Newcastle United will NOT be taken over by the bad folk that chop up dissenters.
I absolutely LOVE to see it.
Their fans, the greatest on earth, spent the last 3 months justifying the takeover, completely throwing all ethics to the wind… they were dreaming of Pochettino, MBappe, and spending £300m in a single summer.
Now they have nothing. Another season of Steve Bruce football. The hope that Andy Carroll might sign on for another year.
Good.
After that carry-on, they deserve Mike Ashley, and to have SPORTS DIRECT painted on their stadium.
My worry is that sports washing fund has just moved onto another Premier League club. I hope it’s not Spurs, who are rumoured to be looking for a buyer.
ONTO ARSENAL.
Arsenal inquired as to the availability of Jack Grealish and were told £70m. A silly sum of cash that basically says they don’t want to sell him this summer. I love the player, but we really don’t need to play with fees like that. We’d get better value from a distressed Europe this summer. If City can get Torres for £20m, then we should be looking to match that sort of value.
The Zaha rumours are also hotting up. Palace is not going to be a club with hundreds of millions this summer, but they do need a rebuild, and Zaha could be a good make-weight for them. I think he had the second most take ons in the league last season, and he’s readymade for the league.
If we are in for him, you’d have to wonder about the future of Pepe. I would not be surprised to see him moved on this summer and the fact he came from the Lille factory of talent via some Mendes dealings likely means there will be a club that they could find for him. I’m just not sure we’d get much in the way of recompense.
Interesting to see Lille getting €50m for a player with one solid season in Ligue 1 under his belt. That sort of price level would be obscene in normal times, why would anyone spend that in a depressed market? Even weirder when you consider they finished 7th this year. No Champions League. Notable that the same team were in the market for Pepe last year as well. Still, one thing is not in doubt, Luis Campos is a god of footballing talent.
Granit Xhaka had some nice things to say about the man who convinced him to stay in December.
“He convinced me to stay with Arsenal,”
“We had a very good conversation shortly after his appointment, and I can really only say positive things about him. He is a young, very meticulous trainer who gives more than 100% in every training session, who optimally prepares us for every single game.
“I have rarely experienced this. He is really a great guy as a coach, but also as a person and I have already learned a lot from him during the time he is with us. Many details that have made me even better.
“So it’s really a pleasure to be able to play under him.”
It’ll be interesting to see if he stays beyond this summer, I suspect he will.
Mesut Ozil’s agent has once again said his client won’t leave this summer. Super odd that the German doesn’t seem to care about football or playing at all. I hope Arsenal cut a deal and he leaves on a free. We cannot have his shadow lurking over the club for another season, it’s too disruptive.
FA Cup news has been hard to come by, so I guess we’ll save the chat for tomorrow after some prezzers drop and we get a bit of news.
I’m starting to get excited, I hope you are too.
Cliche wasn’t a gem against Birmingham or against Man Utd in the Champions league.
“George Lewis seems more like a PR signing.
Rwandan and everything.”
In which he has already earned his keep.
We don’t have to spend Obscene amounts to get right quality. Ferran for 20M+ is amazing business. We absolutely must stop this Coutinho business.
There are gems out there, we only need to look. Emi Buendia, Mounir Chouiar, we could test the waters for Odegaard let’s see if Madrid would bulge.
“Charlie uses zaha being at palace to justify his numbers but then claims Pepe should be emulating slays and mane.“
Good grief, it’s pointless I swear.
Clichy’s problem was taking over from the best left back of this generation not just the UK, the world. I’ll put Ashley alongside Lahm.
Did you guys hear that dick Danny Murphy saying Tierney will never be as good as Robertson? when did he start seeing the future?
Arsenal are never ruthless yet its going to automatically happen with Pepe. He’ll be here.
Not sure why some get so personal regarding Pepe, we saw flashes of his potential but overall he was pretty one dimensionally underwhelming.
Not the kids fault club broke its record on his £72m fee, but let’s not act as if it didn’t happen nor if Spurs payed that much for him we wouldn’t be bantering the shit out them. As it stands he has the look of a £35-£40m player max, not the 5th highest ever transfer into the premier league.
“We don’t have to spend Obscene amounts to get right quality. Ferran for 20M+ is amazing business. We absolutely must stop this Coutinho business.”
You mean the twenty year old winger who wouldn’t be a starter for the next two years.
We’ve already gotten. Martinelli 6M 19 years.
Saka from academy, 18/19 years. What we need is someone experienced, not a twenty year old winger not called Sancho.
“Did you guys hear that dick Danny Murphy saying Tierney will never be as good as Robertson? when did he start seeing the future?”
It’s that star trek head of his. Fucking alien.
“Not sure why some get so personal regarding Pepe, we saw flashes of his potential but overall he was pretty one dimensionally underwhelming.”
I think the argument is that same could be said for Mane and Salah in their first season in the premier league.
Backpass
Salah signed for Chelsea on £10m transfer fee, Mane to Southamton for £11.5m with that one understands their’s quite likely a developmental phase, when you bust your clubs record and approach leagues highest ever transfer the goal post get moved, pressure added.
Raul shot for the stars, Pepe was his bridge to the Champions league.
Dump the Pepe after one season lol
Arsenal never loan high end players on really big wages.
If Coutinho were to join on loan it will show just what an influence Kia has at the club as it would be bucking an Arsenal trend.
History suggests that Coutinho will not be joining the club on loan.
Clichy’s biggest attribute was that he wasn’t Ashley Cole. That’s why the fans gave him more leeway when actually he was something of an early day Mustafi – always in danger of dropping a bollock.
Anyway, as has been said already no point in arguing over Pepe, he’s a decent player that we paid too much for, nothing new there from and Arsenal perspective.
Sal
“Raul shot for the stars, Pepe was his bridge to the Champions league.”
That’s what’s called a damp squib.
Pepe the firework fizzled out and never left the ground in relation to CL qualification.
What a great transfer window it was though last summer wasn’t it.
It will be another 3 years+ before we have paid for Pepe.
andy
“Clichy’s biggest attribute was that he wasn’t Ashley Cole. That’s why the fans gave him more leeway when actually he was something of an early day Mustafi – always in danger of dropping a bollock.”
Absolutely correct.
The over-rating of him by fans when he was at Arsenal was ridiculous.
They were totally blind and oblivious to his defensive errors which numbered many.
watch Buendia Timimg his passes and tell me he isn’t the guy we need. He is two footed and dribbles around players. Remind you of someone?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bE–8Lg5CKw
you’ve got history of ignoring what’s actually being said
“that’s not why we invested so heavily in him. He was to be our Mane/Salah/Hazard/Sterling type player.How many of them are average for 5 games, or do little for 75mins? They’re constant threats, week after week and it’s a crisis of one goes 5 games without a goal.”
Yep. Apologies
Marko
Yes, apologies indeed..
Can you not fathom the comparison being made? There was no mention of goal/assist numbers, purely the influence he is supposed to have on our whole attack.
They’re unwavering with their influence, Pepe has been anything but. He’s been fleeting, both across multiple games, and across 90 mins itself.
Really don’t get why that irks you so much, it’s not a slight against you ffs.
Never liked Clichy, terrible technique to go with being dozy and soft defensively and he couldn’t cross a set of traffic lights. Had a mistake in him along with the likes of Senderos and Squillaci.
All he had going for him really was his insane pace and stamina which tbf were elite.
Monreal was a monumental upgrade on him and Gibbs who was worse than Clichy.
It’s not hard to get Sal no one’s arguing that Pepe couldn’t have done better this season it’s more the ridiculousness of people talking about selling him after one season or someone claiming that he should be posting Salah/Mane/Sterling type performances in his first season. The whole thing reeks of I’m not going to like this player because of prefer this player instead. Or in your and Pedro’s case he was signed by Raul using a super agent so the dye is cast.
Sagna on the other hand was a G defensively, as rock solid a RB as we’ve had.
Was also a wank crosser but he was so good defensively it didn’t really matter too much, Wan Bissaka reminds me of him.
Can you not fathom the comparison being made?
Yes you’re comparing a player in his first season in England to 3 of the best players in the premier league these past few seasons. You were expecting similar type performances from the off it seems. No accounting for the overall season and state of the club this season but ah well. Again it’s clear it’s a preference thing more than anything objective.
Buendia is a nice little player but fuck me we need goalscorers lads. He scored ONE PL goal all season.
Liverpool have Mane, Salah, Firmino to supply 70 goals.
City have Aguero, Jesus, Sterling, Mahrez, KDB, Foden, Bernardo Silva all of whom are going to crack double figures comfortably next season.
Chavs will have Werner, Havertz, Ziyech, Pulisic, Abraham/Giroud, Mount.
United could potentially have Martial, Rashford, Jimenez/Sancho, Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba for sources of goals.
We haven’t a hope of competing for CL football without bringing in another reliable source of goals.
I liked Sanga…he was also [in addition to his defensive contributions] a safe outlet for the goalkeeper
Sal
Spot on as always.
“You were expecting similar type performances from the off it seems. No accounting for the overall season and state of the club this season but ah well. Again it’s clear it’s a preference thing more than anything objective.“ We spent a club record amount on him, the 5th highest transfer in PL history, are you going to tell me he wasn’t hitting these shores with a level of expectation to emulate his contemporaries? Nobody claimed he ought to match them, just aspire to be our version. That’s why he was bought, and that’s the role afforded to him. How much… Read more »
Wenger Eagle
That is due to him being in a poor Norwich team and playing in unfamiliar rightwing position. Go back a season or two and he has decent scoring numbers.
WE -Buendia was playing for Norwich – how do you think he will perform in a better team. For the last 9 months ne has been playing for a team on the back foot and still he has shone.
Would like to see us target the following:
Musa Barrow
Rodrigo de Paul
Jeremie Boga
Fekir
Marcus Thuram
Thorgan Hazard
Idrissi
All fit the mould of the type of player we need to add going forward in that they are all goalscorers/creators and gifted dribblers. Obviously some would be more expensive than others but they are all attainable [Hazard might be tough if Dortmund sell Sancho] and would improve us.
Not really true about Buendia.
The main reasons for Norwich going down were that they were naive and were not capable of shutting up shop in matches.
Therefore Buendia was not handicapped in regards to getting goals in this Norwich side.
Old boy Pukki chipped in with 11 goals himself.
Habesha
8 goals in the Championship.
We can and should do better mate.
Sal We may have well spent £10 million on him and he would still need to improve his next season. I don’t really understand the argument on this blog anyway..its all zigzag. Get an experienced proven player that would immediately make an impact? reply: he has no resale value. Get a young player with maximum potential? Reply: Lets sell him after a season in which he has been our best creator by the way ( playing for 3 different managers) Get a Coutinho on loan. Reply, we should get Szobozlai instead, forgetting its 80 % possible he is going to… Read more »
backpass
“what do we actually want”
Well for an awful lot on here it’s about point scoring and being able to say “I was right”.
As I say so often far too many agenda’s beyond the only one that counts.
“My question is what do we actually want?“
I want a restructure of CM with an injection of technical ability, dynamism, and creativity. I think we should be bringing in a couple of established players because our needs are current, and the balance in midfield is awful.
CX “That’s why he was bought, and that’s the role afforded to him. How much he lived up to that was there to see for any fan this season, he’s not looked a 70 mil player at any stage. Nvm consistency which nobody would’ve expected off the rip, but he’s not delivered nearly enough to warrant the fee/hype.” First season in England under three managers. After 2 seasons and he doesn’t improve then that would be fair. Same way Modric was labelled one of the worst signings in Madrid, now he is a ballon d’or winner. Hazard cost Madrid close… Read more »
*CC
WengerEagle I actually like Fekir. Liverpool passed on him but I still think he has quality. The Backpass I don’t think we should sacrifice the future for results next season. We should have a clear plan to build a squad that in time can get in to top 4 and Eventually compete for the title. Rolling the dice to get top 4 every year has ended with us signing stopgap defenders. And I don’t think we should do that at midfield too. We need to build the team the right way even if it means we don’t finish in the… Read more »
Marc
“Well for an awful lot on here it’s about point scoring and being able to say “I was right”.As I say so often far too many agenda’s beyond the only one that counts.”
Agreed, Anybody that improves is for 3/4 years is welcome in my book.
We can’t afford to be doing a dortmund in the Premier league.
CC
“I want a restructure of CM”
You really don’t want a restructure of CM.
Not really.
CC
“I want a restructure of CM with an injection of technical ability, dynamism, and creativity. I think we should be bringing in a couple of established players because our needs are current, and the balance in midfield is awful.”
That is why i would love Coutinho or Zaha and partey.
I dont care if they are 27/28, we’ve got a lot of youngsters presently, getting a 19/20 year old wouldn’t improve us for at least 2-3 seasons.
Hazard’s started just 14 matches in La Liga because of injuries, bit early to say he’s been a flop. Next season will be the teller. Very interested to see what happens to Gareth Bale. Real Madrid basically have an Ozil situation of their own there being over a barrel to his crazy contract with Zidane clearly not interested in playing him and his agent this week has made it clear that he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. Can’t help but feel that Mourinho and Spurs would have taken a chance on him were it not for his ropey injury… Read more »
Habesha
He’s had a decent year at Betis, adapted to the league well although he’s struggled since the restart after the Covid break.
Far too much quality for a midtable club like Betis.
Why is Ceballos having his loan extended?
To continue playing deep with Xhaka?
I don’t see any restructuring of the midfield there going on do you?
Hazard has been injured most of the season hasn’t he?
Joao Felix is 19. Besides they have Costa, Morata, Llorente, Carrasco… to play in those attacking positions so no pressure on him.
Griezmann’s situation might be described as a flop. For me and many others he was/is the wrong player for Messi.
All very different contexts to Pepe and Arsenal. To be fair all there is to say has been said on this a few times over 😂😂😂😂
WE
The Spud’s can’t afford to pay him a third of his current wages with what’s gone on. Why would he take such a huge hit?
Ishola,
Partey/torriera Xhaka/Ceballos
Coutinho/ ESR/Willock
This is the midfield Arteta is aiming for I think. If we play our Cards right it will be a decent midfield.
Habesha “I don’t think we should sacrifice the future for results next season. We should have a clear plan to build a squad that in time can get in to top 4 and Eventually compete for the title. Rolling the dice to get top 4 every year has ended with us signing stopgap defenders. And I don’t think we should do that at midfield too. We need to build the team the right way even if it means we don’t finish in the top 4 next season. We should be building a team that can compete not just next season… Read more »
Marc He likely wouldn’t. In the remote event that he cares more about his first team football and his playing reputation than his wage packet it would be a move that makes sense. Mourinho would love him because as gifted as he is he’s also a workhorse and isn’t a primadonna. Would make for a hell of a story too if he came back and took the PL by storm once again. He’s mirroring Ozil’s behaviour here though so he likely stays an rots on the bench until his contract expires. Seems more bothered about his golf and ponytail than… Read more »
“That is why i would love Coutinho or Zaha and partey.“
I think all three of those would completely change our attacking potential. Particularly the addition of Coutinho and Zaha against a packed defence.
Moves like that will require outgoing business though, I’m talking Laca, Guen, Torreira, Nelson, AMN, Holding. To boost the coffers or in swaps.
Since when is 27/28 not thinking about the future?
It’s not FIFA where players turn to shit when they hit their 30th birthday. A 27 year old in plenty of cases has yet to even approach their prime and can give you half a decade of top service.
RR “Hazard has been injured most of the season hasn’t he?Joao Felix is 19. Besides they have Costa, Morata, Llorente, Carrasco… to play in those attacking positions so no pressure on him.Griezmann’s situation might be described as a flop. For me and many others he was/is the wrong player for Messi.” Exactly what am saying, you dont judge a player by his first season. Hazard hardly performed in games he played, but nobody is writing him off. Joao Felix, had a stable worldclass manager and a solid team and didnt perform.. The only player at Atletico competing with him is… Read more »
The Backpass I actually like coutinho. I think he can be great for us. But we won’t have him the next season if he has as good a season with us as we hope. It’s not because he is 28. And I don’t like the Idea of loaning two starters in our midfield with ceballos also on loan. It will be like rebuilding the midfield again next summer if we won’t sign both. I like fekir because eventhough he is 27, he will join us permanently. And added to that coutinhos massive loan fee and wages it feels like we… Read more »
Liverpool passed on fekir coz he failed a medical.
Maybe that knee is a ticking time bomb did his injury affect his pace/performance levels?
WE
“Hazard’s started just 14 matches in La Liga because of injuries, bit early to say he’s been a flop. Next season will be the”
Exactly, we need to give new signings more than one season before writing them off.
What is Ceballos’ loan fee and wages?
LG
He’s had a good year in Spain and is still putting up very good dribbler/take on numbers.
He went there for under 30m, Betis finished in the bottom half of the table.
If we offer anything north of 20m I reckon he’d be ours, could be an inspired bargain.
Sagna was great alright but Lauren was my favorite RB. Lad was mustard
“Moves like that will require outgoing business though, I’m talking Laca, Guen, Torreira, Nelson, AMN, Holding. To boost the coffers or in swaps.”
True, but hard in this condition.
Fulham vs Cardiff, Lovely second half so far.
Your CC
5 mil loan fee and 2.7 mil in wages I think.
What is Ceballos’ loan fee and wages?
Probably about 60 million knowing this place
Your hahaha Just CC
Buendia what?
The dude may have some talent, but he’s yet to be proven under the elite pressure.
He may turn out good or fall to pieces under elite pressure. Next season makes it 4 seasons without CL, we have no time for fanciful experiments.
Get some money somehow and bring in Zaha, Coutinho and Partey, those three should at least get 4th.
We have no time to be smart. Just wind the market and get those deals done.
Maybe a good time to have super agents as family.
Backpass
Atletico have more quality players in those forward positions than Arsenal. So no pressure on Felix unlike Arsenal.
Joao Felix is 19 and bought for the future (medium and long term) , Pepe is 25 and bought for now (and future) .
Llorente has been successfully converted to an attacking player so much so he’ll be ahead of more established attacking players for Spain’s NT.
Lauren was top qualidee and took a mean PK but he benefited from being in a much better and more defensively sound side than Sagna did.
Sagna for my money was pound for pound a better fullback.
Marko
You didn’t include the VAT or Caribbean Island we’ve promised to buy his agent.
Or maybe Willian instead of Zaha?
Willian does smell better, right?
Habesha
Ceballos, I believe will be an obligation to buy.
Bayern paid €8 million for Coutinho last summer and will be lower this year.
You guys do realise if Ceballos extends his loan into next season then that means no Partey right?
Ceballos is being championed now as a deep lying midfielder.
Ishola
“You guys do realise if Ceballos extends his loan into next season then that means no Partey right?”
No offense, but how do you know this?
In fact I just don’t see how Partey works when Xhaka and Ceballos are around.
Partey is foremost a DM. He must play at the base if he is signed.
If Partey is signed there will be a restructuring of the midfield of sorts but seems like it is all just hot air when Xhaka and Ceballos are about. Not going to happen.
Habesha
So Coutinho is 3 mil more in loan fee and 150k per week in wages over Ceballos? (If his Bayern deal was replicated here, nvm talk of a pay cut)
Interesting that Ceballos doesn’t fall foul of the loan criticisms.
RR
I just believe we need to give Pepe more time before writing him off.
“No offense, but how do you know this?“
Don’t give him oxygen, he’s looking for a way in to make it about Xhaka.
Ceballos-Xhaka is such a crap CM.
Will be grim if that’s how we line up next season.
Tell me backpass how a midfield of Partey, Xhaka and Ceballos “works”?
Un
I’m like a dog with a bone yet here you are chapter and verse because someone has labelled Pepe’s debut season “underwhelming”.
Now money is irrelevant? Give it a rest
Ishola
You actually believe the three will start at once? I doubt it.
I believe the three in midfield will be Coutinho or whoever they get, Ceballos and Partey.
Coutinho. ceballos
Partey.
CC
In total Ceballos costs around 7.7 mil for a season. That’s paying a player around 160k if it was our player without a transfer fee. While coutinho costs 7 mil in loan fee 13 mil in wages.
which comes to around 20 mil. It will be like paying Ozils wages for coutinho including the loan fee. That’s why I think it’s too much.
It will be either Xhaka Partey or Ceballos Partey midfield with whoever CAM we bring in. Xhaka and Ceballos will be in competition. Let the best man win.
“It will be either Xhaka Partey or Ceballos Partey midfield with whoever CAM we bring in. Xhaka and Ceballos will be in competition. Let the best man win.“
Exactly, heaven forbid we have midfield options at the club.
Backpass
Fair enough, but it’s ok to say Pepe hasn’t lived up to expectations and that we expect more from him next season.
CC
Coutinhos total cost will be 2.5 times Ceballos’s loan fee. It’s nothing against coutinho but a club cash strapped as is shouldn’t waste resources like that.
Marc
“Well for an awful lot on here it’s about point scoring and being able to say “I was right”
It doesn’t really apply to you does it , as you are rarely ( if ever) right.
Well let’s see if Granit is ousted from his first team spot shall we.
It would be refreshing to see him having to fight for his place and have genuine competition if Partey comes but I would always have reservations when it comes to Xhaka and him being under threat for his first team place. Never happened.
the backpass thinks Coutinho is done eh.
RR
“BackpassFair enough, but it’s ok to say Pepe hasn’t lived up to expectations and that we expect more from him next season.”
Definitely, no argument from me.
Exclusive: Brighton eyeing ambitious transfer swoop for Arsenal star Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Yeeeeesssss please
Ishola
“the backpass thinks Coutinho is done eh”
Funny, I thought you read this.
“I believe the three in midfield will be Coutinho or whoever they get, Ceballos and Partey.”
Note the Coutinho or whoever they get. I know you read that but that doesn’t fit whatever you’ve made up eh.
Aubameyang manages to find the net despite living off scraps do why can’t Pepe.
AMN would be a good start as a sale, the club needs to take a really emotionless stance with players that haven’t been relied upon this past season and a half.
AMN, Holding, Chambers, Torreira, Kola, Nelson should all be sold if there’s suitors.
Maybe we should do a swap deal with Madrid?
They get ozil and we get Bale lol.
Well Partey and Xhaka won’t be a good fit.
If Partey comes in he really must play at the base and the reason why Partey would be considered as a good signing by some is that he could do that role more on his own rather than have support deeper that we have seen in this team previously
An article recently posted here actually gave the suggestion that two attacking midfielders could operate from Partey deep.
Partey – Ceballos is more passable.
Charlie I absolutely agree we need to be more ruthless with players but I think you missed Lacazette and Xhaka off your list sir
Marko
Yea, I didn’t. I listed players that haven’t played for us and offer little in terms of playing time.
WE
Sagna for my money was pound for pound a better fullback.
Sorry WE you talk a lot of sense on here but you must not have seen much of Lauren to say Sagna was a better fullback.
I’d go as far to say he was our best right back ever. Amazing temperament, class going forward, rarely beaten one on one, strong in the tackle and knew how to defend and didn’t take any shit.
Sagna was really solid and was a great defender but was only good going one way. Was a decent threat in the air too.
Un mate – good incisive stuff but you’re wasting your breath with the last -match-only-considered thick shits on here
This is the ‘we want it and we want it now’ site – you know who you are Redtruth etc
Ceballos is being praised for his deep lying midfield play.
If Partey arrives there will be not be such a need for Ceballos’ deep lying play.
That’s why some may have suspicions if Ceballos extends.
Those suspicions being that we continue to see the Xhaka and Ceballos deep lying playing show and no Partey to the party.