Ollie Watkins | Arsenal bid c. £60m

diarm said:
Would he be obtainable if not for the obsession with defensive mids?

You had Xhaka, Partey, Jorginho, Guendouzi, Torreira and Lokongo, then signed Rice, then Merino and now you're signing Zubimendi. There's hundreds of millions spent there on one area of the field, where it feels for an outside looking in, that you could probably have spent half as much without a huge amount of discernible difference to your game plan.

Add that money to the cash spent on Havertz and Jesus and there wouldn't be many unobtainable targets out there.

Don't get me wrong - Rice and Zubimendi would obviously be an outstanding midfield, but it's the priorities that confuse me. Why are you happy to pay top dollar for the biggest names there but always willing to compromise somewhat on the centre forward?
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People are quoting prices of £120-150m for Isak. There's only one club in the world that has ever paid that much for a player (PSG) and Arsenal is not going to be the second.

Its really not a question of putting too may resources into other positions, there's just no way we will pay that much for any one player.
 
This whole thing reeks of "We tried to get a striker. Honest." Football clubs are very much like politicians who know they can spew outright lies and do have measures and half the people will eat it up and then just argue amongst themselves. When they don't win the title again, half the fans will argue they should have signed a striker and the other half will argue that they tried to sign Ollie Watkins as if he is the only striker available on the planet.
 
ColvaleGoa said:
He will be a bit of sick note when he turns up at Arsenal
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To be fair, nothing seems to suggest this will happen, has played his full quota for nearly 10 years straight across multiple teams, leagues and systems.... this is more reserved to players who have done that for one club like say Hazard, or anyone joining United that's otherwise shown tremendous fitness.
 
Powderfinger said:
People are quoting prices of £120-150m for Isak. There's only one club in the world that has ever paid that much for a player (PSG) and Arsenal is not going to be the second.

Its really not a question of putting too may resources into other positions, there's just no way we will pay that much for any one player.
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You paid £105m for a defensive mid. A top quality striker goes for far more of a premium.

£60m for Watkins is an insult from another premier league club. He just turned 29, he’s arguably one of the best in his position. Villa will rightfully hold out for £100m. We paid £72m (including add ons) for Hojlund.
 
Devil_forever said:
You paid £105m for a defensive mid. A top quality striker goes for far more of a premium.

£60m for Watkins is an insult from another premier league club. He just turned 29, he’s arguably one of the best in his position. Villa will rightfully hold out for £100m. We paid £72m (including add ons) for Hojlund.
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100m for Ollie Watkins? What?
 
Devil_forever said:
You paid £105m for a defensive mid. A top quality striker goes for far more of a premium.

£60m for Watkins is an insult from another premier league club. He just turned 29, he’s arguably one of the best in his position. Villa will rightfully hold out for £100m. We paid £72m (including add ons) for Hojlund.
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Why do people always use one signing as a barometer for what teams should pay for other players? United's mistake in overpaying for a CF does not dictate the entire market.

£100m for Watkins is absurd.
 
Devil_forever said:
You paid £105m for a defensive mid. A top quality striker goes for far more of a premium.

£60m for Watkins is an insult from another premier league club. He just turned 29, he’s arguably one of the best in his position. Villa will rightfully hold out for £100m. We paid £72m (including add ons) for Hojlund.
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The next offer from Arsenal is the highest they'll ever get for Watkins, they know this, Arsenal know this, everyone knows this, that's if Arsenal even do another offer. It's whether they really want to go all in on the still somewhat more unknown entity but clearly high potential of Duran, or go vice versa and get a bigger fee mostly likely and trust Watkins to age well.
 
diarm said:
Would he be obtainable if not for the obsession with defensive mids?

You had Xhaka, Partey, Jorginho, Guendouzi, Torreira and Lokongo, then signed Rice, then Merino and now you're signing Zubimendi. There's hundreds of millions spent there on one area of the field, where it feels for an outside looking in, that you could probably have spent half as much without a huge amount of discernible difference to your game plan.

Add that money to the cash spent on Havertz and Jesus and there wouldn't be many unobtainable targets out there.

Don't get me wrong - Rice and Zubimendi would obviously be an outstanding midfield, but it's the priorities that confuse me. Why are you happy to pay top dollar for the biggest names there but always willing to compromise somewhat on the centre forward?
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Mate, your listing midfielders that go all the way back to the Wenger and Emery eras. We are looking to sign Zubimendi (I'll wait for something more official before claiming it's done) as we are losing Jorginho and Partey in the summer and we will literally be left with Rice, Merino and Odegaard as midfield options for a full season.

The reason why I think Isak is unobtainable, is that he's owned by a very rich state owned club who will likely qualify for the Champions League next season lessening the PSR pressure, and I'd think he'd be the last player they'd want to sell, would probably rather lose Bruno or Gordon rather than Isak.
 
Arsenal with more dirty market plays.

Ironic that the club who got upset about Fabregas just go around unsettling upper mid-table players with derisory offers.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
Potentially a big signing for the title race. Not sure why Arsenal waited this long to move.
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Title race? Do you work for Sky? Arsenal have screwed about too many times when Liverpool have dropped points. Plus Odegaard has been poor this season by his standards, I just dont see Arsenal making up the points.
 
Would be a terrible move. I hope they sell Duran and have to keep Watkins.
Let the season go and get a real world class striker in the summer not Ollie fecking Watkins.
 
Wreaks of a David Sullivan West Ham bid - let’s put a bid in we know won’t be accepted but we can tell our fans ‘we tried’…..
 
NotoriousISSY said:
In a world where Rasmus Hojlund costs £72m or Darwin Nunez costs £75m, £60m package for Watkins is derisory imo. It’s January.
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Right at the end of January too. Interest for Duran has been throughout the window and now a deal has been agreed. They waited too long imo.
 
Fair offer, fair price, but wrong timing and no incentive for Villa at all to sell him at this moment.
 
Squeaky_Bum_Time said:
£60m for a 29 year old. I wouldn’t want that at the current version of United but can understand it for Arsenal. They feel really close and have a good squad, and desperately need that touch of quality upfront.

Shades of SAF buying a 29 year old RVP and winning the league.
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Oh wow I had no idea Watkins was 29.

I thought he was a young up and coming kid. I had him as 21ish.
 
NotoriousISSY said:
Arsenal with more dirty market plays.

Ironic that the club who got upset about Fabregas just go around unsettling upper mid-table players with derisory offers.
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He’s 29 and last season was the first in his career where he’s scored more than 20 goals in all competitions at the top level.
He’s hardly a world beater, he’s just a good premier league level striker.
 
Weird that they want to spend so big on a 29 year and that too so late in the window. Doubt this goes through.
 
Adz_99 said:
Oh wow I had no idea Watkins was 29.

I thought he was a young up and coming kid. I had him as 21ish.
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21?! He's been playing Premier League football for 5 seasons after a breakout season in the Championship at 15!

(To be fair he was a bit of a late developer, I thought he was 26/27ish rather than going on 30)
 
60m is an insult for a player who has only once in his career scored over 20 league goals, and that in the Championship despite spending 6 of his 11 pro seasons in the lower leagues.. what the feck am I reading? :lol:
 
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