Yildiz would probably be my realistic #1. If he is off the table and we opt to go young I would look hard at..... Diomande (mentioned above) Moleiro - 1st year at Villareal. TM rated at 40m euro. 9g 4a. Linked to us out of Las Palmas. May not have the build to handle the EPL. Malick Fofana - Missed most of the season with an ankle sprain. Could impact his value as well as long term availability. TM rated as 30m euro. 2g 1a in 10 games Mika Godts - TM rated as 25m euro. 15g 10a. May not be up to par defensively but loves to dribble 1v1 and is considered a strong passer & finisher. There is an argument that he should move to Germany, France or Italy for a couple years before making an EPL move. While it's risky because he's currently in the Netherlands, I have liked Godts for a couple years and think he could be quite good. I also find it interesting that in the majority of the FC25 & 26 career modes that I have done for teams other than Arsenal, the AI Arsenal ends up buying him by 2nd season.
Only one Premier League midfielder (Szoboszlai) has played more minutes in all comps than Martin Zubimendi. The Spaniard is exhausted and his performance levels have plummeted. Arteta's refusal to use Christian Norgaard points to a failure of recruitment.https://t.co/djnX6NljlF— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) April 15, 2026
Don't think you could buy him as a 1-for-1 to replace either Martinelli or Trossard. But if both left, could buy him along with someone who has a more immediate impact.
Like I said, it's a risky buy in our situation. Which is why I think we likely don't consider him. TO me he screams of a guy that goes to Dortmund and blows up.
The real failure is Arteta's inflexibility and lack of imagination. If Zubi, then we do X,Y, Z If Norgaard, then we do X, A, B Norgaard has EPL bona fides. Arteta simply lacks the nous to adjust for players in the "same position" with different strengths. I'm not convinced Wenger or Emery do worse with this budget. At the end of the day Arteta becomes a coward. I swear, gifting Spurs the CL spot years ago was premonitory.
Out of curiosity I ran this seasons production stats on Barcola, Yildiz, Diomandé, and Godts. Yildiz (20) has 11 goals and 9 assists in league and champions league play. He has averaged 0.53 goal contributions per 90 in all competitions. Barcola (23) has 12 goals and 5 assists in league and champions league play. He has averaged 0.67 goal contributions per 90 in all competitions. Diomande (19) has 11 goals and 6 assists in league play (they were not in the champions league). He has averaged 0.75 goal contributions per 90 in all competitions. Godts (20) has 15 goals and 11 assists in league and champions league play. He has averaged 0.80 goal contributions per 90 in all competitions. At times most of us get frustrated with Martinelli, but I have included his production stats for comparison. He has 7 goals and 5 assists in league and champions league play, but has also played a lot fewer minutes than the other 4. His 0.73 goal contributions per 90 in the league and champions league compares favorably with them. I did not include his domestic cup contributions in order to avoid padding the stats with his hat trick against lower league opposition.
No, I agree with you. I’d sell Trossard first, his effectiveness has waned over the second half of the season, which isn’t a good look for someone over 30. I might also consider selling Martinelli, if Arsenal can recruit one of Barcola, Yildiz, or Diamonde, but Martinelli has his uses, the recovery run today to deny the Sporting player a one v one with Raya, being one of them. He always works hard. I’m not sure why he wasn’t credited with a tackle for that play.
I don't have an issue with the idea of upgrading Marti. However, I don't think it is feasible to replace both LWs in one summer and I think Marti will be far more useful next season than Trossard.
Makes sense. Less injury prone and his profile is closer to Benny. Older that I would like but potential to be a strong option on a free.
According to TM, Mingueza has played 86 times at CB, 77 at RB, and 28 at LB (plus another 40+ in midfield). I doubt he will be a starter but having that positional versatility would be useful. Kind of a new Tomiyasu.
Telegraph reporting that we are trying to sign 16yo Leicester LW Jeremy Monga. He has made 25 app in the Championship this season. Supposedly Pool, Newcastle, ManU & City are also interested.
We need to jump on this ASAP. Leicester is being relegated to League One despite having a roster full of players that once played in the EPL. They are gonna have to make some sales and won't get much from the 6+ 30+yos on their roster currently.
Le'Equipe was reporting earlier this week that PSG have been talking to Marti's reps about a summer move. Supposedly they are looking at Marti & Diomonde.
I saw those but discounted them because I don't see them going after either with how much attacking talent they have. They'd have to sell, I'd think.
Starting to see some "sketchy" rumors that we are in for AM Ibrahim Maza from Leverkusen. Would make sense.... young (20), feels a need (attacking creativity) and we have played against him. Supposedly Leverkusen are asking around 40m. Wouldn't mind snagging he and Kofane.
More potential? Not what we need. Also, we have to be careful of the German league players and their adaptability to the epl. Also would prefer players who can score more and shoot as opposed to creators imo.
I have a gut feeling we might pick up Leverkusen's Kofane i the summer. He was impressive against us, does a lot of the things we are looking for in a forward and would have a far cheaper price tag than others who are better but not by a lot. Also, his upside potential at that age. Much the same as I thought Sesko's upside potential (Yeah, I'm still a wee bit salty).
Doesn't make sense to me unless they are fed up with Calafiori's injury issues and looking to sell him in the summer.
Get rid of (for whatever reason): Kepa Calafiori Ben White Norgaard Odegaard Trossard Martinelli Jesus Madueke Gyokeres MLS Bench: Gabriel Timber Zubimendi Eze Havertz