My baseline expectation for the January window is very low, I can see the club standing pat or making one major signing. I'd be very surprised if it is more...unless injuries have decimated the roster. Here are a few targets: Danilo - 21 yo DM from Palmeiras - valued at €25m on transfermarkt. Linked to Arsenal a couple times with Palmeiras reluctant to sell due to involvement first in the Club World Cup last January and then Copa Libertadores this summer. They could be more open to a move this January. Mykhaylo Mudryk - 21 yo wing from Shaktar Donetsk - valued at €15m. Definitely blowing up right now, I don't see Shaktar selling him if they advance out of the CL group stage. Ardon Jashari - 20 yo DM from Luzern - valued at €1m. Albanian descent like Xhaka, just called up to the senior Swiss national team. Saw him linked to Arsenal, I would think he's more of a long-term solution but could be a fast riser.
As you noted, unless there are long term injuries threatening our season, im guessing we go DM and/or W. Im thinking DM is most likely given Marquinhos's performance thus far and Nelson's ability to fill in for cups. The recent Swiss DM link is interesting but I still think Danilo is the current #1 option for DM. Think Mudryk may end up too expensive given his CL performance. Last I saw Shaktar is looking for 50m.
Yep. I'm guessing Danilo and maybe a winger that we have not previously been linked to (another Brazilian?) are the best bets for Jan if we sign anyone at all.
We definitely need another DM, thats urgent. Partey can't stay healthy and if he is charged then I assume the club follows other clubs precedent and we drop him.
Bild is reporting we have inquired about Jesper Lindstrom at Eintracht Frankfurt. He’s 22, recently acquired from Brondby, and plays AM and on either wing. So far he has 8 goals in 9 assists in the Bundesliga. Supposedly he’d cost 17M GBP, which is pretty reasonable. Sounds like he fits Arteta’s and Edu’s profile, but I’m starting to wonder if we need more AMs especially when we have several academy players coming through and out of our ranks as well.
Where do you see that goal/assist number? FBRef & WhoScored both show 2 goals and 0 assists in all comps this season. I don't see why we would need another AM. W I can see but like you said, we have too many young AM types in the academy to keep adding more to the mix. If we were linked to a young b2b type, that would make more sense to me (Xhaka almost 30 and Sambi not yet proven) but I still think that may be a bit of a stretch because ESR & Patino look to be options there as well.
I pulled it from this article, but I just realized I misread the date that Lindstrom was acquired in summer 2021. I was thinking that was summer 2022 for some reason. I stand corrected. Liverpool concern over record deal explained; Arsenal 'really hot' for £17m January target (football365.com)
Nothing has changed about Shakhtar Donetsk position on Mudryk: €30m Everton bid turned down, no bid from Arsenal [talks with his agents, strong interest but no proposal made]. ⭐️🇺🇦 #transfersShakhtar remain on the same point: they want more than €50m for Mudryk ⤵️ https://t.co/g5dBDsA2yl— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 21, 2022
This is a rare instance in which this verb is used correctly, ie, scuttling career advancement because of your own words and actions.
@DaPrince84 @CarlosKaiser I was asking more about his form, has anyone kept up with him? I really have not heard anything about him since we were linked
He played the first 30 minutes of Lyon's opener this year but went off hurt and hasn't played since. He made the bench for one match but was left out of the squad for their most recent match vs PSG, unclear if it's still related to his injury or he's falling out of favor. There were a lot of articles the last couple days about clubs being interested in him, including Arsenal. On paper, he looks like a good Xhaka replacement but I'd have questions about his attitude and mentality.
i've only seen highlights but they looked good and, like you said, seemed like a fit for that xhaka spot but it feels like that ship has sailed with vieira and smith-rowe being looked at for the spot.
With the news that ESR will be out until Jan, I think it significantly increases the chances that we sign atleast 2 in the Jan window. #6 is a definite need as discussed above as well as someone that can play 8/10/W.