Re: The Official Summer Transfer Rumours Thread

by Hapless_Hans Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:59 pm

Coutinho's passing is abominably bad so as much I'd like to recommend him and as much as it might seem a good idea, I'm afraid it's not.
He's a nice kid, got a good touch, he can dribble, he used to be able to shoot from distance (not anymore for some reason but I could see him getting that back with all the space and time afforded in PL), but he can't pass a ball to a teammate. Just can't get it done. Overhits them grotesquely, underhits them pathetically, almost every second pass. Playmaker my arse.

by Helmer Tue Jul 28, 2020 7:09 pm

Coutinho was never a playmaker as such. He is bit of weird player the way he developed under different managers. He is somehow a mix of a wide forward and a midfielder. I would bet if Klopp gets on his hands again on Coutinho, Klopp will exactly figure out how to use him.

Coutinho needs support and trust of the manager. If Arteta can find a role for him in his team, I can easily see him doing all that what he did in Liverpool days. His passing was never perfect but I dont expect that from that kind of a player. He is more effective in final third than a playmaker.

Ignore Hans, he is just angry like my other friends who are Bayern fans who had really high expectations of him. He will come good under a manager like Arteta or Klopp smoking

by Hapless_Hans Tue Jul 28, 2020 7:29 pm

Helmer wrote:
Ignore Hans, he is just angry like my other friends who are Bayern fans who had really high expectations of him

Right. That does sound like me Laughing

by El Gunner Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:40 pm

i agree with both of you in a sense regarding his abilities.
He really just needs a specific role in a team to get the best out of him. I still think his best role is in the 10 area of the field (mainly because he doesn't have the explosiveness of a wide player/winger nor the best central midfield qualities of an 8 ). But then to play in that sort of 10 role, the team must have good, dynamic wide forwards and/or fullbacks so that sole creative responsibility doesn't lie on him.

Then again as Jay mentioned before the current game has moved beyond the need for 10s and prefers dynamic wide forwards/wingers and hardworking 8s

by Hapless_Hans Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:42 pm

El Gunner wrote:i agree with both of you in a sense regarding his abilities.
He really just needs a specific role in a team to get the best out of him. I still think his best role is in the 10 area of the field (mainly because he doesn't have the explosiveness of a wide player/winger nor the best central midfield qualities of an . But then to play in that sort of 10 role, the team must have good, dynamic wide forwards and/or fullbacks so that sole creative responsibility doesn't lie on him.

Then again as Jay mentioned before the current game has moved beyond the need for 10s and prefers dynamic wide forwards/wingers and hardworking 8s

Ultimately, in a top team, he's a waste of space. I mean you guys hate on Özil and want him out..

by El Gunner Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:48 pm

yup, he could very well be Ozil 2.0

by Hapless_Hans Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:55 pm

pretty unbelievable that Arsenal fans keep pretending Özil wasn't amazing for them more often than not

by RealGunner Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:08 pm

He definitely was until 2017

by Eman Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:24 pm

Sina wrote:
Headline from my post-match @talkSPORT interview with Roy Hodgson is that star man Wilf Zaha has made it clear he wants to move on from #CPFC and finished our chat by saying 'watch this space.'
— Alex Crook (@alex_crook) July 26, 2020

Player+cash

I wouldn't take Zaha for free tbh. He's not worth the wages. He just had a truly horrendous season and even in the previous year when he was supposedly being valued at 60-70M he only fumbled in shit tap-ins. One of the most overrated players in PL history imo. Pepe has been below expectation but at least you can see the potential and quality that he has, whereas Zaha on his best day is a homeless man's Raheem Sterling. I'd be fuming if we spent any of our money on him.

On Coutinho: we should play him out wide or as an inside forward as there is room for him there. If we want a more robust, balanced midfielder instead, I would gladly take Ramsey back :coffee:

by El Gunner Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:46 pm

RealGunner wrote:He definitely was until 2017

this. He had his flashes of brilliance up until that year and then he completely fell off the cliff.

by mani88 Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:46 pm

For all the coutinho talk, I dont know why James Rodriguez is not being linked to us. He was someone who could both create and finish from the midfield. (The type of player we need atm)

by El Gunner Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:00 pm

i question James' commitment

by Sina Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:15 pm

Who has seen more of Said Benrahma?
Looks interesting profile that we are missing in final 3rd
Someone to make himself available to recieve/play between the lines and help the team get up the pitch while offering creativity,dribbling and goal threat
Just unsure if he can transfer that to top division too
Need to see more

by RealGunner Fri Jul 31, 2020 10:48 pm

He is definitely way too good for championship. But it's just a matter of if he can do the same in the PL. PL is another beast. We've seen countless players in the championship who look like Ronaldo but ends up being nothing but Solanke

by Jay29 Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:03 am

Linked with Sevilla CB Diego Carlos.

Guy has been a rock for them this season. Signed from Nantes last summer for £13m and is now being linked with £50m moves to City and Liverpool. He'd be expensive but a definite upgrade.

by Sri Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:31 am

How's Saliba? Anything to look forward to?

by RealGunner Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:16 pm

Looks like a beast tbh

by Jay29 Mon Aug 03, 2020 1:57 pm

Willian has refused another bid from Chelsea to extend his contract until June 2022. Still no agreement. Arsenal are now in talks with his representatives to sign him as a free agent - no bids from Barcelona at the moment. #AFC #CFC #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 3, 2020

by El Gunner Mon Aug 03, 2020 2:17 pm

i only like this signing if we really have no one else to go for in improving our wing positions. He is still quite good, and fit, has insane stamina/endurance, and can get the job done.

by urbaNRoots Mon Aug 03, 2020 2:25 pm

Awful.

Fair play to Kia, using us to get his clients one last big contract.

by MJ Mon Aug 03, 2020 5:48 pm

France Football: Arsenal offering Willian a three-year contract. He's pushing for an option to extend for an additional year.

A source close to the situation has said of Willian’s move to Arsenal: “It’s very well advanced.”

I don't know how reliable France Football is these days and I wouldn't be surprised if the intensity of the links has more to do with angling for a better offer from other parties than Arsenal having actually gone this far in negotiations.

But is our transfer policy to forward our transfer wish list to Kia Joorabchian and see what he can scrape from the bargain bin?

I think Willian still has a lot to offer in the short-term but a contract of that length could hamstring us down the road.

by Jay29 Mon Aug 03, 2020 6:11 pm

According to reports, the reason he's turning down Chelsea's offers is because they're offering two years instead of the three he wants. My gut feeling is if Chelsea offered what he wanted he'd happily stay there, so we'll see what happens.

If I'm being generous, I can see the sense of signing a free player in a lower priority position if we're saving money for a CB and CM. Not every signing needs to be long-term with resale value in mind, especially as we're looking to rise up the table quickly. That said, I do wonder if Willian is really worth it as a short-term solution. He's versatile, industrious, and good on set-pieces but I can't see him being the difference between 8th and 4th.

I guess it's the sign of the times. Beyond Auba, Laca and Pepe, our forward options are very young (Saka and Martinelli are 18, Nelson and Nketiah are 20). Ideally, you'd want someone in the 24-28 age range who can play for the first team, but money is tight, and we have other positions to buy for. That's how you end up with a Willian.

The wages concern me. I can only assume the club is confident of shifting players on because adding another £150k p/w at least, on top Auba's potential new contract, seems risky in the current climate.

by El Gunner Mon Aug 03, 2020 6:20 pm

well we're getting him on free, so we're not investing too much of our budget into him. I'm sure the wages will be reasonable too.

i know it's not an awe-inspiring signing, but lest we forget we're only a Europa league side as of now, and our summer business doesn't stop here. So let's judge at the closure of the window.

by Eman Tue Aug 04, 2020 2:52 am

Willian reportedly wants pretty high wages and is certainly not worth hamstringing us down the line when we pursue the players we really need. I don’t think it’s worth it. If we wanted an experienced attacking midfielder/winger, we might as well keep Mkhitaryan imo.

For me, sign a guy we really need long-term or trust youth more until we can get that guy.

by Jay29 Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:44 am

More on Willian, from Ornstein's podcast:

- Had four main options: stay at Chelsea, or join one of Arsenal, Barcelona and Inter Miami
- Currently has two options: Arsenal, and one other unnamed club
- Arsenal could make a formal 3 year offer imminently
- Willian prefers to join Arsenal, but not because of the money; Arsenal aren't offering the biggest financial package
- Arteta and Edu being at the club is appealing to him
- Arteta has asked for Willian to be signed; sees Willian as experienced and someone who can bring a good mentality to the club + help the youngsters
- Stresses that Arsenal's offer is not the most lucrative Willian has received
- Unlikely to play for Chelsea against Bayern, so deal could happen quickly

by El Gunner Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:11 am

Eman wrote:Willian reportedly wants pretty high wages and is certainly not worth hamstringing us down the line when we pursue the players we really need. I don’t think it’s worth it. If we wanted an experienced attacking midfielder/winger, we might as well keep Mkhitaryan imo.

For me, sign a guy we really need long-term or trust youth more until we can get that guy.

oh piss off pls with this bullshit. All day i've had to deal with people making out as if Willian is some trash washed player - he has basically been Chelsea's best player since the restart along with Pulisic.

Don't compare him to that slowass bum Mkhitarayn.

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