ARSENAL LOOK TO ITALY?

by .

THE EUROS TONIGHT LADS AND LADETTES.

Can’t wait.

It’s nice that to commemorate the Italians and Turks game that we’re being heavily linked to Serie A players.

Locatelli as a Granit replacement?

Barella as tasty number 8 with bite to his game?

RODRIGO DE PAUL FOR CHANCE CREATION, BALL PROGRESSION AND BIG ENERGY VIBES?

Those are three very sexy links. I read someone say we go from ass to class and I am absolutely here for that sort of poetic internet prose.

Rodrigo De Paul is 27, repped by Mino Raiola, and probably going to Atleti… but his profile is exactly what we’re looking for. He’s tasked with progressing the ball from deep at Udinese. He creates a lot, scores a lot, has an energy profile that has attracted Bielsa. Give me that sort of talent over some of the one-paced merchants we’ve been looking to replace all day long.

This is an excellent scouting report if you’d like to read up further on him.

Locatelli is exciting because he’s handsome and Italian. He ticks all the Xhaka RPL boxes from a stats perspective. He’s at a small club in Italy, Sassuolo, so should be attainable. Though I do wonder how the P&P merchants are rationalising him more than the other slow deep-lying midfielders because he’s very one-paced even in Italy. I guess Italians just hit differently?

I’m not sure how much is actually going on, because I know Arteta is out of the building on holiday and it seems that Edu is still away because he keeps posting to his public IG stories. Breath though. Everyone is entitled to a holiday. BUT WHERE ARE THE SIGNINGS BECAUSE THE EUROS HAVE ALREADY STARTED. Breath. It’ll be fine. IT WILL BE FINE.

Tyler Adams feels like a dead cert now.

Agent Smith Rowe is on the blower as we speak luring him over to the mighty Arsenal. Journos are saying he’s a hot target of clubs with Champions League football. I’d say WE ARE ARSENAL, but Emi B just binned us off to play cards with John Terry, so who knows how the Arsenal pull is working at the moment.

More journos are talking up the prospect of Lokonga, a great talent, but not for the first team I’d imagine.

Then there’s the story of Eddie getting a new deal. Not quite sure how this one is working. If he’s getting a new deal, you would imagine it’ll be because Huss Fahmy put an option of an extension in his last deal so we could preserve his value… because I don’t see a world where he’d sign another year knowing how far he is down the pecking order to protect Arsenal’s right to sell him?

Granit Xhaka is about to move out of the club for £18m or so… if you spent the last 5 seasons calling him the worst player in the world, I can’t have you moaning about the fee in a post-pandy world (pandy is ok to use, right?).

On the note of moaning, word for the comments. I let a whole bunch of people back on a few weeks ago and predictably, the misery is back and the conversation is starting from a low point. People need to pick it up. Misery breeds misery and stops interesting conversation flowing like we have a few months back. If perpetrators don’t pick it up, I’ll do a sweep again.

On that note, I bid you farewell, enjoy the Euros, it’ll be fun!

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Gonsterous

Gentlebriss

Nah he has more than Christmas, what’s the target for next season? Surely top 6, and if he’s 6-8 points from 6th place, the management will still give him time.

So I’m guessing mikeal has another full season deliver europa league.
A great time to be an arsenal fan where we can celebrate coming 6th next season

Captain Tierney

Arteta trying to sign 50 million defenders when it’s clear we need attacking reinforcements is like Wenger signing attacking midfielders when everyone could see our weakness was in defense.
🤯

China1

If saliba wants a future with us in the first team he’s probably going to have to give a groveling apology to Mikel privately and praise his genius coaching in the media. Then he’ll have the privilege of being our 4th choice CB next season irrespective of his or the other CBs form. Even chambers may take his spot at CB in a few games to remind him how fragile his position is. He’ll probably at some point give him a few games in a row and irrespective of form once he makes any small mistake he’ll be binned off… Read more »

Gonsterous

China I would prefer him saliba went on loan, because I don’t think he will be in mikeals plan and I don’t want us to sell him on the cheap. A year loan and by the time a new manager comes in, saliba will be put back in the team, either that or he will be fed up of arsenal by then and hand in a transfer request Going out on loan is never easy for a player, he has to go to a new club and try to cement a position there, only to go back to the parent… Read more »

China1

Gonsterous in theory I can accept that but in reality if saliba goes out on loan arteta uses this as an excuse for why we need to buy a new CB and blow another bunch of cash on a position which should not be a priority

Tony

BobN16 My ‘The sun only shines’ comment was aimed at your football enjoyment gathering with friends at home games – nothing more. That said I’m very sorry to hear of your son’s hospitalised mental health issues. That’s the hardest thing to deal with the ‘invisible wounds’ in my opinion I had it with my adopted father and my own ADHD often severe hyperactivity. My daughter is almost savant like who can absorb and regurgitate extremely high levels of maths, physics and science you often see in movies ala Alan Turing – not quite, but you get the picture; however, communication… Read more »

Emiratesstroller

Rich I think that you are being grossly over optimistic if you think that Arsenal will/could spend £200 million in this transfer window. Last Summer we spent around £87 million and that was a struggle. My guess is that this summer we will spend if we are lucky £120-130 million factoring in perhaps £80 million in sales. I accept your argument that Arsenal will reduce the size of its first team squad and also most probably its wage bill. However, you have to also factor in substantial reduction in revenues not only from loss of European Football, but both media… Read more »

Kegunner

Athleticism can be used to cover defects in a players game. Good point is Guendozi great athlete but had problems with positioning. Compared to legends like Makelele or Pirlo who didn’t depend on athletic gifts at all.

Sid

The outdoors, leave the city,
try to consume food you have grown as much as possible, include alot of garlic, ginger, turmeric, pomegranate, baobab seed, sesame, chia, sea fish in your diets
Workout.
Thats all folks.

Useroz

“His deserves this season to be fair

What has he accomplished to “deserve” that? All the bad records and history made?

Radio Raheem

What is Arteta’s obsession with CBs and defensive players. Even the attacking players he gets have defensive slant to their attributes (see Odegaard and Willian).

How is Ben White our priority? £50m blown on him is £50m less on a creative player we badly need. Is White that much better than what we have?

Arteta and Edu are bloody morons the sooner we move on from these two the better.

Useroz

“Is he better than Saliba?

Can anyone bet his lunch that he’s better than Saliba?
Saliba showed up at Nice in January and made the shortlist for team of the season.

It will be footballing ,malpractice to ditch Saliba without a proper trial.

No way White is better conclusively..

If after all Saliba is sold and White bought, Arteta has to be tried for sabotage and ideally hung and commuted to life is he couldn’t ruin other clubs anymore.

Useroz

Hopefully this White BS is just media click bait with not an ounce of truth in it.

Be positive….

Tomorrow we’d be linked with Messi…or simply bought out by Ek…

Or Arteta loves where he is holidaying and resigns…

Or Edu buried his head in the sand too long while sun bathing and couldn’t get it out …

China1

Useroz you better be right

Habesha Gooner

I am pretty certain this is not media propaganda. Arteta is looking for another CB. It was reported a while back that if David luiz left then we would look for a RCB as priority by lots of credible journalists. I just see Arteta as a plague we have to get rid of now. Whatever he does makes little sense. 50 mil on a ball playing CB that doesn’t stand out in his defensive duties is what a team of incompetent people would do. The other thing is Saliba is a very similar profile to Ben white. He is a… Read more »

Useroz

China1

Fingers and toes crossed…

🤣

Terraloon

“If Chelsea sign Hakimi, we should be all over Reece James That’s a £40 million transfer I could get right behind” As I said the other day Chelsea , from what my brother tells me, haven’t yet determined James best position they had him in the back 3 against Leicester and to be honest he nullified Vardy . If they bring in Hakimi I would suspect that would mean that James is either moving into the back three. I just can’t see him being sold but if Brighton are looking for £50 million for White pretty sure that Chelsea would… Read more »

Rambo

You get the feeling that if Arteta took a shit on Woodro’s head, he will find a way of enjoying the smell.

Tony

Wow Useroz sailing mighty close to the wind there. On the last page Pedro threatened to let loose operation clean sweep if the naughty boys played up again or new ones appeared. Marc almost disappeared without trace last year, he said sitting between CG and Don and his gang was enough to admit to anything including being a closet AKB. Telling it for Doria as Banford never survived the bin and has been seen around social media as many times as people claim to have talked to Elvis. These are tricky times to post indeed. #Ilovearteta No I really do… Read more »

China1

RB is really important this year but I’m hoping we solve the midfield first Soares and chambers are not top class options but I can at least rest easy if the club has an actual midfield. It would be far more typical of arsenal to fix our RB position and the blow everything else on an unneeded CB, winger or CF and start next season with a crap midfield again tho Whatever is logical, we will probably do the opposite. Pretty please arteta sign a couple of genuinely quality midfielders. They don’t need to be big names, they don’t need… Read more »

China1

Who was it who scouted us Tierney and got that deal over the line?

That transfer is the absolute standard we must be trying to emulate in terms of affordable price points for genuinely classy players

Zacharse

I just read an article that said that during a livestream Gab Maghalaes was asked to smile and touch his hair if bissouma is on his way to Arsenal. Then he did. Then the article explains that after the last brighton match at the emirates pepe and bissouma ran a lap together and pepe showed him where everything is in the stadium. Because he’s coming to arsenal.
As a LeGrove reader, I’m sold. The real question is if he does wind up signing for us, does that make the article true?

Gonsterous

China Wasn’t that mislintat? He had a good transfer policy, which works perfectly for a club like arsenal. Get young players on the up and sell them on the arsenal project. While they improve, it helps the club on the pitch and if we are to sell, we make a tidy profit. Then add in one or two older experienced head on low wages, who can guide the youngsters. Arteta on the other hand, is all for dumping the youngsters and making sure their fee hits rock bottom, and rely on experienced heads who are un droppable and who stab… Read more »

China1

Arsenal talking about neves for 40m like that represents value for money.

Look at the players who Dortmund have signed combined for only 7m more in recent years. How much are these 3 worth currently? 230m?

Haaland 18m
Sancho 7m
Bellingham 22m

Captain Tierney

When Ornstein is reporting its not clickbait.

Bob N16

Thanks Tony, don’t really want to go into details but think the meds are doing the trick, we nearly lost him. Your family life sounds full on, good communication is important but understanding everyone as individuals, more so. Sounds like you’ve got a handle on it! Thank goodness the Euros have started, TW is likely to turn us all into jibbering wrecks or raging idiots. Guess 2pm ko is best for you. Can’t see how we can afford the fee for White and still find the funds to fill in all the holes in our squad. Saliba looks ideal so… Read more »

Terraloon

I keep reading all this rubbish about finishing just six points off the CL places . Here we are trying to compare a team that we’re trying ,no having to rotate because they still had eyes on CL, the FA cup and indeed trying to finish in the top four compared to a club who had freedom and no pressure whatsoever. Six points is all that was needed yet it was still six points the reality is Arsenal minus six points, would almost certainly have finished the season below halfway in the table. As for all this about post Christmas… Read more »

China1

Fyi Dortmund’s transfer record is something like 32m. Almost every big signing they’ve made has been 25m or less. Many of them much less

I’m quite sick of arsenal paying a premium for players ‘just because’.

Captain Tierney

Ben White’s ball playing abilities are world class and whenever I’ve watched Brighton he has never stood out defensively ( which is a good thing) , apart from when Rashford floored him and 2 other Brighton CBs. He’d be a good signing but blowing 50 mil in him would be gross incompetence. And if we do have so much that we can still go out and splash 30-35 mil on an attacking midfielder, I’d rather combine that and go hard for Grealish. 50 mil on a CB after our worst attacking season ( and a very good defensive) in recent… Read more »

Bob N16

One other thing, I think Pedro shows astonishing restraint given the time and effort he puts into this site. If I was doing a high-powered job and additionally giving myself an extra workload on top of that, I wouldn’t take the shit that some posters daily give on here. It’s like turning up to someone’s house and slagging off the host. If you find yourself consistently slagging off Pedro, metaphorically walk away or curb your ankle biting. I’d just block and be done with it. Pedro is far more generous than I would be. Those that do it probably consider… Read more »

Useroz

Arteta should go do a medical check up… he exhibits plenty of behaviors, while coach and manager, befitting the small man syndrome…

Btw, remember Pep also bought a 50m stone some time ago… this guy is so obsessed and desperate to minmick his master in every way possible .

DUIFG

Let’s just sell saliba so we can stop the carry on that the club wants him.

Saliba 27m
Gabriel 24
Mari 15m
Holding new contract

You’ve bought or extended 4 cbs recently and telling me you want more ?

Good luck to saliba I hope he has a great career somewhere

Mr Serge

What’s to say he does not sell holding if he buys white they both play Rcb and we all know holding is limited if you can upgrade him and keep Saliba as his understudy you are good.
I have no problems with this scenario as long as we get the 2 cm and RB we need

Mr Serge

Lacs and Eddie will be sold and a new striker will replace them too

Sid

Quinoa, figs, ginseng, withania, cinnamon, gooseberries

Dissenter

Yes, by all means let’s expand our already bloated squad with a £50 million defender

What does that do to our leverage when we are trying to sell Saliba or Holding?

Then the same people will wonder why Arsenal didn’t get good prices for our players.

After Guendouzi and Saliba, our PR with young French players will be destroyed for a long time to come.
The Edu-Arteta combo would have destroyed in 2 years a rep that took Wenger 2 decades to build.

Danny S

Arsenal apparently haven’t made a profit on any player brought after 2013.

Rich

Mr Serge

If we sell Lacazette + Nketiah, then they should be replaced internally with Martinelli + Balogun

We’re likely stuck with Lacazette, I don’t see clubs lining up to pay £15-£20 million for a 30yr old striker on big wages

If Lacazette + Aubameyang are staying, then loan out either Balogun or Martinelli, let them pick up a season of competitive football, then we have a more experienced internal replacement lined up when Lacazette walks out the door for free in 12 months time

Mr Serge

Striker is the last thing we touch and that would be only if we move on the layers I mentioned our bloated squad will be trimmed by 10 players and we will bring in 4 I think

Pierre

Guendouzi…..WHAT A COCK UP. Saliba …………ditto AMN…………..ditto Ozil……………ditto Kolasinac….ditto Martinez……ditto Torreira……..ditto Sokratis……..ditto Cedric………..ditto Runnarson…ditto Willian……….ditto Next potential cock ups Selling or loaning Willock Nketiah………ditto Martinelli ….ditto Nelson………..ditto Nketiah………ditto And that’s just off the field cock ups. Biggest on field cock ups Going into 20/21 season without a no.10, or should I say paying our no.10 350 grand a week and not selecting him in the 25 man squad for “footballing reasons”….what a cock up. Europa semi finals v Villarael….a complete cock up. I’m not sure how Arteta has managed to get away with such bad decision making and kept his… Read more »

Danny S

Serge

We need a striker before we need a CB, based off of Aubas last season.

Tony

Bob my mother once told me a loved child has many names so by that maxim Pedro is well loved. I did wonder at the time if I held any records for names beginning with As, Bs, Cs, and Fs? Seriously, there is no lack of respect from the vast majority here including me for all Pedro does. However, Pedro can hardly take the pro Arteta stance he has since Emery was hired and bin all who disagree. Would only be half a dozen or so left. Give Pedro a few days of AFC Forever, Englandsbest (is he really English?),… Read more »

CG

CT

“”””Ben White’s ball playing abilities are world class and whenever I’ve watched Brighton he has never stood out defensively””””

Really ? World Class.??

Benjamin White of Brighton Hove Albion World Class captain?

So thats more Odegaard , Nevez, White, and the banned keeper possibly on the way.

Even it all clicks for Arteta, it aint going to set the pulses racing watching his team.

Arteta simply wants a team of Arteta clones.

Davi

Personally I think the areas that need the most attention are CM and CF – really we have decent enough options elsewhere, at least in the starting lineup, but we need CMs and CFs who suit the way we’ve been trying to play. It’s why we’ve been so inconsistent – can’t see us improving much with Auba starting, especially as CF, and it’s clear as anything our midfield options aren’t sufficient.
I hope this Ben White link is nonsense paper talk. Don’t see how that takes us forward.

Ishola70

I don’t think Pedro mentioned the link to Joaquin Correa of Lazio.

La Repubblica have reported that Arsenal are enquiring about him.

I like this link.

Ishola70

Argentinians, Portuguese.

These are many times player nationalities that have a strong mentality on the pitch.

Positive pete

£50 million on Ben White? If true “ special sauce” better be v.careful with his reasoning.Especially with Saliba knocking about.Is he simply trying to replace Luiz? Is he dumping Holding? As others have pointed out.It’s NOT a priority at present.Unless Arteta is confidant his midfield target \targets are lined up he is taking a massive risk this window.It will heap more pressure on him from the kick off & he’ll be given scant room for manoeuvre after that.A worrying development & not particularly positive.

Pierre

Mr serge “Striker is the last thing we touch and that would be only if we move on the layers I mentioned our bloated squad will be trimmed by 10 players and we will bring in 4 I think” That is probably about right.. The following players have been frozen out, so one would assume they will be on their way. AMN CEDRIC NELSON NKETIAH SALIBA GUENDOUZI TORREIRA KOLASINAC plus Luiz, Ceballos and Odegaard have left, not sure what’s happening with Willian and Bellerin plus xhaka could be on his way . Wouldn’t surprise me if one of Aubamayang or… Read more »

Rich

Tony I wouldn’t say I’m overly pro-Arteta Arteta has done some things I like, we’re much better without the ball now, and there’s a much better shape to us He’s made a lot of mistakes that could see him rightly lose his job, he shouldn’t have been promoted to manager, and leaving Arteta + Edu in charge of our summer plans, seems like complete lunacy We slightly underachieved in the league overall this season, when you look at the final picture, and our exists from the FA Cup + Europa League were meek But equally I don’t think that all… Read more »

Ishola70

Rich

“Arteta has done some things I like, we’re much better without the ball now”

Not really.

He just gets players behind the ball and deep and this is a factor in why the offense has suffered.

We still do not press high up as a team anywhere near what should be required.

Cheney10

Pierre… it’s only a cock up if any of those are going to take you to the next level. I would argue none of them will; therefore, I’d be more inclined to call it progress.

Dissenter

Rich
You do a lot of nonsensical oostirsing here
What were you trying to say in the last least at 10:32:40?

Sometimes you’re like a phony politician canvassing for votes
Lots of platitudes

Are you for Arteta, or what?
Have the courage to take a position ,

Dissenter

“I wouldn’t say I’m overly pro-Arteta”

That’s the type of stuff political consultants tell their clients to say not to offend.

Dissenter

* You do a lot of nonsensical posturing here

Dissenter

Some mangers would be contemplating dropping Malle for all the drama he’s pulling up in the 11th hour.

What’s he’s mad at Giroud for is handbags stuff, someone needs to tell him to cut out the nonsense or pull out of the squad.

Batistuta

Don’t think there’s ever been a general consensus like this ever on Le Grove! Incredible stuff

I

Dissenter

**Dropping Mbappe

Batistuta

“We slightly underachieved in the league last season”

Someone says of our worst league campaign in eons

Bob N16

Rich, as I’m sure you’d agree, nuance is does not feature in some people’s mindset- a binary approach simplifies things in a way that seems to suit.

‘You’re either with me or against me!’ ‘Arteta out or you’re Arteta in’ as if we have a direct line to Kroenke once we’ve added up the score.

Useroz

Tony

#Ilovearteta

No I really do

Honest🤪
………

Ditto. 😎

Rich

Ishola70 If we moved our players 10-15 yards up the pitch this season in every game Then we’d have been like lambs to the slaughter Our pragmatism hasn’t been through choice, it’s been a necessity Xhaka has played as almost a third centre half in many games this season That isn’t just to nullify Xhaka’s lack of athleticism, it’s also to cover for our lack of centre half’s who can progress the ball from back to front The emergence of Smith-Rowe, and the loan of Odegaard, gave us a different dynamic, because we then had two technicians in the final… Read more »

Marc

Bob The simple fact is the comments section is about to and fro, arguing and a bit of banter. No one (well there might be the odd delusional one) thinks the Kroenke’s read anything or take a blind bit of notice of anything on here. What I will tell you is the Kroenke’s will take notice of what the fans say or do in the stadium and Arteta has burnt through a lot of good will with a lot of fans – even the moderate fans are saying they’ll give him till Christmas. A repeat of last season – crappy… Read more »

Marc

Pierre

“Potentially 16 players could leave ….to me , thats a complete cock up”

No one would say the squad doesn’t need trimming but we’ve got people outing so many players that if the coming season was to go well and we get CL football we’ll need to bring in a ton of players to cope.

Marko

Again to add a bit more logic to us looking to upgrade at CB let’s say hypothetically speaking we actually decide to attack more and not sit back with men behind the ball and defend in numbers, which Arteta loves, next season what do you think happens then? That’s right we get more exposed we become more open at the back and if you don’t have better defenders you get caught out. Again I can see the logic where we replace 3 CB’s with a better option and where we’d need to improve the current core group of CB’s that… Read more »

Pierre

Cheney10 “Pierre… it’s only a cock up if any of those are going to take you to the next level. I would argue none of them will; therefore, I’d be more inclined to call it progress.” It depends how you look at.. 3 years since Wenger left and it’s a complete mess.. We shouldn’t be in a position where we have to offload as many as 15 players , it reeks of incompetence. Giving xhaka , Aubamayang and willian new contracts is not progression. Signing Cedric and then playing Xhaka at left back after Cedric had done a perfectly good… Read more »

Gbat

I think signing White is a good move. Young, homegrown, experienced and hasn’t missed any games through injury.

Very comfortable on the ball and no problem covering the spaces. Rob Holding is neither of these. He’s constantly backing off and too limited on the ball. Nowhere near good enough.

Selling Holding and Mavropanos will cover a lot of the fee.

Useroz

We shouldn’t be surprised if media reports we’d be swapping Martinelli pkus £30m for a 28 yo forward with excellent possession stats, one day…

Ishola70

Rich Then don’t expect the team to get top four any time soon then. This lack of pressing higher up is mainly to do with us having a shit central midfield. Your forwards/attackers can’t press on their own because they will be quite easily bypassed and have to have the midfielders backing them up. The midfielders pressing up naturally brings the whole team up including CBs. So as ever work needs to be done in that central midfield otherwise we will still see disconnect in the team between defence and attack and we will continue to boast about having a… Read more »

Marc

Tony

@ June 12, 2021 09:54:43.

Well said – we all appreciate the time and energy Pedro put’s into the site and I give him plenty of grief but I’d say exactly the same to him over a cold beer in the Tolly and then get a round in. There are some in life who are so sensitive I wonder how they get through the day.

Simple fact is Pedro’s going to need everyone on here he can get to console him when Arteta gets the bullet!

andy1886

“The issue that we have is only Luiz + Xhaka + Chambers can progress the ball from back to front”

Sorry Rich, that’s not true.

Tierney, Partey, Gabriel also progress the ball. Tierney has been our most potent attacking outlet in many games.

Useroz

After all, we still have Willian

Dissenter

Pierre
You’ll notice Arteta never fell out with Willian after Dubai

Ishola70

Marko

But isn’t White potentially being signed because of how good he is at bringing the ball out of defence rather than being an overall demon defensively?

Dissenter

I hear Rashford loves Ben White

andy1886

Gb, selling Holding and Mav will cover much of the fee??? Are you serious? Holding would fetch maybe £10m, Mav if we’re lucky £5m. White is quoted at £50m. If you think that you can get more than £15m for Holding or even £10m for Mav then you’re living in cloud cuckoo land.

Gentlebris

If we are actually aiming to buy a £50m CB this summer…then Ek game is winning. It would mean we should really ‘be excited.’

Maybe £200m plus money from sales…£350m to repair Kroenke’s sloppy reputation?

Then calm down people…Arteta has some power but not the Wenger’s absolute power. The buck stops at Josh’s American desk.

Then we have to realize Arteta isn’t walking around the building feeling super like he would last summer…he’s a guy on a six month probation and he knows this. So he can’t be making absurd demands right now.

Pierre

Rich “The issue that we have is only Luiz + Xhaka + Chambers can progress the ball from back to front, and all three players have mobility and athletic deficits, so they need to sit a bit deeper” That being the case , then why did Arteta sign Gabriel, cedric and Mari. Why didn’t he sign players that can “progress the ball”. All sounds like bullshit to me. I said from day one when Emery arrived , if a manager has a certain football philosophy then he needs the players to implement that philosophy or it is doomed to fail.… Read more »

Marko

But isn’t White potentially being signed because of how good he is at bringing the ball out of defence rather than being an overall demon defensively?

I would imagine he’s being signed because he’s better than few currently at Arsenal. Also he’s not going for 50 million there’ll be a premium but 50 million not a chance. Again if it’s me I’d replace holding chambers and Mavropanos with a White/Tapsoba easily.

Rich

Batistuta We finished 6 points off 4th Not many people expected us to finish top 4 this season I thought we should be finishing 5th or 6th at the start of the season We finished slightly below where I expected It was a disappointing season, when you look at the final picture, we slightly underachieved, had we assembled 7 more points, we’d have slightly overachieved Other than the two Liverpool games, the second 1-0 loss to City, the Villa 3-0, we weren’t good, but we were in every game We shot ourselves in the foot on too many occasions, we… Read more »

Marc

“Excluding free agents, Arsenal have signed 30 players since 2013 but have never made a profit on a single one of them.”

That’s a damning indictment of how the club’s been run for almost a decade now and we still seem to be on downward trend. If the Kroenke’s were aware of the real state of things you’d think they’d bite Ek’s hand off for £2 billion.

CG

Pierre

”””””’3 years since Wenger left and it’s a complete mess.”””””””

They have spent more in 3 years since he left than he did in 20 years.

And they still have not got a clue. Not a clue.Pissing in the wind.

Although according to some bright sparks – ‘the shape’ is better. The Shape!

KSE had 1 bloody job to do.Thats all.
Replace A. Wenger with a man better or at least of someone of similar stature.

(Difficult , granted, but thats their job.)

And they still can’t.

Marc

I really can’t see Chambers being sold – Arteta likes him. I wouldn’t be surprised in Chambers ends up as our first choice RB.

Ishola70

Rich

We got nearer to top four because Chelsea had an up and down season having to sack their manager and then eventually winning the CL and Liverpool had horrendous injury problems.

If they improve which could be likely along with Arsenal which to me is a little less likely we are still not getting a look in for top four.

Pierre

Andy
“Holding maybe 10 mil”

20 at least

To be honest, I’ve watched Brighton a lot last season and I can’t say white stood out for me …….50 mil ?

Rich

Andy Partey + Tierney both missed huge chunks of the season Gabriel is decent when given time, but isn’t great under pressure He’s a young player who I like, but he was bound to have a few teething problems this season, we didn’t buy the finished article, we signed a young player with around 50 senior appearances, off the back of his breakthrough season I’m confident he’ll improve, but Mari is currently better at distributing the ball, but he also has a lack of mobility and athleticism like Xhaka, Chambers, Luiz Tierney is brilliant in the final third, I’m talking… Read more »

Marko

Hey if it makes you guys feel any better this is Arsenal we’re talking about and we’re just as likely to roll into next season with the same plethora of poor options in defence keeping men behind the ball and struggling all season long until we sack the manager. What gets me though is the people who lap up the Arteta experiment having a problem with signing up a CB when it’s signings that mask over his inadequacies that are the only thing to save him from being fired in the future. I guarantee you if he doesn’t get this… Read more »

Bob N16

Marc, agree completely with your 11.08 post.

Ishola70

Marko

The main way to get Arsenal to stop just putting men behind the ball deep isn’t signing just one CB.

It’s about getting in a couple of central midfielders.

Central midfield is key in bringing a team up.

Elmo

“Maybe £200m plus money from sales…£350m to repair Kroenke’s sloppy reputation?”

The chances of Arsenal having by far the biggest transfer summer in club football history is zero.

Let’s at least maintain perspective to avoid disappointment: a net spend of £100m would be massive for the club (I think something more like £60m net is more likely, and to the Kroenkes would constitute really pushing the boat out bearing in mind the scale of losses the club is making).

Marc

Marko

This is why the idea of another CB is so contentious – no one is suggesting that the back line is a RB away from being perfect. The argument is with severely resources where is the priority to get the team winning more points. I’ll go one step further than you and say that if the football is as inhibited as much of last season Arteta will have the fans on his back anyway.

Marc

Elmo

We’re going to be showing losses of something like £150 million for last season with revenue for the coming season reduced by over £50 million. I’d be amazed if we have a net spend of even £60 million.

Marko

The main way to get Arsenal to stop just putting men behind the ball deep isn’t signing just one CB.It’s about getting in a couple of central midfielders.

You don’t get my point and that’s okay. I’m talking about us playing with more freedom and how that’ll open us up more defensively therefore when we do that we’ll need better options if we’re to have a decent defensive record. I’m not saying signing up a defender makes us better in attack that’s silly

Rich

Elmo

KSE going with a net spend of £60 million, and only addressing certain issues, doesn’t help us

They can’t afford to sit around while others invest + improve, while we stagnate or regress

They either have to sell the club, or protect their asset by improving the quality on the pitch

Doing nothing, or half doing something, isn’t an option

Providing we an get players out, I think we’ll go all in

andy1886

Pierre, who is going to pay £20m for Holding, a player many on here think is limited? We only paid £27m for Gabriel who was deemed to be one of the best young prospects in that position.

Ishola70

Marko

I keep hearing the main reason we are signing White is because he is better on the ball than our other CBs.

Just how good is he defensively away from being good on the ball to be able to fend off the opposition on his own when we play with this more freedom?

Left Testicle

On the note of moaning, word for the comments. I let a whole bunch of people back on a few weeks ago and predictably, the misery is back.
>>>>>>>>>>
That will be Marc then. 😉

Marko

The argument is with severely resources where is the priority to get the team winning more points Right but as I’ve said for the umpteenth time if we have severe resources I dunno why not sell some of these fuckers conning a living at Arsenal and add to the budget. It’s also basic common sense do we need Holding Chambers and Mavropanos when one CB can do their job. Why is even Mavropanos still at the club? Or Chambers or Holding for that matter after so many years? If you’re like me delighted to see the back of Xhaka cause… Read more »

andy1886

Rich, also worth remembering that the money we would be spending isn’t some gift from the Kroenkies, it will add to our already significant debt burden and could hamstring us for the next decade or longer.

Marko

Just how good is he defensively away from being good on the ball to be able to fend off the opposition on his own when we play with this more freedom?

You could probably answer that question perfectly with does holding chambers and Mavropanos address that instead? Maybe 3 CB’s does