Johnathan David is leaving Lille on a free transfer. Gotta figure if Arsenal were interested he would have been an easy January transfer to get over the line. Only bringing this up because I've seen people mention him in the past as someone they'd like to see arsenal pursue.
Latest link/rumors have him headed to Napoli. Think most Arsenal fans that liked him was because he had a "Jesus" vibe about him. Most fans jumped off that band wagon when we started going taller at ST. There are things I like about David but I personally think he would be much better off as a SS in a 2 ST system.
I did a search for Semenyo but didn't see his name in this thread. What's the consensus on him? Bournemouth will ask for too much, but if the price comes down enough, while not a clear upgrade on Martinelli, he's productive on both wings and has zero injury history.
I saw him as a quicker Lacazette at the time, and after the disaster signing that was Pepe, was wary of spending big on another goal-scorer from Lille.
Think he could be a strong squadie (Trossard replacement) but the price tag is way too high for the role he would/should play.
Is he really a clear upgrade? From an end product perspective, which is what Arsenal need, Semenyo has one more league goal and one more league assist in almost 1000 more minutes than Martinelli.
True, but also need to consider that maybe Sesko's movement is bad, because his progressive passes received/90 this season is slightly worse, but only slightly.
Is Chris Wheatley reliable as a source, because he is the only person saying Rodrygo and a USMNT keeper for Arsenal and I am not seeing that anywhere else.
Seeing several claims that Partey plans to reject other offers in favor of extending his stay at Arsenal
Honestly, Im ok with him in a backup role. It allows Zubi some time to adjust to the team/league and keeps us from having to add 2 DMs this summer.
It’s been two years(s) now and they haven’t brought charges yet. I don’t know what to think about the delay. But until recently, in US jurisprudence there was a blanket assumption of innocence until convicted by a jury of one’s peers. While I’m not a lawyer, I assume the same is true in Great Britain.
The two year delay in bringing charges seems pretty long, but apparently the UK doesn’t believe in statutes of limitations
Sure, but it's important to distinguish between burden of proof for conviction and maintaining someone's employment in light of allegations (I know you know this but I'm saying it out loud anyway). What admittedly makes me uneasy here is that there are allegations by more than one person. But on the other hand, I know that defamation laws in the UK are more plaintiff-friendly and probably tie employers' hands a bit in dealing with these issues. But on the other hand (we're up to three now?), Arsenal seem interested in renewing him. So does the club have confidence the allegations are baseless or is the club that crass?
I can understand how Arsenal would say they want to keep Partey, and how Partey can say his preference is to stay in London, but I still struggle to see how they would meet on a deal. For a player with his injury history who is turning 32 soon, Arsenal should be looking at no more than a short-term 1+1 at a lower wage than what he is making now if he will only be cover for Zubimendi. OTOH, Partey should be looking for one last, big payday coming off his most productive season in an Arsenal shirt, and surely someone on the continent or in Saudi Arabia would give him 3+ years at 200k or more. This is ignoring all the off-the-pitch stuff. Maybe the uncertainty of it all is limiting his outside offers, but Arsenal are fully briefed and are comfortable keeping him around. Maybe his agent is spreading the rumor of renewal talks to ease the concerns of others. I've seen reports that the club are exploring other options if he leaves, preferring PL experience since Zubimendi has none.
On a different subject..... If Zubi can do for us what the videos I posted suggest (be more of a defensive single pivot and allow the CMs & FBs a bit more offensive freedom) I'd like to see us use Havertz as a sub (or rotational starter) for MO or Rice at times and shift into a 4-4-2 with Havertz as a SS..... ------ New ST - Havertz ------ Marti ----------------------- Saka ---------- Rice --- Zubi ---------- or ------ New ST - Havertz ------ Marti -------- MO----------- Saka --------------- Zubi ---------------- Think it would give us an interesting dynamic and a shift that teams haven't seen from us
If we do extend I don't personally see it being anything more than a 1+1 but I'd bet it isn't at a discounted rate. I 100% could see Arteta wanting it given the season he has had and the understanding that his tactical demands for a 6 are a bit higher than other positions. I could also see Partey wanting to stay given the team backing him through the SA allegations. If we do indeed agree to a 1+1, I'd bet that he is here no more than 1 yr and then we get a younger understudy (MLS or someone new) next summer. If we sign him to a 2+ yr extension I'd bet that it includes a reasonable enough release clause that a Saudi team would not bat an eye at.
Gyokeres scores a lot of goals where he starts wide left and runs in behind, while Sesko plays mostly in a front 2. That could work with this. How Havertz fits into the squad if they sign a 9 is interesting. Being an 8/9/10 hybrid seems most likely. Feel like they are downplaying a new wing - lower priority and will depend on sales - wonder if Havertz will play out wide, too. The danger of a 2+ is he spends the whole time injured and his salary is a drag on buying a replacement.
I agree with most of what you said, but I don’t think this is agent talk, I think this is Berta based on their time together at Atletico.