Re: The Official Summer Transfer Rumours Thread

[Sina]

Lyon want just €30m to sell Nabil Fékir this summer, according to @BilelGhazi.

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 30, 2019

[Kick]

Lyon want just €30m to sell Nabil Fékir this summer, according to @BilelGhazi.

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 30, 2019

Clearly should have sold him last year.

All interest seems to have cooled on him.

[urbaNRoots]

Still a great for option for someone like us... however he's too technical for Emery, he's more interested in the likes of Brahimi and Vasquez apparently

[AnJl]

What's scaring me more is the lack of transfers outgoing.

Elneny, Michki, Mustafi, Monreal are still at the club and I have not heard a word about them leaving. Which is extremely worrying.

[AnJl]

Also, I just realised that PL starts in little over a month and our preseason fixtures start in 2 weeks. 15 days away and we are haggling like beggars.

This club is turning out to be a joke more and more everyday

[Sina]

As per @SkyKaveh Arsenal have submitted opening bid for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha. No players offered yet as part of proposed deal. Will be rejected & is getting predictably ugly. As previously reported Zaha wants to join #AFC & Emery wants him but #CPFC want huge money

— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) July 1, 2019

[Sina]

Wilfried Zaha’s brother Judicael has told Sky Sports News: ‘Wilfried will always hold Crystal Palace and their fans in the highest regard and all the support they've given means the world to him. It’s my brother’s dream though, to play for Arsenal. 1/2

— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) July 1, 2019

Zaha brother: "Given all Wilfried has given to Palace to help them remain a PL club, I hope Palace will be able to see their way to agreeing a deal with Arsenal that allows Wilfried to realise his dream of playing European Football for the club he’s supported since childhood" 2/2

— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) July 1, 2019

50M+ Chambers IMO
But Utd's Sell on clause just complicates things

[Nishankly]

Nonsense Aulas will never sell for 30m lmao

[Sina]

Imagine we Sell Laca for big fee only to use it for Zaha lol

Fekir has one year left on his Contract so certainly wont be as expensive as last summer

[Sina]

William #Saliba to Arsenal is essentially complete. #Arsenal and ASSE have reached an agreement of around €30M. Whilst both clubs are still discussing transfer bonuses, the player has already agreed with Arsenal. #RMCsport

— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) July 8, 2019

Geddin

[El Gunner]

Nice. Heard good things of him.
Let's hope Emery has the balls to straight away partner him with Holding, it's make or bust for Emery this coming season.

[Sina]

He will be loaned back afaik

[El Gunner]

Loooool, another circus-fest of Koscielny - Mustafi incoming

[Jay29]

Okay, so some stuff has been happening recently.

Firstly, Edu has been confirmed as Arsenal's new Technical Director after winning the Copa America with Brazil. Edu has an impressive track record with Corinthians and had a strong relationship with Brazil manager Tite, so this seems like a strong appointment. He played a role in Martinelli's transfer and happens to know Malcom from his Corinthians days.

That might be an important factor, as according to Kike Marin, we could be trying to get Malcom on a loan-with-an-option-to-buy from Barcelona. With Barcelona supposedly signing Griezmann and maybe even Neymar again, there'd be no room for Malcom. However, Spurs and Everton are reportedly interested and willing to pay out £35m+, and Barca may be reluctant to do another loan with us after Denis Suarez.

David Ornstein has reported that a deal with St. Etienne for Saliba is close to completion. Arsenal will pay £26.5m and loan him back for the season. Apparently, the deal will be structured as a small payment this year, followed by a larger payment the following season when he actually joins the first time, so it won't have a big impact on our current budget. It all makes sense: Arsenal secure what seems to be a very promising talent without spending too much right away, St. Etienne benefit from having him a bit longer and Saliba gets consistent game time. The only downside - and it's a big one, let's be honest - is that Arsenal have an immediate CB problem that needs fixing. Unfortunately, it's been all tumbleweed on that front, though Ornstein does say they're still looking.

Kieran Tierney remains a target, according to Ornstein, but no idea on what's happening with that one currently. Napoli are reportedly interested as well but it's gone quiet. Ornstein also says we still want a midfielder and a winger but, again, it's all quiet. The Zaha stuff has gone dead, probably until the final week of the window.

That may have something to do with the first team promotions of Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, and Eddie Nketiah, who will wear 28, 24 and 30 next season respectively. An article in the Telegraph on Edu's appointment mentioned that Emery is prepared to give more minutes to youth players this season, so I wonder if a midfielder and winger have slid down the priority list.

As for outgoings, it's silent. Nothing encouraging about Mustafi, nobody wants Elneny or Mkhitaryan, and Ozil ain't going anywhere, despite some dubious claims of Fenerbahce finding a sponsor to make a deal happen. Chambers is apparently going to stay, presumably as CB/RB cover while Holding and Bellerin recover from their ACL injuries. Emi Martinez is going to be no. 2 keeper. There have been conflicting reports about Koscielny and Monreal, but it seems they're staying.

All in all, we're looking good for 7th place next season.

[Raptorgunner]

koscielny has a contract with Arsenal and if he really wants out he needs to pay his way out. We don't care how many years he has been playing, most of time injured and still gets paid.

It's all a business he wants go free so he can get a signing bonus. I don't blame him the club is a mess, and hope Edu can bring some stability and leadership back to the club.

[AnJl]

Its really irritating to see Arsenal go about their transfer dealings like this. They realise the team is in DESPERATE need for an upheaval, but yet we haven't got anyone noteworthy.

Like, what the fuck was the scouting and management team doing in the second half of the season as the team was falling apart?

Pre season has already started, no new players have come in. Then when they do come in, Emery will go "they need time to settle and get used to the team" so that sets everything back.

And the league starts in less than a month.

The worst thing? We cant even do anything about as we watch the club fall apart. The club is cursed with Kronke at the helm and all those other dickwards just sitting there and talking.

[Jay29]

They made plans with CL football in mind and realised that signing half a team on a tiny budget is impossible.

The squad has a lot of unwanted players on high wages that are too difficult to shift, so they can't raise funds through sales, either. The management would need a minor miracle to convince someone to take Mustafi off their hands for actual money.

Even if they had CL, hitting the reset button this summer was never likely. The reality is nobody wants under-performing players on bloated salaries and without shifting those guys, you can't make new signings.

The clubs that would usually sign a Mustafi, Mkhitaryan or Ozil can no longer do so. The Turkish clubs are in severe financial trouble (likely from using this exact strategy for years without pay-off), Chinese clubs are limited by tax laws (100% tax on foreign signings) and even Russian clubs seem more interested in younger players now. Then you look closer to home. Ozil would be the highest paid player in Italy and Germany by a distance. Mkhitaryan would be in the top five highest earners in Italy and Germany as well.

It's not exclusively an Arsenal problem, either, because United (Sanchez), Chelsea (Drinkwater, Batshuayi), City (Mangala) and Spurs (Nkoudou) all have unwanted players on their books that they've been unable to sell. You can look abroad as well and see that even Barca and Madrid are having difficulty shifting some players on (actual good players like Coutinho and Isco, for example) because of their salaries and transfer fees. The difference is they just have fewer problem players, so it's not as big an issue.

And honestly, I don't know how Arsenal breaks out of this cycle. I think they've fucked themselves for a very long time with their transfer policy. Kroenke could throw some money their way to help them sign some players, but how much would that really fix, long-term? They still have ageing players on big contracts, and adding new guys bloats the wage bill even more. The fundamental problem of financial mismanagement remains the same.

As I see it, there are only two options for the club right now. Use the unwanted players in the first team and hope they become more attractive assets through good performances (they wouldn't be unwanted if they were good performers in the first place, mind you), or wait until their contracts expire. A classic pick your poison scenario but I don't see any other ways out.

[Hapless_Hans]

Its really irritating to see Arsenal go about their transfer dealings like this. They realise the team is in DESPERATE need for an upheaval, but yet we haven't got anyone noteworthy.

Like, what the fuck was the scouting and management team doing in the second half of the season as the team was falling apart?

Pre season has already started, no new players have come in. Then when they do come in, Emery will go "they need time to settle and get used to the team" so that sets everything back.

And the league starts in less than a month.

The worst thing? We cant even do anything about as we watch the club fall apart. The club is cursed with Kronke at the helm and all those other dickwards just sitting there and talking.

Admittedly from the outside, I don't quite understand this dramatic description?
How exactly is the team 'falling apart'?

The way I see it, you've got a number of great players in your first team, and only certain areas to fix.
You've got two absolute top strikers, forming the core of what can be a very exiting attack, Özil is still a top AM even if we know about his negatives, it's not like Mkhitaryan can't be used either.
XHAKA and Torreira is a good midfield with Guendouzi having played a promising first season.

With Koscielny leaving and Mustafi being a catastrophy, you are in desperate need of a couple CB, hardly a problem that can't be fixed though?
There's many interesting CBs out there that could possibly be signed by Arsenal.
Get a seasoned WC player in Boateng and then a youg talent, maybe one of BVBs Diallo/Akanji will be sold after they got Hummels and Balerdi. And that's just from the top of my head an example from clubs I know about.

Fullbacks, a bit more tricky. But still, you can't tell me it's not possible to find players. If I think that a player like Henrichs seems to be available from Monaco (apparently we're thinking about buying him) whom I liked very much every time I saw him. Can play on both sides. Again, just providing examples in front of my eyes, of course actual scouts will have many more examples from other leagues and clubs.

Then you could need a pacy winger but you seem to be trying for Zaha, if he's to expensive surely there are similar options out there.

Ramsey is a loss, of course, but then one problem of recent years was the inconsistency of Ramsey's impact (injuries, positional problems, etc).
If Torreira is hellbent on leaving, that would be disappointing and would produce the need for another good signing, sure.

So yes, there's a number of problems to be addressed with the squad. But 'falling apart'? The window is still open for more than a month.

[Jay29]

It probably comes from the club's typically haphazard approach to squad building. The new management talked up having plans and being more efficient in the market, but currently it doesn't seem like much as changed from the previous era. Baring in mind that the transfer window for PL clubs closes on August 8 and that the first pre-season friendly is in four days, it's a tad concerning that the only player in is an 18-year-old from the Brazilian third division.

And hey, you won't catch me dismissing a young player just because he came from nowhere, but there are some urgent problems that need addressing and we haven't been getting much encouragement. Centre back seems especially perilous now with the Koscielny stuff, but the only links I've seen to CBs at the moment is the kid we're going to sign and then loan out. Again, I support that bit of business, but there's a need now as well.

Anyway, I'm not that fussed about when new players arrive, just as long as they do in the end. I suspect Arsenal will do something in the final two weeks. Even they aren't mad enough to not sign a first team CB when Sokratis is the only reliable option there currently (I would say Holding as well, but we don't know what he'll be like post injury). And I think Kieran Tierney will arrive eventually as well.

I don't think a CM or winger will arrive because they're going to require big investments that Arsenal just can't do at the moment. They're gonna have to rely on the kids for those positions for time being.

[El Gunner]

Its really irritating to see Arsenal go about their transfer dealings like this. They realise the team is in DESPERATE need for an upheaval, but yet we haven't got anyone noteworthy.

Like, what the fuck was the scouting and management team doing in the second half of the season as the team was falling apart?

Pre season has already started, no new players have come in. Then when they do come in, Emery will go "they need time to settle and get used to the team" so that sets everything back.

And the league starts in less than a month.

The worst thing? We cant even do anything about as we watch the club fall apart. The club is cursed with Kronke at the helm and all those other dickwards just sitting there and talking.

Admittedly from the outside, I don't quite understand this dramatic description?
How exactly is the team 'falling apart'?

The way I see it, you've got a number of great players in your first team, and only certain areas to fix.
You've got two absolute top strikers, forming the core of what can be a very exiting attack, Özil is still a top AM even if we know about his negatives, it's not like Mkhitaryan can't be used either.
XHAKA and Torreira is a good midfield with Guendouzi having played a promising first season.

With Koscielny leaving and Mustafi being a catastrophy, you are in desperate need of a couple CB, hardly a problem that can't be fixed though?
There's many interesting CBs out there that could possibly be signed by Arsenal.
Get a seasoned WC player in Boateng and then a youg talent, maybe one of BVBs Diallo/Akanji will be sold after they got Hummels and Balerdi. And that's just from the top of my head an example from clubs I know about.

Fullbacks, a bit more tricky. But still, you can't tell me it's not possible to find players. If I think that a player like Henrichs seems to be available from Monaco (apparently we're thinking about buying him) whom I liked very much every time I saw him. Can play on both sides. Again, just providing examples in front of my eyes, of course actual scouts will have many more examples from other leagues and clubs.

Then you could need a pacy winger but you seem to be trying for Zaha, if he's to expensive surely there are similar options out there.

Ramsey is a loss, of course, but then one problem of recent years was the inconsistency of Ramsey's impact (injuries, positional problems, etc).
If Torreira is hellbent on leaving, that would be disappointing and would produce the need for another good signing, sure.

So yes, there's a number of problems to be addressed with the squad. But 'falling apart'? The window is still open for more than a month.

Maybe "falling apart" is a bit of an exaggeration. But have you seen us play? Apart from Lacazette and Aubameyang, I genuinely don't feel any good about our squad. Torreira has a good skillset but instead of XHAKA, he needs a more complete and consistent partner next to him if he wants to be a very good PL midfielder.

[Jay29]

Negotiations between Arsenal, Saint Etienne and Saliba were in their very final stages - much of it already in the hands of lawyers to agree wording of contracts etc - but Tottenham have reignited their interest and are now pushing hard to get the deal completed #AFC #THFC #ASSE https://t.co/8uihItY3eS

— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) July 12, 2019

[Hapless_Hans]

Negotiations between Arsenal, Saint Etienne and Saliba were in their very final stages - much of it already in the hands of lawyers to agree wording of contracts etc - but Tottenham have reignited their interest and are now pushing hard to get the deal completed #AFC #THFC #ASSE https://t.co/8uihItY3eS

— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) July 12, 2019

Wait, that is the one prospective CB kid signing you mentioned above, isn't it?

Maybe "falling apart" is a bit of an exaggeration. But have you seen us play? Apart from Lacazette and Aubameyang, I genuinely don't feel any good about our squad. Torreira has a good skillset but instead of XHAKA, he needs a more complete and consistent partner next to him if he wants to be a very good PL midfielder.

I've seen you play, yes, and above all you were very inconsistent.

But there was a stretch in the season were you played very successfully, and at times enjoyably too.
The Auba-Laca combination is awesome, makes you look forward to seeing them.

I'm not sure what to think of Emery, as the inconsistency seems to be kind of his handwriting, but there were positive things going on definitively, too.

[Jay29]

Wait, that is the one prospective CB kid signing you mentioned above, isn't it?

Yes, the one they've spent all summer trying to sign.

[urbaNRoots]

No signings yet. Raul Sanllehi is useless, worse than Gazidis.

[Twoism]

Dont want to be doom and gloom just yet, nothing official so everything is still on the table. I know Orny is a deity when it comes to Arsenal news but we still have one month to work things out.

As for Kozz, he was kinda borderline legend last year mostly to the fault of lack of trophy but with this new public stun, gonna be hard to recover. I remember Gallas got so much shit as a captain with his sulking at Birmingham, this is worse.

[Twoism]

No signings yet. Raul Sanllehi is useless, worse than Gazidis.

Lets not go there, bald fraud got us into this mess. All of his star players are now deadweight and impossible to shift out. Raul, Unai and maybe Edu hands are all tied. We have less money than Everton, Westham and probably few more mid table clubs and money talks.

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