Arsenal

[Art Vandelay]

I think Rice's camp going public with it already means they're shopping him around. I would be absolutely astonished if he joined us, but then I think for the money there's better options. If we're not going to get a signing I'd much rather not get Bellingham. They'd end up in the same ballpark and he's a better player already.

[Stagger Lee]

I cannot believe this is happening. I mean he's an upgrade on Elneny for sure but fuck me this is disappointing.

[Art Vandelay]

Someone needs to do a Chelsea reject compilation reel and send it to Edu. Highlights include Willian hobbling over to a loose ball and passing it straight out of play, Cech teeing that one up under zero pressure for Ayew to slot home, Gallas having a sook in the centre circle and blowing the league and Yossi having three good games that time.

[feltmonkey]

Genuine question - do you think Jorginho is being signed as a replacement for Partey, who might soon be unavailable due to...  Reasons?

[Art Vandelay]

Just now, feltmonkey said:

Genuine question - do you think Jorginho is being signed as a replacement for Partey, who might soon be unavailable due to...  Reasons?

 

I don't imagine the club have any insight into whether he'll be charged or not, he's just been incredibly fragile since he turned up and we don't have anyone to fill in for him unless we really rejig. Last season went to pot as for the last 10 games about 6 players in every line up were either playing through injury or not in their natural position. Hope for anyone else in the league should come from the fact that if we don't have the axis of Xhaka, Partey and Odegaard as a three we don't function very well, so I imagine this is just contingency. 

[Gotters]

I'm genuinely OK with £10m+£2m for 1.5y+1y for a 31y old who is proven and would appear a low risk - it will enable a rest for the likes of Xhaka/Partey in Europa league and when the business end of a season comes round bit of experience does you no harm.

 

It doesn't excite or move the squad in exciting new directions but can't always do that.

 

With regard bad deals I'm curious who thinks Edu had a good hand when moving on the likes of Ozil, Aubamyang, Pepe, Sokratis etc etc. All on huge contracts and not getting picked and fallen out with the manager to varying degrees. Everybody knew this, Barca just got lucky with Auba he scored a couple and Chelsea were even more desperate. We aren't in the position Liverpool were when firing on all cylinders and every young player on the bench Klopp got to declare geniuses that just couldn't dislodge the likes of Salah/Mane.

 

last time we proper fleeced somebody was £40m for Iwobi to Everton. 

[The Fox]

I love shiny exciting players as much as the next guy, and Jorginho is absolutely not that. But surely we have been made to look like mugs enough times by Mikel Arteta that we should have learned by now to Trust the Process™?

[Larsen B]

On the basis he's cover for Elneny, not a starter, it's fine. Not great, but fine.

 

What I don't like is that our squad building for the past 3 years has been hot prospects and pre-peak experienced players with something to prove that has got us here and should help sustain us being here for another 3-4 years.

 

Deals like Jorginho help this year but not next year. I realise the league seems possible this season but I hate the way this signing suggests the thinking within the club that it might be our only chance.

 

Of course, get Rice/equivalent in the summer and I'll take the L.

[The Fox]

13 minutes ago, feltmonkey said:

Genuine question - do you think Jorginho is being signed as a replacement for Partey, who might soon be unavailable due to...  Reasons?

 

Bail extended to July apparently so it doesn't seem like Unnamed Premier League Footballer is getting charged anytime soon. 

[The Fox]

Sambi going on loan to Palace apparently - I think that makes sense for all parties. There's a player there, but he needs minutes and I'm not convinced he suits our system. In a double pivot he'd probably fare a lot better.

[Gotters]

With these mad fees using the loan system to finish young players ready for us is the way forward, like Saliba.

 

Marquinhos off to Norwich, Sambi to Palace a good move and we've got that young striker out in France doing well too. 

[The Fox]

Yeah exactly - Balogun is going to be worth quite a bit of money in the summer if we decide to cash in.

[Art Vandelay]

Scored another absolute ripper against PSG at the weekend. I'd love to see what he could do as he's got some serious attributes.

[Gotters]

see, trust the process, of course Jorghino passes all going backwards to a CB or sideways, he's like a modern day Ray Wilkins.

 

 

[Art Vandelay]

Let's enjoy this for the next couple of hours until he's our player and we're obligated to think he's amazing.

 

 

[Larsen B]

(Demba) Barring an eleventh hour intervention, at least I can now spend the rest of the day fretting about the world record bid for Alessia Russo. I'm even more invested in that now than I was Caicedo.

[wev]

Have Chelsea bought Jorghino back yet?

[Gotters]

Athletic report overnight suggest that Brighton are so pissed off with Arsenal not listening about Caiceido that good relations are tarnished between the clubs after White/Trossard and we won't be in pole position in the summer - though with Brighton I always assume everything is a negotiation ploy, and fair enough, they apparently told us no meant no and wasn't a negotiation tactic.

 

Good of Chelsea to add a new unit of transfer measure though for selling clubs, Utd priced all wingers with 1 foot and 30 odd games at Antony levels, promising young holders will now be Enzo's. Add in woolly useless wing backs as Cucurella's and no wonder world football sees the PL as a wallet to be raided.

[The Fox]

It seems like Man City are going to be doing significant rebuilding in the summer, so I could see them potentially wanting Rice and/or Caicedo. And obviously Todd Boehly will also be sniffing around trying to sign them via Klarna.

 

That said, we are going to have plenty of money and (in theory) a strong hand in the market.

[The Fox]

2 hours ago, Gotters said:

Athletic report overnight suggest that Brighton are so pissed off with Arsenal not listening about Caiceido that good relations are tarnished between the clubs after White/Trossard and we won't be in pole position in the summer - though with Brighton I always assume everything is a negotiation ploy, and fair enough, they apparently told us no meant no and wasn't a negotiation tactic.

 

 

Just clocked the article you're referring to, and it's been written by that Brighton weirdo who's been acting like Arsenal were trying to buy his daughter all week. Nothing to see here.

[Art Vandelay]

There's supposed to be a bit of an unspoken rule that when a club says a player is definitely not for sale then that's that. I remember we got browned right off when Villa kept chucking in bids for Emile Smith-Rowe when we and the player's representatives had said there was no interest in selling him or him wanting a move. However, even the initial offer we put in was bonkers and the lad had clearly indicated he wanted out, so what then? Not forgetting Chelsea already lodged a bid before we did too which is apparently fine. Brighton never want to sell anyone until someone reaches the valuation they leak to the press every single time is met. My guess is he probably goes in the summer for £50m when the market is cooler and there's probably only Liverpool in for him and everyone else has moved on.

[The Fox]

On 31/01/2023 at 11:14, The Fox said:

Yeah exactly - Balogun is going to be worth quite a bit of money in the summer if we decide to cash in.

Hat-trick tonight and is now Ligue 1’s top scorer.

 

If he goes on loan to a PL club next season and does well, he will be an extremely valuable asset.

[The Fox]

Getting done in by a Dychey masterclass but this has been a pretty rotten performance.

[Gotters]

unless people believed a 100pt title romp was happening this sort of thing was always coming, especially bearing in mind no team in the top 5 leagues in europe made less changes to their starting 11 than us

 

we could be running out of gas with half the season to go.

[Art Vandelay]

Not getting much change out of the ref to be fair which isn’t helping. 

[The Fox]

Just been really poor on the ball, pretty much to a man.

[jonamok]

Well, didn’t see that coming. Too early to celebrate Everton staying up?

[Art Vandelay]

Not the end of the world as City aside we’ve got a few weeks of fairly approachable fixtures. We’ve been quite good up until now of playing past rotational fouls and time wasting but for whatever reason we couldn’t get it going today. The body language was dog shit too which is weird.

[wev]

Listening on radio, does it look as unconvincing a performance as it sounds?

[Art Vandelay]

We were alright. Brentford are no pushovers either so not the end of the world. Feel like their goal was a bit dodgy though and probably stands because of an interpretation of the offside rule I’m not willing to understand.