They have a contract problem though. If they wait until the summer they're likely to get even less for him. Sorry if this has been brought up before, but I couldn't find any updates on it on Google: does Party still have a 50m release clause?
I saw a Sky ticker that said Chambers to have surgery on his cruciate and will be out 6-9 mos. Don['t know much more but this just completes the loop that was expected. The good news on that is that maybe it'll induce Kroenkes to approve a January CB purchase or loan. Edit: I'm now listening to Arteta's presser from earlier today and he said the surgery was happening today. He also seemed to say that although he's talking with management about areas of the pitch we need to strengthen via the market, he's not expecting much with signings this month, and focused more on getting players back from injury (which I assume to mean Holding, Bellerin, etc) Edit2: Here's what the club put out today on its website... "we can confirm that Calum ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee. Calum has had successful surgery in London on Thursday morning. The rehabilitation process is expected to take between six to nine months."
Lots of links to Jerome Boateng over the last few days. Many stating that Bayern will let us have him on a free transfer to get his salary off their books.
Yeah he’s washed up like @DaPrince84 buy and loan back upamecano and bring in a midfielder this window
I’m sure he is not what he used to be, but is he a) better than mustafi? B) better than mavropanos? C) more fit than chambers and holding? I think the answer to all those questions is yes. If we are looking into him, I’m sure arteta has some second hand info from pep which is driving it and it gives me a little more confidence. Not a huge fan of the free transfer, but we need a body in there and physically he is very imposing. Also, he has a nice long pass on him.
Not a bad plan but I think we need a new CB on the roster now at least on loan unless you want to rely on Mustafi.
Last I saw from Boateng man looked washed up like seashells on the seashore. I understand we need a body but I dunno
Boateng is definitely washed up but he is free and we need bodies. What happened with Rugani? The prefect pickup would be Upamecano and get him loaned back and get a CM. Because I dont have much faith in Ceballos in that role. We need a CB and CM bad...
Our center halves are not good, but they also aren’t as bad as they looked under Emery. Boateng doesn’t improve this side at all.
Even 4 or 5M like Luiz wouldn't be bad. What's up with Mavropanos? he has been MIA what injuries are he dealing with. I guess he is part of the Arsenal injury prone brigade but wow he like never got a chance to play. I think he is only what 22 that would be a help in the CB spot.
And again, what’s the point? Maybe possibly better than Mustafi and Mavro for 4 months when we aren’t getting into the top 4 regardless?
Saw a report on ESPN (citing the Mirror) that Lemar is available from Atletico for around 50M GBP and we have expressed interest (along with Spuds). I'm sure we have interest, but we will immediately resume our normal searches in the youth, bargain bins, and closeout sections.
i mean, the big concern would be how long of a contract would we be stuck with for 4 months of warm body (assuming he is as cooked as everyone thinks).
I was being sarcastic. But if I'm being taken literally, I did say those sections were our "normal" (by no means "exclusive") shopping areas. With the limited transfer funds that seem to be available, and the dire needs in defense, it seems unlikely we'd spend that much money on an attacking player this window.
I would be a bit wary of Lemar. Why is Atletico looking to sell him at a loss only 18 months after buying him? Kind of feels like they know he isn't any good and they want to sell him before everyone else figures it out.