Re: The Official Summer Transfer Rumours Thread

[Hapless_Hans]

Arsenal are nearing a 'breakthrough' in talks with Valencia over Shkodran Mustafi. Fee should be in the region of £20 million.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/arsenal-close-to-20m-deal-for-mustafi-shlkbcqn6

Absolutely fantastic deal for Arsenal. Can't believe noone else is in for that price.

[Sri]

Shut up Hans. Don't instigate new ideas - you have no idea how many people are lurking on GL.

Instead focus on my earlier offer to you.

[Hapless_Hans]

Bellerin Lewa swap offer has been standing for months.

You guys didn't take it.

[Jay29]

Tbh Mustafi, Mahrez and Bony on a cheeky loan deal would bump this window up to a solid 8/10.

[Sri]

Bellerin Lewa swap offer has been standing for months.

You guys didn't take it.

That bid was rejected long back. Keep up mate.

[Hapless_Hans]

Tbh Mustafi, Mahrez and Bony on a cheeky loan deal would bump this window up to a solid 8/10.

Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez + Bony? I'd call that a 9/10, only better thing would be Higuain for Bony.

[MJ]

Too many updates:

@GFFN 23m23 minutes ago
L'Équipe now suggesting that the offer from Arsenal on the table for Riyad Mahrez is €41m plus €9m in bonuses.

I'd be very happy with Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez, Bony. Gaps in the squad would be filled and Bony is very solid. I'm not sure I see us pursuing a striker if we sign Mahrez though.

[Sri]

I don't for a minute believe this Mahrez stuff tbh.

Did we really sit around on our arses all summer to only wait on Mahrez to feel interested in joining us supposedly? We are incompetent, but this doesn't add up. It's almost like the Icardi stuff.

[Sri]

Tbh Mustafi, Mahrez and Bony on a cheeky loan deal would bump this window up to a solid 8/10.

Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez + Bony? I'd call that a 9/10, only better thing would be Lewandowski for Bony.

I am glad we see eye to eye.

[MJ]

I don't for a minute believe this Mahrez stuff tbh.

Did we really sit around on our arses all summer to only wait on Mahrez to feel interested in joining us supposedly? We are incompetent, but this doesn't add up. It's almost like the Icardi stuff.

We kind of sat on our asses all summer until Gabriel got injured, then sped up our pursuit of Mustafi. I don't see why anything has to make sense for us in this window. Wenger really wanted to leave Mustafi later.

I'm not sure why we'd be going for Mahrez now vs any other point in the summer. These things can seem arbitrary from the outside when they're not instigated by injury, other transfers or the deadline approaching. And we suck at making sense in the window. Ideally, we'd have paid extra to have signed our targets earlier in the window. If we end up missing out on some then it'll be very embarrassing.

[urbaNRoots]

It looks like we've given up on signing a striker and are settling for a winger instead. As much as Mahrez would help us, he won't challenge Giroud or take his place. I really thought we would sign a striker, when Wenger specifically said we needed one but it looks like he is not ready to do what is needed to get one.

Incredibly disappointed with that.

[Hapless_Hans]

but is there anything about whether you even are trying to sign Bony ?

[El Gunner]

I'd be happy if we sign Mustafi and Mahrez.
At least people would then take us sririous for a change.

[Hapless_Hans]

Tbh Mustafi, Mahrez and Bony on a cheeky loan deal would bump this window up to a solid 8/10.

Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez + Bony? I'd call that a 9/10, only better thing would be Lewandowski for Bony.

I am glad we see eye to eye.

You could have accepted the Bellerin-Lewa swap, we could've gotten Higuain for 30m less than Juve paid, and everyone would be happy

[Jay29]

I thought his recent comments talking up Walcott and Alexis as options up front was a sure sign that we'd given up on signing a striker this summer. And if he is planning on using those two up front then we're going to need another winger (we needed one regardless).

And I could believe us not being seriously interested Mahrez earlier but suddenly being interested now. We're the sort of club who would ignore a CB like Mustafi who could potentially improve the team but then go and try to sign him the moment a defender goes down for five months. Rather than sign the play regardless because we need him, we're signing him only in reaction to unfortunate circumstances.

Btw, there are reports that Ozil will sign a new contract. Would be a massive boost.

[Jay29]

Sky in Germany:

@SkySportNewsHD Info: Mustafi Deal to @Arsenal nearly done. Player and Club agreed on contract. Final talks w @valenciacf to come.

— Marc Behrenbeck (@Sky_Marc) August 11, 2016

[El Gunner]

Get in!
Expect dot com to announce tomorrow

[Hapless_Hans]

what I wonder is

is Mahrez even SUCH a good idea? Will he fit? Will he be able to perform similarly to last season?

I have my doubts.

[El Gunner]

I had my doubts as well throughout last season if ever he would perform as well at a bigger club.

But, one thing is for sure. Atm he is better than Ox, Walcott, Iwobi, Gnabry.

[Jay29]

There'll always be doubts about whether he replicate his form until he actually does it, so in that sense the transfer is a risk. In terms of fitting the team, if players like Alexis and Campbell can fit into the team I don't see why Mahrez couldn't.

At the very least he was a player who could perform and produce in high pressure situations against the biggest teams in the league.

It'd be a big transition for him, though, in that at Leicester it was easier for him to run at players because of the space on the counter, whereas at Arsenal most teams will be sitting in a deep block so players have to be more patient. We'd also have to consider how he'd play with a less mobile forward in Giroud as opposed to Vardy.

[Kaladin]

Mahrez is not leaving.

[S]

Tbh Mustafi, Mahrez and Bony on a cheeky loan deal would bump this window up to a solid 8/10.

Xhaka, Mustafi, Mahrez + Bony? I'd call that a 9/10,

Inshallah

[Jay29]

Mustafi's agent has confirmed there's an agreement between us and the player. Still need to agree a fee with Valencia, though, which is kinda important.

[Sri]

I don't for a minute believe this Mahrez stuff tbh.

Did we really sit around on our arses all summer to only wait on Mahrez to feel interested in joining us supposedly? We are incompetent, but this doesn't add up. It's almost like the Icardi stuff.

We kind of sat on our asses all summer until Gabriel got injured, then sped up our pursuit of Mustafi. I don't see why anything has to make sense for us in this window. Wenger really wanted to leave Mustafi later.

I'm not sure why we'd be going for Mahrez now vs any other point in the summer. These things can seem arbitrary from the outside when they're not instigated by injury, other transfers or the deadline approaching. And we suck at making sense in the window. Ideally, we'd have paid extra to have signed our targets earlier in the window. If we end up missing out on some then it'll be very embarrassing.

I don't know MJ - it never looked like we were desperate for a CB till Gabriel and Per went down. Holding was a long term move, because we were sufficiently covered for the short term. Then we had not 1, but 2 injuries. And of course things sped up then. We were already linked with Mustafi when Per got hit, and we must only have sped things up once we saw Gabriel also gone. So that makes sense overall to me.

Forward signings, on the other hand, have been high priority all summer. It doesn't look like we had any plan B for Mahrez, and the Lacazette attempt seemed a tad half-arsed when we didn't follow it up doggedly. Laca didn't publicly commit to Lyon and sign a new contract or something, unlike Mahrez. I am with urbi here, there have been strikers on the move and we have been very very quiet.

And the whole Draxler, Mahrez, etc. winger stuff seems to be when the realization finally hit home that we would end up again with no credible strikers. And this summer it is worse, because last summer there was at least some lingering hope in Theo and Welbeck shouldering the mantle.

Jay, I wouldn't read too much into AW talking about Sanchez and Theo as options. He is just taking a public stance to boost their confidence - because they are all he has to do with for a couple of weeks at least. Nothing new. He has done it before, even when we had to play with Arshavin or Gervinho as the striker. Remember the Gervinho is Messi-lite comparison? It's just a ploy - not that he actually believes in it so much that he would boldly take a risk and run with it all season.

I think AW also said that his future depends on this season. I hope that means him winning the title this season. Anything else would be a failure - but then again, we are used to being let down now.

[Sri]

I'd be happy if we sign Mustafi and Mahrez.
At least people would then take us sririous for a change.

[Sri]

but is there anything about whether you even are trying to sign Bony ?

I think GL is the source of that rumor. Is Bony surely transfer listed? If yes, then I hope we at least try.

I don't think City are as petty as Chelsea were with Demba Ba that past summer.

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