🚨 Arsenal have rejected Monaco offer to take Lokonga on loan.(Simon Jones- Mailsport)https://t.co/E89ILao6a5— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) January 25, 2023
The primary issue I see with Zubimendi is that he personally doesn't appear to want to leave Real Sociedad. It's a big risk to team cohesiveness and unity if lack of desire to be here is an ongoing factor, assuming the deal with us ever gets done. This would feel a lot like Jose Antonio Reyes 2.0 if he comes.
Would love to send him out, since he has no future here, but we can't do it. With Elneny injured, we would have no backup midfielders.
This article says he prefers moving to the Premier League if he does leave: https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futb...24/1001924823/zubimendi-prefiere-premier.html
🚨 The agent of Ibrahima Bamba, defensive midfielder of Vitoria Guimarães, linked with Arsenal recently, is in London right now. Via @vitoriaa_news. pic.twitter.com/gbntsj69lv— Eduardo Hagn (@EduardoHagn) January 25, 2023
He, like Kiwior, has spent most of this season as a central defender. However, Kiwior reportedly spent much of last season as a defensive mid, Bamba on the other hand played 296 minutes last season, his first as a pro. So there isn’t a lot of evidence available that he would be any more effective as a back up to Partey than Kiwior might be, or for that matter Lokonga or Elneny would be. This one is pure speculation and would have to be seen as one for the future, not as one that could step in right away should Partey go down injured.
i hope you’re right, but the players they have out injured would potentially form the core of a decent mid table premier league side. If they get those players back healthy they could go on a run capable of closing the 10 point gap between them and United in 4th.
Three clubs are exploring Caicedo deal after new agents statement: Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are informed on the situation, as revealed on Monday 🚨🇪🇨 #transfersBrighton, not intentioned to sell unless they receive really huge proposal. https://t.co/15jHxYkXur— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 25, 2023
I think he would be a good get, but I really want him to stay at Brighton, too, just to keep the pressure on Chelsea, S***s, and Liverpool as we turn the corner on the season. For that reason I wouldn't balk at signing him and loaning him back for the remainder of the year, provided the deal was right.
Bear, I'm busy. I use the spreadsheet to help me decide if I want to spend the time looking the player up on youtube, especially when the player is one I've never heard of. In this case, the numbers were distinctly average. So yeah, hard pass.
I call BS. Those don’t exist. Even if they did, I can read the data in 15 seconds. Would take far longer to watch a player who’s average in passing metrics.
I’m not busy, so I watched the you tube videos and I didn’t see the hype. It looks like he does all the defensive things well enough, but I don’t see a particularly progressive passer. When you don’t see the hype in a you tube video, that is a pass.
Pfft. They had X-ray specs for sale in the comics I read as a kid. Surely Google has something like this that allows them another way to track our habits and tastes, no?
Everything I have read says we want to pay the release clause now, but he doesn't want to leave while the season is ongoing. So I hope we buy him and loan him back, because as this season goes on his value will only go up. But that he won't be a flight risk, he just doesn't want to leave his club mid season.
Sociedad are a solid 3rd place in La Liga right now. While not quite the same as Athletic, Zubimendi is Basque and came up through the youth system at Sociedad so there is an understandable pull there. I don't blame him for not wanting to leave in January. Zubimendi has played the 2nd most minutes for them so he's a big part of their success, even after selling Isak in the summer. He looks like a clear 6 to me, I'm curious how all these CM rumors fit together. A lot of smoke around Rice in the summer, is Zubimendi a alternate or a complement? How does Caicedo fit in? Saw rumors of a Gravenberch loan offer, I wonder if Arsenal were involved in that after Madrid shot down Camavinga moving.
I think while we may prefer Rice, Arteta and Edu recognize that there will probably be a lot of competition for him, so they're pivoting now. Zubi would be a fine alternative, even in the summer, but I understand why if we pay so much money for a player, we'd want them to come over now, especially with how thin we are there. Having said that, it is very relatable as to why Zubi would like to stay the season. I suspect Sociedad probably doesn't get to play the UCL too often, and it would be a great parting gift from the player to the club so close to his hear.
Xavi wants to sign Zubi for Barca. They have been following him for a while - much like Vlahovic and Juventus. I don't think we should be looking at players for the summer now. We need someone ASAP since Elneny may be out for a long time, and Sambi is the only backup we have for both Partey and Xhaka. I'm not sure what we can do. Guys like Caicedo are hugely overpriced, and even subpar players that we wouldn't want after this season are very expensive. Doing nothing in this position would be absolutely ridiculous, but I also don't see any reasonable moves we can make this month.
Which is probably why we're trying to sign him now, and if we can live with spending that money and not get the player until summer.
It's always a difficult balance, for sure. Like, not making a signing last January was costly, but then waiting for a player like Jesus was probably the right move in the medium run. It's more difficult now because we have the first EPL title in 19 years at stake. Should we risk our medium-term future for a better odds of winning it in 5 months time? That's what Arteta and Edu are paid big bucks to figure out, and I think Zubi is a compromise for them. Someone they're trying to get in now and still a good addition for many years to come, except he's reluctant to make the move now. If he won't come in this month, Arteta and Edu might just prefer to get Rice in the summer instead.