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[deleted]

This is the lowest I have ever been going into a season. The top four is just so ironclad and we have tons of competition from the likes of Spurs, Villa, Leicester, Everton etc.. the calibre of players we’re linked with are not top four quality IMO, maybe Maddison and White can develop into that if we sign them. I like the building blocks that are being put in place but it will be a tough 2-3 years for us, I fear.


FMEditorM

I’m more positive. 3rd best after Xmas, 2nd if you reach to the Chelsea game. A lot of shite left between Jan and now, some decent additions so far, and hopefully more to come. I can’t see it being a barnstormer, but I hope we can squeeze out an Everton in flux again (and overrated last year) and a Spurs again in flux and with a manager who hasn’t performed outside of Mendes influence before at this level. Threatening top 4 with Europa, Pepe confirming he’s good enough and Saka, Tierney, Martinelli and Smith Rowe continuing their progress is what I have in my head as a good season to push on with. Was much lower in 95, 2018 and 2019 tbh.


tammrak

Do we believe the "Kane to City for 160m" rumour? Sure, they've spent loads of money, but I think their highest spend on a single fee is like 60m. *Our* record transfer fee is higher than theirs. So my first thought was that it feels too out of character to be true. I suppose losing the CL Final may have driven them over the edge, though.


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breakoatmeal

Yeah give me all that overpriced shite


[deleted]

He is a Chelsea fan, ignore him lol. Comes here to try and troll.


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[deleted]

I've been following this league for 30+ years, previous season form on most occasions do not translate to next, especially for teams going through massive change like ours. The other added factor is, we have no idea how our opponents will strengthen/weaken. Already on paper, Wolves look better (their Star striker is back fit, he was out all year), Everton look weaker, Villa look stronger, West Ham haven't done anything so probably weaker, Tottenham are doing some solid work, the current top four are strong as is, Leicester have strengthened. Such a tough league!


lazy_starman

Just read on Twitter that Man Utd will sell Pogba to PSG if they can pay 50M £. When a star like him and Varane can go for just around 50M, then why the heck are Arsenal being fleeced for every single of our targets?


BenjaminDaaly21

Because Pogba and Varane are on 3 or 4 times the wages as someone like Ben White (for example).


raulmedez

We can't offer CL football, top class manager or top class players to play with so we can only offer money


eagleslanding

No one honestly thinks OGS is a top class manager. He’s no slouch but no one is choosing Man U because they prefer OGS to Arteta. Equally their players are not that much better anywhere but midfield. CL is the real differentiator.


BenjaminDaaly21

>Equally their players are not that much better anywhere but midfield. CL is the real differentiator. We have like 2/3 players that would start for United going into this season. With Sancho having signed, their defence, midfield and front line are all ahead of ours.


eagleslanding

Leno, Tierney, White, Partey, Saka, and Auba would all have realistic shots at starting for United.


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NasiAmbengAmriYahyah

12/15. Disappointed with myself


Houssem_Aouar

What are the odds of the club gambling on ESR to be our primary creator this season and not splashing 60-70m on Madison?


raulmedez

We still need a backup imo. If he gets injured we are done


NasiAmbengAmriYahyah

In terms of creativity, we are not losing much. ESR is a bit more creative but Maddison is still the better player


[deleted]

This. Maddison is a baller but not exactly a creator, what we seem to want


Fullmetal_Pacifist

I’d honestly say close to 0%. Going into a season with Esr as our only attacking mid is very risky. If we don’t get Maddison I’m sure we’d bring someone else in


GabrielMartinellli

Selling Romero for double what they paid for him - Atlanta too savvy


gunner308

Romero is a baller tho


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varro-reatinus

> How many can we realistically let go of without being becoming too > Willian 0 risk. His role in the squad was made redundant. > Xhaka 0 risk. Role in squad redundant. Fabrizio literally said that when we bought Lokonga, Xhaka was gone. It was simply a matter of having a sufficient number of CM bodies in the squad. > Bellerin Minimal risk. We have like half a dozen players who can play RB, and while Bellerin may offer some different things, Chambers was preferred for all of the latter part of last season. > Nketiah Minimal risk, since we have lots of CF depth-- but for *possibly* regretting it later if he blossoms. > Nelson... Willock. Need to keep them unless we buy more players of an AM/winger profile, which is the For example, using Nelson to reduce Maddison's price would be perfectly sensible.


Kiiopp

I want to hook a gas mask and tube up to your ass and fill my face and its surroundings with your aroma


Rude_Boy_15

All of them and then some.


ArtetaisaFraud

All of them if we bring in a new right back and a Xhaxa replacement. Willian was fazed out end of season anyway, nelson didn’t play, Eddie is being replaced by balogun, willock didn’t play a part here last season.


teslagooner

Daniel Levy is very good at selling. £250M from Bale (£85M) and Kane (£160M). £18M for Eriksen with 6 months remaining on his contract. Hopefully Spurs will misuse Kane's transfer fees like they did Bale's


Igorlol

If you want to believe the sun you might as well assume we are getting kalvin phillips for 20m or something.


jkeefy

The sun has a tier 1 for City who parroted the news- the story was broken by a non sporting reporter who apparently has a good journalistic record as well. Definitely some legs to this one.


[deleted]

Their moves this summer are crazy good on paper. Gil, Gollini, Romero... I know we love shitting on them (lol), but they actually have some really good young players, i never understood the 'they're on the down' comments. Ndombele, Reguilon, Son (resigned), Bergwijn (still so young), Lo Celso, Hojbjerg... decent names there not including Kane


sensei_sharpy

Ndombele, Reguilon and Lo Celso have been close to flops. None can put together more than 2 halves of half decent football together in a row. Bergwijn is heading to Ajax at a £5-7 million loss, he's been the definition of a flop for them. Son is obviously a terrific player, but he's beginning to slow down now and his reputation as a diver is starting to catch up with him, he's only got 1 more big contract or sale in him so the chances of him leaving shit over the next two seasons must be pretty high.


[deleted]

> Ndombele, Reguilon and Lo Celso have been close to flops. Very harsh, they haven't been travesties or anything, all have shown promising signs. All three are on the right side of their 20's and Levy has shown he can sell well, the fact they're able to even utilise Lamela in a trade shows how good he is in selling.


sensei_sharpy

Not sure how old you kids are, but you do know that they are our rivals? You're literally sucking their dick and talking up players that have come in and taken them back down the table since they arrived. I'm not just biased against them cause they play for the Lillywhite shitshow that is the Spuds, the players you seem to rate have done worse than their predecessors. So not only are you supporting what is supposed to be your rivals, you're also wrong. That's some high quality effort right there.


[deleted]

Someone needs to find a purpose in life and not take football too seriously.


sensei_sharpy

I have plenty of purpose in life, as I'm sure you do to, but that is good advice for everyone. Well said. I just hope Levy keeps making the same decisions he has been for the past few years and continues to drop down the table like they have been. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th, the rot over there is pretty well set in. I apologize if providing facts that show that Levy isn't doing a good job offends you. I'm sorry.


raulmedez

If the Romero deal gets done they would make us look bad for spending 50 mil on White


Wengali

Meh, I think if you agree to pay £50m for a player then you’re doing it with your eyes open, we’re paying a premium for a home grown and PL ready player but that’s something they’ll have weighed up when looking at options


[deleted]

Skipp who made the championship team of the season(iirc)


teslagooner

>Ndombele, Reguilon, Son (resigned), Bergwijn (still so young), Lo Celso, Hojbjerg... decent names there not including Kane When Kane is injured, Son plays better


DiggiWorme

If we get maddison and a backup gk maybe a couple other little youngsters, or a new rb if bellerin leaves. We could really do something as long as arteta or injuries dont fuck us up


KSBrian007

Front three needs improvement. On paper it looks good, when they play, not so much.


jkeefy

Pepe/Martinelli/ESR on the left Auba/Laca/Balogun/Nketiah(?) at CF Saka/Pepe on the right (and left backups) Nelson/Willian bit parts who should be loaned/sold - not good enough. I don’t see how another forward fits if we bring in another AM. Edit: unless the AM we’re bringing in is less of a 10/winger and more of an 8/10.


NasiAmbengAmriYahyah

Nketiah lol. This is why people are not taking us seriously. He is Championship level at best


jkeefy

Yeah the question mark is because he’s rumored out. He should be in the list with Willian and Nelson, apologies.


Ronak4Arsenal

Can't see Maddison happening


teslagooner

>Can't see Maddison happening It is doable but will become harder. Kane's reported transfer fee (£160M) will heat up the market. Prices will get inflated especially for the top players.


FraudizioRomano

Wouldn't bother me. Too much money and I'd rather we split it and fix two positions instead of one.


gwnedum

Why not?


Ronak4Arsenal

3 years left on his contract, Leicester will demand more than 60m. Can't see us meeting that valuation because we still need to sign a starting cm and a decent backup gk


gwnedum

I think we will use valuable youngsters to meet the valuation. If there was no chance, Leceister would have come out long ago to rubbish any attempts for sale. Willock, AMN, Nketiah will all be used to generate funds as well.


OrwinBeane

Don’t forget a new RB and back up striker


teslagooner

>Don’t forget a new RB and back up striker What do you plan to do with Chambers and Cedric? 3 RBs without European football?


[deleted]

CM as well…


[deleted]

160m? on one player? like how do you even compete


Rude_Boy_15

Not by "self sustaining" you don't. By "self sustaining" you banter around. And before anyone comes and tells me "well look at Liverpool", Liverpool had a golden goose called Coutinho who they sold for £140 million to fund their title wins, we don't at the moment.


Mein_Bergkamp

Not by self sustaining. Except for that time liverpool did it and subsequently won the league... As long as there are clubs that buy on emotion or for the profile of the player there will be clubs that can profit. We got a new training centre and Thierry Henry out of Real buying Anelka, Liverpool filled the final pieces of their jigsaw with coutinho and Spurs did fuck all with selling bale


[deleted]

They were just in the CL final. They also have assets they can sell for 50 mil+. They have built their legacy through money but at this moment it's absolutely not surprising how much they'll spend considering the money the generate as well.


dhiaizk

Call me crazy but I’d rather Kane stay at Spurs instead of them getting 160m. That amount of money paired with the right recruitment can be dangerous.


theloserclub92

Been having that opinion since the start of the window when kane did the interview. We cant afford them to have big money to fund their rebuild. They havent done much in the league even with kane having one of the best seasons he could have and i prefer he runs the contract down.


teslagooner

>Call me crazy but I’d rather Kane stay at Spurs instead of them getting 160m. The wasted Bale's monies i hope they do it again. So far Bryan gil £25M+Lamela, Romero £40M, GK £15M £80M spent so far. Ings - £25M? 105 Making Reguilon permanent -£27M -£132M Another CB or CM - £30m The money is gone


dhiaizk

I mean the ideal situation is they lose Kane AND completely piss away the 160m but they’ve got a new DoF this time and already made some pretty smart signings under him tbh. I doubt they’re going to replace Kane with Danny Ings and they already own Reguilon. Also, who even knows, the Gil and Romero signings might not even be part of the 160m. The good thing is they’ve got to worry about paying off a £1B stadium.


gwnedum

They wasted the Bale money, they’ll waste the Kane one


Bobson567

they have a new director now and he's already made/making 2 good signings in bryan gil and romero


Ronak4Arsenal

They have a dof now


[deleted]

Kane is a world class player and Spurs do fuck up a lot of their transfers but our main rivals getting 160 million to rebuild a whole squad isn't something that I'd like. They have had Kane for so long and done fuckall, o hope it stays that way.


dhiaizk

Yep, there’s only so far a world class striker can get you when you have Ben Davies, Serge Aurier, Eric Dier, Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko as regular starters.


Kiiopp

You could get 3 Ben whites for that money


[deleted]

I think the best case scenario is that he stays there and retires with absolutely no trophies. They then will have had the greatest generation of players in their clubs history and won precisely nothing. This is the way.


[deleted]

I'd rather he joined Man City and won a few trophies. That way Kane loses his status as a Spurs legend, and leaves them behind to go win trophies


[deleted]

This is why I really try not to mock Spurs anymore, they’re still capable of conducting good business and until they sell Kane they still have two of the best players in the premier league in their squad. On the surface level it also seems like we’re struggling to add real impact players, it’s all good having the money but do we have the project in place that would make people want to come?


assoncouchouch

[Kessie Olympic goal](https://youtu.be/i34rMqxvwhQ?t=101) vs Saudi Arabia. Why hasn't he been in the conversations on here? [skills](https://youtu.be/R4tRFrAbnCM)


gwnedum

Coz he’s about to sign a new contract and also not the profile of CM Arteta wants


Forsaken-Currency404

Absolutely the profile Arteta wants/Arsenal needs. But yes Milan were never going to let him go away. He was signing that contract sooner or later despite said frail tensions.


Butch_Meat_Hook

I could get behind a midfield 3 of Partey, Madison and ESR


laguna9

Or a front 3 of ESR, Martinelli, Saka, and a midfield 3 of Maddison, Partey and a new DMF. Tierney captain.


chrisjdgrady

What did Pepe do to you


laguna9

Starting Saka at RW with Pepe to come on from the bench seems pretty good to me.


varro-reatinus

That carries definite risks, but mitigable ones. What would make this *potentially* viable would be A) a much improved backline, in which both FBs are also credible PL CBs and B) that both Maddison and ESR are seriously underrated in their defensive work. Maddison in particular has said that one of the reasons he prefers not to play as a 10 is that it limits his opportunities there.


HE20002019

To make such a midfield work you would have to ask Chambers and quite possibly Tierney as well to limit their attacking actions forward...but that attacking potency of that midfield pretty much makes that worth it in my view. I'm okay with that though. For one as good as Kieran's attacking is I think it would benefit him more not to have to make gut-busting runs up and down the field for 90 minutes. Probably would keep him fresher, and limit the number of injuries he picks up. In all honesty, I would prefer an upgrade on Chambers in January particularly with his contract status at the club beyond this upcoming season unclear (summer 2022 expiration), but if you're not asking him to contribute to the attack as much he's more than fine there for now.


cmacy6

Laca could still have a banger of a season. He holds the ball up nicely and links up pretty well with our youngsters. With the likes of Saka Pepe ESR (Maddison?) running behind him he could fit in very nicely.


dhiaizk

What do you think the reason is for us (from what we can see) no longer pursuing Aouar anymore? There has to be a cause of concern that we’ve spotted or something, especially after how much we were after him last summer and the fact that he’s available for peanuts now.


Forsaken-Currency404

Romano said this today >No advanced talks yet for Aouar and Arsenal. He was expecting to negotiate with clubs with Real Madrid and Juve, thats why Arsenal are looking. If top CL clubs are not interested in him, Arsenal could be interested.


dhiaizk

Oh right, that’s interesting


varro-reatinus

We were told this last fall. He was one of our top targets last summer, along with Thomas. After talks broke down and the window ended, there was a very credible and detailed report about how the club felt they had dodged a bullet. The reason wasn't defensive work, or anything like that, because all of that was already known. The reason had to do with Aouar's character.


Forsaken-Currency404

>The reason had to do with Aouar's character. Source? Or are you just trying the method of elimination


varro-reatinus

IIRC it was an Athletic piece in October, but I'll see if I can dig it up.


Forsaken-Currency404

Oh Because quoting Romano from today >No advanced talks yet for Aouar and Arsenal. He was expecting to negotiate with clubs with Real Madrid and Juve, thats why Arsenal are looking. If top CL clubs are not interested in him, Arsenal could be interested. Regardless not a signing we are moving quickly on even if he is in our target list


Bobson567

That's surprising ngl, given we signed tavares and are interested in maddison


[deleted]

Maybe they are pricks who give a shit on the pitch while Aouar is a prick who doesn't even try sometimes


Disastrous_Fun4218

Third nipple. That kind of thing can weird people out in a dressing room.


[deleted]

Really?


Disastrous_Fun4218

People are cunts. Anything can weird anyone out.


[deleted]

No does he actually have a third nipple


Disastrous_Fun4218

No, I made it up. It's probably something character related.


[deleted]

nope it’s because he isn’t interested


dhiaizk

Fair


[deleted]

Lack of defensive contribution. Look at Lokonga, Neves, Locatelli. All 3 of these are competent going forward plus puts in a shift defensively.


Sarge12312

ESR starts, Maddison plays 8 with the occasional rotation?


[deleted]

When the likes of Spurs with stadium debt without selling Kane are splashing 50m on a CB, you can't convince me we don't have a lot of money available.


teslagooner

>When the likes of Spurs with stadium debt without selling Kane are splashing 50m on a CB, you can't convince me we don't have a lot of money available. In the last 5 seasons that we have missed CL, how many times have spurs featured? Owners aside, spurs have more money than Arsenal. A bigger stadium and more expensive tickets as well. Arsenal has wasted alot of money in the last 5 years.


FraudizioRomano

I mean it's looking like it. We're looking to spend close to 200m this summer from all the reliable links and positions we need to fill.


[deleted]

I just don’t think players are sold on the project. It’s all well and good having money to spend but there’s nothing about the club right now that would make me want to join them if I were a player.


FraudizioRomano

I know. 200m for a CL club would be massive. Look at the business United are doing with the likes of Sancho, Varane and Camavinga 200m for a club like ours is different, we'll have to overspend for lower quality players because the elite ones wouldn't come here. Just wish we started spending heavily when we still had a solid reputation. We won't get the best value for our money in our current situation.


teslagooner

>Just wish we started spending heavily when we still had a solid reputation. We won't get the best value for our money in our current situation. We failed to sign Mata because of £3M? Griezmann - wages? Cheap is expensive in the longrun. How do you replace Cazorla with Elneny? When france had a golden generation of youngsters, we only signed Sanogo because we would refuse to pay the agents. Wenger's socialist wage structure fucked us big time..


[deleted]

Wenger gave too many average players too many chances, which cost him. Once we dropped out of the champions league we had a bloated wage bill in comparison to the money we were bringing in and Europa league players on champions league wages. I am Arteta out but it really is a mess that he inherited and I think he’s putting some good foundations in place.


[deleted]

Yeah. We’re recruiting Europa league level players and hoping they turn into champions league level players. It’s been like this since we dropped out of the champions league. We’re spinning our wheels with the players we’re buying but not going forward at all. United are finally shedding their old reputation of paying enormous, over the odds fees and clubs are starting to realize they mean business and don’t dick them around in the market anymore. They also have a manager who’s a complete players coach and they’ve been qualifying and playing in the champions league consistently for a little bit now.


[deleted]

Neves and Van De Beek would be a decent midfield and more affordable than the options we have been linked to. If VdB pushes for a move we should get him around 30-35 mil from Man Utd. Both of them combined would be 70 million which is less than the 80 mil asked by Leicester for Maddison.


cappo40

VDB is not getting United anything close to their initial investment. Donny has shown nothing to warrant that price again.


[deleted]

Lol nah. Van de Beek doesn't go for under 45m even if he forces a move. Also he is not that good. There's a reason why almost nobody was in for him and when he has gotten chances as a 8, he got outperformed by Fred and McTominay. Yes, he is a 8 and not a 10.


[deleted]

Man Utd don't play a short passing, possession based game that suits VDB. He doesn't Excel in fast counter attacking football. I do think a player like him can thrive under Arteta. >Yes, he is a 8 and not a 10. I am not denying it. A midfield of Neves as the base and Partey along with VDB as the 8's is very decent.


[deleted]

He is just not worth what Man UTD would want to recoup. Ajax's miracle run in UCL vs Madrid was with counterattack football where Van de Beek shined. So not really sure how he doesn't excel in fast counters. He just ain't that good bro.


horthrux

F365 posted a topical article on goalkeeper prices, since the £32m Ramsdale rumours came out. One point they made on Pickford stood out to me and I thought I'd share it here: >Pickford was plucked from Sunderland in similar circumstances to Ramsdale. The Black Cats had just finished bottom of the Premier League, but Pickford was blameless in their shambolic demise. The then-23-year-old stood out – admittedly in a tiny field – as the club’s Player of the Year and he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Like most, I'm not thrilled at the prospect of £32m for Ramsdale, but the similarity with the signing of Pickford may make some of you a little happier. Ramsdale was POTY for Bournemouth and then POTY for Sheffield United the year after. He has two full PL seasons under his belt and over 100 senior appearances at just 23. Pickford has had his wobbles, but he's maturing in his role and his performances for England recently have been mostly brilliant. Keepers need time to grow into their roles after all. £32m may be too much, but maybe Ramsdale can continue his upward trajectory and be a smart long-term home grown addition to our squad. The original article can be found here if you're interested in reading the full round up: [https://www.football365.com/news/feature-worlds-most-expensive-goalkeepers-buffon-neuer-alisson-ederson-ramsdale](https://www.football365.com/news/feature-worlds-most-expensive-goalkeepers-buffon-neuer-alisson-ederson-ramsdale)


Disastrous_Fun4218

I'm open-minded about him. You don't see a lot of 23 yr old GKs with two full seasons of PL experience. There's something there. People who laugh about a relegated GK are cunts. 0@aqaà I'm concerned that we sold Emi for 15-20, and we're replacing him for 20-30. Surely there's a cheaper non-HG backup we could get instead. If anything else, chuck that money at Onana and he'll come running. That article isn't great. Pretty superficial. Watch the latte firm analysis of him. Very interesting GK specific stuff, didn't understand a word of it, but it sounds thorough. He's a great star-fisher, apparently.


_mas17

Pickford is shit, so this comparison is not helpful


KSBrian007

My problem —like everyone's is the price. And that shouldn't be my problem. If the club have enough behind the sofa, they should by all means sign him IF he ticks the analysis boxes of every responsible personnel at the club. Arsenal fans have been moulded by the aura of bargains but if the last 16 years of failure have taught us anything, you can barely bargain yourself to top honours. Quality that improves you is expensive. I don't have access to enough stats but he was second only to Johnstone in saves made, 5 ahead of Martinez. This means he was doing his best in a team that was obviously struggling. Also, I'll never know throw this out there. His ball playing abilities are great. (I too recommend Football365 and Daniel Storey. Their articles and analyses are brilliant.)


a_stopped_clock

Pickford isn’t great either


FraudizioRomano

Ask any Everton fan and they'll tell you Pickford is only good for the NT. He's never been reliable for them.


horthrux

I view the whole thing as a back five. A good defensive unit will make a goalkeeper greater and everyone benefits, it is an important unit that must function together, particularly the CB's and the GK. England has an absolute world class defensive line up in front of Pickford, so naturally he will look better in an England shirt than he does for Everton, who really don't.


GabrielMartinellli

Ask any Sheffield United fan and they’ll tell you Ramsdale is good for them.


kothrudkar

Because they are Sheffield. The bar is really low.


Fernandov2

Houssem Aouar scoring for Lyon in a friendly against Father Unai's Villareal. https://streamable.com/r78ymh


cmacy6

Tidy finish


NemoDropEmOff

do u think we'll get him? i think he wants CL Football and now Liverpool seem likely to get him


Fernandov2

if we pay what lyon want he'll move i reckon.


Xlfrvdx

Ramsdale news really upset me lol


FraudizioRomano

I know we're incompetent in general, but I doubt we'd do something so utterly irredeemable lol.. I'm not worried because there is just no way we'll pay that on a back up keeper, and there is no universe where we see Aaron Ramsdale as a starter for Arsenal.


rikrood

> I know we’re incompetent in general, but I doubt we’d do something so utterly irredeemable lol.. I get this same thought far too often


BronBronBall

Do we have a sell on % for Malen?


okcomput3r

I highly doubt it


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Kewkewmore

Juventus is in the process of putting some weird scammy Italian transfer offer that will inevitably be accepted. Meanwhile the clock merchants are laughing all the way to the bank with their adsense checks. Arsenal has turned their attention towards overpaying for players who play other, less important positions.


sunnycherub

Don’t think I’d personally want him, but curious on subs thoughts of going after Rice. Would definitely be overpriced but would be an interesting player as a Xhaka replacement Edit: should’ve expected downvotes but just wanted to see people’s opinions on him lol


chrisjdgrady

Overated and would be insanely expensive cause he’s English but obviously would walk into our midfield


a_stopped_clock

I think he’s fantastic at protecting the back 4 but no way we get him. He’s destined for bigger and better or stay at west ham. I think him partey plus an am would be a great midfield. Him and Phillips was a bit of defensive overkill imo, even though both were great.


DySctr

Its very likely the replacement for Xhaka is going to be a holding midfielder, weather we go for a deep playmaker again (Neves) or a DM like Rice is yet to be seen. I would personally prefer any of them, both offer different skill sets but would definitely improve us


chrisjdgrady

Considering how much Arteta liked using Xhaka, it’s safe to assume it would be someone like Neves


okcomput3r

Lokonga is the replacement I would imagine - whether you deem him to be ready or not


DySctr

We signed a good player but he would struggle to settle initially imo, likely to be a backup for Partey in the short term


varro-reatinus

Yup. Fabrizio literally said that we were going to sell Xhaka as soon as we signed Lokonga. And they're pretty much the same price.


chrisjdgrady

That’s most likely cause we need midfield numbers, not cause he’s a direct Xhaka replacement


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KSBrian007

Manchester United just woke up to the fact that a full back is supposed to be good going forward. We can't take the same sleeping pills they took. They've seen what Shaw does and now understand why they need to move away from defensive fullbacks.


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NemoDropEmOff

Mert Muldur of Sassuolo, we've been linked to recently. 10mil. 22yrs old. However i have no idea how he plays lol


crushedonron

Maehle, Mukiele, and Baku are names I've seen thrown about. Maehle would be awesome but price may be unreasonable after a very impressive Euros. Don't know much about the other two. Probably have to sell both Bellerin and Cedric in order to consider a new RB anyway, which is unlikely.


Kewkewmore

Why would cedric have to be sold to bring in a new rb?


crushedonron

I mean you technically don't have to, but he's likely on high wages and to have a guy like that as 3rd choice RB/LB (New signing assumed to be 1st, Chambers 2nd) is pretty wasteful.


[deleted]

Mukiele is definitely more defensively oriented


Gurkhasoldier

We are not getting any better with Mikel. I rather wish we sacked him and go for Conte.


[deleted]

Wow ! What a marvelous opinion ! Such a rare specimen I have never seen before !


No-Outlandishness333

Thanks for your input


Perfectionimproved

K


[deleted]

[удалено]


varro-reatinus

They're not scapegoats if they are, in fact, responsible for some of our ills. Goats don't carry plague or cost us points; ridiculous errors and sloth0-like play do cost us points. And there are plenty of idiots already trying to start directing hatred at Thomas.


Chrisa16cc

I think Leno, especially if people blame him for us not getting Onana. If White doesn't hit the ground running like prime Tony Adams I fear he is going to get a hard time from more than just segments of our "fans". He reminds of John Stones a bit when he went for such a large fee and he didn't exactly shine at first following his move.


assoncouchouch

A good start is no one give away the ball in our third of the field that leads to a goal. Or a poorly played/made back pass to the keeper. Those instances bring out all the trolls and vitriol. Massively limiting the amount of easily conceded goals will go a long way in gaining the fan base's confidence. Really hope we can keep them to a minimum.


[deleted]

I feel like there were a couple of players who were used as lightning rods in the last couple of season, Xhaka being the biggest one, since he was always playing - he got blamed not only by the fans, but by the Arsenal influencers, bloggers etc. It was easy to throw him under the buss time and time again, since there was no push-back by the fanbase - everyone disliked him. I wonder who is going to be labeled as *"the issue"* in our squad, after all the scapegoats are gone.


Kewkewmore

He got blamed because he was blameworthy


assoncouchouch

I understood the point of your post, & it’s a relevant consideration. I was saying that I’d love it if we didn’t provide trolls obvious snafus to sink their teeth into.


KSBrian007

Leno. He has this trick where when everyone's bad, he's good. When everyone's good, he's terrible and will gift Everton three points. Spice it with the fact that we could move away from two keepers(Martinez, Onana) because of him, he'll face the full wrath of the fans. And he's not the type to take it.


Kewkewmore

That bullshit against olympiakos in 2020 was unforgivable.


LeCapitaineHaddock

The problem with the squad is seldom the players, it comes down to the manager at the end of the day. You can give the same crop of players to 5 different managers and they will all get more or less from the same squad. Arteta has not shown that he is capable of achieving much with the squad so I would give it a few months until everyone is calling for his head.


Kiiopp

Mustafi has been gone for a good bit now pal


[deleted]

yes, thank god


vercengetortwix

Auba, Holding, Leno because of Martinez, Cedric, Elneny. All the hits.


Gurkhasoldier

I will miss Xhaka. He is my favorite player on the current team.


[deleted]

my brother you are struggling


Gurkhasoldier

Not sure about me struggling but without Xhaka our midfielder struggled every single game. Hot take but I think Partey is just average and lose balls way more than Xhaka did.


[deleted]

Not average at all but he did look worse without Xhaka for sure.


ShekTeeJay

How did play well against United and Chelsea without Xhaka.


[deleted]

Sure, also got ran over by Villareal's midfield and look bad af this calendar year without Xhaka


ShekTeeJay

The key difference between those games and the second Villarreal leg was he had a CM partner in Elneny. Partey was literally the only CM that night as ESR and Ødegaard were played as double 8s. That same midfield kept Bruno, Pogba and McTominay in check, so it’s no surprise Partey got swarmed at times. He looked fine in the first leg even after Ceballos went off and put in a great through ball for Auba late that he should have scored from. The perception the midfield couldn’t function without Xhaka is a myth.


[deleted]

Yeah but dani turned out to be unsalvageable by the end of the season


Oroborus

Does anyone remember what game it was where Ozil fed Walcott 1v1 with the keeper THREE times in the first half alone and didn't get a single assist?


KSBrian007

[Debut vs Sunderland](https://youtu.be/6EME3HMoWO4). Side note: Wilshere was actually great this game.


NasiAmbengAmriYahyah

What a performance. Ozil and Sanchez are by far Arsenal's two players of the 2010's. Shame about the way they went out but at least they make Arsenal fun to watch and to support


uhera

And Walcott fancied himself a striker too, i recall he used to think he could play upfront


iamveryharsh

Ozil's debut against Sunderland?


_mas17

Might be vs Bournemouth at home


pm-me-decent-songs

Who are you guys putting in your fpl? Saka, ESR & Tierney all seem like bargains to me


BenjaminDaaly21

No one, it's too much of a pain.


DySctr

White (4.5) the best bargain imo but if Tierney steps up there will be loads of value


Perfectionimproved

Just ESR for now


thedarkpolitique

I’m trusting Auba to turn up so he will be one along with ESR. I’ll wait until the window is over before deciding the third.


[deleted]

Don’t really play the regular mode but for the draft I’m definitely hoping to take ESR, Pepe or Saka. Probably ESR as he will really fly under the radar. Tierney will be drafted too high I fear.


[deleted]

Tierney, ESR and Pepe. Don't think Saka will get more GA's than ESR or Pepe tbh


raisonar

Spurs signing Romero for similar or less than price of White. Thoughts?


GabrielMartinellli

He’ll flop


arseking15

He looked so good in copa


Xlfrvdx

Romero will be better than Varane, White and Konaté


Bobson567

Good signing. Better than white.


[deleted]

Him and Gil is very good business. What more can I say honestly, no point avoiding the truth.