Morning all.
I difficult to think beyond Thursday as the fixture in Prague is huge for Arsenal. A good old fashion ‘one nil to The Arsenal’ would be enough but Arsenal seldom win 1-0 and nor do they keep a clean sheet very often. Sunday was an exception rather than the rule. I doubt the online bookies favour Arsenal keeping a clean sheet against Slavia.
Thinking ahead though is something Arsenal should be doing and I’m sure they are. At least I hope so.
Next year, four Arsenal player’s contracts expire. I’ve nicked the below from TransferMarket.
Alexandre Lacazette. 30 next month – £31m valuation.
Eddie Nketiah. 22 next month. £16m valuation.
Calum Chambers. 26 and valued at £10m.
Mo Elneny. 29 in June and valued at £9m.
Dejan Lliev. 26 and valued at £250k
For all five it’s a new contract or be sold this summer in my opinion. I know the above valuations should be taken lightly after a Covid hit couple of seasons but even so, Lacazette appears to be the best option to raise funds, certainly out of the senior players. I know he’s played really well at times this season but next month he’ll be 30 years old. Had his form been consistent over his time at Arsenal then maybe I’d feel different about him staying but in my opinion, awarding him a new contract would be foolish.
It’s probably a good time to say thanks but goodbye to Mo Elneny this summer. Nketiah and Chambers are the tricky ones. If Balogun has agreed to stay, I think Eddie’s chances of first team football will lessen. I like Eddie, he’s the poacher kind of striker I’d just love to see succeed at Arsenal. In hindsight, he would have benefited from going out on loan to a club who played him regularly. As is often the case, it’s a chicken v egg situation because he needs to play to gain confidence but unless he’s scoring frequently, he’s unlikely to keep his place in any team. I’m on the fence about him.
Calum Chambers. I’ve no idea whether he’ll stay or go. Can he cement a place in the back five? I’ve no idea but he’s at an age where I suspect he wants to be playing first team football for the majority of a season and not just sit on the bench waiting for his chance. Similar can be said about Dejan Lliev. It’s a shame his career seems to have stalled because I don’t know about anyone else but I’d love Arsenal to have a 6’ 5” keeper who is very good.
Anyway, there’s my thoughts, see you in the comments.
Thanks for that Rico, a good post about something Arsenal need to improve – and that’s getting maximum value from sales, we’re great at giving players free transfers but generating finance in this WuFlu era is going to be enormously difficult. The only plus is that everyone bar a few clubs owned by gangsters and countries are in the same boat so prices across the board should fall…
It’s so annoying, I wrote a decent critique on Eddie and it just disappeared when I sent it, I was told my log in had expired, we feck you WordPress.
Thanks Kev.
I wonder if they’ll all be sold because Arsenal need younger and more energetic players and perhaps more importantly, players who have a sale value.
That’s happened to me before Kev, it’s even worse half way through a new article. I’ve since learned to copy what I’ve written when it’s a long comment, post etc.
Ok, sell Lacazette, especially if we get offered £31m for him, sell Eddie Nketiah for anything upwards of £18m, over £20m would be nice, with add ons.
Keep Elneny, we’re not going to get value for him if we try to sell but he’s a useful guy to have around the squad as cover, he loves it at Arsenal and shouldn’t be too expensive to retain.
£10m for Chambers is a joke, didn’t we turn down £20m from Palace a couple of years ago. I think that Arteta likes him so I’d keep him unless we got an offer we couldn’t refuse like £18/£20m.
Dejan Iliev doesn’t really have any value so we might as well keep him and let him run down his contract unless there’s an offer, but I wouldn’t give him an extension. We have too many goalkeepers as it is with zero prospect of getting anywhere close to a 1st team game.
So sell Laca.
Sell Eddie
Keep Chambers unless a decent offer comes in.
Keep Elneny
Keep Iliev
Yeah, it’s happened to me loads of time actually Rico, sometimes if you press send and nothing happens it’s worth pressing ‘log out’ and it keeps your email details and post and gives you a second chance to post it, but on this occasion it just disappeared, very very annoying.
I guess in the final analysis Rico it all comes down to what we’re offered and if it’s cost effective? For example what’s the point in selling Elneny for £9m if it’s going to cost you double in wages and a transfer fee for a younger version?
£20m for Eddie Kev? I can’t see many clubs offering much above £10m.
For what it’s worth, I think they could all go Kev.
Morning all
Playing championship manager is always fun and as you know I have been looking at the squad for some time. Contracts running out is something that we are going to have to factor in when we hand them out but I tend to look at where the squad stands rather than when players are due to depart.
That isn’t to say that getting money in is not important but I would rather keep players that don’t cost much and eat little and move on the money generators that for whatever reason are either not performing or don’t want to stay..
I think to raise cash I would be looking at selling Aubameyang , Bellerin , Willian and Xhaka whilst the money on offer is still available . They may be mid contract but are they worth keeping just because of that ?
Chambers is proving his worth , so would we have to replace Bellerin as we already have Cedric .Elneny is a squad player and as Kev says probably not worth much on the open market .
Nketiah and Lacazette though needs thinking about , should Auba go then Lacazette needs to stay and with Pepe , Martinelli , Balogun and Eddie and possibly another coming through would we need to buy big ? because forwards cost money.
It’s midfield where we need to strengthen as our present incumbents are just not up to it . The way that AMN is getting plaudits for playing with Big Sam is there a case for bringing him back and persuading him that he has a future with us . The same can be said for Saliba who is ripping up trees in France .
As I said squad rebuilding is needed and to do that it’s whether a player fits , not so much when his contract runs out .
Well yeah Rico, if the price is right there’s very few at Arsenal who are unsellable, it’s just odd how Liverpool can maximise their sales better than Arsenal for players of a similar profile.
Nice post, Rico!
Richard Garlick has a lot to ponder over..
One thing I’ve noticed is how reactionary some of our fans are! One minute slaughtering Laca after the Slavia game, next minute wanting him to sign a new deal after his brace on Sunday! Same with AMN, want him sold then after last night’s game, bring him back 🤪
As much as I like Laca, I’d sell him…
I’d also sell Eddie, maybe with some sort of clause…
Chambers.. Undecided. Blows hot and cold for me…
Elneny.. have to admit I’ve really warmed to him since that penalty miss at Anfield! What I like about him is how he just gets on with it, never complains, doesn’t demand mega bucks, plays for the badge and actually loves being here! If only we had more like him! He’s not amazing, but I think he’s a decent squad player..
Bloody hell, Lliev’s 26??? Woah! Move him on…
I’m pleased to see Maitland Niles, Willock and even Guendouzi playing well and getting plaudits because that’s a win win for Arsenal. It means that their profile and value increases if we do eventually sell them, alternatively we get a more confident and rounded player returning to the club if we decide to keep them.
Torrieira is going to be loss leader although I’m sure that Arsenal will do the right thing by him, I just don’t want to see us mugged off again. So maybe a reduced transfer fee and plenty of clause inserted in any deal?
Good Afternoon Rico and all
A post with food for thought.
I would love us to keep Laca, but as Kev pointed out the day before yesterday……they all play well when they are in need of a new contract (like Ozil/Auba) but then go missing when they sign it. So rather unfortunately I have to say sell……ASAP so that he will fetch good money.
From all the others I would only keep Chambers because he would be a good squad player who can fill multiple positions and will be also a good choice when playing up North on cold evenings. Games like Newcastle, Burnley, Leeds, Wolves etc are good to have him around.
The others I would sell.
I was thinking on the flip side of that Potter, is Lacazette, at his age, worth renewing his contract? If he heads down a similar path to what we’re now seeing from Aubameyang, it’d prove the club never learn.
Perhaps Arsenal would benefit from selling both Aubameyang and Lacazette and use the money wisely to strengthen the midfield and up front, subsidised of course by any further sales.
I’m desperate to see AMN in midfield for Arsenal. I know I sound like a broken record but I think there’s a really good player in there somewhere.
My guess Kev, would be that it’s because Liverpool have been doing well so any player part of that is perhaps seen as being better than in some cases they are. Our players though, unless they absolutely stand out week in week out, are part of a team which is often ridiculed and criticised.
Torreira wants a return to South America doesn’t he? I too hope the club let him but for a price.
Thanks Sue and yes, he certainly does. Talk about in at the deep end…
I like Elneny too but again, would it take a pay rise for him to stay on. He’s too good to be a squad player imo, just not perhaps good enough to help take Arsenal up a level. But yep, no fuss, no talking to the media or moaning, he just gives it his all when he’s on the pitch. Mistakes included. Lol
Afternoon Devil.
I’d sell all the oldies who have flopped consistently this season so my list is probably similar to yours. The rumours about Luiz getting another are bonkers if true. He’s expensive and possibly destructive too. Wasn’t he part of the group who turned on Mourinho?
If we’re going through a transition, oh how I detest that word, let’s do it properly I say. Build a younger team who’ll grow together.
Would love to see you beat Man Utd in the Final
Stevie, I take it you mean Europa? So would I….
Hi All The problem with selling Laca is he is the only one scoring goals this season so there for I would try to get Laca to sign a 1 year deal at a reduced fee unless A good offer comes in. As for the others you mentioned Rico I would sell them and also listen to offers for Bellerin and Auba as well.
We also need to sort out the Mathew Ryan situation, and if Arteta is not going to play him then send him back and save money
Afternoon all.
Eddie Nketiah, 22 years old, home grown, capped by England at U 21 and handed captaincy Eligible to play for Ghana, Premiership experienced, no significant injury record, just about to enter his prime, pandemic or no pandemic, he’s got to be worth more than £16 million.
I don’t think it would be an issue, Rico, I think Mo would take whatever was offered.
However, if we were to only offer him minutes in Europe (which is when he’s at his best 😉), I can’t see it being enough..
Apparently, he was willing to take a paycut to stay in Turkey. So, it appears for some it isn’t all about the money!! Why can’t they all be like that?! 😆
Looking forward to tonight – PSG v Bayern!!
Or sell Leno Geoff and keep Ryan. I think Sue said she’d seen a rumour Leno wants out. Who really knows what Arsenal or the players are thinking these days. One minute they play like they love the club, the next they look like they don’t give a toss.
Probably not Cicero, not for an Arsenal player whose not played for the international senior team.
If only indeed Sue. Not many footballers seem to put the game ahead of money these days. Credit where it’s due eh.
I’m not a Leno fan but I’ve seen nothing of Ryan, flogging Leno and having to promote a relatively unknown rookie to the number one slot could be a recipe for disaster.
I meant as a number 2 re Ryan, if Leno goes, we need to sign Martinez, apparently he’s pretty good. 😆
Evening Rico and the house
250K for Ilieve . I think we would be lucky to get 10k.
Evening Rick, is he that bad?
I doubt if we could afford him now Rico.
I think he is Rico.
Mistakes redcards have cost our u23s games in the time I have seen him
play Just dont rate him.
Rico like you and Kev I have lost a couple of comments when I
tried to post them. Both took me some time to write them andI think they
must be in the clouds. One was about Amn which backs up your veiw of him.
If I intend posting a comment longer than a few lines I first write in Windows office, save it and then paste it into the house.
It also gives me the chance to edit out the typos. 😉
Guys, I wonder if it’s only some long posts won’t be accepted, as I’ve had a few decent length ones disappear, but those with a few lines always work.
Just a thought…
Folarin Balogun has signed his new contract with Arsenal until June 2025, done and completed.
He received more than 15 proposals to sign as a free agent – Bayer Leverkusen made the biggest one. Edu Gaspar and Arteta convinced Balogun to stay and sign a new contract. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
(Fabrizio Romano)
Spot on!!!
If they stop posting lomg posts my rambles would never get thrugh .
Squad building though one position that we have to strengthen is left back , we can’t go on with Tierney playing okey cokey , 1 game in 2 games out . However the way it goes with us we spend out to get another and he will go the season uninjured.
ESR and Saka are available for Slavia 🥳
As I wrote earlier, before hitting the send button just tap log out and if you have to fill in all your details again ie email and name, I find that works, but yeah it’s really irritating if you’ve written something and you’ve made some good points, to see it just disappear.
The only positive thing about losing some posts is that we lost a few from Scott… 😆
How’s it going Digger, have ya had your vaccine yet?
Great news regarding Balogun, I reckon they’ll sit on it until after Thursday – just in case…
Kev, and they were some of my best work, abusing that diving bastard Alexis and talking up Rambo hahahaha
Nah, no vaccine yet bud.
It’s a bit messy here.
For starters, we’ve got no cases in my state right now and very, very few in Oz so there is no real urgency.
The vaccine supply to us has been disjointed but those who are in the vulnerable categories are getting what they need, though ever started or us into our own so I’d say this next few months will see us all contacted for it.
It really is a different world here regarding the virus.
We’ve had 900 deaths in total, the lockdowns have been an overreaction at times, imo, but then it could be said they’re part of the reason we’ve been relatively untouched, though the real problem has been different states running their own race,
with little consistency between them.
Since around August (I think) I could go to a club or pub for a beer, just with restrictions on numbers, I’ve never been told to stay home, just advised to unless it was for work etc etc so though we’ve had to make changes, it’s really been nothing compared to what plenty around the world have endured.
I hope I haven’t used up my quota here as this post may never reach you 🙂
Sorry, we’ve started producing our vaccine here……we will be contacted soon to get the jab.
I think I’ve found a solution to the logging out issues etc.
Below the comment box, in the login option, there is place to insert a website url. In here, type the URL for HH and tick ‘save my details’ and then you should stay logged in for days rather than hours.
🤞🤞 it’s working for me…
https://highbury-house.com/2021/04/14/great-news-comes-in-threes-for-arsenal/
There’s a new post up now.
That’s interesting Scott (no really 😁) we don’t really hear about Australia over here in regards to the WuFlu, although we hear loads about New Zealand because all the lefties love their PM, no mate our media is only interested in bad news so we hear loads about Brazil, South Africa and now India where things are getting bad.
So Scott in Australia do the individual states have a similar autonomy as in the US and if so then how does your government in Canberra implement controls?
Or not…
Just an interesting aside, the media won’t use the term China virus as it’s deemed inflammatory and unfair to the Chinese, but funnily enough those same media hypocrites have no problem with the terms UK variant or Brazil variant or South Africa variant…
Just saying…
They don’t want to upset their biggest supplier to Poundland , and Poundstretcher Kev although I do like your WuFlu description.
Australia’s land mass is 3000 times larger than here and our population is 66% bigger which might explain why a respiratory spread disease is less prominent there . Although a lot of their people are collected in few towns and there are large swathes unoccupied , I believe that the density is nowhere near that of London and the major cities over here.