I’m sold.
I assume this is Dutch media? Dear Dutch friends, are they reliable?
Yes, VI / Voetbal International are top tier in Holland.
Eindhovens Dagblad probably have reliable sources within the club as well.
This definitely feels genuine. However they will want a lot of money for him. €45-€55m.
Are you happy about it?
Kinda throws the whole “the player has to be left footed and play on the right” out of the window.
It will actually be funny if it all comes full circle as names like Jesus, Tielemans, Raphinha, Gakpo and Paqueta have been been mentioned months ago. We’ve got one, couldn’t get one, and the other 3 we seem to be monitoring still and could move for them before the window.
Yeah I’d love him here. I’ve praised him earlier in the thread.
This will be a late deal what with PSV’s qualifiers and our outgoings needing to be sorted first.
Excited.
Who’s the other guy who plays in Belgium and has a shit attitude?
Neymar’s long lost brother Noa Lang.
Ok so Gakpo isn’t the prick then lol
If he’s that good I’m willing to wait for him. I think we’ve got good cover till then.
He’s been one of the names that’s been thrown around to look out for in the WC. Could easily become unreachable by January if he has a great tournament.
He is good but 45/55M feels high. PSV are obviously looking at Ajax and the fees they receive, but PSV are not at their level: they haven’t performed in the Champions League like Ajax have and PSV haven’t won the league since the 2017/2018 season.
But you are saying we should sign him?
Omg thanks Dutch chaps
Can you imagine a late window surge and bringing in Gakpo and Tielebro?
Fackin’ell.
Rooney next! Blimey!
Most of the analytical types who cover Arenal on the You Tubes sing Cody’s praises and seem to think he’s exactly what we need. I’ll take their word for it.
A player (especially a left footer) with more experience playing both left and right does seem like the much more intuitive fit. But there’s something to be said for just getting the best player you can get.
If we did add Gakpo, it would be interesting to see who is Saka’s primary cover. It could be Jesus with Nketiah through the middle, it could be Martinelli, it could be Fabio Vieira.
I think adding a LW like Gakpo also would mean that ESR is primarily an 8.
I really like the look of Gakpo. I do have faith in Artera and Edu on picking the right talent, so if we do end up with him, I would fully support this.
In terms of cover for Saka, at the moment, it has to be Pepe, unless he is sold this summer. Based on current squad, you would have Martinelli/Gakpo on the left and Saka/Pepe on the right. I think ESR, Vieira and Odegaard will either alternate as a No.10, in a 4-2-3-1, or as a No.8 in a 4-3-3 formation.
IMO, Pepe will be loaned if not sold but if he somehow stays he will just rot on the bench. He never got on the field last year when we literally had no other RW option beyond running Saka into the ground. Now we have some other options like Jesus, Vieira, and Martinelli (who is easier to switch to RW if Gakpo is there to play LW)
Yeah you could be right. It’s shame with Pepe. There is a good player there, but doesn’t fit the way Arteta wants to play. I would be tempted to keep him, if we can’t sell him, at least until January, because he could play a big role as a sub in the PL, and in the early stages of the EL and LC.
Pepe will be loaned if not sold but if he somehow stays he will just rot on the bench
Think a loan is on the cards. I know we’ve talked about 140k/wk not being insane money but for a guy with stock in the toilet, he’s going to a third or fourth tier club. They’re not going to pay us a fee and his wages.
Not sure why some thought we’d get a decent fee this window
Is anyone genuinely down for spending circa £20mil on this dude, any competent club would loan if anything
Not sure why some thought we’d get a decent fee this window
Is anyone genuinely down for spending circa £20mil on this dude, any competent club would loan if anything
Yup. At the end of the day the guy is 27, had one impressive year in France, has flopped hard over the last three years outside of France, and is on 140k per week.
There are a lot of good younger players out there whose limitations haven’t been so clearly demonstrated and who would demand half the wages or less. What club is going to decide that the best possible use of 20m is to spend it on Nicolas Pepe?