If indeed the strategy was Nico Williams or bust then thats pretty piss poor
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Must’ve missed the great attacking options that were available in the summer for a relatively fair price.
We have actually ended up needing our defensive depth, so I think the rhetoric of being obsessed with defenders can go in thr bin tbh.
Everyone wanted an attacker this summer but honestly who was realistically available?
It’s so difficult to stay competitive out there and a lot of our signings have been made to build the base of our squad as opposed to adding to an already outstanding bunch.
I don’t think there’s really any disagreement on us needing more quality in the squad but I’m not a fan of using previous players bought in to actually build a squad as a reason to bash us in another area. As above, it’s already been made quite clear we have needed our defensive depth.
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I hope Arteta gets a wrangle with this squad, cause he’s invested a ton of money. They need to start delivering now.
I think the core will start to look elsewhere after this season onwards if we end up trophyless again.
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I see a lot of people mentioning this like it’s mutually exclusive, as if us upgrading in the GK department and strengthening our depth in defence is the reason why we haven’t upgraded the attack, and I just don’t see it this way at all.
We absolutely needed a striker and another winger this summer but that doesn’t suddenly discount signing Raya permanently and bringing in Caliofori. The Raya transfer was less than 30m and it would’ve been accounted for last autumn, so there’s zero reason why us making that move permanent affected making attacking signings this summer.
I think Arteta and Edu have left strengthening the forward line a year too late but that doesn’t suddenly render their other signings as poor.
Agreed on your points but we made the Raya signing permanent in the current accounting period.
Yes but the point is that going as far back as last fall we knew we were going to be making it permanent and shipping out Ramsdale which essentially covers the fee. There’s no reason why us doing so has affected our ability to sign a striker. I just find the argument strange because Arteta and Edu seem to lose points from people for not signing a striker and instead bringing in other players who we have still been right to sign independent of not upgrading the forward line.
Yeah, because there is no concept of scouting in world football
Teams can only go for obvious targets
In our current state the obvious targets are the ones that will truly move the needle.
We’re not Brighton.
You mean the current state that has the ghost of Sterling as its only attacking signing made in the summer
Sure
So you would’ve wanted to spend a proper fee on someone underwhelming/unproven then?
I recall you weren’t impressed with the options we had in the summer either.
I think a League Cup win this season is very important for everybody.
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I sense the tides turning so I need to get in here quick and state that:
I was on the ‘let’s win some cups’ train before most of you
I’m ready for whoever is coming after me.
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You and @DavidHillier
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https://x.com/ftblshush/status/1852719410470961324?s=46&t=LlMNFvsPPy2ozwuX8FhQrA
The views in this tweet are not views shared by me
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I know he says it’s not criticism but using Mourinho as a reference point feels very much like bait based on how Mourinho is perceived these days.
What was listed can be seen on many other teams, especially ones before he arrived (Invincibles, Ferguson teams)
The approach Mourinho had for winning the PL was to buy two world class players for every position, act like a spoilt child when things didn’t go his way and play boring football.
Also the disrespect he showed Wenger by calling him a voyeur or a specialist in failure showed the lack of class he had.
Any manager spending more money than any other club in Europe should be playing Real Madrid or Barcelona style football rather than the boring football Chelsea did.
In all the seasons Mourinho managed in the PL how many decent players did he bring through the youth system?
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Real shit. Enough of this Mourinho love in.
Man was the epitome of a checkbook manager.
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How many “decent players through the youth system” titles did the other managers win?