Summer 2022 Transfer Thread - What's next???

Bruno…………….cost 35mil and absolutely bossed our midfield this week

 

Going all in on Vlahovic in January was a huge unforced error.

 

My reading of it was they also went all-in on Tielemans. When they were quoted an exorbitant fee they told the player to wait until the summer. But again, they missed out on similar, if not better alternatives in the process.

The January window is the reason why we're fifth and Tottenham is fourth. They wouldn't be above us without Kulusevski and Romero.

 

All this reads as a transfer process that is still wayyyy too directed by the manager. Managers frequently hone in on the guys that they want. It's up to the technical staff to offer a list of reasonable alternatives and/or squad build with the archetypes the manager wants in mind, not just to go and only do what the manager wants. It's to everyone's detriment if Arteta is the only person in the room with the ability to direct transfer business.

 

That's true.

Don't get what they see in Tielemans.

 

Tielemans is exactly not what we need. We need more athletes.

Yup. It’s a joke we didn’t bring him.

 

Tielmens is another cm overrated because he scored a couple of bangers

we need a mobile player

bissouma would be perfect

 

Leicester bought Tielemans for £40m 3 years ago, they weren't going to sell him to Arsenal one year later unless it was at a huge profit.

Tielemans is rumored to leave now because he has 12 months left on his deal and his agent is trying to get him paid. I have no doubt Arsenal are interested, but I question whether he is a top priority - there were similar rumors about another Leicester player (Maddison) last summer and it turned out to be mostly agent driven with Odegaard as the true #1 target.

Bissouma is in the final year of his contract and won't have AFCON next year.

 

Midfield was a short-term need in January due to the absence of Partey and Elneny at AFCON and the injury/suspension to Xhaka. Striker was the much bigger need. Guimaraes wasn't an immediate impact player, his first 3 matches at Newcastle were a combined 4 minutes, he didn't start until his 6th match. If Arteta preferred other midfield targets in the summer, there was no reason to buy Guimaraes then. It's only in hindsight that it looks like a huge mistake.

 

i am super intrigued by the behind the scenes story on this one.

1) player appeared to have wanted to come here? we're no longer the wenger arsenal of old so that, for me, is not a small thing.
2) price seems not completely out of line given we were ready to drop 70 on vlahovic (and that deal was already off the table as his juventus deal had completed).
3) we kicked the tire pretty hard on arthur melo so this was clearly a position they identified as a need that they wanted to work on.
4) i'd never seen him play but remember comparisons here to being a better xhaka and, if so, that seems like a fit?

i feel like there has to be more of story there, especially with that video. maybe some lingering issues with the agent?

 

feels that way. the only thing i can think of as a legitimate possibility is them hoping nobody else* had/wanted to drop 70** during the winter window where there would be likely be more competition during the summer window.

* nobody else who wanted to chase vlahovic. i feel like the expectation is city and real are waiting on chasing haaland.

** i keep trying to figure out why 70 was available for vlahovic but we didn't move for bruno (or anyone else). the only thing that i've been able to come up with is, after wasting 100+ for, i think, 3 (?) windows in a row - leading to lewis installed as overseer - with no CL money coming in, they were unwilling to just give out more money but was willing to approve 70 on vlahovic as an investment because he could move on for more in 2-3 years? does that sound like a possibility?

 

uh, hello? i saw a straight backward pass in midfield nearly leading to a goal and a leg stuck out for a take down after getting beat (yellow for most, red for xhaka). if that's not arsenal DNA, i don't know what is!

jokes aside, i think he'd be a legitimate-but-not-ideal fit for that role xhaka fills now. i'd prefer someone with a higher work rate and possibly better defensive instinct but tielemans is capable of providing some defensive coverage alongside partey (though don't see him being as good at sliding over and covering for his left-back) while being an improvement as the alt-10 in possession.

 

the cool part about bissouma is it wouldn't always have to be partey who stays back and receives the ball/protect the back 4. they can alternate depending on situation or rhythm.

 

if they end up buying him then edu, venkatesham, and arteta need to be fired en masse along with whoever else makes decisions. what all i could find literally said what broke that arthur melo move was because juve insisted on the loan being 18 months instead of 6, we said no, and both sides refused to budge.

 

55 is way too much

move on

also bissouma can play as a single pivot or in a 2 or as an 8