I actually considered that alternative, but it would imply that Arsenal are nearly as disfunctional as Trump's White House and I didn't want to go there.
Not necessarily that dysfunctional. You have an ownership base in the U.S., that's known for not exactly liking to spend tons of money. So people in the ground in London explain to them that firing him is worth it money-wise because, inter alia, we're facing a player exodus. As I said at the start of this foray down the rabbit hole, I'm speculating, but it does seem like we're seeing a bit of a pile on recently. FFS, where's Jitty to back me up on the conspiracy theory angle?
I never could spell worth a damn. Spell check failed me this time. From a conspiracy theory point of view it's plausible. But it's also plausible that he has lost the dressing room and players are getting vocal about it.
I said it before, Kroenke doesn't want to pay two coaching salaries. He's got a $5 billion dollar stadium project to pay for. Plus the Waltons never spend a dime when a nickel will do.
Seeing some rumors that there are several teams across Europe that are interested in Xhaka in the Jan window. Same report claims that the move that Arsenal are working hardest to complete is a deal with Monchengladbach that would see MF Denis Zakaria sent to Arsenal in return.
Seeing a rumor that Real badly want PEA in Jan and are planning to offer 70m euro + James. It's rumored that Arsenal are seeking £80m if/when he is sold.
Tend to agree. I'd want Vinicius Jr. That said, the general value of James + 70m is pretty damn good. Wonder if it is possible to take that deal and then flip James elsewhere for cash or a LW/CM/CB?
On one hand Auba carries Arsenal for stretches, on the other hand he's 30 and has won what... a dfb-pokal in his entire career? I couldn't really fault him for pushing to leave and chase something.
I don't blame him for wanting to play in CL. Even though he is carrying us now, I can't help but wonder how much better we could be doing as a team with a legit LW and better coaching. New LW --- Laca --- Pepe Has potential to be just as effective if you find someone that fits. We have some young wings (Saka, Nelson, ESR) I'd like to see us add a right footed vet (23-28 yo).
I’d let him go. He will only get more and more restless and then leave for little. Laca can go too if he wants in the summer. Not sure who we’d buy, but getting the midfield and CB sorted out is more important imho.
I would take it provided the team use the funds to fill a position of need (ie: central defense.) They've struggled to find a magic formula that gets Pepe, Laca, and PEA on the pitch at the same time while still leaving room for midfielders to serve them, and that logjam only stifles opportunities for youth. Arsenal would be a stronger XI, IMO, with a quality central defender in lieu of an extra attacking player. Question becomes, then, is that defender available and willing?
James on the Arsecasts brought up that the “win now” strategy of buying PEA and giving ozil the contract and signing sokratis, miki, etc is clearly a failure and it’s time to shift. I’m on board with that. Emery wasn’t here to build, he was here to grind us into top 4 or win EL. He failed and is gone. Time for a true rebuild.
Now seeing rumors that Real are considering offering up Luka Jovic as part of a PAE deal. We don't exactly need a ST but that could be a really nice option that could also make Laca very expendable.
Real are not that stupid. But yes, we should be in full tear-down and rebuild phase, so getting expensive, old players off the books, ESPECIALLY if they're valuable, is paramount. It'll be a situation where Auba's value is higher in January than in the summer--he won't be cup-tied and in the summer other teams will have more leverage over us with his contract situation. If you can get a deal for him that's worth around 70m in January you have to take it.
Aubameyang on the way out. Might happen in January I don't blame him. That is 3 years of no CL football and no real chance at domestic glory. As long as we get a poor number for him it is time. Laca leaving would suck just because I'm s huge fan of his. I think Laca, Pepevand a dynamic LW would be just as good. If we wanted to sell we should've offloaded him at the end of last year when his value was high. I want Upamecano, a CM and a true DM. CB, CM, LW and DM is what we need.
We gotta sell for sure, but who the hell are we gonna buy? It's been years since we bought somebody who turned out to be a pleasant surprise at how good they were. Even the successes (Holding, Torreira, Guendouzi) are not helping us win at this point.
Because look who they get paired with. I didn't expect the Emery nosedive to happen so suddenly but I believed he would need 3 full years to clear out all the trash and bring in better suited players. We don't have the budget of other clubs, so its a bit by bit process. But the next window the focus MUST be a CB or 2 and either a CM or a LW. When Emery came in I thought we badly needed mid 20s CBs, a CM and a genuine winger or two. Its still the same shopping list 2 years later.
Unless we make a long term appointment who can tell us what kind of players he wants, we shouldn't do anything in January. No one in or out - wait until the summer to offload players. Another thing to consider is that we are going to struggle to attract players better than the dross we are trying to get rid off. We are a bottom half of the table team with an ugly few years ahead of us - what promising young talent is going to be eager to join us? Our 18/19 financials were also posted and they are looking quite bad. Matchday revenue is down 30%. We will likely have little to spend beyond what we raise in sales, little pulling power, and an executive in Raul who is likely going to squander the money we do raise on sweetheart deals for his friend's clients.
If the Auba Jovic think is real (I don’t believe it for a second), we should do that deal in a heartbeat.
PAE for Jovic likely isn't real but let's assume it is... What about we do that deal and then Xhaka to Frankfurt for Rebic (he is currently on loan at Milan and getting no PT). Frankfurt strengthens their MF and we get a speedy LW with a positive playing history with Jovic. Doesnt solve our problem in MF or D but it gets us younger and gets us a legit LW.