by Tony Attwood
OK let’s try and weigh this up. My view is that we are not going to buy any more players because
a) the budget was £70m and that has gone.
b) Arsenal have far too many players to fit into the artificial “17” and “25” limits, and so need to sell or loan out the surplus.
c) the club knows as we all do that come next summer there could be a lot of foreigners for sale if the PL or the government rules change the rules on foreigners, in the light of the UK leaving the EU, so loaning out is not always going to be the solution; we probably won’t want these players back.
d) even though a few sales now might make more money available, by the time the club gets the deal sorted there is going to be less and less time to see it through before the early end to the window – prior to the PL kick off.
Against that the stories of transfers continue and throughout without any mention of the fact that the 25 and 17 are already overfull, and the budget is spent. Not to mention the fact that the manager has said that although he might move for a very special deal, basically the job is done.
So at the moment we have
1: Arsenal make €50m offer for Bayern Munich man ‘very interested’ in Arsenal
And “Arsenal make €50m bid to agree transfer deal for forward, 22-year-old wants to join,” and associated variations.
The long and the short is that Arsenal have reportedly offered €50m for Kingsley Coman in a story that refuses to die. That is in the Daily Cannon and Arsenal Fever. But the Mail has “the Frenchman is adamant that he will be staying at Bayern after signing a five-year contract with the German champions in December.”
And that last part is the point. Why, after signing a five year contract, would both player and club think about moving on?
2: Reports: Arsenal Set To Agree Four-Year Deal With 22-Year-Old Midfielder
The story is that “Alex Iwobi to sign new four year deal with Arsenal” according to All Arsenal Rumours. Quite possibly so, and this means the sales will have to come from elsewhere.
3: Journalist – Arsenal have ‘genuine interest’ in signing of 22-year-old forward.
That’s in Red London, and oh no we are back to Kingsley Coman. And this really is the story that goes on and on. And I have to keep on asking “why?” The club has spent the money and made the choices, we have run out of space for new players, it’s getting late… well you know.
4: Arsenal transfer news: Kingsley Coman breaks silence on speculation (
But could the Star of all people – the newspaper of fantasy and makebelieve actually be getting it right? Of course we don’t know. I am only talking about what seems likely, and what seems highly unlikely. But their story is “Asked if he has been in contact with Arsenal about a summer transfer, Coman told Sport1: ‘That’s not true. I’ve had no contact with Arsenal’.”
5: Goal gets the interview and scores
Goal however has taken the same line as Untold with the question we raised about Mesut when the current story about him leaving the Germany team first broke. If he was that bad for that long, what does that say about the Germany team selection process? Surely the big story is that the country’s football association is in total crisis, picking really awful players. OK they got knocked out of the WC early this time, but before then…
Dr Erkut Sogut, Mesut’s agent has apparently done an exclusive interview with Goal.com and says, “Mr Hoeness cannot even provide any actual evidence to back up his foolish statements that are clearly exaggerated. In this case, the stats are clear. Twenty-three goals, 40 assists – which is a German record – and five-time German player of the year – three of which come after 2014.
“He claims that Mesut has been a ‘ghost’ for years, but what ‘ghost’ wins all these awards and has this much success? Mesut created more chances in the 2018 World Cup per 90 minutes than any other player, but, of course, he singles him out for criticism.”
Nice one Goal. Clever to get that interview. Credit where it is well and truly due.
6: Arsenal try to drive midfielder’s €40m price tag down as negotiations continue
7: Arsenal transfer news: Gunners dealt blow in hunt of Kingsley Coman
But oh, what is this? With all the talk that we are buying KC (who may or may not come with the Sunshine Band, but that comment is only for people of a particular age group) it seems he ain’t coming.
Oh!
8: But where, I hear you cry, is the old regular? The churner out of stories? Have they gone?
Indeed where is Football London in all this? The 40 a day habit from the Daily Mirror; has it stopped publishing in the face of Untold’s withering exposure of how its Arsenal stories pour our from a computer every half hour through night and day?
Well no. They have got one. “Arsenal are believed to have entered the race to sign Croatia World Cup star Domagoj Vida, according to reports emerging from Turkey.” He is a defender from Besiktas.
Do we need another defender? Not to mention all the other problems with buying players. We’ve exceeded the quota, we spent the money, no one is buying… Well, you know the rest.
- The new transfers and the full list of the 110 players coming our way this summer.
- If we have lowered expectations for the start of the season that can only be good.
- Mesut Özil takes the right step: but international football will always be racist
Tony can you point me to the evidence that we can only spend 70 million?
To adequately strengthened their first team in readiness for a successful Premier League campaign when next season starts next month, I am of the opinion Arsenal should still reinforced with 2 signings of a top grade attacking midfielder and a top class striker. For, to my seeing Arsenal are are yet to be fully covered in the attacking midfielder personell in terms of highly necessary top quality and in the striker department despite having Ramsey and Ozil as their main AMFs and 4 strikers of: Auba’, Laca, Mkhi’ and Welbeck but is Mkhi’ more or less operating from the wings.
Okay, in the AMF area, Reiss Nelson could be dragged in to cover for Ramsey or Ozil. But I think it won’t be in all PL games should one of the duo main AMFs is not available to play. Nelson is still young and should be played by Unai Emery to further develop him for Arsenal. But the PL is a very serious business where experimentation or mistakes could fail or be punished. Therefore, Arsenal need a matured strong senior AMF signing before or on summer transfer deadline day. Is Alex Iwobi suppose to be an AMF but seeing to mostly operates from the wings? Or is he an outright winger for Arsenal? Will he be efficient for Arsenal and be productive for them in the PL next campaign in terms of good number of goals scored and assists
to warrant Arsenal jettison the idea of signing of a new AMF?
The season campaign could be long for Arsenal as they compete in all 4 fronts to win the quadruple? Yes. Why not if Arsenal are ambitious to win it and have the belief they can win it and believe their beliefs of winning it. However, ambition alone don’t win the quadruple more especially the coveted PL Title. The ambition to win the PL Title or the quadruple has to be seriously backed with availability of top quality players in all the segments of the team. Strikers who can score goals regularly for the club and competent adequate cover for them to step in when the main striker or strikers are not are available to play are very important for the club to have to keep their Titles campaign going without stumbling.
In this regard, Arsenal should do all they can not to leave any stone unturned but turn every stone in their efforts to rebuild and reinforced the Gunners team left behind for Unai to inherit.
I agree that I also think our spending is over although I’m sure they’d find a bit more money if a top player became available at the right price (unlikely but possible).
The main priority at the moment is to reduce the squad size.
It has been said by the present UK government that EU citizens presently in this country working may have to obtain a work permit but would not be deported after Brexit.
So I’m pretty certain that none of the PL clubs are considering suddenly having to sell their foreign players next summer.
Whilst it’s clearly not cast in stone, to suggest the opposite is anything other than a seriously remote possibility is wrong.
A fantastic response by the chair of Kick It Out to FIFA’s and Hoeness’s responses to Ozil’s statements in the Metro….
https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/24/uli-hoeness-and-fifas-response-to-the-racism-mesut-ozil-has-faced-is-pathetic-and-ignorant-7752413/
My looks at the schmews this morning, is a whole bunch of imaginary stories about transfers.
There are stories about Usmanov now thinking about selling his 30% to Kroenke, as Kroneke won’t sell his majority to him. A week or so ago, there was a story or two about Dangote still wanting to buy all of Arsenal, and change us back to a 1-0 team. I think I would rather see that Usmanov 30% go into a bunch of independent investors, not to make a bigger block in a single owner’s hands.
Some medja outlet, is wondering if Arsenal can once again become part of the Top-4. This news outlet has missed the boat entirely. Top-4 is not something written in stone. Last season, it was a Top-6 and Arsenal was still part of it. If the Spuds start having problems, it could become a Top-5. Maybe some other team will jump the gap, and make it a Top-7.
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With respect to the DFB and Mesut, I think heads at the top need to roll. The head of the DFB and Hoeness at Munich might be a start.
Gord, I do think the club will have problems off the pitch as long as it’s 2 main shareholders hate each other, so although (like you) I’d rather Usmanov sells to a number of independent investors, I’d be OK with Stan buying all his shares if that’s the only option. I’d rather the club didn’t have any involvement with Dangote, as my Nigerian friends don’t speak well of him.
Usmanov, by virtue of his 30% holding, should have a place on the Arsenal Board.
The present situation where Kroenke reigns supreme is not a heathy one for the Club.
The Board’s actual
powers are extremely weak and always will be under a single Owner with an unassailable holding.
In due course I would like to see (say) a consortium from the City, buy out Kroenke and restore a sense of democracy in the governance of Arsenal FC. 🙂
Personally I would rather see shareholding limited to UK resident investors only as in many other organisations. The ownership of shares by one majority holder will allow a takeover of all shares as happened to Chelsea. I would prefer control of all sports clubs retained by members & supporters.
Ownership of sporting entities has become a lucrative business for greedy foreign investors. This usually is followed by sale of chunks real estate to developers. There is no magic solution as most magic is in hard currency.