Lets start with the good news first.
Calafiori set to join Arsenal
Riccardo Calafiori is coming to Emirates. The clubs have agreed, the player wants to join us and we have done his medicals in United States. It’s only a matter of time before he is announced in red and white. We needed a CB, we are over reliant on Saliba and Gabriel and any injury to either one of them would derail our title challenge in the upcoming season.
Also, I don’t think he is coming as a LB, he did start his career as one but best part of his career has come from the centre. Mikel loves players who are versatile so he can be used as a LB if the need be, but he is primarily coming to increase our CB count to 3. Mikel is adamant in not using Tomiyasu or Ben White as CB, so lets not count them.
He would get 4million euros a year, comes roughly about 65k / week GBP in wages. Not bad, when we have the history of over-paying. A 4 year contract is a bit on shorter side, but we can increase it to 100k/week after 2 season if he proves he deserves it.
ESR leaving to Fulham
I don’t want to see ESR leave. I don’t care if you think I am just being emotional, I have my reasons.
First, we are short of attacking midfielders. Partey and Jorginho are defensive. We have Havertz, who is mostly going to play up top in the absence of a CF, and Vieira is inferior to ESR.
Second, we don’t have a back up / competition to Odegaard. We are too dependent on him, and we saw how our results dropped when he had a bad run of games. ESR is the closest we have, an attacking midfielder, a no #10, young and dynamic and can score goals!
Third, he is one of our own. It matters in games when players are willing to go an extra mile when the results are not going in our favor.
I would have certainly kept him, give him more game time since he is back from injuries now, and rotate him with Odegaard. Fine, start giving him chances from the bench, or against the bottom half teams, and see if he can deliver. We haven’t seen that since his comeback from injury. Tell me, who would play the role of Odegaard if he is out sick or injured for a month?
In 2021-22 season, he played 33 games under Mikel, scored 10 goals after inheriting the #10 shirt from Mesut Ozil. In the next season, he struggled with the groin injury again, went for a surgery, and is probably fully fit after ages.
The only good thing of this transfer is that we are hell bent on £35m. Fulham will pay. He will not even get a farewell game.
Reiss nelson leaving to Leicester
There has been an enquiry from Leicester for Reiss Nelson. I don’t have much problem with this one, he is very down the pecking order as a winger and despite the sensational goal in last minute last season against Bournemouth(?), he has failed to make his way in the playing XI.
It remains to be seen how much we get for him, I would expect at least a £25m for a home grown lad, fully fit, a fast and pacey winger with a lot of games in Arsenal colors.
There has been other rumours going on – Kiwior has got some interest from Milan, and Ramsdale might leave as well. But nothing else is confirmed, so we will not go there as of now.
What do you think of all these three (almost) confirmed transfers? Let me know in the comments.
![New season, new look [meta]](https://i0.wp.com/londonisred.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Arsenal.jpg?fit=75%2C45&ssl=1){kind=small}
Totally agree with your feelings on ESR, Ambarish.
I still would have preferred £68m spent on Eze where click bait rumours are talking he’s Spuds bound.
Nico Williams has been warned off Barca the mirror reports leaving a door open for us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eJlVpbrcVY
However, Eze is about the same price and PL tested with Saka waxing lyrical about Eze saying he’s the only PL player he watches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-xrafr1X00
Natural question is who would you choose? Williams or Eze?
I’m still banging Eze’s drum.
TRVL I know you’re an Eze fan, but where does your vote go?
Can you remember the 15 Spanish players that have represented our men’s first team? You have five minutes! https://www.arsenal.com/news/quiz-name-every-spaniard-play-arsenal?id=103418&utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=share_button&utm_campaign=news
Try this and share how you get on. I was terrible, needless to say.
Ambarish
Calafiori’s fee is being reported at £42 million – if Arteta is spending that on backup when we don’t have a striker the fans are going to turn on him very quickly.
I also thinks its highly unlikely he’ll be on £65k per week with that type of fee.
Sorry to see ESR go but getting away from Arteta will do his career the world on good.
KP
I couldn’t think of many other than the obvious with Cesc coming straight to mind.
What’s your thinking on our window so far? Is it something your can put into words of any language? lol.
Marc
I hope you’re right and the fans turn on the arrogant El B. I’ll look forward to your ringside reports for the home games.
I have to applaud ESR’s professionalism at all times while having to deal with such a seal worthy manager. It can’t have been easy. Back in those days I have a hair trigger so I know how that would have turned out. Thing is back then I was also street smart so would never have been near someone like El B.
Also, music replaced football, not that I was ever near good enough. Only country level for me back when balls had laces and boots had leather studs.
Them were the days when the balls were sodden you got concussion heading the high balls. Best to let them bounce first if you could.
Tony
There were several occasions last season when people around me got agitated about a player repeatedly doing something that was stupid – my response was its what Arteta’s told them to do, the response to that was why would Arteta tell them to do that. They would then get stumped when I’d ask “they do it week in week out if it’s not what Arteta wants why hasn’t he stopped them or dropped them?
Next season if we’re playing a £60 million Havertz up front and have a £42 million defender on the bench / in reserve and we’re not scoring goals people are going to ask where’s the striker?
Hi Tony
It (the tfer window) is grubby and dull in my view. Football hangers-on and client journalists spinning round (like a record baby). That we seem to be making no serious moves for an attacker is either a smokescreen or potentially a massive mistake by our ballbag of a manager. At this point, the most interesting question is what will happen to City when/if they face the music?
Im sorry too about ESR’s imminent departure.
Marc
For reasons you’ve pointed out and others here I see the wheels coming off El B’s wagon this season. What worrying is El B is still taking City back room staff with the Elite conditioning coach joining us.
I imagine this coach’s manager has looked into El B’s long term future with us, and it looks secure, because generally when a manager goes so does his back room staff. This coach might be looking for work this season quicker than he and his agent thought.
My view of the season with incoming for the season end:
City
Pool
Villa
Manue
Chavs
Spuds if they get Eze
The Arsenal
I might have the positions mixed up except us being 6th or 7th.
The reality is that El B will probably get another contact extension so I’d love to hear the Emirates reaction to that Kroenke gem in waiting.
KP
Hope you’re enjoying the summer and sadly same shit different window sums up our window. I see El B is getting rid of Kiwior sorry I mean selling. 38 games with some goals and assists 2 and 3 I think, but clearly not good enough for Galaxy brain.
Here’s one for you, how many Italian defenders have been elite in the PL?
To be fair few Italian players have been successful in the PL other than with the Chavs. Currently.
Below are Italian players reported by ‘Players Abroad’ playing in the PL.
H
Jorginho Chavs
Pierluigi Gollini Spuds
Angel Ogbonna Hammers
C. Okoli Leicester City
Jorginho Arsenal (Brazil?)
Emerson West Ham United
C. Casadei Chelsea
A. Maldera Brighton & Hove Albion
E. Maresca Chelsea
S. Tonali Newcastle United
D. Udogie Tottenham Hotspur
G. Vicario Tottenham Hotspur
https://us.soccerway.com/players/players_abroad/italy/
That’s it! The general rule with Italian players is they don’t travel well because when you look at the above list no Italian player is pulling up trees in the PL.
Begs the question that can Calafiori be the first Italian to make a name here since Vialli, Zola and perhaps Caldicini where at the Chavs?
The Chavs have had 18 Italian players in the PL. Very few worked out.
The above list doesn’t inspire confidence re Calafiori, we can just hope he’s that special and the Euros was a one off like many players have in big country competitions.
what’s*
were – Euros wasn’t a one off*
Putting the ESR debacle into perspective Fulham are getting him for £35m but this is a player who doesn’t play for months, other than a few minutes cameo last ditch attempt tactics; then gets a start and wins MOTM and then got benched again.
Surely £60+m is more realistic for ESR?
I wish ESR well and expect to see him do better than Willock at Newcastle.
Both are good mobile 8s and what have we needed since El B arrived?
An 8 who Rice is earmarked for when he has time from playing 6 and false 9 in a game.
After watching the AFC v Bournemouth game, nothing has changed in the attacking line since last season. The ESPN commentator said regarding Eddie, he has to sort out his feet, the ball gets stuck under his feet, he is not tall enough to head the ball, fortunately Viera did the job for him. But Eddie now does hit the target, but unfortunately he hits it straight at the keeper.
Jesus, still throws himself to the ground in the final 3rd and then does an Oscar wining performance of rolling on the ground.
WTF will the goals come from? Like last season, a heavy reliance on our wingers and MF to score goals in the double digits. We need someone that can attack through the middle and finish it by putting the ball in the net.
Well here is to waiting for another season to make things happen on the trophy front.
Rooney’s son look decent
https://x.com/UtdFaithfuls/status/1815371778253885905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1815371778253885905%7Ctwgr%5E234eec7150da8761741b5de772ecbe079d58df7d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Farticle-13663323%2FWayne-Rooney-son-Kai-training-video-Man-United.html
Oh no Pedro’s worst nightmare Pep is thinking of staying….. Hide the razor blades..
Tony
Does Pedro even exist any more? The lack of his unending arse licking of Arteta on my mobile device suggests not. He fucked himself into oblivion with his own avarice.
Radix malorum est cupiditas.
Rich no more
AFCF no more
Emirates Stroller no more
Un no more
None of us are feeling upbeat about the new season yet, Kilroy.
Great new look Ambarish. Very professional and suits my OCD tendencies lol
KP
Couldn’t have happened to a more seal worthy arsehole. He’s got it right with the Wenger crusade, but he went into an overdrive I’ve seen many times in the music industry and outside in the 90s. Feelings of invincibility and being devoid of any rational balance, which to me points to recreational abuse or worse it’s the way his wired normally.
I expected him to last until El B went, but he obviously outdid himself with his I don’t care what you think. Was his Arteta addiction section-able? lol.
The commenting on le-grove is pathetic at the moment since Pedro tried to monetize it. Many of the decent posters are gone or post very sporadic and you just have the usual assholes there. Perhaps once the season starts it will change for the time being very boring there.
Killroy
I fail to see why people would want to be told how to post and then pay on top?
In the Wenger crusade days there were some great posters there.
Madre me chuckle because if he and Rice stayed fit and played together……… Seeing them play 10 games together in a row might make me feel warm and fuzzy about the season.
Maybe Calafiori is going to be a makeshift 6 when Partey breaks down or Timber?
“Thomas Partey sends warning to Declan Rice and Jorginho over competing for Arsenal place”
“Thomas Partey spent a large chunk of last season injured but he has made a full recovery and is convinced Mikel Arteta’s squad have the belief and mindset to push again for a first league title in 21 years”