Christian Norgaard became the third player we have signed this window, so far. After Kepa from Chelsea, and Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, we have got a Jorginho’s replacement from Brentford in a relatively cheap transfer. Lets look into these in details –
Kepa and goal keepers
Kepa became the 7th GoalKeeper Mikel Arteta has signed for Arsenal. Mind you, he inherited two world class goal keepers in Bernd Leno and Emi Martinez and made these signings on top of that. Selling Martinez was poor decision after his great run for the only trophy Mikel won while Leno slowed down and wasn’t suited for playing from the back. Mikel did try some cheap tricks initially to not spend much money so he got Runarsson, which was a complete failure. Ryan was on a 6 months loan in 2021 but failed to make any impact. Matt Turner joined us on a long term contract for 4.5m and was later sold on to Forest for about 7m, he was hardly average and didn’t deserve to be in the team. We got Ramsdale and sold him after 3 years, while Raya took the number 1 spot. Neto joined us for a season-long loan after Ramsdale departure to fill the vacant bench.
Out of all these signings and loan moves, Ramsdale was a good one. He played for 3 seasons, helped us in qualifying for Champions League and had some great energy on the field. Loved that lad, but the errors in him under pressure started costing us lately and Mikel decided to bring in David Raya. Raya has been solid, much calmer and we will probably don’t need to upgrade him any more. Overall, we spent a lot of money to get back to where we were in goalkeeping department, under Mikel.
Frankly, I don’t care about Kepa’s signing. It’s really poor that we are looking for loans each season and it’s good that we have got a permanent back up to Raya. Kepa will sit on bench and will only be used for dead games. I don’t mind that if it costs only 5m.
Martin Zubimendi – the new DM
Well, we were told that Declan Rice is coming in to take the Thomas Partey’s position eventually, but during this ‘eventually’ era, Mikel found out that Havertz is not a CAM and Merino is a better CF that Havertz, so he had to shift Declan Rice in an advance role. I am guessing Rice will keep his spot this season as well, and with Partey left out of a new contract, we needed a DM. Zubimendi is coming for that role, I have not watched him much but hoping that he can handle that pressure and picks up where Partey left. Midfielders aren’t cheap, and he costed us 51m GBP. Thomas Partey, 5 years back, was a 45m transfer so it’s an okay-ish fees we have paid to Sociedad.
With Declan Rice’s move to a CAM role and Jorginho leaving, we needed a DM and his back up. So we have spent another 9m an brought in Norgaard.
Christian Norgaard – a back up to Zubimendi
Again, about 10m for a back up who is a starter in a good Brentford team is a good transfer. He played 34 games last season for Brentford, so certainly he can keep himself fit, scored 5 goals and assisted another 4, which is a good output from a DM. Zubi, or for that matter any other DM, can’t handle more than 60 games in a season so Norgaard will get enough starts. Good for the player, good for the club.
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That’s all for the completed transfers so far. There are 2 more in pipeline and worth discussing.
Noni Madueke from Chelsea
Noni Madueke is almost a done deal with the clubs agreeing for a deal for a whooping 52m GBP. A medical will follow pretty soon, and we would then announce him. Now, I am not behind this deal. Yes, he is on the right side of the age and is only 23 years old. Yes, he was a regular in that Chelsea team but I have a lot of doubt about this transfer. Firstly, he is a RW. I don’t buy the versatility nonsense. He played almost all his games as a RW and we have a world class right winger playing for us in Bukayo Saka. Saka is fit, can handle 60 games in a season without any drop in performance and it would be very poor to make him sit on bench for any other RW in the world.
Madueke will get those 15-20 min towards the end, and the midweek not-so-important games. He will also be useful if Saka picks up an injury. But, you don’t spend 50 odd million GBP for a player who is needed scarcely. Also, Martinelli can play on either wings so it’s not like we didn’t have a back up. Now, if this transfer was for a left winger, it would have made more sense as Martinelli does struggle some times. A LW transfer would have fixed the Marts problem and would have also got us a cover at RW.
Trossard might leave, there’s been some chatter, so we will have to bring a LW eventually.
Victor Gyokeres Saga continues
It’s pretty much confirmed by various outlets that we have dropped the plan to bring in Sesko due to their mad demans. We are targeting Gyokeres now, but there has been some disagreement on the transfer fee with Sporting. Gyokeres wants nothing else than Arsenal, has given up 2m euros per year in salary to facilitate the move and has revolted by boycotting the pre-season. I think Sporting will ultimately fold but come one mate, if you are going to pay 50m for a back up RW who is not needed at this moment, spend 5m more to address the most important place in your playing XI.
We need a CF. If we go into the season without a striker, we are winning fuck all, again. Pay another 5m if the need be, and get done with it.
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Well, these transfers are going to create some problems which no one is bothered to address or talk about. With Zubi and Norgaard, the DM role is covered. What happens to the CAM? Rice will be the first choice, fine but are you going to keep 2 back ups to him in Havertz and Merino? If I put my Arteta’s thinking hat, I am getting the vibe that we will shift Merino back into the midfield as a back up, and Havertz remains up top as a back up to Gyokeres.
65m for a player that will be back up to a 100-goal striker, for whom we are going to pay 60? Doesn’t make sense to me. We should recoup some of that money if anyone is foolish enough to pay for him when he earns 250k/week in wages.
Gabriel Jesus? Another 250k/week for posting pictures of himself on Instagram and remaining injured throughout the season.
At the LB, with the brilliant performances from MLS and him getting a new contract, we don’t need Zinchenko. Calafiori will rotate with him and in a worst case scenario when both of them are injured, Timber can play in that position. We need to get rid of Zinni (sorry) and be done with another player who in mostly injured.
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Right, that’s all for today. Here’s the incoming and outgoing lists so far this window.
Incomings (65m GBP) –
Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea – 5m
Christian Norgaard – Brentford – 9m
Zubimendi – 51m
Outgoings (8m) –
Jorginho – end of contract
Marquinhos – 2m
Partey – end of contract
Tavares – 6m
Tierney – end of contract
Tomiyasu – released
That’s a 57m deficit when we had a team that was 2nd for 3 seasons in a row and is playing in Champions League. We still don’t know how to sell, do we?
See you in the comments.
Ambarish
The costs will grow if we sign Eze, VG & or Rodrygo.
PL proven Mbeumo or Kudus would have been better than Noni and or VG & Rodrygo because all MA’s players are expected to play all over the pitch as PSG’s squad does effectively.
Problem is MA isn’t Enique
Marc
I read yesterday that fans have signed a petition expressing their Noni buy concerns, as well as Sol questioning the logic, something I don’t remember seeing before about in a TW.
As you’ve pointed out the MA press love affair is waning.
Why? Because they have been made to look fools by MA and his PR machine.
I feel from the undertones of recent questioning articles that this is the last “Next season will be…………” they’ll accept, with Skepticism now taking over from their Generational project beliefs.
I’m hoping this season for MA will be done and dusted by Xmas with our difficult opening games.
Wishful thinking maybe, but if he sticks to this current suicidal TW plan and potentially wasting another £300m, this has to work, right? The Emirates’ natives will be getting restless me thinks?!
It will be a baptism by fire for the newbies where MA will be expecting a high level of perfection from day 1. He’s in serious trouble and will be in a world of pain if they don’t hit the ground running. No pressure then.
I think this season is going to be one of the best for neutrals for a long time with so many teams recruiting really well, as BHA have been doing. Forest are a prime example, as are the south coast clubs who followed Tony Bloom’s wisdom and probably algorithm route. Now Frank wants to get the Spuds firing and looking for the right players. They could be a real points threat for once.
The playing fields are going to be more level this season as everyone is rebuilding, only we are rebuilding by replicating our last rebuild. Just changing the pieces hoping they can take us to the next level using MA’s myopic tactics, as it was always the players fault or the ref & VAR. Never MA’s fault!!
Then, ‘in game’ subs are always like for like in the same one dimensional way no matter if needing to score or see a game out.
That’s my take mi Gooner amigo……….
The guy from Chelsea isn’t coming in as backup – he’s either going to be played on the left (so Martinelli will be sold) or Arteta wants to pull Henry move and use him as a striker.
I’m not convinced Arteta wants to buy a first choice striker it would mean he has to drop Havertz.
Why the fuck we’re bankrolling Chelsea is beyond me – we bought Havertz so they could get Palmer. The only positive will be if Chelsea finish in front of us.
Tony
Where do I sign the petition?
The football media over here is a strange thing – you have the same collection of morons you find across all journalism who couldn’t come up with an original thought if you put a gun to their heads but in football even the better ones suffer from this group think where if someone is good they’re amazing no matter what they do. Neville and Carragher actually started to bring in a little criticism of Captain Fuckwit towards the end of last season.
A few bad results early on and the whole media will turn on Arteta – I can’t wait.
Marc
If that guy coming from Chelsea does half the shit Saka or Martinelli does, i would play him in defence if he wants so.
52m down the drain it would be in a year.
He can’t play on LW. He has like 4 games kn his entire career at LW (read it somewhere).
Tony
Mbeumo gives me the Lacazette vibes. Scored 20 last season but Mikel will reduce it to 12 give or take at Arsenal.
I am #teamGyokeres.. lets bring some fun and ego in that dressing room.
Ambarish
We’re talking about Arteta here so its not about what you or I or anyone with half a brain would do – I’m waiting for someone in a Tottenham shirt to jump up and shout “April Fool’s – we did think that you’d catch on after a few months but its been years”.
It is more likely now that we will keep Nwaneri. A good one, we can’t afford to let go one of the biggest gems we have discovered recently plus i want him take the Odegaard spot after ESR failed to do so…
Marc
Yep. Havertz at CF. Merino at CF. Declan Rice as a CAM. Nwaneri on wings. He has done all sort of non sense to avoid fixing it permanently.
Troy Deeney suggested that Mikel Arteta’s own personality might be complicating matters:
“This is my opinion – I think Arteta is a little bit stubborn at this moment in time because everyone’s been calling for it [to sign a striker]. If he does that and then wins it [the Premier League], it’s going to be like: ‘Oh, we told you that’.
now there’s a man who knows just how petty and self-serving our little Wenger “my way or the highway” wannabe manager truly is!!! that’s a real world truth serum mic drop kind of a statement
The latest on VG Ambarish is he’s stated in the press he’s as good as Haaland.
I see nothing but trouble in the long run with the ‘score like Haaland’ self confessed striker.
Can’t wait to see how that turns out…………
“Egg and face” are 2 words that come to mind as well as MA delving deep into his “excuses” book for more non sensical pressers this season with the AKBs all nodding in unison at their masters voice/written words……….
TRVL
When you’ve got a complete prick like Troy Deeney saying you’ve got issues you’re in trouble.
Marc-TD has never hidden his personal disdain for our particular club…some of that was invariably connected to his feelings being hurt when rumours about his potential transfer to the Emirates was received rather poorly by many within the fanbase, whereas the rest is undoubtedly based on his own experiences and those of others who played at that time…years ago he spoke of our inherent “softness”, of which he was correct, and now he’s attempting to expose MA’s flaws, much like he did with our late model Wenger…only problem is that he’s been trolling us for so long his message will never resonate with the Kool-Aid crew
Sporting would have never publicly dressed down any of the really big clubs like City, Real or Barca, which speaks to how we’re perceived within the footballing community and the manner in which we conduct our business…very fucking telling
‘Arsenal represent an ideal scenario for the Brazilian: offensive style of play, trust in young talent, and assured prominence’….imagine anyone with even a modicum of functioning brain power ever saying this about our present day Arsenal versus Liverpool and Bayern…this was an assessment from the Spanish press involving Rodrygo’s preferred choice of clubs, were he to leave Real this summer…what the fuck are they smoking and where can I get some…(1) we’re by far the least “offensive” of the 3 teams in question, (2) MA has displayed the least amount of trust in young talent of all 3 managers involved and, (3) as for assured prominence, both Pool and Bayern have added far more silverware in their respective trophy cabinets than us in the last decade or so…of course, I would rather him land here than either of the other two clubs, but surely it couldn’t be explained by the above criteria
TRVL
The expression you’re looking for is “show me the money”!
The Chavs deservedly leading PSG 2:0 in a pulsating game. Chavs tactics are spot on but can they keep up the intensity of their pressing game remains to be seen.
A great game, though.
Chavs are simply preventing PSG’s trademark attacking overloads to one shot on target and a couple of corners while inflicting such clinical space finding to cut through PSG 3 times now Chavs 3:0 up with PSG with no answer.
The Chavs will be a top 4 side next season on this showing.
2nd half is going to be interesting
Tony-the difference between them and us was the fact that Chelsea made good on all but one of their chances…we better get used to that storyline unless we start buying some GD clinical finishers in this window…so far not a single one in the lot
PSG huffed and puffed but the chavs played them at their own game and won.
Enjoyable game and football fix.
Chavs are well on their way back with their rebuilding.