Morning all.
I know a transfer window can produce silly headlines but the Bukayo Saka to Liverpool story is just stupid. Admittedly, Liverpool must be an attractive proposition for many players with Jurgen Klopp as their manager and the history associated with club but unless their American owners are ready to make Arsenal an offer they couldn’t turn down, I just can’t see anyone at the club entertaining the thought of selling one of our fantastic young English players to that lot. Or to any club really. If a 28 year old Lukaku was deemed to be worth £100 million, Saka must be worth twice as much. As must Emile Smith Rowe. Both are unsaleable in my opinion, along with Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, Gabriel and Martin Odegaard. Forgive me if I’ve missed anyone.
Arsenal are heading in the right direction, I think we’d all agree on that and right now, the players in the list above are crucial to what Mikel Arteta is building. Thomas Partey is missing but only because he’s been very hit and miss since his arrival but if he returns from the ACON in the same form as he showed against City, then he’s the experienced midfielder Arsenal need to keep hold of. Just my opinion of course.
Similar could be said about Alex Lacazette but it seems there’ll be no contract extension for him. For him it’s a chance to get a final bumper deal as there’ll be no transfer fee for another club to pay but the chances of him earning more elsewhere than he’s currently getting at Arsenal are slim I’d have thought. If the internet is correct, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey earn more than him. But, when a player is in his final year of contract, he holds all the cards and their agents will be trying to squeeze every last penny they can into a new contract for their player. In Lacazette’s case, I’ve no idea if the club aren’t prepared to offer him a new contract, or he simply wants a new challenge.
Arsenal have been bitten on the backside before after giving older players new contracts. Mesut Ozil is the one who stands out, Aubameyang is another and I’d add Granit Xhaka to that list too, who only last summer was given a contract extension. But again, it’s about having experienced players within a very young team I guess and Mikel Arteta seems to rely on him. Although I doubt he’s in Arteta’s good books after the weekend.
I think the rumours linking Arsenal to older players this month kind of makes sense but only if they’re loans or short term deals and the player still has the passion to play and win. Look at Thiago Silva at Chelsea. 37 years old and playing like a 25 year old and he’s just signed a new contract. So I kind of understand the links to the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Philippe Coutinho, not that either are definitely signing for Arsenal. But they’re the kind of player, if signed on a short term deal or loan, who could be the difference between us finishing 4th and perhaps 7th.
See you in the comments.
I think it is fairly obvious to all involved that Centre Midfield and Striker are the two areas that need addressing. Which one to prioritise is less clear as there is an argument for each being more urgent. In truth, I would accept either (obviously both would be great).
I think the trimming of the surplus in the squad and the expiring of contracts will continue, so some squad players might need to come in.
Wijnaldum and Jovic on loan deals to the end of the season would be my preferred short term solution for Arsenal
Morning Rico and all
I would go for a striker to replace / help Auba if we can’t sell him as for Laca I have the feeling if we don’t get a striker in by the end of the season then we will other him a six month extension
I hope we don’t sell him but if we do sell any young player to raise money I would say ESR as I am still not convinced that Arteta is fully 100% committed to ESR as he seems quite happy to use him off the bench
Timewasting raises many Ideas
Take ice hockey where they have 3 x 20 minute sessions and the stopwatch is stopped as soon as the puck goes out of play There is a guaranteed 1 hour play , would 80 minutes be acceptable for football i.e. 2 x 40 minutes.?
I am not going to put names forward because I don’t know whether they would fit the narrative but we need to replace Xhaka sooner rather than later and for me that means two midfielders with 1 bought in and 1 promoted. Add to that a central hold up striker to duplicate the job that Lacazette has grown into.
Whether he stays or goes we are one injury or refereeing decision away from being derailed. The young ones play better with him than they do with an out and out goalscorer although I feel one with the mobility that Laca is showing coupled with the heading ability of Giroud would be worth targetting.
Morning Geoff, all.
I certainly think there are players out there who’d do in this young team. Even without European football, the fixtures are congested. Our midfield and striking department needs some help imo.
Headed goals. When was the last time Arsenal got into double figures in a season? Apart from Giroud, we just don’t score from headers.
But Tierney keeps crossing
Afternoon Rico, tbh I shouldn’t allow these stupid Saka rumours to bother me, it’s most likely that his agent is putting the rumours out there, he’s probably been approached by Liverpool who have a history of underhand tapping up, they’ve been doing it for years, even to Man Utd.
This summer Bakayo has two years left on his deal and the agent is probably softening us up before contract extension talks, I reckon a new four year deal this summer should settle the affair, but Bakayo is the agents golden boy, his avenue to self enrichment so he will rinse Arsenal for all he’s worth. Bakayo Saka’s don’t come along every day, it’s an agents dream!
I know that there’s a lot of chatter on the click baiters regarding Nketiah, Lacazette and Aubameyang but in the last couple of years Arsenal have let negotiations run into the summer, even if a players contract is expiring. Arsenal are still one of the best payers out there, we are also one of the biggest and best clubs to play for despite the snide remarks in the media and London is arguably the best city to live in, so I’m not sure that Lacazette is going anywhere right now, he could sign for a Spanish or an Italian or even a German club but his wages will be nothing like the £185,000 pw he’s on atm.
Even with a signing on fee and a new contract Alex could probably earn more in two years at Arsenal than in four years elsewhere….
He could do two more years at the Emirates and still have one more move in him?
As for Nketiah, he could have joined Palace last summer but the money wasn’t enough, does that mean he’s still on more at Arsenal? As for moving to Germany, well I’d imagine that the sums offered by one of the Bundesliga’s lesser lights, even with a signing on fee, would make him sit up and wonder if that Palace offer wasn’t his best bet?
I reckon that both Eddie and Alex will refrain from pre-contract agreements unless it’s with another Premier League club and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them stay…
As for Niles, the reason that Roma are probably penny pinching on the loan fee and possible transfer fee is because of the financial package they’ll need to pay the player.
Money talks…
Who else does Emeka Obasi represent? Beyond Sancho, Obasi represents some of the Premier League’s top young talents. He has a clutch of Arsenal’s brightest academy graduates on his books, with Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Folarin Balogun among his clients.Plus Akpom and Iwobi .
He obviously spent a lot of time creeping round the bike sheds at Hale End . 6 out of his 11 clients have Arsenal connections.
Dangerous.
He does indeed.
Afternoon Kev, ditto. I don’t believe a word of it. Just media, agent garbage imo.
If AMN is going, and that’s a big if still, why not just sell him? It’s clear Arteta doesn’t have that much faith in him.
Yeah Scott, as Rico mentions in the post it would take an eye watering bid for Arsenal to ever consider selling Saka and that won’t be coming from Liverpool anytime soon, Man City are the only English club who could praise him away but it’ll be bigger than any Grealish bid and look what losing him has done to Villa? If it’s at all avoidable you don’t sell your best players to a rival club or anyone for that matter.
Besides all that noise the club still has a mountain of playing staff issues to work through, Chambers is out of contract in the summer, does he have an extension on his contract or not, I’ll guess we’ll find out in a few months time?
Is there any truth in the Kolasinac to Watford rumours and how much of his salary would we have to pay to move him on?
It wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing in Nottingham at the weekend, even from the bench. That bloke has to be one on Wenger’s most expensive mistakes, he’s cost us an absolute fortune for pretty much bugger all, I won’t rue the day he leaves that’s for sure.
I wonder if there will be an 11th hour offer to Elneny in the summer, I guess it all depends on the business the club does in midfield up to next August, who else goes and who comes in?
Then there’s the loose ends that need to be tied up in the deals for Mavropanos, Bellerin, Nelson, Torrieira, Guendouzi and Runarsson, whilst not forgetting Leno and what we’re going to do about him? Yep, quite a mountain of work indeed…
Yeah Rico, it seems that Arteta doesn’t fully trust Niles, maybe it’s because of his habit of switching off at vital moments, then again the more you play the sharper you become and he’s never really had a big enough run of games to establish himself even when he’s played well.
That said, we can’t afford to let him leave yet anyway, sod Roma and Mourinho, they can do one.
If Jose wants to offer a paltry sum for him then make him wait until the last minute and then say no.
I don’t think we can afford to let him go either Kev, certainly not if another player isn’t coming in the month. I don’t think he switches off that much, well, not as much as Xhaka. 😆
Liverpool want to postpone Thursday’s match because of Covid.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/12509153/liverpool-request-postponement-of-carabao-cup-semi-final-at-arsenal-after-further-covid-cases
Maybe they will have to forfeit 3 nil
Liverpool’s plea to have their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal postponed due to their Covid-19 outbreak has led to calls of double standards.
The request was submitted after the latest round of testing found more cases within the first-team bubble, days after manager Jurgen Klopp and three players – Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip – were forced to miss Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea after testing positive.
The first leg is due to take place at the Emirates on Thursday.
The plea comes almost exactly a year after Aston Villa were forced to field a side consisting of under-23 and under-18 players against Liverpool in the FA Cup following a Covid outbreak which ruled out the entire first-team squad.
The Villa youngsters did themselves proud, only losing 4-1 with Louie Barry scoring a memorable goal.
The current situation has led to Villa and Arsenal fans, plus supporters of other clubs, asking why the Reds cannot do the same.
Liverpool took on Villa with a youth team in the League Cup in 2019 when their first team was competing at the Club World Championship.
One Villa fan took to Twitter to write: “Liverpool are requesting their cup match against Arsenal to be cancelled because a ride in Covid cases. I say okay play with their youth team, Villa had to albeit that was the FA cup. Will this happen. Probably not as they a top 6 team and unfairness doesn’t apply.
(From the Birmingham Mail)
Didn’t Klopp say he wanted a one game playoff? Well, if he’s not that fussed about it then yes, give Arsenal a bye.
I can’t see why they can’t play the under 23 players etc. I bet we’d have too.
Klopp only wants this match cancelled as he knows his side is crap with out there 2 main players that are off to ACON.
So Klopp must think his reserves are no good.
Just tested positive to Covid 🙂
Bloody ‘rona!!
Morning all.
Signed anyone yet?
No horrid symptoms I hope Scott.
New post up now