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

A 9-figure investment is a hundred million a year. Over the last 5 years Arsenal have spent an average of nearly 100 million per year, with about 40 percent of that offset by sales. So spending 100 million a year on incoming players is not out of the question. I think it might actually take more than 100m per year.

At Chelsea Abromovitch has a net worth of about 14 billion dollars. Stan Kroenke and his wife, Ann Walton have a combined net worth of about 17 billion dollars. During the pandemic their wealth actually increased by more than 1 billion dollars, the equivalent of 10 years of 100m dollar investments. They have the money to spend, if they choose to do so. Do I have faith that they will commit the money needed to get Arsenal back in the Champions League, not really, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

 

With Willock and AMN away on loan, Arsenal currently only have 5 homegrown players on their roster, Holding, Chambers, Nelson, Nketiah, and Bellerin. Nelson, Nketiah, and AMN are almost certainly gone and Bellerin apparently wants out. Whether Willock stays or goes is an open question. I think both Chambers and Holding stay. This isn’t as big an issue for next season as it appears to be. Arsenal currently have three u21 players on the roster, Saka, Martinelli, and Smith-Rowe, who helped fill out the roster and all of whom will be homegrown in the season that begins in the year they are 21 on January 1. In addition, Saliba will still be U21 next season. If Balogun and Azeez can contribute to the first team next season and Arsenal add a homegrown goalkeeper from their academy, they will have plenty of U21 and homegrown players to fill out the roster. In addition, if they aren’t in Europe they won’t need as big a roster.

The bigger issue will be the none homegrown players, they currently have a full contingent of 17 with 4 more, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Mavropanos, and Torreira out on loan. Arsenal will likely need at least 5 players two center mids, an attacking mid, a starting right back, and a back up left back. They would like to keep Odegaard, but if they can’t, they can replace him with a similar creative player, e.g. Nkunku and Buendia would probably cost a little less and and both are more consistent scorers. So if we assume they want to add four new non homegrown players, they will have to move the players on loan plus four of the non homegrown players currently on the roster. Some are easy, Ceballos is going back to Madrid and Luiz is out of contract. In addition, Runnarson will almost certainly be gone. Then you get into the harder decisions. Do they sell Lacazette? If so, do they look for a non homegrown replacement. Do they sell Elneny? Do they let Ryan go and sign a homegrown keeper as the number 2, behind Leno. It gets a lot simpler if they sign homegrown players to replace some of the departures. Hakimi is nearly as big a reach as Camavinga, they aren’t getting him and he will be at the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of next season. So do they sign Aarons to replace Bellerin. It should be an interesting summer.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that players are not signed on paper, pun intended. There's a lot of human factor that goes into it. I don't have a lot of faith in the Edu/Arteta duo, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they can convince players to sign for us with a combination of promise of first team minutes (especially for younger players) and signalling a positive direction with other signings. For example, if we somehow sign Odegaard, that alone makes it easier to sign other players.

 

If we win Europa we have a 90% chance of signing Martin. If we don't, I say a 20%. He already chose to come on loan here and if we have something to play for he is likely to stay.

 

That last bit is true. Luiz and Willian type of fellows.

 

So, who does Arsenal buy with all those sweet, sweet Super League euros?

Do non-Super League clubs refuse to buy or loan Arsenal players?

Do the prices to buy from non-Super League clubs go up?

Is the long-term goal to eliminate the transfer market altogether and have a system of free agency and trades like American sports?

 

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Newcastle want Willock for "around £20m".

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/23/joe-willock-newcastle-steve-bruce

 

Too ******* soon.

 

20m plus a percent of a sell-on. Otherwise more money please

 

unless there is absolute intent to start him and not just . . . keep him as insurance and leave him to rot in U23, a sell for me. anything in the 15-20 range with a healthy sell on and a solid buyback feels like good business.

 

Went back in the thread and found this since since @chjoak had mentioned Konate. Liverpool signed him by activating his €35m release clause.

 

Id take a straight up trade for Nkunku, but that ain’t happening, Arsenal would have to kick in an additional £30m to £40m, minimum.

 

I don’t know if this was mentioned already or elsewhere but I just saw that Balogun signed a new contract with us yesterday.

Well done to Mikel, Edu et al for getting that done!

 

I never loved Sneezy when he was with us, and didn't mind too much when we traded him. Apparently he's improved a bit since he left. But is he good enough to be a clear improvement on Leno? If so, why would Juve being looking to replace him, as you suggest?

 

spending 2 HG slots for 2 backup GK is just plain idiotic - and essentially a great example of our management incompetence at the moment - and even more so when you are afraid to play no 3 in a meaningful game.

i don't understand the need so many people feel to run leno out of town. sure, he's not "world class" but the list of GK that is an improvement on him is short and the ones we either can afford or can convince to come here is shorter . . . because neither are we. and the number of positions we need to improve/work on is long.

zero interest in szczesny. he has the crazy of lehmann but without the actual good goalkeeping. and, dear gods, every. single. goal. dude is looking around and gesturing wildly for someone to point the fingers at. it's so nice to be rid of that with mustafi (and his other . . . shining qualities), i don't care to have that joy again.

 

Buying a new keeper seems like one more item on a very long summer shopping list. I wouldn't be opposed to Szczesny, he would count as HG at least, but how cheaply would Juve be willing to let him go?

Donnarumma is out of contract, right?

 

Guendouzi broke his metatarsal and his season at Hertha is over. It puts his opportunity to captain the France U21's this summer in jeopardy. And it could make him very difficult to sell in the summer.

Bring in a new manager, give Guendouzi a new contract (he only has 12 months left) and give him a fresh start. The club should be building around young talents like Guendouzi and Saliba rather than pushing them out the door for less than what they are worth.

 

Charles Watts says the club are in for Ajax keeper Onana. Complicated by the fact he is facing a 12-month doping ban, pending appeal. I also assume he will leave for AFCON next January.

https://www.goal.com/en/news/arsena...ait-over-doping-ban/w49rsqd4cdr51lxnk8u38e0k6

 

If they’re looking for bargains, that seems to be more than enough question marks to make him pretty cheap.