By Sir Hardly Anyone
There is a growing feeling that Arsenal’s summer plan is running exactly according to plan. The third big transfer is getting close and then there is still plenty of time to sell those whom the club wants to sell. It is running like a well oiled machine.
Except this is Arsenal. So of course not everyone sees it this way, as our old centre forward and now Sky Sports man, has been facing the dilemma that all the Arsenal Commentariat are facing: if the club does make its third and final deal shortly WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE TALK ABOUT FOR THE NEXT 54 DAYS????]
Now Charlie Nic has the solution to this problem for he has come up with the notion that Arsenal took for too long to complete the signing of Lacazette, as if buying a player was like walking into the newsagent and getting your copy of the Daily Bonkers. I think Charlie did sign right at the start of the summer for Arsenal, but then he never recaptured his Celtic form, so maybe later buys are better…
But for the moment there is the clear feeling that at least one more deal to do, and then some selling so let’s go through the runners and riders. After all, there are 54 days to fill.
So who will we buy?
1: BUYING MAHREZ
Arsenal are unwilling to meet Leicester’s £50million valuation for RIYAD MAHREZ, according to the Daily Mail, “leaving the Foxes player in limbo on the eve of pre-season.” So Mahrez returns to training, which must be deeply troublesome for the millionaire.
But in much of the Commentariat Mahrez is the man typed out by many an itchy finger – the last piece in the jigsaw and all that so there is a lot of confidence that THIS IS IT.
Arsenal do have time on their side now – although there is an attraction in tying up the big three deals before most of the other clubs have woken up – and if it happens the Commentariat will be out there with all the mistakes Arsenal have made because they “rushed” this season’s transfers, while the rest of the clubs took a more measured view. If we had waited, we will be told, we could have got the same players at bargain prices and “strengthened the squad”.
Also look out for the phrase “panic buying” at the sign of the first home draw.
But suppose it is not Mahrez. Then we will see “Wenger’s grand plan in tatters as the jigsaw falls apart” or some other bundle of mixed metaphors.
Still there are some other buys on the charts at the moment and here they are.
2: Pontus Dahlberg
Do we need another goalkeeper? Probably not as we already have a netfull of them. But Pontus Dahlberg has “become one of the keenly watched prospects in European football with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham keen to sign the 18-year-old goalkeeper”, according to reports from FotbollDirekt.
He is the number one goalkeeper for Swedish club IFK Goteborg.
3: Robert Lewandowski
Poor Bobby is unhappy at Bayern Munich, amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea according to the Daily Canon. He’s 28, he’s Polish he plays as a striker for Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team. Amazingly he has scored 77 goals in 96 league games. Including 30 in 33 this past season. Now that is scoring. Chelsea also want him; I think I already said that.
4: Etebo
Arsenal are one of three Premier League clubs keeping an eye on Feirense winger Oghenekaro Etebo, according to A Bola (which I was told down the Rutland Arms is Spanish for “Load of Balls”.
This is the player who people got excited about at the 2016 Olympic Games when he scored four goals in one game and Nigeria got a 5-4 win over Japan.
5: Jorginho
Arsenal have been warned by the agent of Jorginho that a deal for the Napoli midfielder will be “more difficult” to sign if they hang about much more and leave it any longer. See told you so. It’s started already.
6: Jakub Jankto
Arsenal are “set to” relaunch a bid to sign Udinese star Jakub Jankto . He’s a Czech midfielder with Udinese (you said that – Tony) and the Czech Republic national team. He signed for Udinese Calcio from SK Slavia Prague in 2014 for a reported fee of €700,000.
7: Robert Green – the unlikely tale
According to wholly unreliable Sun, which told us on the day before the general election that May was en route to a massive majority in the House of Comics, Arsenal are lining up a shock move for Leeds United goalkeeper Robert Green.
Green was Leeds’ first-choice stopper last season, but the arrival of German keeper Felix Wiedwald this week appears to have thrown his future at Elland Road into some doubt. With the need to sell players and five keepers on the books anyway, it seems odd no matter how it is painted. But the media are now suggesting we are buying Green AND Dahlberg. Odd!
8: Rafinha Alcantara
Mundo Deportivo (which sounds a bit like that 1948 Dean Martin song Hey Mambo which runs, if memory serves “A boy went back to Napoli, / because he missed the scenery, / the native dancers and the charming songs. / But wait a minute, something’s wrong”) have revealed (“invented the notion that”) Barcelona midfielder Rafinha Alcantara has requested a transfer in search of more playing time.
Arsenal is said to be the destination.
9: Max Meyer
Schalke 04 player and German Under-21 international Max Meyer is on Arsenal’s radar according to the Star. He has turned down a new deal and currently has just one year left on his contract. Schalke are asking £20 million for the attacking midfielder. Mind you the very annoying drone that keeps flying over the estate in Rutlandshire is on my radar. Doesn’t mean I am going to buy it. Might shoot it down, but buy it? No!
10: Fabinho & Lemar
Manchester United are not advancing their interest and Arsenal are enquiring, according to the ramblings of the media. Arsenal are also trying to sign Fabinho’s Monaco team-mate Thomas Lemar, At least that is what passes for opinion in the Express. Others however claim that Fabinho appears to be staying at Monaco with neither Manchester United or Arsenal pursuing a move.
11: Barkok
Barkok is a player, not an item of plumbing equipment and Arsenal are “set to” make an offer to sign the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Aymen Barkok. According to our old chum R E Ports.
Up soon – who we are selling.
- Exactly how will Arsenal’s forward line look in 2017/18? Here’s the answers
- Wenger’s regrets, two transfers out, playing on a Friday, what Pep said about “ten years”
- Next season’s Arsenal 25 plus the under 21s. It is going to be tight.
Untold Cockups
Untold Social
Keep these articles coming – they are good and informative. Thanks
To your credit alot of what you are saying is correct! I for one hate wenger BUT feel so far so good. A fullback and a world class striker that hopefully we can play to his strengths.Most of the players mentioned ive not HERD of! Bioth Gazidus and wenger have said Top Top players. LEMAR has to be the one to go all out for.Mahrez when his price drops.To meet Sanchez/Ozils wage demands a number of players HAVE to leave to near balance the books. Ox/Wanutt/Giroud plus Debuchey/ Jenkinson/Ospina to name but a few
‘Barkok is a player, not an item of plumbing equipment’
Aymen Barkok sounds like like an updated chastity belt! 😉 😉
Goonermay68
You hate Wenger. A bit over the top and childish don’t you think?
Sir Hardly Anyone, to me, your opening paragraph is correct to the letter. For, so far, the Arsenal’s incoming transfers this summer are incredibly on course as 2 of the 3 targets they plan to sign this summer have been timely signed.
Nevertheless, it’s true a piece will be missing in the jigsaw of this Arsenal’s summer transfer plans should they fail to conclude all their 3 planned signings. However, hopes are still alive for the missing piece in this Arsenal’s summer transfer jigsaw will eventually be sorted for in this summer transfer market and be procured to fix it into this Arsenal’s summer transfer jigsaw to complete it in full in readiness for next season’s campaign.
Multiple media reports this morning which I read on Tom Sunderland’s B/R and the Goal.com had it that Arsenal have submitted a 2nd bid of €45m to AS Monaco to sign Thomas Lemar. If this media reports turned out to be correct and Arsenal finally succeeded to sign Thomas Lemar, I’ll delightfully be happy.
Mahrez is the answer
PER MERTESACKER signs….
Goonermay68 – You hate Wenger? Erm… What? The man that has taken the team you supposedly support to the loft heights of where it is today and yet you hate him? Because of what? Because we haven’t managed to win the CL or PL in a number of years? That’s a bit petty and pathetic, dontcha think? How sad, that you feel the need to hate the man who has devoted his heart and the latter-stages of his life to this club.
Apparently Mertesacker will stay on as a player for one more season and then become an academy couch for Arsenal. Seems perfect for the job! I definitely see him becoming a top decent manager, at some point.
Jammy J
Maybe we shouldn’t be too hard on Goonermay68, he’s probably just finished taking his GCSE’s and is a bit stressed. I don’t think he will be getting an A in English grammar though judging from the mistakes in his comments.
Untold being negative?
Remember, not too far else you wont get back! 🙂
Come on peeps, we just made some “good” signings.
Apparently it’s very important for Alexis Sanchez to be in the Champions League and playing for a club who can win it, which is why he has his heart set on a move to Manchester City. Obviously. It has, however, absolutely nothing to do with the idea City could easily afford the £400k a week wages he recently demanded from Arsenal. Personally, I’d be quite satisfied for our club to pack this preening little brat off to Madchester for a tidy 50m, just to get him off the wage bill before it collapses under the weight of his greed.
Anybody who writes ‘I hate Wenger´ is not a true Gooner and should shut the hell up.
It never ceases to amaze me how ungrateful and idiotic some people are. They claim to be Arsenal fans and yet they quite openly publish that they hate the manager who has brought unprecedented success and overseen a new stadium. Shall we see what happens at Spurs whilst they are building and paying for theirs ??? Arsene Wenger deserves our unconditional respect and support. I suggest you start to live in the real world and get on with doing that.
Goonermay68
Can you explain exactly what it is you ‘Hate’ about Wenger?
I can understand somebody not agreeing with every player Wenger ever bought or sold. Every thing he ever said or did, but to ‘Hate’ the man that has done so much for Arsenal FC is simply unbelievable.
I’d be fascinated to hear what lies behind his hatred.
Let’s do some financials ..
If Sanchez is asking for a raise , we got to effect the raise towards the end of the season . Otherwise , it will upset the club financial budget for the year . Same case as Ozil.
Unless Wenger-San decides to sell them, he will be doing the deal with others now or both players values drop a lot.
My take is that so long we don’t hear from
Sanchez and Ozil; there is a high possibility that they are continuing to play for the Gunners 2018 season.
Instead of mocking all the transfer speculation and somehow interpreting it as an anti arsenal conspiracy – it isn’t by the way- why not assess some of these potential buys in a serious way?
Who do you think wenger should be looking at?
What sort of players do you think the squad needs?
What do you think of lacazette? Good? Bad?
Who do you see making room for him in the squad?
Also, I see no harm in transfer speculation and press gossip. I like seeing arsenal linked with big names.
Alexanderhenry
‘Also, I see no harm in transfer speculation and press gossip. I like seeing arsenal linked with big names.’
It depends on whether you are happy reading pointless, predominantly speculative and fabricated nonsense or not. Personally I have better things to do.