tall player great with his head and with a killer first touch (Mac's reel another example). A lot of people are comparing him with Ibrahimovic, I mean he's in no way as skillfull (who is anyway?) but its unusual to see a player that tall with that much composure and such a great first touch...also he does have a burst of pace or should I call it acceleration, something Havertz and a lot of other tall players lack. Halland also uses that pretty well to his advantage for a tallie.

Anyway, from what I've seen he'd be a great addition to an Arteta kind of squad, especially as it seems he would eventually bench Havertz ( and IMO that would be sooner than most people think).

BTW...I think the price is pretty fair to.

[dostoy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cjjj1w6qzj1o

At least he won't go to Chelsea, until next year.

[Mac76]

Am a bit annoyed about that, I thought he sounded like a good player for a reasonable price

people now talking about Zirkzee, Olise or Gimenez

[HCZ_Reborn]

Am a bit annoyed about that, I thought he sounded like a good player for a reasonable price

people now talking about Zirkzee, Olise or Gimenez

Well I suppose for a 21 year old, you think at the moment that guaranteed game time is the most important thing in your career. Arteta isn’t a great one for squad rotation, so could find himself frozen out.

[Mac76]

Well I suppose for a 21 year old, you think at the moment that guaranteed game time is the most important thing in your career. Arteta isn’t a great one for squad rotation, so could find himself frozen out.

yeah true enough, although whoever we sign if they're any good they'll expect decent game time, Olise being a good example

[HCZ_Reborn]

yeah true enough, although whoever we sign if they're any good they'll expect decent game time, Olise being a good example

Olise is a winger first and foremost

I kind of feel especially against sides that play with 11 behind the ball that we need more of a target man

Not to say I wouldn’t sign him, just not instead of a more traditional striker

[Marc Overmars]

Olise would be really good competition for Saka but I suspect he will sign for Chelsea if he’s let go. I don’t see us paying whatever silly money Palace want.

[Mac76]

Olise is a winger first and foremost

I kind of feel especially against sides that play with 11 behind the ball that we need more of a target man

Not to say I wouldn’t sign him, just not instead of a more traditional striker

yes, he is more of a winger and you wouldn't want to lose that side of his game, I agree we need a more out-and-out forward

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cjjj1w6qzj1o

At least he won't go to Chelsea, until next year.

Yup, he's just signed with RB....just seen it on twitter.

A real bummer as he's the only player we've been linked to this summer that actually excites me. Him and of course Yousouf Fofana (aka the second coming of Yaya Toure). I really hope his rumors don't end up being a pipe dream also.

[Chippy]

So, it is that time of the year where Arsenal are linked with at least 120 players and most are a done deal. :)

However, which positions are really needed, if any?

We showed last year that an "out and out striker" may not be needed because the goals were shared around the team.

I believe that we should make it a priority and shift the last of the dead wood (Nketiah, ESR, Jesus, Zin and Vieria) and stick with the team we have. Maybe promote one or two of the youngsters. Obi-Martin is one to keep an eye on.

[Mac76]

He won't ditch both ESR and Vieira, my bet is they keep Vieira, I still believe we can get more out of him if Arteta will give him more minutes, either in place of Saka or more centrally

[Niall_Quinn]

So, it is that time of the year where Arsenal are linked with at least 120 players and most are a done deal. :)

However, which positions are really needed, if any?

We showed last year that an "out and out striker" may not be needed because the goals were shared around the team.

I believe that we should make it a priority and shift the last of the dead wood (Nketiah, ESR, Jesus, Zin and Vieria) and stick with the team we have. Maybe promote one or two of the youngsters. Obi-Martin is one to keep an eye on.

There's not a single player anywhere worth buying. We already have a decent squad and don't need anything else. If there was a single decent striker in Europe, Mbappe excluded, that would be worth a punt. But there isn't. It;s a seas of shit-kickers who are utterly talentless compared to what we already have.

[dostoy]

Viktor Gyökeres ???

Ex Coventry

One good season playing in the Portuguese League with Sporting Lisbon.

It seems a lot money for this type of player.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Why are we going after Califiori, out of all the positions we need to strengthen it’s not in defence

If we sell Zinchenko? Great…maybe bring in a youngster who can provide cover for Timber whilst continuing to also use Tomi and Kiwior there….we’ve clearly got enough options.

Yes we scored a lot of goals last season but relying on Trossard and Havertz to get you goals consistently is at best a gamble

We also need midfield cover

I hope that he’s lured by Chelsea silly money and goes there

[dostoy]

The only reason I can think of is Saliba and Gabriel cannot play every game like they were asked to last season, apart from the one CC match.

I never like Italians over here, they very rarely settle and like it here, but he will have Jorginho if he does arrive.

[Mac76]

We need to strengthen the squad, without doubt we can't assume Gabriel and Saliba will be fit all season, we need to be more competitive in cups too plus the CL has more fixtures, so we need more strength in depth

And we simply must sell Zin so Arteta doesn't have the option of playing him ever again

[Mac76]

Raya's now joined on a permanent deal

Arteta messed up the transition but I think most people would agree he's a good choice for our style of play and a decent keeper

[Letters]

He's decent, not really top class. Not that I think Ramsdale is really top class either.
Overall I agree, Ramsdale has been treated poorly but Raya is an upgrade if only in the sense that his distribution is better which suits our style more.

[HCZ_Reborn]

We need to strengthen the squad, without doubt we can't assume Gabriel and Saliba will be fit all season, we need to be more competitive in cups too plus the CL has more fixtures, so we need more strength in depth

And we simply must sell Zin so Arteta doesn't have the option of playing him ever again

The thing is almost all of our fullbacks or those we use at fullback can play centre back - Tomiyasu, White, Kiwior, Timber.

For numbers it might help to bring in a youngster as cover at full back, what we certainly don’t need to do is sink a ridiculous amount of money on an overhyped Italian.

[Marc Overmars]

I’m also a bit dubious about Italian players in the PL, it’s been a long time since anyone came here and really excelled. Always felt their style has never been suited to the athletic nature of modern PL football. Jorginho has had a fairly consistent career over here but will hardly go down as one of the greats. Before him I can’t remember any top players in recent times? You have to go back to the likes of Zola and Di Canio who are still the best Italians to ever play over here.

[WMUG]

I never like Italians over here, they very rarely settle and like it here, but he will have Jorginho if he does arrive.

"Italian"

[Mac76]

I’m also a bit dubious about Italian players in the PL, it’s been a long time since anyone came here and really excelled. Always felt their style has never been suited to the athletic nature of modern PL football. Jorginho has had a fairly consistent career over here but will hardly go down as one of the greats. Before him I can’t remember any top players in recent times? You have to go back to the likes of Zola and Di Canio who are still the best Italians to ever play over here.

I'd add Vialli to that list

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'd add Vialli to that list

Poor Luca, I was genuinely sad when he died

[Niall_Quinn]

Can we all agree Mbappe is pretty shit? Absolute trash compared to the greats who have gone before him. So if he's the gold standard, then let's not worry such much about who we sign, let's focus on teaching our existing players how to play football. Would definitely be cheaper and a whole load of cunt agents would go broke so how can you argue against that?

[dazthegooner]

See we're being linked with Ollie Watson again I thought he was only in his early 20's didn't realise he's 28.

[Mac76]

See we're being linked with Ollie Watson again I thought he was only in his early 20's didn't realise he's 28.

Never heard of him, I'd prefer Ollie Watkins tbh

[Mac76]

West Ham might buy Nelson, good for him if he gets more regular football and obvsnit also frees up some money for us

[HCZ_Reborn]

West Ham might buy Nelson, good for him if he gets more regular football and obvsnit also frees up some money for us

Agree. But still hope they have to pay far more than he’s worth….the way they behaved over Rice was a joke

[HCZ_Reborn]

On the topic of player sales, strong link with a big money move for Smith Rowe to Fulham. Another player who is just not going to get the game time with us, I think in honesty he’s too good for Fulham but I couldn’t blame him wanting to get the game time

[Mac76]

We should sell ESR, Eddie and Nelson - Tavares and Lokonga are heading out the door already I think, would be great to clear the way for upgrades

[HCZ_Reborn]

We should sell ESR, Eddie and Nelson - Tavares and Lokonga are heading out the door already I think, would be great to clear the way for upgrades

Only possible sticky issue is where it leaves us with amount of home grown players in the squad.

[Mac76]

We've just signed a goalie who i think counts as homegrown, but yes fair ppint

If we sign Williams I think that could be the case too, though not sure

[dostoy]

I would be amazed if Nico Williams signed for Arsenal.

Surely he will go to Barca if he leaves Bilbao.

[Chippy]

We should sell ESR, Eddie and Nelson - Tavares and Lokonga are heading out the door already I think, would be great to clear the way for upgrades

I massively agree that we should be selling the fringe players. However, we need to be careful that we do not leave ourselves short for the new season opening games.

Both Rice and Saka will not be available for the opening few matches as they will need a rest after the Euros.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I really don't like the way this transfer window is going...we have been way to quiet. I mean I am happy to get rid of players like Taveres, Lokonga and even Smith-Rowe (if that happens), but the lack of solid leads, no realistic noise about strikers, wingers and even a replacement for Partey (sad to say) is worrying.

I just hope no one is going to use the excuse of jaded or injured players once the season starts.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I really don't like the way this transfer window is going...we have been way to quiet. I mean I am happy to get rid of players like Taveres, Lokonga and even Smith-Rowe (if that happens), but the lack of solid leads, no realistic noise about strikers, wingers and even a replacement for Partey (sad to say) is worrying.

I just hope no one is going to use the excuse of jaded or injured players once the season starts.

It’s been clear for some considerable time that we would need to sell before we were able to buy. The problem is it’s not a sellers market, what tends to happen is players get bought from clubs for far more than they are worth because the club doesn’t want to sell.

There’s been almost no moves amongst a lot of other clubs as well…no transfer activity with Liverpool, City, Newcastle etc

Being worried of falling afoul of sustainability rules means this is probably the way it may be in future

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

It’s been clear for some considerable time that we would need to sell before we were able to buy. The problem is it’s not a sellers market, what tends to happen is players get bought from clubs for far more than they are worth because the club doesn’t want to sell.

There’s been almost no moves amongst a lot of other clubs as well…no transfer activity with Liverpool, City, Newcastle etc

Being worried of falling afoul of sustainability rules means this is probably the way it may be in future

I heard some news we are renegotiating commercial deals....and seeing as this is our 2nd year in the CL, we should really have started seeing the impact of increased revenues by now on our transfer dealings

I don't know, I get the feeling we are playing it safe, I just hope that doesn't come back to royally bite us in the ass.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I heard some news we are renegotiating commercial deals....and seeing as this is our 2nd year in the CL, we should really have started seeing the impact of increased revenues by now on our transfer dealings

I don't know, I get the feeling we are playing it safe, I just hope that doesn't come back to royally bite us in the ass.

Honestly that stuff doesn’t touch the sides, it’s not even the amount we spent on transfers versus what we bring in as much as it is our wage bill. That’s part of the reason why we’ve prepared to accept chicken feed for some of our players.

Given what’s happened to Everton and Forest, what’s almost certainly going to happen to Leicester, and may even happen to Villa and Newcastle I think the smart thing is to play it safe. As I say if it was just us I’d be more concerned, but the transfer window has been extremely quiet so it’s clearly making it hard.

[Mac76]

I really don't like the way this transfer window is going...we have been way to quiet. I mean I am happy to get rid of players like Taveres, Lokonga and even Smith-Rowe (if that happens), but the lack of solid leads, no realistic noise about strikers, wingers and even a replacement for Partey (sad to say) is worrying.

I just hope no one is going to use the excuse of jaded or injured players once the season starts.

I think it will all suddenly start falling into place, it's hard doing transfers during a major tournament as the players aren't focussed on it

[Mac76]

Calafiore deal very close apparently

[HCZ_Reborn]

Calafiore deal very close apparently

Don’t want this signing. We’ve spent years spending too much on defenders and swapping out the ones we already have. Get rid of Zinchenko? Fine but we can play Jurrien Timber there, Tomiyasu there. White, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba. Maybe we need a youngster to come through to bolster numbers but to make it a top priority when Striker, winger, central midfield are all more important signings. I was happy with Trossard and Havertz last season but to rely on them and Saka and hope for Martinelli and Jesus to do better than last season with goals is an unnecessary risk.

[Mac76]

Don’t want this signing. We’ve spent years spending too much on defenders and swapping out the ones we already have. Get rid of Zinchenko? Fine but we can play Jurrien Timber there, Tomiyasu there. White, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba. Maybe we need a youngster to come through to bolster numbers but to make it a top priority when Striker, winger, central midfield are all more important signings. I was happy with Trossard and Havertz last season but to rely on them and Saka and hope for Martinelli and Jesus to do better than last season with goals is an unnecessary risk.

I think they're just as keen to sign some upfront players but this is the one they've managed to do first - I don't quite get it either but perhaps Arteta's agenda is to replace Gabriel, after all he dropped him at the beginning of last season but it immediately showed that we were weaker so he was forced to re-introduce him

also though maybe the plan for Timber is LB and so we still need mroe options in CB

Tomi has real injury issues, Zin is shite and it looks like Kiwior might be on his way out already (a shame in my view as against all but the best I thnk he's fine). White himself could do with some cover as he had to play with an injury at the bcak end of the season

[dostoy]

Don’t want this signing. We’ve spent years spending too much on defenders and swapping out the ones we already have. Get rid of Zinchenko? Fine but we can play Jurrien Timber there, Tomiyasu there. White, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba. Maybe we need a youngster to come through to bolster numbers but to make it a top priority when Striker, winger, central midfield are all more important signings. I was happy with Trossard and Havertz last season but to rely on them and Saka and hope for Martinelli and Jesus to do better than last season with goals is an unnecessary risk.

You didn't want Trossard I remember.

There is no question that Saliba and Gabriel cannot play as many matches as they did last season and surely Kiwior is on his way out.

I'm still very unsure of an Italian coming here. The weather will be too cold and the pasta will not be like 'mama used to make'.

We will have to wait and see as always.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Don’t want this signing. We’ve spent years spending too much on defenders and swapping out the ones we already have. Get rid of Zinchenko? Fine but we can play Jurrien Timber there, Tomiyasu there. White, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba. Maybe we need a youngster to come through to bolster numbers but to make it a top priority when Striker, winger, central midfield are all more important signings. I was happy with Trossard and Havertz last season but to rely on them and Saka and hope for Martinelli and Jesus to do better than last season with goals is an unnecessary risk.

Though I like the player and his versatility, I have to admit like you I do not think this is a priority (unless there is some news about Timber that Arsenal is not sharing to the rest of the world).

If this is our big signing of the summer and we recruit no attacking players and midfielders, I will be truly disappointed in our decision making.

With the news coming from Citeh on players leaving, I am almost 95% sure they will not win the league this season. If we are thinking we can do so with 0-0 draws, then we have learnt nothing.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

To add a bit of perspective, Zirkzee (their top scorer) just joined Man U for less than the amount we are "willing" to pay for Caliafori...and Zirkzee actually cost Bologna over 20m unlike Caliafori who they bought last year for 4m!!

The deal is a bit annoying and maybe we should just call Bologna's bluff and let Juventus take him (something they will really hate). They better agree really good payment terms on this deal seeing as they've forced us to pay an outrageous "Italian Tax" on this guy.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Though I like the player and his versatility, I have to admit like you I do not think this is a priority (unless there is some news about Timber that Arsenal is not sharing to the rest of the world).

If this is our big signing of the summer and we recruit no attacking players and midfielders, I will be truly disappointed in our decision making.

With the news coming from Citeh on players leaving, I am almost 95% sure they will not win the league this season. If we are thinking we can do so with 0-0 draws, then we have learnt nothing.

What news on players leaving

I’ve seen about De Bruyne leaving but he was injured for half the season last season anyway. Rodri, Dias, Haaland and Foden and to a lesser extent Bernardo Silva are their integral players.

I think they absolutely will win the league again next season. Even if we sign the players we need they will be favourites and there is no one else who realistically can challenge at this moment in time

[Mac76]

I think they absolutely will win the league again next season

Given the general level of accuracy of your predictions, this gives me real hope

[Marc Overmars]

Arteta’s fetish for defenders who can play more than one position is getting a bit silly now. Haven’t seen enough of Calafiori to know how good he is but we’ve spent so much at back in recent years and it’s got us to the point where we have the best defence in the league so you’d think that would be enough. I don’t even think Kiwior is that bad so unless he just isn’t happy in this country I think it’s weird that we could replace him so soon.

We need a striker, winger and also a CM. I know we have to get rid of a few first but these are the positions that can win us the league.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Given the general level of accuracy of your predictions, this gives me real hope

Whilst I think it’s never clever for people in glass houses to throw stones, you don’t seem to mind being covered in shattered glass.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Arteta’s fetish for defenders who can play more than one position is getting a bit silly now. Haven’t seen enough of Calafiori to know how good he is but we’ve spent so much at back in recent years and it’s got us to the point where we have the best defence in the league so you’d think that would be enough. I don’t even think Kiwior is that bad so unless he just isn’t happy in this country I think it’s weird that we could replace him so soon.

We need a striker, winger and also a CM. I know we have to get rid of a few first but these are the positions that can win us the league.

Spot on

[Mac76]

Whilst I think it’s never clever for people in glass houses to throw stones, you don’t seem to mind being covered in shattered glass.

No idea what you're talking about - i avoid predicting things much, it's you who, as has been pointed out to you on many occasions on this board, keeps predicting major things and gets it wrong every time

[HCZ_Reborn]

No idea what you're talking about - i avoid predicting things much, it's you who, as has been pointed out to you on many occasions on this board, keeps predicting major things and gets it wrong every time

I was talking about your opinions in general

[Mac76]

I was talking about your opinions in general

and i was (actually) joking about the poor record of your predicitons, but it went way over your head i think

[Letters]

I think they absolutely will win the league again next season. Even if we sign the players we need they will be favourites and there is no one else who realistically can challenge at this moment in time
Agreed



Unlike in international competitions when there are multiple potential winners ##

[HCZ_Reborn]

and i was (actually) joking about the poor record of your predicitons, but it went way over your head i think

And predictions are opinions, and a lot of yours range from ridiculous to objectively false. Thus my original response.


And with you being also painfully unfunny, it would also be hard to know when you’re telling a joke :lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Agreed



Unlike in international competitions when there are multiple potential winners ##

Which international competitions are these?.

[Letters]

Which international competitions are these?.

The ones which take every 2 years.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The ones which take every 2 years.

Yes but you were specifically talking about competitions which have multiple teams competing for them

You have two teams competing for the league with one overwhelming favourite, and in most international competitions you have 2-3 competing teams with one reasonably clear favourite

[Letters]

You have two teams competing for the league with one overwhelming favourite, and in most international competitions you have 2-3 competing teams with one reasonably clear favourite
If you say so :good:

[Mac76]

And predictions are opinions, and a lot of yours range from ridiculous to objectively false. Thus my original response.


And with you being also painfully unfunny, it would also be hard to know when you’re telling a joke :lol:

My opinions are normally correct, when it's clear I got something wrong based on actual evidence presented to the contrary, I say so

Amd i'm not sure how someone with an almost complete sense of humour failure could tell if someone's funny or not

[HCZ_Reborn]

My opinions are normally correct, when it's clear I got something wrong based on actual evidence presented to the contrary, I say so

Amd i'm not sure how someone with an almost complete sense of humour failure could tell if someone's funny or not

That’s the typical fallback for people who aren’t funny. “Other people don’t have a sense of humour”. The only time I’ve got funny with you is when you accused me of being a child molester, which isn’t really a joke…it’s just the remark a dickhead makes bereft of anything else. And I hold to that statement, you are a nasty piece of work as most people who superficially claim to be virtuous tend to be


And You’re right about almost nothing, how confidently you assert it has on how correct you are

[Mac76]

The only time I’ve got funny with you is when you accused me of being a child molester

I never accused you of that, I simply said you seemed to have an unhealthy preoccupation with such people and their activities - interesting though that you drew that conclusion from it... ;)


You’re right about almost nothing, how confidently you assert it has on how correct you are

ok, cite one thing of any note where i've been wrong

[WMUG]

As I may have mentioned before on here:

Honestly, you two!

:handbags:

[HCZ_Reborn]

I never accused you of that, I simply said you seemed to have an unhealthy preoccupation with such people and their activities - interesting though that you drew that conclusion from it... ;)



ok, cite one thing of any note where i've been wrong


Would be easier to note the things you’re right about. And even with something like Zinchenko you go so ridiculously over the top with it that it negates what is quite an obvious point

You spoke with certainty about the Generalissimo Belgrano and The Falklands and you were unaware of even the most basic facts.

You made conspiracy claims about both Trump and the Israeli government where you showed shocking ignorance of the details governing the issues


You’re literally stage 1 of the Dunning-Kruger effect. You’re ignorant to the extent of your ignorance

[Mac76]

Would be easier to note the things you’re right about. And even with something like Zinchenko you go so ridiculously over the top with it that it negates what is quite an obvious point

You spoke with certainty about the Generalissimo Belgrano and The Falklands and you were unaware of even the most basic facts.

You made conspiracy claims about both Trump and the Israeli government where you showed shocking ignorance of the details governing the issues


You’re literally stage 1 of the Dunning-Kruger effect. You’re ignorant to the extent of your ignorance

Zin - you've always said in your player ratings things like: "what's the point of him?" - everything I've said has echoed that, he gives us nothing and is a liability - even Arteta seemed to think so at the end of last seasson - nothing 'wrong' there then (I've noticed many times that it seems as though only you are allowed to criticse Arteta, Zin or anyone else, if anyone else does it you argue with them, it's almost like you want to be the only one who sees things...)

Belgrano - yes and i admitted in whatever thread it was that when I looked into it further that there was more to it than i thought (an example of what i said above about being prepared to alter my view if presented with evidence), however it was perfectly valid, I was in my teens at the time and I recall clearly at the time that there was a lot of outcry about it, Thatcher was famously challenged about it by a member of the public on the radio. Even having looked into it now, while as i say there's more to it, I'm still not convinced it was entirely justifiable

Trump - there are a lot of people who cast doubt on that episode - I doubt we'll ever know the truth

Israel - not sure what this is but I think you're referring to me perhaps citing reports (note 'reports' not 'rumours') that there was an awareness of the attack before it took place - again this has not been disproved so I am not 'wrong'

[Marc Overmars]

Villa are selling Diaby to Saudi. On top of Douglas Luiz going I’m not quite sure how they expect to maintain their level from last season now unless they recruit extremely well.

[dazthegooner]

Well they've just signed Onana bit surprised he ended up there but good luck to him.

[Marc Overmars]

Had no idea tbh. Been well out of the loop because of the Euros. Need to decompress before this shit starts again next month.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Zin - you've always said in your player ratings things like: "what's the point of him?" - everything I've said has echoed that, he gives us nothing and is a liability - even Arteta seemed to think so at the end of last seasson - nothing 'wrong' there then (I've noticed many times that it seems as though only you are allowed to criticse Arteta, Zin or anyone else, if anyone else does it you argue with them, it's almost like you want to be the only one who sees things...)

Belgrano - yes and i admitted in whatever thread it was that when I looked into it further that there was more to it than i thought (an example of what i said above about being prepared to alter my view if presented with evidence), however it was perfectly valid, I was in my teens at the time and I recall clearly at the time that there was a lot of outcry about it, Thatcher was famously challenged about it by a member of the public on the radio. Even having looked into it now, while as i say there's more to it, I'm still not convinced it was entirely justifiable

Trump - there are a lot of people who cast doubt on that episode - I doubt we'll ever know the truth

Israel - not sure what this is but I think you're referring to me perhaps citing reports (note 'reports' not 'rumours') that there was an awareness of the attack before it took place - again this has not been disproved so I am not 'wrong'


Lots of people believe in Angels, not really an argument I’d want to fall back on. Lots of people believe the moon landings were faked as well. The point is if you understand anything about the circumstances surrounding Israel, you’d realise what an absurdly illogical statement that it is. The Trump conspiracy is literally so stupid, it’s actually beyond even me who thinks you’re a half wit (well less an opinion, more an assertion) to think you’d actually believe it as opposed to being contrarian.

Plus they are both unfalsifiable in that there’s no amount of evidence you’d accept of how wrong you are.

[Mac76]

Villa are selling Diaby to Saudi. On top of Douglas Luiz going I’m not quite sure how they expect to maintain their level from last season now unless they recruit extremely well.

They just signed Amadou Onana on thw other hand, whether that's recruiting well is to be seen

[Marc Overmars]

Calafiori deal has been agreed.

Smith-Rowe to Fulham is also on, expected to be 35m. Good luck to him, was a great prospect once upon a time but sadly injuries left him behind at a time the team was evolving very quickly. Really want him to do well.

[Mac76]

Calafiori deal has been agreed.

Smith-Rowe to Fulham is also on, expected to be 35m. Good luck to him, was a great prospect once upon a time but sadly injuries left him behind at a time the team was evolving very quickly. Really want him to do well.

Yes, agree, all very best of luck to him

[Letters]

Yeah. Shame it didn't work out for him with us. I hope he has a good career elsewhere.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Yeah. Shame it didn't work out for him with us. I hope he has a good career elsewhere.

Always looked a bit awkward to me, lop sided as if one leg was shorter than the other

Hard worker though, good attitude.

[Mac76]

Always looked a bit awkward to me, lop sided as if one leg was shorter than the other

Hard worker though, good attitude.

You wouldn't get beyond the 5-year old stage in football if you were lop-sided

He actually has good balance, it's the typical low-centre-of-gravity thing

And i actually think he wasn't always a hard-worker, i recall Arteta hinting that he wasn't fit enough, it was only last season that he looked like he'd got his weight down a bit, before then he was a bit lardy

[HCZ_Reborn]

You wouldn't get beyond the 5-year old stage in football if you were lop-sided

He actually has good balance, it's the typical low-centre-of-gravity thing

And i actually think he wasn't always a hard-worker, i recall Arteta hitting that he wasn't fit enough, it was only last season that he looked like he'd got his weight down a bit

I said looked like, not that he was lop sided

Just a peculiar gait that looks like he’s listing somewhat

[Marc Overmars]

His biggest strengths were the ability to run with the ball and get on the end of an attack. I don’t think he had the best technique though and appeared a little cumbersome on eye. Even a lot of the goals he scored were kind of unorthodox in how they were executed.

Maybe Arteta just felt that he was too basic of a player to make a difference in his system.

[HCZ_Reborn]

His biggest strengths were the ability to run with the ball and get on the end of an attack. I don’t think he had the best technique though and appeared a little cumbersome on eye. Even a lot of the goals he scored were kind of unorthodox in how they were executed.

Maybe Arteta just felt that he was too basic of a player to make a difference in his system.

Well from 2022 onwards, it was clear that he favoured Odegaard in that position. And you can’t say he was wrong really

[Mac76]

From the Mirror - I do think this is a good example of how Arteta bullshits some players into signing or staying - I reckon he did the same with Nelson even though the reality is he just wanted some emergency backup. Also I think he did it when signing Trossard, although through Jesus' injury and forcing the issue Trossard made it into the first team.


"Emile Smith Rowe transfer, Arsenal exit decision and Mikel Arteta's broken promise

Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe looks set to complete a £35million transfer to Fulham - just months after Mikel Arteta promised he would play more games
Emile Smith Rowe

ByDan Marsh,Senior Sports Reporter

11:26, 25 Jul 2024

Emile Smith Rowe is on the verge of ending his 13-year association with Arsenal as a £35million transfer to Fulham edges closer.

Smith Rowe, a Hale End graduate who joined the Gunners at the age of 10, has spent the majority of the last two seasons on the fringes of Mikel Arteta's squad despite previously shining under the Spaniard.

The 23-year-old has been tentatively linked with a move away from the Emirates over the past 12 months given his lack of game time and such links have only intensified since talk of interest from Chelsea materialised in the January transfer window.

Fulham have since emerged as the attacking midfielder's most likely destination and are now close to striking an agreement with Arsenal for what would be a club-record deal.

Smith Rowe is keen on the move due to his desire to play regular first-team football after another year of frustration at Arsenal. He is aware he needs to be playing week in, week out, getting regular minutes, having witnessed a number of peers with England age group sides usurp him at senior level.

While Smith Rowe has been plagued by injuries at times over the past few years, Arteta did promise that the homegrown midfielder would get plenty of opportunities to impress during the second-half of the Premier League campaign back in January.

Speaking amid reports linking Chelsea with Smith Rowe, Arteta said: "This is a two-way conversation all the time with players. I love listening to them about how they are feeling, what is the best thing for them, or what they want to do. Because you really have to be aligned with them and how they are feeling and they have to feel important.

While Arteta may have promised Smith Rowe that he would get his chance to impress during the run-in, the reality was that the player went on to make just seven league appearances after those comments as Arsenal pursued the title. In total, Smith Rowe featured for just 346 minutes across the entire Premier League campaign last year, making only three starts."

[Marc Overmars]

Marseille are interested in Nketiah apparently. Hopefully we can finally ship him out.

[Mac76]

Marseille are interested in Nketiah apparently. Hopefully we can finally ship him out.

Amen to that

[Mac76]

Apparently we're wanting £50m for Nketiah :haha:

Dream on

[HCZ_Reborn]

We’ve officially signed the Italian (don’t get why this was a priority)

We’ve agreed to sell Smith Rowe to Fulham

[Mac76]

We’ve officially signed the Italian (don’t get why this was a priority)



*sigh* it just happens to be the deal we were able to get done first

And if you can't understand why, consider the shallow depth of the squad in some areas - he won't expect to play every game but as 2022-23 showed we can't afford to lose Saliba (or Gabriel for that matter) and have a sharp dip in quality.

He's played both at LB and CB so has versatility - he can even take a good pel apparently

Anyway as always the fact you're already writing off the signing means he should have an excellent season :lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

*sigh* it just happens to be the deal we were able to get done first

And if you can't understand why, consider the shallow depth of the squad in some areas - he won't expect to play every game but as 2022-23 showed we can't afford to lose Saliba (or Gabriel for that matter) and have a sharp dip in quality.

He's played both at LB and CB so has versatility - he can even take a good pel apparently

Anyway as always the fact you're already writing off the signing means he should have an excellent season :lol:

I’m not writing off him as a signing I know nothing about him

We’ve seen the same thing though time and time again, defenders brought in as a first order priority and often the other areas get neglected. How long now have we needed a proper striker?


Arteta has been here almost five years and we’ve bought no striker in that time. Jesus is not an out and out striker, neither is Trossard or Havertz. Yet we’ve signed defenders by the cart load

Even if Zinchenko fucked off we had enough defensive cover arguably. Ben White can play at centre back, Tomiyasu can play at centre back, Kiwior is a centre back, Jurrien Timber can play at centre back. It’s patently unnecessary. It reminds me of my time in Manilla when they were looking to build an extra floor on an extravagant mega mall when there were shanty towns outside.

[Mac76]

Zinchenko isn't in any way shape or form a defender so his presence is neither here or there in terms of our cover in that position, other than, even if he was played further upfield, we'd need additional cover to account for how many times he gives the ball away and puts us under pressure

as for attackers, do you not pay attention, we've been pursuing various targets including Sesko, Goyoures (or however you spell his name) etc etc

have patience my dear

[HCZ_Reborn]

Zinchenko isn't in any way shape or form a defender so his presence is neither here or there in terms of our cover in that position, other than, even if he was played further upfield, we'd need additional cover to account for how many times he gives the ball away and puts us under pressure

as for attackers, do you not pay attention, we've been pursuing various targets including Sesko, Goyoures (or however you spell his name) etc etc

have patience my dear

ITK twitter accounts and gossip columns at the back end of newspapers is not confirmation of anything. Plus Gyokeres is an ex championship striker who sporting Lisbon are trying to get 84 million for off the back of one season in the Portuguese league so they can fuck right off with that.


Zinchenko is a defender whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. I barely acknowledge your sentience but Occam’s razor tells me that it’s more likely that you’re an actual person rather than a mundane hallucination

[Mac76]

Zin's extremely modest talents lie in midfield, where's he's essentially a workhorse who can cause the occasional problem for the opposition while unfortunately doing the same for his own team

Defenders know how to defend, he does not

[HCZ_Reborn]

Zin's extremely modest talents lie in midfield, where's he's essentially a workhorse who can cause the occasional problem for the opposition while unfortunately doing the same for his own team

Defenders know how to defend, he does not

If you’d prefaced that comment with in my opinion. It might have carried more weight but essentially you’re saying you know better as a matter of objective fact than any coach who has played him at left back. I don’t think he’s especially good at left back, I think he’s too casual on the ball, I think he gets too far forward for someone with no real pace and I think he gets done for pace too easily and lacks positional discipline. But there are plenty of players who are defenders who aren’t especially good at it…we’ve had numerous amounts of them at Arsenal over the past 25 years.

[Marc Overmars]

Any Italian defender with hair like that must be good right?

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

If we had sense we'd hurry up and spend that Smith-Rowe money on Yousouf Fofana as he's about joining the Hammers for pretty much the same.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Any Italian defender with hair like that must be good right?

I don’t know…I kind of think how many Italian defenders have done really well outside of Italy. There’s always a first, Cannavaro was well established by the time he joined Capello at Real Madrid (33 as well)

[KSE Comedy Club]

We’ve officially signed the Italian (don’t get why this was a priority)


I think it was that other clubs (including two other prem clubs) were in for him but his preferred choice was us.
He had a good showing at the Euro's too so his value would only increase going forward.

[KSE Comedy Club]

If you’d prefaced that comment with in my opinion. It might have carried more weight but essentially you’re saying you know better as a matter of objective fact than any coach who has played him at left back. I don’t think he’s especially good at left back, I think he’s too casual on the ball, I think he gets too far forward for someone with no real pace and I think he gets done for pace too easily and lacks positional discipline. But there are plenty of players who are defenders who aren’t especially good at it…we’ve had numerous amounts of them at Arsenal over the past 25 years.

Except Zinchenko can't defend for toffee - as evidenced by the numerous defensive fuck ups he has made for us.

The most recent one being the goal that the pundits blamed Martinelli for, for not tracking back - yet Zinchenko (the actual LB) was wandering around near midfield on the other side of the pitch.

[Mac76]

I don’t know…I kind of think how many Italian defenders have done really well outside of Italy. There’s always a first, Cannavaro was well established by the time he joined Capello at Real Madrid (33 as well)

you really don't have any sense of humour do you?

[Mac76]

Except Zinchenko can't defend for toffee - as evidenced by the numerous defensive fuck ups he has made for us.

The most recent one being the goal that the pundits blamed Martinelli for, for not tracking back - yet Zinchenko (the actual LB) was wandering around near midfield on the other side of the pitch.

Correct :clap:

[HCZ_Reborn]

you really don't have any sense of humour do you?

Maybe that should be a reflection on the fact that you’re about as funny as a paediatric oncology ward

[HCZ_Reborn]

Except Zinchenko can't defend for toffee - as evidenced by the numerous defensive fuck ups he has made for us.

The most recent one being the goal that the pundits blamed Martinelli for, for not tracking back - yet Zinchenko (the actual LB) was wandering around near midfield on the other side of the pitch.

We’ve had loads of defenders who were shit, it didn’t make them midfielders


Don’t encourage the special needs kid

[Mac76]

Maybe that should be a reflection on the fact that you’re about as funny as a paediatric oncology ward

only it wasn't my joke it was MO's :haha:

[KSE Comedy Club]

We’ve had loads of defenders who were shit, it didn’t make them midfielders



True, but Zin is a better midfielder than he is a defender (and it's stretching it to call him a midfielder too!)

Ultimately 'he's shit and should be sold' is the point here.

[Mac76]

True, but Zin is a better midfielder than he is a defender (and it's stretching it to call him a midfielder too!)

Ultimately 'he's shit and should be sold' is the point here.

I tend to agree

[HCZ_Reborn]

only it wasn't my joke it was MO's :haha:

But you were the one perturbed by the fact that I didn’t find it funny so there we are

[HCZ_Reborn]

True, but Zin is a better midfielder than he is a defender (and it's stretching it to call him a midfielder too!)

Ultimately 'he's shit and should be sold' is the point here.

Too careless on the ball to make for a better midfielder, and the thing is whilst not great he can defend when keeping positional discipline. When we played deep against City at home he was able to cope.


The thing is he’s more one of those weird luxury players that doesn’t really work in this country, a bit like Xhaka who looks a lot better in German football.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Marseille are offering 17million for Nketiah

Question

Why are we not biting their hands off?

[Mac76]

But you were the one perturbed by the fact that I didn’t find it funny so there we are

I wasn't remotely perturbed, I just remarked that your failure to see MO was just joking showed a complete lack of a sense of humour

[Mac76]

Marseille are offering 17million for Nketiah

Question

Why are we not biting their hands off?

because Arteta and Edu know everyone thinks Arsenal is a soft touch on transfers, overpaying and underselling, so they're trying to force things higher, only they're just reninforcing the point by choosing the wrong player to die on a hill for

[HCZ_Reborn]

I wasn't remotely perturbed, I just remarked that your failure to see MO was just joking showed a complete lack of a sense of humour

I didn’t fail to see it as a joke I just didn’t acknowledge it , it was a comment about Italian defenders having long hair (he failed to mention the alice band a lot of them wear though) hardly like I thought it was a serious non jovial remark

[HCZ_Reborn]

because Arteta and Edu know everyone thinks Arsenal is a soft touch on transfers, overpaying and underselling, so they're trying to force things higher, only they're just reninforcing the point by choosing the wrong player to die on a hill for

Possibly, or possibly we do need to show that we are making money from transfer sales for financial sustainability rules

For me the problem has long been that we don’t exactly make it a secret that we want rid of these players

[Mac76]

Possibly, or possibly we do need to show that we are making money from transfer sales for financial sustainability rules

For me the problem has long been that we don’t exactly make it a secret that we want rid of these players

Eddie's been with us since he was about 5 or something so any money we make is essentially profit (notwithstanding the cost of putting someone through the academy etc which doesn't seem to be taken into account)

Even though I'm one of his harshest critics my feeling is he could perform better in the right team with the right coach although there's the danger he's too set in his ways now

[HCZ_Reborn]

Eddie's been with us since he was about 5 or something so any money we make is essentially profit (notwithstanding the cost of putting someone through the academy etc which doesn't seem to be taken into account)

Even though I'm one of his harshest critics my feeling is he could perform better in the right team with the right coach although there's the danger he's too set in his ways now

Dunno, at the risk of being all Alan Hansen…he doesn’t have a footballing brain. He often can’t read what the players in and around him are doing, so doesn’t know where to be. Also very much a confidence player, why he scores goals in small clusters of games and then dries up for months….or he tends to perform well in second/third tier competitions

I do like him, I think he’s a good guy…but I don’t really blame Arteta for him never really building on the occasional glimpses of promise he shows


Like with Smith Rowe I genuinely wish him success

[Mac76]

To be clear, I'm not blaming Arteta, I think if anything he's shown too much faith in Eddie, he came on in games earlier last season when we needed something and was useless

[Marc Overmars]

He’s never been good enough but I understand why the club gave him a new deal when they did. Time to move on though for all parties.

[HCZ_Reborn]

He’s never been good enough but I understand why the club gave him a new deal when they did. Time to move on though for all parties.

Yep I think it definitely made sense at the time

[HCZ_Reborn]

I see the Ammers are close to agreeing a deal to sign Fullkrug from Dortmund. Have to say tip of the cap to them if they get that one over the line, he’s a menace that lad…creates all kinds of uncertainty in defensive areas.

Needs to go and see a private dentist to get an implant put in though

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Marseille are offering 17million for Nketiah

Question

Why are we not biting their hands off?

Again, our annoying transfer and youth development czars show themselves off for the incompetent clowns they have become.

Its almost certain that we are going to get less for Eddie, a striker, than we are getting for Smith Rowe, a never present midfielder. To add further insult to the price tag, we sold another striker, Balogun (who had only 10% of the exposure we gave Eddie) to Monaco for more than double the price (£40m) just a year ago! A player we believed Eddie was far ahead of and never gave a chance to prove or disprove this in the first team.

I mean what what does that say about the way we rate our youth talents...no one else values the way we judge talents...we keep hyping and backing the wrong horses (Saka the only recent exception so far) and end up losing value like Gnarby, Martinez, Szcesney, Eze, Malen and now possibly this kid, Chido Obi-Martins for pittances.

I said it a year ago that we would regret retaining Eddie, as he only flattered to deceive and had been shown not to be up to the task and we could do better with either recruiting or promoting a younger player. One Havertz year later and this is clearly the case, with the whole world recognising it and pricing him like a striker coming from a newly promoted championship team!! We just need to do something about the way we nurture, identify and retain talent, its getting too obvious and we will keep getting targeted by other teams if we continue on this road.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I see the Ammers are close to agreeing a deal to sign Fullkrug from Dortmund. Have to say tip of the cap to them if they get that one over the line, he’s a menace that lad…creates all kinds of uncertainty in defensive areas.

Needs to go and see a private dentist to get an implant put in though

Love the player, showed up Havertz for the liability he was to the team.

Would have been a decent prospect for us if we weren't traditionally ageist and obviously had his compatriot playing for us already.

I like the way West Ham has continued recruiting after Moyes, who I believe did a splendid job in that department too. They are also after Fofana and I hope if he doesn't go to Milan he changes his mind and chooses them over Man U (wishful thinking though).

[HCZ_Reborn]

Love the player, showed up Havertz for the liability he was to the team.

Would have been a decent prospect for us if we weren't traditionally ageist and obviously had his compatriot playing for us already.

I like the way West Ham has continued recruiting after Moyes, who I believe did a splendid job in that department too. They are also after Fofana and I hope if he doesn't go to Milan he changes his mind and chooses them over Man U (wishful thinking though).

I don’t know what you were watching but Havertz wasn’t a liability for Germany at all. He was more a creator than a goalscorer but his movement, his passing was pivotal for Germany. Had a good tournament in my view

[Mac76]

I don’t know what you were watching but Havertz wasn’t a liability for Germany at all. He was more a creator than a goalscorer but his movement, his passing was pivotal for Germany. Had a good tournament in my view

yes, typically erratic in front of goal but deserved hiis place - i think the problem was perhaps not pairing him with Fulkrug, I guess Fulkrug is another, like Watkins, who their manager mistakenly only saw as an impact sub

[HCZ_Reborn]

yes, typically erratic in front of goal but deserved hiis place - i think the problem was perhaps not pairing him with Fulkrug, I guess Fulkrug is another, like Watkins, who their manager mistakenly only saw as an impact sub

Yeah I think they would have been a good pairing and both worked well together when Fullkrug came on

[Marc Overmars]

25m bid accepted for Mikel Merino apparently.

Good to see we are looking to strengthen in midfield.

[HCZ_Reborn]

25m bid accepted for Mikel Merino apparently.

Good to see we are looking to strengthen in midfield.

25 million?

That’s not bad at all

[Mac76]

really good signing at that price :good:

[Mac76]

I'm really hoping this one doesn't rebound on us

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/transfer-talk/news/pathway-over-pounds-striker-sensation-accepts-man-united-proposal_549345.html?newsnow

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm really hoping this one doesn't rebound on us

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/transfer-talk/news/pathway-over-pounds-striker-sensation-accepts-man-united-proposal_549345.html?newsnow


Although it’s clearly more than guesswork, it’s sometimes hard to know whether a player is going to progress or not…most of the time they end up playing for Backwater FC before retiring at 24, but some make it. Andrew Cole was basically just a tea leaf when we got him off our books

[HCZ_Reborn]

Smith Rowe now officially a Fulham player. Genuinely hope he does well in every non Arsenal game

[Marc Overmars]

Yeah pretty much. Good luck to the guy, hope he goes on to have a top career.

I do fear he could be another Wilshere but hopefully not.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Selling players. :faint:

[dostoy]

Julian Alvarez at Arsenal would be amazing, can't believe it will happen though.

Would much prefer him to Gyokeres or Osimhen or anyone else for that matter.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Julian Alvarez at Arsenal would be amazing, can't believe it will happen though.

Would much prefer him to Gyokeres or Osimhen or anyone else for that matter.

I think Alvarez would be an upgrade on Jesus but not much of one. I think he’s a very patchy player. And no way will Pep allow City to sell him to us, two years ago I don’t think he took us seriously as contenders and I think he does now. Not that I blame him, I would think the same (wouldn’t sell a player to major title contender)

[Mac76]

Agree Alvarez is patchy but if he wasn't too pricey could be worth a go

[Mac76]

Apparently Marseille have lost interest in Eddie, typical really, we were asking too much for him

[HCZ_Reborn]

Apparently Marseille have lost interest in Eddie, typical really, we were asking too much for him

It occurs to me that whilst as I said we should have bitten their hand off to accept the original offer. We are probably in a position, where due to FSR we are looking to get as much as possible to allow us to spend. If we don’t sell him, our chances of bringing in a striker are nil

[Mac76]

But some money, plus getting Eddie's wages off the books, is better than none, we can't carry Eddie for another season it's unthinkable for a team trying to win the title

[HCZ_Reborn]

But some money, plus getting Eddie's wages off the books, is better than none, we can't carry Eddie for another season it's unthinkable for a team trying to win the title

His wages will be a lot less than most others of the club are on.

But I don’t know. My understanding is that Edward had agreed personal terms with Marseille already (which seems to be common in this day and age, maybe it always was). I would imagine though it’s more than simply not wanting to be seen as a soft touch (which feels like a very online accusation)

Who knows, I think we should accept what we’ve been offered but then again, the devil is in the small print you will almost certainly see it as “an offer worth” it depends if it will be an initial loan with obligation to pay up next summer etc. There’s a lot of creative accountancy that goes on to make sure clubs don’t face points deductions etc

[dostoy]

If he was a regular starter it would help him be more consistent.

That's something he doesn't get at City.

I doubt they will sell him to anyone, least of all Arsenal.

[Mac76]

I doubt they will sell him to anyone, least of all Arsenal.

Why? Pep's not been shy of selling us his other cast-offs, he knows the players concerned present little danger (as in Jesus) or actually a sabotage opportunity (Zinchenko)

[KSE Comedy Club]

I'm really hoping this one doesn't rebound on us

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/transfer-talk/news/pathway-over-pounds-striker-sensation-accepts-man-united-proposal_549345.html?newsnow

Probably in some form. He's going to be their 3rd choice striker (but with Rasmus injured he may play a lot more)

Begs the question with us needing a decent striker - why the hell do we not give our academy players a chance?

[KSE Comedy Club]

Alvarez to Atletico for £81.5m

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clywwgzv51vo


Atletico Madrid have agreed an £81.5m deal to sign Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.

The fee is made up of an initial £64.4m (75m euros) with a further £17.1m (20m euros) in potential add-ons.

It would be a record sale for City, surpassing the £50m Chelsea paid for Raheem Sterling in 2022.

Alvarez said he would wait until Argentina's involvement in the 2024 Olympics football ended before making a decision on his future. The team were knocked out by hosts France last Friday.

Manager Pep Guardiola had been keen to keep the 24-year-old and the Spaniard said earlier in August that he "counted" on Alvarez ahead of the start of the season.

"I count on him, but he said in the news that decisions will be made all together," said Guardiola.

But, as has been the case in the past with Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte, City will not stand in the way of a player who wants to leave.

Atletico, who have also agreed a deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, are yet to agree personal terms with Alvarez.

The Argentine, who joined City in 2022 in a £14.1m deal from River Plate, has scored 36 goals in 106 appearances for Guardiola's side.

Alvarez won the Treble during his first season at the Etihad and the striker featured during Argentina's 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar midway through the campaign.


City bought him for £14m

[HCZ_Reborn]

Alvarez to Atletico for £81.5m

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clywwgzv51vo




City bought him for £14m

Atletico have a bit of a history of this kind of thing. Look how much they spent on Joao Felix

[Mac76]

I'm going to the home friendly against Leverkusen tomorrow.

I know you can't tell everything from a friendly but am very much hoping to see Calefiori, if so will be interesting to see where Arteta puts him, as well as Timber.

Might also get to see Vieira on the right again as he's been playing there in Saka's absence apparently, I think he's shown promise there in the past.

Also very much hoping to see Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly who have looked good in the friendlies so far apparently

[Marc Overmars]

How the hell have City got that for Alvarez FFS.

[dazthegooner]

How the hell have City got that for Alvarez FFS.

Probably didn't City gave them a £60m backhander get around FFP :blink:

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm going to the home friendly against Leverkusen tomorrow.

I know you can't tell everything from a friendly but am very much hoping to see Calefiori, if so will be interesting to see where Arteta puts him, as well as Timber.

Might also get to see Vieira on the right again as he's been playing there in Saka's absence apparently, I think he's shown promise there in the past.

Also very much hoping to see Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly who have looked good in the friendlies so far apparently

Just been looking at Leverkusen’s comings and goings. Normally you’d expect a team like that to lose a lot of its best players. Then again take away Florian Wirz and they don’t really have top players, couple of players they’ve had on loan have returned but largely the squad is as it is with a few additions.

Then again that seems to be redolent of a transfer market that is quite sedate in general

[Mac76]

Then again that seems to be redolent of a transfer market that is quite sedate in general

I still think there will be quite a lot done in the last few days, once one or two players move it will trigger further switches

For us i hope we sell Nelson, Eddia (and Zin ofc though my hopes of that are fading) and buy Merino plus an attacking player

[HCZ_Reborn]

I still think there will be quite a lot done in the last few days, once one or two players move it will trigger further switches

For us i hope we sell Nelson, Eddia (and Zin ofc though my hopes of that are fading) and buy Merino plus an attacking player

Well I hope so, my comment is really on the state of play of things not just with Arsenal but across Europe. The only really big transfers were agreed at the end of last season. But I do think financial sustainability rules have made things harder, in some ways it’s a good thing it’s stopped clubs like Newcastle from just buying up every single player going but it’s also cemented the status quo in a way.

But we shall see. I think we can probably just about get away without more signings before the season starts. But we need more than what we have especially after international break. Spurs away, CL tie, City away

[Marc Overmars]

I still think there will be quite a lot done in the last few days, once one or two players move it will trigger further switches

For us i hope we sell Nelson, Eddia (and Zin ofc though my hopes of that are fading) and buy Merino plus an attacking player

Zinchenko was given a new squad number so it looks like he’s staying I’m afraid. :lol:

[Mac76]

Zinchenko was given a new squad number so it looks like he’s staying I’m afraid. :lol:

:ilt:

[Globalgunner]

:ilt:

Thats taking the phrase "Zinchenko will be the death of us" to its literal meaning. Hopefully he only plays in midfield with Timber back and the new Italian lad able to play LB.

[Mac76]

I'm starting to worry about Timber, he's injured again and given players are often never the same after an ACL, it could be we have another Partey/Tomi/Tierney on our hands

These friendlies are also worrying me, if Arteta thinks the answer is Havertz dropped to left 8 and Jesus up front, plus we're not selling Zin and messing up the Eddie Marseille deal, then things don't bode well for this season

[Chippy]

Spuds are in talks for Solanke.

Not sure why we were not looking at him, he had a good season with Bournemouth last year. oh well :(

[Mac76]

Spuds are in talks for Solanke.

Not sure why we were not looking at him, he had a good season with Bournemouth last year. oh well :(

I agree he'd be a real upgrade on Eddie at least, the way we're going we'll get no-one

[HCZ_Reborn]

Edward’s move to Marseille is apparently back on (one of those on loan with an obligation to buy things)

[Mac76]

:pray:

[Mac76]

We're now playing hardball over Nelson, saying it's got to be £20m

Tbh i'd agree, only Arteta has himself devalued the player by barely playing him, so again it's his own chickens coming home to roost

[HCZ_Reborn]

From what I’ve seen of Nelson, whilst maybe it could be argued that he should have maybe made more appearances from the subs bench because of his work rate, I never saw a player that remotely deserved to be starting games ahead of Martinelli or Trossard.

Too often a poor first touch, not brilliant technically and often a player that could be outmuscled.

Whilst being English and still relatively young might just give him a price tag of 20 million, it’s probably not realistic to expect that clubs worried about how they manage FSR would not consider it at best a high risk purchase.

It probably would have helped if he’d gone out on loan last season


Whilst I do think there has been too many past instances of us selling off players too cheaply, at the moment it’s a reflection that the party is over for the super agents

[Marc Overmars]

If we get anywhere near 20m for Nelson then that is good business for someone who’s rarely shown anything to suggest he’s good enough. He should have followed the pathway of Sancho and others by going abroad when it was fairly clear he was never going to play here. Didn’t realise he’s 25 this year too, so that’s a lot of his career wasted up to this point.

[dostoy]

Please not Toney.

Please not him.

[Mac76]

Please not Toney.

Please not him.

Not quite sure why you're so averse, he's strong and knows where the back of the net is, that said he seems to be the type of self-important character that Arteta wouldn't like so I'm not sure how likely it is

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Please not Toney.

Please not him.

Not sure why any Arsenal fan following this team would think it's a bad idea for us to get a proven proper old fashioned CF.

We lost 10 competitive games last season, 5 in the EPL and 5 in the cups. In 7 of those 10 losses we did not register a goal. In fact 4 of the games we did not register a goal occurred in the League. We lost by only a goal 3 times in the league, so in theory we had 3 salvageable points. Also lets not forget that we had a bore draw of 0-0 with Citeh, so a goal could have brought an additional 3 points (or Citehs full wrath :d ). Anyway in total 1-0 was by far our most popular loss result and losing by exactly 1 goal happened to us 6 times, ensuring our CL and EPL ambitions would only be fantasies.

So the question is how do we improve, realising we had the best defence and also kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the league (18 to Citeh and Everton's 13)???

Well do a Trump, double down be retarded and spend all our money on more defensive signings of course!!!

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

BTW I finished watching part of our game against Lyon, probably why I am a bit upset.

Caliafori, looks good and I understand the John Stones comparisons.... but we just finished winning that game because 2 of the consistently best CBs in the EPL scored both goals from set pieces! We started off with our strongest lineup and as usual in Arsenal, the forward players played well without actually putting the ball in the net!!

I see a lot of frustration ahead of us if Arteta continues his stubborn ways. Even Saka, who has been our most lethal player for ages seems to have lost his edge. Trossard now seems to be the most naturally lethal force in team and we all know the manager won't give him enough minutes.

We are a team that is hard to beat, there is no doubt about it, but we've been like this for 2 years....IMO you don't win the CL by being hard to beat, Real Madrid has proven that to everyone over and over again. Its the same with the EPL now, especially with 10 mins added time bonuses...we just need to reinforce our attack with an actual goal threat, a Plan B if you want to call it that.

[Mac76]

I heard Saka described as the best winger in Europe in a podcast the other day, while I recognise his strengths I can't agree, he.can't receive the ball deep or midway and charge up the wing like a Sane or a Salah can for a start, he's great at what he does but there's still not enough to his game for me

[dostoy]

I just think there are better and younger strikers out there than Toney.

Thats all.

[Marc Overmars]

Seems like we priced Marseille out of signing Eddie.

Bournemouth may want him to replace Solanke though.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I just think there are better and younger strikers out there than Toney.

Thats all.

I also agree that there are better fits out there than Toney, however, its far better to have what we can have now than start this season off and try and rescue it in January with a panic buy or end another season with regrets when it was crystal clear to everyone with what we needed to go out and get.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Zubimendi has rejected Liverpool. I think had we not got ourselves into a situation where we were worried about FSR to the point where our only signing was a 4th order priority, we would have gone for him and I doubt he’d have decided he was better off staying at Sociedad. This however does make it perhaps more likely that we will sign Merino

[KSE Comedy Club]

BTW I finished watching part of our game against Lyon, probably why I am a bit upset.

Caliafori, looks good and I understand the John Stones comparisons.... but we just finished winning that game because 2 of the consistently best CBs in the EPL scored both goals from set pieces! We started off with our strongest lineup and as usual in Arsenal, the forward players played well without actually putting the ball in the net!!

I see a lot of frustration ahead of us if Arteta continues his stubborn ways. Even Saka, who has been our most lethal player for ages seems to have lost his edge. Trossard now seems to be the most naturally lethal force in team and we all know the manager won't give him enough minutes.

We are a team that is hard to beat, there is no doubt about it, but we've been like this for 2 years....IMO you don't win the CL by being hard to beat, Real Madrid has proven that to everyone over and over again. Its the same with the EPL now, especially with 10 mins added time bonuses...we just need to reinforce our attack with an actual goal threat, a Plan B if you want to call it that.

:gp:

I felt exactly the same after watching that game.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Seems like we priced Marseille out of signing Eddie.

Bournemouth may want him to replace Solanke though.

They have opened talks regarding him as of this morning apparently.

Probably go for around £25m - which begs the question, why didn't we accept the same offer from Marseille?

[KSE Comedy Club]

I also agree that there are better fits out there than Toney, however, its far better to have what we can have now than start this season off and try and rescue it in January with a panic buy or end another season with regrets when it was crystal clear to everyone with what we needed to go out and get.

Yeh, I am completely baffled how we've signed another defender and potentially another midfielder when the absolute, no.1 priority this summer was a Striker :shrug:

[HCZ_Reborn]

At the risk of being charitable, the main difference between the Leverkusen and Lyon game was the difference between how open our opponents were. And in a way it does help that we’ve got something that works against teams that employ the deep block.

However I don’t at all disagree with your assertion that a striker was the no1 priority and it feels at times like Arteta seems to like collecting defenders.


I think the main issue has been FSR compliance, it was clear to me for a long time that we would need to sell before we bought (both in terms of registering incoming funds from transfer fees and freeing up the wage bill) it’s why we’ve been so insistent on sticking to our asking price for Edward.


I’m also not sure which striker I’d go for. Definitely not keen on this Swedish chap from Sporting Lisbon who has one good season in Portuguese football and before that was playing for Coventry.


Toney? Well he’d give us an extra physical presence but I also think it would be a bit of a short term fix.

Also bit concerning that he scored four in five for Brentford after returning from suspension and then hasn’t scored again since the 17th February. Not a single goal in 12 games he played

[KSE Comedy Club]

Supposedly we are 10m short of the fee Sociedad want for Merino.

They want 35m euros and we have offered 25m, also, we want to pay in 3 equal instalments and they want a large chunk up front.
Could drag on till the end of the window.

Another fucking 'saga' :rolleyes:

[HCZ_Reborn]

If it does, it does. He’s going to be a squad addition rather than a first teamer so it’s hardly like it matters if he comes in now or on August 31st

[KSE Comedy Club]

True, but it's so frustrating the amount of time we take to just get a player signed.

[HCZ_Reborn]

True, but it's so frustrating the amount of time we take to just get a player signed.

The thing is, this summer there isn’t a lot of transfer activity going on. Spurs are kind of still dining out a bit on the Kane money, though I think they are also praying that Son’s legs hold out for one more season.

I don’t see any evidence of clubs around us seriously strengthening because they are shitting a brick over FSR compliance. And given our spend has vastly outweighed what we’ve brought in the last few years and the amount we are still paying out through amortisation of costs…..so are we.


Maybe we should have done more to make the likes of Nketiah or Nelson more attractive prospects, but there’s only so much you can polish a turd. And until that point, Arsenal are going to be more parsimonious and this is probably going to be the case for the next few years.


In an ideal world we wouldn’t be going for Merino at all rather Zubimendi

[Marc Overmars]

The Merino deal is close now.

[Niall_Quinn]

The Merino deal is close now.

Good news. The agent will get richer and we'll get yet another mediocre player.

[Niall_Quinn]

True, but it's so frustrating the amount of time we take to just get a player signed.

Who cares? They are all second rate anyway. I mean, okay, maybe Odegard could perhaps, possibly, unlikely but let's not rule it out, make it into one of Wenger's teams. Then again, Wenger had some real shit-kickers in there too, so there always room fro dross. There are no good players out there to sign. So not sure why everyone is so worried about it.

No, seriously. Name ONE player playing today who is anything like what we have already seen before? We already experienced the pinnacle and now it's all about the cash, so of course the talent has long since disappeared. They're calling that Mbappe twat one of the greats. It's almost as if they have forgotten Henry ever existed.

We don't need new players. We just need to not be complacent fucks who coast against inferior teams. Get that right and the league is won.

[Mac76]

We don't need new players. We just need to not be complacent fucks who coast against inferior teams. Get that right and the league is won.

I don't think they coast as such, they just seem to lose their way, maybe partly because we're still not quite effective enough in front of goal, a funny thing to say after a 2-0 win maybe, but after a load of missed chances.yesterday at 1-0, the game began to drift

[HCZ_Reborn]

This idea that teams don’t coast in games is also for the birds, we are dealing with human beings not robots. City coast in games, I can name a lot of games last season when they were almost punished and in fact were punished for it (2-0 up at home at Crystal Palace, ended up drawing 2-2)

The difference is as good as our players are, City are just a little bit better in terms of being clinical. It’s not about complacency it’s about having that little bit of extra quality to take on a shot first time rather than wait or make a pass to someone else and it gets cut out.

Whilst I think we need to strengthen I’m not sure our squad will be at City’s level from one transfer window.


We’ve narrowed the gap massively but it takes time. It’s also about not making panic signings. I hope for instance we are not just signing Merino because he’s cheaper than Zubimendi

[HCZ_Reborn]

So over the past two seasons we’ve given away 17 points from winning positions, City have given away 21.

Our main issue is less coasting, and more struggling to establish a lead and then getting punished on the break if we push up too much (this has tended to happen a lot at home)

[Mac76]

I heard an interesting theory that some lower table teams don't even bother really trying to beat Citeh, they just try to keep the score down and move on, so Citeh sometimes can get an easier ride, I can see some logic in that tbh, why knock yourself out against Citeh when you've got Ipswich in the following game and all you're trying to do is avoid relegation?

[HCZ_Reborn]

I heard an interesting theory that some lower table teams don't even bother really trying to beat Citeh, they just try to keep the score down and move on, so Citeh sometimes can get an easier ride, I can see some logic in that tbh, why knock yourself out against Citeh when you've got Ipswich in the following game and all you're trying to do is avoid relegation?

How hard did certain teams play against us last season - Sheffield United who city scored four against and we got 11. Basically the main difference is we are slightly easier to defend against than City, and therefore once City get the first goal the other team has to chase an equaliser and City is relentless in attack. There are times we can be like that as well, just like there are games where City can make heavy weather of a game (1-0 at home to Brentford for example)

It really depends with certain teams, when you’re playing them as to what they have to play for. Sometimes there’s a psychological factor, beaten before they’ve even take their place on the field of play

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I heard an interesting theory that some lower table teams don't even bother really trying to beat Citeh, they just try to keep the score down and move on, so Citeh sometimes can get an easier ride, I can see some logic in that tbh, why knock yourself out against Citeh when you've got Ipswich in the following game and all you're trying to do is avoid relegation?

I think this theory is punctured by the stat HCZ just posted i.e. if teams are not trying hard against Citeh (compared to us) they shouldn't be coming back more when Citeh takes the lead.

Anyway, I think what you said was true of the EPL in the era Man U dominated and IIRC there is a popular quote from Roy Keane on this. However, IMO Chelsea ended that era and its never been the same since then.

I think HCZ's stats supports the notion that Citeh are braver than us, which I think most unbiased fans will agree to. IMO we need to end our fixation with not losing and change that fixation to wins, wins and more wins ...... FFS Arteta buy strikers!!!

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

For anyone who followed Leverkusen's remarkable season, they were behind in games so many times (I know because I won a lot of money on these games) but kept coming back with late goal after late goal. I have tried to find the exact stat but yet to (again thumbs up to how useless AI is).

I wonder how that particular stat would compare with ours last season..... or maybe even compare our own invincible season to what we did last season.

[HCZ_Reborn]

For anyone who followed Leverkusen's remarkable season, they were behind in games so many times (I know because I won a lot of money on these games) but kept coming back with late goal after late goal. I have tried to find the exact stat but yet to (again thumbs up to how useless AI is).

I wonder how that particular stat would compare with ours last season..... or maybe even compare our own invincible season to what we did last season.

Hard to compare because most of the time we weren’t in position where we had to come from behind


So whilst fair play to Leverkusen for their resilience I’d personally rather not have to be chasing the game constantly


But in the 13 games we won on the road, every single one of them we scored the first goal (12 of those were leads we never surrendered at any point during the match)


The three away games we drew, Liverpool we took the lead and were pegged back, Chelsea we recovered from 2-0 down and city was a nil nil.

Three defeats? Villa game I would say probably did raise question marks for how we conceded early and despite absolutely dominating in terms of chances created couldn’t get back into the game. Newcastle? Didn’t play well but ridiculous that the goal wasn’t scrubbed off. Fulham? Well that and the home game against Fulham were the shittest performances of the season.


At home we went behind in four games (won 1, drew 1, lost 2)


So yep arguably can improve on that, but at the same time for the most part we get leads and maintain leads

[HCZ_Reborn]

I would say though, it’s not just about mental toughness it’s about being able to piss through the eye of a needle. Defences don’t tire as much in the premier league. And teams are more likely to sit with 11 men behind the ball to defend a lead. From what I saw of Leverkusen they were a good counter attacking team and they often got teams trying to push up to kill them off. Plus I find the Bundesliga a much more open league

[Mac76]

Neverton are after Eddie on loan apparently, boy does that club have a deathwish...

[KSE Comedy Club]

I would say though, it’s not just about mental toughness it’s about being able to piss through the eye of a needle. Defences don’t tire as much in the premier league. And teams are more likely to sit with 11 men behind the ball to defend a lead. From what I saw of Leverkusen they were a good counter attacking team and they often got teams trying to push up to kill them off. Plus I find the Bundesliga a much more open league

That's my biggest issue with this team.

All we hear throughout the season with whatever opposition we face, is 'this team is tough to break down, Arsenal need to find a way' - rubbish! it's almost always entirely of our own making.

We never counter attack enough or when the opportunity arises. 9/10 we are busy passing the ball around midfield and the back 4 looking for a chance to pass out to the wings, so the ball can be crossed in. by that time the whole team has got back into position and we are faced with 11 men behind the ball again.

If we played a bit more counter attacking football in between being solid in defence, we would score more goals.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I heard an interesting theory that some lower table teams don't even bother really trying to beat Citeh, they just try to keep the score down and move on, so Citeh sometimes can get an easier ride, I can see some logic in that tbh, why knock yourself out against Citeh when you've got Ipswich in the following game and all you're trying to do is avoid relegation?

I had the same theory.

Teams seem to shit their pants when they play City, so don't really put the effort in. Then when they play us they go hell for leather.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Some reports this morning suggest that we are no longer looking for a striker.

That would be a mistake.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Merino medical has been booked supposedly, should be done by the end of this week.

[HCZ_Reborn]

That's my biggest issue with this team.

All we hear throughout the season with whatever opposition we face, is 'this team is tough to break down, Arsenal need to find a way' - rubbish! it's almost always entirely of our own making.

We never counter attack enough or when the opportunity arises. 9/10 we are busy passing the ball around midfield and the back 4 looking for a chance to pass out to the wings, so the ball can be crossed in. by that time the whole team has got back into position and we are faced with 11 men behind the ball again.

If we played a bit more counter attacking football in between being solid in defence, we would score more goals.

I agree to the extent at which if a team is playing extremely defensively, the obligation is on us to work out a way of breaking through that defence…there’s no point just complaining that a mid table team comes to the Emirates and sticks eleven behind the ball…if I was the coach of a mid table side that’s exactly what I’d do.

As to the whole counter attacking argument, well I’d say it depends who we are playing. Wolves for example did have a fifteen minute period where they did go for us, but on the whole they didn’t change tact and become massively more adventurous I think errors were creeping into our game (sloppy passes from Gabriel, Saliba and Partey)


Sometimes it’s not that you can launch a counter attack because even when a team is coming forward, they’ve left enough players back to cover against a counter attack. Top teams like Liverpool and Man City usually have good recovery ability so they don’t find themselves vulnerable to the counter even when they commit men forward, but I do think if you look at the games at both anfield and the Etihad we didn’t take advantage of the break opportunities we did have.


It’s not like we never do it, there was a few goals we scored on the break last season. But sometimes yeah it feels like we don’t exploit the situation as much as we could

[KSE Comedy Club]

I agree to the extent at which if a team is playing extremely defensively, the obligation is on us to work out a way of breaking through that defence…there’s no point just complaining that a mid table team comes to the Emirates and sticks eleven behind the ball…if I was the coach of a mid table side that’s exactly what I’d do.

As to the whole counter attacking argument, well I’d say it depends who we are playing. Wolves for example did have a fifteen minute period where they did go for us, but on the whole they didn’t change tact and become massively more adventurous I think errors were creeping into our game (sloppy passes from Gabriel, Saliba and Partey)


Sometimes it’s not that you can launch a counter attack because even when a team is coming forward, they’ve left enough players back to cover against a counter attack. Top teams like Liverpool and Man City usually have good recovery ability so they don’t find themselves vulnerable to the counter even when they commit men forward, but I do think if you look at the games at both anfield and the Etihad we didn’t take advantage of the break opportunities we did have.


It’s not like we never do it, there was a few goals we scored on the break last season. But sometimes yeah it feels like we don’t exploit the situation as much as we could

Agreed.

It's more that we don't exploit the counter attack most of the times it is available.

[Marc Overmars]

Forest are interested in Eddie and we’ve apparently rejected a 25m bid. Ornstein says we’re holding out for 30-35m.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Forest are interested in Eddie and we’ve apparently rejected a 25m bid. Ornstein says we’re holding out for 30-35m.

We just need to get him off our books ASAP.

I mean it's almost certain that we've failed in this transfer window yet again...but I guess winning the transfer window (like Chelsea has been doing for ages) doesn't guarantee anything does it.

[HCZ_Reborn]

We just need to get him off our books ASAP.

I mean it's almost certain that we've failed in this transfer window yet again...but I guess winning the transfer window (like Chelsea has been doing for ages) doesn't guarantee anything does it.

Im not even sure it’s what I’d call winning. Players on ridiculously long contracts who if they don’t cut the mustard they’ll never be able to get rid of. Even with the Amortisation they will start to fall afoul of FSR. And as you note it’s not done anything for them on the pitch, arguably if anything it’s hurting them.

30-35 million is far in excess in my view of what Nketiah is worth, but it’s been obvious to me for some time that in order to spend any significant amount we would have to sell players and make money back for them.

[Marc Overmars]

Wolves have also offered to loan Ramsdale with the clause of a permanent transfer next year. I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk of losing him without a reasonable second choice keeper in the squad. Unless they pay up for a permanent deal now.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Starting to sound like we will sell Eddie, Loan or sell Ramsdale, bring in a back up keeper and........... that's it.... ?!?

No Forward player is on the radar according to reports.

If Edu thinks fans will be happy with that window then someone must have laced his cigar with psychotropics :doh:

[HCZ_Reborn]

I doubt he gives a fuck what fans are happy or not happy with

But if we don’t sign a replacement after selling Edward, it suggests to me that either a) we are close to the edge on FSR with the net spend over the last few years or b) KSE have decided they don’t want to be as generous as they have been

[KSE Comedy Club]

I doubt he gives a fuck what fans are happy or not happy with

But if we don’t sign a replacement after selling Edward, it suggests to me that either a) we are close to the edge on FSR with the net spend over the last few years or b) KSE have decided they don’t want to be as generous as they have been

It was more in regards to what he told fans after the US tour.

"be patient, come the end of the window, you will be very happy" basically, although it could have just been "happy"

Either way, even with Merino and a back up GK - that is massively underwhelming when we are in desperate need of an extra forward to complete the squad.

[dostoy]

Surely when Nketiah leaves, Arsenal will have to sign a new forward player.

The later it is in the window the more the prices will go up.

[HCZ_Reborn]

It was more in regards to what he told fans after the US tour.

"be patient, come the end of the window, you will be very happy" basically, although it could have just been "happy"

Either way, even with Merino and a back up GK - that is massively underwhelming when we are in desperate need of an extra forward to complete the squad.

I know people who think we should go for Ivan Toney but frankly him not scoring since February makes me think he’s too much of a risk. I’m often accused of being ageist but I also don’t really like signing players of his age either unless they are a squad player like Jorginho


For a player of his age (28) to have had basically one or two good seasons at top flight level doesn’t convince me


If we were to sign any Brentford player it would be Bryan Mbeumo

[Mac76]

Surely when Nketiah leaves, Arsenal will have to sign a new forward player.

The later it is in the window the more the prices will go up.

Nketiah is useless so whether he leaves or not we need someone who knows where the back of the net is

[Mac76]

I doubt he gives a fuck what fans are happy or not happy with

But if we don’t sign a replacement after selling Edward, it suggests to me that either a) we are close to the edge on FSR with the net spend over the last few years or b) KSE have decided they don’t want to be as generous as they have been

He will care if fans are happy, fan power stopped the superleague after all

You might be right re KSE, but they will be able to see how close we've chased Man Citeh and will realise a few extra goals could see us over the line

[HCZ_Reborn]

He will care if fans are happy, fan power stopped the superleague after all

You might be right re KSE, but they will be able to see how close we've chased Man Citeh and will realise a few extra goals could see us over the line

Whether it’s KSE or FSR, it still amounts to the same thing. It’s not within Edu’s power to make fans happy. But tight finances shows why we are haggling over Merino and trying to get more than what he’s worth for Edward

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Whether it’s KSE or FSR, it still amounts to the same thing. It’s not within Edu’s power to make fans happy. But tight finances shows why we are haggling over Merino and trying to get more than what he’s worth for Edward

I don't for a second believe that after finishing 2nd twice in a row and having a befitting CL return we are now poorer or can't match a West Ham.

Read this (and don't get taken by the title):

https://tbrfootball.com/arsenal-given-180m-psr-warning-by-finance-insiders/

For those who can't be bothered, it says that last season even after all the money we splurged on Rice, we still had wiggle room to spend another £100m if we wanted to and we still would not have breached PSR.

So definitely we still have a bit of that surplus left (you can deduct what we've spent on Raya and Califori) and more importantly, add the increased revenue we got from being back in the CL (and doing ok) for the first time in a billion years. BTW I've not even added the Smith-Rowe money yet.

So again, if we refuse to spend the money on strengthening the team, come the end of the season, there should be no excuses and no doubt who to blame for us falling short yet again.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The article claims that we are still operating under the self-sufficiency model, which is patently untrue. There is no doubt that the signings we’ve made over the last few seasons have been funded by KSE to a large extent. It also states that we are operating within a level of grace of 100 million which actually isn’t a lot when you consider a striker of any decent quality is going to be 60 million plus, plus all the other add ons. It would then explain why we are trying to get as much for Nketiah as possible, especially if we are also looking to sign players in other areas - Mikel Merino

As I’ve said we aren’t at Newcastle, Villa, Leicester levels, but any big outlay had to be financed by player sales. The article also states that despite the champions league money we are outside the top six in terms of money coming in. Which suggests we aren’t doing that well in terms of garnering commercial revenue

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/edu-lays-out-perfect-131m-29773824?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

I certainly hope we aren’t after this one season wonder from the Portuguese league. But that’s one example, where we’d need to sell to raise funds for the player

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

The article claims that we are still operating under the self-sufficiency model, which is patently untrue.

Why do you consider this untrue, or better yet, what do you think the term "self sufficient" actually means to a business?



There is no doubt that the signings we’ve made over the last few seasons have been funded by KSE to a large extent.


There is not only doubt to this assertion but there is absolutely no evidence anywhere that KSE gave us any money to sign players. I've searched for 30 mins and not seen anything reputable that suggests or has ever suggested that Kroenke invested his own money into any of our squads. Not even a quote from Josh or anyone from KSE that this "radical" thought has ever even been contemplated or crossed their mind :d . All I have seen keeps saying the same thing though, he remains one of the worst owners among the top six club owners when it comes to actually investing his own money into his business. Its been like this now for almost 2 decades, I am surprised you would suggest anything contrary with so much certainty.



It also states that we are operating within a level of grace of 100 million which actually isn’t a lot when you consider a striker of any decent quality is going to be 60 million plus, plus all the other add ons. would then explain why we are trying to get as much for Nketiah as possible, especially if we are also looking to sign players in other areas - Mikel Merino

You are aware that using the PSR rules you mentioned earlier, even if we were to spend £100m on a player (like we did on Rice) only a fraction of that cost (transfer fee/contract length) + wages for the year are taken into account.

Anyway to keep it simple, if one really does understand finances professionally, like Swiss Ramble obviously does, we can spend more if we want to. Also no one from the club has actually said to us unequivocally that we are in jeopardy or cannot buy till we sell more players. I mean in recent times clubs have been far more open and made this the norm.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Most clubs that are open on their finances do so because they have shareholders to explain to. We don’t have shareholders and we don’t have AGMs anymore. And even Swiss Ramble has said that a lot of his financial assessments are guesstimates because since KSE bought the club it doesn’t publish what they are

The reason I assert it with such certainty is that when you look at the money we are bringing in and then look at the money we’ve spent on players (even when you take amortisation into consideration) the money spent outweighs the money we’ve brought in. You can’t look at summers with net spends well over 100 million and suggest that’s self-sufficiency especially post Covid.


Now a reasonable argument from your logic is that KSE invested in order to get us back into the champions league because without the revenue from that, the asset which is Arsenal FC is worth less. However now that we are back in champions league, it could be that KSE are being more frugal and saying no you have to be more financially independent again.

[Mac76]

I don't for a second believe that after finishing 2nd twice in a row and having a befitting CL return we are now poorer or can't match a West Ham.

Read this (and don't get taken by the title):

https://tbrfootball.com/arsenal-given-180m-psr-warning-by-finance-insiders/

For those who can't be bothered, it says that last season even after all the money we splurged on Rice, we still had wiggle room to spend another £100m if we wanted to and we still would not have breached PSR.

So definitely we still have a bit of that surplus left (you can deduct what we've spent on Raya and Califori) and more importantly, add the increased revenue we got from being back in the CL (and doing ok) for the first time in a billion years. BTW I've not even added the Smith-Rowe money yet.

So again, if we refuse to spend the money on strengthening the team, come the end of the season, there should be no excuses and no doubt who to blame for us falling short yet again.

I think that article is right and if we have any restrictions it's those posed by KSE - not that I'm knocking KSE, we've spent a lot of money under them

It could be contributing to Edu and Arteta overvaluing Eddie I guess, but that will only hurt them if we don't get Eddie off the books, so they need to see sense and get what they can for him

[Marc Overmars]

Gundogan is coming back to City. :unsure:

Gallagher has also finally signed for Atletico Madrid.

[HCZ_Reborn]

According to Le Grove who is a bit of a minister of propaganda for Arteta, the rationale for our hard stance for Nketiah is because we think the nearer it gets to the window closing the more desperate clubs will be. He seems to intimate that despite what seemed to be the case for me, selling Nketiah is not about bringing in a new striker because Arteta doesn’t seem to want one because he feels that we have options with Havertz playing as a forward. There are rumours about one of the Saudi clubs wanting Jesus but he doesn’t want to go, he wants to prove his worth with us


I do think on one hand this is a mistake, on the other hand I don’t know of the availability of any players that wouldn’t constitute a panic buy. I’m not keen on Toney, I’m definitely not keen on this Swede from the Portuguese league and I think Isaak is too much like what we already have.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Ornstein reports agreement close between Arsenal and Forest for Edward

[Marc Overmars]

If Edu has bagged the best part of 70m for Smith-Rowe and Nketiah you have to say that is very good work tbf.

[dostoy]

Charlie Patino to Deportivo La Coruna for 1m + big sell on clause.

[Marc Overmars]

Charlie Patino to Deportivo La Coruna for 1m + big sell on clause.

A creative way to potentially get some money for deadwood.

[HCZ_Reborn]

A creative way to potentially get some money for deadwood.

Weird that he would want to go and play in the Spanish second division

Deportivo (or to be specific Deportivo De La Coruna, as there is more than one Spanish club with the prefix Deportivo) have fallen quite some way since they won the La liga title in 2000 and made the semis of the champions league in 2004.

They’ve only just been promoted back to the segunda division and have lost their opening game at home to Oviedo

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Charlie Patino to Deportivo La Coruna for 1m + big sell on clause.

Why not send him on loan?

If we can accommodate a pointless player like Vieira in our squad I see no reason we should be selling a Patino (who is physically alike) for such a pittance. The boy is a talent and should be given more of a chance to strengthen his upper body. My opinion anyway.

[Marc Overmars]

Sterling has pretty much been booted out of Chelsea.

Cheeky bid?

[Marc Overmars]

Eddie has agreed terms with Forest and it sounds like we will be getting the fee we want too.

Decent. Wonder if this will give us any wiggle room to get another deal as well as Merino done.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Sterling has pretty much been booted out of Chelsea.

Cheeky bid?

Quite a good spot and I'd be happy with him as emergency cover.

A possible Trossard coup all over again (though he'd come with the baggage of big wages).

[Mac76]

Sterling has pretty much been booted out of Chelsea.

Cheeky bid?

Not for me, he seems too variable in form

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

An interesting read from Sky assessing our ability to actually usurp Citeh:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/15118/13200726/arsenals-strength-in-depth-in-focus-as-they-embark-on-another-premier-league-title-assault

I found this part a bit telling;


A lack of depth has been cited as the key element as Arsenal stuttered on the home stretch; no team used fewer players than Arsenal's 25 last season - but that was the same as both Fulham and Manchester City. The stark difference between the top two was City's ability to rotate and remain fresh; they made the third most changes to their starting XI in the Premier League in 2023/24, and only Crystal Palace made fewer than the Gunners.

A deeper analysis will probably show our starting attacking lineup has probably played more minutes than any recent team that won the title has ever, maybe except Leicester.

Well someone should send the message to Arteta that if he really wants to win something he should stop treating our attacking players like defenders and provide suitable options.

[IBK]

I agree that if Eddie goes we seem light up top.

But - while I am not saying that we should not invest in a front 3 player, I think we also need to consider why there is a clamour for this amongst Gooners.

Let's fact it, Eddie hardly contributed last season in a meningful way, but we still scored our most goals in the Premier League in a season in 2023-24 - 91 goals. This is even more surprising when our top 2 league goalscorers were Saka (16) and Havertz (13) - and given that we would all agree that Odegard (8) and Martinelli (6) were both below reasonable goalscoring expectations.

So we share goals around - with a number of different routes and players able to contribute. Also - is there not the scope given the lack of a 20 goal player for these same players to raise their ceilings even if we don't sign a striker?

I wonder personally whether:

1. The question is more about being less predictable? The problem after a successful season is that opposition managers learn a team's tactics - so what worked last time will not necessarily be as successful again. We have seen this with teams doubling and tripling up on Saka for example - albeit that amazingly he seems to be able to deliver match wining contributions despite this. The reliance on the right is clearly something that the manager is trying to address with Calafiori, Timber and (likely) Merino. Will this give us more goals from the left while freeing up space for our right - whether or not we sign a striker?

2. The concern should be injuries - to Saka principally - but also can Havertz have another injury free season and will Jesus last for an extended period? I wounder whether a right winger/forward is a more pressing need?

3. Our failure to sign anyone up front is more an indication of the weakness in the striker market - and even that the traditional centre forward seems to be going out of fashion?

[KSE Comedy Club]

According to Le Grove who is a bit of a minister of propaganda for Arteta, the rationale for our hard stance for Nketiah is because we think the nearer it gets to the window closing the more desperate clubs will be. He seems to intimate that despite what seemed to be the case for me, selling Nketiah is not about bringing in a new striker because Arteta doesn’t seem to want one because he feels that we have options with Havertz playing as a forward. There are rumours about one of the Saudi clubs wanting Jesus but he doesn’t want to go, he wants to prove his worth with us


I do think on one hand this is a mistake, on the other hand I don’t know of the availability of any players that wouldn’t constitute a panic buy. I’m not keen on Toney, I’m definitely not keen on this Swede from the Portuguese league and I think Isaak is too much like what we already have.

Well sadly that is a failing of Arteta if he thinks what we have is good enough - because it is not, period.

Yes we bagged 91 goals last season, but its no good smashing a team 5-0 one week and then not scoring at all the next week.
Usually that is down to not having another dimension of attack, and 9/10 where we have been found out in the last two seasons.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Weird that he would want to go and play in the Spanish second division

Deportivo (or to be specific Deportivo De La Coruna, as there is more than one Spanish club with the prefix Deportivo) have fallen quite some way since they won the La liga title in 2000 and made the semis of the champions league in 2004.

They’ve only just been promoted back to the segunda division and have lost their opening game at home to Oviedo

He was a fan of them as a child, there was some post on X about it all.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Sterling has pretty much been booted out of Chelsea.

Cheeky bid?

No Ta.

[dostoy]

Sterling has pretty much been booted out of Chelsea.

Cheeky bid?

No chance I hope.

Nowhere near as good as he was, massive wages and that statement was unforgiveable.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well sadly that is a failing of Arteta if he thinks what we have is good enough - because it is not, period.

Yes we bagged 91 goals last season, but its no good smashing a team 5-0 one week and then not scoring at all the next week.
Usually that is down to not having another dimension of attack, and 9/10 where we have been found out in the last two seasons.

I get what you’re saying but equally when you look at last season there were only 12 games where we scored less than twice, that’s compared to City with ten.

Of those 12 games, only 5 of those games did we fail to score in full stop (compared to 3 for City) so basically we are only falling a little bit short of a team that is a machine.


Of those games we won 5 drew 2 and lost 5

Of the games where we scored once we won 5 drew once and lost once

So basically our record total when scoring a minimum of one goal in a game was 28 wins 4 draws and 1 defeat

So whilst yes there’s no doubt we did clock up big wins against pathetic teams, it’s also arguable that we did get a good overall goal distribution.

In many ways the problem is depth as much as quality. I don’t think there is an obvious forward signing that would make us much better up front than we already are. The problem as IBK put it, is that it is not a great market for forwards….and I think when you look at the euros and how so many teams the goals were shared out, the lone front man role seems to be a bit outdated.


I would be happier especially if we sell Nketiah to bring in a right sided winger and maybe hold fire on a new striker until next season.

[KSE Comedy Club]

I get what you’re saying but equally when you look at last season there were only 12 games where we scored less than twice, that’s compared to City with ten.

Of those 12 games, only 5 of those games did we fail to score in full stop (compared to 3 for City) so basically we are only falling a little bit short of a team that is a machine.


Of those games we won 5 drew 2 and lost 5

Of the games where we scored once we won 5 drew once and lost once

So basically our record total when scoring a minimum of one goal in a game was 28 wins 4 draws and 1 defeat

So whilst yes there’s no doubt we did clock up big wins against pathetic teams, it’s also arguable that we did get a good overall goal distribution.

In many ways the problem is depth as much as quality. I don’t think there is an obvious forward signing that would make us much better up front than we already are. The problem as IBK put it, is that it is not a great market for forwards….and I think when you look at the euros and how so many teams the goals were shared out, the lone front man role seems to be a bit outdated.


I would be happier especially if we sell Nketiah to bring in a right sided winger and maybe hold fire on a new striker until next season.

But those few games is the difference of where the league was won & lost.
If we failed to score in 5 games to City's 3 - that could be the difference maker.

We aren't going to change our attacking play, that much was evident in the Wolves game, loads of chances but only a couple of times are players willing to have the killer instinct to try and score.
All too often the attack line up looking to pass the ball around and lay off other players.

We NEED a direct type of striker, there are players out there who would do well in this team with the amount of chances we create.
You can't tell me there is no one better than Eddie & Jesus at putting the ball in the back of the net right now.

We waited last season to bring in a striker this summer, and now we may end up doing the same again??

Seems counter intuitive to me and something we've needed since Auba went down the toilet.

[HCZ_Reborn]

But those few games is the difference of where the league was won & lost.
If we failed to score in 5 games to City's 3 - that could be the difference maker.

We aren't going to change our attacking play, that much was evident in the Wolves game, loads of chances but only a couple of times are players willing to have the killer instinct to try and score.
All too often the attack line up looking to pass the ball around and lay off other players.

We NEED a direct type of striker, there are players out there who would do well in this team with the amount of chances we create.
You can't tell me there is no one better than Eddie & Jesus at putting the ball in the back of the net right now.

We waited last season to bring in a striker this summer, and now we may end up doing the same again??

Seems counter intuitive to me and something we've needed since Auba went down the toilet.


Where is this route one target man? Gyokeres? You’ll forgive me if I’m not enthused about the idea of a player of 26 who has played only in the championship and what is largely the same level in the Portuguese league.

Also we exceeded our XG against Wolves (1.4), which seems to me less about having someone to tuck away chances but not creating more than half chances in the main.

I am frustrated by Arteta not wanting to bring in forward players, but a) it’s clear finances are an issue either due to FSR or the Kroenke’s closing the chequebook and b) it’s not at all clear that there is a top striker out there. It’s not even so much about whether it’s someone who is better than Nketiah or Jesus, it’s about whether they will score more than Saka, Harvard or Trossard.

[Marc Overmars]

The goals probably wouldn’t be spread either if we brought in a top striker. Would the current crop score as many as they do now if there was a greedier player in the team who’s first instinct was to find a way to shoot rather than create? I don’t know what strikers are out there right now but I imagine we need to be quite methodical in who we bring in and for how much. If we get that investment wrong it might undo a lot of the good we’ve done.

Whatever it is we need, it’s marginal. I felt we were good enough to win the league last season and I think our chances of winning it this year largely depend on whether City take their foot off the gas or not. It’s either that or we win 26 out of 27 games like Liverpool did but that’s incredibly unlikely to happen.

[WMUG]

One point I've seen made is that when you're as good as we are currently, it's pretty difficult to improve with signings just because of maths.

Like, how many strikers are there out there who are better than the ones we've already got?

Sure there some, but only a few of them are going to be on the market at any one time.

Of the ones that are on the market, how many of them are going to fit into the culture of the club and the system Arteta wants to play?

Of all the strikers out there that are an improvement on who we've got, are on the market and would fit in, how many are available at a price the club can/is willing to pay(this is a factor that only gets more challenging when the world and their mums know we need to improve in this position)?

That's going to be a very small number of players worth targeting, and you still have to get the deal over the line.

[Marc Overmars]

Agreement to sign Merino has been reached.

Good stuff.

[Letters]

One point I've seen made is that when you're as good as we are currently, it's pretty difficult to improve with signings just because of maths.

Like, how many strikers are there out there who are better than the ones we've already got?

Sure there some, but only a few of them are going to be on the market at any one time.

Of the ones that are on the market, how many of them are going to fit into the culture of the club and the system Arteta wants to play?

Of all the strikers out there that are an improvement on who we've got, are on the market and would fit in, how many are available at a price the club can/is willing to pay(this is a factor that only gets more challenging when the world and their mums know we need to improve in this position)?

That's going to be a very small number of players worth targeting, and you still have to get the deal over the line.

:good:

This is my thinking. How many players are there out there who would really improve us now. And yeah, they've got to fit in, we'd need to be able to afford them, they'd need to be available etc. etc. I am worried that we haven't signed a striker but it never seemed that realistic. We've not exactly been frugal of late.

[HCZ_Reborn]

:good:

This is my thinking. How many players are there out there who would really improve us now. And yeah, they've got to fit in, we'd need to be able to afford them, they'd need to be available etc. etc. I am worried that we haven't signed a striker but it never seemed that realistic. We've not exactly been frugal of late.

I’ll be honest I haven’t been massively happy with a lot of the transfers we have made, feels like we constantly seem to spend most of our money on defenders. Now Ben White, Gabriel M I think have been worth it. Zinchenko I think if you’re going to be charitable is a luxury player, Timber it makes you wonder what we are going to do with him having signed Califiori. Tomiyasu is good but an injury magnet, Kiwior well I think he’s a decent squad player but we seem to want rid of him as well.


If you look at the around 700 million we’ve spent on players under Arteta….230 million of that has been on defenders

210 million on central midfielders, and 200 on attacking midfirlders/wingers and strikers. And 60 million on goalkeepers

I think the balance should have been more weighed on midfield and attackers


But all that said, yeah there’s not a striker out there I’m massively impressed with. Saying there’s got to be one out there better than Nketiah or Jesus doesn’t mean a lot when neither are regular starters and one of them is likely to be sold