Don't think the Jan window was what anyone expected and the summer window will need to be active, especially if we end up finishing top 5. Here is my assessment posted form the Jan thread... So what's next? Who do we pursue? Who do we sell/loan? Who is ready to break through?
Just listened to a Watts youtube and he suggested that the new ST won't be Isak. His reasoning... Arsenal definitely like him but not enough to pay the release. It's highly unlikely Sociedad sell for less than release in the summer. If we didn't like him enough to pay the release in Jan why would we like him that much more 6 months later? He listed DCL & David as alternatives.
DCL is a limited striker. He's good at what he does but not hit me as an Arsenal player. He is an English inzaghi. Maybe on bench sure but not main CF. I'm sold on David and Isak superior and probably cheaper knowing the price of English players.
I like DCL as a rotation option, but the fee he will command means he has to be top-of-the-league quality, and he isn't. Our 9 needs to be scoring 20+ per season. I don't think he is or will be capable of that. I can see him going to United for like £30 million over asking (in part because of Greenwood) and plodding his way to multiple disappointing 10-goal seasons.
Dcl is a decent striker. Would rather look at someone who can do a bit more than just finish and score headers we definitely need a lcm preferably left footed. That kid from Brazil looks good we were linked to but it would be nice to find an established guy we probably need another striker and a versatile player
It is also possible that Sociedad didn't want to sell in January as they chase top 4 in La Liga and told Arsenal they would be more open to a lower fee/structured payment in the summer. DCL reminds me of Welbeck. Good player, but not quite good enough to be a starter at a top club. Arsenal signing Welbeck from United for £16m was good business, but Everton are going to want like £60m. He'll be 25 this summer, that isn't exciting young prospect, that's established, peak age for a striker who isn't likely to get much better. Per FBref, Lacazette is 5' 8-1/2" and 73 kg. David is listed at the same height and 74 kg. When I watch David, he looks so much like Lacazette, not just physically but in style of play. And I think that's why I'm not excited about him.
Just watched 23YO Luca de la Torre put in a serious shift for USA in MPLS in 4F weather. I was very impressed by him. Could he be a MF target?? Ps. McKennie wasn’t half bad tonight either but I’m not sure he’s the ideal profile for Arteta’s Arsenal.
Nah. At his absolute peak, he might be a yo-yo club shuttler. He doesn't have enough end product to play at a high level. Nice game tonight though. He isn't, unfortunately. The way Juventus uses him is interesting, but that role doesn't exist in our team. I think he'd work best in the Prem as a B2B, but that role doesn't work super well in a 4-2-3-1, and our current personnel basically forces that formation. The best American option for us is still definitely Adams, though his durability is a problem. I'm getting more intrigued by the idea of Weah (same concern), and I'd love to know why we let Musah walk. Dest would be a good option as a backup fullback if we could get a deal on him.
We generate so many crosses into the box but the Liverpool match showed a glaring issue. On corners we were way too short. When we took corners it was easy for Pool to clear and hard to see who was scoring a header. When they took corners it was hard to see who would stop it. We would score an extra 20 goals a season comfortably with a striker who is both tall and competent with their head. 20 goals, 15 direct and 5 via assists easy. So often the meme was "cross and inshallah" on reddit because guys like Tierney and Saka put great balls in to no one.
eh. to me, the problem with welbeck was never qualitative. he's never had the killer instinct and inherent selfishness to be a top striker. what makes great strikers like henry great made them terrible captains: they need to be single minded on the one thing and, generally, be willing to be selfish to take that shot. what i enjoyed about watching welbeck play - his willingness to keep his head up for his teammates and willingness to pass the ball off - was precisely what made him a mediocre striker. if welbeck had bentdner's self-belief and selfish desire to score goal, he would have been amazing.
it's a little bit comical that i can remember the same things that were trotted out to bash giroud - limited player, too slow, only good in the air, not arsenal quality - now being thrown about about calvert-lewin. to be clear, i am not saying calvert-lewin is the solution to our problem or that we should buy him. but we are no longer battling manchester united for 1 or 2 and laughing at the rest of the league while making some noises in CL knockout round with a lineup studded with worldies. (which isn't to say we shouldn't be trying to be.) but we also need to be realistic about who is coming here (vlahovic-LOL). and we also need to look at our play style and how it matches. we're banging in crosses like nobody's business - and, for the foreseeable future, with tierney bombing forward, will probably continue to - to . . . . nobody. the manager wants the striker to be strong enough to hold up play to bring others into play.
We actually aren't doing that anymore. We're 18th in the league in cross attempts (3rd last season). It just feels like we cross a ton, because when we're playing like shit, that's all we can manage to do.
Yes. There has been some confusion between cash and book aspects in the coverage. Barca certainly had cash problems, which they solved in the short term via a refinancing. The Auba situation is a book problem. They have the money to pay but are not allowed to pay. Next season, as their situation improves, they will be allowed to pay him more, even before Dembele
I don't fully understand how the cap is calculated but i believe they were caught in a double whammy of falling revenues, and unsustainable debt and costs The purpose of the cap is to force them to course correct immediately. So as revs come back, and debt is restructured, and dumb contracts exited, the cap should improve. This is why Madrid don't have these bad cap issues, despite also being impacted by corona. They kept their balance sheet in great shape.
Per the Athletic... Contract extensions for Saka, Martinelli & Saliba are planned for 2022. Isak & DCL are primary ST targets for the summer.
Would be interesting but those 2 combined would be almost our entire net spend from last summer and we would still need atleast 1 CM and either a RB or maybe a CM/DM/RB type depth player.