Morning all.
I can’t keep up with the Unai Emery rumours. From he could go if Leicester beat us, or Vitoria tomorrow afternoon, to, he’ll see the season out but there’ll be no third year option trigger by the club. Mourinho had a meal with Raul Sanllehi, hang on, no he didn’t. It’s all supposition.
As is wondering about who may or may not leave should Unai Emery continue on his Arsenal journey for much longer. But would it matter if the likes of Aubameyang, Ozil, Lacazette jump ship?
Mesut Ozil is 31 years old. Alexandre Lacazette 28 years old, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 30 years old. All three of course were already at the club before Unai Emery was appointed and when Arsenal were already in a period of decline. Admittedly, without the goals Aubameyang has scored this season, last season too, we’d be in a worse predicament than we are perhaps but then hot on his heels as far as goals go this season is Martinelli, our future, as is Pepe – both of course much younger than Aubameyang and Lacazette. January and next summer are probably the last two opportunities for the club to demand a big transfer fee for both. Somewhere in the region of £100 million for the pair, if not a tad more. That’s a lot of money to reinvest into the squad. Ozil however, I think we’re stuck with but it looks like he’s back in favour. Mind you, Emery had to try something different..
Long gone are the days when fans shed tear if their favourite player is sold because I don’t think there is the kind of bond between players and fans anymore. Money I guess is largely to blame as both players and clubs are guilty of putting their finances before most other things. Would Lacazette or Aubameyang have joined us in the first place was it not for the salary they were offered? It’s not like the club we’re in a good place at the time. I’m sure like me you’d love to believe they joined us because they believed they could make a difference or win trophies, but deep down we know that’s highly unlikely. Would Mesut Ozil have stayed at the club had they not offered him silly money to do so? I doubt it.
Lacazette has been one of my favourites since he arrived but I’ve no idea why. It can’t be for the amount of goals he’s scores because he doesn’t really get that many. Perhaps it’s his attitude as it holds similarities to Henry. The French ‘personally.’ I don’t particularly enjoy watching him go to ground so easily though, nor his behaviour the other week when he feigned a headbutt to his face. Not nice to see.
Aubameyang scores lots of goals and as already said, we’d be in the mire without them but he misses many too. His conversion rate last season sat around 24% which I think is quite low but pretty much on par with the rest of the best strikers in the Premier League.
This season.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal. 120 per goal. Third highest in the league.
- Alexandre Lacazette – nowhere to be seen. Lol
Gabriel Martinelli though is leaps ahead with a 67% chance to goal ratio with those goals coming every 51 minutes.
Different competitions I know but is there much between Standard Leige and Utd or Toots….?
What do you guys think, sell whilst we’ll recoup our money to reinvest, or keep because they’re worth keeping?
I can see Aubameyang going for one last pay day , Lacazette not yet we will need him to “” lead the line”” as Pepe ,Martinelli , Nketiah , John Jules come through.
Ozil is the elephant in the room , this manager doesn’t want him but can’t get rid but then that might not be his problem soon . We need the sort of flair that he offers and whilst we wait for the young guns ESR, Nelson , Willock etc to mature if he goes he needs replacing and we have to ask whether Ceballos is the answer.
We are still transitioning and I can see a pack reshuffle coming , not in January , but before next season starts . Whether that includes a new man at the helm ? I lean towards thinking so.
I too think a new guy will be in place before next season. Hopefully before then.
Aubas contract situation suggests he might go. If Raul is true to his word.
Good morning Rico and thanks for the post.
I don’t think any top tier club has ever sold it’s two premier strikers in the same transfer window, but with Arsenal you never can tell.
If we had to sell one or the other it would be a difficult choice for sure.
Aubameyang would command the higher transfer fee, but the loss of his goals would be felt much the harder of the two.
Lacazette would go for a much smaller fee and his, far fewer, goals would not be missed as much.
Aubameyang is older, perhaps next season will be his last at the top level.
Lacazette being younger should have a longer sell by date.
Aubameyang would be expensive to replace.
Lacazette’s replacement is already at the club in the shape of Martinelli.
I don’t think wages come into the equation as an Aubameyang replacement would demand an equal or higher wage, while the club would be crazy not to give Martinelli a new and more rewarding contract equal, at least, to that of Lacazette.
We have Pepe and Saka ready to break into the first team on a regular basis with Nketiah due to return for next season, so I think we can afford to lose one of our top two. I just can’t decide which.
Hi Cicero, if Auba is sold, there’s no guarantee the club will go for a big name/big wages striker though. I can see more signings like Martinelli, Torreira, Tierney etc. Good players before they become even better ones.
Didn’t the club spend next years budget in the summer? Until we get CL football, I can’t see another Pepe kind of signing. Hope I’m wrong though..
Morning Rico and all. As other teams get better players And managers due to improved incomes, it’s going to get more difficult for Arsenal to regain their position as a top club in England, let alone Europe. As has been proved many times, just throwing money around is unsustainable. The owners and those chosen to lead the club are absolutely critical to its future. In many ways the manager is the most important person at the club so, by that definition, those who hire and fire him are really the ones that set the path forward.
If Raul And Edu, to name but 2, do stick with Emery, they will have seen something that has so far eluded most of us. But, if we fail to achieve CL this season, it will be directly down to them and the fact that they threw this season away in the face of all the evidence. Raul’ s reputation is going to take one hell of a downturn if he continues to fiddle while Rome burns.
We all feel that he isn’t that sort of person. He really needs to at least try to nip this downturn in the bud otherwise he’s going to start losing support through the fanbase. Surely we are all looking for a sign that he is in control.
Morning Adam. Good comment. Totally agree re Raul’s reputation taking a hammering if the situation were in is allowed to drift and that’s what offers hope imo. I can’t see him allowing that to happen. Nor Edu and won’t Josh Kroenke look a buffoon if his summer comments bite him on the backside.
Spanish outlet ElDesmarque claim Arsenal directors have promised they will seriously consider any bids which are lodged for Aubameyang should he want out.
It’s reported Arsenal would be looking for a fee in the region of £69m (€80m) for the former Borussia Dortmund hotshot.
Real might, though, offer up James Rodriguez in part-exchange for Aubemeyang as Florentino Perez seeks to bolster Los Blancos’ frontline.
Arsenal would apparently be receptive to taking Rodriguez off Real’s hands having tried to sign the Colombia international this summer.
So Xhaka stripped of the captaincy, not much of a future at Arsenal for him.I wonder who will be out of the door first,him or Emery ?
Xhakagate latest, Arsenal have taken away the captaincy and handed it to Aubameyang.
The interesting thing about the whole Xhakagate is that he threw the captain’s armband on the ground, immediately when he was substituted, before the crowd started to boo. There is no way he can be a captain.
Obi, I blame the manager every bit as much as the ex-captain.
I mean, he gave him the gig.
Then, I also blame the board for employing Emery lol
Morning all.
moning all
Follow Arsenal today
Scott, I blame the owners for everything, they employ the staff and dont invest the money !……………………and before anyone says they invested loads in the suumer TW, it was though players sales, wage saving and instalments on the never never !………………………..we dont just need a new manager, more importantly we need new investing owners !
Morning all ! hahaha
Morning all.
New post up now
Morning, thanks for yesterday’s post Rico, for me the club should do all they can within the clubs budget to retain both Aubameyang and Lacazette.
Whether they will or not is an unanswerable question because the whole club/manager/top four scenario is so confused atm and until the managers position is properly resolved we won’t really have a clue as to how things will be settled or not?
Personally I have absolutely no idea if either will still be Arsenal players next season or not?
Hi Kev. I agree re the managerial situation because I sure as heck wouldn’t sign up for more of the rubbish Emery is serving up..