We have always been famous for not doing it early in the transfer window. However, the window is slow for others as well this time. Chelsea have got couple of incomings for free from Fulham and Liverpool, Man United and Man City are yet to make a move. Newcastle bought Lewis Hall from Chelsea in a 28m deal but that’s going to complicate things for them even further, they need to sell some players to not break FFP rules.
We did have a clear-out though. We have let go of Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares from the first team. Contracts for them ended at the end of the season and we have no reasons to renew it now. We have also released some of the youngsters in Kido Taylor-Hart, Tyreece John-Jules, Arthur Okonkwo, Henry Davies. These are some names we have heard, seen on bench and thought they will have a bright future a year back. Teams like City, Man Utd, Newcastle, Madrid, Bayern, Chelsea have made it tough for anyone else to grow a pair and give time to young guns. When the margins are negligible between the winner and the 2nd place, you can’t afford to drop points because you played few 18 year old kids against Forrest.
We need ready made players who can make an impact from the first game in red and white. We have tightly coupled team, no one important is going anywhere and we have challenged for the title for consecutive season. We need a player or two who can push us that extra bit.
Right, so what’s my expectation?
Assuming we don’t have enough free money to spend, we would have to generate some first.
Goalkeepers
We have Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya and Karl Hein on the books. There is already some money owed to Brentford for Raya, and if you remember, we did a loan + buy because we needed to comply with FFP.
I think Aaron will make a move. The rumours of us putting a 50m price tag on him is absurd. He will fetch a handsome 35 odd million pounds, and we will go again in the market and get his replacement. We are not going to splurge a lot of money, since Raya will be the main man next season.
Me, personally would ask Ramsdale to continue. We will play a lot of games and it’s not like he is that bad with his feet that he can’t play at all. He was our main man a season back.
Mikel, when asked last season about having 2 GK, said ‘WHY NOT’! Well, we will find out if he meant that.
Defenders
We have Saliba + Gabriel CB partership, Ben White at RB and Timber is going to be the preferred player at LB. Tomiyasu is a great utility player who can play both sides, and is primarily a CB. Kiwior played some brilliant games at that LB position so that’s that. I think we are covered on both sides but we might need a CB to assist both Gabriel and Saliba. Saliba played all minutes last season, but it’s not going to be that every season. Gabriel gets fatigued as well.
Even if Mikel decides to try out Ben White or Tomiyasu at that CB, we need a back up. How are going to do that? By selling Zinchenko (sorry mate).
Midfielders
Our preferred ine up is Odegaard on the right, Partey in the middle and Rice on the left. havertz can cover that left side andRice can play in the middle but we do not have a competition for Odegaard. We saw our captain drop some bad games, and any injury to him can jeopardise our chances.
I still believe Emile Smith Rowe should have been developed as a competition to Odegaard but that ship has sailed in Mikel’s book. Fabio Vieira showed some glimpse but he still can’t do it for 90 minutes. We need a starting XI player who can take up what Odegaard does without a drop in quality.
Oh, and I forgot Jorginho whom we renewed. He is here to stay, and is going to be a part of that midfield. I fail to see both him and Partey continuing this year, so this is probably an end to the Ghanaian’s days in red and white. We get some money hopefully, we encash ESR and we bring in a midfielder is what I hope. I can be happy if we keep Vieira for one more season, see what he does except getting injured.
Forwards
Saka on the right, Martinelli on the left and Jesus/Havertz in the middle. I know the club is trying to bring a specialist CF and I hope we do it as early as possible. Getting a CF gives us that edge in the middle and allows Havertz to rotate and cover in the midfield if the need be. For Gabriel Jesus can compete on the wings where he plays best.
We have Trossard as well. A very important utility player, who loves to score. He can cover the bad days of Martinelli.
Reiss Nelson and Nketiah needs to be sold. The money we get will help us get that CF.
On loan
Right, we do have some players that we sent on loan. Tierney is back with the squad, and I am guessing he will be sold as well. Tavares was bright prospect when he came in initially, but he is not going to make it in that playing XI. Lokonga will be sold as well. That’s about 50m of money that can be spent on filling the spaces that gets vacant when do a clear out.
We can generate some money. We don’t need a complete overhaul in our playing XI. A decent CF can fix the playing XI and it will be a matter of getting back ups and/or competition in different places, which can be achieved without shelling 100m.
Lets see what Edu and Mikel has in mind.
Wrapping up
Sorry for ghosting you guys. The work’s always hectic and I need to take care of my health seriously.
As a tradition, I have revamped the website before the new season begin. I might change it further in coming days, but if you see/face any issues, give me a shoutout.
Note : I went through the 470+ comments on my previous post and some older ones. I expect that we respect each other’s opinions and we don’t make it personal. Readers come here to feel good in a rather distressing time, and lets not make it worse for each other.
Lets keep it to football. It’s the views / opinions / ideas that should be criticized, not the person. I will keep a tab of such, and please refrain from doing so.
So I’m scanning through the Arsenal newsnow site for any interesting tidbits and lo and behold there appears an article that piqued my interest, “The 10 most valuable German Footballers riight now have been revealed, Arsenal man 3rd”…of course I quickly discovered that this was being specifically packaged to appease the large contingency of Artetites who, like our manager, have gone way out of their way to oversell our new number 9
ironically enough, instead of propping-up Havertz in the manner in which they intended, it kind of has the opposite effect, if one actually takes the time to read what’s on offer…it not only openly admits that this isn’t a great time for German football, as there’s a dearth of high-end talent, minus Wirtz and Musiala, so coming in a distant 4th (even though they fudged Sane’s MV so Kai would up a spot into the 3-hole) was nothing to write home about, it likewise reveals that Havertz’s MV has actually dropped since this time last year
for most of us on team eye test, who don’t need a whole host of carefully massaged underlying numbers to know if a player is good or not, this comes as no surprise, as we knew full-well that his MV at the time of our purchase made little to no sense…whereas for those within the revamped AKB camp, this must have been a rather shocking revelation…so I guess the only logical question one might pose to those within that latter group, how is it fucking possible that Kai’s MV didn’t skyrocket on the heels of such a supposedly magical season, especially if one takes into account his age profile and the fact that he basically doubled his highest goalscoring output in the PL??? hmm?
all that said, I would like nothing more than to witness the reemergence of the former Havertz, who I actually wished we had bought from Lever some years back…so if he does rediscover his younger self at the Euros, I’ll gladly curtail my critiques for the time being and wish him nothing but the best of luck for the upcoming season…keeping in mind, this doesn’t apply if he simply scores a handful of the same sort of garbage goals we saw this past season
Ambarish
Feel free to look at my Aitcho comments where each time I say “o,k let’s agree to disagree”. Aitcho would continue and I would back off.
Do reread them Ambarish as that is the reality here.
After Aitcho and tippler Bob snipes I give back in spades. They are the same person.
Of course there are two sides to a point or more, as you have pointed out, and as I have reiterated above, I walk away every time. The Bob email was personal from LG and here. I suggested you pull the post , as I suggested.
Try being objective here, Ambarish. Problem is you don’t have time to moderate, and when you do, the feeling at the time of the posts are lost in the cold light of day.
My view is posters are welcome here; the more the merrier: simply put trolls are not unless you want to be Pedro 2.0.
But, and it’s a big but, LIR is your blog and your rules. If that is your way, I’ll pass thanks. I’m all for intelligent jousting and banter when it’s not personal and good discussion. Sadly, that doesn’t;t happen here. We just get trolls from LG.
Football is about winning. El B is a loser: 88522 with 3 capitulations in the last 3 seasons in April prove that 100%. We should have won 2 seasons where a better manager would have.
If that is acceptable to you, then words fail me.
This TW is the same shit, different day.
The reason I like it here is because Marc, TRVL, KP and Kilroy are winners in life. They want the same as I do, and do not suffer fools gladly.
It’s the only reason I post here. So, thanks for the fun guys; it’s been an honor to post with those of you who I’ve mentioned above.
If you don’t like any future posts, that’s up to you. Do as you feel is right for the blog, but take the blinkers off mate.
Football is about winning. I feel your above comments here lose sight of that.
When we don’t win again next season, will that be ok for you? Happy with the we’re competing excuse from a mistake ridden, clueless tactical manager?
The lads here won’t be, bar you, and Bob if he returns with Aitcho voice as well.
Tony
This is an online forum where no one knows no body. Don’t take it this serious where you have to go back to calculate if two posters are same or different.
“”The lads here won’t be, bar you, and Bob if he returns with Aitcho voice as well.””
As long as they stick to football like everyone else here, I frankly don’t care if all the accounts here are run by same person. They will be free to agree or disagree with what I write.
—
I suggest you to not go personal, there’s a good discussion going on here and I like the way it is… Someone called Havertz a waste, and I disagree with that. It doesn’t make either of us dumb or go all out against each other.
In an interview leading up to the Euros, ex-Liverpool and German international, Didi Hamann said the following:
“Havertz, he is not a centre forward. He had a decent end to the season, but for me he still flatters to deceive most of the time. I think he’s capable of so much more. Is he the presence up there that will score the goals for Germany and get us deep into the tournament? I’m not sure that he is.
“Versatility is good, but he’s at that stage of his career where he needs to define his role. If you asked a hundred people what his best position is, you would probably get a lot of different answers. He’s not a centre forward, but he’s not prolific enough to score goals or create chances as an offensive midfielder.”
seems like a very commonsensical take and tough to argue with, don’t you think Ambarish?
Ambarish
Firstly I like the new look.
Secondly – “Someone called Havertz a waste, and I disagree with that.”
Havertz is a talented player but as Hamann says in TRVL’s comment precisely what position is he? The issue is he won’t score enough goals to see us win the PL, put him into midfield with Ode and Rice and midfield is too lightweight so you need Partey (or similar) alongside Rice. That means dropping Ode – is Havertz more creative?
Quite honestly Havertz will go down as an expensive mistake because in a season or two we’ll be forced to buy players in those other positions who perform better than he does – we’ve then got a £60 million player on a reported £300k per week contract who we won’t be able to sell for anything like what he cost us.
Would very much like to see Germany spank Scotland silly tonight – would be most amusing.
Marc-you definitely got your wish…Scotland looked as if they made it into the Euros by winning some sort of non-football contest
Just imagine what the Havertz choirboys would have been spewing if he not Fullkrug had scored that screamer…Havertz is so anemic in front of goal that he probably can’t even dream of hitting such a decisive strike…looks like Nagelsmann is in a similar situation to MA, due to the negative flack they’ve both received surrounding their Havertz decisions, which is likely why the former had him take a crucial set piece, just outside the 18, and the penalty…I very much doubt he would have done likewise if they weren’t already two up and facing one of the shitiest sides in the tourney…at some point his managers will have to stop gifting him shit so that we can actually see if he can stand on his own two spindly legs
way too much chatter about us acquiring CBs and Keepers today…that said, does that really surprise anyone?!?
Marc
I thought so initially and in the first half of the season. He is not an outright CF, but we have seen Alexis Sanchez used to do when he was allowed to roam free. Now, Havertz needs a year and more to even be compared with him, but Mikel gives him freedom, that’s why he is confident in those runs. He is a cheeky little bast*Rd who irritates the other teams, got some dark arts in him and frankly, the output was way better than I guessed about him.
This season will decide if he was a mistake. I think he will do well.
TRVL
We go back to the same thing we talked in last transfer window and before that.
Mikel can go get a KP, a CB and a goat if he wishes so, but the priority is a CF. Gabriel is not the answer and Havertz, not yet.
Ambarish-please don’t compare Sanchez with Havertz, especially not to the version of Sanchez who could create his own chances on a consistent basis and likewise finish in rather spectacular fashion on occasion…now if your referring to the Sanchez that emerged following our strategic planting of unflattering stories about him in the press, then I might agree with your assessment
try this analogy on for size…when I was a kid we used to fuck with people by throwing a ball(or snowball) high in the air and when the other person was distracted and looking skyward you would whip a second ball directly at their midsection or head…Havertz is the functional equivalent of that first ball, in that if you’re naive/dumb enough to be overly concerned by this rather innocuous attempt to distract, the much more threatening fastball, or real threats, like Saka, will burn you…unfortunately this “parlour trick” rarely fools those with even a modicum of foresight, like top sides with managers of note, who simply shift their focus towards the more threatening “fastball” players, as they know full-well that the lame “first ball” player are the least of their concerns
as to our window plans, I’m not willing to be nearly so cavalier when it comes to our oft-times misguided recruitment practices…whenever MA wastes time and resources on what should be considered low priority recruits, it could quite easily have a negative impact on his ability to properly redress our far more pressing needs, like it has in the past…typically speaking there are only so many moves that are going to be made by one team per window, which includes incoming and outgoing, so the actual order of our moves should make sense from a priority standpoint…Raya notwithstanding, as his deal was baked into his loan agreement, which had a mandated timeline…Cheers
Sanchez at his best had prime Ozil providing the killer pass to him or Giraud (who then passed to Sanchez).
Sad to hear about Kevin Campbell.
Ambarish
I think you’ve got your Arsenal rose tinted glasses on at the moment regarding Havertz and you’re projecting what you’d like him to become rather than look at the player who’s already been playing in the PL for 4 seasons now.
Norg
Sanchez was dynamic and pacey – Havertz has that Ozil thing of always looking a bit lethargic.
Marc-agree with the whole lethargic disposition gig with both Havertz and Ozil…the difference between the two is that Ozil had some magic in his boots, whereas that hasn’t been the case for his German counterpart since he arrived in the PL
R.I.P. Kevin Campbell a rough diamond of a player with a heart of gold who gave us many highs from his career. A real Gooner through & through….
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/28269911/kevin-campbell-dead-arsenal-everton-legend/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uldf_lHJ8bo
spot on Tony—-Kevin Campbell seemed to be a right decent individual who truly cared about the fortunes of our club long after he was required to do so…my deepest condolences to his family and friends…RIP
besides some rumours involving Stuttgart’s 28 year old Striker, Serhou Guirassy, and a few rather peculiar articles suggesting that Toney rubbed some at the club the wrong way, when at first they met, most of today’s talk has revolved around those who might be on the outs…maybe we’re contemplating a more traditonal horse before the cart approach to the window on the heels of our abject failure when it came to turning Sesko’s head…of course this potential strategic shift could have been an ownership-inspired directive, but would it really come as a surprise to anyone if MA simply didn’t have a viable plan B in mind (if you get my drift)
I definitely have some mixed feelings about Guirassy, in that it’s hard to argue with the stats he put up this past season, but the fact that he appeared to be a third or lower tier option for most, minus maybe Dortmund and West Ham, gives me some serious cause for pause…with this in mind, it would seem only logical to dig a bit deeper into why this particular player, in an off-season where Strikers are in high demand, hadn’t generated more buzz leading up to the 14th, especially after potting 30 and having a 17M release clause…maybe it’s because of his incredibly problematic injury history and the fact that his numbers this term far exceed those of any prior season, which at 28 is giving off some real troubling one year wonder vibes…all I’m saying is that we had better not be targeting this player based primarily on the financials, as that would be some real Mickey Mouse bullshit
If I see another article about MA’s supposed interest in Arthur Melo I think I might have a full-blown shit fit…the fact that our manager appears to even favour this bang average fuckwad, speaks to why we need someone else in charge of recruitment…to make matters worse, I’m starting to see more “have patience and faith in MA’s ability to get this window right” chatter, which certainly doesn’t lift my spirits, especially after all Edu’s nonsense about them having our summertime window all figured out since before the opening of the last window
The more I watch the Euros the more I realize why Spain were such a dominant team in and around the time Barca and Real were ruling the footballing roost…to have the luxury of deploying a squad with so many players who play club football together simply can’t be underestimated…this is likewise why I give a lot of props to Brazil for their past WC success, as their sides are typically made up of a mishmash of players from across the globe
(this all seemed far more revelatory at first blush, but that’s likely down to the fact that I decided to get good and high on this particular Father’s Day morning—in that regards, Happy Father’s Day to those whom reside in countries that celebrate on this particular day!!)
TRVL
Mate you need to have a cold beer and chill out. As bad as Arteta is and how we all know for every decision he gets right there’s a couple that are bang average (if we’re lucky).
I said a couple of weeks ago that the Euro’s will fuck the window up and its low hanging fruit for journalists (I use that term in the loosest possible way) to pick up good numbers with click bait from fans who are desperate for news.