Martin Zubimendi is a done deal. His announcement is imminent and we would have a technical, good defensive midfielder in our ranks. I am, for the sake of positivity, assuming that he will do a better job than either of Rice or Partey in that midfield.
But a lot other things worries me.
We have failed to come up with an agreement with Partey for an extension. Arteta has got 6+ years as an Arsenal manager and nothing to show for it apart from 2nd places finishes and a Champions League semi final spot. Financially, we have done very well but as fans, we are out there to see our club, players lifting trophies and not read the balance sheet. If Zubimendi fails to deliver (he is coming from a different league) or doesn’t do well enough like Partey, we would be in a mess. If Zubimendi breaks down at any point of time, we will play more than 60 games, who is going to play that role? Yes, we can shift Declan Rice but that would require you to play either of Merino or Havertz as the attacking option and that’s compromising 2 places for one player. Lets stop crapping about Declan Rice’s versatility. He is either defensive or attacking midfielder – whichever you prefer – but I feel he is more suited in moving forward and certainly better than either of Havertz or Merino in that role. I think we should have kept Partey, even if it costed a bit more than what we wanted, because getting even an understudy would cost money and there’s other areas of pitch which we need to prioritise.
Next one in the list of frustration is Gabriel Martinelli’s situation. I don’t know if there’s any truth behind it but Sky is reporting that Bayern are showing interest in him and 50m GBP is what we need to let him go. Ok, but that’s very bad. We are talking about a player who is regular in Brazil national team, have played 36, 35, 33 games for Arsenal in Premier League in last 3 season which also makes him started for Arsenal, and scored 15, 6, 8 goals respectively. The outputs have reduced in last 2 season but the reason is not because he is shite, but because he has been asked to stick to the side line, draw out 2/3 defenders and allow the right side of the pitch to be the battleground where we can dominate. He is doing his job, while being available for majority of the season, is still 24 years of age and has got goals in him. Name me another player who possess all these characteristics and whom can get for 50m! Also, if you are A Rodrygo fan, let me disappoint you a bit. He has scored 9, 10, 6 in his last 3 season in Madrid. There’s absolutely no improvement if we are selling Marts for 50m and getting Rodrygo for 70m. If you want to strengthen the LW, sell Trossard and get Rodrygo anyway. Show some muscle because you are one of the biggest club in the world.
Third, we haven’t decided about the CF position yet. We were talking with Sesko but seems he is asking a lot of money per week. Gyokeres and United love story was short enough and if we don’t land Sesko, we would probably go for Gyokeres. Frankly, I am more than happy if we do. You judge a CF by the number of goals, everything else is secondary. Haaland runs in the box, gets the ball and converts it into a goal which wins games. Gyokeres has better numbers. Do we want to pay for a potential who could be the best striker in the world, or someone who has scored 29 and 39 goals in his last 2 seasons? Mikel loves a player in the mould of Lacazette, who is better in hold up play and in position, but Aubameyang wins the game. If you know what I mean.
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So, yeah. We had a midfield problem so we are out buying Zubimendi but letting go Partey. It does fix the problem a bit because we are replacing a 32 year with 26 year old but we would struggle the same if he gets injured or there’s a drop in his form.
We have a LW that is not delivering like the RW, but that’s because our attack are mostly from the right side and Saka is allowed freedom. Replacing Martinelli with Rodrygo will do nothing while we shell 20million extra for it.
CF – we still can’t fucking decide, can we?
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And one of the Merino and Havertz will be redundant because I don’t see a world where Zubi and Rice sits on the bench, and if a CF comes in, one of them needs to go. FOR SOME POUNDS, please.
Below you will find my top 5 list of Striker options(in the order provided):
(1) Isak
(2) Osimhen
(3) Sesko
(4) Hugo Ekitike
(5) VG
*I didn’t include Lautaro Martinez as he’s shown no interest/willingness to take his talents to the PL…if those circumstances were different he would slot into the 3-hole just below Osimhen
to be clear, I would welcome any of these Strikers so long as they’re coming in as the presumptive number 1 option up top…of course, the. further you go down the list the lesser the potential impact, at least in my opinion
the first option is rather self-explanatory, Isak’s pace, familiarity with the league, movement off the ball, two-footedness and ability to provide service, place him squarely in the catbird seat…if Pool ends up with him and we settle for some combo pack of Ollie/Jackson and Havertz, we will almost assuredly experience another regression, at least in the standings…the fact that we haven’t exhausted every effort to land him speaks volumes about our ultimate ambitons and the manner in which MA has constructed the present roster
to be fair, VO is a distant second…this is due to the fact that he’s a level below Isak when it comes ot many of the above attributes and his less than pristine “off-field” history…that said, he’s has the requisite pace this project requires and he’s proven that when he’s fully engaged he can be an electric force up front…he’s the kind of individual who could manufacture goals against any side on any given night, which is something that we’ve desperately missed during MA’s tenure
Sesko and Hugo are both high ceiling unfinished prospects who would undoubtedly flourish when they’re surrounded by better players…neither are a given, unlike when Haaland arrived at City, but they both have a knack for the spectacular, which should open things up for our wide-side players(more 1v.1s) and anyone tucked in behind…I put Sesko slightly ahead, as he’s taller and cuts a more imposing figure, which should give him a leg up in the PL
VG, on the other hand, is a bit of a super-sized version of Havertz…there’s a reason why Kai tried to rewrite his body type narrative during his rehab stint…unfortunately, like his German counterpart, he’s not the best when it comes to headers, and I’m skeptical of his ability to replicate his numbers from the last two season, especially considering how many penalty kicks he potted during that stretch…just not sure why you wouldn’t turn the page when it came to our present “Striker” profile, but I believe he could score above that coveted 20 goal mark if he’s in MA”s favoured 11
on a side note, there’s been plenty of chatter involving Lookman over the past 24-48 hours…I think it’s important that we remember that he had failed stints at several PL sides and players tend not to flourish once they leave Gasperini, as he has a knack for getting the best from his players…not to mention, his best performances came as a second Striker and not out wide, as Gasperini typically deploys wingbacks…Cheers
regardless of the above information, I get the feeling that our recruitment policy up top is far more about finding a bargain bin deal once all the “real” sides have finished their business, than securing the best possible options…of course, I pray I’m wrong…somehow we can always find monies for periphery pieces all over the backside of the pitch, but when it comes to the offensive side of things we’re scrounging through the proverbial scrap heap…so I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up with someone else’s leftovers/sloppy seconds
TRVL
Strikers typically carry a premium – if we were serious about signing a top top striker this summer they’d be the first deal followed by what money do we have left to spend elsewhere.
According to all the links we’ve got a £50 million DM almost done, a £10 reserve DM (who’s ability at set pieces is being talked up – why? If he’s backup he won’t be on the pitch a lot of the time), a reserve goalkeeper who seems to be part of Arteta’s fetish with buying players from Chelsea and links to a defender.
If the summer continues along its present course then I can see there being ugly scenes at the Emirates this coming season – everyone knows we need a striker and claiming you couldn’t get one or didn’t have the money when you’ve spunked north of £60 million on defensive players won’t cut it. The fans will turn and the media will go after him.
Marc—when you look MA’s recruitment practices since 22/23 we could have had the following PSG players for the same amount of money that was spent on Havertz, Rice, Merino, Kiwior, Cala, Jorginho, Trossard, Vieira and Raya:
Nuno Mendes—38M
Joao Neves—58M
Dembele—50M
Vitinho—41M
Fabian Ruiz—22M
Barcola—45M
Doue—50M
Kvaratskhelia—70M
so you tell me, has MA’s roster contruction/transfer policies been an unmitigated failure in comparison??…keeping in mind, that everyone on our side of the ledger has either decreased in value or stayed roughly the same, whereas ever single PSG purchase has seen their respective MVs go up since arriving there, many by a substantial amount…enough said
TRVL
I watched PSG against Liverpool, Villa, US and in the final – it was like watching the Invincibles at peak performance.
Not just effective but fantastic football – Arteta is making us more and more dour by the season. The defenders benefit from it but any attacking player is having the life sucked out of them – the only one who hasn’t been adversely affected (yet) is Saka.
I have a feeling we’re going to finish miles (12 points plus) behind City (my current pick for the title) and Liverpool assuming we even make 3rd.
Marc—there’s no doubt in my mind that Slot’s offseason strategy was largely a response to the manner in which PSG dominated play for large chucks of both legs of their CL tie…unfortunately our shit for brains manager couldn’t possibly be so self-reflective, as he actually felt that we had dominated our matchup versus the eventual champs…that’s one of the most glaring down-sides of unchecked arrogance, you can’t learn from your experiences…this is why I was so concerned when MA spoke out of both sides of his mouth at season’s end…at first he seemed to infer that we needed “better” talent, but he was likely just suggesting that we needed “more” bodies, which confirms my suspicions that this fuckwit laid all the blame on our injuries…what a fucking tool
with the signing of Gittens and Joao Pedro, I find it difficult to imagine a world where we don’t end up with at least one of their castaways…MA’s crack addict like tendencies, when it comes to signing defensive options, will invariably lead to us settling up top…if he does the unthinkable and fails to properly freshen up our starting 11, I will have to seriously consider moving on until this fraudulent pox has been sent packing…I never even contemplated such a notion during Wenger’s managerial malaise…here’s hoping that our.July business will resemble that of a club hellbent on winning major silverware and not that of a recently promoted side trying to survive next season’s culling
With you TRVL and Marc
Junior and I enjoyed watching Pedro with Brighton, same with Kerkez and others with Forest, Villa and S’hampton – MA will never buy, such as with pre PL Isak.
LIR generally talks up what other PL teams buy. However; it’s rare we collectively talk up a MA purchase and for good historical reasoning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyVHzx8y_14
Tony
My general rule is not to judge a signing we make until he’s had a period to settle in etc. No there are exceptions along the lines of Havertz who was a “why?” and then the “we don’t need another left back you dopey cunt” which are a regular occurrence with Arteta but the attacks are directed towards the manager not the player.
This summer is feeling like its going to be a super strength Arteta transfer window – lots of money spent but not addressing the the real needs of the team.
Agree with you, Marc, just the usual hope the opposite happens. VG doesn’t look the right guy for us at 27 and we are his first big club. If he was 23 then maybe at a stretch. Sesko is the better option but he doesn’t fancy us. I think VG will be on the non negotiable’s list whether by MA invention but also his own hot headedness.
If Havertz is first choice, VG will go bananas, he’s threatening to strike today.
I like TRVL’s choices much better.
BTW also agreed with your PSG comments after seeing them play in the knock outs onwards. Wonderful team to watch assembled on half of MA’s expenditure in terms of the main pieces.
Tony
The gossip today is we’re now looking at Hugo Ekitike – could be clock bait by the press or Arteta trying to make it look like he’s trying to find a striker.
It makes you want to weep.
Tony—just so there’s no misunderstanding, I rate Pedro ahead of both Havertz and Jesus, but slightly below Cunha, in the category of system-dependent false 9/faux Strikers…none of these options are good enough to be played out wide or up top on a regular basis, but with the right tactics each can exel, to varying degrees, tucked in behind a real Striker or as someone who can hunt for space coming late into the box
none of these players would satisfy our need for a bona fide talisman, albeit they all could make some sense in MA’s oft-times dire sideways shit tactics if we could rely on both of our wide side forwards to score 12-15 goals apiece…I only referenced Pedro beacuse now that Chelsea has acquired both him and Delap(plus Gittens) there’s a good chance Jackson and maybe another forward will be on the chopping block…let’s not forget that Welbeck had 10 goals in 30 appearances, whereas Pedro had 10 in 27…I think the latter’s availibility has more to do with their selling model and the fact that he had become a somewhat disruptive force inside the locker room at the end of last season…hope all is well with you and Junior bud
Marc—in theory I would agree with your “wait and see” perspective so long as the incoming player met the prevailing brief and wasn’t being brought in to be shoehorned into a position when there’s no evidence to justify such a move…the most obvious examples, as you noted, being Havertz, who never made sense, and of course, Rice, who’s now getting the very same PR-managed bump
I read an article today where the author said the more advanced Rice was a raving success, which simply isn’t the case, albeit from a recency bias standpoint I can sort of understand why this hasn’t received the appropriate backlash…let’s remember, if you take away his greatest game ever against Real, he had 4 goals and 7 assists in 35 League appearances and only 2 goals and 2 helpers in the CL…hardly the kind of numbers that would justify a 100+M investment as a starting AM…just for comparsions’ sake, Wirtz had 10 goals and 13 assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances and 6 goals in 9 CL showings…of course, no one would pay Wirtz 100+M to be a fucking DM…just saying
Tony—agree with your VG assessment, as for the Hugo rumours, I just don’t see them paying more money for a player they clearly rated lower than Sesko…all of this rumour mill bullshit reminds me of the Wenger years…let’s hope it doesn’t end in a similar fashion, with us getting no one of consequence then having to hear stories about what almost happened for the next two fucking decades
TRVL
Sorry I should have clarified my stance on incoming players is a 30 plus year view as a fan and once a player has been signed – too many make snap decisions or have unrealistic expectations. They are fans (all suffering from a strange form of amnesia now) who would have had Henry or Pires out the door after 15 minutes.
Arteta signings are another matter – I generally won’t judge the player the manager on the other hand ran out of goodwill a long long time ago.
Marc—agreed…important to not forget that people nowadays have far greater access when it comes to any potential incoming players than 30 years ago, so the element of surprise has far lessened…we had a fairly good idea that (1) Havertz wasn’t a logical Xhaka reoplacement, which was the brief at the time, (2) Rice isn’t a 100+M dollar attacking midfielder and (3) Jesus was never going to be a 20+ goalscoring Striker(just to name a few)…I guess I’m just stating the obvious, that context matters…Cheers
Classic Arsenal…after months of chatter and the hiring of a new DOF, our first official signing is another Chelsea reject who’s on more wages than our current starter, even though he will likely never even see the pitch…same old, same old…hooray!!
just to keep things 100, it appears as if Kepa took a paycut, so he will only earn half of his previous 150+/wk salary…at least that’s some sort of silver lining development…beggars can’t be choosers
So Xabi Alonso has told Rodrygo he can leave and has been benched for the last 3 games. He’s reportedly picked fights with Jude B, Mbappe and Vinny Jr.
Yet MA wants to buy Rodrygo regardless.
That means 2 players have attitude issues with VG who we should not be even looking at him for reasons I added in a previous post and now Rodrygo who looks like a nightmare when things doesn’t go his way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsSpAOD6K8
I thought this Talking Heads song was very appropriate.
“Same as it ever was!”
be looking at*
Tony—lots of what I would deem as difficult to properly assess info on the docket today…as you know, VG wouldn’t be my first choice Striker option, but there’s a few positives that could arise from that particular signing…firstly, it could mean that Berta has finally broken MA’s recruitment monopoly, as most were under the impression that VG was his preferred option…if this is the case, it could lead to a much more balanced approach when it comes to our roster construction…secondly, VG’s age profile and lack of positional versatility should mean that we aren’t going to settle for non-Striker options up top moving forward…this might not have been the case with some of the others on our supposed recruitment wishlist…once again, I would have gone a different way, as I feel VG is just a better version of Havertz, so our tactics won’t change much, unless we bring in a pacy winger and another attacking midfielder option on the left
in regards to Rodrygo, I read about the supposed issues involving him at the CWC, but I kind of think Real’s PR team might be pulling a Wenger, like when he planted seeds in the press so as to turn the fanbase against Sanchez…I could be wrong, but he doesn’t really come across as a high-strung individual, so the notion of him “fighting” with his fellow teammates feels like a bit of a stretch…for me personally, I felt that it was only a matter of time before he got shipped once Mbappe was signed, as that almost guaranteed that he would be shoehorned in on the right the bulk of the time
from a positional sense he’s a better fit than Eze out wide, as he’s pacier, has better on the ball capabilities, which should allow him to excel more when taking on defenders, and he’s got what I will call sneaky good numbers when deployed out there (34 in 146 appearances on the right versus 23 in 78 on the left)…this doesn’t mean he would be my first choice, as I would prefer a more obvious left-side vertical beast such as Nico or Leao, but he’s certainly in my top 4 or 5…in a perfect world, I would get both Rodrygo and Eze, as that would give us a much more balanced attack, especially with Eze in the 8…highly unlikely that’s going to happen, especially if VG is coming in, but I’m holding out hope as long as humanly possible…Cheers