Eddie delivers.

by .

Unai Emery pulled a magic trick out of his hat. He used the powers of youth to completely disguise that Arsenal hadn’t added a single first-team player to the squad this season and we’re three games into preseason.

Quite amazing to be having a 2012 like conversation after all the backroom upheaval to address exactly this.

Before I push on into the game. I’m also finding the strategy for moving certain players on a touch baffling. If we’re serious about selling anyone, why are we starting them on this tour? Mustafi and Jenkinson should both be getting their marching orders, but we have them stinking out the tour instead? Seems a very odd way to go about things.

Anyway, the game didn’t really tell us much about the upcoming season, other than it looks like it’s going to feel very familiar unless something very aggressive happens in the next two weeks.

Our defence seems to have honed its ability to leak good chances. Fiorentina were very poor but found ways to get in behind us time and time again. It doesn’t seem to matter what system we play, we’re a disaster. It obviously doesn’t help when you have Mustafi in the starting 11, but look, it’s not me putting him there.

My major worry is this: Emery has zero pedigree with defences. He averaged 49 goals a season at Sevilla. He took PSG from 17 goals, to 27, to 29. He couldn’t better Wenger’s tally last year, dropping 51 goals despite adding a keeper, 2 defenders and 2 defensive-minded midfielders. Where does the progression come from? Nothing in history to suggest he can change things.

Moving forward we looked interesting. Eddie had a really good game. He finished very well twice. Those chances haven’t been going in when it comes to competition time. I’m of the mind that he should go out on loan this season and see if he can work on his decision making. He needs to get some teeth. I know as fans we always lose our minds with kids on preseason, but the reality for Eddie is that Emery is not going to give him many chances this season because he has Laca and Auba… so maybe he should take the move out and force his hand in the back half of the year.

I also enjoyed seeing Willock on the scoresheet again. He really does have to be ready this season, at 19, it’s a big ask, but he does look the most ready. He’s focused, he has the physicality and he can be decisive. Let’s hope Emery doesn’t bottle it.

I also thought Gabriel looked sharp… he has a lot of pace and power. That long run he made was very exciting. It’ll be interesting to see what the club does with him. Can he cut it in the first team? A huge ask if we’re honest, but you never know… I guess it’s dependent on how badly we fuck our big signings.

I was watching with my dad. He made the point that we might as well give the kids a shot, because if it’s mistakes the manager is worried about… he’d not keep playing Mustafi and Xhaka. Let’s hope he doesn’t get consumed by the panic of his job situation and move away from his youth focus.

In other news, there’s hot talk that United are in for Auba for £62m. Arsenal fans are furious at the thought of us moving him on. I love Auba, I think he’s a joy to watch at times, however, if there’s huge money on the table for a 30-year-old, we should take it and progress the squad. As things stand, we’re finishing no higher than 5th this season… if £80m gets us Zaha and Pepe, we’re in a more solid grounding next season… we might also be able to kick this Tierney deal over the line.

Holding onto your best 30-year-olds when you’re skint isn’t progression in my opinion. Especially when they only have two years left on their deal.

Right, dine out on that my friends.

What did YOU think? See you in hell (comments).

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Unai

How many years?

At least 2 minimum

How much money spent? 

Erm… just some would be nice :p

Nelson

Selling Auba is a poor man’s thought. We should push the board to sign players and not sell one of our best player. Also, we should put pressure on Raul to do something and start selling some of our unused players. I would suggest to this united front #WecareDoyou to ask Josh to put a dead line to Raul to complete a certain number of deals within this TW or ELSE.

Champagne charlie

Unai living up to his name and dumping any and all responsibility on the previous regime. Standard.

Hardly stellar names Ramsey aside? We’d have been better with Jack or Cazorla as an option last season. Only needed a point and we’d have CL. Jeff would fetch money we’re desperate for, Welbeck the same.

Not everyone needs a Ronaldo price tag to be of significance. Here you are clamouring for money spent and dismissing 20 mil Welbeck, 10 mil Jeff like they’re nothing – not to mention Rambo.

Unai

CC, I keep the name for posterity and a certain amount of irony.

How is Jack anyway? Didn’t see much of him last year… oh wait…

Such a shame the current regime have closed the Diabi home for broken footballers.

Graham62

I honestly believe that some people on here are not fully aware of the shithole W & G left us in. Maybe the new regime have been “performing indistinguishable” but let’s put things into perspective. Twenty-two years of one system and, let’s be honest, from 2006-2018, a totally flawed system, meant whoever took over would have probably done no better. I believe Emery wasn’t the ideal fit but I’m not going to ridicule him just yet based on a very difficult 12 months at the helm. The next few weeks are critical. Will we get excited by new incomings? Will… Read more »

Graham62

undistinguishably

Champagne charlie

Unai I’ve no particular affinity for Jack wilshere, but we spent 3 mil bringing a guy in for half a season to play 90 mins. Keeping Jack or Cazorla for a season more would’ve been a vastly superior decision, Cazorla especially. We needed one goal vs Brighton after all, so the margins really were that tight. No issue trimming the fat of a squad, but getting rid or letting go is only the first part of the equation. Utterly pointless to not replace, or be boxed into a desperate loan 6 months later. So spare me the tales of Jack… Read more »

Cesc Appeal

If rumours are to be believed then a deal for Zaha can be done.

Looks as if it’s money, a player on loan (Nelson, Saka etc) and then a player as well like Jenkinson, Chambers etc.

The hold up is apparently Palace wanting more guaranteed money (same as with Celtic) instead of a sum reliant on add ons.

The fee being talked about that has been rejected is £55 Million (that is with add ons) so it’s likely it would be guaranteed £50-55 Million, plus ad ons if Arsenal get UCL football, plus Nelson on loan and then also Jenkinson.

Uwot?

Here here we’ll said graham 62.i concur completely.The impossible we might do.Miracles take a little longer…….

Freddie Ljungberg

Don “On the signing aspect, what’s the point then? If he does well and we can’t have him then why bother? It’s a lose lose situation. All he is is another poxy body. That’s it.” We get someone in Cam that isn’t semi retired and hides in his shell in away games and then hopefully next year we can ship said semi retired player when he only has a year left on his contract and buy a replacement. More win-win in my book. Also not every player playing in Spain is exactly like Suarez, not sure where you got that… Read more »

Samesong

“I am not one to chicken out. I have had it all over the years, being told I’m not good enough,” Iwobi

Unai

Vastly superior? 6 and 2×3’s if you ask me.

Spare you the tales of jack being crocked? Not really a tail is it, more fact than anything.

Look, I get it, you’ve got total disdain for the new guys, we all know why, but suggesting we carry in with project broken (Santi, Jack, Welbs et al) is frankly laughable.

Like I said last night, Stockholm syndrome.

Un na naai

Ramsey £40-£50m Cech Welbeck £15-20m Wilshere £10 Cazorla £5-10m Lichtsteiner Koscielney £5-10m Ospina £10m Jeff £20m now Bennacer £20-£30 now We are talking about over £100m worth of players allowed to walk for nothing since wenger left We are talking about a manager who claimed he had extensive knowledge on our squad then abaonded everything he declared he knew immedialty only to then abandon that and reinstate the abandoned players We are talking about a coach who was given 6 golden opportunities to claim that final CL spot and failed. Against inferieor teams with the most inept performances I’ve seen… Read more »

Un na naai

Unai

In not suggesting we carry on with them suggesting we should have made money on them. They were worth millions

Biggles

I think selling Auba would be a massive mistake in all likelihood. If you sell him, you lose his goals. You aren’t going to get anywhere near as many from Zaha, probably 10-15 less across all compeitions. Losing Auba for ~£62m and having to spend all of that plus another £15-20m on Zaha leaves us worse off and out of pocket. Even swapping Auba out for Zaha and no money still leaves the team in no better shape, because we get more attacking threat and physicality on the wings at the cost of our best goalscorer. It’s just a repeat… Read more »

Thomas

Lackofgoals has yet to match Girouds goal tally for a season in Arsenal.

Un na naai

Freddie

Why? We already have a highky promisig attacking midfielder in our ranks and loaning Ceballos only impacted his development which only hampers us and aides Madrid

It’s counter productive unless we can improve his form and then keep him if he turns out to be what we are looking for

Champagne charlie

Unai

I never said a thing about keeping Welbeck, I was one of the only ones saying he and Rambo needed selling.

How did Cazorla get on this season? They guy I actually championed to stay if fit?

Tell me Cazorla at Arsenal wouldn’t have been vastly superior to Suarez. Wilshere was said to make a point of how poor that loan was, even Jack would’ve been better – which he would.

karim

I’d also say Fékir at that price is a no-brainer. He never failed his medical, Liverpool just tried to lower his price using the ACL thing but Aulas wasn’t born the day before and told them to spit the amount they had agreed on, which they didn’t, so Fékir stayed. He had an average season ( given his talent ) due to his disappointment after failing his transfer but he still scored at the Etihad, sent Lyon in the next CL round with his goal at Shaktar’s ground and also scored a magnificent free kick v PSG in the league…… Read more »

Unai

Un

Lichtsteiner – cost nothing, worth nothing
Koscielney £5-10m – still at the club and clearly up for sale in fact we wouldnt let him walk.
Ospina £10m – sold

Your getting all tangled up pal

Champagne charlie

Karim

Any whisper about exactly what is wrong or waiting to go wrong with Fekir in terms of injury? Awfully fishy transfer pending at that price

Unai

Tell me Cazorla at Arsenal wouldn’t have been vastly superior to Suarez. 

Yeah, I agree here, loved Santi, my only reservation would be that one more year in the prem might just have killed him off but we will never know.

Guns of Hackney

Jesus. I could find 10 players right now down the park who could do Auba’s job.

Riddle me this, why did no other club in the world come in for this goal machine?

He came to a small time outfit at a hefty price. If we can recoup his fee and some while buying a few more players, I’m happy with that.

My prediction for next season: he won’t get 15 in all comps.

karim

Charlie

He turned 26 a few days ago, it means his bad injury occurred when he was younger enough to recover, well, that’s what they usually say.

Didn’t have any medical setback ever since the operation if I’m not mistaken.

Lyon are desperate to keep him and are ready to offer another deal but it sounds as if he just wants to see if the grass is greener elsewhere, after most of the players he grew up with are gone.

Guns of Hackney

Also, if signing Zaha means we lose the gormless Iwobi, I’d pay palace £200m. Get it done Arsenal.

Champagne charlie

Karim

Very strange price for a player of his talent, I’ve always loved watching him. If another club came calling ie us.. would Lyon suddenly up the quoted?

S Asoa

Selling Auba a 30 goal striker is fraught because AFC are incompetent to buy any replacement. If signing a Tierney has proved to be such an operata without end product to date , do not expect AFC to have the sauce or balls to get a decent striker replacement. Icardi snafu proved a point.

Freddie Ljungberg

Don

Who is that promising attacking midfielder, Willock? He’s not ready to start regularly for us this season, even with Ceballos here he’ll get enough games as a sub/in cup games.
He might be ready the season after though, hence we bring someone in that can do the job now and isn’t made of wet noodles.

karim

Charlie

Not what has been transpiring so far.
Don’t think we’re gonna go for him and am pretty sure that’s a big mistake.

We’ll see.

Un na naai

Unai

Ospina for £3m
He’s Columbia’s first choice.

Kos will go for peanuts.
And hardly tangled up seeing as you can’t argue against anything other than Lichtsteiner

The rest is over £100m allowed to walk
Disputing the worth of Lichtsteiner and koscielney doesn’t change that fact

Silverhawk

Some posters on here needs to go back to Elementary school. Their understanding of English is so pathetic. Here is what Saka said “Unai does not have to speak to us directly, Freddie comes to us and tells us what we need to do. “It makes the transition from the academy to the first team much smoother.” The key line there is DOES NOT HAVE TO. Let me repeat it again DOES NOT HAVE TO. get it? That he speaks to them or not directly, Saka had this to say “The boss is doing a good job of managing all… Read more »

Un na naai

Freddie

Why? Guendouzi was used over Ramsey, Torreira and Elneny for most of the season at 19 and willock has looked for more of an asset in his few brief appearances thus far

Nelson

Just read that Bellerin is posting with Rapinoe. Oh my God! He won’t be allowed to enter the States soon.

Chris

Re Fékir It seems a very good price if true. We took a chance on Overmars all those years ago after his serious injury and that worked out pretty well! Also don’t forget Kanu came to us after heart bypass surgery. It’s just a shame we can’t shift the useless Mesut to facilitate anything like that. It would be good to see Ceballos , who knows what agreement would be in place regarding the loan. If he were to enjoy it here and not get guarantees from Real Madrid the following year he and the club may want to sort… Read more »

Bob N16

In the circumstances, I’m all for Ceballos.

From what little I’ve seen of him, he looks extremely talented. With our limited budget and our need to improve half our starting 11, bringing a top quality young player on loan seems like sound sense. Obviously if he’s successful, RM will probably want him back but it would give us an inside track if we tried to buy him. He’s hardly going to play every game but I like his attitude in wanting to play 40 times this coming season.

Get it done (plus Tiernay, Saliba + Winger and CB)!

Words on a Blog

Still no concrete news of a completed transfer – more rumours, more links more tittle-tattle.

The only clear positive development has been the announcement that Camden Brewery will replace Carlsberg (“probably the blandest beer in the world”) as the Arsenal match day beer.

For idiots/masochists like me who go to pretty much every home game, at least we can drown our sorrows in style…

Un na naai

Freddy You know full well our cmf starters will be xakha and Torreira. All Ceballos is for arsenal is cover for a season. Not sure what all the fuss is about. He will do nothing then head back to Spain with his tail between his legs. If we are going to spare the first team for cup games then it makes sense to use OUR youngsters there. Let willock and chambers and AMN and guendouzi play cmf for cup games. It will only improve arsenal. Either we have our own batch of central midfielders ready to step into the first… Read more »

Chris

Silver hawk.

Very much so. Some people here seem to think they know the inner workings and goings on of every single thing and then add 2 and 2 together and get 492.

Freddie Ljungberg

Ramsey £40-£50m yes we should have sold Ramsey with 1 year left, he was never a 40m player with 1 year left on his contract and high wages though. Cech retired ffs, you think we’re getting monry for that. Welbeck £15-20m had 1 year left of his contract last summer, we tried to sell but he wanted to see out his contract and leave on a free. Wilshere £10 was out of contract, no way we should have extended that and no one would have paid any money for a broken player if we did. Cazorla £5-10m again out of… Read more »

Unai

Freddie, thanks for posting that, I really didn’t have the energy.

Freddie Ljungberg

Don

you still don’t get what kind of player Ceballos is and I’m despairing that you ever will.

he’s not a dm, could probably do a job as CM but if we bring him in it’s most likely as cover/replacement for Ozil at Cam, seeing as he can’t play away, or against any top opposition that’s a lot of games that needs cover in. Willock is not ready for that.

Victorious

Is it just me or We don’t seem to have a plan B to fall back to if we fail in pursuit of our main targets this season

We’ve been on the Tierney case for weeks now with literally no other LB linked so far

Apparently it’s Zaha or burst for us also,I mean 55M plus Nelson, Chambers and Jenk? Come on I like the lad BT no way he’s worth that.

Way Better value elsewhere

Chris

Freddie

Let’s face it we need cover in that position for all the games we will play.

Never mind that Ozil barely has a presence on the pitch anymore but who knows when he will next phone in sick with a cold.

Silverhawk

Chris

I mean anyone with half a brain would know that he was praising Freddie there and not attacking the coach. But agenda. Smh

Unai

I mean 55M plus Nelson, Chambers and Jenk? Come on I like the lad BT no way he’s worth that.

If we land that with an installment plane weve literally mugged them off lol

Graham62

There are very few positives at Arsenal at present, so selling one of these positives in Auba, would be a bit of a downer.

Ok, so we could get a good sum of dosh for him but if that’s what Josh Kroenke sees as being “exciting” transfer news, I think it would cause a wee bit of friction amongst an already divided fanbase.

I’m hoping this is all a rumour and Auba stays and that the owners will be the ones to help stimulate the real excitement.

Fingers crossed.

Champagne charlie

Vic

Emery suggested we have a next line of targets that we’re hesitant to go to because we want the first choice.

Question is how long do you go?

Victorious

Unai
I mean 55M will get us the likes of Ziyech,Malcom, Everton, Chukwezie etc with change to spare to strengthen the CB position

I like Zaha but he’s nowhere the bees knees

Graham62

Auba, Lacazette and Zaha.

Wow!!

Opponents will be scared shitless.

Please make it happen.

Un na naai

Bennacer is £16m from empoli From arsenal that’s a different matter. If he’s at arsenal after the tournament he’s just had we could get £20m minimum Ramsey. We Repeatedly had offered for Rambo of over £40m. Either way we should have had an agreement with him to extend his contract by a year and sell him for whatever we could get We didn’t. We listened to emery say he wanted to build a team around him and then drop him afater two games. Wilshere Same again. Extend contract. Keep him or sell for £10-15m Cazorla Extend contract keep on for… Read more »

Thorough

I know our defence may be hopeless and midfield porous, but if we manage to have an attack of Zaha, Laca and Auba then we’ll wreck some havoc. About time we start winning games 5-4 and 4-3.

Victorious

CC
Question is how long do you go?

Proper catch 22 situation we find ourselves then

We play Newcastle in little over 2 weeks and we haven’t done any worthwhile transfer yet mainly because other clubs are taking the piss on us with our transfer targets

Too risky a strategy you dont think?

Freddie Ljungberg

Don
Ah there it is your lovely personality shining through as always. What an asshat.

who is defending our inability to sell? There’s a Difference living in fantasy land and dealing with the realities that are facing us after years of mismanagement and neglect on the transfer and wages front.

That whole post is wrong on so many counts I can’t even be bothered walking you though it again.

Un na naai

We didn’t get fees for some of those players because the former management allowed them to get into the last year of their contracts, but sure, let’s blame the guys that isn’t your darling Wenger. Freddie Yes. Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke let these players run down their contracts but it was emery, Raul and kroenke that let them leave for nothing. Not wenger. We are supposed to see a new era. A tightening of the ship and a utilisation of the assets and fundingwr have at our disposal. Instead we let over £100m walk out the door in players Failed… Read more »

HighburyLegend

“Auba, Lacazette and Zaha.
Wow!!
Opponents will be scared shitless.”

And at the other extremity of the pitch, you have Mustafi… lol

Guns of Hackney

Auba, Laca and Zaha

Curly, Larry and Mo.

Marc

Un na

Ramsey and Welbeck had both decided to leave on a free – Ramsey had a contract offer on the table for months and didn’t sign it, why not?

Sanllehi made the right call by pulling the offer.

At least Welbeck was honest enough to be up front about his intentions.

Un na naai

who is defending our inability to sell? There’s a Difference living in fantasy land and dealing with the realities that are facing us after years of mismanagement and neglect on the transfer and wages front. Freddy You’re deliberately missing the point aren’t you? These players could all have had their contracts extended by a year or two by emery then sold or kept depending on what he saw. Ramsey was over £40m himself We had offers from China for ozil which were turned down by the club only for emery to drop him completely. What are you not getting here?… Read more »

Freddie Ljungberg

Don “Yes. Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke let these players run down their contracts but it was emery, Raul and kroenke that let them leave for nothing. Not wenger.” Ffs do you even think before you write? Extending a half dozen players in their last year of contract that are either too old or just broken, that no one wants to pay money for, on already high wages (they’d obviously would want a raise as well) just to flog them might work in the demented landscape of your twisted imaginations but it’s a bit more complicated in the real world, where… Read more »

Un na naai

Marc

Welbeck decided to leave on a free because the club were not going to renew his contract. We had offers for him last summer
Same as Ramsey
Same as ozil

The club turned them down only to everyone run down their contracts

Guns of Hackney

Arsenal are to contracts like Corbyn is to Jewish people.

Un na naai

And no
Ramsey has agreed a deal which was pulled by emery and Raul because emery didn’t want him. Emery dropped him after two games after claiming he was the main man.

Freddie Ljungberg

Please tell me more about this offer from China that the CLUB turned down? Pretty sure it was Ozil that didn’t want to leave for a country with firewalls preventing him from playing fortnite. Ramsey had a contract on the table for months that was already way better than he deserved, he could have signed that and stayed but he wanted even more, good riddance and should have been taken care of when he had 2 years left not in his last year when we had little bargaining power. Both Wilshere and Santi were out of contract, one is broken… Read more »

Champagne charlie

Vic Yea it’s a tough one without doubt. It changes per target based on the significance of you ask me, but to that end we shouldn’t be in late July pretending Martinelli might be the next whatever this coming season. That’s fantasy, the kids 18, let him be good for 20 mins every month and be impressed if he has much else to give. I’m a bit puzzled by the strategy we have this summer even if I’m a big fan of some of the targets. Zaha – he’s an attacking force, and potentially changes us in terms of actual… Read more »

Freddie Ljungberg

“Welbeck decided to leave on a free because the club were not going to renew his contract. We had offers for him last summer”

That’s not what Raul said in his interview a few months back but I’m sure the voices in your head has told you differently.
You’re also wrong on Ramsey and Ozil but that’s to be expected from you honestly.

Valentin

Marc, Where did you read that Wellbeck had decided to leave on bosman and had informed Arsenal upfront? I am not saying that you are wrong, but I was under the impression that Wellbeck wanted to stay but that Raul decided to wait until Emery came in and assessed him before offering him a new contract. Once Emery had a look at Wellbeck, he decided against offering him a new contract. By the time the decision was taken it was the winter TW but Wellbeck was long term injured so unsaleable anyway. Has Wellbeck found a new club? because if… Read more »

Guns of Hackney

Holding is like a new signing.
Bell end ditto.

Guaranteed.

Ishola70

This Wengerite drivel on here today shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

Just awful.

Guns of Hackney

Ish

What Wenger drivel?

Manz a legend.

China1

This idea that because wenger and gazidis were terrible there’s almost nothing we can be doing better right now makes no sense at all No one is asking for miracles. Nobody expects that emery says screw you to our deadwood and 5 mins letter is presented with a fat Cheque for 100m in player sales to fund world class players. But this very mindset is the problem. We are reactive and instinctively defensive as an organization. We don’t have a plan for how to fix all the things that are wrong or how to make the best of a bad… Read more »

Un na naai

This Wengerite drivel on here today shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

Ishola
What would you rather? Machete dissenting voices Rwanda style?

Ishola70

Wengerite drivel that is rewriting history on here and plucking comments from their arse and stating nonsense and putting it up as facts.

Guns of Hackney

When you look at Tierney, you see a guy in a defence that wins the league by 30 points.

What is this lads credentials?

Why are we speculating on a £25/30m bloke from Scotland?

China1

This tierney transfer saga is an absolute embarrassment, it really is

Don’t go telling me that because we had wenger for 22 years we are now required to make joke installment offers for players we can readily afford. The club is not even self aware. As someone else said, since Sven left Arsenal’s total transfer business has been Suarez LOL and martinelli.

‘Be patient’

No thanks.

Un na naai

Wilshere wanted to sign a new contract So did welbeck. So did Ramsay He agreed the contract and it was pulled It’s not like Raul is going to lie now is it? No no. What would he have to gain right? The fact is that the club has been majorly mismanaged as badly or worse in the last 16/17 months since wenger got the bullet You cannot blame letting £100m worth of talent walk fof free on a man who isn’t here any more If welbeck and Ramsey were not signing new deals last summer then sell them. The spaniards… Read more »

Ishola70

Still going on about Aaron kin Ramsey.

He left of his own accord.

The contact was there for him to sign and extend for an age. He didn’t take the offer up. Shock horror.

Where have fans been for the last 10 plus years?

Players of note at Arsenal leave the club. And of their own making not others.

Un na naai

As someone else said, since Sven left Arsenal’s total transfer business has been Suarez LOL and martinelli.

This…….

Guns of Hackney

The Suarez deal was just ace! I mean ace!

Up there, but not quite, with the Kallstrom deal.

Banter FC.

China1

It feels like that scene from Austin powers when the steamroller is driving towards him at 2mph and he’s just standing there screaming

And we have people on the side saying be patient, I’m sure he’s gonna stop. He won’t hit you! Give him a chance!

Fucking embarrassing

Un na naai

Ishola
Then he should have been sold last summer
No excuses. Wenger has left. New men In charge. They dithered. They fucked their chance to put down a marker. Just like they did with welbeck. Ospina. Jeff. Bennacer.

Millions lost right there.

Guns of Hackney

Arsenal: how much?
Team: £30m
Arsenal: £5m over 10 years and the remainder in 2050?

I bet you we would be waiting outside Pret at 18.00 for the unsold falafel sour dough that no bastard ever buys.

Freddie Ljungberg

“Wilshere wanted to sign a new contract
So did welbeck.
So did Ramsay”

And we would have been saddled with 3 mediocre injury prone players. All of them were on 100k+ a week already, would have demanded more, in Ramseys case much more, would have been impossible to flog them after that.

They’re only 100m assets in your feeble mind Don, no one would have paid anywhere near that for that bunch.

Ishola70

China1

These adds ons that are reported in relation to CL football are an absolute joke.

Not just Tierney deal but heard as well Zaha.

Why on earth should the selling club give a flying fuck whether the player they sell goes on and plays in the CL to the team he is sold to.

You buy the player for what his worth is now and what the selling club deem he is worth.

And as if Tierney himself is going to propel Arsenal on his own to CL football.

Freddie Ljungberg

Ishola

We’re hardly the first or last club inserting clauses into a fee, pretty much standard practice.

If we have a smallish budget and many positions to fill this is what happens. Drawn out negotiations and haggling to make our money stretch as far as possible. Not really that ground breaking stuff is it.

China1

When I was a student I worked in a coop and at 10:45pm, 15 mins before closing, we would reduce all the stuff about to go out of date (and get binned) to either 9p or 19p. Every day without fail this really well dressed and well spoken guy who looked just like Paul McCartney would come in at 10:45 on the dot, pick up some reduced items and proceed to try and haggle the prices even lower. We refused every single time without fail and on occasions he’d even put one or two items back like an absolute bell… Read more »

Gbat

‘Then he should have been sold last summer’.

It’s not as simple as that. You can agree £100m fee with another club. The player still needs to agree to the move.

Jani

Agreed with the comments above, 55 mil plus 2/3 players (or the straight 80 million) is way too much for Zaha. Good (but not great) player, in an area we need to strengthen but not sure if that’s good value for money. Instead of spending 80 mil (cash or cash + players) on Zaha, We can use that money to get a good winger for 35-40, keep promising young players like Nelson/Saka, and have money left over to add a defender or two. Along with the names mentioned like Everton, Malcolm etc… I think Leon Bailey would be a coup… Read more »

Un na naai

No no china

We are signing Ceballos. Dont you worry about a thing. So great he’s being hawked around Europe on loan and end up at a desperate Europa league club

This lad is quality don’t you know. So great that Zidane with a midfield over 30 is desperate to sell him.

Then, if he performs against all odds we have to hand him back. Brilliant arsenal. Just brilliant. This one could be even better than the Suarez deal.

Samesong

I bet you we would be waiting outside Pret at 18.00 for the unsold falafel sour dough that no bastard ever buys.

LOL

China1

Also if you are Celtic our palace and you see arsenal behaving in such a brazenly poverty stricken manner (despite having the biggest cash reserves in world football) I don’t think you’d have any confidence that arsenal know how to get top 4 next season

The strategy is as limp off the field as it is on it

Graham62

Get Zaha!!

Offload Jenkinson, Elneny( can’t see Palace taking them)

Put Mustafi up for auction.

Give Mavropanos a run in the team along with Chambers.

Mikki- get what we can for him. I do sense though that if Ozil wasn’t around we’d see a completley different Mkhitaryan.

Ozil – pray that aliens arrive so that they can abduct him and hopefully experiment on him.

Draft in some of the youngsters.

Bob’s your uncle.

Ishola70

Freddie Ljungberg
“We’re hardly the first or last club inserting clauses into a fee, pretty much standard practice.”

There are different kind of clauses.

These adds ons relating to CL football are rubbish.

As said as if the selling club cares whether the player they sell goes on to play CL football.

Un na naai

Gbat

But according to Freddie both others were desperate to leave? Ramsey was highky I demand last summer. It was being reported that all the top clubs wanted him. Barca, juventus, Manchester untied, chelsea, Real, PSG, inter

You think he’d have said no to all of those clubs had we made it clear he was for sale at £40m??

Wake up.

Receding Hairline

Can’t believe in July of 2019 anyone is still talking about Wilshere

China1

When was the last time a top English club struggled to afford an obscure Scottish left back most people had never heard of before?

Un na naai

They’re only 100m assets in your feeble mind Don, no one would have paid anywhere near that for that bunch. Freddie you tool Ings went for £20m Welbeck is worth more than Ings. Is regular international Wilshere is £10-15m easily. Ramsey is a £40m midfielder Easily This is not even debatable. The Spaniards let premium british talent walk out of the club for free. No matter how you dress it up it won’t change that fact. If Ings is worth £20m in this market and zaha is £80m then this lot are worth that Same as Bennacer and Jeff are… Read more »

HighburyLegend

“Wilshere wanted to sign a new contract
So did welbeck.
So did Ramsay”

So did Ozil!!
(too soon ?)

Samesong

Its Ramsey not Ramsay!

Gbat

Un na naai

I don’t remember reading of bids for Ramsey.

Maybe there were bids. Or more likely, Ramsey had big offers that he knew he’d only get if he was out of contract.

China1

Too soon Highbury… too soon 🙁