No Striker this summer?

Sorry fact check says Fulham’s £30m was rejected and Palace are going to make a move. Oliver Glasner will also be a great manager for ESR.

Marseilles are showing interest in Eddie, so fingers crossed but the £100k a week may well scupper that deal or……….. we pay halfsies as we’re good at that….

Tony

No way Marseilles are going to match Eddie’s £100k per week so why would he leave for less money?

With things as they stand trying to predict next season’s line up / formation with Arteta’s previous might to be easier to look at it from who won’t he drop rather than who / how does he want to play.

All assuming none of the players leave.

100% Undroppable

Rice, Havertz, Ode, Saka, Saliba, Gabs,

90% Undroppable

White, New Guy (for now), Trossard (for now)

Who the hell knows undroppable

Martinelli, Timber, Partey, Jesus

All other players are (in my opinion) squad / backup players.

So that’s 9 players for 10 outfield positions in the higher realms of undroppable.

The more I look at this the more I think we’re going with wing backs and 3CB’s trying to copy City’s system.

Beefs of the day:

(1) young players like Obi-Martin are leaving because they no longer see a viable pathway into the side…for a club that has struggled to identify then properly embed academy-developed Strikers, you would think that you might want to keep a 16 year old who potted 32 goals in 18 appearances…obviously there’s no guarantees that this will translate at the senior level, but the above-mentioned numbers are just feakish enough that we should have done everything within our power to retain his services…to make matters worse, it appears as if he will land in a longtime rival’s camp…there’s no manager in all of Europe’s top 5 Leagues that has a worse record when it comes to squad rotation and providing minutes to academy pieces with top-flight trajectories

(2) what does it say about our recruitment practices if Calafiori was our “top priority” signing…now I know that these types of claims are thrown around on occasion during this time of year, but if this statement is to be believed it would not only mean that the whole Sesko saga was nothing more than a horribly mismanaged ruse to give the impression that we were finally going to properly redress our Striker position, it would likewise suggest that we didn’t have any real definitive plan going into the summer and we were going to allow whatever transpired at the Euros to dictate our pursuits…as we all know, using off-season tournament play as a barometer for future success can be a problematic endeavour at the best of times…in the grand scheme of things, there’s been far more fool’s gold outcomes than unearthed gems

(3) minus the seemingly endless pursuit of lesser known Keepers and a multitude of defenders, as Calafiori might not be the only backline add-on, there’s been little to no real talk about us actually acquiring somone who can craft a pass and/or clinically finish…in my estimation, it would be a huge failure on MA’s part if he were to completely ignore our glaring lack of invention and end product…can you even imagine the likes of Real or City relying on the likes of Havertz, Rice and maybe even Merino, if he were to come, from a goalscoring perspective? I think not, which means we’re still a level or two below

Marc—I would strongly suggest that Gabs is far from undroppable, at least in MA’s eyes…at the beginning of last season he benched the Brazilian and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again, depending on what transpires between now and the closing of the window

TRVL

Only an idiot drops a key member of what’s been the best centre back pairing for the last couple of seasons unless you have better to replace them with.

Fergie could do it, Pep can do it, dip stick will end up hanging himself by his own arrogance.

Marc—in order to placate his inept acquisitions and tactical decisions, with Havertz up top and Rice pursuing his offensive pipe dreams, MA clearly feels he must reconfigure the backline again…having to rely on those two for a good chunk of our offensive output surely isn’t a decision most intelligent managers would willingly make, so he now must reshape the team so as to best highlight their respective skillsets while likewise minimizing the amount of focus being placed on their obvious defeciencies

to achieve this nonsensical ends it will undoubtedly require that our defenders be pacey, to help with the high press and recover quickly when possession is lost, be more clinical and progressive with their passing, as we likely won’t deploy a proper deep-lying pivot on the regular, and be highly effective when it comes to 1v.1 defending…in this regards, he’s always questioned Gab’s defensive and ball distribution capabilities, but simply chose to stay the course once he determined that his other options didn’t represent a positional upgrade…as such, I wouldn’t be surprised if Timber, Calafiori or another potential recruit replaced Gabs in the starting 11…I’m not sure what that would mean regarding our preferred base tactics, but I believe he wants to find a way to kill two birds with one stone by opting for a singular system that might succeed against both bus-sitters and more established sides in Europe

of course, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that we might struggle at times for goals, as simple logic would suggest that last season’s production was more anomalous in nature than likely to be repeated…so in order to best placate his besties, he needs to employ a system that will provide them with ample opportunities whilst taking the least amount of unnecessary risk…to do so he will have to dedicate more men in and around the box at times, which will undoubtedly leave those who are least threatening in front of goal unmarked or facing lesser light defenders in coverage

now I understand why he might pursue this course, in light of the circumstances he himself created, but I strongly disagree with any manager who places his own self-interest over than of the club’s as a whole, which has undoubtedly been the case here for the vast majority of his mixed reign

over that of the club’s

I wouldn’t be surprised if our tactics looked a bit like a hybrid model of the German and Italian national teams, with Tross and Saka tucked inside at times, which isn’t too dissimilar from Southgate’s 2.0 model following the group stage…of course, it would likewise include the usual odes to his former boss, even though we don’t have the requisite personnel options

good posts guys all make sense which is worrying.

Perhaps we’ll see the reinvention of Wenger’s Trolly dash although El B would likely get held up in clean up in aisle 4 where an impasse be the implausible excuse.

A betting company is using Eze to be 5/6 to be Spuds bound as their clickbait. It got my attention until I saw the free bets with…….

I’ve lost all hope of acquiring Eze. TRVL is right with El B seeing our CB and best position 6 is better as an 8 and sometimes false 9.

Clearly, El B sees Rice as our superman – until he finally breaks because well, er, he’s human.

This season I can’t see El B getting the milage out of Saka, Rice, Ode and Saliba. All have been at the Euros after very long seasons playing most games.

I see our treatment room being busy if rotation is the same as last season.

Marc maybe you’re hopefully right and El B has tightened the noose around his scrawny neck.

Could our relaxed owners talk Klopp into taking over?

more talks abound regarding our potential pursuit of the underwhelming Rabiot…it makes some sense, as he’s on a free and we’ve supposedly been linked to this players on a multitude of occasions, but when you look at his salary demands, we should avoid him like the plague…I don’t think he’s a hack, but he’s not the answer to our midfield questions. much in the same vein as another player that MA appears to favour, Mikel Merino…I read an article comparing the two and this is the conclusions they drew:

“Rabiot comes out ahead in more relevant metrics, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, carries into the penalty area, key passes and passing accuracy, interceptions and successful take-ons, all per 90…moreover, he is dispossessed less often, makes fewer errors leading to a shot, and miscontrols the ball less, all per 90”.

so if you think Rabiot is a rather pedestrian option, it speaks volumes about Merino’s potential, or lack thereof…I would bet that even the much older and far more diminutive Kante and the oft-injured Partey would crush both these lightweights in a metrics showdown

Tony—here’s an example of the inane hot takes that are perpetuated by Just Arsenal…this was written by the site’s owner, albeit it under a pseudonym, which is quite a common practice for pro-Arteta blogspots, as we know due to our LG experiences(this clown on JA oft-times uses female names as a ploy to quash the kind of overtly negative responses that his blather tends to encourage) “In Havertz, we have a striker who knows exactly where the back of the net is”…this was found in an article entitled “Fans need to accept that Havertz and Jesus are going to be our main strikers this season”…now of course this could be true, considering our manager’s recruitment missteps and tactical shortcomings, but to try and sell the very notion that our German giraffe is some sort of clincial scoring machine belies logic…this is why I was destined to be shown the door at some point…Cheers

on a more positive note, Vieira, the REAL one, has come out and said that we should prioritize a move for Eze, someone who he knows very well…so he’s in agreement with both you and I…not sure if it will materialize, but considering the rumours surrounding a potential move by ESR to Palace, surely a deal involving the two players could be forged…that said, I’m still not sure why ESR, Eddie and Nelson are on tour in the US, in light of their pending moves…how fucking stupid would it be if any of the 3 were to get injured while playing these nothing burger matches

TRVL

“I’m still not sure why ESR, Eddie and Nelson are on tour in the US”

You struggle to understand this because you’re not a complete moron (not that I’m suggesting you’re any level of moron). Any normal manager would have used these players more during the season adding to or at least maintaining some value, they then would have teams competing to sign them so you wouldn’t have to try and showcase them in pre season.

TRVL/Marc
This Mirror interview speaks volumes re El B:

(When quizzed on the need to upgrade his playing staff, Arteta said):

“We have to. Perfection in this league requires different standards. To relate that word perfection to winning the Premier League then that’s what we have to do .We need to upgrade in everything we are doing. We have to improve in every area and that is what we are trying to do.”

Arteta has been able to overhaul the squad in north London – adding leading lights like Ben White, Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz. Arsenal have posted huge points totals in recent seasons with their manager adamant they are close to finally achieving their goals – but isn’t sure if he’ll welcome new faces to aid those ambitions.

He added: “I don’t know [if anyone will join us]. It’s still a lot of time to go in the window but that’s more of a question for Edu and the board I think. When you are so close you want to grab it. We are very close.”

The Mirror added:

Arsenal have been linked with defensive recruits and a new face in the final third. The lack of a prolific frontman has been cited as an issue, hence them being linked with the likes of Alexander Isak and Ivan Toney. They’re also thought to be among those pursuing Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino.

Arteta has been able to overhaul the squad in north London – adding leading lights like Ben White, Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz. Arsenal have posted huge points totals in recent seasons with their manager adamant they are close to finally achieving their goals – but isn’t sure if he’ll welcome new faces to aid those ambitions.

Arteta added:

“I don’t know [if anyone will join us]. It’s still a lot of time to go in the window but that’s more of a question for Edu and the board I think. When you are so close you want to grab it. We are very close.”

Arsenal have been linked with defensive recruits and a new face in the final third. The lack of a prolific frontman has been cited as an issue, hence them being linked with the likes of Alexander Isak and Ivan Toney. They’re also thought to be among those pursuing Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino.

Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, who played for Italy at the Euros, is among those they want to bolster their defensive line but the deal continues to be held up. Negotiations are rumbling on and Arteta could give no timeline for Calafiori’s potential arrival.

————————————————————————————–

Firstly, WTF does El B know about footballing perfection? All he does is make repeated mistakes year in year out to capitulate every April for the last 4 seasons out of 5.

I mean El B doesn’t know after 8 weeks whether anyone is going to join us, but says he needs an overhaul citing it’s on Edu and the board to decide.

I’m beginning to think Messers Lewes, Kroenkes and perhaps including the seemingly hapless Edu have seen enough of El B’s wastefulness with youth, players values and non negotiables and know he’s reached his level as a manager.

——————————————————————–

If reports are true, City are going to make a move for Eze, TRVL. That will be it for us if pep wants Eze. KDB looks like his wanting a new challenge in Saudi; also a good time for KDB to get out before the FFP trials begin.

Perhaps Eze is KDB’s replacement, but El B wants Rice as 8.

The above highlights what a shit-show El B and Edu are at attracting the right players. No one of any real elite worth be it rough diamonds or established elite wants to play for El B.

Have the Kroenkes & Lewes finally woken up and smelt the coffee?

We can live, dream and hope………….. Sadly while we have El B in charge that’s all we have to cling on to.

88522 and a squad worth more than £1b+ that consistently keeps failing?

What’s the answer guys? How do we salvage this coming season before it starts?

For me the solution is simple, it’s buy Eze and get Ivan Toney cheap by giving Brentford the offer of Jesus. Zinny and Ramsdale plus the 2 packets of crisps and a pint of lager aforementioned.

My reasoning is that Toney is a big improvement on Eddie, Jesus & Havertz, and with Eze and Ode creating, we’d be lethal this season up top. Toney is no way elite, but he’s the next best thing we have to R.I.P Kevin Campbell’s bullying defenses tactics. For me Toney is a Campbell/Smithy hybrid who is an improvement on Havertz if played as a 9. Tross, Marts and Havertz can all add as false 9s.

I think Toney & Havertz would be difficult to marshal for defenses to keep contained. I feel they could play off each other well if being fed by, Tross, Eze, Saka and Ode.

What are the options?

PL untested Merino? Havertz playing his usual Swiss Army Knife roll? Eddie always flattering to deceive? Reis permanently looking lost, but hard working, and therefore, we have no 20+ PL goals a season striker to get us over the line.

Seal worthy El B is hopelessly wrong as per.

We don’t need a squad overhaul.

We don’t need to be losing the gifted potential elite Obi Marten to Manure.

We don’t need to be selling ESR, but get rid of Vieira.

We don’t really need Calafiori and are paying over the top because of the sell on clauses with Roma pitching in now.

We do need to shift: Jesus, Zinny, Eddie and Reis

We do need to buy Eze at his £56m(?) buyout clause if we’re paying £43M+++++for an untested Italian defender

We do need to buy bargain basement Ivan Toney to improve on Eddie & Havertz

The biggest overhaul? We need a new manager and DoF.

Have I missed anything guys?

Perhaps is we really needed a left defender who can play a back 3, LCB and LB then Branthwaite is available from the Toffees who desperately want to keep him.

Here’s why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FURBW6WgnU4
4 minutes of last season and why I was banging his buy him drum before the TW opened.

PL tested bosses aerially and is pacy for a big lad.

For me a better choice than the PL untested Calafiori and about the same price. PL players come with premiums but Branthwaite is a good bet to see his value rise as he’s still 22.

For me he’s Willie & Gabs levels………….

if*

There’s ample chatter about our interest in Marc Guehi, which makes one wonder, what the fuck is going on here??? Personally, I don’t see what all the fuss is about…I thought he was okay at the Euros, albeit I wasn’t impressed by his ball distribution, and I can honestly say I never really noticed him on the pitch whenever I watched Palace play…now sometimes that latter point might be considered a high complement, as if you didn’t notice him he likely didn’t get burned, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that he’s played for two managers known for their defensive/negative football, minus during the final third of the PL season when Roy was sent to pasture…not to mention, what competition did he really face on his way to securing a starting spot within the national side…as such, I wouldn’t splash more cash on another defender, unless Gabs was on his way out…even then I’m not convinced that this particular player would be on my shortlist of replacements

just to highlight the seemingly constant goalpost moving narratives that have been spun during Arteta’s reign, the same people who have defended Havertz up top, due to our goal production numbers, are the very same people who will try to defend a backline rebuild even though we had the best goals against in the PL…everyday is a cake and eat it too fuckfest when you’re part of the new wave of AKBers…just to clarify, I have no issue whatosever with us pursuing defensive upgrades, just so long as those coming in are readymade options and not cup of coffee coin tossers, but our need for a Havertz upgrade far supersedes our need to find an alternative for Gabs….let’s remember, we didn’t lose to Bayern or tie City, when it mattered most, because we were leaking oil on the backend, we fell short because we didn’t have the requisite guile and end product in the final third

Including a lop sided attacking midfield, TRVL. No real consistent threat from our left side.

We can expect the same this season I fear.

I’m also concerned that one or two of our MV players are going to break.

We saw how we fell apart when early days Partey broke because he was expected to be a one-man midfield, as in can play anywhere, which El B heralded on Partey’s arrival. Seemingly whilst on that particular TW, we were lucky Edu forced El B’s Partey hand because the other option El B wanted turned out to be a prima donna nightmare with brother manager, making Guendouzi look saintly. Would have arrived and straight into the non negotiable bin – never to be seen again.

Partey will be used sparingly; our version of Ledley King only Ledley was class even if he was a Spud.

So, we can’t count much on Partey.

Going back to my earlier thinking that if any number of Saka, Marts, Rice, and Ode are out for any length of time, we are screwed, as in previous seasons. I hope we’re not hit with an early unlucky injury, but come march 8th onwards with fatigue setting in from hardly any rotational rest from the combined seasons and the Euros, I genuinely fear for our stars who we need more than ever at our crucial run-in stage.

When you look at the run in, you can see why El B is concerned and wants an overhaul. You couldn’t make it up.

Almunia if your reading I’m sure your satirical mind will be conjuring visions of the parties concerned talking behind each other’s backs? Hope you and yours are well.

This is where I see the wheels coming off again if not earlier.

March 8 Manure Away
March 15 Chavs Home
April 2 Fulham Home
April 5 Everton Away
April 12 Brentford Home
April 19 Ipswich Away
April 26 Palace Home
May 3 B’mouth Home
May 10 Bin Dippers Away
May 18 Bar Codes Home
May 25 S’hampton Away

Chav’s home with Manure and L’pool away games will be pivotal where if, and it’s a big if we are still in the running. None of the last 11 games are bankable points at that stage purely because of lack of rotation. Tired legs and fatigued minds we see every season where we ship points because of the same shit different day tactics. Other teams seem fresher at that stage than we do.

Would love to know any other thoughts on the above?

Tony

“How do we salvage this coming season before it starts?”

We’ll keep repeating the same mistakes because Arteta is a sub standard manager who’s been lucky enough to have inherited some excellent players, been given a fortune to spend and had at least 3 major rivals all have terrible seasons the last 2 years.

I’m at a point where I don’t want to salvage another season to see the wheels fall off only to rinse and repeat the following season.

I’d rather have a poor season (finish 6th – 7th) and get rid of him. We can’t keep pissing money up the wall Arteta style and not have it affect whoever comes next.

Marc
Totally agree have pain now and be pain free the season after with new expectancy levels of hope and trust.

With El B the trust have all but been eroded.

Problem is will Stan get rid?

Just reading we have put £45M on the table for Jason Kounde another CB:

https://www.transfermarkt.com/jules-kounde/profil/spieler/411975

Calafiori and Kounde?

I am truly speechless.

“the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better” Arteta’s words…that’s the bukkake version of “it’s like a new signing”….he then went on to state that they were primarily focusing on strengthening particular positions, unfortunately it’s the wrong ones again…how many defenders and Keepers is this thirsty chequebook fuck going to be allowed to bring in before he’s held accountable…fuck me

that wasn’t meant as a slag towards Calafiori, as I find him an interesting player with a considerable up-side…just wish he was nearly as horny about fixing the front-end as the back…maybe he’s paying homage to Moyes now

No way we’re buying 2 CB’s unless we’re about to lose 2 out of Gabs, Saliba or poss White.

The alternative is Arteta’s complete lost what little mind he had.

He won’t survive going into the season saying we didn’t have the money for a striker if he’s spent £75 odd million on CB’s. If we’re selling any of the 3 I mentioned we should be bringing in at least £50 for Gabs, £50 plus million for White and £150 ish for Saliba.

A white back there was that convenient report about Gabs wanting to go back to Brazil for River Plate, was it? I thought that was to substantiate Calafiori’s new inclusion in the squad to make the transfer relevant.

Willie openly wants RM in the future, and they want him in recent statements in the press by them. RM are broke-ish so expect about £80m for Willie over 8 years knowing our lot.

Who knows lads? When has a TW made good sense overall? Emery is assembling a good squad with Onana bolstering their weak defense.

I think most clubs will be firing this season with new managers, such as Slott, and last seasons’ new managers a year further in with their projects with better new additions.

A great season for the neutral me thinks……

More importantly others are strengthening.

Calafiori looks close to being done.

while back*

Says all what we’ve been saying about Eze. Saka says it and El B ignores.

“Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has warned Tottenham defenders about the prowess of Spurs transfer target Eberechi Eze.

Eze, who only made his international debut a year ago, impressed for England at Euro 2024 despite largely being used as an impact sub, having been given the nod by Gareth Southgate to travel to Germany following a superb season that saw him score 11 goals and notch four assists for Crystal Palace.

The creative forward’s season has made him a hot commodity, and a range of top Premier League clubs, namely Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham, have been interested in his £68million-rated signature.

The latter have reportedly taken a slight lead in the race, but their players have been warned by their rival Saka about what can be expected from the trickster in training.

If Eze is to make the move, Ange Postecoglou’s defenders will know exactly what they’ll be in for, thanks to their rival Saka. When quizzed on the England squad’s training sessions and which players caught his eye, Saka stated: “In training, I would say probably Ebs [Ebere Eze]. He has been class in training. He has impressed me the most, I would say.”

Saka isn’t the first to state how imposing Eze is in training, as his former teammate at QPR, defender Joel Lynch, told BBC Sport: “I just wouldn’t go near him [Eze]. He’d just do some madness and try and nutmeg me.

“Before the start of games, where everyone is giving each other high fives, I’d go up to him and say, ‘Mate, score a couple now so we can all go home. Just win us the game, please’.

“He was that good. I actually thought at the time he could literally just win us the game. The only time I watch the Premier League now is to watch him play.”

“A white back there was that convenient report about Gabs wanting to go back to Brazil for River Plate”

Gab’s is currently on £100k per week and with a new deal would likely double that or so. At River Plate he’d be at least halving his salary has anyone actually seen the context of the report? Its not one of those “I’d like to play for them again at some point in my career” through away comments that gets twisted into “Gab’s want’s to leave”?

Marc—in the main, I do agree with your River Plate take, but there have been rumblings about a potential departure during much of MA’s tenure, especially last off-season…I think the most important variable is his current contract, which he signed in 22…when you start to see stories circulating involving a weekly wage rethink, even though his deal doesn’t expire until 27, it makes one wonder if he and/or his camp have expressed their displeasure…we all know how MA will die on some weird contractual hills, like with Balo and Emi, just to name a few…as of right now, he’s the lowest paid regular starter, unless you include Tross, who wasn’t one of the 11 until Marts went into full doghouse mode

TRVL

No arguments on Gabs wanting out if they won’t increase his salary – he’s been part of the best CB pairing in the PL for the last 2 seasons.

I just don’t think it would be for River Plate he could easily pick up more in Germany, Spain, Portugal or Italy – let alone another PL club.

I’m heading to the Big Apple again to visit my son so I likely won’t be posting for awhile, but before I take my leave I just want to mention one thing, as it appears as if ESR might be on his way to Fulham…all this nonsense emanating from our forked tongue manager about not wanting ESR to leave, but that he wouldn’t stand in his way, is both disingenuous and incredibly selfish…not only does he not want to take any responsibility for ESR’s current predicament, he likewise wants the player, not himself, to bear the brunt of any fanbase angst that might arise as a result of his departure…what a weasel move, yet hardly surprising…best of luck to you ESR no matter where you eventually land