Ornstein dropped a tweet a week back, confirming Nelson wants to assess his options this summer. We have had approaches for him in January but the club rejected them. If a player wants to move, you let them go, only condition being you are paid well enough for it. Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and West Ham are among the clubs interested in him and we would probably be asking about 20m GBP for him.
I think it’s a win-win for the club and player. Here’s why…
In one of the game I watched at Emirates, which was a team filled with young 19-20 year olds (Saka, Nelson, Martinelli, Tierney, ESR) and Ozil, Nelson was too good for a 20 year old. I remember Tierney taking a throw in, Nelson commanding that midfield and I was mesmerized with his pace. Frankly, when Saka was being played at LB – a non glamourous position while Martinelli and Nelson was in the other half of the field, everyone was more excited about him that our star boy.
Things didn’t turn out great since then. In 2019-20 season, he played 17 games, starting 7 of them. Next two season were just about injuries and and a loan to Feyenoord. Nothing much to talk about it.
Under Mikel, In 2022-23 season, Nelson had 11 sub appearances for the club, scored 3 goals and assisted 2. Last season was worse, having played 15 games with no goals to his name.
Mikel has a system where the goals are distributed among the 5 players playing at the top. It’s usually Martinelli/Trossard, Jesus/Havertz, Saka, Odegaard, and the LCM. Playing Nelson fucks up this concept. When you don’t have a CF to contribute that 25 goals a season, you can’t afford to not get an output from one of your wingers. Martinelli is a much better contributor than Nelson but we have seen what happens when you don’t deliver (he is losing out his place to a 30-year old Trossard).
So, if we get 20 odd millions for him, there is no shame in accepting that money and move on. We can utilize that to strengthen other area of the pitch, preferably a CF if you ask me. We know by now, Jesus is a winger, Trossard as well. If we consider Martinelli and Saka on either side as a starter, we have 2 very good back ups to them. We also had bought Marquinhos a season back, and we have been pushing Ethan Nwaneri who played some odd minutes against our 6-0 win to West Ham and has renewed his contract with us. So, couple of players who can step up if the need be. Couple of very good back ups, who can play better than the starting ones. There’s no need of Nelson.
What it means for Nelson?
He would be sad for not making it at his boyhood club. Fans will be sad to see one of our own go. But that’s football. If he goes to West Ham, he can get 20-25 starts a season. He can get the game time he wants and at his age, it should be all about playing most minutes.
He gets what he wants – game time. We get 20 odd million to fund other areas. There’s not loss to the club and his departure is not going to affect Mikel’s set up.
TRVL
Summed up perfectly.
You’re right about the deals 6 bed ‘Forbes level’ villas are between US$1500 to 3000 a day to sleep 12. 6 mates or couples make the piece ridiculous.
10 nights works out at US$500 a night for a $10m villa where you get a chef and butler for $3000+ a night.
For me better than the Maldives. More to do but similar settings. Samui is quieter than Phuket.
Marc
I agree why let a kid be wasted with Arteta. If the nephew was say 14 then time with Jacky boy could be an advantage. By all accounts from the web Jack is doing good job and well respected like Lujndberg was, is still.
I think the youth job has settled Jack and given him new purpose.
But if around 17+ then no way I’d let a relative suffer what others have suffered before as El B clearly doesn’t have the propensity to change.
Press reports ESR wants out. Best 8 we’ve got. Get’s MOTM from a very rare start, then benched and hardly used again. I really feel for the lad. Hope he pulls tress up with his next club.
It’s so frustrating that we have the money and pliable owners – too pliable in El B’s case. Surely after 3 summer TWs with only Rice, who wanted London, to show for our recruitment if we’re talking game changing players.
I’m just secretly praying Eze wants to stay in London, and doesn’t fancy the Chavs or Manure/City.
July is but a few days away.
minus our very public failure regarding a particular Slovenian Striker, it seems like most of our window thus far has involved a myriad of nonsesncial recruitment endeavours:
(1) the search for ANOTHER Keeper, which can only be described as yet another WTF recruitment moment, considering what’s transpired here since MA’s arrival…just to recap, we sold off one, if not the best, Keepers in the world for 17M, bought Leno for 25+M, even though he didn’t fit the tactical script, then we completely ghosted him after paying well-above the number to get yet another Keeper, Ramsdale, which, in turn, cut Leno’s MV in half…in the meantime, we made every effort to prop-up Ramsdale in the press, rightly or wrongly, even though he, like his predecessor, wasn’t really suited to play out from the back…all the heels of all that, we gave him a sizeable raise in the summer, when it wasn’t required, only to bring in Raya in the 11th hour of the very same window…we then proceded to repeat the mistakes of the past by benching Ramsdale, minus against Brentford, due to our loan obligations, yet somehow placed a ludicrously high valuation on him, thus making it exceedingly more difficult to get him off the books…now we’re wasting valuable time trying to secure another Keeper, who will either never see the pitch or somehow, someway completely usurp our season-long starter from last year…what a fucking gong show
(2) the seeming endless pursuit of another CB, which would only really make sense if Gabs was being shipped, as his pairing with Saliba saw us concede the least amount of goals in the PL, earning them both a spot in the PL team of the year; not to mention, MA never rotated his CBs following a very brief, early period of backline experimentation…now there has been some chatter, for a couple seasons running, regarding the possibility of Gabs moving on, and he’s likewise in need of a re-up, which would see him get a substantial raise, but unless there’s any truth to those aforementioned rumours or we’re unwilling to meet Gabs wage demands, MA should be focusing on far more pressing needs…with Tomi, White, Timber and Kiwior all available for cover duty, we seem to be sorted…maybe this is simply a sign that the latter CB is going to be heading back to Serie A, as there appears to be ample interest
(3) more youthful prospects, which likely won’t provide us with the necessary push forward, at least not in the immediate future…recent rumours surrounding the likes of Archie Gray and Semih Kilicsoy, who’re both 18, don’t make a lot of sense, considering MA’s shortcomings, at least thus far, when it comes to incorporating young blood into the lineup…of course, I certainly don’t have any issue with the notion of filling up the cupboards, with the future in mind, but I would much rather MA expend his energies on finding readymade pieces that can help us now, instead of those more pie-in-the-sky prospects, who may or may not make an impact this season or next…just look at what’s transpired with the likes of ESR, Vieira and Marts, amongst others, combined with the glaring lack of first team opportunities being offered up to our academy blue chippers, which is likely why some have eagerly sought greener pastures…with this in mind, I saw Balo score a screamer in the Copa that neither Havertz nor Jesus could ever duplicate even in their wildest dreams
rant over…Cheers
btw, by readymade I don’t mean the increasingly fragile, annoyingly petulant and incessantly flopping Neymar, who at 32 simply isn’t worth the anguish…that said, If Al-Hilal want to make a straight swap with us for Havertz, I’m all for it
if MA had half a brain he would be using Ramsdale to lower Isak’s fees, as he would be a brilliant upgrade at the Striker position
Tony-likewise a fan of Eze, as he could provide cover at a variety of positions, plus if he were to be deployed in the 8, that would see Rice back in his rightful position as an 8…just can’t see it happening, for the above reason, and the fact that he might not be a good fit alongside our present “Striker” options…that said, if we could acquire him and Isak, I would be over the fucking moon
I wouldn’t blame Vieira for wanting out – the question is what could we get for him?
We’re looking at a huge loss – a £10 million loss would actually be a good result when you consider Arteta’s previous record.
If we break even on Ramsdale it’ll be a good result.
Nketiah will go for way under the price we’re asking.
These idiots couldn’t sell a life jacket to a drowning man.
No way that’s a handball but fuck wit (why are English refs so completely useless?) has given it.
Nagelsmann speaking on Havertz:
“He has a clear job in many games, which means that he doesn’t have many ball actions because he should create space for others. He did that exceptionally well…it’s not always just about scoring a goal”
some will undoubtedly read this and wrongly surmise that I’ve missed the point of MA’s little Havertz initiative, as Nagelemann, who’s a manager of some note, appears to be in lockstep with our skipper in this particular regards…to that I would simply say, it’s a bit more nuanced than that
with the national side Musiala and Wirtz, their primary goal-producers, are tucked inside, then their backers take up more advanced positions on the flanks in order to stretch the opposition’s backline…with Havertz on the pitch the hope is that his movement off the ball can provide little pockets of space, in those exceedingly tight quarters, by manipulating the movement of one or both of the opposition’s CBs…in many ways, it makes good sense for their particular tactical model, as just behind Musiala and Wirtz, sits both Gundogan and Kross, who can not only pick a pass but tend to take up the attentions of those deeper-lying midfielders, who must now choose between helping their CBs or trying to shutdown the aforementioned midfield duo…if they choose the latter, they will undoubtedly leave openings for the tucked in forwards to create favourable 1v1 or 2v1 mismatches, should Havertz’s create the desired diversion
in our case, we’ve typically deployed Marts and Saka in wider spaces, with our RB providing the odd overlapping run, whereas our LB tends to sit deeper, as an inverted backer…under these circumstances, as teams will generally double-up our wide side players, Havertz’s movement off the ball doesn’t really provide our supposed primary contributors with the space they require to get Grade A goalscoring opportunities…in fact, Havertz naturally becomes much more of a target man, as our heavily defended wide-side forwards now look to send more crosses into a less populated box…knowing Havertz’s lack of finishing prowess, this seems totally counterintuitive, unlike when he’s playing with his German compatriots
this problematic dynamic is likely why MA dropped Marts, even after he was back to full health, as not only does Tross tuck inside more, our inverted backer allows Rice to push further forward…problem is this tactical configuration actually favours our least clinical players, as it gives Havertz and Rice more opportunities, while leaving our wide side players more isolated and constantly facing a barrage of double-teams..so if you’re not comfortable with the notion of having to rely on a three-pack of Havertz, Rice and Tross to continually manufacturing goals against top quality sides, then you, like myself, had better hope to God that we get this window fucking right
in order to achieve this ends, we first need a top-notch Striker, who can create his own chances, clinically finish and draw his fairshare of double-teams, thus opening up pockets of space in and around the box…next we need a readymade attacking midfielder to play opposite of Ode, who can be far more effective in the final third than Rice from both a service and finishing capacity…then last but not least, we need to either dedicate ourselves to getting Marts back on track or find a readymade like-for-like alternative…as of right now, we’re like the poor man’s version of a world-class team
btw I did see Havertz split two Danish defenders today, albeit their positioning was amateur hour personified, and although this was undeniably positive, you can’t ignore that fact that he failed with all three of his grade A chances…now he did ultimately score from the spot, but that in no way offsets his inadequacies when it comes to converting from open play…furthermore, he was unnecessarily offisde on a multitude of occasions and quite fortunate not to have given up a penalty in the lead-up to the Danes disallowed tally
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-transfer-emile-smith-rowe-33137110
Arteta spoke of his “love” for Smith Rowe and challenged him to use his recent struggles as a motivator going forward. “I love him as a player, he is a joy to watch,” Arteta said.
“How he moves, changes direction and how physical he was today without the ball. He went into duels and won a lot of them and was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and make things happen.
“When Emile is in that moment, it’s very difficult to stop him. Today he helped us a lot to win the game.
SoB why the hell are you not playing him then ?
Hoopah—you can’t believe a single word that comes out of either side of his mouth…until he stops packaging the “truth” in such a contrived and self-serving manner he will never gain the respect of those on the outside looking in, which clearly includes a whole host of players whom we’ve clearly coveted…Cheers
England concede expectedly. The team is just set-up to chase shadows at the back. The speed at which Slovakia is attacking why the hell Rice is playing so high up where he has no skills to score in a tap -in
Arry Kane had either deteriorated rapidly or is playing some politics on Southgate. That pass to Eze appeared purposely hit under.
Also Dubreka just so good in the air ,gets every ball up there. So wtf continuing the same same
England can win if Harry Kane is substituted.
Sorry
It was Harry Kane with the header at extra time
Bellingham is crucial. Has the cutting edge. Qualifies as a Galáctico
Bellingham should be the captain for England. Even now motivates players.
Guess used to feel stranded with Southgate tactics.
Southgate is a decent man , with excellent manners ,but average intelligence. So the System feels comfortable with Southgate.
Strange tournament – England with a great midfield and forward line bang average and Spain 1 nil down.
Bellingham – what a star and Gasper (who) turned down the opportunity to sign him for 5million GBP.
considering how we tend to play some rather dire and negative football when it matters most, you can see why we need our own Bellingham and Kane…clinical finishing is so crucial when you’re dealing with such fine margins
Spain v. Germany on Friday should be an intriguing affair
I watched the first half and fell asleep as it was an 11pm KO.
Why? because it was like watching El B’s tactics and being a yard off the pace and clueless.
I went to bed.
Granted the KO times are poor for me, but when the play is that boring I can only reiterate my feelings that Southgate should replace Ten Hag at Manure.
That should set Manure back another 3 years at least.
Hoopah I with you 100% re ESR.
Tony & Hoopah—I would strongly suggest that MA simply said whatever he felt would keep him from publicly declaring his desire to seek employment elsewhere, whether for spiteful or self-serving reasons, yet he has no real intention of providing him with significant minutes…personally I don’t see ESR as a fit here, as MA’s tactics lack the kind of urgency that his more direct approach brings to the equation…I wish it were different, but if you look at MA’s recruitment very few have been wired in a similar fashion to ESR, in that each instinctively looks sideways first with the ball at their feet…even those who had once been considerably more direct, like Zinchenko, are quickly converted/neutered…of course, it would make infinitely more sense if MA changed things up from time-to-time, even if he did so simply to keep opposing defences honest, but that clearly hasn’t materialized so far…maybe it’s major component of phase 6 or 7?!?
RVL😂
“MA’s recruitment very few have been wired in a similar fashion to ESR, in that each instinctively looks sideways first with the ball at their feet…even those who had once been considerably more direct, like Zinchenko, are quickly converted/neutered… ”
El B the Castrator……..another appropriate moniker
“Arsenal are ready to enter the race to sign Lille star Jonathan David”
as a fellow Canadian, I’ve watched a shitload of his matches, which is why I can unequivocally say he’s not the answer to our Striker woes…don’t get me wrong, I like some of the things he has on offer, but anyone opting for this player is doing so for budgetary reasons and not because he’s the best option out there
following a sluggish and ineffectual June, let’s hope July is decidely different
Are people still banging on about Sesko here?
Give it a rest. I said two months ago he wasn’t coming. You’ve seen why in this tournament.
What did I tell you about making up scenarios to get yourself angry?
Sesko certainly didn’t help his cause with his Havertz-like finishing today…we always knew he wasn’t coming here though, as he appears to have higher aspirations in mind…I guess only time will tell…regardless, no young Striker with even a modicum of self-worth would ever knowingly choose to sit behind our German faux talisman #flattertodeceive
Aitcho
I think you may be a few weeks too late with that post. Who is your choice? or should we not dip into the market for a striker?
So we’re just over 6 weeks away from the start of the season haven’t shifted any players and don’t even seem to have a defined shortlist of who our main targets are.
There’s 5 weeks between the end of the Euro’s and the start of the PL when players will need to get a couple of weeks holiday in and we need to get our shit together.
Why is my cup not running over with confidence?
Marc-I knew it wouldn’t be long before you lost patience with what appears to be a glaring lack of definitive plans…we can’t even shift those who seem to have suitors waiting in the wings…so far we were made to look foolish by a 21 year old Slovenian and beyond that we seem to be strangely focused on more Keepers and defenders…even our self-absorbed manager can’t honestly believe we can run things back and achieve greater heights without a seminal piece or two coming in
Marc/TRVL
Same shit different TW for me.
Last TW was all about Rice and losing leverage because Rice wouldn’t put in a transfer request, so we paid about £30m too much. That’s not to say he hasn’t lived up to his wages and fee, but ………
Now, El B is clearing youth decks, so he doesn’t have to play them while clearly thinking they are not good enough while other clubs feel much differently.
On evidence of the total shite buys by El B in the main (no need to list) I’d say our youth are better off somewhere else.
Guys? How many of them would you have kept?
“The 22 players who left Arsenal on June 30: Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares, Reuell Walters, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Kido Taylor-Hart, Arthur Okonkwo, Mauro Bandeira, Omari Benjamin, Luis Brown, Catalin Cirjan, Noah Cooper, Henry Davies, Ovie Ejeheri, Taylor Foran, Hubert Graczyk, James Hillson, Henry Jeffcott, Tyreece John-Jules, Alex Kirk, James Lannin-Sweet, Kamarni Ryan and Billy Vigar”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-released-list-elneny-cedric-33149002
Tony-I haven’t watched them enough to properly assess each and every player on the above list, but I will say this, when I conducted a bit of a deep dive into our best prospects the following names quickly emerged:
(1) Ethan Nwaneri
(2)Charlie Patino
(3)Chido Obi-Martin
(4)Reuell Walters
(5)Amario Cozier-Duberry
(6)Myles Lewis-Skelly
as of right now, Ethan looks like he might be thrown a bone or two this season, Patino and Obi-Martin appear destined to sign elsewhere, Reuell and Duberry were released and Lewis-Skelly is a talented young DM who has impressed during his time here, so the jury’s still out on him…hardly an uplifting tale, which makes perfect sense considering MA’s chequebook ways and his refusal to incorporate any academy prospect into his lineups
prospects
New post! There is some movement in the transfer window finally.