8 more players heading for Arsenal and 3 more leaving. Plus coaching shake up.

By Sir Hardly Anyone

We often report that 3% of all transfer rumours end up being correct – but this number would be far lower than this were it not for the fact that we include rumours that suddenly emerge en masse just a few days before an actual signing.   One such event looks like being Saliba who is said to be about to make a move by numerous “outlets” (or “drainpipes” if you prefer a more accurate description).  Indeed he may have signed by the time you read this, as this report is being written some hours before publication.

So if we were to take the last minute excitement stories out of the reckoning then the number of signings correctly predicted would be less than one in 100.

The story that I think no one called in advance is that Freddie Ljungberg will become Arsenal’s new assistant first-team coach, while Steve Bould takes charge of the under-23 team.

This is not unknown territory for Steve Bould; he ran the academy before being promoted to assistant manager in 2012.   He will now work with the under 23s and under 18s, alongside Per Mertesacker.

So, as I say, no one spotted that.   What they have spotted are 54 players we are trying to sign (according to the sites) but almost certainly will not.

Mind you, the window is not yet open.

In what follows “Foot Lond” means Football London – the Daily Mirror’s endlessly repetitive site that publishes 40 Arsenal stories a day.  The names added to the table for the first time have the word “NEW” next to them.  Just to make it easy.

Part 1: The Players coming to Arsenal this summer

No	Player	Current club	Source	Notes
1	Toby Alderweireld	Tottenham H	TBR Football, Sun	He’s 30 years old
2	Joachim Anderson	Sampdoria	Calciomeracto and Tuttosport	£37m for him and Praet.  Anderson is a centre back.
NEW	Angelino	PSV	But Man City want him back- he was with their youth team	He’s a left back
4	Antony	Sao Paulo	Media Ref (they say it would be a waste of money)	Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Lyon and Monaco are also interested
5	Gareth Bale	Real Madrid	She wore a yellow	87% of RM fans want him out
6	Eric Bailly	Man U	Transfer Market	£27m, for 25 year old centre back
7	Ismael Bennacer	Empoli	HITC, Pain in the Arsenal	Ex Arsenal youth player
8	Jerome Boateng	Bayern	Foot Lond, Talk Sport	“He’s played his last game for us”
9	Marcelo Brozociv	Inter Milan	Transfer Tavern citing CalcioMercato	£40.5m; a “tough midfielder”
NEW	Yannick Carrasco	Dalian Yifang (China)	Sport, Sport Witness and elsewhere in Spanish press.  Sun says it is 1/10 he will sign.  TeamTalk however say we have missed out on him	Winger aged 25
11	Samuel Chukwueze	Villareal	Foot Lond	Nigerian forward
12	Alexis Claude-Maurice	Lorient	Arsenal have made a £6m bid.  FootLond, Sun	France under 20 forward and friend of Guendouzi
13	Djene Dakonam	Getafe	Daily Express	Central defender / RB.  Will cost £13.5m
14	En-Nesyri	Leganes	Fox Sports Asia, HITC. Borussia Dortmund and Schalke also want him	He will be the first signing and will cost £10m
15	Bruno Fernandes	Sporting	O Jogo, Sport Witness	Chelsea, Man C, Juventus want him, £100m release clause
16	James Forest	Celtic	Media Referee	We should sell Iwobi and get him.
17	Ryan Fraser	Bournemouth	Express, Mirror	One year left on contract
18	Jean Philippee Gbamain	Mainz	Read Arsenal; Soccer Souls	On his way
19	Ander Herrera	Man U	Express	PSG also interested
NEW	Presnel Kimpembe	PSG	Foot Lond, Soccer Link	He’s a centre half
21	Isco	Real Mad	Transfer Market.	Attacking midfield.  Price is £54m
22	Danny Loader	Reading	FootballLeagueWorld	Chelsea want the 18 year old striker.
23	Marcos Llorente	Real Mad	Transfer Market, HITC	24 year old defensive midfield.  £13.5m
24	Malcolm	Barcelona	Sport Witness, FootLond	Totts, Milan, Inter and Lille also after him
25	Ruslan Malinovskyi	Genk	Daily Canon	Ukraine Midfielder
26	Kostas Manolas	Roma	FootLond	He’s a centre back
27	Thomas Meunier	PSG right back	TBR Football, Arsenal Station, Mail, Sports Review	Arsenal fans don’t want him (TBR)
28	Gabrielle Martinelli	Ituano	Metro according to reports in Brazil, also Express	17 year old winger, equivalent of Son Heung-min FootLond
29	Harry Maguire	Leicester	HITC	26 year old centre back
30	Paul Mitchell	Leipzig	Sports Mole; 90 min, Football 365, Sky; Talksport	Man U and Chelsea interested
NEW	Neymar	PSG	Foot Lond go bonkers with “Excited Arsenal fans react as Neymar is linked with PSG exit”
32	N’Zonzi	Roma	HITC	£19m; he’s considered a flop at Roma where he plays midfield
33	David Neres	Everton	Telegraph, Foot Lond	£34.5m; talks held. Liverpool want him
34	Christopher Nkunku	PSG	Foot Lond, Le Parisien, Star	Midfield; he’s turned down a contract renewal. We tried in Jan
35	Thomas Partey	Atletico Madrid	Talk Sport	Midfield with a £43.5m release clause
36	Nicolas Pepe	Lille	101 Great Goals, Telefoot, FootLond	Star striker.  Man U also interested. “He’s on the way” (FL)
37	Ayoze Perez	Newcastle	Mad about EPL	Inter also want him; forward or attacking midfield
38	Ivan Perisic	Inter Milan	Spursweb, Gazzetta dello sport	Tots and WHU interested
39	Dennis Praet	Sampdoria	Corriere dello Sport , Sport Witness, Calciomeracto and Tuttosport	Midfielder or winger; package deal with Anderson
40	Benito Raman	Fortna Dusseldorf	Express	WHU, Burnley, Everton interested
41	Ismaila Sarr	Stade Rennais	Metro	He will cost over £40m.  A 21 year old winger
Update	William Saliba	Saint Etienne	Le 10 sport says he’s off to Man U.  Shoot, Sport Witness and Metro say Arsenal.  Mirror and its “outlet” Foot Lond says it is a done deal. Read Arsenal say terms agreed	Centre back.  L’Equipe says he has signed a 5 year deal
NEW	Matt Targett	Southampton	Sun, Teamtalk	Liverpool also want this left back.
44	Nicolas Tagliafico	Ajax	Mirror – “he’s a target for Arsenal”	£17.3million release clause and he gets half!
NEW	Kieran Tierney	Celtic	Foot Lon tell is he is a left footed full back
NEW	Leandro Trossard	Genk	€20m according to Inside Futbol	He’s a winger
NEW	Saliba	Saint Etienne	Metro, Foot Lond, Sport Witness, Taste of Football and Sun all have Arsenal having reached agreement to take him.	Defender whom St E want to loan to Arsenal.  He’s 18 years old.
NEW	Dorukhan Tokoz	Beşiktaş	He’s 23
49	Samuel Umtiti	Barcelona	Foot Lond running just about the most unlikely story of them all.	The most expensive centre back in the world!
50	Upamecano	Leipzig	Daily Express – who say we will sign him and Anderson!	Central defender
Update	Jordon Veretout	Fiorentina	Metro.  Player says he is moving “to a big club”	25m euros for Ramsey II
52	Wesley	Club Brugges	Sun, Calciomercato, Daily Cannon, LaLazio	Forward, 22 years old
53	Wilfried Zaha	Crystal Palace	Sun, FootLond	Palace want £80m; plays right wing
54	Hakim Ziyech	Ajax	Foot Lond	Attacking midfielder

Part 2: The Players Leaving