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Well, it was bound to happen for a talented player like Mykhailo Mudryk. Arsenal have submitted a bid of €40m upfront + €20m in add-ons to Shakhtar, who wants way more than that. Via Fabrizio Romano, Shakhtar CEO have confirmed the talks are on and they have received offers but not as much as they were expecting.
They are just playing a game to fetch as much Euros as possible from Arsenal. They will cave-in eventually but it remains to be seen how much we over-pay for him.
Frankly, the offer on the table is about right we should spend for him. We are talking about a player who is only 21-years old and have a lot to prove. We already have enough bodies on the wings and it’s not like Mudryk have been performing on the level of Haaland. We are talking about a prospect, not a player who will bed-in from the first match he plays in premier league.
One thing, I must say, is I have been wrong about Odegaard earlier. I was against the signing of him considering we had ESR at that position and he is proving me wrong in every game he plays. Those 35 odd millions were rightly spent and this gives me a confidence in Edu and team. If they sign him, I believe there is sufficient due diligence on our part. So, yeah, aside from the fact that we are in need of CF and midfielder, there is no harm to get a young prospect to deputise Saka and/or Martinelli when we are playing 2 games a week. If we qualify for a Champions League, we will not only need bodies but quality too.
One big thing – Mudryk wants Arsenal. He watched our game against West Ham and made sure to notify his Instagram followers. We don’t want a disinterested person in our dressing room. Additions like Zinchenko and Jesus have upped the morale and along with the hale-enders, we have a very tightly coupled professionals who can put their body and mind over the line to win a game. We have had bad memories for Ozil, Sanchez and Auba – we need more of the Cazorla.
It makes a lot of difference to have a passionate player.
Right, short one today. I will be back on the last day of this year before our Brighton game. Till then, sip a coffee watching that table where Arsenal sits at THE TOP!
Hi Ambarish
Good piece. I’m not sure Mudryk wants Arsenal – what I suspect he wants is money first and foremost, followed by the chance to live somewhere other than Ukraine (perfectly understandable given the unfolding nightmare there).
What I simply cannot fathom is why a winger, albeit a potentially good one like him, is top of the club’s shopping list. CM and CF seem higher priorities right now for the short AND medium term.
It’s not my money of course but spunking anything over 25 million on a 21 year old who wasn’t even able to showcase his talent at the WC is madness. I wonder if this signing could be the harbinger of Saka’s departure. I hope not but with these shysters running our club you never know.
Kroenke
Saka leaves and it completely destroys Arteta’s reputation – the coach everyone wants to play for, the coach who achieves what no one else can etc my arse.
According to Transfermarket Mudryk’s position is more left wing – Martinelli? We all know Klopp has a hard on for him but it would still do Arteta a huge amount of damage. Liverpool are not the team of a couple of years ago and need to replace their midfield and look at what’s after Salah.
Personally I’m more worried (right now anyway) about ESR – another winger and where does that leave him? I can see him ending up at Newcastle.
Since it is now about Mudryk hotcake , excerpt is from Tim on 7am kick-off, thank you Sir
“
He doesn’t play defense. In 698 minutes he has 8 tackles and 10 tackles against dribblers (he won 4). He has 1 interception and three blocked passes.
I wish we had the carry data but since fbref went to Opta that stuff is no longer available. But his dribbling this season is atrocious. He would have the lowest dribble % of any Arsenal player. He would have the highest dispossessed rate of any Arsenal player as well.
His pass completion rate is also fucked. He completed just 72% of his passes, which would put him justr one % point below Martinelli. But Martinelli’s pass% is lowered because he tries long passes and only completes 50% of them, Mudryk’s medium passing is 65% (Martinelli 77%). Of course, pass% is highly dependent on teammates and on the role a player is playing in a team. A player who is being asked to play most of the attacking outlet for a team (which is true of Mudryk) can often have lower pass% because they are trying more ambitious passes. This matches what I saw when I saw him play (he only completed 53% of his passes that day!)
He does have one pass stat which is incredibly good: he has 5 through balls in 6 CL matches this season. To put that in context, Martin Odegaard has 7 through balls this season in 13 PL matches.
Bringing it all home:
Mudryk plays almost exclusively in the same position as Martinelli and has some very similar stats. So, why are Arsenal interested in him for a whopping £70m+? And why would we pay that much when surely there are other Martinellis out there who Arsenal could get for a lot less? “
Mudrik is such a big gamble doomed to fail targeting 2 players who are meh ,yes Sir, not signing a new contract , namely Martineli and Sakha. Looks “ I’ll show you’ll sons of b , who is the alpha male here. Kroenke and the Board are inconsequential
Hoopah
I don’t know anyone who understands the bid for Mudryk. Beyond Arteta wanting to out players he hasn’t brought in both this signing and the signing of Vieira in the summer look like their trying to edge out Martinelli and ESR.
Liverpool just gone in front but they really look a shadow of the team from a few seasons ago.
The Pool v Leicester game the most infuriating match I have seen in a long time, Leicester are just so terrible if they get relegated I will not shed a tear because they are just downright fucking terrible and infuriating. Tests don’t you dare to get close to any of their shitty players, let them rot in the Championship.
First and foremost, although there’s no doubting that Mudryk has displayed some “high ceiling” charateristics, epsecially when it comes to the final third, I still strongly believe that the only reason we would make such a sizeable investment is if there was a serious possibility that one of either Marts or Saka were on the move come the summer…regardless, there’s no line of logic which would justify our continued interest if the monies being bandied about reach Nkunku-type levels…for me this kind of acquisition needed to happen last summer, maybe instead of Vieira, when he could have been pried away for a more reasonable fee…now we could end up paying over the number for two rather untested prospects, who might barely see the pitch, especially considering our manager’s general disdain for squad rotation
with this in mind, and on a much more positive note, MA’s static squad depolyment could actually aid in our European pursuits, should our everyday starters avoid any lengthy injuries(knock on wood)., as several more “problematic” squads are struggling mightily this season, (Ham, Villa, Leeds, Palace, LC etc…)at least thus far, which could make our road to a top 2 or 3 finish far less arduous…if we could simply find a way to not trip over our collective dicks against those sitting below the European mendoza line, which should be plausible with our regular 11, then we split our home-and-aways against teams the likes of Pool, City, United, Chelski, Spurs and Castle, a final two finish could legitimately be in the offing
that said, this can only be achieved if we properly address Jesus’s absence, especially if he will be sidelined for a considerable period…unfortunately, this is easier said than done, unless MA is willing to be far more tactically flexible than he’s been in the past
Move on from Micky Mudflaps and let the DofF rot in Ukrainian hell. This has Pepe v2 written all over it get Partey backup Striker to give Eddie back his proper backup role. This is not rocket science just Tets trying to be relevant in the Jan TW.
Good evening all – it is here, although the game is 00:30, so just about watchable.
Marc
Agree that KSE have made funds available, but I wonder if they will get Arteta over the line with 2 decent signings for MF and CF or 2 MFs a 6/8 or a 8/10. ESR is supposed to be fit and he can fit 8/10 and the closer to Saka the better.
Could Patino and Bolagun be called back? The permutations are too vast to call it when you consider it’s Arteta making the demands.
Will Brighton be a banana skin tonight? For sure we have the comfortable beating of Brighton even down on the cold wind swept south coast, but they are well organized from Potter’s days and the new manager is also decent.
A tough game where a 1:3 win for us will be hard fought, but we have the rub of the green these days, so maybe some good fortune mixed in with that result, as there has been in previous games.
I’ll make predictions after the TW closes and we know who we have for the run in.
Hi Tony
Happy new year mate, and the same to Ambarish and all of you on here who make this such a pleasant and amicable Arsenal forum, unlike the theatre of the absurd presided over by paranoid plastic-gooner Pedro and his alter egos.
I’m reading lots of stuff from supporters who are crapping themselves because we’re playing Brighton. Brighton FFS! They’re not a bogey team of ours… Liverpool and City are, as were Manure 20 years ago. They’re the teams against which we should measure ourselves. The reason our recent record against the squawking seagulls isn’t great is because our teams have been ill-prepared by Tets.
I hope the family is well Tony. I’d love to hear about how the installation of your sound system went. Big Audio Dynamite! I dodged a footballing bullet yesterday – the kids were giving me the big ‘un about driving them up to Blackburn tomorrow to see the Bluebirds in a midday kickoff (leaving home at 5am). We were just about to reserve the tickets when Ms K’phobe checked and saw that the game is being televised. A massive relief given that they’ve drawn their last 4 games, two of which were scoreless.
Finally Ambarish, I think I speak for everyone, except possibly Pedro’s false friend Rambinho, by thanking you warmly for all your hard work running this site. LiR is a warm and happy place and long may it thrive!
Let’s end the year tonight with all Cannons blazing and a pile of white feathers and runny bird shit all over the hellhole that is the Amex…
Kroenke
Mate we’ve played Brighton away 5 times in the PL our record is 3 losses, 1 draw and 1 win with the win coming behind closed doors.
Today will not be easy.
Just to second Kroenke – best wishes to everyone on here and hopefully we’ll all have a prosperous and productive 2023.
Ambarish – thanks for all the effort etc in running the site your efforts are much appreciated.