Summer Transfer Shit and Everything Else

[mandela8]

If Bellingham is worth 88m, Rice is worth 14, max.

[Mac76]

Hmm, on one hand I do agree 100% with you that we do not have a real clinical finisher in the team. How much of an issue that is though I’m really not sure….there were four games last season in the league where we failed to score…and scored 88 goals.

With Balogun it’s hard to know, because he has been playing in an inferior league…and we had our fingers burnt by Nicolas Pepe based on his performances/goal scoring in Ligue 1 (and even then half the goals were penalties)

It would of course be my preference to keep him and sell Nketiah, but think it’s clear that he would want to be the first choice striker and I absolutely don’t think we can give him any such guarantee. Plus although a better finisher, he is similar in his style to Jesus…and I think what we actually need is a Giroud type player to give us something from route one and set pieces.

Either way despite what I said about 88 goals, the majority of that came from four players in the attacking diamond…and we probably could do with maybe a main focal point than rely on same four players to get the same amount of goals again (especially a player like Odegaard…for his position 15 goals in a season is more of an outlier than the usual)

we've enough big games to keep someone like Balogun happy, we will have to have a good squad that can reliably beat the 'lesser' PL teams without using all the 'best' players we have, as they will need to be focussed on th CL at times.

then there's the FAC (I CGAF about the League Cup) - we should be trying for a 15th win rather than being dumped out in the 3rd round.

I can't help feeling Balogun isn't Arteta's type of player, in that he is not a pliable ball of putty that will run around as many traffic cones as Arteta wants without questionning why

[HCZ_Reborn]

we've enough big games to keep someone like Balogun happy, we will have to have a good squad that can reliably beat the 'lesser' PL teams without using all the 'best' players we have, as they will need to be focussed on th CL at times.

then there's the FAC (I CGAF about the League Cup) - we should be trying for a 15th win rather than being dumped out in the 3rd round.

I can't help feeling Balogun isn't Arteta's type of player, in that he is not a pliable ball of putty that will run around as many traffic cones as Arteta wants without questionning why

To be honest I don’t see it, as I said already too similar to Gabriel Jesus and there’s no guarantee he’s a better finisher because he’s played in an inferior league. Clear we would get some decent money for him that I’d like to spend on a Giroud like player

Honestly think Edward is good enough to play in the FA cup.


As for whether Arteta doesn’t like him. The same was said about Saliba a year or two ago and yet he played pretty much every game in the league before he got injured

Although I still think he treated Auba badly, I think Arteta is more likely to pass players over that he doesn’t rate. For instance I’m not buying that Tierney is a strong personality, he just clearly isn’t.

Although I don’t rate them Xhaka and Zinchenko?, neither are meek lambs….in fact the more I think about it I think he would have reintegrated Guendouzi into the side if he rated him, he didn’t.

Now obviously I’ve said that Arteta falls out with players too easily, but in some ways I question that a bit

I question his judgement on what is a good player but even with Auba you could argue that he was getting rid of a player who wasn’t performing.

Now I mean what I say between Balogun and Nketiah I’d rather keep Balogun, but if we spent the money we get for him on a different kind of striker (one over 6ft for instance) I’m not going to be too heartbroken to see him go

[Mac76]

To be honest I don’t see it, as I said already too similar to Gabriel Jesus and there’s no guarantee he’s a better finisher because he’s played in an inferior league. Clear we would get some decent money for him that I’d like to spend on a Giroud like player

Honestly think Edward is good enough to play in the FA cup.


As for whether Arteta doesn’t like him. The same was said about Saliba a year or two ago and yet he played pretty much every game in the league before he got injured

Although I still think he treated Auba badly, I think Arteta is more likely to pass players over that he doesn’t rate. For instance I’m not buying that Tierney is a strong personality, he just clearly isn’t.

Although I don’t rate them Xhaka and Zinchenko?, neither are meek lambs….in fact the more I think about it I think he would have reintegrated Guendouzi into the side if he rated him, he didn’t.

Now obviously I’ve said that Arteta falls out with players too easily, but in some ways I question that a bit

I question his judgement on what is a good player but even with Auba you could argue that he was getting rid of a player who wasn’t performing.

Now I mean what I say between Balogun and Nketiah I’d rather keep Balogun, but if we spent the money we get for him on a different kind of striker (one over 6ft for instance) I’m not going to be too heartbroken to see him go

Ok, to answer some of your points:

The 'inferior leqgue' thing clearly isn't definitive as Saliba, after playing in that league, established himself as one of the best CBs in the PL in one season.

Of course he could have done so the year before had not Arteta, with typical conservative caution, said he 'wasn't ready' and in the process endangered our ongoing relationahip with him to the point where he may still leave, if so partly because he thinks Arteta is an arse for not playing him sooner (as do I)

And Eddie simply isn't good enough for any Arsenal team in any competition, he's way below par and should be sold asap while we can get a decent price for him

Keeping him will prove Arteta is far too predicated towards submissive types who never in any way contradict anything he says ever, a trait you've rightly said is present in him to an alarming degree

[HCZ_Reborn]

Ok, to answer some of your points:

The 'inferior leqgue' thing clearly isn't definitive as Saliba, after playing in that league, established himself as one of the best CBs in the PL in one season.

Of course he could have done so the year before had not Arteta, with typical conservative caution, said he 'wasn't ready' and in the process endangered our ongoing relationahip with him to the point where he may still leave, if so partly because he thinks Arteta is an arse for not playing him sooner (as do I)

And Eddie simply isn't good enough for any Arsenal team in any competition, he's way below par and should be sold asap while we can get a decent price for him

Keeping him will prove Arteta is far too predicated towards submissive types who never in any way contradict anything he says ever, a trait you've rightly said is present in him to an alarming degree

I disagree that Eddie is not good enough for Arsenal in any competition, throughout our history we’ve had back up strikers like him…he’s certainly no worse than players like Bendtner, Vela, Wiltord (although Wiltord was more of a wide player than a striker I guess)

He’s been a consistent performer in the cup competitions. No he absolutely shouldn’t be a first team starter but definitely scored enough to be a backup.

In respect of Ligue 1, my argument is the inferiority of the league means it’s hard to tell whether Balogun could perform at that level in the premier league. With Saliba he did have a reputation for being impetuous and I don’t think it’s especially done us any harm that he was kept in France for a year longer.


With Auba, with Ozil (although Ozil’s a cunt so there’s that) and with Guendouzi there was clear evidence that Arteta couldn’t handle these players. I don’t see any evidence of that here, Balogun doesn’t strike me as a big personality he’s largely just got on with his football. But the fact is come the summer it will be his agent on the phone to Edu saying either let my client go to a big club or make him a first teamer.

And I think if Arteta was solely obsessed with pliable players to the exclusion of everything else, there’s just no way he would have brought in Saliba full stop.

But apart from anything else, on my list of priorities for this club over the summer. Keeping Balogun doesn’t rate that highly, I will only say I won’t be impressed if we don’t spend the money we get for him on a striker that will offer us something a bit different (like an Aerial presence)

[HCZ_Reborn]

Timothy Castagne ? Fuck off

[GP]

He's just take Holding's place in the squad. It's not exciting but they can't all be.

[HCZ_Reborn]

He's just take Holding's place in the squad. It's not exciting but they can't all be.

It’s not about excitement, it’s about competence


Eeerily similar to a comment I made just now on the politics thread

[Mac76]

Eeerily similar to a comment I made just now on the politics thread

Which you're just pointing out, even though you aren't in any way seeking validation on here...

[HCZ_Reborn]

Which you're just pointing out, even though you aren't in any way seeking validation on here...

Bit of a low blow using a man’s words against him

You don’t see me doing to you

Don’t see me going “wah I’m a whiny little bitch who’s boyfriend hasn’t given him head in three weeks”

It would be totally uncanny if I did though