Not just that but we're in CL this season. We have to fatten up the squad. We couldn't cope with EL last season, stakes will be even higher in CL.
Declan Rice | signs for arsenal
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
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Arteta and Edu are targeting young players in player recruitment. Their A list target Lisandro Martínez (25), Caicedo (21), Mudryk (22) last season are younger than Zinchenko(26), Jorginho (31) and Trossard (28). Jorginho (£12m), and Trossard (£27m) even though older the cost for their service per season however is reasonable.
Unfortunately if we're going to hang with the big boys then we have to act like it. Heck Newcastle are getting their DM for £60mil. We all saw how our paper thin squad folded last season. If we are going to truly compete at the highest level, we can't keep making deals like Lokonga and Vieira - these two cost us about £50mil and they're not even half as good as Rice combined.
Also, I fully expect that at some point in the next couple of years, we won't be able to keep up this spending and obviously Arteta will need to achieve more than one FA Cup. But I think the owners knew that this was the consequence of getting back in the CL, which will be worth it if we can stay at the top level.
You are putting all your eggs in the Arteta basket right now. I'd say you guys will be under HUGE pressure if you don't do well (or at least as well as you did last season) next season.
Yeah if I went to the butcher's, pointed at some tenderloin priced at 25 quid and offered 35, I'd probably be feeling confident that I would be leaving with the tenderloin too.
Yes he is building for the future no doubt, he would not be this desperate for Rice if he was 28yo. The youth of our squad is why we're now valued 2nd in the world behind City.
I don’t think he’s going to be a world beater and that fee is too high, but he will definitely fit in as at the very least a good component and given he’s a big English name it will really help the feel good factor Arsenal have had that could have died had they not shown intent this Summer. Good signing.
Overpaying is only bad if the player doesn't perform in my opinion. If Harry Maguire became world class for us we wouldn't care much about the 80m. The 80m hurts when things turn out the way they did. If Rice performs to a high standard then they have bagged themselves a dm for the next 8 years or more.
Absolutely. The board has backed him fully and he is expected to deliver. So far I'm sure the board is happy with what he's achieved and direction he's going. Supposedly we are a bit early in Arteta's plan - the title charge last season came a season early, as last season's objective was CL spot. This season, we want to compete for the title again and go deep (hopefully) in CL.
Yes it's more pressure but it's exactly what we want - to compete at the highest level. If we can't handle the pressure then we shouldn't be here.
Fred and Ronaldo too.
100m over 18 months is just absurd. No one operates with that sort of cash to burn.
Naturally!Brighton watching events unfold keenly I imagine
Arsenal are acting just as you would want a sensible team to react, they faded in the title challenge last season so they're investing heavily to try and avoid that happening again. The exact opposite of the Glazers who only seem to invest heavily when you fail to make the top 4.
So far it is more like for like replacement on player recruitment. Xhaka, Partey, Holding, Tierney, Balogun may leave this summer. Edu is currently working on Havertz, Rice and Timber.
Im not sure if they are overpaying - they are paying what they need to in order to get it done. City would have taken him at £90mil. We paid £86mil for Anthony. Caicedo about to move for £85+.
It's all crazy.
So true. It is a signal of intent. Back the manager because he has proved that he is building sometime.
Glazers only act if they think the bottom line may be hurt, like our panic after 2 losses at the start of last season.
I'm looking forward to West Ham being similarly rinsed when they try and spend the Rice money
What is the alternative? I would assume every fans wish is for the club to support their manager, provided they rate their manager of course.
Thankfully the core of the team will be of an age that means they will be around for a fair while yet (or at least be sold for good money). They're approaching their peak age as players.
Saka - 21
Saliba - 22
Martinelli - 22
ESR - 22
(?) Timber - 22
Odegaard - 24
Tomiyasu - 24
(?) Rice - 24
(?) Havertz - 24
White - 25
Ramsdale - 25
Gabriel - 25
Jesus - 26
Zinchenko - 26
KT - 26
Not including fringe players like - Vieira (23), Nelson (23), Kiwior (23), Eddie (24), Holding (27), El Neny (30).
The only senior players over 27 are:
Trossard - 28
Partey - 30
Jorginho - 31
Obviously the aim is immediate success, but looking at that list it's easy to see that they are building a squad that could be around for years too.
For comparison, United's breakdown.
Antony - 23
Sancho - 23
Malacia - 23
Dalot - 24
Rashford - 25
Martinez - 25
AWB - 25
McTominay - 26
Martial - 27
Shaw - 27
Fringe - Garnacho (18), Diallo (20), Pelliatri (21), Elanga (21), DVDB (26)
Over 27 years of age:
Bruno - 28
Lindelof - 28
Fred - 30
Maguire - 30
Varane - 30
Eriksen - 31
Casemiro - 31
DDG - 32
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Sancho - 23
Malacia - 23
Dalot - 24
Rashford - 25
Martinez - 25
AWB - 25
McTominay - 26
Martial - 27
Shaw - 27
Fringe - Garnacho (18), Diallo (20), Pelliatri (21), Elanga (21), DVDB (26)
Over 27 years of age:
Bruno - 28
Lindelof - 28
Fred - 30
Maguire - 30
Varane - 30
Eriksen - 31
Casemiro - 31
DDG - 32
[/spoilers]
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Like for like but hopefully extending depth. Arteta's circle of trust last season was really only 11-12 field players, after that he just didn't want to rotate unless absolutely necessary. We need to bump that number up to 15-16 to realistically compete with City.
Havertz comes in for Xhaka.
Rice is basically a new addition.
Timber is essentially going to replace both Tierney and Holding (neither of whom were in the circle of trust).
If Partey leaves, we seem likely to sign a replacement like Lavia.
So if all that happens we'll have something like Saka, Jesus, Martinelli, Havertz, Odegaard, Rice, Zinchenko, Gabriel, Saliba, White, Ramsdale as possible starters with Trossard, Jorginho, Partey/Lavia, and Timber as trusted rotation players and hopefully a couple of ESR, Vieira, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Nketiah/Balogun (one will stay and one will go I think), or Nelson earn their way into the circle of trust.
Why would Partey leave?
Exactly, this being made so public is surely going to just flow down the chain
Man, I had not followed this topic until I found out today Arsenal is willing to spend 120 million euros on this bloke. Is he really worth that amount?
And yet we still end up having a better window than most of them.
Maguire's price just went up to £60m!
No is the answer to that question but Arsenal fans will be quick to tell you he's the future captain of England so for some reason it makes it worth it.
Short answer is no. That doesn't mean he's bad by any stretch of the imagination.
Massive offer from Saudi Arabia just came in and it seems he fancies it.
Nope, but that's been his price as quoted in papers for several years now, so people are accustomed
Arsenal have spent a lot under Arteta, especially in the last few years. Now with this summer’s spending and a relatively low amount of sales (?) your net spend may be only 2nd to United’s in the last few years I assume. And all you have to show for is a FA Cup and 1 CL qualification. That’s a poor return. Arteta will be under a lot of pressure now. At the end we will only find out in a few years. If the best he will do in the upcoming seasons is a couple of top 4 finishes and that’s it then it would be really underwhelming.
I think there's recognition they significantly outperformed the sum of their parts for 75% of the season before the bottling and it's probably not replicable without adding genuine quality to their team. Arsenal fans who believe they'll have a similar season to the last are in for some expectation management next year.
And UTD sit there watching from a distance, motionless. Im convinced Rice would come to us if we could get west ham to agree to a swap deal.
Playing with his buddies Luke and Mason in his favourite ground of all time.... just the player we need. Gutting this
Playing with his buddies Luke and Mason in his favourite ground of all time.... just the player we need. Gutting this
Than City & Arsenal? I doubt that. City have been tremendous in the transfer market in the last couple of years and Arsenal clearly made huge strides forward last year.
English players are overpriced.
The oil clubs can. But I suppose West Ham will end up accepting a longer term payment plan from Arsenal.
100million plus for Rice. Bloody hell. I know that the English tax is a thing but the market for an England NT player is crazy (except if it's one of ours).
Antony.
The oil clubs need to deal with FFP as well, and even if they can, why would they anyway? Man City just back out and work on other targets. 100m english player is a very niche product which have only a handful of EPL clubs as potential buyers.
He's received a ridiculous offer from one of the new Saudi Clubs.
I think no Ajax fan will argue that Antony wasn't worth that amount.
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