Yeah i don't know what's taking so long, the player clearly wants the move, the price has been known for months. They've been hagling the the upfront part of the fee for 3 weeks. This needs to get closed asap and find a "good" CB to cover. We might sell Koscielny on the cheap and find ourselves with Sokratis-Mustafi-Chambers for 2 months having to play Liverpool and Spurs. Holding should be available for United but still that's not a great sight...
2019/20 Rivals - Arsenal
- Thread starter AkaAkuma
- Start date
I'd have to disagree, Pepe is decent and he has shown his talent before his peak season last year.
Going by that logic we could argue about Aubameyang. Lots of big clubs sniffing around but didn't pull the trigger - yet in his first season here he ended up top scorer in the league with the best conversion chance I think?
Even his stats in Germany were decent, going toe to toe with Lewondowski most seasons. I have no doubt Pepe will have a similar impact and have high hopes for him. Finally a natural replacement for Sanchez. Excellent wingers always perform well for Arsenal. Besides Sanchez/Iwobi who is the last proper winger we had to play on a consistent basis....Walcott?
Oh and Ceballos...if you have ever watched him I would go as far to say he is probably our best CM now. Kid has ridiculous potential. Stop gap solution being our downfall but if we get into the champions league next season I'd say its a clever move?
Tierney if he signs is like the equivalent of United's Luke Shaw when he signed.
I think given our status and budget we have done quite well. Remember we are not Manchester United. It's unfair to compare the two directly. But given our recruitment this year I'd say so far we've had the better window.
Willock has been impressive, I wonder how much time he will see on the pitch this season.
If we can line up Ceballos, Ozil and Pepe, we might see some entertaining football. We'll concede 6 but whatever
If we can line up Ceballos, Ozil and Pepe, we might see some entertaining football. We'll concede 6 but whatever
Ceballos is actually quite decent defensively when match fit.
Agree that side is looking very tasty from an entertainment perspective especially the midfield which is tailor made for a diamond if Pepe hadn’t arrived but generally speaking in terms of personnel very talented.
Defensively you look very vulnerable though - don’t rate your first teamers and no depth to speak of either.
Pythagoras really? Really?
Leno is going to have to have an amazing season and build on his impressive debut season.
Bellerin and Holding are both quality IMO but unfortunately we'd be mad to be relying on them this season, given they're both coming off ACL injuries.
Monreal has been a very good LB, but at his age he should be strictly a back-up.
Sokratis has been impressive, and is currently our best CB. Koscielny made a good return from his horrible injury, but he wants out and at his age we shouldn't be relying heavily on him either.
The situation is pretty grim ATM.
This has been a problem for the past two seasons. Here are the goals conceded for the past 11 seasons in the PL (most recent first). You can clearly see where the problem lies for Arsenal, and it's baffling that the management has decided to leave it till this late to fix it. You can't be conceding 50+ goals and expecting to finish in top four every season.
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I really dont understand why your main defensive target all summer has been a LB? A- that's not going to fix much and B- is Monreal/Kolasinac really that bad? I mean when compared to someone like Mustafi at CB?
Monreal was pretty good a couple seasons ago. He's not terrible but also not good enough to be first-choice LB. Kolasinac hasn't been consistent, and in my opinion he leaves the defence exposed too often. We do need an LB for the future, once Monreal is let go.
The CB situation is pretty dire at the moment. I really am not sure what the management is doing to fix it other than trying to sign a guy with dodgy knees for a position where we absolutely don't have any cover.
Monreal doesn’t have the legs to consistently play full back anymore, and Kolasinac can’t defend. LB is a priority.
CB is a strange one. I think the plan is that Saliba/Holding will be the long-term partnership (Sokratis +1 until then), but Saliba doesn’t join until next season and Holding’s been out for nine months. So we desperately need a stop-gap to avoid regularly starting the likes of Mustafi and Chambers. I think Emery’s plan was for another season relying on Koscielny, but that’s been completely scuppered.
The problem then becomes, we have six-eight CBs (if you include Monreal and Saliba). If we are going to buy someone, we have to sell Kos and/or Mustafi first. But we’re three days away from the close of the window and limited news on in or outgoings... I’m starting to think Koscielny will play another 30 games this season.
Literally just had a mate text me this...
"Arsenal are going into the season with a back 3 of Holding, Mustafi and Sokratis..."
Let that sink in... shocking!
But our supporters are doom and gloom and can't see us skipping ahead of them?
"Arsenal are going into the season with a back 3 of Holding, Mustafi and Sokratis..."
Let that sink in... shocking!
But our supporters are doom and gloom and can't see us skipping ahead of them?
Going by pre season looks like Calum Chambers going to be your starting CB, at least up to January. He's gone out on loan and played mostly as a DM hasn't he, Fulham certainly played him there lots last season.
Yes we are shafted at CB. As soon as Mustafi came on for the final minutes of the Barcelona game, we conceded a goal. Front and mid section is like a Ferrari but out rear end is similar to that of a old school range rover sport. Expensive, but slow and unreliable. Stick on some winter tyres for stability in the form of Continental WinterContact (Leno) and you have the whole of Arsenal team summarized in car form 
Yeah he was their player of the season playing there.
Well you didn't last season and we had the same players. What's changed?
We should have tried to build some hype around that and flog him for anything over 15/20m to one of the newcomers. We need to learn from our mistakes and not keep him around eating up wages when he's clearly not going to make it here. But then again we're so short at the back that he will have to do for this season.
60 Mio€ bid for Dayot Upamecano rejected by Leipzig acording to Reliable BILD. So much for their small transfer kitty! Well played
Kroenke finally seems to have realised you have to speculate a little to go anywhere in this fierce battle for top 4
Reckon they’ll finish 6th or 7th.
Based on what?
We clearly have the best attack out of the rest of the top six. We've added Ceballos to our mid field.
So, if we finish 7th, who among the team outside the top 6 will finish ahead of Arsenal. You're probably on a wum.
If we get the Tierney deal over the line, I reckon we'll scrape 4th.
I know there's still question mark over our defense, but with our squad this season, we'll surely do better.
just look at Liverpool in 2016/2017, they finished 4th with a defense of mignolet, Moreno, klavan, lovren, Clyne
Clearly? Better than ours and Chelsea's perhaps but clearly better than Spurs' who have Kane, Son and Eriksen?
There are too many variables for this top four race at the moment.
Provided there are no more transfers done (which is unlikely), almost everything hinges on whether or not Emery can develop a system that has our defense playing beyond their ability. I don't think that will happen.
Otherwise we are relying on Lampard and Ole's inexperience to see us through to that 4th spot.
As it stands neither are proven at the top which, currently, plays in our favor. But obviously that can change quickly given that they haven't actually had any time to prove themselves at a big club, or in the bigger competitions.
Provided there are no more transfers done (which is unlikely), almost everything hinges on whether or not Emery can develop a system that has our defense playing beyond their ability. I don't think that will happen.
Otherwise we are relying on Lampard and Ole's inexperience to see us through to that 4th spot.
As it stands neither are proven at the top which, currently, plays in our favor. But obviously that can change quickly given that they haven't actually had any time to prove themselves at a big club, or in the bigger competitions.
I think you’ll finish 6th behind Chelsea. We’ll sneak in top 4 with Spurs, Your back 4 will let you down.
You haven't been here long enough. He's a massive wum when it comes to anything not related to United.
Have we ever played with a back three in this preseason? Seems like it's always been 4-2-3-1 that shifts a clear 4-4-2 off the ball.
Chelsea lack a top class goal scorer. They overly reliant on hazard last season.
It will be too much to expect Pulisic to replace Hazard. So I don't see Chelsea finishing above arsenal.
As for Utd, it's a case of if pogba is arsed. If Pogba keeps his head down and has a monster season and with Maguire shoring up things at the back, Utd will be a force this season.
But I feel like Ole's inexperience at the top level will your undoing this season. I may be wrong, though.
Given how spurs rely on their fullbacks to stretch the pitch in their opponents half, you could say they've weakened in that position this season.
After losing Trippier to Atletico, they'll be forced to rely on Serge Aurier in RB and the rapidly declining Danny Rose.
I feel good about our chances.
But we'll just have to wait and see
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Really, thanks for the heads up, I'll try and ignore him hereon
According to Bild, our £55m bid was rejected for Upamecano.
So this means that the reported £45m budget all summer has all been BS
So this means that the reported £45m budget all summer has all been BS
50p up front and the rest spread over 5 years is probably not that appealing. At least attempts are being made though. If you do get a decent CB through the door it will have been a very good window for Arsenal.
I was going to say we dodged a huge bullet by off loading Mhikitaryan but then realised, we got Sanchez in return. Sad times.
Lequipe renewing the Coutinho loan rumor and Leipzig opening up for a bit more money+Smith Rowe for Upamecano (hopefully only a loan).
Koscielny officially gone to Bordeaux for 4/5M, Tierney should be done soon...
Very nervy couple of days incoming
*Pretty brutal announcement regarding Koscielny transfer, no fecking around, a bit sad after 9 years and still have no idea what's the real truth is here. Good luck to him, hope his body can hold on for 2 or 3 more seasons.
Koscielny officially gone to Bordeaux for 4/5M, Tierney should be done soon...
Very nervy couple of days incoming
*Pretty brutal announcement regarding Koscielny transfer, no fecking around, a bit sad after 9 years and still have no idea what's the real truth is here. Good luck to him, hope his body can hold on for 2 or 3 more seasons.
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Strong links with a loan move for Coutinho now. Arsenal doing what they always do, which is signing dozens of attacking players while neglecting problem positions in defence. Might get them top four but it's unsustainable. Arsenal's problem has never been a lack of goals and pretty football.
I wouldn't call him a wum. It's more innocent than that. He's just clueless about anything to do with football.
If we have a worse season than Arsenal I'll be amazed.
Really really hope they don't get Coutinho. Would put them as favourites for top 4 if they also manage to land Tierney.
They may still be weak in defence but their attack will score shit loads and get them in the top 4.
They may still be weak in defence but their attack will score shit loads and get them in the top 4.
Apparently Coutinho isn't happening. Would've hated to have seen him playing for them whilst we sat on our hands doing nothing.
You sure? Lots of stuff coming out in the last hour about him being very close to loan to Arsenal.