It’s a mix bag. Lets check out the details of the transfers that are already done, and some of the ongoing ones that may or may not materialise in coming days.
Noni Madueke is ‘almost’ a done deal!
Noni Madueke has agreed personal terms with Arsenal for a transfer to the red side of London. He has been at Chelsea for a year and half, and scored 7 times in his 32 appearances for Chelsea in Premier League last season. He is mostly a right winger and is coming here as a Bukayo Saka’s back up.
It doesn’t make any sense though. We have Saka and we have Nwaneri. I am pretty sure that if you play Nwaneri for 32 games in a season, our own lad would be a better player with better outputs than a Chelsea reject. It makes fuck-all sense to me but whatever, if Arteta covers the most important things – a CF, a Midfielder, I don’t care if he burns Kroenke’s house in the process.
It comes with a different problem though. It’s not about money and its not about bringing another Chelsea player. We have been trying to agree on a contract renewal with Ethan Nwaneri and he is adamant for more game time. The negotiations has stalled and bringing in a right winger would mean no game time at all for the hale end graduate. Fabrizio has already been reporting on it, and Chelsea are interested. So they would dump a player they don’t thing would start for them anymore, and they are going to get a player who can start for us. Make it make sense for me.
Cristhian Mosquera – a CB youngster for the future
We are also in the market for a CB, and the club is working on signing Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia. He is only 20 year old, and we have got solid 4-5 years from Gabriel and Saliba. It’s a good signing and one for the future, he can develop here and can surely rotate for one of the CBs in this process.
Zubimendi is a done deal, only the announcement is pending.
It’s only a matter of time before club announces Zubimendi. Our midfielders have left, Thomas Partey’s contract expired and we didn’t renew him. Jorginho has left. Declan Rice has mostly played in the advance role and Arteta would keep it that way. I have not seen Zubimendi play much but going by the interest he has generated in last couple of season around the world, I am assuming it would turn out to be good. Thomas was brilliant in the DM role and we need an improvement to that. Hope Zubi brings in that here.
And since Jorginho has left too, we have been trying to bring in Norgaard from Brentford. A 31-year old who would be happy to sit on bench, but can be brought on to cover and rest Zubimendi for games, is not a bad deal. It’s good that we are not leaving any place in conundrum, the choice of players can be controversial to fans, but at least we are trying and not leaving it for another season and another transfer window.
Striker?
I don’t know who we are going to bring now. It has become a pendulum with Gyokeres on the one side and Sesko on the other. Lets see what happens but lets also pray that we don’t run out of money buying 3rd choice DMs, 2nd choice RW and a CB for 5 years in future. If we don’t get a striker, we are not winning the league. Havertz and Merino are not the answers because we won fuck all so far, and we need someone who can score 20+ goals a season and win those boring games that ends up 0-0 and we end up regretting those 2 points.
Right, that’s all the things that are ongoing. The transfers that are already done / completed are listed below. Nothing too exciting.
Done deals!
Thomas Partey
The contract ended on 30 June and I am sorry I was asking the club to renew him. There will be a fair trial and the charges could either stand or not, but that’s something for the judicial system. The club knew about it, and should have taken the hit frankly if this is so serious.
Tomiyasu
Tomiyasu and the club has agreed to part ways after his injury issues in last couple of seasons. He is a great defender and all, but what’s the point if you are available for 3 games per season. Good that we have moved on.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
We have paid 5m to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea. He has been an outcast recently and we needed a back GK after we sold Ramsdale. Kepa can do the job for the odd games and against the weaker opponents to give our main GK some rest when needed. 5m is not a big amount, but considering that we have let go of Emi Martinez, have signed 6 other GK and is now finalising a first teamer and a back up is beyond my understanding. But hey, better late than never and that too for 5m.
MLS – contract renewal
Myles Lewis-Skelly, the 18-year old left back sensation has renewed his contract at Arsenal. He was very happy to give some more years to a club that has seen his developments since he was 8 years old and has gone on to feature in Champions League game. This is what he had to say –
I want a legacy. I want to win everything there is to win in the game. I want to win trophies on the biggest stages whilst being a person that’s always learning and stays grounded, which is so important.
Jorginho leaves club
We reached a mutual agreement with Jorgi and let him go to play in the FIFA Club World Cup for Flamengo. Truth be bold, the physicality in Premier League is unsustainable for him and we need a better bench player.
Gabriel signs new deal
Our best defender, Gabriel Megalhaes signed a long term contract a month back. 27 years old, he still has his best days ahead and with Saliba and him in the defence, we won’t have any problems for next few years.
Tavares joins Lazio
Tavares has been the only sell that has generated some money. That too because he was on a loan with obligation to buy, and we have received about 4.5m GBP. We thought we have an attacking LB and gambled on him for a very less 15m fee. It didn’t work out but at the end, it’s not a huge loss. You would have to take some of these chances in the search of next big thing.
Tierney leaves
Hated to see him go frankly, kept his head down through out his time at Arsenal, gave his everything in red and white t-shirt and we respect that. We have become too better for him but he has been very well a part of the journey so far. We need better players but it doesn’t take away his contribution in last few years. A true gooner, thank you for your service.
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Right, that’s all. I will be updating this list through the transfer window. Did I miss anyone? Do let me know in the comments.
Art Fraud
Which will mean Liverpool will come out even stronger.
you know it’s been a dire window for us when we’re dominating the Sky transfer headlines based on two hypothetical situations and a signing that was functionally done and dusted eons ago…it will be interesting if Berta wins the Striker pissing contest…wouldn’t it be so like us if MA was right for the first time ever(slight exaggeration) and Sesko was the far better option…if so, Berta might not even survive year one
it’s not like I’m opposed to VG, as he appears super motivated to prove whatever doubters he thinks he has wrong, but I would have preferred a few other options, most notably Isak…the most positive aspect of this move is the fact that he’s a bona fide Striker, not a forward or AM who “can” play up top…his arrival would almost certainly put the kibosh on the whole garbage goal experiment
problem is what becomes of our puffed up German tweener…surely he can’t be deployed within the midfield again, as I just can’t see him usurping Rice or Ode, in the 8 or 10 respectively…I would much rather we sell him than Marts…fucking pipe dream, I would suspect…not to be a doom and gloom merchant, but don’t be surprised if VG & Noni are the only two coming in and we see Havertz & Rice as a left-sided tandem, especially if we let Tross go…I hope I’m fucking wrong and that instead of half-measuring the shit out of things, we’ll actually exit this window having 3 new options up top…you know me, half-glass full guy
Marc.
Liverpool don’t have total cunts and frauds in charge , so of course we will full further behind.
They would have had Partey sold and out of the door in 21/22 for starters.
I don’t follow it too much, these days, been reading up about Partey, but fuck me , no wonder why he was always out injured.
And you seriously think , this moronic cunt we have would be allowed to manage Liverpool for 6 seasons buying Everton rejects, like he does with Chelsea and winning fuck all?
If Pool land Isak, they might dominate the proceedings for the next 3-4 years and we’ll be Wenger Cupping it all over again
TRVL
The idea that Arteta might not get his choice of striker will be an interesting one quite simply because he’ll look to drop the player at any and every opportunity for his pet giraffe.
Maybe a few of the fanboys will finally see just how petulant Arteta is.
Tony,
I feel CF should have a personality and aggression more than technicalities. Not everyone can have both, we don’t have the Henrys’ anymore.
I feel Gyokeres will do good. He has got a very strong aerial presence and we needed that with Saka and Martinelli on either side. They both can beat their markers and put the ball in the middle. We didn’t have anyone to head it into the nets.
I trust in VG. Numbers don’t lie.
TRVL
Isak was the best choice. Gyokeres the second best. Don’t mind that all, considering that we would have spent 150m for Isak and ran out of money for other places.
Both Gyokeres and Sesko played 33 games for their respective teams.
Gyokeres scored 39 while Sesko 13. That’s 3x goals in same number of goals. I can understand why the club was fixated on Sesko, because he has got a future (22 yr old) and we could use him for 5 years and recoup all money in future. VG is 27 years old, 5 year contract means his prime is over.
But we all a want ‘NOW’ project, not another phase 9.
If I had any faith in MA’s capacity to employ differing tactical approaches I wouldn’t be so pessimistic about our future prospects, but we all know he generally lands on one predominant style of play per year, with an additional rather rudimentary deviation, depending on the personnel, then shortens the bench and let’s HIS best 11 have at it…if I had to guess, this year will be a combo pack of a 4-1-4-1, with Zubi as the single pivot and Rice/Ode/Havertz as double 8s, and a lot of the same bully-ball like tactics from last season
this is why I worry about Havertz being played “out wide”…if Skelly isn’t required to play in the inverted role, due to Zubi’s arrival, and is instead asked to be even more aggressive in the wide side channel, MA could play Kai in a more Tross-like role, by tucking him inside…then Havertz could slip out wide on occasion, so Skelly could take a more direct route to the box…of course, if we do bring in another left side forward option of some import, my fears will dissipate considerably
Ambarish—just so you fully comprehend the underlying numbers, VG is shit with headers, he’s actually worse than Havertz, and of those 39 tallies just under half were from the spot…that’s not happeneing in the PL…now all of this doesn’t mean I don’t have any faith in this Striker, as I think he’s out to prove something, but it has the feels of a Morata-type hire…hopefully he has significantly more goals on offer…keep in mind, Berta signed that Spanish fuck on 3 seperate occasions…his skillset might work in La Liga, where defenders are typically smaller, but it won’t have the same impact in the land of giants, as Morata’s time here would attest…I’ll wait to make my full assessment once I know for sure what our front side options will be come the start of the season
I think it’s important to remember that even though MA primarily used Ethan out wide, that was only because Saka was out injured…in actual fact he’s an attacking midfielder by trade, who’s blessed with close-touch control and a seemingly uncanny ability to score from beyond the edge of the box, which is why he should be deployed more centrally…unfortunately if the rumours are to be believed, regarding his desire for gametime assurances, things could get dicey rather quick…we all know how MA generally behaves when faced with such “threats”, especially when it involves our more youthful prospects, so don’t be surprised if he cuts ties
if that were to happen, that would be a sackable offence IMO, as that would show just how self-serving and two-faced this little prick of a manager truly is…this isn’t your Dad’s Arsenal, when players of that age profile would barely get a sniff and like it, this is a whole new era where top clubs, like Barca and PSG, have found a way to win with players in and around his age…maybe instead of trying to bring in half-measure midfield projects or shoehorning players into more advanced spaces, MA should have gone all-in for Isak, played Rice deeper and then deploy a midfield partnership of Ode & Ethan…simple and believeable
Just read the we paid 60M instead of 51m for Zubi, and it’s looking like we’ll pay over the odds for VG at around 70+M for an untested PL player who is ready to go on strike. What will MA do when VG wants to go on strike when Havertz is getting all the game time?
So £130m for 2 players that will have no resale value in their early 30s when their contracts run out. Then add their wages and the total will have been over £200m.
We are paying £9m extra for Zubi so we can pay in installments.
Neither has played in the PL and to be honest we don’t need them, especially Zubi, as we have Rice and Merino who is more defensively minded than an effective AM.
As many are saying here the right buy was Isak who will likely go to Liverpool. Then the 3 TRVL posted about a while back. VG? No thanks not for me, we have penalty takers and don’t need to spend 70M on a player with no PL experience.
It could have been worse I guess with MA buying Valhiovic……….
Overall not good optics for Bertha when you consider the above.
If the deal for VG does go through then TVRL’s idea of Havertz being moved wide left is likely – Martinelli is not one of Arteta’s favourites and will be binned in a heartbeat.
What it will mean is a tough season for forward play- between a new striker adapting to the PL and a non wide player who has no pace and will get very little support being shoehorned into LW we’re going to struggle going forward.
Its going to be a shitshow – a lengthy injury to Saka will see us struggle to make top 6.
just so there’s no confusion, I would take VG over Havertz in a fucking heartbeat, but the fact that we waited this long to address such a key positional need has brought out the worst in the thirstiest among us…we have fucking wingnuts out there acting as if he’s the second coming of Haaland(and by that I mean the version of him when he first arrived and was scoring for fun)…meanwhile back here on planet earth I’m not going to just forget how ineffectual he’s looked against better competition, including us…now some will be quick to point out that he had a great performance against City, but context matters because at that time City was in a bit of a freefall and they were leaking goals in a manner we hadn’t witnessed during Pep’s reign…regardless, with the amount of opportunities he should see, if we finish the job in this window, our goal production should rise expotentially if we no longer have to rely upon the underwhelming finishing efforts of our previous options…that said, all the over-the-top nonsense currently being spouted by the usual Artetite suspects speaks more about our longtime poor recrutiment practices than the supposed rarefied air qualities of the Striker in question…so let’s slow our fucking roll, so those in charge don’t settle when it comes to any further recruitment, and hope to fucking god that our manager can somehow find his way back to a more attractive brand of football so he can get the most out of whomever could be on offer
KP,
I see you are away to Floriana tonight. That must have been a very tempting trip for you,I hear Malta is beautiful, friend of mine was there over Easter,never been myself. RTE are showing the Shelbourne v Linfield game live tomorrow night,should be good but Shels are not the same team they were when winning the title,currently enduring a poor start to this season.
I’ve given up commenting on the transfer speculation. I know nothing about Sesko or Gyokores other than what stats can tell me,but I’m with Winston Churchill when it comes to stats. I’ll reserve judgement til I see them play. Arsenal don’t have such a luxury though,they are paid millions to scout evaluate,train these players. Get it right or be considered a failure. That’s how the rest of us are assessed in our jobs,so deal with it (unless you’re an irish politician). I wouldn’t like my money to be on an Arteta led Arsenal getting it right!
Elanga worth 55 mil? World has gone mad.
Hi Almunia
I’m heading off to Spain today and hoping to catch some of the game on YT at the airport. It’ll be a tall order for County to prevail over two legs, not least because they’ve lost 3 key players (including a Maltese CB) and not replaced them. But we have a 50 percent win record in the EC so who knows?
Fingers crossed and ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ picked for Shelbourne tonight. I’m in the same spot as you, ie a deep dirty trough, when it comes to transfer talk. Zubimendi? Schmubimendi!
KP – your boys will be sweating buckets tonight – the temperature is likely to be close to double what it is in west Wales.
A friend from the next village may take in the game – Malta is currently a long weekend hot spot for the people of Norfolk since Ryanair started flying to Valletta from Norfolk.
Down but not out KP! Hope the Spanish trip goes well. Heatwave expected here,which on Ireland means three consecutive days without rain,snow or ice.
PSG schooling RM 3:0 at half time with PSG cutting through the non existent RM MF.
Breath taking football and a joy to watch. Could be 6+ by full time with RM being so poor as they were against us.
PSG, the team MA said their bench said we deserved to have won the semi.
Must have been what helped them win the CL schooling Milan, as they are RM in the club World Cup this evening.
PSG are the CL team to beat next season. Xavi has a big challenge ahead of him.
Tony—we had better re-up Saliba or Real will be on the warpath for his services soon enough…that said, they were without both Huijsen and TAA, Ascensio has been terrible lately and that was Rutiger’s first appearance since returning from injury, so that certainly didn’t help matters
I kind of understand why Xavi didn’t make a concerted push for Zubi, as he needs someone who can act as both a deeper-lying pivot, when required, and a final third maestro, like the outgoing Modric, so they don’t have to rely so heavily upon the counter for their offensive output against the better sides…not sure if Zubi fits that brief, at least not from an offensive capacity…I really hope both Xavi and I are wrong in that regards, as we could really use some better service options up top against the bus sitters, especially with Rice playing in a more advanced role
I would suspect they’ll be in the market in the coming days looking for midfield answers, as I very much doubt Xavi thinks that a trio of Velverde and Guler or Camivinga, with Tchouameni tucked in behind, can get it done…who knows maybe they’ll actually sell Rodrygo, then use those funds to redress their CM issues…I know they love Vitinha, but who the fuck doesn’t…I very much doubt PSG would even consider such a move unless Real were willing to pay an astronomical fee, something north of 100M..even then they might balk at the notion of losing what many consider to be their lynch pin