By Sir Hardly Anyone
Yesterday we noted that Mr Wenger had told the press that they might be surprised at what will happen at the end of this window, and that every club still had transfers to do before the closure of the transfer market on wednesday night.
Now we see the story, which is replicated in most papers, that Jack Wilshere could go out on loan. The idea seems to be not so much that he will go for a season long loan but rather that he will have a shorter loan spell in order to get more match experience after so many interruptions through injury. Valencia has been mentioned, and several papers are suggesting that it is Jack himself who has come up with the idea.
Arsenal have so far spent £89.4m, mostly made up of the two £35m deals for Grant Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi and the Daily Mail is claiming that the club has another £70m available. But what neither the Mail nor anyone else does is balance in terms of numbers the ceaseless suggestions of who else Arsenal will bring in, with who will go.
As we can see below, the names of players coming to Arsenal and those going on loan are all listed, but not the maths of meeting the requirements of the “25”.
As Andrew pointed out in his recent analysis on Untold, Arsenal’s issue is not home grown players, but the limit on 25 players over 21 in the squad.
Once again here is the list as it stands – first the 10 home grown
| Player | Internaltion Reg | Squad No | Position | DOB |
| Kieran Gibbs | England | 3 | LB | 26 Sep 1989 |
| Aaron Ramsey | Wales | 8 | Mid | 26 Dec 1990 |
| Jack Wilshere | England | 10 | Mid | 1 Jan 1992 |
| Theo Walcott | England | 14 | Forward | 16 Mar 1989 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | England | 15 | Mid | 15 Aug 1993 |
| Danny Welbeck | England | 23 | Forward | 26 Nov 1990 |
| Carl Jenkinson | England | 25 | RB | 8 Feb 1992 |
| Emiliano Martinez | Argentina | 26 | GK | 2 Sep 1992 |
| Francis Coquelin | France | 34 | DM | 13 May 1991 |
| Matt Macey | England | 49 | GK | 9 Sep 1994 |
Secondly we have 16 overseas players
| Player | International Reg | Squad No | Position | DOB |
| Mathieu Debuchy | France | 2 | RB | 28 Jul 1985 |
| Per Mertesacker | Germany | 4 | CB | 29 Sep 1984 |
| Gabriel | Brazil | 5 | CB | 26 Nov 1990 |
| Laurent Koscielny | France | 6 | CB | 10 Sep 1985 |
| Alexis Sanchez | Chile | 7 | Forward | 19 Dec 1988 |
| Mesut Özil | Germany | 11 | Mid | 15 Oct 1988 |
| Olivier Giroud | France | 12 | Forward | 30 Sep 1986 |
| David Ospina | Colombia | 13 | GK | 31 Aug 1988 |
| Nacho Monreal | Spain | 18 | LB | 26 Feb 1986 |
| Santi Cazorla | Spain | 19 | Mid | 13 Dec 1984 |
| Yaya Sanogo | France | 22 | Forward | 27 Jan 1993 |
| Granit Xhaka | Switzerland | 29 | CM | 27 Sep 1992 |
| Petr Cech | Czech Republic | 33 | GK | 20 May 1982 |
| Mohamed Elneny | Egypt | 35 | Mid | 11 Jul 1992 |
| Shkodran Mustafi | Germany | CB | 17 Apr 1992 | |
| Lucas Pérez | Spain | Forward | 10 Sep 1988 |
Put it together and that is 26 and it is interesting that newspapers are constantly running articles and commentaries from supporters about why Campbell has gone on loan. Mr Wenger has said that he needs regular games to get up to the next level of his ability. But there is also the fact that with him we have 27 in the squad so the deal makes sense.
Now we have to lose two more. Sanogo is one whose name often comes up given that he had little engagement pre-season despite being in the early training sessions with the first team squad. The other most often mentioned is Mathieu Debuchy, on loan.
That would take us down from the current 26 to 24. If Jack also went it would be 23, leaving two places available without having to drop Danny Welbeck from the squad because of his injury. That is an option, but it still leaves a problem for January, and players can be much harder to move in January. So the plan simply to leave Danny out of the counting this time could simply build up a bigger problem for next year.
We also have to remember that if players are forced out of squads, or pushed into moves they don’t want the story reverberates around football, and players become more reluctant to move to a club that gets a reputation for that.
Which brings us back to the point, we must drop one player from the list to meet the 25, and if we want another player to come in, a second has to go. If the Debuchy loan deal isn’t emerging then Jack could be the next out on loan, either for the benefit of regular games or to give Arsenal that extra space in the 25 list.
The Rumours
The rumour that is going around is what is called an “esclusiva” in Tuttomercatoweb. Now there is a bit of a problem with this because it comes from AllArsenal.com who say, ” According to Italian newspaper Tuttomercatoweb, Arsene Wenger is in the process of bringing Almiron to Arsenal despite suggesting there will be no further signings.
“The source suggests talks are ongoing between the two clubs for the midfielder and a deal is expected to be completed. A bid of £9.4 million has been launched by Arsenal but Lanus is holding out for a fee of £11.1 million for the Paraguay International.”
Now as it happens Tuttomercatoweb actually runs an English version of its web site, and as far as I know is not a newspaper at all – but is the Italian original version of the the site http://www.transfermarketweb.com/ And the story did indeed hit a few days back with the headline:
TMW EXCLUSIVE – ARSENAL approaching ALMIRON: talking fees with Lanús
According to news collected in exclusive through TMW sources of ours, Arsenal management are working on Paraguayan international winger Miguel Almirón (22).
While Gunners have already submitted CA Lanús a €10/£8.4m offer, the request on him amounts to €14/£12m. Playing for Granate since August 2015, Almirón, who had been linked to a Zenit Saint Petersbourg move before, achieved last Argentinian championship title as a player of theirs.
And it is just possible there is something in this since in the last few hours the Sun has added to its website this screaming headline
TRIPLE SCOOP
Arsenal transfer news: Gunners set to move for £11m Paraguay attacker Miguel Almiron after completing deals for Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez
He is an attacking midfielder who can play central or on the wing. He is 22 and was born in Asunción, Paraguay and currently plays for Lanús in Argentine Primera División. Here’s the Wiki information on him
| Years | Team | League games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2015 | Cerro Porteño | 39 | 6 |
| 2015– | Lanús | 16 | 1 |
| National team | |||
| 2010 | Paraguay U17 | 10 | 1 |
| 2012–2013 | Paraguay U20 | 16 | 2 |
| 2015– | Paraguay | 1 | 0 |
Back to TransferMarketWeb, since I haven’t run their rumours before… this is what they are running at the moment (some of the translations go slightly awry but since their English is a damn site better than my Italian you are better of with their version than mine).
ARSENAL & JUVENTUS don’t giving up on INTER’s BROZOVIC
This story says that Liverpool, Tottenham, Juventus and Arsenal are all trying to buy Croatian international midfielder Marcelo Brozovic. He is 23 and plays for Inter who value him at around €35, but all the clubs are offering a fee of around €22. However the Daily Mail says that Chelsea are close to a deal with him.
He again is a box to box midfielder and here are his Wiki figures
| Years | Team | League games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 22 | 1 |
| 2011–2012 | Lokomotiva | 33 | 5 |
| 2012–2016 | Dinamo Zagreb | 64 | 9 |
| 2015–2016 | Inter Milan (loan) | 47 | 5 |
| 2016– | Inter milan | 0 | 0 |
| National team | |||
| 2009–2010 | Croatia U18 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 | Croatia U19 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011–2013 | Croatia U20 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011–2014 | Croatia U21 | 13 | 7 |
| 2014– | Croatia | ||
As for the rest – here they are with links to their English language versions.
ARSENAL – CHAMBERS close to join BORO on loan
ARSENAL – Calum Chambers to go out on loan with several clubs interested
SCHALKE 04 enter the race for ARSENAL youngster Gnabry
ARSENAL – Two Premier League clubs keen on CHAMBERS
OFFICIAL – Arsenal loan ASANO to Stuttgart
So there we are – another possible Arsenal transfer just before the end of the window, and a bit of shuffling of the numbers to keep us within the 25 limit. If the Jack deal does go through it might be worth staying up late on Wednesday night.
- Wenger hints at one more big transfer before the end of the Window.
- Great Arsenal Transfer Index (28 Aug) reaches 111 players we are signing, with no apologies for errors to be seen
- Arsenal 25 Man Senior Squad – Update. A hint of more to come but with one in, two out.
Other stories
- Mediocrity is now defined as coming second. So how do you define coming third?
- WSL Notts County v Arsenal Ladies 28 August 2016 – Match Report
U didn’t mention. Holding. What about that?
Sir Hardly Anyone
Your problem is you`re too logical and reasonable, why not be like all the Arsenal detractors and talk/write out of your arse ?
Good article, thanks
Wilshere has a style of play that I don’t particularly like. On merit alone I don’t think even a fully Wilshere will get into our starting 11 (best eleven). Arsenal has a large and extremely good collection midfielders.
What I however like most is the fact that Wilshere seems to genuinely love Arsenal. He seems to be Arsenal through and through.
A loan move is probably the best option for Wilshere and is also very good for Arsenal too.
Good luck Jack.
Zuruvi:
Jack has a style similar to Carzola and will probably replace him later if Jack stops getting seriously injured and step up a little more.
//
Arsenal now has many different tactical options depending on who plays and is not a one-dimensional team anymore, lets wish these options are used properly throughout the season.
The alternative to replacing a midfielder with another one, is that we loan out Jack and Sanogo, and go big for Lacazette – even though I’d probably rather have Sissokho at this stage of the squad re-build.
I do not think Arsenal have confirmed Mustasfi or Perez officially. Another addition would be intriguing dare I suggest.
I am sad for Jack Wilshere – as I wanted him to be part of the squad this season – a very important one for AFC in that I want us to compete till the end this season.
Matt Macey is eligible for u23 football, there is another space.
Perhaps wilshire/brozovic loan swap could be the answer? Players can now only loan for the whole season or window to window.
For me Jack is the most adaptable of all our midfielders, equally at home or adept at No.s 4, 8, or 10, he has even played 7 and 11, and therefore potentially he has a role to play every week, loaning him out would be a mistake…
The career of the player is very important. He was not called up for England and that could really affect him psychologically. He should play regularly- at Arsenal or elsewhere.
all is done but arsenal has to bring in a world class striker like lewandowisk any way thanks for updates
Arsenal did not sell Bellerin or did they? You missed his name for the overseas players.
I am absolutely over the moon with the signings we’ve made so far. Perhaps the club has excepted, finally, that you have to spend significantly and consistently to compete for the PL and Cl. I think we have a real chance this season.
There is a further complication – Rob Holding. While Rob is under-21 for the Premier League list, he doesn’t qualify as under-21 for the CL list as he is less than 2 years at Arsenal.
Even if they stay at the club, either Macey or Martinez can be left out of both squads as you can bring in an emergency goalkeeper if you have injuries so you only need to name 3. Therefore leaving out Wilshere (assuming loan) and Macey gives you 8 home-grown players and 17 non-home-grown (as Holding has to be included here) for the CL squad. Leaving out the currently injured Welbeck or Jenkinson is only worthwhile if we are signing a home-grown player.
Sanogo is currently injured, meaning Debuchy’s departure is crucial to get another signing.
Let’s for a moment try not to be too emotional with Arsenal football, but try to be realistic with it.
To come 2nd in the table after finishing 3rd is a progressive progress so too is to placed 3rd haven finished 4th in the previous season. This is not mediocrity but a remarkable progress made by Arsenal progressively.
However, to be overhanging on for too long than it is necessary on to the injury proneners is the mediocrity policy at Arsenal that has stalled & deterred us from recapturing the EPL and possibly win the Ucl too in last decade. This mediocrity policy can be damaging.
Arsenal had over hanged on to the injury proneners of, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rocisky and Mikel Arteta for too too long than it was necessary for Arsenal to do so. Have Arsenal forgotten that they are not a philanthropist or a humanitarian club side but a professional business&financial marketing profit making giant & elite football club side, who want to win titles and by virtue of her size and financial strength should be winning titles on a regular basis? This should be the cardinal principles and philosophy of the management of Arsenal football club and nothing short of these should be the case IMHO.
When I read on the Sky Sports net yesternight that Jack Wilshere will be made available for the loan market. I instantly knew a lot of eyebrows will be raised and questions will be asked too. But in my own thinking and opinion, Jack Wilshere going on a season long loan from Arsenal this season is a 2 sided benefits and interests serving for both parties of Jack Wilshere and Arsenal FC. Jack career has been stalled for long at Arsenal and Arsenal cannot say they too’ have benefited from a Jack Wilshere’s consistent high performances on the field of play on a regular basis. Therefore another approach to the lacking ought to have be sourced since to see if it will workout. If it does, Jack can return to Arsenal on the high.
Gnabry went to West Brim but came back to Arsenal on the low. But after going to the Olympics for Germany football, he has returned to Arsenal on the high and the media are saying clubs are queuing up to take him loan. A loan out to one of the top clubs around where Jack can be getting a regular game time can only do him a big good and not harm him I would think.
Will the Boss sing big during these last 2 days of the transfer deadline day period? If I were him I will certainty do it if I have the money and there is a room to accommodate the new big signing and that big signing will be a big upgrade to the quality I already have in my squad.
today daily mail online claim their sportsmail’s transfer guru’ Simon Jones, has reported every Premier League club has some serious business to attend to over the next two days as they desperately look to complete their squads before the transfer end. they (sports journos) really like to take credit don’t they’ when the fact is, AW is the one who told them during press conference before the Watford match about all the PL club will make a transfer dash in the last 2-3 days before window shut. they just recycle AW words and then shamelessly claim they predict that.
The club is just buying not selling. I think it is maybe we have players rewarded early and sitting in high wages.Think about Willshere ? Yes is academy product which is not bad but his physical strength is not there.Rather than sending him on loan why not sell him ? His wages maybe an obstacle…..hmmm .
“We also have to remember that if players are forced out of squads, or pushed into moves they don’t want the story reverberates around football, and players become more reluctant to move to a club that gets a reputation for that.” Where’s the evidence for that? Perhaps an average player with no confidence in his ability might, but i don’t believe for one second that an ambitious footballer would hesitate joining an ambitious club that pays well. In fact that’s why many players, like RVP, Nasri etc left Arsenal, to go to a more ambitious club that pays better, to replace average player being ousted from the squad.
To say that a player who is allowed by the PGMOL North West to have his ankles remorselessly kicked to bits by the opposition “his physical strength is not there”says a lot about the person who said it.
The commentators and pundits man or woman all claim that it is Wilshire’s fault that this happens to Wilshire because he keeps the ball to long a time.
‘The opponents wouldn’t get the ball from him if they didn’t kick his ankles.’
Is the expert opinion of all who have played the game and are now hawkers of the PGMOL North West as well as those who haven’t played the game but are employed to pontificate the message.
Zan – Bellerin is a home grown player under the rules. Home grown does not mean born in England.
Holding is under 21 and so not counted on the “25” list.
TJ you asked for the evidence about players being reluctant to move. That has been quoted before with different commentaries from players, but just today I have seen the story
Being frozen out is ‘professional trauma’ akin to a partner leaving by Paul MacInnes, and earlier this month we had comments from Mr Wenger about the vast majority of players who have left Arsenal wanting to come back. So in return, where is your evidence? You have stated your belief, but beliefs are beliefs, not evidence. No good asking me for mine if you wont also provide yours.
@Samuel,
Keeping players for as long as necessary, when injured, to enable them recover to play for AFC, is to my understanding the actions of a humane employer. AFC has demonstrated, repeatedly, that they have a set of core values that they subscribe to and will not deviate from.
Loyalty goes both ways, other players who are in the Club will invariably want to reciprocate that loyalty either on or off the field of play. It is true AFC is not the “Red Cross” neither are they “ISIS”. They strive for a reasonable balance within those two extremes with their players. We ought to encourage them to sustain it.
Bellerin is under 21 at Jan.1st
I realise it doesn’t help the 25, but might Mustafi be rated as home-grown given his time at Everton up to 2012?
according to report on ESPN, Serge Gnabry is moving to Bayern on a permanent deal but gonna spend the rest of this season on loan to W Bremen – father: if that’s true, wish him good luck on his new adventure
Lucas Perez is officially unveil. welcome to Arsenal’ Lucas
I think Lucas is given the number 10 could this mean Jack is definitely off on loan?
Polo’ i think if Jack does goes out on loan, he still gonna kept his number. Lucas gonna wear that number 9′ i guess. lets wait and see what going to happen when the window shut.
@ bushido, on Arsenal Twitter it say LP10 so I assume Lucas is getting the number 10 shirt.
OT
Aunty Bleeb 5live Gibberish Filter:
You all heard the excuses heaped into a steaming pile ready for shovelling after the and yup the plundits are sh*tting out their sh*te on the Monday Night Club.
Apparently Danny Rose’s inability to control trap and turn with the football whilst running is not because he has a piss poor technique at football when it comes to playing football but because he and the other English players lost to Iceland “under too much pressure when compared to players from Germany, Spain etc.”
I kid ye not. Nevermind the coaching. Nevermind the Football eh? Not ever! Do we expect anything better from a league where the officials allowed opponents to hack Wilshere’s ankles in EVERY match with no protection? The answer dear readers, is yours.
F*ck my football boots.
OT: Corruption and FIFA
The infant replacement of the bladder wasn’t happy that the ethics committee could produce results at odds with the executive, so he removed their independence. Now that the ethics committee cannot produce an unwanted result, it is time to settle the matter of the infant one’s salary.
It seems that 2 million a year is an insulting salary. He is due to get more than that.
http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2016/08/30/infantino-set-get-improved-pay-deal-turning-insulting-2m/
There seems to be maneuverings such that everybody at FIFA gets a pay raise. After all, if players get million dollar salaries, so should all FIFA executives. Right? Being a FIFA executive is such a demanding job, figuring out where to pick up all those brown paper bags, and having to carry them.
And this is getting rid of corruption?
< after the end of the Euro's and yup the plundits are now…
And some people moan Arsenal don’t have any ‘world class’ players, not according to this guy:
‘new Watford boss Walter Mazzarri comically admitted that not only Arsenal fans will be enjoying the exploits of their stars next season.
He said: “When Alexis, Özil & Xhaka click, a lot of people who love football will be having orgasms.”
Polo
I hope so, ?
Polo
I see somebody doesn’t like orgasm’s.
@Polo.
Thanks Polo for sharing that observation. Walter Mazzarri definitely knows his football.
I think our midfield has more talent than the midfield of that team which overpaid Juventus by buying back Pogba for £90m (or £110m if you include Agent’s fees).
Just imagine if Arsene Wenger had let a good youngster go for free (because he wouldn’t give him a fair playing chance) only for Arsenal to buy back the player for £40m or £50m … We won’t even go as high as £110m!!!
Some managers and clubs are immune from criticism, especially Man Utd and Liverpool. And probably Spurs too.
Is Mustafi not homegrown?
JP: On what basis?
Mustafi is not homegrown – previously spent 2.5 years at Everton, not long enough to qualify.
Holding is not U-21 for the CL squad, U-21s must be two years at the club for the CL squad. Reine-Adelaide isn’t U-21 either for the CL squad.
Will be interesting reading – Welbeck or Mert could be left out of the CL squad.