Ok, we aren't likely to see a rebuild given the (re)signing of Ozil, Miki & Auba but we can all agree that something is needed to make us more competitive. If you watch our play against Milan & CSKA you can see potential but we are in significant need of upgrades/depth at a few positions (DM & CB). Summer window is creeping up on us and the rumor mill is in full swing. Let get this started.
Players I have seen linked in the last few weeks (I know many are BS)... GK - Navas, Leno, Horn LB - None CB - Socratis, Gimenez, Alderweireld, de Ligt and 2-3 German league youngsters RB - None DM - Ndibi, Doucoure CM - Ceballos, Modric, Meyer AM/W - Dembele, Isco, Bale and 3-4 youngsters from around Europe ST - None
I'm not really referring to a destroyer. There are very few of those guys these days anyway. I just want a deep lying MF that has better defensive positioning/responsibility/awareness than the CMs we currently play. You put a guy like I'm talking about in the middle of Ramsey and Jack/Xhaka and you might actually field a pretty competent looking MF.
The only transfer I truly care about is to see Wenger leave. Everything else pretty much comes second to that one for me.
Agree with you on AW. That said, I would prefer to see everyone else atleast try to improve the team for whomever eventually takes AW's place.
This team needs LOTS of new players. The issue just over the horizon is age. Ozil, Miki, and PEA are all turning 30 in the next 18 months. The players on this team who are in their mid 20s aren't good enough to be the core of a good team. Rebuilding this team is a half-billion dollar undertaking.
We need the following to challenge A new keeper of high quality Handqnovic? Oblak? Pope (English) A cb of high quality Manolas? Koubouly? A cm Nzonzi? Seri? Milinkovic? Jorginho? Strootman? A winger Zaha? Malcolm? Potentially a fullback too as bellerin fell off
Yes, and no. Miki and Ozil's game should age better than say, for example, Alexis. It's a multi-window rebuild. Need to prioritize, in this order: CM starter GK CB #1 LB - Nacho is 31, and Kolasinac isn't good. Fast wide attacker CM backup CB #2 Any thought regarding Ozil/Miki/Auba needs to wait until next summer, or even later than that.
I agree with what you've said, but when you finish the rebuild you'll be staring at a trio of attackers who are 30-32 years old and need replacement.
I'm officially moving to London as of today, the only person I would prefer not to greet me on arrival is Wenger.
Wenger needs to go first and foremost. Team I would like to see next year: New GK Bellerin-New CB-Koscielny-Monreal New CM-Xhaka Ozil-Ramsey-Mkhitaryan Aubameyang For the players we have, those are the preferred positions I would have for them, maximising their strengths. For the new players: GK - Oblak from Atletico has been mentioned in despatches, from what I've seen of him he would suit just fine. Also it has been mentioned that he is the number one target for our new Not Director Of Football. CB - You want some experience here. Alderwiereld would be hilarious, Campbell all over again Maybe Koulibaly from Napoli? CM - I actually wouldn't mind a straight destroyer here, but if someone who can play the ball a bit better is available then fine. First and foremost he has to be the shield in front of the defence. Lars Bender has been linked, Jitty Slitter might have more insight as to whether he'd be a good fit. Even someone like Idrissa Gueye from Everton would be able to do the job here and if we had problems getting him out of there then the whole board might as well pack up and go home. The remaining senior players in the squad then are: Cech, Ospina, Kolasinac, Chambers, Holding, Mertesacker, Mustafi, Mailtland-Niles, Wilshere, Elneny, Cazorla, Iwobi, Lacazette, Welbeck. Mertesacker is retiring and sadly I doubt we'll see Cazorla back in an Arsenal shirt again. Wilshere looks like he will be leaving as his contract expires. I would get what I can for Mustafi and Kolasinac, neither are good enough. That would mean we need to find back-ups for both full-back positions. Similarly, I would happily let Cech and Ospina go if we could get a Oblak and a decent back-up keeper in. With Cazorla and Wilshere likely to be out of the picture come August, a good young creative midfielder would be useful too. Someone we can get cup games and few league appearances out of. Quite a lot to do there, but only three for the first team, backups should be in the 21-25 age bracket ready to move up to starter when they pass 24/25. The age profile of the squad should be properly balanced. If they can make a good case for inclusion earlier then all the better. For Summer 2019, the major issue I would be working on is a replacement for Koscielny, his injury problems are well-documented and will only get worse.
Don't think we are likely to do much with the attack this window but there were rumors today of both Martial and Rashford looking to get out MU and both are listed as high probability for Arsenal by the odds makers.
I would take Rashford in a nanosecond. Just one problem... the odds makers aren't on the Arsenal Board.
This is a Mourinho doesn't trust young players thing. Like de Bruyne and Salah, Martial and Rashford are likely to go somewhere else and become stars. Offensively their numbers are better than Sanchez' numbers. Martial has a goal or an assist every 96 minutes of league play, compared to every 133 minutes for Rashford and every 146 minutes for Sanchez. I would take either in a New York second.
The thing is does a new manager get more out of current players which limits who we need to bring in? I think Mustafi could do significantly better if he is in a structured defense where he doesn't have to think about what he is doing. Same for Kola. I have heard people tell me he is hot garbage but he was great in the Bundesliga 2 years ago, I find it more likely he is used badly or coached badly rather than him showing his "true form" as others try to convince me.
I was definitely of that mind regarding Mustafi. However, I find myself being disabused of that the more I watch him.
Awareness, i.e. the ability to read the game, something they both struggle with, doesn't disappear in a year or two of indifferent coaching. If you put them in Mourinho's defense they would still make mistakes, but they would probably have more cover, so their mistakes might be less likely to lead to goals. Though I suspect they would incur Jose's wrath pretty quickly, see Shaw. In the 2015/16 season, the last one that Kos and Per consistently partnered in defense, Arsenal gave up one more goal than Tottenham and United, who tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed. The year before they allowed four more goals than Mourinho's Chelsea, who won the league. Last season and so far this season they allowed 16 more goals than Tottenham, so what's changed, the Managers defensive nous or the personnel?