Are we better or worse, WTF is going on - Summer 2021 transfer thread.

They have been telling us this since the season ended. Anyone that can count can figure this out, they want a starting right back; two midfielders to replace the expected departures of the four midfielders on loan plus Ceballos and Xhaka, one a starter and someone good enough to fill in when Partey and Elneny leave for AFCON; and an attacking mid to compete with/provide cover for Smith-Rowe, presumably also capable of playing the wide attacking mid roles. That’s four and it doesn’t include a number two keeper, a backup up for Tierney, and their apparent desire to add another centerback.

Serious question, I’m not trying to be cynical, who is LTArsenal? I’ve seen his tweets linked on big soccer a lot the last couple of years, but haven’t really paid that much attention to them or to their accuracy. Is he just a random blogger or is he someone who actually has insight into Arsenal’s plans?

 

Didn’t say you can determine anything other than athleticism from videos. I’ll give you another example, I knew nothing about Tyler Adams until he was linked here. Watching his highlights I can’t tell whether he’s good enough to play for Arsenal, what I can tell is he’s very quick when he closes on an attacker, so he’d probably be useful for a team that presses.

 

Offer 25,000,001 for Grealish.

🚨 Exclusive: Arsenal reject bid of around £25m from Aston Villa for midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. #AFC working to renew 20yo’s contract — which ends in 2023 — & have no interest in selling. #AVFC pursuit underlines their ambition this summer @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/sPsrVzOVw4

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 16, 2021

 

Someone needs to bust AV's kneecaps

 

@EddieLongbridge is almost at good at Twitter as AOC.

 

Ohh, offers to 4 players this week - White, Lokonga and two suprises!

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/arsenal-defender-set-join-stuttgart-20834591

Selling Mavropanos for £7m, I hope that includes a sell-on clause because I could see him going to Italy in a year or two for 4 times that amount.

And £2.5m for Kolasinac! What is the opposite of a sell-on clause? Can Lazio pay an extra 500k or something when they eventually buy out his contract?

 

The persistence of the Ben White news has me thinking that we're switching to a back 5 next season. There's no good explanation otherwise. Should probably hold on to Mavropanos if that's the case, but I digress.

The Adams rumors add to it. I think it's a bad idea to play that hybrid RWB/CM at all, but Pep does it, so Arteta wants to try it.

So the team would look something like:

GK: Leno
LCB: Gabriel
CB: Holding
RCB: White
LWB: Tierney
RWB: Adams/new signing
CM: Partey
CM: Lokonga/new signing
LW: ESR
RW: Saka
ST: Aubameyang

Defensive cover: Saliba, Mari, Chambers, Cedric, new LB?

Midfield cover: Elneny, new signings

Forward cover: Martinelli, Pepe, Balogun

I hate that setup, so I hope I'm wrong.

Edit to add: this is the first time I've ever paid attention to Locatelli, but through 53 minutes against Switzerland, he looks like everything we wanted Xhaka to be.

 

I think we should cash in on one of Holding or Chambers.

I’d move Holding because I think he’d bring in more money and because Chambers is more versatile, which is a big plus in a backup.

 

This is a new look Arsenal I can get behind

 

I’m seeing reports that Saliba has been transfer listed. This may just be speculation because of the reports about negotiations over White, with some blogger/journalist jumping to the conclusion that Saliba is gone.

It is also possible Arteta has concerns about Saliba’s maturity, not as a player, but as a person. The report also said Guendouzi had been transfer listed. If they are the only two players transfer listed it raises the possibility they are listed for similar reasons. We have seen indications of Guendouzi’s immaturity. Other than a video when he was 15 or 16, I don’t think we’ve seen any indications of immature behavior on the part of Saliba. Even in his interviews when he expressed disappointment at not being given a chance this season he qualified he statements by saying he understood it was part of football.

if the latter is the case, I truly believe Arteta is being short sighted. Saliba has all the tools and he’s only 20. I suspect he has a higher ceiling than White.

 

I can't imagine that Arsenal is financially stupid enough to eat £15 million on Saliba after a year.

Even if Arteta doesn't rate him at all, selling him is obscenely irresponsible.

 

That's because Edu is a ghola.

 

Two years, to be fair.

 

If we sel saliba arteta is a clown and so is edu

he doesn’t trust kids unless he has to

not everyone can be a 32 year old Mikel

 

I don’t think being ‘transfer listed’ is a real thing.

Also, I guarantee you Saliba is immature in a big picture sense: he’s fvcking 20 years old! But we’ve also been told over and over again how maturity for his age is something that impresses all of his coaches (other than Arteta, apparently.)

He needs to be given a legitimate chance to compete for this club, and it has to be on Arteta if he isn’t.

 

I agree, but if they are willing to pay up to £50m for White, they are not buying him as a squad player, he’s the starter at RCB and all this talk about Saliba having a chance to prove himself and compete for the job is just lip service. Arteta doesn’t need to evaluate his ability against inferior competition in July, he should have game film of all his Ligue 1 games, including Nice’s game against PSG and Mbappe. The only thing I see potentially being evaluated is his work ethic in practices.