Related, there are reports today that Arsenal are moving for Tielemans. But I just listened to an interview with a Belgian journalist who says Arteta has a surprise #1 midfield target who is not Tielemans or fellow Belgian Onana. Said Tielemens was really set on Madrid but they went for Tchouamendi. Arsenal can wait until the deadline to get Tielemans, or he can leave on a free next summer and go to Spain. FWIW, they mentioned the Romano report and felt like that was a different target, but that Arsenal prefer to keep quiet on their transfer targets like with Vieira.
If it’s a surprise it presumably isn’t SMS either. I’m starting to wonder if Arsenal are putting out smoke screens to hide their true targets. We did know about Gabriel for weeks, but once City signed Haaland that was too obvious to hide. The Romano report suggests they are chasing a wing. So it’s unlikely they are the same player.
Hope we sign a physical cm who is mobile and can pass keep Xhaka, develop sambi and try vieira as the creative guy with Partey out we need protection
Think I saw the same podcast as @CarlosKaiser and they suggested that Arsenal are working on both a wing & CM but keeping the names quiet.
ExclusiveArsenal has submitted an official offer for 23 year old winger Edon Zhegrova. 🇽🇰 player has impressed the english club this year at Lille, after moving from Basel in January for 7m euros. #arsenal #transfer #zhegrova— Arlind Sadiku (@arlindsadiku89) July 6, 2022 Less than 500 min for Lille last season. Per90 numbers look solid but not much of a sample size for a 23yo. Evidentially we were linked back in April?
I don't think we can suspend him without pay. Even Greenwood is still getting paid. We can terminate the contract if he is convicted, but until then, we are stuck with his wages. Although in this day and age, I feel teams should be including personal conduct clauses that include being suspended without pay if you are charged with a serious crime, and if you are cleared you receive all the back pay you missed.
I think I agree. Highlights look decent and per90 is good but he is 23yo and and the most playing time he has received in a season was just over 1600 min (21 starts) for Basel in 20/21. That means he seldom played a full 90. Looks like he joined Lille in Jan last season. Between Basel & Lille he got less than 1000 min (486 + 481) and 11 total starts
Hope not. I would have been ok with him in Jan but I don't think he is what we need now. Especially if Partey is out, we need to shift focus to a press resistant #6 (passing on Bruno is looking like a HUGE miss now). If we have to we can make due with MO/Vieira/ESR in the 8.5/10 spot and Xhaka/Sambi/Vieira/ESR in the 8/8.5 spot as long as we snag a good #6.
That sounds quite common-sensical. But where are all the player contract legal experts when you need them?!!
Or Marquinhos. This is like on-line shopping, one time in January Edu google'd "Brazilian midfielder available on a short-term loan" and now Juventus spam him with Arthur Melo ads every day. Want Arthur? How about a Arthur-Gabriel swap deal? Still interested in Arthur?
This one is going to be cheap, transfermkt values him at about £5m, so I wouldn’t expect Arsenal to pay more than £7m or £8m for him. It has a very Taveras feel to it, a good, relatively young athlete that they might strike gold with. It also suggests there isn’t much room left in the budget. Hopefully they can still get the center mid and defensive cover they need.
Lille just bought him in Jan for 7m so he may be cheap but im guessing 10m minimum. Dont know that I agree with the "not much left in the budget" idea. Just a week ago we were looking at 45m for Jesus + 50-60m for Raphinha+ 40-45m for Martinez. Sales will likely only make up 1-1.5 of those 3 deals at best. Seems to me that we likely have atleast 75-100m net to spend. Raphinha was a transfer of opportunity and we are likely not to spend that kind of cash on another option but this guy seems like wasted money. Feel like we would be better off running with Nelson, Marquinhos and/or Hutchinson.
Speculation: It’s possible that after Jesus they had approximately £100m left in the budget for two from Raphinha, Tielemans, and Martinez, with Raphinha and Martinez as the primary targets (explaining why they have been slow walking Tielemans) But now they need three players, a forward, midfielder, and defender that can cover LB when Tierney gets injured. The three players they were looking at, don’t come in under £100m. Since Raphinha is out of the picture anyway, maybe they get this guy cheep and save the bulk of the £100m for Martinez and Tielemans or their equivalents.
Reasonable theory... point to add... Tielemans is currently going nowhere. Leicester wants 30m. He wants to go to Spain (Real) but that is not an option this summer. From what I have read, Arsenal is currently the only PL club he is willing to join. If nothing is worked out this window he likely heads to Real on a free next summer to replace one of their aging CM. Arsenal seem interested but have atleast 1 other CM they like better. If we go for Tielemans it will likely be at the end of the window when Leicester will be more desperate.
the problem is not so much that he isn't super eager to play in manchester as he does not want to leave barcelona. it's also not the cost of the transfer as much as convincing the player to go.
so, i haven't seen them extensively so i'm not advocating for either beyond just being curious but . . . . chelsea have not much outgoing, have already spent 45 on sterling, and surely needs to add some defensive bodies, right? what of gilmour or gallagher? would they make good options?
if it's arthur melo, i'd be seriously pissed. not because of the player himself. but they could have had him in january except the impasse was we wanted him for 6 months and they insisted on 18. if he's someone they'd want now, we could have had him for various difficult stretches last year. that would be moronic.
Gallagher would be solid option for the 8/8.5 spot but likely isn't quite ready to be the nailed down starter at that spot. Could be there before the end of the season. Good shooter, ball carrier and presser. Not a great passer. Kind of similar to Ramsey. Gilmour shows a good bit of upside but he would essentially be a Sambi-esque prospect for us. Only had 24 app (<1900 min) for Norwich last season.
if we didn't already get vieira for it, those qualities sounds like a good fit there. watching it last year, i thought a pre-10/prima donna ramsey would have been a perfect for for that spot. oh, didn't realise he got that little play. dig it.
Think you could still make a move for him with the idea that Xhaka starts now and then is moved by next summer. Gallagher would fit best at the 8/8.5 and I think Vieira could play either that or the 8.5/10 spot. A long term 3 man rotation of MO, Vieira & Gallagher in those 2 spots could be very salty.
It's about time we went for Chelsea's youth not finished elders. How we got Willian while Bayern for Musiala and WHU got Rice is beyond comprehension.
It is quite a difficult situation for a club to be in. We don't know what provisions his contract has, or what the player and the club might agree, but I think it is safe to assume he will probably go on some kind of gardening leave / suspension with pay. The problem for a club, is they likely do not have the any information that the police might have, until charges are laid in Court. In this case, they may be quite likely relying on what the player would tell them, plus whatever word is out there. Typically a club disciplinary process would happen after any criminal proceedings, unless there are facts known which would warrant immediate dismissal. Employment law is on balance of probabilities, so it is possible to see people dismissed even though they are not found guilty - differing standards of proof. As an investigation might take months, this leaves the club in limbo, but I suspect the player will not play again, as the potential for brand damage is high. If you look at the Greenwood case (where more is known) I just can't see the sponsors/rights holders wanting him as part of the "digital product" regardless of whether he is prosecuted.
Of course it doesn't continue as usual. Rights holders pay an absolute fortune to broadcast games. Sponsors pay through the snout to be associated with teams, or the content. Do you think they want a pedo in there?