Morning all.
What a slow summer we’re having as far as transfers go. Lots of rumours which appear nothing more than that, rumours. It’s still early though and the transfer window has been relatively quiet for Premier League clubs. Certainly the top half of the table. Apart from City and Liverpool, we’re among a few clubs who really need to bring in a few players if they plan to secure top four next season. Chelsea can’t of course because they have a transfer ban but Utd, Toots and Arsenal need to be seriously addressing their respective squads. Especially Arsenal.
My guess though is first off, Emery, Raul and whoever else is involved with addressing our squad needs will have to decide which of the younger players are ready to step up and which need a loan or even selling. Calum Chambers immediately springs to mind, as does Krystian Bielik, both who had really good seasons out on loan. The latter is away with Poland’s under 21’s where he’s continuing to play well. I didn’t see the match but the Arsenal official website report:
Krystian Bielik maintained his fine form on Wednesday night as he scored the winner in Poland’s 1-0 victory over Italy.
Tasked with playing in a three-man midfield, Bielik opened the scoring with an instinctive strike into the bottom corner, before delivering an assured defensive performance that helped his side to a valuable clean sheet. The 21-year-old has now scored four goals in his last six appearances for club and country.
Interestingly, neither Reiss Nelson and Matteo Guendouzi made it onto the pitch as France and England faced each other.
Bielik’s contract expires next summer. It’s decision time for both the player and the club. Sell him now for a pittance if Transfer Markets £2million valuation is correct, or offer him a new contract and hope he signs it? One thing for certain in my opinion is that other club scouts will be watching him play during this under 21 competition and if continues to perform really well, just the offer of regular football might turn his head. Same for Chambers as both notched up over 30 games each whilst at Charlton and Fulham respectively. Chambers signed a new contract last year so if the club decide to sell him, we should be pushing for a big fee.
So, question time. Would you like to see both Chambers and Bielik at Arsenal next season? Would you keep one but not the other? If so, which one?
See you in the comments guys……
Good day to you all, thank you Rico for the post.
I would keep both Bielke and Calum Chambers, both can play centre back or defensive midfield. Add Holding into the mix and we have potentially some decent defensive options if we include Sokratis and Mavropanos.
A perfect morning here in Namibia, a catamaran tour of Walvis Bay, Whales, dolphins, the resident 7,000 seal colony as well as pelicans, flamingos and even a rare sunfish. All topped of with Champagne and wonderfully fresh and tasty oysters. Cloudless blue sky, a gentle breeze and a temperature in the mid twenties. Bliss!
Not only would I keep them but I would offer first team football ,Not regular starts but in the mix and not pushed to the back. If they are a better option than the ones that we are stuck with , play them. It’s simple really they are the future Monreal , Mustaphi , etc are not.
Afternoon Rico and all.
Very good article addressing our targets for next season and the role of Freddie in the development and transition of many of the young players being assimilated into the first team. Find it in today’s Guardian. (Sorry I cant get my simple minded iPad to copy the url, so I can’t pass it on.)
As far as transfers are concerned, I don’t think there will be many. Most of the players who have already left won’t be replaced by new shiny signings but, we may see the youngsters staking a claim.
The club are still pleading poverty so I don’t expect much spending, if any at all!
Sunshine and clouds here today. A very pleasant rainfree (so far) day
Arseblog mentioned the other day that Arsenal paid £2.5m for Bielik when he was a 16 year old, so selling him for any less would be daft.
Who we keep would depend on length of contract and how much we can get in terms of a fee…
Leno, Holding, Lacazette, Bellerin and Guendouzi are to me, untouchable, everyone else is available at the right price…
Unless every buy we (eventually) make over the coming seasons is a significant upgrade on what we have at the moment we will sink into mid-table obscurity I reckon.
Arsenal need to be better in all departments and the drive needs to come from the top and the desire to be the best must inform every decision. We are a fat, bloated top-heavy club who need to be much leaner, tougher and a lot more ruthless.
It won’t happen under this regime though.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/21/arsenal-freddie-ljungberg
Afternoon Wavy. Neither do I unless we off a lot of wages and raise some money.
I reckon this regime is about repairing the damage the last one did Adam. Not including Kroenke of course. He’s just useless full stop.
Rico. A proper set-up would look to do both Rico. Arsenal have become boring I’m afraid. New ideas and an intelligent plan seem as elusive as ever.
Adam, aren’t the club hamstrung financially? I guess it’s a bit of catch 22 really.
I don’t believe so Rico. But that’s just an opinion.
Adam, I’m convinced the club has a few million in its coffers but aren’t 8n danger of breaching FFP if we can’t offload a lot of players and their wages?
Rico. Perhaps it’s all part of Raul’s “outfox the market” comments. Leak the fact that we only have £40 million and and are broke to try and discourage being topped up. 😉
Perhaps not.
Adam, surely not. 😂
I doubt it too Rico. 😩
Thanks Kev for 2.15.
Interesting article, no?
I found it interesting Wavy. Personally, I’d be thrilled to see more of our younger players given playing time. Roll on the day when players who have come through the academy outweigh those in the first team/squad from overseas.
It’s never going to happen Rico, The Kroenke family have no interest in English sport other than as a sound investment. They couldn’t care less about the nationally of Arsenal players so long as they ‘re cheap.
As I understand it the problem is not about bank balance but the amount that you are allowed to increase your wage payments set against your income . We have effectively tied ourselves up and need to sell or release before we can buy.
Cicero. While I don’t see Kroenke as a guy who’ll invest his own money into the club for players, I’m not sure he’s allowed to anyway is he?
Isn’t the whole idea of FFP to spend only what a club makes?
That’s how I see it too Potter.
We’re in a pickle because of the high salaries dished out prior to Raul and co.
Either we sell them or if we can’t for whatever reason, the club will have to pay them off or lose them for free eventually. I can’t see any other way around it.
All the time the ‘sorting out’ is going on, we can’t increase our wage bill either. The wriggle room we have as far as I can see is the amount removed from the wage bill when Welbeck, Cech and Ramsey left which my guess is around £300-400k a month.
I could be totally wrong of course…
Yeah Wavy, I thought it said a lot, seems as if the club is taking the development of our youngsters more seriously than ever, what with having a loans manager etc and now promoting Freddie, who’ll hopefully be in the ear of Unai and pushing for more inclusion and game time of our youngsters.
With the owner not being interested Raul has Arsenal all to himself, it’s his gig, he knows the budget we have such as it is, he knows we have some quality youngsters and he knows he has to try and move on the big earners/ big underachievers, so it’s all on him.
De Ligt joining Juventus according to a Sky Sports. Well that’s one over Utd, City and Barcelona.
Didn’t expect that…
Rico. Perhaps the Italian league will suit him. He’s not quick and is a bit of a porker.
He followed Ramsey 🙂
Morning guys.
Do I detect a hint of irony there Adam. Lol
Scott, Juve probably realised they needed more defensive players after signing Ramsey… 😆
The merest whiff Rico. 😃
The only credible bit of transfer news this window has been verified !
https://twitter.com/bbcsport_david/status/1142445072593686528
SuburbanGoonerChris
· 14 Jun
1st July, 2nd July, 10th July, 11th July.
Days that we made our signings last summer, which everyone felt was a nice an early timeframe last season.
No need to lose our collective sh*t just yet guys.
Worth remembering I guess… 🤔
Morning..
New post up now