Re: The Official Summer Transfer Rumours Thread

[Jay29]

You're not an Arsenal player until you've had at least a two month lay off

[Jay29]

Takuma Asano has joined Stuttgart on loan.

[Sri]

Gonna make sure I try and catch some games then

[Chumlum]

An optimistic assessment of the club's dithering about a striker signing would be:

- they assessed the situation, targeted a 'mid-level' buy to provide some kind of competition with Giroud, as the major players Wenger probably wanted were not really feasible options considering their price & club situations.

- Vardy was a first choice, that didn't pan out; Lacazette was a back-up who would have maybe had a higher ceiling but also cost more. Deciding if it was worth it to go over a certain amount to get Lacazette maybe took some time. Wasn't one of Ornstein's points that Wenger had money to spend if he did indeed want to break the bank, but otherwise the club was trying to keep transfer fee expenditure around 96 million total? There may have been other targets, too, about whom we didn't hear.

- Lucas Perez was third choice, at best, for this type of signing. But by accounts he ticks off a lot of boxes even if he isn't a worldbeater: good attitude (including some grit & fighting spirit), hard worker on the pitch, experienced, good for counters, fast, versatile, plus like Vardy he just came off a great season and appears to have started this one decently too.


... and honestly, we can quibble with the timing and the quality of the players, but it's a little bit remarkable that Arsenal have actually secured these two slots in the squad when they were exactly what pundits & supporters isolated as the two key positions to add in. Three if you count Xhaka as that deep midfielder we badly wanted, too. When was the last time that happened? Though just watch us sell Debuchy and then see Bellerin tear his ACL before October.

[sportsczy]

The issue i have with Wenger is that the squad is CLEARLY not good enough to compete for the EPL. There are nice players mostly... but nobody to build around. You need a couple of dominant guys to compete for titles and he just won't spend the money to get them and keeps hoping that he can develop such players organically.

That's fine for a couple of year... but it hasn't worked for over 10 years! How about getting with the times!!

[Sri]

We have a very solid core in Cech-Koscielny/Bellerin/Mustafi/Nacho-Xhaka-Özil-Alexis

A good wad of money was indeed spent on those positions. Our squad players are probably not the same bench-quality as City or Chelsea, but then our resources and business model is also not sugardaddy-funded.

You are CELARLY taking away a lot of credit where it should be due.

Wenger's problem is his man management, his stubbornness, and his tactical prehistoric-ness. That doesn't change that fact that as individuals and as a squad, we have some really good players in the mix. And I find that dichotomy important.

[Sushi Master]

I get where Sports is coming from. If you look overall at the squad, there are few, let's call them "power players" which just at looking at them you know you're in trouble. This is why we go out in early stages of the CL, year after year. I am not going for the injury excuse or the "we play in the PL and don't rest" excuse. Any big team we're up against we're usually in trouble. Maybe Cech, Oezil, Sanchez are no doubts world class players. I'd maybe say Kos. But the rest have no consistency or just do not live up to their original standards.

I am very underwhelmed by the Lucas deal. But I hope he does well and is not another failed attacking signing. Mustafi on the other hand: solid. Definitely will tighten up the defense.

In other news, Thierry Henry is now Belgium assistant coach . Hope one day he makes it big time and comes back home.

[El Gunner]

Likewise to some, I am cautiously optimistic with the Perez signing. Will definitely provide something else from what I've read. Hope he finds his feet quickly before Arsenal's oh-so-lovely fans turn on him.

Now all we need to do is a James madness, and announce all 3 on deadline day.

[Raptorgunner]

Wenger' on this summer’s transfer market…
It was a strange transfer market. I expected it to be easier than ever but it was more difficult than ever. Not a lot has happened. It looks like when you meet other clubs and you have an English passport, you hit these [big] prices which are very difficult to understand compared to the quality of the players. It looks like it will be frenetic for me in the last three days. Everybody has sat on their pounds until now. We know they will all splash out now. I expect the next three days to be very, very busy, so be on alert!

[MJ]

Calum Chambers expected to be loaned out as a result of Mustafi signing. Milan, Roma, Espanyol, and Valencia, among others, have been linked. Can't find the article spouting this so take it with a grain of salt.

The Daily Mail report Arsenal would prefer he joins a Premier League club. Sunderland, Hull, Stoke and WBA are interested. (would prefer Hull imo)

I'll gladly eat humble pie (and issue a conditional 'I was wrong') provided we send him to Valencia on loan before someone spitefully quotes my skeptical posts from a few weeks back

[Sri]

Hi there MJ

[MJ]

Hi there MJ

Come on, Calumbo. Just say yes to Hull and make my life easier your career less stagnant.

[Sri]

Hi there MJ

Come on, Calumbo. Just say yes to Hull and make my life easier your career less stagnant.

Ok ok, you wouldn't be called out.

FWIW, I think Hull would be a really good move too.

[EL Patron]

Calum Chambers expected to be loaned out as a result of Mustafi signing. Milan, Roma, Espanyol, and Valencia, among others, have been linked. Can't find the article spouting this so take it with a grain of salt.

The Daily Mail report Arsenal would prefer he joins a Premier League club. Sunderland, Hull, Stoke and WBA are interested. (would prefer Hull imo)

I'll gladly eat humble pie (and issue a conditional 'I was wrong') provided we send him to Valencia on loan before someone spitefully quotes my skeptical posts from a few weeks back

What has Chambers accomplished in his career so far to have all those clubs chasing him. The people who write this stuff really think we are idiot. Chambers starting for Milan and Roma

[Sri]

Well it doesn't say he'd be starting there. They're probably only looking for a squad option at best.

That's why Hull would make sense, he would have a slightly more realistic chance of challenging for a starting berth as the season progresses.

He hasn't staked a claim to be starting at Arsenal, but I already would pick him over Gabriel at this point. Ok, Holding, then Chambers, then Gabriel perhaps.

[MJ]

FWIW, I still doubt he's going anywhere but a lower table PL club if we loan him out.

[EL Patron]

I think Arsene doesn't rate him anymore, he even chose Gabriel over him when the latter was trash which is mind boggling. When you compare the two so far, Chambers has shown more than Gabriel to be honest. The loan spell will be huge for him career if he struggles then we will probably try to get rid during the summer.

[RealGunner]

Rather send him abroad.

But if Arsene doesn't rate him then might as well cut our losses.

[Sri]

Arsene does rate Chambers - but also recognizes the need to ensure more playing time - watch the pre-Watford presser.

That said, Arsene is always going to pick Gabriel over Chambers or Holding, because he is older and has more experience - which is pretty crucial for a CB last-line-of-defense position.

[VendettaRed07]

Chambers showed a lot of promise when he first showed up, but lack of playing time has clearly hurt him.

Just loan him out for a while. I think he has the talent to make it back into the team.

[EL Patron]

I agree that Gabriel is more experienced so he should probably start ahead of Chambers but last year he had some shocking performances yet Arsene still chose him ahead of Chambers. Remember his performances against Yanited and West ham even Chambers wasn't this bad when he had his chance

[Sri]

That's among the things about Arsene that I am rather pissed off about of late.

[sportsczy]

Let me put it this way... I'd rather not sign Mustafi, Xhaka and Lucas... and get just Pogba. Why? He's a difference maker that can win you big games = chance at trophies. The fees of those 3 players pretty much equals Pogba's (45+40+17).

[RealGunner]

How is Pogba going to stop us conceding 6 against Chelsea? He is a match winner for sure but there has to be a match to win.

[Sushi Master]

ManU still got Mhitrariyan, Ibra and Bailly, Sports

The equivalent Arsenal transfer window would have been if we'd gotten Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez and Higuain in the same window. Let's say Higgs was the "game changer" you're looking for. The star signing.

Not going to happen under Wenger.

The point is that you can get your superstar signing while still plugging in the holes in your team.

Else, you'd just have Galactico-style signings. Big players but then faulty teams tactically.

[sportsczy]

How is Pogba going to stop us conceding 6 against Chelsea? He is a match winner for sure but there has to be a match to win.

Get Lass for free.  Nkoulou was free.  Ibra was free too.  If you really can't afford to splash any more for this mercato... these guys would more than carry you over to the next one.

A window of Lass, Nkoulou, Pogba and Ibra would have been epic.

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