Summer Transfers 2025 Missed Opportunities and Regrets

[KSE Comedy Club]

You could of course make that argument but it’s the equivalent of “I know you are but what am I”

That and it would ignore the amount of times I’ve castigated the club from failure to prioritise a striker last summer (and people here took issue with me for being impatient when I said why are we signing Calafiori when we need a striker), referring to Josh Kroenke as “Stan’s idiot son” and criticised the club for allowing Arteta to do a power grab

It’s just Im able to employ enough nuance that I don’t think every single thing the club does is bad. Because it’s a ridiculous and maximalist position and you can twist it in so many ways so that you’re never wrong. I’m sorry to say had we given Partey a new contract and he’d spent half the season injured like the 23/24 season the same people would be blaming the club for giving him a new contract. And I can I'm afraid smell that heads I win, tails you lose mentality a mile off.

Christ! was that not the most annoying thing in last summers window?! - then they roll out fucking Sterling!

[IBK]

What I would say is that if Partey is going to leave, then the club should stop negotiating with him now and focus on picking up a cheap replacement.

Zubi is going to be the main man in that position by all accounts, so we need a back up to fill in.

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...

[HCZ_Reborn]

It's 50/50 I'm afraid. Our style absolutely contributes to our lack of attack.
Also you are wrong about my response - I said that I agreed that we could add creativity to take the burden off Odegaard, but I disagreed that it was as important as sorting out the attack.

You still believe that these players can't make runs or defence splitting passes, when we have seen the very same players do it.

The fact is the way we played in 24/25 from 23/24 isn’t remotely different. What’s difference as I’ve said countless times is that apart from Odegaard’s form is we haven’t been able to exploit set pieces like we did…that way we could score goals on the counter because teams who were behind created more space

I don’t doubt that the players we have can create, what I’m saying consistently is that we aren’t creating enough chances consistently. Your idea is that because we’ve decided to play a different way last season than the previous two and zero evidence supports this.


What I’m saying is that bereft of the one trick pony set piece play we need more creative players, dribblers who make space as well as making passes in the hope that there is space for a player to run into.

And that given that our XG isn’t massively in excess of our goals scored, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that this is just as important as a striker

[KSE Comedy Club]

No I’d pay up to 75 million for him, just not 85 million so we don’t agree

Just as we don’t agree that scoring however many goals Gyokeres has in a spastic league is any more impressive than the 27 in 64 that Sesko has in the Bundesliga

So, just for basic math sake - 75 is less than 80, and I said "80 is too much for him" and you would pay up to 75 - yet you think we don't agree.
Hmmm, interesting.

Gyokores is 97 in 102, 'spastic league' (I don't agree with that personally) or not, it's still a higher figure than Sekso's (which is actually 39 in 87 all comps)

Sesko profile
Stats: Sesko bagged 13 goals and five assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season and was also on target in the Champions League four times. He has scored 39 goals in 87 appearances for the German side since signing for them from RB Salzburg in 2023.
2 days ago

[KSE Comedy Club]

Just a note to anyone that thinks our transfer business is going at an OK pace, with nothing to worry about:

There are 9 weeks left until the start of next season.

[HCZ_Reborn]

So, just for basic math sake - 75 is less than 80, and I said "80 is too much for him" and you would pay up to 75 - yet you think we don't agree.
Hmmm, interesting.

Gyokores is 97 in 102, 'spastic league' (I don't agree with that personally) or not, it's still a higher figure than Sekso's (which is actually 39 in 87 all comps)

It’s in your interest not to agree with that. And it’s all relative but if you’re saying that scoring loads of goals mostly in transition against poor defences (don’t believe me, look at the goals he scores and honestly tell me he’d get the space and time to score those in the premier league) is more impressive than a 22 year scoring a more modest amount in a superior league than I respectfully disagree

Gyokeres might do well in your fantasy that we could start playing counter attacking football against mid table sides who are going to magically overcommit and leave themselves wide open at 0-0. But if we assume that that’s not going to happen and we rely on someone who can win headers, score in crowded penalty areas etc…he’s probably not our guy


Your argument was you would paid no more than 80milion euros for him (67 million). My argument is that I wouldn’t pay 85 million pound or 100 million euros (and suggested a figure between).

[KSE Comedy Club]

It’s in your interest not to agree with that. And it’s all relative but if you’re saying that scoring loads of goals mostly in transition against poor defences (don’t believe me, look at the goals he scores and honestly tell me he’d get the space and time to score those in the premier league) is more impressive than a 22 year scoring a more modest amount in a superior league than I respectfully disagree

Gyokeres might do well in your fantasy that we could start playing counter attacking football against mid table sides who are going to magically overcommit and leave themselves wide open at 0-0. But if we assume that that’s not going to happen and we rely on someone who can win headers, score in crowded penalty areas etc…he’s probably not our guy


Your argument was you would paid no more than 80milion euros for him (67 million). My argument is that I wouldn’t pay 85 million pound or 100 million euros (and suggested a figure between).

Well not really, I don't think Sesko is the guy as he is just going to be Havertz part 2.

I would rather we bought a striker with different attributes and play style to give us a plan B.
For the games where we struggle to score by doing our usual routine, where we would have Sesko trying to score from headers, etc, which would be more of the same.

However, if Sesko is who we end up with then that is who I will get behind - until he proves me right and still doesn't manage more than 15 goals a season.

We are in desperate need of a proper no. 9 and Sesko is not that.

You wouldn't pay £85m for him and neither would I - so that we are agreed on.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well not really, I don't think Sesko is the guy as he is just going to be Havertz part 2.

I would rather we bought a striker with different attributes and play style to give us a plan B.
For the games where we struggle to score by doing our usual routine, where we would have Sesko trying to score from headers, etc, which would be more of the same.

However, if Sesko is who we end up with then that is who I will get behind - until he proves me right and still doesn't manage more than 15 goals a season.

We are in desperate need of a proper no. 9 and Sesko is not that.

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

Plus he’s better aerially than Gyokeres

[Niall_Quinn]

Just a note to anyone that thinks our transfer business is going at an OK pace, with nothing to worry about:

There are 9 weeks left until the start of next season.

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".

[KSE Comedy Club]

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.

I would agree with all of that.

There does not seem to be a decisive strategy defined for us to be a succesful club.