Itās Mr Hit/Miss himself, Christian Falk, so I wouldnāt put too much value to it. However, we are most likely gonna sign a winger this summer so it wouldnāt be shocking to think weāll look at Serge.
Yeah I agree. We would still be a viable option for him if he wants to return to the PL. Can see other big teams making a move for him in the summer though.
Am I right in thinking he plays predominately on the right wing? Although can operate from the left? In which case he would be in a rotation with Saka, and potentially Gabriel Jesus (who from recollection also operates from the right wing, if not playing as a No.9).
Not adverse at allā¦and defo a theme developing in terms of us looking at players with 1 year left on their contract!
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We spent 150m last season with zero European football, and signed Auba to a huge deal the season before with only Europa League.
We could absolutely afford Gnabry if we actually go for it.
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I would push for Madrid or Liverpool if I was him. But Iām not sure if heās on their radar.
What I keep coming back to is this:
If we sign Jesus (45m), Tielemans (25m), and Hickey (15m) or their equivalents at the reported fees, thatās only 85m in spending. Weāre going to bring in at least 35m just from the outgoings that are already agreed or seem like virtually sure things (Torreira, Guendouzi, Mavro, Leno somewhere, Bellerin for a tiny fee). It could be more than that if we can find somebody to take AMN and/or Pepe.
If the club only spends 50m net this summer, theyāre in for an avalanche of criticism given what our competitors seem likely to spend, all the efforts to bring down the wage bill, and how they have been talking up this summer for the last year. Josh Kroenke, Edu, and Arteta have made a lot of noise about this being a big summer. Its going to be a PR disaster for them if its 50m net and only Jesus, Tielemans, and Hickey coming into the team.
Therefore, I just have to think there is another shoe to drop, with a second significant forward coming, either striker or wide man. I have no idea who that might be and I figure it might be the kind of deal that doesnāt get done until the end of the window, but I just have to imagine that is the plan.
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I genuinely think our net spend will be circa Ā£150m this summer. I completely agree with you about the PR issue they would have if we donāt spend big but I think they have a clear plan on what they want to do. The early signs seem very positive, in that we have strong rumours for Jesus and Tielemans and we potentially have already sorted the futues of Elneny and Nketiah. This is a real step change for Arsenal compared to the later years under Wenger, which was just painful when it came to transfers and moving quickly in the market. I think we have identified our targets and who we want to sign, and Edu and Arteta are going to go and get them.
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Totally agree.
Wenger transfers and contract renewals during the Emirates era became frustratingly slow and his inclination towards buying bargains led to some truly abysmal signings. When we signed Ozil I nearly fainted over the fact that weād actually spent big money on a big player. It felt the same as when we signed Dennis Bergkamp.
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Iām not loving what Iām seeing so far though.
We needed someone to replace Xhakaās spot as a starting midfielder. Maybe thatās Tielemans but if Xhaka also leaves that means Elneny is still our third midfielder in the rotation. We were already short in midfield. Does Arteta trust or rate Sambi at this point? I know folks were out on him but he played way more than I expected him to this year, not all of it good but still way more.
And then striker. If we sign Eddie and Gabriel Jesus what other forward is coming into that group? Itās not going to be Oshimen. Maybe someone like DCL who is willing to back himself in an open competition for playing time knowing that heās more likely to get starts in the EL than PL? Or do they go super unknown and sign Gakpo with an eye to moving him inside. IIRC one of our Dutch friends said he could play there.
In isolation signing Elneny and signing Eddie arenāt awful moves. But theyāre easy moves. They lack any sort of imagination or excitement. We fucked up the January window because the club didnāt want to commit long term money to the wrong striker. Well, weāre committed to Eddie now. It feels a little meh. Weāve already seen his limitations.
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The people who think another CF is on the way are misguided. Itās going to be Jesus (Hopefully) and Eddie as the main guys. Can very easily accommodate both in the 11 if needed.
Iāve been saying for ages we need a new LW
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I could definitely see it being a LW. Gnabry is the dream, Gakpo might be the reality though.
The wildcard is whether Jesus might actually prefer playing wide, as some have claimed. Thatās the only way I see another CF coming.
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lol, they didnt have a contract so this is stupid he can change his mind he wasnt tied down to any club. Look at Willian agreed with the Spuds and a day before Chavski took himā¦no law suits.
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Anybody with any insight on this guy?
He seems like a more experienced alternative to Hickey as the backup LB, while also maybe providing some additional cover at LCB (although he seems to have done that more in a three man defense than a four man backline).
Hello Arsenal? Itās May, sign some players, please?
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When will our first āmajorā signing happen (and by that I mean either Ornstein / Here We Go Merchant announcing it as basically all done)?
- 1 June
- 15 June
- 1 July
- 15 July
- 1 August
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Until recently there would have been options for āTransfer Deadline Dayā and āThe morning after deadline dayā.
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The morning after pill in Arsenalās case
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Interesting, Iād guess heād be a backup 6?
I think there are better profiles out there tbh