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.
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.
after watching only 70+ minutes of Sesko, it’s clear to me that he’s miles ahead of Havertz in front of goal…if only MA hadn’t overpaid for the German giraffe there’s little doubt that the Slovenian Striker would be leading our line for the upcoming season
btw Marc, this is me in “chill out” mode…Cheers
As the regular’s on here are well aware I am a Prophet of the Football Gods.
They have now revealed to me the punishment the PL is going to place on City for the 115 FFP charges they are facing.
They have ruled that Gareth Southgate take over from Pep when he leaves at the end of the coming season.
Marc—that seems a tad gratuitous, after all the fans shouldn’t be unduly punished for the actions of others…GS is like MA’s brother from a different mother…only Scotland has had less shots on the tourney thus far
in the tourney
Marc
At the same time city will be opening a clinic for insomniacs. Each patient will receive at least 19 sessions per season and City will guarantee success.
I wonder if Gasper watched the England and wondered why he turned down the chance to sign Bellingham for £5M.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2024/jun/15/kevin-campbell-a-life-in-pictures
I’m still feeling a little affected by Super Kevin Campbell. Only 54 (and I’ve turned 60 today). A very nice photographic tribute. He was hugely popular everywhere he played it seems although his main association will always be with Arsenal in my view. Last time I saw him doing punditry on TV he looked in full health. Very sad.
KP
Campbell was 18years my junior – at 54 and in this day and age it is very young.
Footballers rarely reach an average age of dying in first world countries – there must be many reasons they do not. Their current lifestyles are vastly different from the decades up to the early nineties – Wenger was partly responsible for diet change etc although Brooking was already using his own diet and fitness regime in the eighties. He will probably last longer than most of his peers.
KP
Enjoy your day.
Happy 60th KP
Have a good one bud
Lunin was absolutely atrocious today, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’s at the top of MA’s list of potential Ramsdale replacements
Saliba does not look comfortable playing on the left hand side of central defence.
looks like our former used car salesman of chief Raul is heading to South Beach to join up with Messi again…if I was Beckham I would make sure that he wasn’t allowed to make any deals without a credible co-signer in the room, especially if there’s alcohol anywhere on the premises…maybe Pepe can resurrect his career in Miami
14th September – Spurs away
21st September – City away.
Tough September.
Norg
Our second match of the season is away at Villa – Arteta needs to improve his record here or he’ll be under pressure early on.
Marc
A good early indication of how the season will pan out. El B will play it with caution and Emery with gusto.
Norg
If Emery gets another win over Arteta (how many does he need before he officially owns his arse?) then other teams will start to look at Emery’s tactics as a format on how to play against us.
It’ll take Arteta a season to adjust.
If you get a chance watch the Turkey/Georgia match…breathless moments throughout and some quality finishing to boot…best match so far by a good margin
“The Athletic have outlined that strengthening in midfield is now a priority, with Arsenal likely to target a No.6. The club signed Declan Rice for a record £105million last year, but his marauding performances have convinced Arteta to give the England star a permanent license to roam”
since MA cocked-up the whole Sesko gig, due in large part to the presence of Havertz, it appears that we’ve had a complete rethink regarding our transfer plans…so let me get this straight, at one point the focal point of our entire window was to acquire a bona fide Striker, but when our first attempt failed, instead of finding a plausible alternative, we’re now looking to rely even more heavily on Havertz and Rice in the final third, yet neither has a clinical bone in their respective bodies
if this is to be believed, which we won’t know for certain until we see what happens in the coming weeks and months, I have even more concerns about the possibility of MA having what it takes to get things done here…how is it fucking possible that MA’s inabiity to secure the services of a 21 year old Slovenian Striker could derail things to just such a level that our only backup plan was to simply add a depth piece or two and run this failed project back again…fuck, if he was so vitally important that you were willing to put all your eggs in his basket, you get his people in a room and you don’t let them leave until he’s signed on the dotted line
personally I would suspect that either our little egomaniac was reading his own headlines again and thought he could lowball the kid, with no definitive assurances, even though he had ample options, or this was simply another half-baked plan that was destined to fail from the off, which makes me seriously wonder if he ever really intended to acquire a Striker in the first place…tbh this has all the feels of a latter days Wenger maneuver, where whenever a sizeable contingent from within the fanbase and punditry clamored for a positional upgrade, the likelihood of it ever coming to fruition was slim to none…I sure hope I’m wrong, but if not, that’s some short-sighted ego-driven bullshit
TRVL
I caught the highlights of the Turkey vs Georgia game – 4 good goals that we will never see scored by our German No 9. The first goal – a screamer hit on the volley, the equaliser, a clever flick into goal. The next from a 19year old looked straight out of the TH14 catalogue and the last one required a flat out full length run down the pitch.
Apparently somebody at the top is not happy that a very promising youngster is leaving for free to join Bayern Munich.
Nagelsmann is already getting bored of watching the useless tit, Havertz, up top…subbed off even earlier today, after another lacklustre performance…it’s only a matter of time before he’s rightfully replaced in the starting lineup by the 31 year old Fullkrug, who btw wasn’t even on the national team radar until this year…I can only hope that MA does likewise by finding us a real Striker in the summer window
“Arsenal have reportedly shelved plans for a new striker amid links with Victor Osimhen and Santiago Gimenez, instead looking at a more versatile option in attack as Pedro Neto returns to the table”
concerning news on both fronts…as I stated above, we can’t move forward with Havertz and the oft-injured Neto isn’t likely to move our collective needle either