Morning all.
Arsenal confirmed yesterday that William Saliba has joined Nice until the end of the season but he’s coming back.Or at least that’s the plan.
Technical director Edu said:
William Saliba is a player with a huge amount of talent and potential. We’re confident he will have a great career with us but we must remember that he is still only 19 years old and has a lot of time ahead of him.
It’s funny really because both Balogun and Saliba are 19 years old and neither have been given an opportunity to show themselves in the Premier League. At either end of the pitch, in a central position, Mikel Arteta has steered away from playing the youngsters, yet in midfield, no problem. Nketiah is 21 in case your were thinking. Anyway, one has gone off on loan and the other could end his Arsenal career this month or in the summer unless his heart really is with the club he joined as a 9 year old. Sead Kolasinac has confirmed his loan to Schalke on social media which leaves the squad light in the left back position. Both Saka and AMN have played there before but the last thing we need is to lose what Saka brings to the creative side of our football.
However, Arsenal do have a left back lurking in the wings, no pun intended. Tolaji Bola. He’s no youngster either, not compared to the likes of ESR, Willock and Saka as Bola is 22 years old. Just I hasten to add as it was his birthday yesterday. Is he he Mikel Arteta’s plans I wonder? Not this season obviously as he’s on loan at Rochdale but for next season? Perhaps. He’s a strong looking lad that’s for sure.
With just five months of the season left, perhaps Arteta is prepared to juggle his players around to fill the left back position should Tierney need a breather. Not that he seems the kind of player who’d want to sit one minute out of the game. Joel Lopez is another option.
The Europa League is going to take its toll on players and there’s the FA Cup kicking off too on Friday night. Not every ‘best’ player can play in every game. This season is bonkers and even though ours has been tough, a top four finish can’t be ruled out. Not totally. Unlikely perhaps but with other clubs going through their struggles and ourselves looking like we have a big toe in the corner we needed to rapidly turn, who knows?
The FA Cup returns this weekend with a home tie against Newcastle, a game which might see a bit of rotation. Who knows, Mikel might stick with the same team, keep the momentum and confidence high. I know out of the three competitions we’re in, it might be considered the ‘less important’ but every game is important. Defending our FA Cup crown is important but just five days after the Newcastle game, we play Crystal Palace at The Emirates. If Mikel Arteta has to rest players, I know in which one I’d prefer him to do so.
Transfer gossip.
Besiktas want Mo Elneny back on loan according to the Daily Mail and The Mirror reckon Arsenal want to cut Lucas Torriera’s loan at Atletico Madrid short and find him another club which plays him more.
See you in the comments.
Morning all ,
I think it’s fairly obvious that the most movement in this window is going to be movement out. We may bring one in but I believe that the books will need balancing before that happens.
We are in the position that unless we sell our youngsters for development fees with a bit of potential the savings will be made by reducing overheads and they are not going to give us millions to spend on a major purchase .
Chances are that we are in the loan bracket, even if we shift 3 players on £100,000 a week by june 1st that would only save us about £6 million which is about a loan fee for a top player and so the days of lobbing out £72 million on one player plus wages I think are gone,and it seems that although we are unloading players the recipient teams want us to subsidise their wages anyway reducing our savings.
It is what it is , until the out of contract players and I am looking at Ozil , Ceballos , Sokratis , Mustafi finally get off the books altogether and sales of a few others even at a reduced price take place , I can’t see too many incoming that are likely to change our set up completely.
So we soldier on with what we have and pick up what we can where we can. The phrase too good to go down does apply here but with the start that we have had I can’t see better than an upper midtable finish as the teams above us are all swapping points amongst themselves albeit a 6 match winning run could get get us into the mix
Somebody suggested the other day that we might have to sell some of the youngsters to fund purchases but they are the family silver and although in the long run it may be neccessary , I think we should hold off until the dust settles and see who has gone and who is available in the summer.
Morning Potter, all.
Totally agree re selling the younger guys, see where we are in the summer once the big earners have gone and anyone else who wants out. January is never a good month for wholesale changes imo, or big spending because there’s no guarantee a new player would hit the ground running. There is the exception of course but Arsenal aren’t good at finding those.
The key for Arsenal is more likely to be about keeping our performing players fit. The return of Partey will be a big boost too.
LANS, like a new signing, Thomas Partey, I’m looking forward to his return and what he can give us over the next 4/5 months. He might just be the difference between an average finish to the season or a glorious end to the season?
What’s the point of letting Elneny go on loan to Besiktas and paying half of his wages when we can use him now and then sell him next summer if that’s the plan. Turkish clubs like to talk, too much talk and not enough action. They love to tell their fans that they’re in for Sokratis or Ozil or Elneny, but it’s all empty talk, so as soon as one of our players is linked to a Turkish club I just forget it…
I avoided that headline Kev. 😝
But yes, he’s a top top player who should make a big difference to the team. Especially now we have brains in our attacking play.
Good day all, although “good” is hardly the word to describe Norfolk on a cold, wet and windy day.
A trip into Norwich this morning to visit my hearing consult, parked Illegally just twenty-five yards from the door ( there hasn’t been a traffic warden seen on the streets of Norwich since March, they’re all self isolating ). Hearing tested, devises serviced and tweaked all in twenty minutes. The city is like a ghost town.
Much as I would like to see Buendia in an Arsenal shirt he’s not worth the money being quoted and I don’t want to see any of our youngsters sacrificed to bring him in.
We’ve seen what happens when older players get into the comfort zone, keep the good committed youngsters, they are the club’s future.
Good Afternoon Rico and all
At the moment the common names being bandied about for the AM position are Buendia (40 mill), Brandt (22 mill) and Eriksen (18mill).
Of all three, who is the most you would like to see in an Arsenal shirt?
As I said above Buendia is not worth the money. I wouldn’t want to see Erikson at Arsenal and I know nothing about Brandt, at £22 million is he better than ESR?
with regards Buendi I agree with you as I would only go up to 25 at the most. With Eriksen it may be different because although he used to play for the spuds, many players crossed to us and did much better then they did with them. At least they won with us. However keep in mind that these two have experience in the EPL
Brandt does not have that experience. but he is still young at 24 and has taken Ozil’s role as number 10 in the German national team.
cicero….just to answer your question if he is better. I think that as I said in previous posts (I think it was three days ago) I feel that Arteta is moving towards having 22 top players….2 each for every position. so rather than ask if he is better than ESR its better if we focus on ‘can he rotate with him and/or complement him?
What I meant is that ESR cannot be expected to play in every game. He will need to be rotated. Likewise Saka and Martinelli. All three are 19 years old so to expect them to play all games would be impossible.
If I had to make a choice between selling Auba or Pepe I would be inclined to sell Auba. his stock is higher as he is a scorer but he is already 30+ . So if we get a good offer than I would say sell him
Let’s concentrate on the following……We already have 5 players for the AM/wings position. With the exception of Pepe all the others are under 21 years. Very young and also inexperienced. They will suffer burn out if they are played all the time. so we need at least 6 players who can rotate….and not necessarily one better than the other.
Martinelli, ESR, Saka
Pepe, (Brandt, Eriksen, Buendia) Nelson
That would exclude Auba, and Willian as surplus. Unless Auba is to share with LAcazette. One might be tempted to say that Auba can play on the left. But as we saw in two games…..Chavs and Seagulls we played better when Auba was not on the left.
So I would sell Auba and buy another CF in the Lacazette/Giroud type. And with the remaining money invest it elsewhere
if Balogun signs then we would have Laca, Balo and Auba for the CF position. one would have to go
Norwich are on the cusp of a return to the Premier League so they aren’t going to sell one of their key players for a realistic fee, you’re going to have to offer them a fee they cannot refuse, not least so they can justify that decision to their fans in case they blow promotion.
So I think the Buendia links are just a diversion so that Edu can complete a move for Grealish. 😉
Last season in the Premier League Buendia scored 1 goal and made 7 assists, which could include corners and free kicks.
Chambers has also played left back.
Torreira – It is said that Fiorentina wanted it again; Elheny I think that for now, it would not be a good idea.
Of the 3, I think none. The worst case is Erikson. He doesn’t play for Inter and it’s a slower game.
There may be a player in the Ukrainian and / or Russian league that interests us and is cheaper. And now they are stopped.
Devil, Auba plays on the left, so it’ll be Balogun, Eddie and Lacazette as the options surely?
How spooky, Bola has returned from his loan at Rochdale.
The name of Grealish came up a short while ago, There’s no way Arsenal would pay the money, or the wages he would demand. While he is the darling of the media, I think he is a diving cheat.
https://twitter.com/fbalogun67/status/1346220418563252226?s=20
Why post if he’s planning to leave…
Rico, Auba is a CF by nature. he plays on the left to accomodate Lacazette.
Auba is a centre forward not suited to Premier League football. He is not good with his back to goal and not physical enough. He is better played wide where he can use his speed coming inside .
That’s my opinion,I may not be right but!
Ok Devil. I meant more at Arsenal because were talking about our forward players.
Exactly Potter. He plays as a different type of CF then Lacazette/Giroud/Lewandowski type. He floats like a butterfly.
However, the system as it is cannot see him play as a CF. Especially in the EPL. The problem is that other players are better suited than him on the flanks. Personally I prefer Martinelli and Saka on the flanks. Yes Auba delivers goals….but is he going to accept rotation with either of the above?? He will expect to play all games, and rightly so.
In your opinion you are right. Very right. But I prefer someone like Martinelli and Saka on the flanks. And feel more comfortable with the Lacazette/Giroud/Lewandowski type of CF who can play with their back to goal.
Ditto Potter, he’s a run onto the ball and strike kind of player I think.
The squad as it is, is unbalanced Rico. Do you remember the days of square pegs in round holes?? Or round pegs in square holes? In the times of AW? Especially in the years between 2009 – 2017?
I feel that using Auba on the left is similar to this. Fitting a square peg in a round hole. Lacazette was finding his feet when he came….until January. Then Auba came and took over. We have been going on about this situation since then. Both of them want to play CF and rightly so. However Laca is more suited to the EPL than Auba as a CF. So what did AW, UE and MA do?? They shifted him to the left. Now and then he gets to play CF. But the majority he plays on the left so that he can use his speed. And his goal scoring ratio is very good. Today I saw some of the goals TH14 used to score….and I found myself asking the question….Would Auba be able to do the same. Sadly the answer is no. TH14 was stronger, faster and deadlier. Auba is deadly but not stronger or faster. And cannot play with his back to goal. TH14 mixed strength and technique.
Do not get me wrong. I am grateful for what Auba has done. And respect him for what he has achieved. However if we are to go forward with this formation he cannot play in it and must make way.
With regards Nketiah I would love him to make the grade. But atm he is like a rabbit in the headlights. Balogun is more advanced than him. And he is 3 years younger. I feel that Nketiah will make way as well.
Why should Aubameyang expect to play every game though? In the form he’s in, he should expect to be dumped on the bench. He’s hardly leading the team as a captain should. In my opinion of course.
I certainly do not agree with him being captain. I never like a forward player as a captain. I prefer a defender or DM at the most since the game is in front of him. On that basis I dont like a GK being a captain either since if the team is attacking all the time he will be faraway from action.
With regards expecting to play every game I can assure you Rico that all players do so. And Auba is not different. even if he is playing crap.
https://goonertalk.com/2021/01/05/ozil-reportedly-on-the-verge-of-joining-fenerbahce/
Team players accept that playing time is given to those in form imo Devil. Players shouldn’t expect to play because of the salary, name or reputation.
Expectation and reality is very different.
I like that Balogun tweet Rico, interesting tweet to put out.
I thought so too Kev. Just hope it’s not a wind up.
Morning all.
Kev/Rico, seems a similar situation to that of Saka a few months back.
Whispers he wasn’t staying etc etc
Let’s hope the outcome is the same 🙂
I read this morning, in Football London, that Ozil is on his way to D.C. United. I guess that’s about as likely as him going to Fernebache..
According to The Evening Standard Ceballos is hoping to go back to Real Madrid…but not until the summer.
The Fenerbahce rumours with Ozil are pretty much from the Istanbul end as they normally always are, so I didn’t take a lot of notice, but DC United links look a more likely destination because Mesut could ply his trade in the US for 4 or 5 years without needing to exert himself too much while flogging his merchandise, he could also flog his image to all and sundry and avoid doing any business with China and still make a fortune.
The MLS season is hoping to kick off in early March so now it seems is the best time for DC to be negotiating, although they might let it run up to the end of January to let Arsenal pay most of Ozil’s wages this month? That would allow a preseason during February before the MLS season starts in the Spring.
You old cynic Kev. 😜
Indeed Scott.
New post up now
Oh no it’s not!
https://highbury-house.com/2021/01/06/loan-exits-gathering-pace-is-balogun-teasing-us/