MLS is the real deal, its great news for us as you can see him becoming Partey's successor and running the midfield with Nwaneri for the next decade or more.
Thinking about transfers and how well some of the championship players have done when they've come up and adapted to the prem, some, have even shone in the league (Rogers), Gyokeres was also there not too long ago.
So there's a young Spanish winger at Norwich with 15 goals this season (so knows where the bag is) - Bora Sainz is his name, i doubt that he'd be really expensive and im sure he'd relish the opportunity, its got to be worth a punt hasn't it or someone else from our lower divisions.
Hes got a ban at Norwich for spitting arm so I don't know if that'd transfer to the prem or not but maybe we could get him at knockdown price?
We need goalscorers - not to be a downer but our lot don't want the responsibility a lot of the time, they get a nosebleed when they're that high up the pitch (barring Trossard).
Sounds like Pep is finally going to scrap away with the whole CB playing at LB nonsense he's been doing the last few seasons and actually bring in a LB...the question is when will Mikel follow suit.
A few days ago, I was reminded of Ramsey's purple patch by a poster here who was claiming how Havertz had a purple patch and now it's over and that's it.
I just realized that's more valid of a certain someone's campaign 2 seasons ago. That luck in front of goal has not been seen before or after that season.
While, besides 2023/24, Havertz has done it about 3 more times in his career and will do it again this one.
Good piece on MLS's game last night from The Analyst.
Here's an excerpt:
"There was plenty of notable aspects to Myles Lewis-Skelly‘s performance against Tottenham on Wednesday.
The first was his age. At just 18 years and 111 days old, Lewis-Skelly became the second-youngest Arsenal player to start in a north London derby in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Cesc Fàbregas, who started home and away as a 17-year-old during the 2004-05 campaign.
The second was his composure on the ball. In the cauldron of a derby, Lewis-Skelly misplaced just two passes all night, completing 30 of his 32 attempts (93.8%). Among those was a scything through ball to Raheem Sterling early on that the winger somehow failed to get on the end of."
Benjamin Sesko's agent has spoken out on the future of his client and declared he expects the Slovenian striker to remain at RB Leipzig this month.
Speculation linking Arsenal with Sesko, who was their top attacking target last summer before the 21-year-old opted to extend his stay in the Bundesliga last June, has intensified in the past few days following confirmation of Gabriel Jesus' devasatating ACL injury.
When asked if Sesko has the quality to play for Arsenal, the player's agent Elvis Basanovic told Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: "I think you should ask Mr. Arteta about that. But I think Sesko could suit many clubs because he has different football skills. He can play alone in attack, with two strikers, a little further back, he has height, speed, technical speed."
When pushed specifically on whether Arsenal had made enquiries, Basanovic added: "I can't answer that question for you."
Sesko's long-term Leipzig contract runs until the summer of 2029 and does not contain a release clause. While Arsenal retain an interest, it's understood they are of the opinion he is not available for transfer this month and are instead exploring other potential market opportunities.
Basanovic also revealed that a future move will only be considered if it is beneficial for the player's development. Collectively, following much deliberation, the attacker and his entourage decided against a Premier League switch prior to Euro 2024 when it wasn't just Arsenal that were at the table.
Basanovic explained: "Benjamin Sesko is really shining, I think this is a phase of development. I think we have already shown in the past that we are sticking to the development path, that we are not looking at current form.
"Our decision regarding the next step, the transfer, has never and will not stem from current form, but from who can offer Sesko the best platform for his development.
"We can see that our decision was correct, six months later he is already a better striker than he was last season. What he lacks is experience. We must not forget that he is only 21 years old, so we did not want him to go to the Premier League in the summer. There were concrete options, but we consciously decided to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to progress and develop into a better striker."
When quizzed on what kind of price it would take Leipzig to consider a sale, Sesko's representative was firm in his response, adding: "I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at the moment, Leipzig does not want to sell Benjamin Sesko because they really value him immensely."
It doesn't sound like Sesko or his agent value being thrown money at them. Their logic is sound. Let him gain up a little bit more experience, quality, consistency, then the money will come and more of it. But last summer was the time to keep developing in a known environment and stability.
I'll say I fkin hate it that Klopp is the head of global football for all the Red Bull teams including Leipzig. I hope he doesn't get in the way of Arsenal getting Sesko cause of his relation to Liverpool.
Remember when I was desperate to see Jesus play along with Havertz and you were laughing your ass off? Saying how useless Jesus is etc?
When Jesus and Kai start through the middle together:
- Havertz - 3 games, 1 goal in each
- Jesus - 3 games, 2 goals
That's it. 3 games the whole season. I'm so annoyed at Jesus' injury...
That's how you get the maximum of Havertz. Give him dynamic players and he'll revel in that environment.
We don't have that so if the decision is to bring a typical CF who will do great on his own, even if say Sesko might not upgrade his teammates or have the overall contribution of Havertz, then I'm cool with it. Maybe we'll see a CF and Havertz together.
The other option is also there - give him a proper AM and watch them both shine.
He doesn't really need much. Just players that run and attack the box. When we have 2 players rooted to the sideline and an AM allergic to making runs (bar that one season), Kai won't be as effective as he could be.
Sesko would need reassurances about playing time. Mike would need to make clear what that is. Will Mike bench his 275pw man for Sesko or still try and fit Kai into the starting 11
It's irrelevant at this stage what this or that ITK says because we know there's interest in Sesko and we also know that it's ludicrous to think that you'd get him on a loan deal. Leipzig are only going to sell him if you pony up
The typical pattern would be a player without a release contract using the leverage of extending his contract, to attach a release clause, not the other way around.
My impression from summer was that we were interested in Sesko because his release clause was low, he was massively undervalued and would have been a bargain.
Sesko new contract has no release clause, we need to negotiate now, so maybe we not as enthusiastic as we were six months ago.
"Sesko’s new deal is expected to be in the form of a one-year extension on his previous contract, which ran until June 2028, on better terms. There will also be a gentlemen’s agreement between Sesko and Leipzig, likely in place of a contractual release clause, that will allow him to leave for the right project. This figure will be discussed before an acceptable range is reached.
Sesko’s previous contract contained a release clause in the region of €65million (£55.3m, $70.8m)..."
From what I can tell, there is no release clause in Sesko contract but Leipzig have assured him they will sell him soon for huge sums of £££s if top club interested.
Absolutely fuck all. He's basically a talent spotter/developer/advisor to all Red Bull clubs. Basically it's not in his interests to say no to selling someone for a profit
🔴 Rumors about Benjamin Šeško and Arsenal. According to a report, it’s about a loan with an option to buy. This rumor is wide of mark.
In Šeško’s current contract, there is no release clause. This means the transfer fee is negotiable. It’s unsurprising that they wouldn’t loan out one of their most valuable and important players in the winter. Leipzig want to keep Šeško! No talks, no negotiations.
I'd rather Gykores but hey beggars can't be choosers if it's Sesko, reminds me a lot of Havertz for some reason. Also hope whatever we're doing involves a winger as well
Bati I think you're great man but absolutely nothing like Havertz is he. For one thing he doesn't look like his shoes are tied together and he's actually got pace and has good instincts because he's an actual striker. He's very close to Isak I think personally. Looks like he's a push over but deceptively strong and fast and can score different types of goals. He's basically trending towards being a top striker in Europe. Best get in before Bayern do
Yea i guess my limited views of him were in the Euros and he looked underwhelming there but I can see the sense in it seeing as we were also pursuing in the summer.
Personally for me it'd be Osimehn and then Gykores
The Sesko rumours have only been started by that SamC guy. He is a Man United mouth piece. I think I saw him get a few things wrong in the summer. The rumour doesn't make sense in some ways too. Taking one of Europes best young strikers on loan with an option won't be possible. I would take it with a pinch of salt till a person who is well connected at Arsenal or one of the big boys reports it.
It's silly season and there are only few targets that are good enough for a club of our standing, at the phase we are in. It has to be Sesko or Gyokeres - who have release clauses
MLS is the real deal, its great news for us as you can see him becoming Partey's successor and running the midfield with Nwaneri for the next decade or more.
Thinking about transfers and how well some of the championship players have done when they've come up and adapted to the prem, some, have even shone in the league (Rogers), Gyokeres was also there not too long ago.
So there's a young Spanish winger at Norwich with 15 goals this season (so knows where the bag is) - Bora Sainz is his name, i doubt that he'd be really expensive and im sure he'd relish the opportunity, its got to be worth a punt hasn't it or someone else from our lower divisions.
Hes got a ban at Norwich for spitting arm so I don't know if that'd transfer to the prem or not but maybe we could get him at knockdown price?
We need goalscorers - not to be a downer but our lot don't want the responsibility a lot of the time, they get a nosebleed when they're that high up the pitch (barring Trossard).
Sounds like Pep is finally going to scrap away with the whole CB playing at LB nonsense he's been doing the last few seasons and actually bring in a LB...the question is when will Mikel follow suit.
A few days ago, I was reminded of Ramsey's purple patch by a poster here who was claiming how Havertz had a purple patch and now it's over and that's it.
I just realized that's more valid of a certain someone's campaign 2 seasons ago. That luck in front of goal has not been seen before or after that season.
While, besides 2023/24, Havertz has done it about 3 more times in his career and will do it again this one.
Just food for thought.
Come on Rap. You're getting into creepy territory now.
What did I do...
He's talking about Jesus maybe...purple patch... maybe Trossard.
While those were monstrous 3 points, I was nervous as feck during the 2nd half.
They were there for the taking when Ange took off bissouma and sarr but we failed to turn on the screw.
It appears to be more than ruthlessness for me.
We played with handbrakes in the 2nd half and I felt it was so stupid that we wanted to protect 3 points with just the 1 goal lead.
I would have thought you better off do that when you are 2 goals up rather than 1.
I just have a niggling feeling that we may not be able to win big things with Tets.
Managers who have achieved big more often than not go for the kill in those situations.
I don't see it as the players since there was a 20min period in the 1st half we were like fire.
Yesterday's game and the approach worries me in the long term.
Big Gabi was the main reason yesterday that we closed in on Pool.
Good piece on MLS's game last night from The Analyst.
Here's an excerpt:
"There was plenty of notable aspects to Myles Lewis-Skelly‘s performance against Tottenham on Wednesday.
The first was his age. At just 18 years and 111 days old, Lewis-Skelly became the second-youngest Arsenal player to start in a north London derby in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Cesc Fàbregas, who started home and away as a 17-year-old during the 2004-05 campaign.
The second was his composure on the ball. In the cauldron of a derby, Lewis-Skelly misplaced just two passes all night, completing 30 of his 32 attempts (93.8%). Among those was a scything through ball to Raheem Sterling early on that the winger somehow failed to get on the end of."
Read it entirely, here:
https://theanalyst.com/2025/01/myles-lewis-skelly-arsenal-vs-tottenham-north-london-derby
Let's just raid an EFL Championship team and get a striker
Higuain all over again 🥱🥱🥱
Ryan Taylor, Mirror
Benjamin Sesko's agent has spoken out on the future of his client and declared he expects the Slovenian striker to remain at RB Leipzig this month.
Speculation linking Arsenal with Sesko, who was their top attacking target last summer before the 21-year-old opted to extend his stay in the Bundesliga last June, has intensified in the past few days following confirmation of Gabriel Jesus' devasatating ACL injury.
When asked if Sesko has the quality to play for Arsenal, the player's agent Elvis Basanovic told Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: "I think you should ask Mr. Arteta about that. But I think Sesko could suit many clubs because he has different football skills. He can play alone in attack, with two strikers, a little further back, he has height, speed, technical speed."
When pushed specifically on whether Arsenal had made enquiries, Basanovic added: "I can't answer that question for you."
Sesko's long-term Leipzig contract runs until the summer of 2029 and does not contain a release clause. While Arsenal retain an interest, it's understood they are of the opinion he is not available for transfer this month and are instead exploring other potential market opportunities.
Basanovic also revealed that a future move will only be considered if it is beneficial for the player's development. Collectively, following much deliberation, the attacker and his entourage decided against a Premier League switch prior to Euro 2024 when it wasn't just Arsenal that were at the table.
Basanovic explained: "Benjamin Sesko is really shining, I think this is a phase of development. I think we have already shown in the past that we are sticking to the development path, that we are not looking at current form.
"Our decision regarding the next step, the transfer, has never and will not stem from current form, but from who can offer Sesko the best platform for his development.
"We can see that our decision was correct, six months later he is already a better striker than he was last season. What he lacks is experience. We must not forget that he is only 21 years old, so we did not want him to go to the Premier League in the summer. There were concrete options, but we consciously decided to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to progress and develop into a better striker."
When quizzed on what kind of price it would take Leipzig to consider a sale, Sesko's representative was firm in his response, adding: "I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at the moment, Leipzig does not want to sell Benjamin Sesko because they really value him immensely."
Money talks always. This is all nice and rainbow and balloons and shit.
It doesn't sound like Sesko or his agent value being thrown money at them. Their logic is sound. Let him gain up a little bit more experience, quality, consistency, then the money will come and more of it. But last summer was the time to keep developing in a known environment and stability.
I'll say I fkin hate it that Klopp is the head of global football for all the Red Bull teams including Leipzig. I hope he doesn't get in the way of Arsenal getting Sesko cause of his relation to Liverpool.
His agent sounds like a used car salesman, not to be trusted. He's probably in London already.
They all know we are desperate because we left ourselves vulnerable
All the while you, raptora was running around with the idea that we had one of the top 5 strikers in the world already
Amigo, what has changed?
Remember when I was desperate to see Jesus play along with Havertz and you were laughing your ass off? Saying how useless Jesus is etc?
When Jesus and Kai start through the middle together:
- Havertz - 3 games, 1 goal in each
- Jesus - 3 games, 2 goals
That's it. 3 games the whole season. I'm so annoyed at Jesus' injury...
That's how you get the maximum of Havertz. Give him dynamic players and he'll revel in that environment.
We don't have that so if the decision is to bring a typical CF who will do great on his own, even if say Sesko might not upgrade his teammates or have the overall contribution of Havertz, then I'm cool with it. Maybe we'll see a CF and Havertz together.
The other option is also there - give him a proper AM and watch them both shine.
He doesn't really need much. Just players that run and attack the box. When we have 2 players rooted to the sideline and an AM allergic to making runs (bar that one season), Kai won't be as effective as he could be.
Also I don't think Leipzig are ever going to be in a position to refuse a 40-50 million profit on someone after 18 months.
Sesko would need reassurances about playing time. Mike would need to make clear what that is. Will Mike bench his 275pw man for Sesko or still try and fit Kai into the starting 11
It's irrelevant at this stage what this or that ITK says because we know there's interest in Sesko and we also know that it's ludicrous to think that you'd get him on a loan deal. Leipzig are only going to sell him if you pony up
Lets pony up then
Sesko would have needed to have the IQ of a gerbil to sign a contract without a release clause, when he was in the driving seat last summer.
It makes no sense that he gave up his previous release clause, at best the clause was increased.
His IQ may be that of a gerbil, his agent on the other hand....
Who knows
It just defies logic
The typical pattern would be a player without a release contract using the leverage of extending his contract, to attach a release clause, not the other way around.
My impression from summer was that we were interested in Sesko because his release clause was low, he was massively undervalued and would have been a bargain.
Sesko new contract has no release clause, we need to negotiate now, so maybe we not as enthusiastic as we were six months ago.
Per The Athletic last June 2024--
"Sesko’s new deal is expected to be in the form of a one-year extension on his previous contract, which ran until June 2028, on better terms. There will also be a gentlemen’s agreement between Sesko and Leipzig, likely in place of a contractual release clause, that will allow him to leave for the right project. This figure will be discussed before an acceptable range is reached.
Sesko’s previous contract contained a release clause in the region of €65million (£55.3m, $70.8m)..."
From what I can tell, there is no release clause in Sesko contract but Leipzig have assured him they will sell him soon for huge sums of £££s if top club interested.
Strikers.
If Sesko from RB Whichever club is pursued by AFC, what influence would ex Liverpool boss Klopp have on the release and/or deal conditions?
Absolutely fuck all. He's basically a talent spotter/developer/advisor to all Red Bull clubs. Basically it's not in his interests to say no to selling someone for a profit
Philipp Hinze
@philipphinze24
🔴 Rumors about Benjamin Šeško and Arsenal. According to a report, it’s about a loan with an option to buy. This rumor is wide of mark.
In Šeško’s current contract, there is no release clause. This means the transfer fee is negotiable. It’s unsurprising that they wouldn’t loan out one of their most valuable and important players in the winter. Leipzig want to keep Šeško! No talks, no negotiations.
@SkySportDE
----------------------
See, bullshit is always bullshit.
I'd rather Gykores but hey beggars can't be choosers if it's Sesko, reminds me a lot of Havertz for some reason. Also hope whatever we're doing involves a winger as well
Bati I think you're great man but absolutely nothing like Havertz is he. For one thing he doesn't look like his shoes are tied together and he's actually got pace and has good instincts because he's an actual striker. He's very close to Isak I think personally. Looks like he's a push over but deceptively strong and fast and can score different types of goals. He's basically trending towards being a top striker in Europe. Best get in before Bayern do
He's known as "Haaland lite" in some circles.
Yea i guess my limited views of him were in the Euros and he looked underwhelming there but I can see the sense in it seeing as we were also pursuing in the summer.
Personally for me it'd be Osimehn and then Gykores
The Sesko rumours have only been started by that SamC guy. He is a Man United mouth piece. I think I saw him get a few things wrong in the summer. The rumour doesn't make sense in some ways too. Taking one of Europes best young strikers on loan with an option won't be possible. I would take it with a pinch of salt till a person who is well connected at Arsenal or one of the big boys reports it.
Everyone knows we need strikers
Every Journo know it
Every content creator with a twitter account know it
Every football agent know it
It's just about connecting the dots
Yeah. But it doesn't mean the reports are true and we actually want Sesko though.
That's my point
It's silly season and there are only few targets that are good enough for a club of our standing, at the phase we are in. It has to be Sesko or Gyokeres - who have release clauses
They will just make up stories for clicks