Snippets, I imagine nearly every football fan is feeding off them at this time of year. Much, if not most, of what’s written though lacks one thing, substance. Agents, desperate to increase the value of their player which in turn increases their payment, drop little nuggets to the media and before you or I know it, the story has gathered momentum. Just the story I mean, the story which has no more ‘truth’ to it than it did at the beginning. Do we as fans fall for the headlines? Of course we do.. not.
Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin has been quoted as saying that his club’s striker, Elye Wahi likes Arsenal amid talk of a potential transfer for the young striker.
His agent talks with 4-5 big clubs, I know them but I won’t tell you. We know he likes Arsenal a lot.
19 goals in 33 games in France’s top division might sound good but it’s less than the 21 Flo Balogun scored for Reims in the same league and division. Wahi is valued around £25 million whereas Balogun is already ours.
Do Arsenal need another youngster who in all likelihood would need a season to settle in, or if we’re definitely going into the transfer market for a taller striker, would an experienced player be a better option? I cannot think of many 20 year old strikers signed from an overseas club who has hit the ground running. Anelka is the only one I can think of off the top of my head although he was younger.
Theres an argument for younger players, of course there is, after all, there are plenty of them excelling in football all over the world but our squad is short on experience and should Xhaka, Partey and/or Jorginho move on this summer, not that I think all three will, it’ll have even less.
There’s been much written about Declan Rice joining Arsenal and if he does, he’ll bring with him a lot of experience of playing Premier League football and he’s the exact kind of player we need in my opinion. He ticks every box other than how he’ll perform in a team better than West Ham. (No disrespect intended) We certainly can’t take it for granted that should he become an Arsenal player, he’ll be brilliant. Too many player moves between Premier League clubs over the years prove that. Torres and Lukaku spring to mind, although Arsenal have probably made some of the worst signings from another Premier League club.
Another overseas player linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, according to Turkish transfer guru Yagız Sabuncuoglu that is, is Galatasaray central defender Victor Nelsson. The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with both Arsenal and Tottenham, with the latter rumoured to have submitted an official offer for the player.
Ilkay Gundogan Is another player linked to Arsenal. Do we need another ex Man City player? I’m not sure we do. Mertesacker though, thinks differently:
I think the clubs are queuing. Because [Mikel] Arteta knows him and we probably haven’t broken off contact, we’re in a good position.
What do you think?
Overpriced by the media. If a world class player Jude Bellingham, who is only 19 years old gets sold for only £88 million, who not only is 5 years younger than Rice but is a much better player, how can Westham value Rice at a ridiculous £90 million. Even Alex MacAlistair a world cup winner who can contribute to goals, as well as defend, is a much better player and was sold for only £35 million. Caicedo and Rice should only be valued at £40 million, and lucky to get that in today’s recession market
This summer is shaping up to be as underwhelming as every other summer.
Arsenal don’t sign top players wanted by other big clubs i.e. players with great talent in top form – they sign the duds from Chelsea or, in the case of last summer the duds from Man City.
Me, how can you say that when the transfer window hasn’t even officially opened yet..
Dave, I too think Rice is well overpriced.
Me, if we continue to take the OAP’s for the want of a better word, from Chelsea or even Man City, then it shows us up as inferior to them. Put it another way, if the shoe was on the other foot and Xhaka played out his final year with Arsenal, do you think Chelsea or Man City would take him on because he was free. No way. So why should we look at their Older players just because they are free. If you buy young you can sometimes sell them on for more money. So in a way it’s like getting them for free, if you think ahead. Just saying!
We need experienced players but not on long deals if they’re over 30 imo.
We need youngsters too but again, it’s about the balance. If we sign players for the future then the present will suffer.
The transfer window doesn’t open until Thursday and by then many players will be away with their National squads so not available for transfer talks. If there are done deals well hear about them by the weekend.
Regarding the beginning of the above article on the possibility of buying Wahi. He has a lot of pace to his game, which makes him more suited to a counter attacking side. Unfortunately Arsenal are more an attacking team that plays mainly against deep low blocking sides and we are more often on the receiving end of a counter attacking side. Arsenal would more likely prefer a target man that has strength and technical ability in close tight spaces, like a Berkamp, Drogba, Henry, Kane, Benzema, Ibraham etc..Those type of strikers. Wahi, who is small and pacey, would be better to join a bottom half table side, who play counter attack, to progress his attributes and his recognized talents that you have mentioned in your welcomed report. He is still growing so it is hard to tell.
Let’s hope so Cicero, a few Arsenal signings would cheer us all up. Well, as long as they’re good ones.
He’s over 6’ already Dave.
In any case, who knows how Arteta will set us up next season, we might mix and match things up a bit. I think we need to.
There are a couple of unsavoury allegations against Wahi on his Wikipedia page.
Morning Rico and all
In regard to Wahi unless I am thinking about a different player, then there is a good chance Arteta has spoken to Lacazette about him as they play / played together.
As long as we stay away from any player who has any possible legal issue’s or is injury prone,
Rico, It’s surprising that you think Rice ticks all the boxes. Imho, he’s limited as a midfielder, certainly not a 100m player, that we can agree on. I wouldn’t pay more than 50m for Rice. He’s not proficient as an attacker. His passing/ range is not top level, and even his defensive work, where he supposedly best at, is underwhelming. I really don’t get the hype about him. There are much better options in the transfer market.
According to The Guardian, Bellingham joins Los Blancos for an initial fee of €103m (£88m), with add-ons that may increase the deal by a further €30m…
Morning Rico, a player like Rice, should we get him, would offer us versatility, experience, leadership and quality, he also has Xhaka’s ruggedness so an addition who can play 3 games a week without tweaking something and being absent for a couple of months. He’s Premier ready so would hit the ground running straight away and as an Englishman wouldn’t be disappearing on as many long, exhausting journeys as some of our present squad. The downside would be that he is coached by a careless oaf like Southgate when on international duty.
When you’re shopping at this elite level the prices are going to be crazy, as we found with Pepe and those deals don’t work out the downside is huge, as we found with Pepe or say Lukaku, Sancho, Havertz or Enzo Fernandez.
To me, Edu and his dept have already done some great work in retaining all of our most talented young stars on long contracts and now we need to upgrade, to trust our manager and the players he wants, Man City are currently chasing Mateo Kovacic (29) whose not exactly in the first flush of youth but if they sign him the general consensus from the media will be that Guardiola is a genius, if Arsenal sign a 29 year old ‘we don’t know what we’re doing’ – I think you have to trust the process and give it time to evolve..
Morning Geoff, Kev, all.
Obi, Rice ticks every box in terms of profile. At least imo he does. Age, English, sturdy, usually performs really well against us, doesn’t seem to fade as games go on etc etc. He’s different to who we already have too.
Kev, agree re the contracts. They were/are as important as any new signing. More important imo. Nelson staying seems to questioned by the media etc but I think it’s another smart move.
I think Rico that Nelson was starting to show glimpses of the player that he could finally develop into under the tutelage of Arteta so yes I agree it’s another smart move, not least for the fact that Brighton were going big for him and that maybe tells you all you need to know…
It’s a win win imo Kev, as you say, when he got his chance, he took it. Just wish he’d have played more but then like ESR, maybe more was/is going on with both. We’ll soon see during this coming season.
People debate if Rice, if we get him, will be an 8 or a 6, whatever that means because Tony Adams was a 6, then again John Stones comparison, who knows?
But if I get the gist of this modern terminology a 6 is a D/M and an 8 is a kind of B2B – and if I’m right then I’d say that Rice seems more of a 6 to me, I’d imagine that Arteta sees him in the Rodri role or for us ‘oldies’ (not you Rico of course) a Gilberto Silva, the original not the oft termed Makelele who came afterwards but stole Gilberto’s thunder thanks to the media.
Rice used to be a centre-back so being a sweeper or additional centre-back when needed whilst having the ability to start moves from the back, to me, ticks all the boxes.
And if we get Caicedo then happy days we’ll have two 6’s who can switch into 8 mode, nobody is fixed in Arteta’s tootal voetbal.
Can’t we just say he’s a box to box Kev. 😂
Numbers mean very little these days, Gallas wore number ten for goodness sake. Lol
Gilberto was one of my favourites, so underrated really.
younger players have a lot of enthusiasm which is good, but most of the older players, stay calm in the dying minutes when under pressure.
In defense of rice, a lot of fans questioned why and were worried when we brought white and Ramsdale, and they seem to be ok.
Geoff, it was the experienced players who struggled to maintain their form after Christmas.. Partey and Zinchenko especially.
Rico I did most, just not our older players
Oh dear, Gallas with N.10 shirt, it’s not seemed the same since, wasn’t Gilberto’s nickname ‘The Wall’ in Portugese of course, JM can translate.
Kai Havertz is being touted now and I really don’t know what to think about that, he’s nothing like the others we’ve bought from them in recent times in that he’s in his prime at 24, but it just doesn’t sit right giving them our money…
I suppose there would be the sweet irony of Havertz joining Arsenal and rediscovering his Bayer Leverkusen form and ending next season with a shed-load of goals whilst Mudryk continues to stink the place out?
The Havertz rumour has been around for a week or so. Can’t see it happening really, not unless they want to rip us off.
Surely it wouldn’t enter their heads to do such a thing?
We need to pile in on Caicedo before the Chavs sell anyone and bid for him!
Yep, same with any other targets. Easier said than done though I’m sure..
Good morning all,
It seems that Pepe’s time as an Arsenal player is over, an underwhelming season on loan at Nice, 28 games 8 goals, means they are less than likely to sign him on a permanent deal and Arteta has made it clear that he will not be reintegrated into the Arsenal squad. With one year left on his contract the club are anxious to sell him at a bargain price to avoid having to pay his high salary for another year and then lose him for nothing. £72 million and four years wages down the tubes.
Morning all.
Cicero, but he was injured.. 😂
New post up