Summer Transfers 2025 Missed Opportunities and Regrets

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Originally Posted by IBK

Yes, we do need a replacement. We suffered last seaon because of a lack of squad depth and Jorginho has left also. For all his exploits up front Merino is not IMO capable of filling in effectively...

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No Merino is definitely not it. I thought he was awful in midfield and being put up front saved his season in my eyes.

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

This is where I disagree I think he’s exactly that

Plus he’s better aerially than Gyokeres

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Exactly what - a plan B?

I think you are confusing that with another 'like for like' player that Arteta can swap for Havertz when 70 mins comes around.

I would prefer a striker that can shoot on target, not straight at the keeper almost every shot or put it wide or over the crossbar.
Horses for courses :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn

It's doable! A mere 9 weeks! We've managed to keep the chequebook secure for a lot longer than that in the past. We can do it! Just 9 more weeks...

Absolutely knew we'd be fucking around at this stage wondering what happened to the "done deals".

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I know, it's almost as predictable as our gameplan, tactics and play style last season!

I genuinely believed that we didn't buy anyone in January because we had our targets already lined up for the summer window - but once again it seems that just isn't the case.

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Originally Posted by IBK

More thoughts on our transfer situation. Believe me, I get that its early and that there may be a lot going on behind the scenes and that Arsenal may be on board with this Sesko/Gyokores saga so as not to seem too desperate for either. But the problem is that we have been badly burned too many times before, and seem willing to take risks - both in holding out and with playing games with selling clubs (Suarez springs to mind) that end up blowing up in our faces.

I'm a bit sick of being constantly linked to players that we may have no hope in hell of signing. I know that this can be to a large extent outside the club's control but rumours thrive in a vacuum. Based on our transfer business over the past few years - when even our best signings have been protracted affairs I don't think its unfair to say that we are neither decisive nor efficient when we do business, and the impression that despite changing sporting directors this trend is not changing is disappointing - more so when our needs are so obvious, and we are supposed to have been courting certain players for so long; failed to address our forward position both last Summer and in January to keep our powder dry for these, and arguably f*cked our best chance to win the league last season as a result.

Like I said yesterday, our competitors are showing far more decisiveness and effectiveness than we are so far. This suggests that they have very clear ideas of how they are going to improve. Our apparent position demonstrates the opposite. At best that strengthening our squad depends upon opportunistic signings or meeting our own valuations rather than simply signing the best players identified for a position. At worst that we have no clear idea which players will work best for us.

The other aspect to consider is reputation. We are selling targets the promise of jam tomorrow, because we have not won anything big for so long. Despite our CL progress last season, we were distant also rans in the league, and in both comps we need to compete with clubs with proven track records of major silverware. My honest opinion is that we might already seem a less attractive target for players than we were at this stage last season - as much as anything because our lack of transfer activity blew up in our faces. Our current lack of concrete progress in the striker department, combined with relative tumbleweed re a winger - and certainly in attacking CM positions - does not exactly enhance the impression of a club on the cusp of greatness - or even one with a clear and considered pathway for success - for our top targets. Further, being seen to be flirting with a number of different options must convey a message to, say, a Sesko, that the club is not 100% committed to them.

It's hard to escape the impression that we are a bit 'small time' for the 7th or 8th biggest club in the world (depending on which rankings you look at), or that our owners are not committed to winning the big comps. We are looking hesitant rather than canny in the transfer market ATM.

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:gp: in general and I'd like to point out your last paragraph helps me with a different ongoing argument I am having with a "trust the process" HCZ about how good our suits have been in managing our affairs.

Initially when the Forbes list came out in 2007, we were the 3rd biggest club in the world financially based on value and only behind Man U and Madrid (we were practically the same size as Madrid though).

At that time Man U was only about one and a half times bigger than us. All the other clubs in England were miles behind us. Liverpool and Chelsea were roughly 2 times smaller than us, while Spurs and Citeh were 4 times smaller than us.

Almost 20 years later, we are number 8 in the world and we've actually improved quite a lot in the last 3 years after dropping to as low as no 11 in the world and no 6 in England. However Man U and Real Madrid have consistently remained in the top places of every list in the past 20 years never going below no 3 and are currently no 2 and 1 respectively.

In England specifically, Man U is currently twice the size of us, Liverpool & Citeh are one and a half times bigger than us, while Chelsea and Spurs are pretty much at par with us (they were ahead of us a year ago).

Clearly in the last 20 years we've had the lowest growth among our rivals financially (and probably in every other aspect despite consistently always charging the highest on average for season tickets), and it's obviously not only about titles as Man U and Tottenham wouldn't be doing so well despite their erratic form.

So when some of us who are familiar with this world lambast our suits for being shortsighted and acting like mini shopkeepers, its clearly something evidenced by something as unbiased as our value to the unapologetic outside world....which permeates even into things like the transfer market.

In more transfer news, Barca has signed Joan Garcia, who we've been chasing for like a year IIRC. To think we took Neto on loan to ensure this move would go through this summer.

It's becoming a bit of a pattern with all these first choice Spanish targets that Arteta seems to identify....we clearly don't have the pull that he imagines we do.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...eadmore-target

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

In more transfer news, Barca has signed Joan Garcia, who we've been chasing for like a year IIRC. To think we took Neto on loan to ensure this move would go through this summer.

It's becoming a bit of a pattern with all these first choice Spanish targets that Arteta seems to identify....we clearly don't have the pull that he imagines we do.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...eadmore-target

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Trust the process™

That's the problem with someone who loves smelling their own farts - people who they speak to, can smell the bullshit instead of the perfume.

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

:gp: in general and I'd like to point out your last paragraph helps me with a different ongoing argument I am having with a "trust the process" HCZ about how good our suits have been in managing our affairs.

Initially when the Forbes list came out in 2007, we were the 3rd biggest club in the world financially based on value and only behind Man U and Madrid (we were practically the same size as Madrid though).

At that time Man U was only about one and a half times bigger than us. All the other clubs in England were miles behind us. Liverpool and Chelsea were roughly 2 times smaller than us, while Spurs and Citeh were 4 times smaller than us.

Almost 20 years later, we are number 8 in the world and we've actually improved quite a lot in the last 3 years after dropping to as low as no 11 in the world and no 6 in England. However Man U and Real Madrid have consistently remained in the top places of every list in the past 20 years never going below no 3 and are currently no 2 and 1 respectively.

In England specifically, Man U is currently twice the size of us, Liverpool & Citeh are one and a half times bigger than us, while Chelsea and Spurs are pretty much at par with us (they were ahead of us a year ago).

Clearly in the last 20 years we've had the lowest growth among our rivals financially (and probably in every other aspect despite consistently always charging the highest on average for season tickets), and it's obviously not only about titles as Man U and Tottenham wouldn't be doing so well despite their erratic form.

So when some of us who are familiar with this world lambast our suits for being shortsighted and acting like mini shopkeepers, its clearly something evidenced by something as unbiased as our value to the unapologetic outside world....which permeates even into things like the transfer market.

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I agree it's a good point

on your penultimate para, tbf Man Ure are living off their reputation and the fact those that only support them because they used to win all the time are now locked into hoping those times come back

and spuds have a media circus which fawns over them and insists including them in a 'top six' even though (before recently obvs) they'd not won anything in a very long time and quite often stunk the place out

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Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

Exactly what - a plan B?

I think you are confusing that with another 'like for like' player that Arteta can swap for Havertz when 70 mins comes around.

I would prefer a striker that can shoot on target, not straight at the keeper almost every shot or put it wide or over the crossbar.
Horses for courses :shrug:

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So your evidence of Sesko being like Havertz is because I said he’s better aerially than Gyokeres (who I think will be crowded before he can even demonstrate whether he can shoot on target)

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Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

No Merino is definitely not it. I thought he was awful in midfield and being put up front saved his season in my eyes.

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yes agreed, he's a terrible buy considering we didn't need him really and instead needed an attacker - Arteta just got lucky, as he did with Havertz himself tbh as he bought him as a MF

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Originally Posted by 21_GOONER_SALUTE

:gp: in general and I'd like to point out your last paragraph helps me with a different ongoing argument I am having with a "trust the process" HCZ about how good our suits have been in managing our affairs.

Initially when the Forbes list came out in 2007, we were the 3rd biggest club in the world financially based on value and only behind Man U and Madrid (we were practically the same size as Madrid though).

At that time Man U was only about one and a half times bigger than us. All the other clubs in England were miles behind us. Liverpool and Chelsea were roughly 2 times smaller than us, while Spurs and Citeh were 4 times smaller than us.

Almost 20 years later, we are number 8 in the world and we've actually improved quite a lot in the last 3 years after dropping to as low as no 11 in the world and no 6 in England. However Man U and Real Madrid have consistently remained in the top places of every list in the past 20 years never going below no 3 and are currently no 2 and 1 respectively.

In England specifically, Man U is currently twice the size of us, Liverpool & Citeh are one and a half times bigger than us, while Chelsea and Spurs are pretty much at par with us (they were ahead of us a year ago).

Clearly in the last 20 years we've had the lowest growth among our rivals financially (and probably in every other aspect despite consistently always charging the highest on average for season tickets), and it's obviously not only about titles as Man U and Tottenham wouldn't be doing so well despite their erratic form.

So when some of us who are familiar with this world lambast our suits for being shortsighted and acting like mini shopkeepers, its clearly something evidenced by something as unbiased as our value to the unapologetic outside world....which permeates even into things like the transfer market.

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Mate you tried to cite Peter Ridsdale at Leeds as an example of showing ambition. You calling me a “trust the process” guy is just projection because I’ve chided you for your maximalist approach