We shouldn't renew Lacazette at all. Why do you want a backup striker who can't score? If we are in a match where we need a goal, do you want to turn to the bench and send on the guy who is going to play as a 3rd CM? Gabriel has more goal attempts this season than Lacazette, and Laca is only getting older and slower. Buying 2 strikers in one window may be difficult, but that's why there is more than 1 transfer window. Renewing Lacazette will be a massive mistake. Everyone is praising how we are freeing up the wage budget - well why would you pay 180k a week for a backup? Especially a backup who can't do the main function required of his role. As for Guendouzi - he is gone, 100%. There is no scenario where he doesn't take the move to OM, and they are going to buy him because he is worth a lot more than the price they have locked in.
I agree with your second point. But also I think he's trying to be Pep as a disciplinarian but doesn't get Pep can ignore/sell/bench players as he wishes because of his club choices. They are too rich at the time to be fine without such marquee players. Dhino, Eto'o, Toure, Zlatan and Ferran Torres. We have had exits with no discernable replacements. He can do this a few years down but not currently.
I think Sid was saying that a part of what Auba was waiving was a buyout clause in the contract, but you’re right it does read funny and it’s difficult to know for sure.
His numbers in France were penalty-boosted. His shot data was never special, and with him slowing down (from not especially fast and not especially fit at any point) it’s gotten way way worse. That all sounds harsh, but it’s reality. He’s a good player and I like him, but he was never close to an elite goal scorer.
You know, I'm not so sure there was a buyout clause. When I looked up his contract there wasn't even a transfer fee listed. So, it may have been a simple matter of him just agreeing to cancel the remainder of the contract. Guaranteed there was some input from Barça on how it needed to go down, too. They've been pulling rabbits out of their hat like crazy. For example, they got Manchester City to agree to take the Ferran Torres transfer money in installments so they could amortize it and get under the cap La Liga has put on them. Something tells me they couldn't pay a buyout even if there actually was one in the contract, especially after they just brought Adama in and failed to move Dembélé. It may have been a matter of them telling Auba's camp "it's got to be a free, here's what we have left to sign you for, maybe we'll talk some more once the math gets better."
I saw that somewhere too, but it isn't listed in any database and it's not in any of the mainstream stories. So, I'm not sure that's the case. In an earlier post I mentioned he was getting £250,000 per week, but it was actually £350,000. The lower number was the base before add-ons, which he triggered some time ago. #OOPS Doing the math, we're saving something just north of £25m in wages over the next year and a half or so. With the off-loads, and with the stadium costs being pretty much retired, we should be in really good shape this summer. Maybe not, you know, €200m Erling Haaland shape, but pretty good shape.
The vast majority of transfers are paid in installments, and City didn’t want Torres anymore. That wasn’t any kind of magic by Barça. And what I meant by ‘buyout’ was a schedule of cost that Arsenal would have to pay Auba if they wanted to end the contract prematurely.
Right, I actually should have said "deferred installments." City agreed to postpone the first payment so it wouldn't count until next fiscal year. My mistake, sorry. And yes, I understand buyouts, of course. I still haven't been able to find any information on the rumored £7m buyout by the club, but from where I sit it's highly doubtful we'd be willing to stuff a check in Auba's pocket on his way out the door. Not after the way things went down at the end. You don't pay people off for forcing your hand. Which means it would have been up to Barcelona to pick it up, which they probably couldn't do. I'm just speculating a little here, but that could have been the hangup as the deadline was approaching. If Auba was going on a free, it was going to have to be really free. He must have really, really wanted out, too. The papers canceling his contract were signed just before the window closed, before terms were completed with Barça. So, he literally signed away all that money and all his leverage as well and took a flyer.
oh, okay. i figured a speed-guy-losing-speed would be tough in premier league but this seems extreme. that makes more sense. thanks!
I'm not sure about that. He's 32 years old. And in all likelihood it's going to take Barcelona another couple years to really get out from under. They actually did some real work to clear their wage bill and get under the cap while revamping their roster, at least somewhat. But they still have a mountain to climb. They could do it, though. They've had Goldman Sachs with them for more than a year now, doing a lot of financial restructuring and maximizing the returns on their assets. Some clever stuff. They certainly did some fancy dancing getting their wage bill under control, too. [Side note: I can't wait to hear the full story of what really happened with Messi.}
how much of this you believe to be true depends on how much stock you put in the words of sid lowe of the guardian (i honestly do not know him or how reliable he is) so the part that threw me was the "plus a payoff". at first glance, i thought maybe it was us paying him off to cancel that contract but the more i think about it, possibly it's aubameyang giving up some type of bonus pay in addition to the weekly wage.
Yup, that's it. You got it. "You want out, sign this and the entire contract is canceled." Including any buyouts or bonuses. So bizarre. Which figures: if you're looking for drama and a soap opera in the business world, just look at anything Futbol Club Barcelona is involved in. You will find it there. Endlessly fascinating. The most bizarre thing of all is Aubameyang. He just threw away so much money. If I read the paperwork right, Barça only has about €1.9m left under the cap to pay him. Which isn't all that much more than a month under his Arsenal contract. Which in turn had 18 months to go. He could have sat in his house from now until the summer of '23 and played video games and collected €350,000 a WEEK. For a year and a half. If he wanted to play and help a team fight its way into the Champions League, and then cash in one last big contract, he could have stayed with us and screwed his head on straight and played his ass off and he probably would have gotten there. And then either worked out a transfer this summer to Barcelona or played out his contract and made a move when they had more money. For whatever reason, he really, really wanted out. There's some funky second level stuff going on here we just don't know about.
10-13 league goals could maybe be justified as the back up 9 when Arsenal had an elite 9 3 league goals in half a season is diabolical
In decline from a low peak Auba went from 20+ league goals a season to 10 Laca only ever managed 14, 13, 10, 13 in the first place Doesn't seem he can manage the physical outputs of the pressing and link up game with the scoring runs.
I think he just really really wanted his chance to play for Barca or Madrid - that was where he tried to go from BVB but they stopped him from getting his dream move, then Arsenal came with the big money rather than Spain the next season, so he ended up at a mediocre club but on big money This is his last chance ever for his dream. Also, his pay will be deferred - so he will get more than 2m but obviously less than the 25m he would have got from Arsenal
It’s not quite as drastic as this, but someone did a nice job of editing the team photo to reflect all the departures.
oof. yeah, that makes sense. those are not great peaks to fall from. like, with aubameyang, i can comprehend the reasons for the decline: 1) he's a speed guy who's getting older and, even on top of that, he's had 2 bouts of covid and 1 with malaria. 2) he's a high volume shooter who's been in terrible form. 3) he's someone who needs feeding and our offense is far from great at that. rightly or wrongly, i can see those, it was just harder to pick out with lacazette.
agree, that is a lot of money to leave on the table. if nothing else, i have nothing but respect for him for leaving money on the table to get game time. ultimately, i'm happy for him. like jitty said, he's wanted to go to spain for a time - and, heck, the final straw for his relationship with arteta was a spain trip - and he's there now. as a bonus, he can now visit his mother with less issues. he's always been someone who feeds off emotion and he should get plenty of that with the barcelona crowd. and maybe xavi's scheme will get him the service he needs. i wish him nothing but the best (even if i fear the grass might not actually turn out as green as he hopes). i'll always appreciate him for that FA cup that he had a big hand in. i've always loved watching dude played in an arsenal shirt with such a big smile.
Their wage bill isn't under control - it is still around 400m IIRC There is a difference between the cash aspects, and the specific rules in Spain. Since they refinanced their debt, and football is getting back on its feet, Barca's issues are more the restrictions than the cash. So in other words, they have the cash to pay Auba - they just are not allowed to pay him. This is why I expect his $$ are just deferred into the future somehow.
By the way, welcome to BigSoccer and the Arse forum---unless you're an old member with a new user name or something, then, welcome back.
Seeing some claims that Newcastle made a 34m GBP bid for Fabian Ruiz from Napoli. Some of those same sources are claiming that we have contacted Napoli about a summer move for him.
Yup. He was never the right signing and I feel Wenger knew that but had no choice since he either dithered or missed out on that generation of goal scorers. Laca was never a speed guy. I hate saying it, but Laca was probably Wenger’s worst signing.