Well, things are moving at a pace now…
Pépé will be announced in the next 48 hours. The picture from above is a leak from the Arsenal studio. The player was snapped getting his Arsenal merch yesterday. He’s well and truly a done deal. What a moment!
Arsenal is willing to spend £25m on Tierney. The Celtic left-back now looks ever more likely to move. I think the hope that fandom would keep him from moving to the bright lights was always a bit hopeful. I’d imagine the young player has just seen what happened to Zaha, a player that was one moment heading for a rebirth as a star at Arsenal… and is now having to move to Merseyside. Regardless of how rich Everton are, that’s hardly a step up. If Tierney doesn’t make this move now, who is to say a major club will come for him next season? Take the chance when it’s presented to you.
Edu has met with Rennes to thrash out a deal to move on Laurent K. This is smart. Keeping players against their will never smart, again, let’s see how the Zaha thing pans out for Palace if they dig in. I think this situation could have been even more problematic because of the seniority of the player. Also, he’s past it, we’d be holding onto someone that’d be injured all season and far from useful. Let him go.
Mustafi has multiple suitors looking at him, which should be pretty obvious, he’s a World Cup winner. He wants to stay and prove himself, but I’m assuming a double NO from Raul and Edu has the 27-year-old considering his options.
We’ll move for a centre back, no doubt. I’m not quite sure we’re going to get the blockbuster player we’re looking for, but hey, what the fuck do I know, I didn’t think we had a chance in hell of landing Pépé.
Daniele Rugani of Juve has been linked in and out this summer. Lots of people are clambering for Konate or Upamecano. Whomever we choose… it’ll be a huge upgrade on the accident prone sack of potatoes we have at the club at the minute.
ALSO: The hot take ‘analysts’ on the internet trying to paint him as a good defender show you the exact dangers of judging a player by a spreadsheet with limited data. A single data point cannot be used to judge talent, just remember that.
There will still be holes in the squad, no doubt. The fact that Xhaka is anywhere near being our captain is a huge worry. Ozil is still in the mix. Sure, he’s showed up for preseason, but we know exactly what’ll happen to him when the weather starts to fade. There are going to be major question marks over Emery this season. Even with new players, his approach to the game is unlikely to move us up a level.
HOWEVER:
It feels like we’re finally at ground zero. Most of the problems are being solved, and it’s starting to look like there’s a north star emerging for the club. A football club never solves all its problems, but attacking the most important ones is definitely a move in the right direction. In fact, just having a direction is nice.
Having Stan K running your club is always going to be a problem if you think you need the owner to be poring over details. However, it’s difficult to deny that he’s invested in the club. His biggest weakness has always been who he has let run the show. He gave Wenger and Ivan too much trust and they blew it.
Now he’s put the power in the hands of Raul and Edu.
Early signs indicate that’s at the very least a more exciting direction.
Let’s see where the season takes us.
Me think both parties are at fault here concerning Kos
Guns of SF
“””Pépé is awesome and the team is moving in the right direction”””
Tosh!
The fee for Pepe is awesome ( especially for Lille)
The team is moving in the right direction?
Is it?
We ain’t got Team,man!!
But We do have a collection of disparate players…( and more to come ,by the sounds of it)
Team ?
Chelsea 4 Arsenal 1
Brighton 1 Arsenal 1
Angers 1 Arsenal 1
Arsenal 1 Lyon 2
Some team this Guns!
Deluded!
AFC is not this i do no wrong by my players. Your player ran to saying he would like to go back home cause he is feeling the effect of the game getting to him. We accepted that if a decent offer is made. Then he can go. Fast forward to now. A club make an offer only to them my transfer fee is what nobody will pay in world football. basicaly you are forcing me stay without saying the words.
No CG
Preseason means not a whole lot
Stop living in yesteryear
Move forward !
Aloha
‘Hypocrate’??? WTF are you talking about? Both sides at fault? Based on what? Only one guy here trying to break a contract for his own financial gain. Yes he gave us some good performances – and some less than stellar ones too – for which he was paid extremely well. Before AFC he was a small fish at a small club. I’d say he did pretty well out of AFC so a bit rich to play the victim now.
Kos wanted out for a small fee say 2~4m, we wanted 10m and above of which KOS basically know its virtually impossible cause no one is paying that amount for him anytime soon.
We agreed that he could go if we got a decent offer did we? Where did you get that information? Actually if you were paying attention he doesn’t want to be let go for ‘a decent offer’ – he wants to go on a FREE after willingly signing that contract. If he was that desperate he could have bought out the last year of his contract but he didn’t because he wants to screw the club and make as much money as he can. Bollocks to him.
andy
Who is talking about financial gain here. The man wants to go home period
Graham
Your not..
Never took ownership of the defence like what was expected.
Wengers lieutenant who was more wet than fish..
Lob him out n save 5/m a year
Fuck the fee ..
Dismal…
Dreary me …
Let’s see in may …
If you believe that rennes is offering more wages than we are. then you must be really daft
Kos was really good servant to the club. Good defender too. Most of time being paired with partner of far less ability so he looked worse than he really is sometimes. I see this contractual issue more of old arsenal vs new arsenal. Back in the day Ivan and Arsene would sanction such a moove while today he is made example. Sad part is that he got the stick, and far worse playes had their way on the past. And some small part in this situation is Mustafar. Him being unselable liability amplifies club stance/need to either cash in on… Read more »
oh please dont tell me you are this gullible, kos never asked to go on free. Cause he knew he is under a contract. but if you say he did please give me a proof of it
All he wanted was be let go for a small fee which we dont want to
Kristoman, he’s after a three year contract at the best wages he could get which in total is probably more than he would earn if he saw out the last year of his AFC contract. It’s been suggested that the contract he signed was front loaded so he earned a higher wage for the first two years and a considerably lower wage for the last optional year. So he took the money when it was good and now wants to get out of the last year where he earns less. And expects the club to roll over and let him.… Read more »
“kos never asked to go on free. Cause he knew he is under a contract. but if you say he did please give me a proof of it”
There are lots of reports to this effect, this was just the first one I came across with a quick google, I’m sure you can find plenty more if you want to:
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11773963/laurent-koscielny-rennes-back-in-for-arsenal-captain
andy
were is the proof that he said he wants to go on free. these are media lies to make look good. if not why its is 10m when AFC knows nobody will pay that amount. And why only french team are linked KOS
To make arsenal look good
I spose its understanding why people of Birmingham chatter, chatter like frustrated baboons & wave yellow bog roll in the air. The city doesn’t have a PL club. Ha Ha Haaaaaa.
P.S no wonder their arses are red!
Okay, let’s play your game. Show me the evidence that these are ‘media lies’ to ‘make Arsenal look good’. So far you’ve provided zero evidence to back up your claim whereas they are multiple reports to support the alternative view. The first report was from L’equipe in the French media – why would they want to ‘make Arsenal look good’?? You’re giving opinion based on no evidence whatsoever. The facts are the Kos is contracted to AFC and has attempted to break that contact. He’s in the wrong. Shall we let all our players just walk away for free when… Read more »
Aston Villa?
GG9 – Did you miss Villa getting promoted?
Andy
that is why i said both parties. KOS hoped that he could let to go for free or at very very small fee. Arsenal is having non of that. Just they short on cash they want to milk every drop of it from any pontential suitors thus 10m valuation. Now kos thought even if you dont want me to go on free, why such outragous fee
Well at least you’re admitting that he wants to go on a free now. What he should have done is gone on the tour and continue to negotiate. It’s clear that it’s not just that he wants to go home, if he wanted to do that then he could take a very modest wage and his new club could offer a compromise fee. Ten million has been banded about but there’s no evidence for that either. Players agents can play the media game just as much as clubs can. By taking the action he did he’s tarnished his reputation which… Read more »
I don’t know why we are not considering giving Cahill (who is free) a chance on a one-year contract (particularly as Kos will be leaving). Cahill has bags of experience, physical presence, probably better than Kos, and no older. He would be invaluable particularly while Holding is still recovering and (hopefully, hopefully) Mustafi gone. Likely, we would get, say, 10m for Kos, more than paying Cahill’s wages as well. Win-Win, I would say. This is my view!
Kristoman or whatever, I dey beg u paaaaa…. We dey good mood. Make u no spoil am for us. Weytin happen for your brain. Today’s Pepe Day.
If you are much smooched into Kos, like a certain into Ozil, just allow us this day to enjoy the Pepe Day.
Kos has been a good servant, no doubt. But he wanted to be released from his his contract and this regime said no, end of it. Whoever is interested should sit with the club and trash out the fee required. They know what to do. Stop moaning about a spilt milk.
Valentin “That is why a disciplined Ramsey was so important in that system” Ramsey and disciplined. Now there’s 2 words that I would never thought I’d see in the same sentence. Let’s not rewrite history on Ramsey’s career at Arsenal…he played without discipline for the vast majority of his ten years at the club . Even under Emery it was only for a brief period ( about4/5 games) when he and Ozil were reinstated into the side after the Bate defeat did Ramsey show that he could play in centre midfield without charging upfield. There is a narrative on here… Read more »
Watch Aubameyang thrive next season – we’ve bought for him another, more refined version of Dembele…
We have enough deadwood that if we work consistently and methodically we can sell them to recover the Pepe transfer fee.
“let’s get a little perspective on what he achieved last season.”
Okay:
Ramsey PL stats 18/19: Minutes 1331, Goals 4, Assists 6. Average 133.1 minutes per goal or assist.
Ozil PL stats 18/19: Minutes 1742, Goals 5, Assists 2. Average 248.9 minutes per goal or assist.
Seems to me that Ramsey was far more productive than Ozil on about a third of the salary. No wonder he thought he deserved a better deal.
When you watch the videos for the new signings I like seeing how Sanllehi interacts with them. Very informal, very friendly and like he’s excited they are part of the club. As if he already has a good relationship with them and has personally come to welcome them.
You can see he’s very comfortable with agents as well. Very much this is his world.
Great news for Arsenal.
Pierre,
That was my point. A disciplined Ramsey was very good for a few games. It showed that this system could work with the right personnel. As soon as Ramsey was injured, the system fell apart.
Incomprehensibly Emery stuck to the same two central midfielders system without having the personnel to make it work.
Checking a player’s status can be misleading. If a player plays all the time and the coach tasks him to perform his best position, his status could be very different if the coach asks him to play a few games here and there and ask him to play some shitty task.
Pierre, No one is trying to rewrite history. Other than a couple of standout seasons (2013/14 CM partnership with Arteta comes to mind), under Wenger Ramsey was very often a frustrating and undisciplined player, liable to be absent (stranded upfield) from defence just as much as he was pretty effective with his late runs and goals. Emery tried him out as an AM, and you’re right it didn’t work out. But when he was then moved back to be part of a midfield two, he was told to be disciplined in his positioning, and was just as effective in his… Read more »
New post mates!!!!
Cesc, Of course Raul is comfortable with agents. They all love him. He is willing to pay over the odds. According to reports, Arsenal is willing to pay between 10 and 16 millions of commission fees for 12 agents! No wonder they love him. He is Father Christmas. FiFA recommendation is that any side agent should not received more than 3.5% of transfer in commission and the total commission paid to agents (sum of all three sides) should be less than 10%. For this deal, some reported the agents fees to be up to 23%. If reports are correct that… Read more »
Yes Marko …..Ramsey had a great season didn’t he.
Torreira/Ceballos/Guen/Willock/AMN/ Xhaka
I don’t believe Arsenal shd be wasting money on so many first-teamers. At least a couple could be sold. Xhaka please…
Pepe done. This is the tome to cash in and sell Laca.
With two additions at CB (one exp and one young), Arsenal can still make top 4 without Laca.