For those without Apple products https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/fi...s-players-union-agreement/blt31eb143ee8483d6e players getting a cut of transfer fees too
This is not a small change. Not least of which is the guaranteed player cut, which appears to set the player's final year salary as a floor? Think this is going to really hurt Serie A and Ligue 1.
Seeing reports that we are out of the running on Mateus Fernandes. Sounds like we weren't interested in paying 80m and weren't gonna be able to negotiate with ManU after him as well. Reports out of France suggest we are looking at Roma CM Manu Kone as an alternative.
Kone seems like another body who doesn't raise the ceiling. If PL experience is too expensive and they want to look at the continent for someone more affordable, I'd rather look at someone with more upside like Bouaddi.
Apparently Roma need to sell to balance books, and it sounds like Kone could be bought for ~40-45M GBP. For a 25-year old French International on a team loaded with great midfielders, that seems like good value. It appears he plays as a 6 or 8 for Roma, so I can see why Arteta would like his adaptability. I think the hardest problem to solve is how we sufficiently rotate and rest Rice across a 55-60 match season. Is Kone what we need? I have no idea, but there really isn't anyone who can "raise" Rice's level on the planet, so IMO the focus should be on finding a suitable back-up who can eat up a large portion of Rice's minutes.
Solid argument. The other side..... our current starters are all 26+. MLS is looking like the next wave with the potential to step up and provide that rotation. So, in looking for more rotational depth does it make more sense to go for a 25yo that has likely capped (or close) his upside or go for a u23 with good bit more upside? There is always risk going for a player from another league but I think it makes far more sense to spend a bit more to go for a Bouaddi, Zaire-Emery, Camavinga, Froholdt, etc.... In league, I'd personally take a hard look at Adam Scott before I pulled the trigger on Kone.
I agree on all your points as well. To be clear I'm not an advocate for Kone, just saying I can understand why they might be looking closely at him. FWIW, Kone just turned 25 on May 17, so he still has nearly another full season before he turns 26. Most likely Arteta wants to focus both on retaining the Prem and winning UCL next season, and he needs more players who can compete now, not be development projects. So far this window, the club seems to be saying they are looking for big name acquisitions, but I don't think they will run away from "good values" this window if it improves overall squad depth. It'd be nice if we had additional transfer funds available in the January window to improve like Cheaty seems to do every season. I realize it's rare to find good values then, but it'd be greatly appreciated to pick up a Trossard-type of player for the final leg of the season. If he could stay healthy, the profile for a DM I'd be interested in acquiring is Romeo Lavia from Chel$ki. Transfermarkt has his current value at 22M GBP, and he's only 22.
Lavia is interesting. I very much wanted him when Chelsea bought him. His age profile is perfect, EPL experience a huge plus but I would be concerned with his lack of development & impact since joining Chelsea. For the right price I wouldn't be upset if we took a flyer.
There was a report that Arsenal offered €60m and Lille wanted €70m for Bouaddi. If true Arsenal need to pay the extra €10m. I know highlights don’t show the complete player, but the speed, quickness, and combativeness in these highlights are off the charts and he doesn’t turn 19 until October.
If the club believes he is worth 60 they shouldn't have an issue adding in another 10. Think Merino getting healthy & MLS showing his value in MF makes it a bit easier to ease him in to the rotation. He and MLS should/could have our MF base set for the next 10+ yrs.
Also, did you mean Alex Scott from Bournemouth? If so, he turns 23 in August and supposedly Bournemouth are asking for ~80M GBP for him. Seems like a decent player, but I haven't watched him enough to see how high his potential could go.
🚨 Arsenal exploring deal to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. 24yo left-sided winger expected to be gettable for ~€40m. Move for Greece international does not impact #AFC interest in Morgan Rogers or other options to strengthen attack @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/lBe1BINfU2— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 12, 2026 Doesn't strike me as the guaranteed starter we are looking for but looks like someone we would sign if we were offloading both Leo & Marti
Bradley Barcola Situation• Moussa Sissoko has been trying to renew Bradley Barcola’s contract for the best part of 9-12 months. Talks have been difficult, and it reached a point where both parties agreed to put negotiations on hold so that Barcola and PSG could focus on…— HandofArsenal (@HandofArsenal) June 12, 2026 The full text..... • Moussa Sissoko has been trying to renew Bradley Barcola’s contract for the best part of 9-12 months. Talks have been difficult, and it reached a point where both parties agreed to put negotiations on hold so that Barcola and PSG could focus on important fixtures in April and May. • Soon after the UEFA Champions League final, talks resumed and remain ongoing. The player reportedly told people close to him that he was disappointed not to start a number of important fixtures. • PSG’s position is clear: renew or we will sell, as his contract expires in June 2028. Personally, I think that is a significant stance for the club to take. • Barcola’s agent also represents Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué and maintains a good relationship with PSG. The club is also in serious talks regarding Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, which could further influence the situation surrounding Barcola. Both Arsenal and Liverpool are interested, but I want to explain Arsenal’s side of the story. • Andrea Berta made serious enquiries into Barcola’s situation last summer. At the time, Arsenal were informed that the player would stay for at least one more year. Since then, Berta has remained in constant contact with Sissoko and has made it clear that Barcola is of serious interest to Arsenal. He has also asked to be notified if PSG become open to a sale. Should Arsenal make an official approach towards PSG, there will be a further update. • Arsenal also hold an interest in Morgan Rogers and one other player(sensitive info currently). More on that in due course. • As always, Andrea Berta is willing to agree personal terms with multiple targets and make a move when the timing suits Arsenal. Before I sign off, there is something worth noting. Berta is very happy for misinformation to circulate publicly. Berta & Co are busy behind the scenes, and many details remain unknown as Arsenal move silently. Allow me to provide a free exclusive as an example of that which is unknown. Arsenal made standard checks on Nico Paz. Nico was reportedly left confused following a recent call with Mourinho, although another conversation may be scheduled. Arsenal have also made serious checks on Christos Tzolis, the Greek winger. My point is that a great deal is happening behind the curtain. Embrace the silence and, as always, choose your sources of information carefully. HandofArsenal
He meant Ben Wyatt. I like Scott a lot. He’s a player I thought we should’ve been interested in when he was doing really well for Bristol at like 18/19 years old, but if we bought him when Bournemouth did, would he have played enough to develop into the player he is now? No matter what, he’s going to cost a ton. Bournemouth going into the champions league will make them reluctant to sell this year. Like, if we really want Kroupi, the way to get him will probably involve £80m+ and a year long loan back to B’mouth.
I got to be honest... Getting chased down by Saliba is defensible. Getting chased down by Saliba with a back injury also defensible. Getting chased down 3 times by Saliba with a back injury harder to defend. It worked out for PSG in the end but if they lose that game Barcola is getting a lot of scrutiny. Half the time I think the Barcola interest is because like the rest of the world we really want Doué.
Mokbel says we are actively pursuing Tzolis. Supposedly Berta's asst that scouted Kvara for Napoli watched him play in the last week and recommended him.
Something interesting about Arsenal's interest in Christos Tzolis. Earlier this year, Arsenal scouts led by Maurizio Micheli were in Belgium to assess Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi as part of the club's ongoing search for striker options. What wasn't immediately obvious to… pic.twitter.com/zyDKMfKILF— DDFC_Insider (@David_Dein_FC) June 12, 2026
Posting this right before Mokbel, Ornstein, Romano and HandOfArsenal start dropping Tzolis' name is too funny. Supposedly the data team identified Tzolis which proves they have access to fbref.
Given Arsenal’s ambition and the uncertainty surrounding a player stepping up from Brugge to the Premier League, I have to believe they are looking at Tzolis as a back up, which could mean they are looking to sell both Trossard and Martinelli while, adding another forward as the projected starting left wing
The Tzodis link is typical Arsenal. Weeks of rumors to certain players then out the blue (or red) up pops a buy for players like Hincanpie, Mosquera, Noni, etc. At this point, we have to trust Arteta and Berta with any buy we had no prior links to in the media. We've kinda fine tuned it and almost no more Vieira, Tomiyasu. I am still hoping we fit Kofane in there somewhere. Anyway, just like how everyone in the Order of the Phoenix asked why they should trust Snape after all the damage he's done, Lupin said the logical thing, ""Dumbledore trusts Snape, therefore I do." Same goes for Arteta and Berta, Noni played much better than anyone thought, Not a world beater but certainly not worthy of a petition against him.