Well, it would appear that the Raphinha story might not smell of Vlahovic, it looks increasingly like Arsenal are going to go all out this window and bring in all the technical wide players.
Did anyone see Arsenal investing £60m on a player to replace Nicolas Pepe?
I did not.
But do I welcome it?
You are damn right I do.
Ornstein says this chatter is the real deal.
“Interest in him (Raphinha) is clear and firm. Mikel Arteta and a number of others at Arsenal really like him. Admiration not fresh, goes back a little way. I think that is the player they would like to bring in.”
Raphinha would be a monster show of ambition. He can play on the left, he can play on the right, I suspect he has the frame and profile to play as a false #9 if we needed him to do that job.
What do I like about him? He has power, speed, and brilliant control. There is a lot of end product and directness in his game… and we know he has the right character because he survived Bielsa.
FABIO VIEIRA IS IN THE DOOR. Mikel and Edu had this to say.
EDU: “We’re so pleased to have completed the signing of Fabio from FC Porto. Fabio is a player with special qualities who is comfortable with the ball in the final third of the pitch. We are all looking forward to working with him and enjoying his future contribution to Arsenal. We will now continue to work hard and are looking forward to finishing this transfer window as strongly possible.”
MIKEL: ”I am very excited that we have identified and signed such a special talent. Fabio is a very creative player that will bring high quality and versatility to our attacking play. We welcome Fabio and his family to our club and are looking forward to starting work with him ahead of the new season.”
This is a banger of a signing, we’re trying to get a Bernado or KDB before they are a thing. The club moved in silence on this one, they did the deal with Jorge Mendes. They jumped the queue ahead of other top clubs. I am thrilled. Who knows how we’ll use him, but he has so many characteristics I like… tight control, deadly accuracy with his passes, bravery, elite creativity, and the character to force his way into a good Porto side. He’s also the U21 Champion and a league winner. This is a baller move from the club and I AM EXCITED.
The player had this to say:
I’m an attacking player who looks to find space between the lines to be able to finish off moves either with assists or by scoring goals. I think those are the main attributes that Arsenal fans can expect from me. I’ll always give my all for the team.
… and as I’ve been saying, young players see us the hot club to ply their trade, this is who he’s looking forward to playing with.
I’m a fan of Bukayo Saka and Smith Rowe, too. I really like the way they play. Odegaard is quite similar to me.
Zach Lowy for the win on the Odegaard piece. Check out that video here.
The delicious story doing the rounds on United Twitter is that Ten Hag is a big fan of Nicolas Pepe. Now there’s a move I didn’t see coming, but really, we all know there’s a player in Nico, it’s just not going to be unearthed in this Mikel Arteta system. You have guaranteed goals with Nico, but there’s no consistency, and I don’t think he has the control in his game to really bang at Arsenal.
We haven’t spoken about it, but someone is going to have to tell Edu that yes, the rumours are true, you can sell players.
Here is the list of potential names that could go and some speculative fees:
- Nico: £20m (if it’s United, why not?)
- Bernd Leno: £15m
- Bob Holding: £10m
- Granit Xhaka: £15m
- Ainsley: £5m
- Hector: £5m
- Torreira £15m
- Ballard £5m
That’s £90m in there plus the £15m we’ve already received from Guendouzi and Mavropanos.
Now, we know the chances of getting near that numbers are very low, but there’s no reason to believe we can’t make a dent.
- Marquinhos £3m
- Tielemans £25m
- Raphinha £50m
- Jesus £45m
- Fabio £30m
- Martinez £35m
If all the names drop that are on the list quite firmly, we’re looking at a £188m.
My guess is that Arsenal are probably looking to get to a similar net spend as last season, which was around £130m.
Again, I go back to the January transfer window and the potency of not doing anything fucking mad because Twitter said so.
We reduced the wage bill, we’ve gone from £190m when Arteta took over, to about £85m 2.5 years later. That’s a monster reduction by any standards. These players we’re bringing in aren’t coming in on huge cash, I saw that Vieira would be earning about £46k a week to start with, I suspect Raphinha, Tielemans and Jesus will come on more cash, but we’re not looking at the dark days of £350k a week.
Part of our problem with the selling story has always been the salary. The increasingly muted misery crowd loves to throw around the story about Mustafi being offered a new deal at Arsenal, which wasn’t true, and here’s how you know why… He was on £90k a week under Arsene Wenger, no one was going to pick him up on that deal, the players knew that, but he left, was booted from Schalke, and even on a free transfer, he couldn’t get more than £38k a week. Yep, Arsenal paid Mustafi over double his market rate, that’s why we couldn’t get rid of him, and that’s why he was absolutely not offered a new deal by Arsenal.
The difficulty of rebuilding any organization is that pain is part of the process. In football though, you have 10 million critics demanding the change come with no bumps in the road. Out the backend of this rebuild, we have an average squad age of 23.5, loads of Hale-End products, a better culture, a clear idea of how to play, a recruitment team that aren’t banter, and a manager that has enough sway to drive change through every aspect of the club.
It’s dream stuff. We are moving like a proper club again. The whiners are being put in their place, this club is moving away from the negative voices. The fans in the stadium are falling in love with their team again. All the doubters that said we’d move nowhere under this regime are starting to double-take because Arsenal are powering at the dream of being major trophy winners in a really smart way.
Right, before I exit the building, it’s my birthday today, so sign up for my Patreon OR watch the latest podcast we put out.
One of our best and most-watched live shows of ALL TIME. Xxx
Dark Hei, I’d even argue that the pale is better than the xpa and ipa also
Pierre, yep exactly
Imagine ..Bissouma and Eriksen for 25 …absolute game changers for us .
25 mil
Savage “We’ll miss Xhaka’s aggression and physicality. One thing you can’t deny is he stands up for himself and his team mates.” You won’t miss Xhaka’s so-called physicality because he ain’t going nowhere. He’s entrenched in that Arsenal midfield. And physicality should entail a bit of pace along with it which he has hardly any and his aggression as others have noted is passive aggressive. As for him sticking up for his team mates yeah right throwing your team mates under the bus after the Newcastle match and going to aid his balkan brother opponent against Leeds in the incident… Read more »
Un
“Pierre. He’s [Bissouma] got skills but we already have partey elneny Lakonga and Torreira on the books as defensive midfield. We’d really need to be selling partey”
You list those players, but it’s Partey you say we need to be selling???
I also think that Bissouma for 25m was a huge miss. The price was just waaay too good to miss regardless of systems or what not. As we see we are trying to land a 50m+ winger when we have quite a few guys that can play there. We don’t have a partner to or a Partey alternative. At 25m we would have gotten both. I also agree that Bissouma is way more technical that people give him credit for. That he’s also powerful is what makes people think he can’t ball but he can. Clearly not at the level… Read more »
Pierre Bissouma is gone. To be honest I think Bruno Guimaraes was a bigger miss in January than Bissouma now. The only reason we would need Bissouma is if Partey keeps getting these injuries. Basically he would be a backup if Partey is fit. I hope Sambi and Elneny hold it down this season. They are capable but we would be at risk if a big game comes up and they are the ones starting together with Xhaka. That would be unbearable. Sign Tielemans or a Good CM like that and a Sambi Tielemans or Elneny Tielemans midfield would be… Read more »
Goober
When I read the holy scriptures, my beverage of choice is the little creatures draft ale. In the pub no less. I go really early, like before the happy hour.
Pedro’s post discussed briefly potential departures this summer, but this matter has been to some extent sidelined with most debate revolving around arrivals. Personally I would be surprised if Xhaka leaves this summer and so far there has been no suggestion that Holding is leaving either. So there are technically ELEVEN players who were on the books at end of last season who were clearly unwanted. Three have almost certainly left already. Lacazette on a Bosman and Guendouzi and Mavropanos for collective transfer fees of around £12 million. Another three will be relatively easy to shift. I would expect Leno… Read more »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3b-k0ElHYk
https://www.90min.com/in/posts/5966128-six-players-who-have-created-the-most-chances-across-europe-since-2006 This is interesting when you consider the quality of players throughout europe from 2006 -2018. Wouldn’t it be nice for Arsenal to again have the most creative player in europe. What it does show is that a creative player needs to be in the right place at the wrong time and playing under the right manager. Many a quality creative player have excelled under a manager that understands and trusts them , and many a quality creative player have been ruined by managers who struggle with creative geniuses. Wenger never struggled in the presence of creativity and it is… Read more »
The build up for this Vieira kis is huge.
No-one had heard of him until last week or at least were not talking about him..
Let’s give him a bit of time and see what he is all about.
No need to build the kiddie up to massive degrees until we see the item close up and hopefully he produces.
Un yes you’re correct we signed Marquinhos.
The sun is saying Jesus’ wages if we qualify for the CL will be 280k per year
I’m sorry but whoever signs off on that should be sacked outright
His current deal is about 100k. No one is even in for him and he wants to come. His current club don’t need him or want him.
On what planet is Jesus worth 280k a week right now?
Whatever we give Jesus, saka should ask for more. And bang there goes your wage structure.
Genius.
After doing a bit more YouTube research on Tielemans, I’m now fairly comfortable with the idea of him joining our MF. Not only would he be the ideal partner for Partey, but also when TP is absent due to his now compulsory end of season injury, he would probably be ideal suited to take his place. He is press resistant, good on the half turn, decent passing, athletic and decent in tackling. He should be our top 2 in priority for signings along with a striker. 3rd priority should be Martinez or chenko for LB cover.
China,
I’m not sure we should be putting too much store in what The Sun says. He’s currently on £90k a week, and clearly is going to want an uplift on that. i’d be ok with anything upto £150k. After that, it starts to become questionable. However, i suspect its just The Sun shit stirring.
Pierre re, your comment that we regressed creatively after wenger, I respectfully disagree. I’m a big fan of the man, but his last couple of transfer windows were a huge disaster. We bought Xhaka and Elneny, sold to us as the second coming of Pirlo, Mustafi because he was a World Cup winner, kolasinac on crazy salary because he was free, Lucas as this eclectic wide forward, and then Laca and auba in the space of 6 months. AND ozils outrageous contract renewal. These transfer had a long term crippling effect on our team and destroyed our wage structure.
Keep in mind that the fee paid out for Vieira was just over 30m.
That’s a moderate fee in today’s football world. Not cheap charlie but not signifying either that he is a nailed on first team starter straight from the off.
I’ve already said he interests me and have always got time for the Portuguesa players but he’s being talked about as if he is a definite saviour of the team or something.
Until we get Jesus in if we do then we are not putting a marker down that is going to scare other clubs.
Inside right Yes because one of partey and bissouma won’t be happy on the bench and we don’t want to play 2 holding kids for the vast majority of our games It would be a waste to sign 2 who want to be first choice when we need creative players who can and do change games in the opposition half. Also, with partey’s injury record for us he’s playing only half a season at 28. If we are gonna play the way I think we will play then it makes no sense to sign another when we have 4 already… Read more »
I just hope vieira lives up to his potential
His vids are nice. But we had ceballos and got stung.
On paper tho he looks like a clever buy and I’m excited to see not only how he plays but where he plays.
Maybe he is going to be an 8. Not proposing it but if he is I’ll be keenly watching. I like what he’s about tho
Pierre Why is chance creation a phoney stat when it applies to Odegaard but not when it applies to ozil? Nobody denies ozil created chances and kept the ball, it was his poor attitude to big games, away games and defensive work which pissed people off, not his ability to create. Odegaard is creating chances but with work rate and defensive diligence. I’d love t see him with the hand break off a bit more so he can focus more on the final 3rd as I think he would offer much more in numbers if he were off the leash… Read more »
China
Ceballos was never a good shout
I remember arguing for weeks with Freddie and hairline over him before he kicked a ball for us.
China- I suspect The Sun are being a little economical with those figures or just flat out lying. £280K a week if we make the champions league may include any lump sum bonuses G.Jesus will get. They do this all the time. Personally, I think anything up to whatever Lacazette was getting is fine for Jesus. It doesn’t destroy the wage structure and is imo a competitive salary compared to other teams at the current level Arsenal are at. I’m also excited by Fabio Vieira, described as the Iniesta of the Portugal under21 team. We should be patient with him… Read more »
Un his YouTube compilation was mint tho
And his debut was too!
Never reached anywhere near the heights expected after that tho lol
Yeah I mean I have been vocal about not thinking Jesus is the right player and not at the prices being quoted
But if he joins he obviously improves us and visibly so. It’s these numbers getting bandied around as transfer fees and wages which bother me the most. The number getting fished out are banter levels of ridiculous and not reflective of the player and the circumstances. I hope you guys are right and the reality is half what’s getting reported
Vieira was the player of the tournament at the u21 euros if I’m not mistaken. That’s a nice award.
The notoin that we can keep the wage bill down and on a level course while signing these players that are not established but are seen as progessive is noble and all that but will it result in actually being contenders for the big prizes? I mean we can just be under the radar of the real footballing elite if you like if you like this idead of building from scratch all the time. But at some point you would think we will have to push the boat out on occasions for certain players in regards fee and wages if… Read more »
We are not acting like a big club any more and so many of the fanbase are actually lapping this up.
most likely it’s 280k before tax which would make it around 140k which sounds about right.
Saka shouldn’t and won’t be asking for more than Jesus. He’s younger, not a better player and has less experience/honors. He’ll get 120k I reckon.
The culture of this team doesn’t care for man that are out partying, forcing themselves on women…. no thanks.
We like 21 year old home bodies not 28yr olds that have spoken to the grim reaper…
Jesus!
only teams that are moving more elite than us right now is city and pool. get use to it.
Ishola
We got too many accountants!
Rap
Bit harsh on Bissouma bringing up Yaya who was arguably the single best CM to have played in the PL.
Like saying that Gabriel Jesus is good but he is no Thierry Henry.
I agree with Pierre that Bissouma next to Partey would have given us a very solid CM spine and allowed our technical guys like Odegaard, ESR and hopefully Vieira to spread their magic in the CAM/wide roles.
Eagle
Yaya? Not a fucking hope
Vieira keane gerrard Lampard scholes Robson Cesc
I’d have vieira gerrard and scholes as my top 3 Lampard then keane in my top 5
I am not sure whether this a click bait but the idea of bringing Alexis Sanchez back to Arsenal is an intriguing one.
On a free for 2 years contract on £140kpw it could be a masterstroke, he would be cheaper than Jesus and could have a higher output.
However it could descend in a see of recrimination and resentment. I could see a Sanchez vs Xhaka argument developing on the pitch, with the former complaining of the later negative passing.
Partey is not tops off the ball so having Bissouma alongside him would have been handy.
But we know how it rolls.
Xhaka and Partey are very likely to be our midfield pairing again going into this coming season.
Arteta is getting those lemons to squeeze again.
agree with Pierre that Bissouma next to Partey would have given us a very solid CM spine and allowed our technical guys like Odegaard, ESR and hopefully Vieira to spread their magic in the CAM/wide roles.
Weagle
But we are looking to play a 433 with 1 anchor and 2x no8s slightly advanced. Who does Arteta play out of bissouma and partey?
Valentin
“I am not sure whether this a click bait but the idea of bringing Alexis Sanchez back to Arsenal is an intriguing one.”
Intriguing to a warped masochist lol
He’s clearly past his best.
If we are getting rumours like that then I am beginning to fear that the Jesus deal will go through.
Ishola Agree with you, not sure where these kind of signings are going to lead us. How much they all move the needle. Our CM is still a shambles, we have no proper fullback cover, this American GK is a complete unknown entity ans we are potentially a Ramsdale injury away from being in a bad spot. We are still light on goalscoring quality. A summer of Jesus, Vieira, Martinez and another CM (Tielemans?) would be a good haul but will it be enough? We still look short of seriously bothering anybody with those 4. Think we need 5-6 minimum.… Read more »
@Curse – Saka not a better player than Jesus? Call yourself an Arsenal fan? Never mind Tottenham Tom how about CurseCity?
Only joking about the last bit of course but Saka was a candidate for young player and player of the season in the PL, Jesus was nowhere to be seen. I can understand you wanting to ‘Big Up’ Jesus because you think that he’s joining Arsenal but at the expense of our player of the season? In bad taste IMO.
China – Indeed he was, its going to be really interesting what positions he takes up on the field. My issue with the cost/numbers is when it comes time to moving a player on, then the inflated wages are a burden. In terms of the transfer fees, if the extra £10 million we overpay for example means we do not have the funds for critical areas that need reinforcement, then yes it sours any transfer deal. However, if we have the funds I don’t really care if its 35,45 or 50 million. To be honest regardless of any transfer fee… Read more »
Un
Keane is a legend and was a top player but he wasn’t even in the same stratosphere of football ability as Yaya, are you having a laugh?
Yaya played in Pep’s Barca treble winning side. Vieira, Gerrard, Scholes, Lamps are fairer comparisons ans debates can be had but I am not sure that I would take any barring Vieira over prime Yaya.
Vieira edges it for me as he was more well-rounded with his defensive ability and leadership intangibles but was he a better footballer than Yaya? Not sure about that.
Valentin
That is banter. Alexis Sanchez?? This isn’t 2014. He is basically a squad player at Inter FFS. He wouldn’t be good enough for Leeds in the Premier League.
China
No way those wages are true. We probably won’t pay him more than double his wages at City. 180k a week which was what Lacazette was on at most. And he isn’t just moving purely for money. It is because he has ambitions of being a starter for Brazil and he sees what we are trying to do in the market.
Un
Two 8s and Partey on his own as the anchor would have disaster written all over it vs top sides and powerful counter-attacking runners.
Habesha
“and he sees what we are trying to do in the market.”
He wants a nice wedge.
I seriously doubt he is sitting down with his chums and waxing lyrical about Arsenal’s overall transfer policy.
True WEagle. We’d get shredded, we’ve always been vulnerable to a counter and that hasn’t changed. And going forward it doesn’t matter how talented you are if you can’t get enough of the ball to do anything with it.
WengerEagleJune 22, 2022 12:56:58
UnTwo 8s and Partey on his own as the anchor would have disaster written all over it vs top sides and powerful counter-attacking runners
Weagle
So we sign bissouma and play him only in cup games and a handful for double pivot against big sides
Un
PL isn’t what is used to be, midtable sides are so much stronger now and have much better players as they can affoed to drop £30m fees on talent.
Forget about top 6-7 sides, teams like Palace with Zaha, Olise, Eze, Edouard would continue to have their way with us.
Ish
We are going somewhere with our transfer policy. We are signing hungry players. And he knows Arteta. And he knows he will start here too. There are many more factors besides his wages.
Jesus is a big game player. He wants competition. And he wants to be the main man. That is a huge factor for players.
Our most successful teams had the likes of Vieira + Petit and Vieira + Gilberto/Edu at the core of our midfield. We used to dominate teams with power and physicality. The moment Wenger decided to go full on Barca mode, although good on the eye we stopped winning. I’ve no problem with us playing with 2 physical players like Partey and Bissouma/Anguissa/Sangare. I mean for god’s sake, we’ve been playing with Partey + Xhaka for 2 full seasons now, and any of the above would have made us a superior team as a whole if they started ahead of the… Read more »
What’s our plan b for physical games like against Palace? Is it just let Partey deal with opposition?
Only so much technical ability can take you. Even City struggled against Palace last season.
WE,
It was Sid who brought Yaya up. I felt I had to interfere before it went any further.
Habesha
“And he knows Arteta.”
That’s a big factor yes but the other stuff superfluous.
He is downgrading in reality.
If he does join it will be interesting to see how he reacts to that.
Will he act like the big time charlie or show professionalism and get his head down and work for the team.
I’m thinking and hoping for the latter.
Keane may not have scored the goals yaya scored but he was the only midfielder in the world at the time who could live on the same pitch and even get the better of a prime Vieira. As an arsenal fan and Englishman I’d rather not include him in the list but respect must be given He ran the premier league for years Yaya played in a team that had a huge advantage over everyone in else. They could sign who they wanted. Keane did it with youth players around him (albeit legendary youth players) and he was instrumental in… Read more »
Habesha
“He wants competition.”
He will clearly be stand out first team striker if he joins so competition for his place will not be troubling him.
Eagle
Yeah and we have 4 big, physical midfielders at the club already who can successfully play against the best in double pivot. We’ve beaten every big team in the league since Arteta took over.
Didn’t even hear about Mane to Munich until today lol
Big get for the Bavarians..
Vieira could do things with a ball yaya couldn’t
Little flicks over an opponents head with one touch
He was very silky and his game was underrated in that regard
Yaya was all power but he didn’t posses the silk of scholes and vieira. Gerrard dominated in every area a midfielder can and dragged a decent Liverpool side to trophies the aught not to have got near. And Lampard is the highest scoring midfielder of all time. Yaya shine in a city side that was on chest mode.
So the midfield doesn’t need anything done on it then according to Un because we have scrapped some results against the big boys at times and scrapping being the optimum word.
Un always ignores Xhaka’s failings simply because he was signed under Wenger.
Zero excuse for Carlos Sainz next season, ZERO!!
Un
Yaya won the CL as a starter for Barca. And that Man City team collectively underachieved in Europe. David Silva and Aguero are rarely blamed for some odd reason and it is usually laid off at Yaya’s door.
Keane played for Man United, what do you mean he never played for a team with a massive advantage? Were basically the Bayern of the PL in the 90s.
Being Irish I am a big fan of Keano do not get me wrong, great player and captain. But as a footballer he was miles behind Yaya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCyvn1jl4tA
Don
You are wrong Toure was the complete midfielder. And I am not comparing him to Viera or Keane
Ish
Sanchez downgraded from Barcelona to Arsenal. But un reality he upgraded himself. He was considered one of the PL best players at the time. Jesus wants the same besides a wage packet . If that was what he was looking for Man city would probably give that to him and play him as a winger as Guardiola has done last season. And he would sign a new contract with them. But he is choosing to leave. That means he wants to be the go to guy.
Habesha
I already said I think Jesus will show professionalism.
Yaya all power and no silk or skill? LOL, you must be out of your mind Un or you just have a terrible memory.
https://youtu.be/rxuvhff-fh0
Check that out and let me know if you come to your senses.
And remember Jesus will have a point to prove.
He is being dumped by City really.
And players with points to prove can be very beneficial.
Yaya was as complete as Viera. Both technically and ability wise. But he was a child sometimes. He would sulk if there wasn’t a birthday party for him and stuff. Viera was everything and more. He was a leader. Yaya too was a leader but with the excess baggage that came with it.
Ish
No. I’ve been quite clear that I do want us t sign a central midfielder as our primary target. Just one more like de jong/Savic/cesc rather tan bissouma
Ish
That was my debate though. He isn’t just coming for a wage as you suggested. He is coming to prove a point and be the “go to” guy.
Bit of both Habesha I would have thought.
Un
Savic and Dejong aren’t similar though.
Ish
Yeah a bit of both.
Jesus is a really good player but is he on par with the Benzema’s, Lewandowski’s, Kane’s, Haaland’s of the world? No. But that simply explains why we are in with a really good chance of snagging him. Cannot help but feel that Jesus isn’t at Real/PSGs level hence he wouldn’t see himself as above us. The Alexis Sanchez comparison is a decent one. Prime Alexis was a top player but he wasn’t quite at the level that Barca needed. Guy was not delusional about his ability and he knew Neymar was waiting in the wings to cement his starting role… Read more »
Not disputing yaya was the superior footballer but keane made sure his team mates left it all on the pitch
He dragged them to that 99 final
Yaya wasn’t as influential.
Keane was around in the greatest era of midfielders in our life time and still came out on top whe he was on the pitch, Zidane, Davids, Rivaldo, Vieira, petit, Gerrard, Alonso, cesc, Lampard. Ince, Gazza. Makalele.
Yaya came in at the end of that great era when Lampard Scholes and gerrard were over the hill and their indulgence was in decline.
Habesha
They are in terms of having the ability to play and dictate over physicality and Athleticism. Passing, vision, skill. That’s their game. Bissouma is about pace power and tackling
Forget Ronaldo, Yaya Toure easily the biggest near miss of the Wenger era considering we already had his brother, and there was no competition for him from other clubs when Wenger first was looking at him.
Wenger saw him as a striker and just laughed it off when Yaya said midfield would be his stronger position.
Keane was long past it by the time Cesc and Alonso were knocking around Un. Yaya also played against a better Gerrard than Keane did. For all of the celebration of that 99′ season, Utd under Fergie in the 90s and throughout the early to mid 2000s were quite underwhelming in Europe. And you had a much more even spread of talent around Europe, superteams had yet to really exist barring Real Madrid. That 99′ season was just lightning in a bottle with all of the breaks they were getting in the Cups (we had them dead to rights in… Read more »
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H8X3rxI2pmI
Just a little reminder of just how good paddy V was.
Fuck yaya. Vieira was the best midfielder in a time when football was littered with wall to wall world class midfielders. When ankle breaking tackles were standard
Watch the touch, the flicks, the turns, the dinks, the chips. Never mind the tackles. Yaya could never tackle like paddy
WengerEagle Yep, Exactly. I don’t think he is prolific enough to be on the Benzema, Lewa levels. But he is very good. And he is better than everyone that is available to us. They all have similar scoring records to him too. But he has a better overall game. Plus he is a big game player. I think Arteta recognizes there isn’t a lot of forwards available. Especially around that price. And he is hoping to make him the focal point that helps the team score a lot of goals. And aside from being lethal like top forwards, Jesus doesn’t… Read more »
People better not be comparing Bissouma to Yaya. In football terms that would be a joke. Yaya was si good technically that he would score free kicks close to the box. People forget that because he was powerful too.
Bissouma is a decent passer but he is nothing like Yaya. Even Partey is nothing compared to yaya.
Eagle
Yaya joined city in 2010 when gerrard was 30 and Lampard was 31 and he didn’t start dominating until the following season
Keane left when gerrard was 25 and Lampard 26
He dominated prime David’s and Zidane
Alonso joined Liverpool in 04 in his prime
Come on now. It’s not even close with regards to had had the toughest era
Wouldn’t trust a word of what comes out of the rag k/ a The Sun.A Manure biased rag that has never shown any love for Arsenal.So they’ll print anything derogatory they can when it comes to us.Isn’t it printed in Salford?
Eagle
Yeah alright I’ll give you cesc
Had to throw an extra in there to pad it out a bit 😎
Yaya is the best African footballer of all time imo in terms of technique and all-round ability.
There was not a team he wouldn’t have been able to play in. If you can hold your own in Pep’s Barcelona XI that is the apex really.
Salah, Mane, Drogba, etc all pale in comparison for pure skill and technical ability to Yaya. Only Eto’o compared and even he was a level below in these attributes.
Paddy was “ world class” when the term actually meant something.Nuff said.
Weagle
Their 2008 side was better. They had Cr7 tevez Rooney scholes Giggs rio and vidic
But their midfield wasn’t as good as the 99 side. That 99 side was on par with our 04 side as the greatest midfield of all time for me and keane ran it
He won their semi vs juventus. He domained Zidane and David’s
Yaya was a force but he hid in the big big games when compared with keane who excelled in the biggest of occasions.
Un
Keane was a husk by the time he left, his body was dusted. You never read his autobiography? (Would recommend)
Guy was crippled by the time he went to Celtic. His best years were behind him after 2003 and Gerrard/Lamps were pups.
WengerEagleJune 22, 2022 13:50:08
Yaya is the best African footballer of all time imo in terms of technique and all-round ability.
Vieira and Drogba for me as best African footballer. And etoo. Yaya was a cock
WEagle – “ George weah “would give him a run for his money,no?
George Weah in his prime.
Nothing has come out of Liberia like it other than those cross-dressing soldiers that caused a bit of havoc.
Of course in today’s western society they would be offered in for a cup of tea.
Don’t forget Kanu
And Chris wreh 😝
Vieira count now? Meant to have played for African countries.
Weah is a good shout Pete. Up there for sure.
Un
Viera is French. Doesn’t make him African because he is black.
Eagle
Ok take vieira out. He was born and raised in Senegal though so he is technically African
Jay jay Okocha for skills.
And George Weah African player of the year twice
Ballon Dor winner
Just saw Positive Pete’s post.
These players where they are the only one to come out of a country to have any mark is notable.
Habesha
He was born and raised in Senegal you bell. Stop trying to make this some thing it’s not. I clearly revere the guy
Kanu over Jay Jay all day for me
Eagle
I don’t like autobiographical books
Self serving shite usually
I read Robbie flowers when I was living in the outback as I had fuck all else to read and I’d read Wenger’s. That’s it
Un
😂😂😂 why are you Mad?
Have you heard Viera speak? Or have you seen the way he carries himself? Plus he has played for France. It doesn’t make him Sengegalese because he was born there. He moved to France when he was 8. So he doesn’t count as African.