44 players Arsenal are tipped to sign this summer; 16 are going.

By Tony Attwood

Every summer for the last few years we have charted the names of players who are touted by the newspapers and radio stations to be coming to Arsenal, and those who are leaving.  Each year the total has got to over 100, with on average no more than 3% of the predictions being right.

You might think that with such a poor record the websites and newspapers might think of something else to do – or at least admit how utterly useless they are at this sort of thing, but no, on they go year on year.

In case you have missed our look at this in the past, it is important to note that most papers and websites don’t claim the insight that player x is coming to Arsenal for themselves.  Rather they blame some foreign website.  But most of the time the foreign website itself is quoting somewhere else, that quotes somewhere else, until you get to one that says “Reports in England suggest…”  In short it is totally made up and totally circular.

Our aim is simply to expose their stupidity and the contempt with which they hold their readership.

No Player Current club Source Notes
1 Toby Alderweireld Tottenham H TBR Football, Sun He’s 30 years old
NEW Joachim Anderson Sampdoria Calciomeracto and Tuttosport £37m for him and Praet.  Anderson is a centre back.
3 Antony Sao Paulo Media Ref (they say it would be a waste of money) Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Lyon and Monaco are also interested
4 Gareth Bale Real Madrid She wore a yellow 87% of RM fans want him out
NEW Eric Bailly Man U Transfer Market £27m, for 25 year old centre back
6 Ismael Bennacer Empoli HITC, Pain in the Arsenal Ex Arsenal youth player
7 Jerome Boateng Bayern Foot Lond, Talk Sport “He’s played his last game for us”
8 Marcelo Brozociv Inter Milan Transfer Tavern citing CalcioMercato £40.5m; a “tough midfielder”
9 Samuel Chukwueze Villareal Foot Lond Nigerian forward
10 Alexis Claude-Maurice Lorient Arsenal have made a £6m bid.  FootLond, Sun France under 20 forward and friend of Guendouzi
11 Djene Dakonam Getafe Daily Express Central defender / RB.  Will cost £13.5m
NEW En-Nesyri  Leganes Fox Sports Asia, HITC. Borussia Dortmund and Schalke also want him He will be the first signing and will cost £10m
13 Bruno Fernandes Sporting O Jogo, Sport Witness Chelsea, Man C, Juventus want him, £100m release clause
14 James Forest Celtic Media Referee We should sell Iwobi and get him.
15 Ryan Fraser Bournemouth Express, Mirror One year left on contract
16 Jean Philippee Gbamain Mainz Read Arsenal; Soccer Souls On his way
17 Ander Herrera Man U Express PSG also interested
NEW Isco Real Mad Transfer Market. Attacking midfield.  Price is £54m
NEW Danny Loader Reading FootballLeagueWorld Chelsea want the 18 year old striker.
NEW Marcos Llorente Real Mad Transfer Market, HITC 24 year old defensive midfield.  £13.5m
20 Malcolm Barcelona Sport Witness, FootLond Totts, Milan, Inter and Lille also after him
NEW Ruslan Malinovskyi Genk Daily Canon Ukraine Midfielder
22 Kostas Manolas Roma FootLond He’s a centre back
NEW Thomas Meunier PSG right back TBR Football, Arsenal Station, Mail, Sports Review Arsenal fans don’t want him (TBR)
24 Gabrielle Martinelli Ituano Metro according to reports in Brazil, also Express 17 year old winger, equivalent of Son Heung-min FootLond
25 Harry Maguire Leicester HITC 26 year old centre back
26 Paul Mitchell Leipzig Sports Mole; 90 min, Football 365, Sky; Talksport Man U and Chelsea interested
27 N’Zonzi Roma HITC £19m; he’s considered a flop at Roma where he plays midfield
28 David Neres Everton Telegraph, Foot Lond £34.5m; talks held. Liverpool want him
29 Christopher Nkunku PSG Foot Lond, Le Parisien, Star Midfield; he’s turned down a contract renewal. We tried in Jan
30 Thomas Partey Atletico Madrid Talk Sport Midfield with a £43.5m release clause
31 Nicolas Pepe Lille 101 Great Goals, Telefoot, FootLond Star striker.  Man U also interested. “He’s on the way” (FL)
32 Ayoze Perez Newcastle Mad about EPL Inter also want him; forward or attacking midfield
33 Ivan Perisic Inter Milan Spursweb, Gazzetta dello sport Tots and WHU interested
Update Dennis Praet Sampdoria Corriere dello Sport , Sport Witness, Calciomeracto and Tuttosport Midfielder or winger; package deal with Anderson
35 Benito Raman Fortna Dusseldorf Express WHU, Burnley, Everton interested
36 Ismaila Sarr Stade Rennais Metro He will cost over £40m.  A 21 year old winger
37 William Saliba Saint Etienne Le 10 sport says he’s off to Man U.  Shoot, Sport Witness and Metro say Arsenal Centre back
38 Nicolas Tagliafico Ajax Mirror – “he’s a target for Arsenal” £17.3million release clause and he gets half!
39 Samuel Umtiti Barcelona Foot Lond running just about the most unlikely story of them all. The most expensive centre back in the world!
NEW Upamecano Leipzig Daily Express – who say we will sign him and Anderson! Central defender
41 Jordon Veretout Fiorentina Metro 25m euros for Ramsey II
42 Wesley Club Brugges Sun, Calciomercato, Daily Cannon, LaLazio Forward, 22 years old
43 Wilfried Zaha Crystal Palace Sun, FootLond Palace want £80m; plays right wing
44 Hakim Ziyech Ajax Foot Lond Attacking midfielder

Coaching

Arseblog has Freddie Ljungberg leaving the under 23s and joining the first team coaching staff for the coming season.

And the players leaving Arsenal

Everyone is off: “Stars may exit if Arsenal fail to make the Champions League this summer” said the Guardian before the Europa final, but really I think that is cheating.  At least the writers ought to be putting a bit of energy into their make-believe and giving us some names.  So ignoring that generality here are those who are leaving…

 

No Player Going to Source Notes
Update Aubameyang Real Madrid; China FootLond; Playing for 90 Caught Offside FL cite Calciomercato.  The China story cites Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG.  Caught offside say he has removed all traces of Arsenal from his social media sites
2 Chambers ??? FoodLond Off to Tottenham (HITC) no Everton (TBR)
3 Elneny Roma Daily Cannon
4 Jenkinson FootLond “He’s up for sale”
5 Kolasinac FootLond No explanation – just Arsenal want to get rid of him
Update Lacazette Barcelona At Madrid Express; The Week, Ev Standard He has admitted he is flattered to have been linked with a switch to Barcelona this summer.”  Metro says he’s being offered a new deal.  Foot Lond says no it is not happening.
7 Mkhitaryan Star, Mail Star blames the Mail for the story.
8 Mustafi Roma Daily Cannon, “He’s up for sale” Express
9 Eddie Nketiah Star He will go on loan if we buy another forward
Update Ospina FootLond; Caught offside  “He’s up for sale”  HITC says player himself says he wants to go. Napoli want to keep him
11 Ozil FootLond “He’s up for sale”
12 Smith Rowe Leipzig Foot Lond “He’s staying” exclusive from FL, but others say he’s off.
13 Sokratis Foot Lond He wants Champs Lge football
14 Suarez Chelsea Read Arsenal He’s not really an Arsenal player but he was on loan
Update Welbeck Daily Cannon Now recovered from injury but out of contract, although Foot Lond had him as a possible player in the Uefa Cup Final
Update Xhaka Inter Milan Sund Express, BT Sport, Caught offside Player says he wants to move. Inter wants him.  But Suburban Gooners say he is going nowhere.

More soon!

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