It all started with Cristiano signing for Al Nassr last year. Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid striker and one of the best on the planet currently, decided to move to Al-Ittihad. He is joined by N’Golo Kante who had injuries last season but is still a very decent player on the field.
Ruben Neves from Wolves had interest from different Premier League teams. Not long ago, every other Arsenal fan wanted Mikel to bring him to Emirates, he is such a decent midfielder that he will start in any of the PL team’s midfield bar City. He has moved to Al-Hilal, at the age of 26 for a 3 year contract, and Wolves are getting £47m for him. Chelsea has shifted Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy is expected to leave too. There are rumours of Koulibaly, Mahrez, Aubameyang, Neymar and a bunch of others.
Is it any difference to Chinese Super League or MLS? In short, yes.
China turned out to be a retirement home, so did MLS (and even now, they are). Players who had spent their best days, were moving to MLS and CSL, to earn a big fat check. Kind of a ‘grab whatever you can coz it’s going to be over soon’ round. But what Saudi League has managed differently is that, they have attracted some of the best and in-their-prime players. Though, Ronaldo had a bad season by his standards at Old Trafford, he could have literally walked into any of the teams he wanted. Benzema is still a hot entity in world football. Heck, I would have loved Neves at Arsenal for that amount of money.
Mendy is a Champions League winner. Riyad Mahrez, Bernando Silva, Gundogan, who all just won a trebble at City, are all being linked to different Saudi teams. We even have rumours for one of our own, Thomas Partey. Much like others, Partey is still in his prime and had a brilliant season with us. He still has couple of good years left in him.
What Saudi League has done, is, attract the attractive ones (money helps) and build from there. Any other league like Indian Soccer League are low on budget, they can’t pay millions and though the playing condition is a bit of hostile, it’s not as much as Saudi Arabia here. It’s the bottom up approach for Indian Football. It’s the top down for Saudis. Hear me out, Ngolo Kante is rumoured to have a net worth of 23m euros after playing in one of the richest league, in one of the richest clubs in Chelsea and winning almost everything. He will earn whooping 100m euros in his 4 year contract at the Saudi club. 4 times his net worth!
Is it going to last?
I don’t know. Unlike China and US, they have money and they can keep doing it forever. The lot that’s reaching Saudi this year (and the next year) will decide how famous they get, and how much impact it will have on European Football. English football in particular is rooted enough, and might not have impact in terms of revenue and popularity locally, but there’s a bigger market share outside and Saudi league will compete with it. Some of the neutral fans are invested in players (Ronaldo, Messi e.g.) rather than the club they play for.
What can the English club do?
Nothing, they have opened the pandora box. From an owner, who spent half a billion in one season, and now wants to shift some players and recoup some of that money, has a buyer outside Europe. Players, who were sitting on bench, being paid a whooping 100k/week wages will earn 10x of that. It’s a win-win for the club and the players as of now. It won’t be long before the players whom the club wants to keep, will ask for a transfer for that 10x money. It won’t be long before it further inflates the market because you have to pay substantially more to keep your prized possession from moving to Saudi (and MLS has opened the gate too with Messi and Image/TV rights).
In my honest opinion, it’s worse that the European Super League. Either it will ruin the financials all over, or it will force clubs to go back to grassroot level of developing footballer and instilling in them the club identity over money.
Only positive? For every Neves, there’s a Lukaku.
You are welcome to disagree with what I feel, because I haven’t seen anything like this. I don’t know how it will turn out. I would be more interested in your opinion about why/why not it’s a good thing for football in general and English Premier League in particular.
Marc-I would just say that he’s a RCB who can play at RB, so it’s more likely he’s a two position cover piece who likewise fits the age profile…now there’s no doubt that there was some considerable rumblings regarding Gabs this time last year but not near the same noise leading up to this window…Kiwor fits the script more as a Gabs backup/replacement, as we know how much MA loves guys playing on the side of the field that best suits their dominant foot…that said, we did see Kiwor come in and replace a struggling Holding at RCB, so anything is possible…frankly I would hope if we were intending to move Gabs we would be targeting a defender who was a highly talented and experienced LCB, but commonsensical decisions aren’t always a given with this duo in charge
TRVL
I just can’t see how we spend the amount of money (plus the wages no one’s going to sign for a £40 million fee and take £60k per week) for him to be on the bench regularly and I don’t think you can rotate a back 4 as much as other positions.
On the other hand Arteta thinks he’s the second coming so anything’s possible.
Marc-I do agree with you from a numbers perspective, but when you want to go head-to-head with the big boys you’ve simply got to make significant investments in your rotational players, especially in key positions…maybe this is actually a sign that we’ve turned the proverbial corner…as you know I’ve been incredibly cynical about our prospects with MA at the helm, but I’ve likewise said all along that the key to overcoming this situation is to acquire the kind of players who can take things to another level, in spite of Arteta’s obvious shortcoming…the big question now is are the incoming players those “kind” of elite level game-changers…they certainly have the potential, considering who’s already on our current squad, but it really won’t be known until we find a way to score more against the likes of City and not cock-up games in the business end of the season
as a final note, after all the talk surrounding what exactly led to our late season shit show, there seemed to be some concensus that Saliba’s injury and our lack of a viable alternative was the definitive factor, thus the heavier than expected investment in Timber…now this might not be the right course of action, but it’s got to be better than what we’ve done in the past, which usually involved either acquiring a shitty player or sitting on our hands and hoping for the best
Welcome to the club Declan…here’s hoping that you’ve come to the Emirates with the sole purpose of becoming an incredibly dominant engine room player for a team looking to compete for and win some serious hardware in the coming years…there’s no doubt that you’ve shown the kind of leadership that we’ve been lacking here for some time now, unless you were a fan of the red card/middle finger armband approach of our hopefully soon to be departed Swiss miss, so don’t hesitate to grab our resident emotional glue babies, Gabs and Zinchenko, by the scruff whenever necessary…finally, try not to worry too much about the whole highest homegrown transfer fee albatross, which will undoubtedly be placed around your neck, as it’s a fool’s game to expend too much energy on those things you can’t control…onwards and upwards
Sink or Swim Window
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I echo putting out the welcoming mat for Kai and Declan and even more so that Mikel has got his men where any excuses for next season issues won’t be accepted in this quarter.
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I agree Timber shores up our RB/RCB with White nicely. White tends to run out of gas after 60minutes at RB, so I can see some rotation for RB but only when Saliba needs a rest to play CB.
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It’s not the numbers so much but the lack of negotiating nous that played into Sullivan and Brady’s hands as the controlled the leverage and we have Declan to blame for that. He could have stepped in earlier to seal the deal, but his loyalty was to West Ham: I hope the lad shows us the same courtesy when and if he moves on. I believe he will.
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Can Declan become Mr. Arsenal? If the price is anything to go by, then yes he will, as our most expensive player. I also don’t think the pressure of his price will bother him; how Arteta tries to use him might, though. Junior and I watched him quite a bit last season and he can pivot into 8/10 when he makes his runs from our half, but he’s ungainly in his stride and not fleet of foot, as one needs to be in that position – more Xhaka like than say ESR or Trossard who both defend well when needed.
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We no longer need Holding with Rice also being a CB.
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It’s easier to see how Rice is going to be employed at 6 but how does Kai fit into Mikel’s intricate jigsaw puzzle of plays?
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I don’t see KH as an 8, but a 10 back up, yes. False 9 and 9 yes he can play, and he has enough pace to go wide left when interchanging with our attack. Kia has the requisite technical skills to be successful in the opposition’s final third, but expect Pepe’s levels of defending, as Kia doesn’t like the physicality of defending and another Ozil like cupcake.
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Mikel said he has five roles for Kai, so he’s going to be busy and probably confused. Kai also needs to toughen up and add a bit of bulk to his overall muscular frame although he looks like an ectomorph to me, so very difficult for him to add muscle.
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Mikel loves to play his shiny new toys, so I would hate Kai to be in front of ESR, and I hope Emile has a great pre-season. ESR is better than Havertz just younger and needs regular minutes to shine.
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If we get Timber then we need to address the LB cover for KT and buy Lavia as MF back up or buy similar. Vieira needs to go out on a PL/Championship loan and be judged on that next summer.
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All in all the window is being kind to us and CL football is a magnet to quality footballers. Will we be stronger at the end of the window? That depends on the outgoings and who else after Timber A&E bring in.
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I hope lessons were learnt by Mr. Lewes/Edu and Mr. Garlick. Never negotiate without leverage and a sound strategy, and next season is already looking like it’s shaping up for Mikel & Edu.
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I’d say this coming season is all or nothing for Edu & Mikel – sink or swim?
Alright Tony,
Rice is certainly a statement of intent. I’m sure Arsenal as a club, will be now being viewed around Europe as serious contenders.
We’ll need to see how well the new signings blend in but I’m already getting excited for the new season.
Bob
We have to accept what we have and be pragmatic about it. Would I have preferred Caicedo and Jude Bellingham or a few 8s around Jude’s level or the next Jude, absolutely, but I feel Rice will bust a gut to lay a claim to Arsenal folklore, whereas Caicedo’s loyalty is to money and prestige first. We’ll lose money on Rice at that fee, but would have made a profit on Caicedo after 2 to 3 years.
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I’m positive because Havertz is a 50/50 gamble that could go either way, but if it went wrong it would be Havertz not fitting the system or having enough self belief that’s been hacked away at at the Chavs. If Kai really gets his belief and self awareness within the squad, he could dare I say it a modern Alan Smith; from the way he acted when Potter left, I’d say he had a lot of class many Chav players didn’t.
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Not sure I share the same excitement as you, Bob, but my curiosity has seriously spiked as to the next phase 2.11.0 or whatever process part comes next. Guinness book of records should keep an eye on Arteta and his phases of the process; will it surpass the next level is the next level?
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So many curiosities begins on August 12 v Forrest or even with the charity shield. Forget the silly shield just beating City would be a great omen for the rest of the season for inner belief.
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We’re feeding off the top table again, so it’ll take time to adapt being with the adults again, Sullivan not included because his table manners are not good enough, nor his club’s credit rating to buy elite priced players. He’s more comfortable around the £40m table.
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I think it all depends what you consider ‘serious contenders’ is really. One swallow does not constitute a summer, although in another circumstance it could be thought of as a eureka moment – to show that I can see other sides too, Bob. I think when we’ve bought a couple more £100m+ then The RM’s, BM’s and Barca’s will see us more as a player than the pawn we’ve been for decades.
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Certainly in the right ascendance and I’m sure heads will be turning, as we’ve given Pep a bloodied nose in the process. We will have learnt from a business side, too. All in all, a good week building momentum where my hope is we keep the TW machine rolling getting all our players in for pre-season, which would be a first, for a very long time.
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Would be silly to slow down and go back to our old methods, now. Time for A&E to stand up and be counted for the whole transfer Window.
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Then the real work begins for Mikel.
Hopefully this could be the first crack in the City dominance. Let’s not forget Guardiola has stated he’ll leave in two years. This introduces an uncertainty that has not been there for years.
WtF
https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/28/arsenal-news-eni-aluko-claims-shes-been-proved-right-over-declan-rice-19033956/?ico=mosaic_sport
Forcing the owner to up the game and go for it,, she says.
I say this shit just costs us 5 million plus more considering 100 million was WH asking price at which they would sell promptly if accepted,
What are the consequences ?
MB – a good article on the Saudi’s – not many writers have ventured into this space – yet.
The Saudi’s have a plan for high profile global sport and the Saudi league will not be their offering for football – it is only the start.
Bob
And another top manager will be brought in – the only different is you’ll have a Newcastle with Saudi Oil money involved as well.
I wouldn’t get to giddy over what you thinks going to happen – City will be odds on favourite to retain their title next season and will strengthen this summer.
Marc, I’m happy to be ‘giddy’ as you put it. Stick with your realism’ if you wish. If you can’t be excited about the way our squad is shaping up then fair enough. I hope my positivity rubs off a little!
Of course Guardiola will be replaced with quality but it’s the uncertainty of a change that does have an effect. For example, it’s more difficult to sell the club to a player a five year contract when you’re off in two.
Looks like ESR won’t get much time at 8 as Mikel see’s Havertz starting position will be 8.
Poor kid never gets any breaks with us.
Bob
I think Rice is a good signing, Havertz doesn’t do it for me but I won’t judge till I’ve seen him have 6 months to a season in the team.
Other signings I’ll comment on when made.
My take on next season is its going to be a highly competitive one with Liverpool, Newcastle and ManU all being stronger, City will be City and I think Chelsea will improve but it might take some time.
Arteta faced with a competitive PL plus having to juggle CL football, crying himself to sleep every night now his favourites gone doesn’t get me excited.
Tony
We’re gonna lose him.
on another potentially positive note, it appears as if Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri has committed his future to the club…in order for us to succeed over the long haul we simply must keep developing high-end prospects, as you can’t continue to buy starters ad nauseam…just think where we might be without the likes of Saka and Marts, regardless of our more recent financial backing
TRVL
Its more than just keeping the player its the signal it sends to young prospects we’re trying to sign up to the academy.
Just looking around the Internet before going to bed and I noticed Zaha is out of contract tomorrow having been offered £200K a week by Palace. I know Zaha can be a law unto himself, but he’d be a great 8 for us for a season or 2, and he wouldn’t stifle ESR’s momentum.
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It would have saved us £65m and fired up ESR more if he needs any more fire in him. If a Havertz, Rice and Ode midfield if Mikels first choice I think Zaha, Rice and Ode offers much better attacking options. Neither Zaha or Havertz are the best defenders so form a defensive pov I don’t think it matters.
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I know this won’t be a popular decision but for business and footballing matters Zaha is the better option as a free agent. I wonder if Emery will go after Zaha?
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Anyway it’s a moot point now, and Arteta would never get on with the live wire Zaha. Speaks volumes that Zaha has been pretty much trouble free at Palace other than throwing his toys out of his pram when Emery wanted him and he’d recently screwed himself with a 5-year deal.
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A devastatingly scary sight for a defender to have Zaha coming at you at speed. Didn’t work out at Manure, but I would looked at him before Havertz.
Tony, Zaha is a winger not a midfielder.
Bob
I know but Ashley Cole was also a winger first. Left field thinking but I think Zaha could settle into #8 for any fluid possession team.
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I want to see what a fit and hungry grown up ESR can do as there is a player in there who is deceptively quick and excellent taking the ball on the half turn as an 8 needs to be.