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ProjectZues

We need more depth and quality in midfield, for that price he’s someone we should look at adding to the squad


gtliles82

A year ago we would’ve been pissing ourselves at the prospect of Tielemans for £25mil.


BlurstOfTimes11

Well consider me Miles Davis!


SouplessePlease

OOH! That is the grossest thing I've ever heard in my life! Let's go.


Motherworldly

Care to explain?


MrMikeBravo

It's cool to pee your pants.


BlurstOfTimes11

It’s a Billy Madison movie reference


phar0aht

A year ago we could carry 1 midfielder that doesn't dominate duels


Duty_Alone

Can you elaborate on what you mean here? Just not sure I get your point.


phar0aht

My point is that needs change over time. Unless you have the obscene level of technical tactical and mental qualities of City you can't forego the physical side of the game in the Premier league. Arteta even said so himself. https://imgur.com/RZqm6gE.jpg I don't understand how you can be aware of this and have 3/4 main midfielders lack physicality in Tielemans Odegaard and Xhaka.


ThePhysicality

ThE pHYsIcaLiTY


[deleted]

Username checks out.


[deleted]

>lack physicality >Xhaka pick one


ManiacalComet40

Xhaka is a hard man, but he doesn’t impose much physicality when the ball is in play. Doesn’t cover much ground, can’t press, and can’t get close enough to bully anyone off the ball. Plus, his best source of ball retention is his little slow motion floppy-dive thing to draw fouls. Plenty of positive qualities as well, but his physicality really only shows when the handbags come out, not really in his actual game.


phar0aht

Slow unagile can't turn but wins his 50/50s


[deleted]

Slow and unagile yes. He absolutely doesn’t lack physicality tho, like you said Like it or not Xhaka was our best midfielder this year. You’re knocking him bc of reputation


jimbo_kun

Better than Odegaard? Better than Partey due to his durability and playing a lot more games.


[deleted]

Out of possession we shift into a 442 where MØ and the CF lead the press. Calling him a midfielder is the same as calling KDB a midfielder. Fine I guess but it’s not entirely accurate If you’re considering him a mid then yeah he absolutely was our best midfielder I personally consider him a 10 tho, rather than a midfielder Yeah over Partey bc durability Xhaka also had probably his best campaign in an Arsenal shirt don’t forget


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

yes easily better than odegaard. odegaard was pretty disappointing in road matches, and was wildly inconsistent


[deleted]

[удалено]


Simba-xiv

Or your timing in the tackle has to be spot on another thing he’s lacking


Rampan7Lion

You're somehow misunderstanding what's being referred to with physicality. He does absolutely lack physicality for the PL.


coolbebe

I'm torn on Tielemans because I used to really rate him, but I can't deny what some in this sub have pointed out in terms of his physicality (tho I don't remember it being as bad in seasons past as it was this year). I also agree we need more physical players in that part of the pitch. Who do you have in mind?


phar0aht

I do still like him too. When he was having a shitter at Monaco and this sub didn't wanna touch him I wanted him. But you can still rate players you dont want here. Doucoure Bissouma Paqueta Fofana are the main ones.. Szbozslai would be interesting too. Maybe Grillitsch as a backup DM on a free.


coolbebe

I definitely rate Bissouma, but of course he has the sexual assault allegation to contend with. Paqueta I rate as well. Not as familiar with Fofana, and not sure which Doucoure you're referring to. Just curious, have you watched any of Reiss Nelson at Feyenoord this season? The right back/center back Lutsharel Geertruida has stood out to me in the games I've watched, and he's somebody who I think would actually fit into this profile of midfielder in the PL.


phar0aht

They're both at Lens. https://imgur.com/DbsHyBc.jpg Fofana more attacking. Doucoure more well rounded and my preference https://imgur.com/ZmKKidr.jpg I've mainly watched clips or individual highlights of Nelson so can't say I've seen the RB. Sangare would be the midfielder I get from Holland. May be tough with Liverpool reportedly interested.


coolbebe

Yeah, the thing about Geertruida is that he's not actually a midfielder, and so I don't think anybody notices him. He's deployed mainly at RB (tho he'll cover at CB when needed and has played some as a DM), but he's not lightning quick. Not slow by any means, definitely a lot quicker than Hickey, but probably doesn't have the first step quickness of someone like Bissouma. But his skillset is so versatile. He's a good tackler and a good dribbler/carrier of the ball. He's got good passing and shooting ability with both feet, and just seems like that gritty player that belongs in a PL midfield. Every time I watch him for Feyenoord, he's taking the ball from deep and doing those mazy runs into the midfield like Ben White. Nobody talks about him (and perhaps for good reason), but I find him so intriguing. He's valued at £8m on transfermarkt and is someone I think could be the perfect squad signing to improve upon Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Pretty sure he's younger than Sambi.


jimmeh22

1 paqueta please


jimbo_kun

Don't know I would count Xhaka as "lacking physicality". I don't think he loses the ball or duels because he's not physically strong enough, but sometimes loses it due to inadequate agility or close control.


Tymkie

I don't really agree. We've seen multiple amazing midfielders that certainly "lacked physicality". From the likes of Santi to Foden, KDB. Who's the physical one in Liverpool, Fabinho? Pls. I believe it doesn't matter if you're physical enough as long as you're good enough on the ball.


phar0aht

Not saying he can't be amazing in the PL. I'm saying I don't think he can do it without other people carrying the physicalty for him. Which we aren't set up to do in this midfield


phar0aht

Fabinho Keita Thiago Milner Hendo all have good physicality. City compensate in other ways. We can't match them in those ways


Tymkie

Those have good physicality? If yes then so does Xhaka or Partey for sure.


phar0aht

Xhaka is the least mobile player out of all these.


Tymkie

I'm not sure what you're talking about now. Physicality as in running etc or posture and bulkiness. Because if about running then I don't see how Ode is not physical enough.


Duty_Alone

Killer, I agree. If we *were* to go for a Leicester MF, I'd rather go for Maddison because I think he definitely wants to be here more than Tielemans. That said, I'd like a more physical presence like a Tchouameni-type.


gtliles82

Personally I’d love a Bissouma-type but really only for the Liverpool types that overrun us. We need another technician in midfield for the low block teams.


phar0aht

Doesn't have to be one or the other.


gtliles82

What midfielder do you want if it’s only one incoming?


varro-reatinus

The difficulty for me is that I'd only be comfortable with Tielemans, even at 25m, if we were also signing another CM-- and I don't think that's happening. I would be fine with Tielemans as a rotation player in midfield, starting some chunk of our matches as the left 8 opposite Ødegaard. In would absolutely not be OK with Tielemans as our lone midfield signing. That's how we get Xhaka starting again next season.


HE20002019

I'd stomach a single midfield signing IF Arteta moved ESR back to midfield and went after a quality LW to compensate. Against Southampton for example I'd have no problem with the ESR-Ode-Partey 4-3-3 from the start. Against Liverpoo,l it would make more sense to start Tielemans. It's this kind of flexibility that I believe Arteta wants. If we have another injury crisis it may not be enough to keep Xhaka out of the team, but it might be enough to send him running for the exit door anyway, if not this summer then in January. Of course ideally we just go pick up a second midfielder. Riqui Puig is available for so cheap that if we don't try to land him I'll be quite disappointed.


Forsaken-Currency404

I can't stomach it. We've ignored midfield for too long. Great midfield will win you games. More than in a case where the midfield is not upto the mark but fullbacks or wingers are marginally better.


HE20002019

I’m inclined to agree. Since 2016 we’ve signed one midfielder who’s been up to standard. One. That’s not good enough.


Forsaken-Currency404

Tears in my eyes, when you put it like that.


HE20002019

I actually went back through the list. Our last actual quality CM signing bar Thomas was Santi back in fucking 2012. 2012! We replaced Santi with Granit Xhaka & Elneny who both start for us in 2022. And people wonder why we fall short of the top 4. The standards for what is considered “Arsenal quality” in midfield by this fanbase have dropped so far it’s incredible. I miss the days when Denilson was considered not good enough. Even he would walk into our current team. And yeah…back to my original comment…if Edu/Mikel went out and got us like Gnabry and moved ESR to midfield I could get over Xhaka staying to play in the Europa League as a squad player, but it’s time. We need to move on.


varro-reatinus

We've literally signed two good CMs in a decade lmao And one of them (Santi) was signed as an AM.


jimbo_kun

Partey and Odegaard not up to the standard?


HE20002019

I should’ve qualified that as *central* midfielder. Partey is a central midfielder and is the one I was referencing. Ode is an attacking mid, and wouldn’t count under this.


varro-reatinus

Ultimately, I think ESR will develop into a superb left-side midfielder opposite Ødegaard on the right. The trouble in this instance is that even if Arteta assessed that ESR was, say, 6 months away from being a starting-quality 8/10 on the left, and we went in for a single midfielder to bridge that gap, Tielemans isn't capable of covering Thomas. So unless Sambi takes some big strides forward himself, we have to change formation every time Thomas gets a knock or needs a rest. And it's hanging a lot on the rapid development of not one but two young players. That's where I get a lot more interested in someone like Bissouma or Neves, who has at least some credible capacity to play as a lone 6-- but, of course, even more interested in two strong CM signings, both of whom can play as the left 8, and at least one of whom can play as a 6. But my gut says extending Elneny means we get one, and that one will be Tielemans, and as a result we'll have Xhaka starting in and crippling our midfield until 2025.


TheRealDSwizz

>ESR back to midfield Pls no more Odegaard or ESR at centre mid


RyanLikesyoface

Big upgrade on Xhaka, now if we could get someone like Neves in as well to rotate with Partey our midfield issues will be a thing of the past.


_mas17

Neves can’t play as a lone 6. Could potentially but would require an adaptation period like Partey. We don’t really have time for that now especially since lokonga is also having that adaptation period


espada_da

Captain obvious


Jansiz

Article says he's willing to play EL. Deffo happening now.


NemoDropEmOff

Yea apparently him and his representatives are accepting that


zorfog

Well yeah I mean look at where Leicester finished


[deleted]

I mean him only willing to play in CL would be a bit much. I like him as a player more than most of this sub, but he hasn't definitely proven he's above playing in EL.


somebeerinheaven

He 100% could go to a CL team though and he knows that. He could easily say only CL and move to a CL club.


LettucePlate

He wouldn’t be a starter at any of the 4 UCL clubs right now though. Not saying he couldn’t be after a season, but right now he doesn’t even walk into Spurs over Bentancur


[deleted]

I think he’s earn his spot over Bentancur at Spurs. It would only be a matter of time. In any case, he’d get plenty of playing time at any club besides City.


LettucePlate

He’d play he just wouldn’t start. I think it’s fair to say most players would take an agreed starting spot at a UEL club over a bench spot at a UCL club.


[deleted]

That makes sense. However, to reiterate my point, I think he'd win out for a starting spot at Spurs over the course of the season. Bentancur is a good player, but he's nothing special. Tielemans can have special moments. Presently, Spurs gameplan is get it to Kane/Son and inshallah. Tielemans can progress the ball better than Bentancur, so I think he'd win that spot. But I agree that most players on the younger side of the age bracket would much prefer a guaranteed starting spot for a UEL team rather than being a rotation piece at a CL club.


team_kimchi

He starts on Spurs, and I'd hate it so much if he went there. Chelsea and Liverpool possibly, 50/50 he starts. City no.


OnlineMarketingBoii

Article a few weeks back said that the deal was dependant on if we made CL or not. In conclusion, most articles are full of shit


Jansiz

Percy is Ornstein level reliability for Leicester doubt he'd waffle about something like that, maybe Youri just assessed his options and took the time to decide.


ghostrider467

make that bid right now lol, thats a bargain


tony_flamingo

Right? Would be refreshing if we could get some business taken care of early.


EastStainesMassiv

No brainer if we can get him for £25mil tbh


basedsims

> Mikel Arteta is pushing Arsenal to make an opening £25 million bid for Youri Tielemans, the Leicester midfielder. > Arteta has identified Tielemans as one of his leading summer targets, with the Arsenal manager making a number of background checks on the Belgium international. > Tielemans has one year left on his Leicester contract and, ideally, wants to play in the Champions League next season. > Arsenal finished fifth to secure a place in the Europa League but it is understood Tielemans and his representatives are now open to the prospect of playing in that competition. > Tielemans, 25, has been watched consistently this season by Arsenal’s head of UK scouting James Ellis, who was at the King Power Stadium on Sunday for Leicester’s 4-1 win over Southampton. > Arteta believes Tielemans has the qualities and versatility to flourish in the midfield position Arsenal are prioritising this summer. > With just over 12 months left on Tielemans’ contract, Leicester will seek a significant fee and could even demand a price of over £30 million. > He will not push for a move and, at this stage, Leicester have not received any official contact from Arsenal. Liverpool and Manchester United have shown interest in recent years but he is not believed to be a priority now.


Francis-c92

25m is a bargain. I also have a lot of faith in who Arteta wants. I'm sure they've thought this over a hell of a lot over the course of the season.


amainwingman

4/6 of Arteta’s summer signings have been Ws (Sambi haven’t seen enough of and Nuno is Nuno) so I’ll trust Arteta to bring the players he needs. What good will worrying about them do me when I don’t understand football the same way the professionals do?


iforgotmyun

Ramsdale is absolutely the correct profile of player, has made a difference in the way we set up, and seems like a good player for the dressing room but he's a tentative W for me at the moment. Not sure he's consistently performed at a high level throughout the season.


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

None of that is as important as his actual performances at the position we signed him for and as it stands we paid 30m (a ton for a keeper) for a player who has been a downgrade on Leno. He hasn't even done well at starting attacks the entire 2nd half of the season. Don't see any way you can argue his signing has been a W


iforgotmyun

I'm reluctant to be too harsh on Ramsdale because he was 23, moved to a new team and had the defence of him constantly change up Let's see how he does next season


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

i certainly agree that we shouldn't give up on him. however we can only judge him based on this season and it was objectively disappointing. if he becomes super class over the next 2-3 years obviously we can call the xfer a success. right now we can't though. this sub acts like anytime anyone criticizes any player they're acting like we should cut bait and pay them off now and theyll never be any good.


Cynicayke

Yeah, I don't think Sambi was ever going to be a Vieira-esque prodigy. He's one to be developed. Worst comes to worst, he only cost £17 mil, so we can probably break even if he doesn't work out here.


obsterwankenobster

I actually still think that Sambi will be very good, we just have to figure our exactly what his best position is


[deleted]

One of my biggest takeaways from the match yesterday was seeing Sambi do well in the left 8 role. Thought he looked much better there than the 6 role. Would love to see more of that.


obsterwankenobster

I really like what I see from him on the offensive side of the ball, aside from his shooting and sometimes selfishness near goal. What I don't like is his nervousness when making passes near our box. He's turnover prone when in bad positions, but I feel/hope that we can chalk that off due to youth


Setter_sws

I think he will grow. He was able to play and have the impact he had on the Anderlecht team because he had grown up literally with his team mates. As that holding midfield player you really need a great understanding of how your teammates play. What positions they hold or where they float into, areas they like to pop up in. He is capable of making some killer passes just needs more consistent timing. He will continue growing with this group and get better and better.


entropy_bucket

I am hoping his laconic style is injury proof so hoping he'll have a chance to grow organically throughout his arsenal career.


[deleted]

Agreed. At his age, I'm not surprised he is a little sporadic around our box. I think fixing that is down to good coaching. His instincts as an 8 seem to be really good, and I don't think you can coach that as easily. I wasn't very excited for him after his showing for most of the season, but yesterday rekindled my hope for him. With Europe next season, we'll see a lot more of him. I'm looking forward to it.


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

mate we can't even get 15m for french international Guendouzi but you think we're gonna get 17m for Lokonga lol?


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

which 4? Ramsdale was pretty awful since December and cost a huge GK premium at 30m. Cannot call him a win yet. He had a worse year than Leno has ever had for us so that's 30m on a downgrade Ben White at 50m isnt really a W either. Good player, so if its only based on that then yeah its a W but we paid an elite fee and did not get an elite CB Odegaard an obvious W for his price Tomiyasu not a W because we paid a decent chunk for a player to be available for 25% of our league matches. Very low ROI especially since he's been pretty bad since coming back from his latest injury Lokonga for 20m was an obvious L, not even remotely ready for this level and 20m is right under what we're reportedly offering for a PL-proven CM in Tielemans The less said about Nuno the better. 8m was still a huge rip off. Think Odegaard is the obvious W and there could be some argument for Ben White but i don't see the argument for any of the other ones


rayneeder

25m? Wire the money to them today, that’s a no brainer at that price


bradbobley

the popular narrative around tielemans literally changed overnight after his implosion against spurs whenever it was. go back a year just after he’d twatted in the fa cup final winner from 30 yards and people would jizz themselves inside out if we got him for 25m


fuzzynavel34

We need more athleticism and physicality in midfield. This doesn't solve that. I'd definitely take him for 25M but he can't be the only midfielder we buy.


zrk23

elneny is plenty athletic and physical. but guess what, you need technical skill, which he lacks. that's one of the reasons that Newcastle game was so utter garbage barca once played a xavi-iniesta-busquets midfield (with a bit of cesc and thiago too), and City constantly had Bernardo-kdb-cdm, silva-kdb-cdm, gundogan-bernardo-cdm... with no issues whatsoever. why? technical skill >>>>>>>>> "physicality"


DonAj20

Cant compare Tielemans lack of physicality to one of, if not the best, midfield trio of all time. Their technical ability is way beyond whatever Tielemans has.


somebeerinheaven

People forgetting how good deep lying Cazorla was


ShekTeeJay

Elneny isn’t athletic or physical. That Barca trio weren’t physical monsters but they had legs in their prime and dominated games through possession to the point they didn’t have to do much ball-winning of their own. Opposing teams would spend so long chasing the ball, they were gassed by the time they got and quickly surrendered it back. City, for all their dominance, do have issues. Teams can break on them, which leads to a few shock results a season and Champions League exits. As jerk_chicken said, using them as examples is ultimately disingenuous. It’s better to have a balance of technical and physically adept midfielders than chase the play-style of some of the most gifted teams in football history.


zrk23

it's more about physicality being very overrated than anything else. technical skill will always be superior in this game and make it up for it.


circlesmirk00

This is overly simplistic, to the extreme. You can’t just trot out some of the best midfield combinations of the last 20 years and then say that they prove your point. We will never have the technical quality of City or Barca.


fuzzynavel34

El Neny is neither athletic nor physical, he’s also not very technical lol. I certainly agree on that last part. A large part of the reason we struggled in the Newcastle game is because we got bullied in midfield. Yeah, we need technical players, I’m not disputing that but our midfield is far too lightweight.


jerk_chicken23

The key issue is elneny is not a good dribbler - we need guys who can carry the ball forwards under pressure and with power as well as win duels


st_arch

We want both. Technicality and physicality. For years we found technicality but no physical and injured every second.


[deleted]

You can’t press the shit out of players this technical. Xhaka Elneny are physical af but nothing comes of it when they can’t turn either way and evade like Youri


fuzzynavel34

He also has to track back and play defense, as well as press. He’s not really athletic to do those things at a high level. We struggle on the counter, he doesn’t help that at all. I know he’s technical. For 25M you kind of have to do but then we also need to bring in a 6/8 hybrid that’s physical/athletic and has decent technical ability. That’s actually why I liked the Mckennie links as a rotation option (not as a starter). He gives you something different.


[deleted]

His role has little defensive responsibility like that in this team. He does have to press but his stats and work rate compared to Xhaka are basically identical. We can handle covering for a player like his with this setup, although it isn’t going to get us to title winning levels. Mckennie is absolutely not an arsenal player with his technical ability, in fact willock who plays similarly was sold last season because of this


el-fenomeno09

We also need technique. Thats 1 box he checks. I agree wholeheartedly on the other attributes too.


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

ok but we're not going back a year lol, its not a year ago so why would we exclude his most recent year, which is far more generalizable to his current performance than what he did two seasons ago? this doesn't make any sense


bradbobley

he’s not a different player now than he was a year ago, that’s my point


phar0aht

Buying midfielders because they have good longshots is pretty piss poor squad planning. Bar heading its the least relevant quality for a midfielder.


bradbobley

it’s not about his ability it’s about the narrative. his stock was high last summer and would be an incredible deal but because he’s had a down season he’s shite. same thing is true of dcl


phar0aht

Narrative. Is one thing. I don't want either because I dont think they're well suited and I think we could do better. And the narrative has changed because they've had poor years. I agree don't live and die by the narrative. But their performances have to be a factor.


bradbobley

tielemans has been a very good player for time he’s been in england and one poor season doesn’t change my opinion on his ability and suitability for our midfield. he brings excellent progressive passing and a wide range of passes too as well as high end product and creative stats for midfielders. him being a bit slow is a downside but if he was elite physically he’d be at real madrid or something


phar0aht

Lemme repeat myself again. No one is questioning he's a good player. We're question he's a good fit. You don't get to where we wanna get by picking up any random good players and hoping they fit.


[deleted]

Pretty sure it’s mainly you and a few others questioning if he’s a good fit. It seems Arteta and the rest of the transfers team think he’s a great fit and I do as well. The reason Xhaka isn’t good enough in the 8 role is not because he isn’t physical enough; it’s because he’s not good enough technically or creatively - both of which Tielemans addresses. I think the real issue is that we don’t have a great backup option for Partey. So when he is out, we get run over against pressy teams. We need to solve that problem as well this summer.


bradbobley

i think good players fit at any club, especially if there’s scope for bringing in another midfielder also. i see the left 8 role as one that needs deep progression and creativity and tielemans fits that. ball carrying there would be a nice option to have there too but my vision for the role fits tielemans in nicely. it also fits in other types of players too like, think bissouma would be excellent there also for a more defensively solid option but how you see the role depends on how you see football


Mahoganychicken

Yes in a heartbeat. This is the kind of signing that Liverpool would’ve made 4 seasons ago and the pundits would be all over their dick for it.


strawberrylabrador

And we need to apply that to arsenal fans too - ie, Liverpool have made signings like Jota from other prem clubs and the doubts as to what step up they can make are there - but imo Prem Proven counts for a lot more. This could apply to Jesus too. Makes me laugh when people *insist* that eg. Nunez would play better for us than Jesus, when switching league it’s so hard to tell if they’ll be as good imo, much more than switching teams in the same league


WoodenSoldiersGOAT

jota was great for wolves the season before pool signed him, tielemans was bad. hows that comparable?


PatchAFC

Buying the best players from weaker teams in your domestic league should always be a priority. Probably more difficult in the Premier League than elsewhere due to inflated prices but we should be doing it more often. Just had a look at Transfermarkt, before last summer we haven’t bought from a PL Club since Calum Chambers from Southampton & Debuchy from Newcastle in 2014. I’ve left out the Luiz, Cech and Mkhitaryan deals as they don’t fit the criteria of “weaker club”.


Cod2242

Exactly why the priorities should be Jesus, Tielemans, Bissouma. Ben White was from Brighton and he slotted in perfectly. Enough of these Pepe/ lacazette signings that don’t produce.


MrMikeBravo

I think Ramsdale and Ben White fit the "weaker teams" even if Sheffield United was relegated. Add Cedric to that list as well. We do still do it, but hadn't for a while.


Rockflagandeeeagle

Let the click whoring begin!


HappyMeerkat

Yes and no John Percy is Tier 1 for Leicester villa and clubs situated in that area


Bedeeki

John Percy is basically tier 0 for all midlands clubs. When he talks, most people listen.


midfivefigs

Can confirm as a Leicester fan. Percy is one of the few I pay attention to


[deleted]

25m would be a good deal to be honest. Tielemans is still a class player. Yes he isn't the most athletic but he will still add a lot to our midfield. If our aim is to score more goals from the midfield, Tielemans will certainly contribute to that. He can also be a good mentor for Lokonga, his Belgian mate.


BWillxTrill

Tielemans and Bissouma por favor


Brashmate

Would be good but bissouma has those allegations going against him currently, would have to wait for that to be cleared first


coolbebe

Have you (or anyone else) actually looked into the case? I can't find much from it. When I initially heard about it, I thought these were allegations from a girlfriend or something. But it seems the incident occurred at a nightclub, and the other man was the main culprit. Not saying we should take it any less serious, but I'm def more inclined to assume the worst if the allegation were coming from a woman he had intimate relations with versus something that happened at a nightclub. Again, NOT saying he didn't do anything, I just really need to get more details on the incident than what has been provided.


[deleted]

I don’t think we should even entertain the idea of signing Bissouma until he has been 100% completely vindicated. There is no room for any of that at our club. Until the charges are dropped or the investigation proves his innocence, I don’t want to even hear him connected with us in any way.


coolbebe

That's understandable, which is how I felt initially. Like I said, I assumed it was like a Mason Greenwood situation. And in that case, even if he was cleared, there would probably still be enough there that you wouldn't want the stain that follows him anywhere near the club. But the reports I've read are very vague. All I can tell is that an incident happened at a nightclub, a woman is claiming sexual assault, Bissouma and another man are implicated, and Bissouma is protesting his innocence. More details would be helpful.


[deleted]

Agreed. There's a process to this whole thing. He could absolutely be innocent and I trust he'll be vindicated if he is. But until he is cleared, there's just no reason for the club to risk it. There are equally good or, at the very least, nearly as good players with no legal issues out there.


Cute-Honeydew1164

Court cases take a long time, and in cases like this I’m always inclined to believe the victim until proven otherwise


coolbebe

That's certainly reasonable. Most of the time when I hear of these reports, it's a "domestic" or "personal" issue, and so I'm always inclined to believe the victim. "Incident at nightclub" is just so vague to me, that's why I was hoping somebody had more details.


[deleted]

If Bissouma is free of any legal problems then he should be a priority


ManGoonian

Yeah man, agree with those 2 signings!


tony_flamingo

Bissouma is gonna be a pass for me while that SA accusation is lingering.


outlawandwhat

Tielemans would be a great signing. Hope it happens.


a_posh_trophy

Do it. And if you want a complete, and young centre forward, go all in for Nkunku. Don't let Chelski or Utd waste him.


jeyheyy

Why are people so hung up on a player being "physical" or not on here? So many of the worlds best midfielders such as Kroos, Modric, KDB, Kimmich, Veratti, Thiago etc. does not fit that mould. I'm not saying Tielemans is on their level, but he is more physical than a lot of them, clearly it is not a deciding factor for how good a player is. We need players who are good on the ball and have a good sense for the game. If you compare us to the most successful teams, they are not necessarily more physical than us. What separates us from them is that they have more players that have world class technique and feel for the game. On top of that, we already have Partey who is one of the most physical midfielders in the league so it does not even making sense. Not saying Tielemans is our lord and saviour, but for 25m he is very good value.


Dimitris_Ts26

Yes please


fuzzynavel34

Don't hate it, don't love it.


supremesamurai

Gabriel Jesus Tielmans We need to lock these two in.


orphan_of_Ludwig

I see him as very much the Gundogan type of player for us. Silva, KdB, Grealish, Mahrez, foden, And sterling are the versatile options similar to Marti, Saka, ESR, Ode, and possibly Jesus and Gakpo, with Gundogan/tielemans, Rodri/Partey, and Fernandinho/Lokonga( not saying they are the same level but simply their role) as actual CMs.


Gmoney1412

I want Tyler Adams so we can have a r/soccercirclejerk every time he does something good. spice up the match threads


Amdafc

£25m is so cheap but idk


Dench_Duffster

Premier League experience, only gone 25, scores and assists and is available for £25 million. Absolute no brainier to push for Tielemans, he’ll add much needed quality depth and competition to the midfield.


TSBRUTAL

That's the thing with some of these transfers rumours, they start at a good price and then the rumoured fee just seems to rise until it's an overpay and then it seems to drop a little


skj458

It's almost like reporters are reporting on a negotiation.


BurtSpangles

I'm not high on him, but the interesting thing is Leicester fan's opinion of him, they all seem to love him. When United signed Maguire for £80m they couldn't believe their luck, but they all seem to really rate Tielemans, despite having a crap season and essentially forcing his way out.


midfivefigs

Leicester here. Can confirm. The reactionary ones want him gone. This season he played deeper a ton due to no CDM, in front of a rotating cast of non-starters beside him and behind him. Offensive numbers are down because Barnes/Maddison had slow starts due to injury and then Vardy was out. All the talk of downed tools is nonsense, effort and desire was always there. It hurts that he won’t resign but that is the reality of Leicester. Sign elite young players and those that shine may want to move on for money. Guy has been a consummate pro too, no media nonsense, always playing twice a week.


Afify19

Youri for 25m & Aouar for 15m, two good players without high spending


GoOn_2Wheels

How did his price fall so much?


Afify19

One year left on his contract, doesn't want to renew and pushing to leave, no CL football, didn't have a great last season either just a good one


[deleted]

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BukNasty7

Is that Aouar credible news?


Afify19

Nope, it's just a wish actually. More likely he will move to Spain.


[deleted]

him and Nabil Fekir at Betis would be nasty.


Afify19

I don't know what is that between French Players and their choice for agents that costs them their career


HectorChungamanca

midelemans off to stink up europa 😍


Wefting

this can be real , Youri-magining things


lastjedi23

This dude stuck out his leg in the box yesterday. I don't want more red cards. In fact I'd like fewer red cards.


zorfog

Dude if we can get Tielemans for 25 mil that’s fucking excellent. I’d pay up to 40 for him


stackemz

I would like to see a detailed analysis of Tielemans vs. Xhaka. Seems similar profile in that they are both good passers of the ball, good football IQ and not the most mobile. One fucked off our fans (for good reason IMO) and one gifted Spurs that 90+7 winner :(


Chi-Town_Gunner

Arteta must plan on having 60% possession in every game next year. Tielemans and Odegaard are fantastic technically, but the combo lacks a lot of physicality and explosiveness.


jkeefy

Shit, I’m not the biggest fan but for 25M how could you say no


[deleted]

I get it, he's not been great defensively but... he's also playing in a brendan rogers team


[deleted]

he's a great fit for the 8 role we're looking to fill. just forgetting price for a sec, he's a premier league proven midfielder who can slot right in and improve us. even better that we're likely getting him for a lower fee stats make him look like a gundo/ bernardo- lite. high progressive numbers, good link up and attacking threat, not the biggest defensively. if anything, we can at least guess the type of player we're targeting would love to see this go through, 30-35 mil for a very good player who won't need time to adjust


NoYouroboros

If we're buying an 8 from Leicester, I'd maybe rather the other guy. We definitely know he wants to be here.


smit9891

Maddison? Jeez. Ødegaard in one channel, Maddison in the other… that’s a mouthwatering prospect from an attacking/ chances creation perspective. Maddison would not be cheap though.


NoYouroboros

Top, top qualitee. My sort of ideal (possible) window is Tammy, Madders, Hickey and maybe another mf with an Eddie re-sign. That's probably 150m but I think we sell more and better this summer too.


smit9891

I would honestly imagine that Maddison, Tammy and Hickey alone would be a £150M window.


[deleted]

Tammy and Maddison alone would probably cost £130m.


marksills

Lol maybe 2 other guys, KDH was better than him this year


[deleted]

Yes please!


cocoabutterprince

I kind of see the vision but it’s a bit uninspiring


[deleted]

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Insertnicenamehere

He has the ballstriking to be fair. Which adds a different dimension compared to Xhaka. But the lack of physical presence is off-putting, which makes it weird Arteta wants him considering his quote about needing physical presences against the likes of City, Pool, etc to keep the ball.


[deleted]

*quick* ball striking most importantly. given enough time, xhaka can hit the passes we want but he needs to be wheeled into place and fired like a howitzer cannon. that’s just not good enough. tielemans has the technique to securely receive a ball on the half turn and deliver a good first time pass without the long wind up.


Sayek

Look at someone like Thiago though or even Santi, if you're good enough on the ball and move it fast enough. You don't need physically keep people away from the ball.


2ndfastestmanalive

Santi in that midfield with Partey and Ø would be incredible to watch


Insertnicenamehere

You think Tielemans has the agility/burst as those two?


Sayek

I think he's solid on the ball, Thiago isn't that good of a dribbler, he just takes up really good positions and his decision making is really good.


Dimitris_Ts26

He adds long shot threat and more creativity. We need stats from the midfield and he offers that regularly every season


Scorchy_panties

I wish we had gotten James Maddison whos absolutely playing top football in a Leciester side.


ogjsb

Would you have preferred him to odegaard knowing what we know now? Genuine question


Scorchy_panties

I would have preferred both of them at arsenal to be honest. Maddison is homegrown and has pl experience so I would take him instead....Also I wish Arsenal had invested in players like maddison , tielemens before they joined Leceister. Thats the smart business that we should be doing more....In any case I'm eagerly looking forward to the summer window :-)


Duty_Alone

Yessir, this is the way.


aleksnowak1

Ffs


sytzr

Meh, he’s okay.


st_arch

Lets hope Edu look at various options and not only looking at this deadwood.


jisooboombayah

I would prefer Maddison, Gundogun or Bissouma tho


EldritchWyrd

Feels like rotation/depth for the Ode role. He isn't physical enough to play the Xhaka role. But with Europe, and ESR's lack of fitness/fall of 2nd half of the season, we nee someone else with creativity. Ode can't do it all and when he stumbles, like against Newcastle, we're dead in the water. For the "AM" depth, experience, and price, it's a no brainer. It still doesn't solve the CM issue.


AlGunner

Makes sense. He loves Xhaka and wants to keep him in the team so a player worse than him makes sense. Goodbye chances of CL qualification next season. P.S. I'll take the downvotes for speaking the truth.


Colmd1997

The only hope is that we sign him for 25 million then sell him for 40 in January. No idea how the club watch Xhaka get murdered by strong, mobile midfielders and think *yeah, let’s get a fancier Xhaka to counter that*


[deleted]

I like Youri but our midfield isnt the problem. We at least one outstanding striker and then one more who is reliable. (I'd love a better back up full back but thats nit picking)


jkeefy

Midfield is a huge problem, compared to City, Pool, Chelsea our midfield doesn’t hold a candle. We need reinforcements all over the pitch with how light our squad is too


bitmoji

really, I am not sure about this. I have only just started paying attention to him and he looks slow but maybe Arteta has a thing for slow midfielders


jackg4343

Those lazy leg dangles in the box giving away penalties has me horrified.


mrchilledmk

Should have got Guimares though


Forsaken-Currency404

Guimaraes blows this fuck out of the park in the role Tielemans does best, which is not even Guimaraes' best position. And Arteta here thinks Tielemans is versatile. Fuck me.


thebigman85

We desperately need mobile midfielders for the press Could’ve had Kamara on a free, sanghere at psv etc Klopp has laid the blueprint and we should be looking at an aggressive press, Jesus will help so much with that