Rival watch

New stadium debt. You know how it is...

 

Smoking?

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Want to hear something funnier?

Ornstein was saying that, despite Mustafi's high-profile errors and us wanting to get rid of him practically every transfer window since we bought him, Emery was considering making him captain for the following season if Koscielny left! Thankfully, Emery had a change of heart after the Europa League final, but I shudder to think how that would have gone down...

 

True, but I can't think of a bid we made that was as embarrassing as those!

 

Quite a few sources saying that Saliba has agreed personal terms with Arsenal, but Spurs have offered a €2m higher transfer fee than us to St. Etienne. This could come down to whose offer gets accepted.

Would be a strange signing for you guys no? Doesn't seem like Saliba is a player that you need.

 

Suarez? +£1.

Yeah, but he's a player that you need and we'd like you to pay more for.

 

I had a feeling you'd say this. I don't think it was as embarrassing purely because we were given information that Suarez had a £40m clause that said we could talk to him. Despite John Henry's tweet, he later confirmed there was a clause in Suarez's contract, but they just chose to ignore it.
Suarez himself said he wanted to move to us, but Gerrard persuaded him not too.

It was a bit of a messy situation, however, I wouldn't say it's as bad as the other two bids.

To me, it just seems like you lot want to throw your dicks around in our face because you have money to spend and we don't.
Need I remind you that karma can be a bitch?

 

I think Levy’s ****housing just to force you lot into paying the majority of your budget on a player you can’t immediately use.

Having said that, with Toby to leave either this summer or next, and with Jan entering his final year, there may be genuine interest and so doing a deal for him now and loaning him back for first team football ready to compete in 20/21 would make sense.

 

If this is some sort of twisted way of getting us back for the whole Sol Campbell fiasco...

Jokes aside, you still have Foyth and Sanchez who can play there, as well as Vertonghen and Dier can play as CB too. With us, he'd practically be guaranteed a first-team slot, but with you, he'd likely be further behind in the pecking order.

I guess we'll see how this one plays out, but it would definitely be a kick in the nuts if you **** us over on this.

 

I'm not so sure. There's a significant possibility that Toby might go this window. Foyth's not ready to play centre back in the PL and is more likely to be part of the solution at right back next season.

That would leave us Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier. If Toby stays, we agree to the loan back. If he leaves we pony up more cash to push the deal through now.

Our recruitment guy, Steve Hitchen, specialises in players in France - Lucas, Lo Celso (up to last summer), Ndombele and this bloke fits right into that at an affordable price...if you have the cash.

 

Yeah but that’s the thing, Jan’s in his final year of his contract now and part of me thinks he’ll return to Ajax at the end of the season to finish his career (he’ll be 33 by then). So if Toby goes this summer or along with Jan next summer, it leaves us with just Sanchez and Foyth (plus Dier). So there may be genuine interest in Saliba on our part to cut a deal for him to join next summer, although I am leaning more towards Levy just playing games.

FWIW I think you’ll sign him. Even if our interest is genuine, it would make more sense for him to join you lot over us at the moment.

 

Perhaps.
It could also sadly be a "perfect storm" for your lot (the first of many I hope) ,
where a club such as Spurs are genuinely interested and also have the
funds/opportunities to offer both selling club and player.

The player of course could say tis your lot or nobody.
Offer him Xm quid a year "bonus" regardless of whether he or the Goons
play a season in the CL. < sorted >


"Need I remind you that karma can be a bitch?"

1. No.

2. Nemesis still has a lot to take from the Goons beyond the antics on this kid,
in order to clear the immense debt on Judas.

 

Just seen Arsenal's kit launch video.


The cringe is strong with this one.

 

So cringy that Youtube hit the video of it I posted earlier with Content ID...

 

Milan banned from next season's Europa League for FFP violations

Given they also have half a stadium to pay for, surely we should offer to help them out? I'm thinking keep tabs on Mateo Musacchio in case we have an opening for an experienced centre back?

 

Wow, Zaha really is trying to push this move through.

He's told the Palace hierarchy that we're his 'dream move' and he wants them to find a way of agreeing a deal. However, they are in a position where they don't need to sell. He's got 4 years on his contract and they've just received £50m for a young prospect. On top of that, Man United have a 25% sell-on clause for him, so they will definitely want an even higher fee for their best player.

He may try to force Palace's hand, and we may want to sign him, but this transfer won't be happening unless we sell Aubameyang/Lacazette/Torreira/Nelson IMO. Palace can take us to the cleaners if they so wish.

I would take him at Arsenal if it wasn't at the expense of our star strikers, or if we didn't have a reduced budget. However, for the fee they will command, it's best if we look elsewhere.

Surprised we haven't tried to go for Hakim Ziyech. He's more versatile, he'd be cheaper and he too is a boyhood Arsenal fan.

We'd be wasting our time on Zaha.

 

It has to be Aubameyang going, if this happens. It's difficult to see him, Lacazette and Zaha in the same team, with Ozil and Mkhitaryan on the bench. Ignoring transfer fees, the wages alone will cripple you and selling Torreira and Nelson won't help with that problem.

It looks like he's doing what we would have expected him to do last summer - agitate for a move. Last summer, he didn't want to do it. It was a mistake and I think that he realises time is passing him by. Arsenal may be his dream move and approaching his last chance to finish in the top half of the table.

Whether any of that makes any difference to Palace, we shall see. Rather than signing that deal last summer, he should have extracted an agreement to let him go at at a sensible price this summer. Palace have been paying him top dollar for a year and they should expect to get that for his departure. Zaha's being naive if he expects otherwise and may have to act like a complete **** to force his way out.

However, it resolves itself, Arsenal would be better off sorting out their defence. This looks like a Wenger signing. Last summers's buys may not have all worked out but they were at the right end of the pitch.

 

Why are we not in for Ziyech?

his release clause is 25 mill or something and he would be great for squad depth...could fill in for Son and give him real competition.

Very good player...silky and lively

 

We've allegedly had a second bid for Tierney rejected because we didn't offer £25m up front; we've offered £17.5m + £7.5m in add-ons and bonuses providing we get into the Champions League. Celtic, understandably, were not convinced by this.

If we can't even agree a transfer fee for a left-back in the Scottish league, I don't know how the club, or Zaha, can possibly think we can buy a Premier League club's best player who's got a long-term contract with them and have no pressing need to sell. Unless they drastically reduce the price or unless we give them a player or two + cash in exchange, it is hard to see this going through.

As you say, it could be for the best if this doesn't happen. I like him as a player, but I don't want him if it means we lose a 30 goal per season striker in exchange. Nor do I want him crippling our Champions League standard wage bill even further when we're a Europa League club.

He's soon to be 27 and will expect a substantial wage increase. His pace is inevitably going to wane over the next few years. In theory, he could be earning ridiculous money with us until he's in his 30s whilst barely contributing. Which is the problem we've got now, with players who have no resale value, earning top dollar.

I agree we need to sort out the defence, and I still maintain we need a winger too, but under these circumstances, I do not want Zaha.

 

Tbh this is not what was expected when the Emirates was built.

13 years after moving in you are haggling over £7.5m in a transfer worth a maximum £25m.

You got CL money for 10 of those 13 years, over £120m per season from tv deals, millions from sponsorship deals and millions from gate receipts (at least £3m per match if the average ticket cost £50.)

Why have Arsenal got no money?