Bloody hell, it took Mikel Arteta a total of five and a half season to get a CF. He inherited three – Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang but he shipped them all off to play Kai Havertz – a midfielder, Mikel Merino – another midfielder and Trossard – a winger. We finished 2nd three times in a row and I can bet a tenner we would have won at least one of them had there been a proper goal scorer upfront. With the Sesko and Gyokeres saga and the delay that was happening, I was getting sceptical that it might not happen at all, but better late than never.
Since The King left, we had the young 16 year old Walcott wearing that number for a decade, he did much better for his age and the support he had around him. Auba came and delivered some beautiful goals and games for us. Loved him except for his move to Chelsea but hey, he got a family. Nketiah was a trial and failed as it did for the ESR #10. Time will tell whether Gyokeres does justice to the number but let me be clear, I am pretty sure he will.
We are paying £64m to Sporting because the add-ons are too easy. That’s a lot of money after we have already spent some on Kepa, Zubimendi, Norgaard and a lot of money for Madueke. But I DON’T CARE. I just don’t want to see midfielders playing as a striker and I don’t want to see a sulking Havertz up top. We are bringing a striker who has got personality, presence, and intimidation in him. He has some unbelievable stats albeit in a weaker league but hey, he did pretty well in Champions League.
I have no doubt he will do great in red and white. He knows it, so he pushed for the move; his agent knows it so he is marketing himself by dropping 6m of agent fees, the club knows it because ultimately they are going to pay 60+ million GBP for him.
Cristhian is here – Welcome to Arsenal
We have signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia. I was always calling out the club to get a proper CF, and ignore this versatility crap everyone throws around these days. How many games have you seen Kiwior, White or Tomiyasu play at CB or which one of them were able to bench Saliba when he was going through a bad form couple season back? No one. We need competition everywhere and we need good back ups.
Mosquera has been a starter for Valencia since 2023/24 season and have played the most number of games for any player in Europe top 5 league who is under the age of 21. If you are not even 21 and you play 73 games as a CB in couple of seasons, you are a talent.
A very good signing according to me, hats off to whoever pushed for it. And we only paid £13m for him with some add-ons. Brilliant deal considering Tomiyasu is gone and we have White/Timber for RB while Calafiori/MLS fight for the LB spot.
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Right, sorry for a short one today. Days are just getting busier as I am getting old. Hope you are have a good one, wherever you are in the world. Cheers.
Ambarish, like yourself, I’m stoked that we actually signed a Striker, just not sure he was the best of the available options…that said, I would have given my left nut not to have to watch our German Pillsbury Dough Boy up top for another season…btw Mosquera is also a RB, so you might want to slow your roll on the whole it’s about time we signed a CF-only specialist…ultimately it doesn’t matter as I’m sure he’ll be our regular RCB once Saliba has been shipped to Real next summer…here’s hoping they’ll both be pulling up trees here for many years to come
Tony—I left you a response on the previous thread…Cheers
TRVL
We were so devoid of a proper striker that we would have celebrated the same if Mikel brought back Nketiah or Balogun. Isak could have been the title winner for us, but too costly and Sesko for me was for future. No other options available.
If Cristhian dows the unthinkable and replacea Saliba at some point, and Madrid pays us a good 80m, i wouldn’t mind that. But I don’t think any of em are going to leave unless they win something.
I wonder if Woody Johnson’s(NY Jets owner) recent investment of 250+M for a 43% stake in Palace will have an impact on any deal for Eze…he’s known as one of the worst owners in the NFL so maybe his arrival on the scene will benefit us…lord knows we need all the help we can get when it comes to getting meaningful transfers over the line…all the talk about the deal potentially requiring a player swap, so we can afford it, doesn’t fill me with confidence…after Eddie, why would they ever want anything we had on offer…I’ve heard everything from Nelson to Tross to Zinchenko, which would be perfectly fine…shit, they can have all 3 for all I care…not nearly as excited if it includes Marts(still might do it though, if the price is right)
I really like Eze’s style of play, as he’s a bit of a wild card who’s known for scoring some real stunners…not sure if he’s a proper wide side player, as he doesn’t possess the requisite pace…like him as an 8 or tucked in behind the Striker…not sure if he fits our current script with Zubi as the 6, Rice being a guaranteed starter and Skelly usually being deployed as an inverted backer…maybe things will change in those regards, but I very much doubt it…in a way he’s the more polished left-sided version of Noni…would enjoy watching him but only if we tweaked some things…Barcola would make far more sense if we’re trying to solve our low block problem, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if Eze arrived instead…regardless, we need another readymade attacking threat in order to compete for things
Ambarish
I applaud your VG positivity and hope it all works out, where VG proves to be our missing link depending how much Havertz gets in the way, and ditto with Rice’s unrealistic AM ambitions, which makes buying Eze as a starter nonsensical.
VG publicly espouses he’s better than Haaland, but I think he’s another Ollie Giroud or any other inconsistent striker we’ve had, such as our lord Bendtner, Jeffers, Podolski and let’s not forget Gervinho.
Who have our competitors bought and what will their managers do with the new incomings?
I think for next season the only top club still in some disarray is Manure, and I expect Thomas Frank to take points off us this season.
I think Pool, City, Chavs with us being one of 6 other clubs for 4th 5th and 6th.
As I said at the beginning, Ambarish, I applaud your positivity and hope it proves to be true.
Sure, he’ll score goals, just not enough and he will be inconsistent, especially if he has to share the 9 slot with the beefier giraffe Havertz! Along with Ricehino who deludely thinks he’s a goal machine and free kick specialist, instead of one of the top 3 DM’s globally, but will never get to play at Rodri’s lofty levels & heights.
Since I can remember we’ve always paid at least 2 times less for players than Pool and Manure with the Chavs and City being late money backed clubs with bottom less war chests. As an example in the 90s we’d pay say £10m for a player, but Manure would pay £30+M for the likes of Roony and others.
Now it’s Pool spending £300+ this TW on the very best, such as Frimpong, Wirtz, Eketike and Isak and others.
I wouldn’t mind betting that MA was told to keep Ethan when the Chavs came Nwaneri calling. Same he was told to keep Saliba and big Gabs if the past chatter was to be believed.
Even if we buy Eze next, then how does MA fit all of his pets and new additions on the same pitch? If, as I suspect, MA’s tactical project is going to remain the same, then rotation will be the name of the game, as it was MA’s failure for the past 3 years.
Problem is had MA done that 3 years ago with the top 5 at various stages of rebuilding or losing form (City & Chavs), we would have won a couple of titles. Each year/season offered us should have, could have and would have moments we were ill equipped to take advantage of, as our 2nd place consistency categorically proves.
He’s MA’s first conundrum: how does he fit Rice, Eze and Merino into the 8 slot? You could also add Havertz to fight for the 8 as VG takes the 9 position.
Problem is for our crosses neither VG or Havertz can use their height in the air. The irony is Noni is quicker and better in the air.
Kudus and Mbeumo are both very good in the air and on the ground both cost similar to Havertz and VG.
The bottom line is for this post is we’ve bought cheap as we always do except the odd exception, such as Rice.
Buy Eze and Isak and we could have been competing in a pulsating season. Now we’ll offer ripples of challenges with some special moments as is MA’s norm. In the end it will all slip away under a deluge of excuses with the noise echoing out of MA’s office I just need 4 or 5 new key players.
If MA only knew and understood what a KEY player was, he might stand a chance.
MA thinks Rice can be KDB on the regular. Worst thing about it is that Rice thinks the deluded same. Let that sink in.
MA plays football like a chess game tactically with 2 or 3 moves ahead planned out. Problem is the planned ahead moves rarely pan out and we are left scrambling to recover the ball.
We have no real leaders, footballing identity or players who can change games bar Saka.
I have a feeling Norgaard could prove to be our best buy along with Eze if we get him. We got sent packing before and didn’t like it when we wanted Zaha.
I hope we conduct ourselves better than before.
As for MA? I hope he has his white flag moment before Xmas…….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRqhGC5vgC0
TRVL
If we buy Eze and give our current squad to Enrique, I’d say we’d be challenging even though punching above our weight.
There are tactics that could work well with Noni, Eze and VG, but not the tactics we are expecting MA to deploy.
Problem is we have Manure and Pool away in our first 3 games with Leeds likely to kick lumps out of us at home, being the in-between game.
We could be down 7 points after the first 3 games with more tough games to follow.
White flag by end November, TRVL?
Sorry why would be buy Eze?
Not a comment on the player but where would he play and who would get dropped?
Arteta’s already got to find a formation where he can fit VG, Havertz, Ode, Rice, Zubimendi and Saka in. I’m assuming Martinelli / Trossard / Noni (which one of Tross and Martinelli will be sold?) will be the one to make way so we’re probably looking at a seriously even more lopsided setup than we’ve had from Arteta previously.
This isn’t about what we’d do, what a manager who’s not a complete cunt would do its about what Arteta will do.
Marc
This moronic cunt is tying himself in knots as the window progresses.
And I cant wait for it all to unravel.
Where does the silly cunt expect to play them all?
Remember when the cunt said his bright idea would be to subbing the goal keepers during the game when he had Raya and Ramsdale ?
Once a cunt , always a cunt!
Art
My guess is we’ll either see Havertz on the left drifting in – they’ll be such a lack of pace down our left side the opposition won’t need a LB.
Or he’ll try playing Havertz off VG so we’ll see some abomination of Ode or Rice on the left in some kind of fucked up 4-4-2.
I can’t see us being within 15 – 20 points of City and Liverpool this season and that’s assuming one of the other teams who have been underperforming don’t get their shit together.
My hope for the season is the media turning on Arteta – he began to get some on Sky last season another £150 million plus spent and going backwards will see them all over him.
Marc
KSE have the media and blogs all tied up.
And a very sizeable majority of our supporters now are in the mould of Starmer and that very unfunny comedian Lucas. Basically middle class soppy cunts who live in Islington or Brondesbury Park who think that North London forever song is clever.
The real raucous support from old have been phased out to these muppets. You know ones that don’t swallow the bollocks and demand trophies and give me Bernard Manning over Lucas every day btw.
And thats why they think the cunt is a good manager, because they are clueless muppets.
AF
I dare KSE to send me an email :))
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On a different note, if you give me a bag full of 200m GBP, I can buy VG for 60m, Madueke for 50m, bring in a bench GK for 5m and a young CB for 15m (did I miss someone?). Berta’s real talent would show up in the money we generate in sales.
And the rumour going around is that Jesus is going to Flamengo on a loan with an option to buy where we cover half of his salary. We don’t have much of an option with him, but lets see what the Sporting Director of Arsenal with Zinchenko, Lokonga, Havertz, Trossard (who is asking for a move given his limited game time). We have sold only Tavares for 4m, and I am not even sure it counts as one because he was on loan with an obligation to buy.
Ambarish
Havertz is going nowhere.
I’m amazed Arteta hasn’t thrown a massive tantrum that he can’t get Xhaka back.
Ambarish
Look into your spam.
Gabriel Jesus, I forgot that useless cunt. Another one the moronic cunt signed , ruined and crashed his value, thats his MO. Did it ever occur to him, that Manchester City were taking him of a mug?
The Havertz signing has completely fucked him and the teams evolution, serves the cunt right. Even the Saudis won ‘t pay what we are paying the German Chelsea long streak of lanky piss.
Just watched Pool lose to A/C Milan in a game they mostly dominated but succumb to 3 lightning counter attacks and a tired mistake when trying to chase a equalizer at the back.
Rafa Leao is a powerful speedster with tricks and a sound footballing IQ. Ig we bought him, I’d be over the moon. For Pool Wirtz is going to love the PL. What a player and what a footballing brain he has. At RB Frimpong is a mini beast and Kerkez is also a very good LB. Both have pace to burn.
When you finally add Ekitike and Isak, then the score today would have been a different story.
Milan had improved greatly from our game making the game fun for the neutrals to watch.
Tomorrow we play Isak-less Newcastle, so we should look good, as we normally do when the Bar codes have no real striking threat.
Tony—you know my thoughts on Leao…I would have prioritized him over Nico, but he had a sizeable release clause so it was never going to get done in one window
VG’s in the fold now so let’s hope he can”prove himself for real” (as he himself as suggested)…I like his determination and drive, but for him it will be all about the numbers…can he convert the absolute sitters that both Jesus and Havertz were gifted yet failed at far too often?…likewise, will he be able to craft his own opportunities and do.the unexpected in crucial moments when goals are difficult to come by? only time will tell…I’m going to cup half-full this hiring until he proves otherwise
seems as if we’ve ramped up our pursuit of Eze…still have my reservations…not about the player, but about how the manager will deploy him…our approach from last season won’t allow him to flourish, so let’s hope that something completely different is in the offing…i have visions of Havertz picking splinters out of his backside and I couldn’t be more fucking pleased
Ambarish—either VG is a miscalculation.on Berta’s part, in that he’s just another Morata-esque Striker, who btw he signed on multiple occasions while at Atleti, or he’s a first-rater the likes of a Haaland or Isak, as his somewhat inflated Portugese stats would suggest…Edu felt VG was second-rate, so we’ll find out real quick if we should have tried harder to keep him on or our new hire’s a much-needed upgrade…my brain tells me the former, but my heart seriously hopes it’s the latter
TRVL & Marc
VG has talked the talk, now he has to back that up by delivering goals and assists throughout the season. We all preferred Sesco and others we have lamented over knowing we were always going to step into the unknown realms of VG’s abilities or lack of them depending if he can step up to the real PL rigors to the PL2 version he played in for Brighton.
For those who want detailed VG stats:
https://footystats.org/players/sweden/viktor-gyokeres
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/viktorgyokeres/leistungsdaten/spieler/325443
Some VG history:
“Gyökeres officially joined Brighton on 1 January 2018 and began training with the club’s under-23 side. He made his senior debut for the club on 28 August, starting in a 1–0 EFL Cup defeat to Southampton.”
“During his time at Coventry, he was one of the most prolific strikers in the Championship. He scored 43 goals in 116 appearances for the Sky Blues and was named in the Championship team of the year in 2022-23 as they reached the play-off final. That summer he signed for Sporting for about £20m.We had a better idea with Sesco and know what we are buying if selecting from the Rafa Leao and Isak table- elite strikers for the right price only Pool seem to want to pay.”
Our bargain basement buy may well come good, as I hope he does, but first he has to get minutes over Havertz, same as Eze will have to trump Rice for the 8 position unless MA has him earmarked for LW & false 9. Then where does Noni fit in other than Saka rotation?
Ethan? Is he only Ode’s back up?
At least our bench will look better sans 4 LBs. Problem is MA will just make his like for like subs, just subs with better & more balanced skills still playing the same tired tactics.
Is this enough to win us the CL or PL? Not for me………
Today’s England V Spain women’s Euro final at 5pm GMT should be a decent game to watch with a reasonable level football being played or attempted.
Our game against Newcastle at 12:30pm will also be an interesting watch.
The game will be too soon for VG, but we have 3 more preseason games left, so time for him to shine yet.
Eze would cost a lot of money so where would he play?
I still can’t see Arteta dropping Havertz (I don’t want him to play but its Arteta making the decisions) Zubimendi will play DM, Saka and Rice are undroppable (aside a little bit of rotation that Arteta is woeful at even when he has options) and you have to assume Ode as Captain is as well.
So we’re looking at 6 places for Saka, Rice, Zubimendi and Ode. The fans won’t stomach finally having an actual striker and him not starting so that’s 5 places taken leaving the left.
The talk is Trossard wants out so at face value that gives us Martinellli and Noni (can also cover for Saka) for the left wing / left forward position.
I’ve got horrible visions of Captain Shoehorn either playing Havertz on the left drifting in or Havertz playing off VG with Ode moved left.
Of course the other alternative is Havertz warming the bench so we’ll have a player earning £280k per week not contributing who we can’t unload and no one will get close to matching his salary.
Just for reference Chelsea 2nd highest earner Reece James (who is also Captain) is on £250k per week. Last season Liverpool’s 2nd highest earner was VVD on £220k per week.
Any cunt tells me we can’t compete because we don’t have the money and I’m going to fucking lose it.
The win over Newcastle told us very little because there was nothing new to enjoy.
The highlight of the game was Dowman’s confident contribution earning us a late penalty.
Had Isak been playing Newcastle would have converted more of their well crated chances.
At 15 Dowman is playing with Ethan’s confident guile. So should make the bench for this season and play in cup games.
3 observations after watching highlights of the friendly this afternoon.
– whether in Newcastle, Singapore or any point in between, everyone who allies themselves with the Barcodes are utter cunts. An arsehole of a club.
– Gyokeres might be around for several years but he will never score a goal as good as that own goal for our second.
– I think Dowman might be more important to our cause over the next few years than Skelly and Nwan. Tremendous fucking player.