By Sir Hardly Anyone
“Aston Villa deal Arsenal huge blow as they close in on club record signing of Emiliano Buendia after agreeing £40m deal with Norwich… as midfielder has medical in Argentina after agreeing personal terms.”
So sayeth the Daily Mail, and of course they have to say that because all through the last month or so we have been told that Arsenal are going out to buy their way out of trouble.
We’ve been saying that Arsenal are not in trouble, and that the problems that we found earlier in the last season have all had the exit routes found. But of course most of the media still refuse to believe it. So the transfer nonsense grinds on and on.
For example the Daily Mail just don’t get it with “It’s been a very forgettable season at the Emirates Stadium…” The approach to cutting out tackling in order to get round the PGMO propensity to give free kicks against and yellow cards to Arsenal just goes on and on.
Here are the stories so far. On past seasons’ experience I think it will just one or two of these players.
| No | Player | Current club | Position | Reported by |
| 1 | Max Aarons | Norwich | Full back | Daily Express |
| 2 | Houssem Aouar | Lyon | Midfield | Football.London |
| 3 | Tosin Adarabioyo | Fulham | Centre back | Daily Express |
| NEW | Yuri Alberto | Inter | Forward | 20 year old Brazilian. Inter need the money |
| 5 | Loic Bade | Lens | Defender | Boot Room |
| 6 | Nicolo Barella | Inter Milan | Centre midfield | Anfield Central |
| Update | Sander Berge | Sheffield Utd | Midfield | HITC; Express – he was seen out with Odegaard, Caught OffsideBut Arsenal not willing to pay the asking price. |
| 8 | Ryan Bertrand | Southampton | Left back | Mirror |
| Update | Yves Bissouma | Brighton | Midfield | Africa Football, Express, TBR, HITC, FoLo. No he’s going to Liverpool (Express) – it’s a swap deal with Nketiah. “Fans in meltdown” FoLo |
| 10 | Josip Brekalo | Wolfsberg | Winger | Just Arsenal |
| Update | Emiliano Buendia | Norwich | Playmaker | Daily Mail, Metro, FL, Boot Room, Sportslens, HITC, TBR, Teamtalk, Telegraph, F365, FoLo, HITC. Told to forget AFC and sign for Villa (Birmingham Live). Arsenal have offered £35m (Star). Caught offside say its on. And HITC |
| 12 | Eduaro Camavinga | Rennes | Midfield | Will cost around €50million, Caught offside. |
| NEW | Luis Campos | Lille | Sporting director | Would handle transfers. Charlie Watts says good idea |
| NEW | Zeki Celik | Lille | Right back | Standard, Just Arsenal, Sports Lens, Sport Review Man U, Totts also interested. HITC say it would be a bargain fee. |
| Update | Nathan Collins | Stoke City | Defender | Sun, TBR. (Arsenal buying an “uncompromising” Stoke defender????). The 72. |
| 16 | Philippe Coutinho | Barcelona | Midfield | Just Arsenal, FoLo: Arsenal will have to wait. Winterburn says “don’t” |
| 17 | Patson Daka | RB Salzburg | Striker | TBR Football |
| Update | Moussa Dembele | Lyon (At. Madrid) | Striker | Daily Express, HITC. FoLo: “Fresh Arsenal links” |
| Update | Sergino Dest | Barcelona | Right back | Bleacher claims he has £343 million release clause. HITC says could be on at lower price! HITC now says it is on |
| Update | Oddsonne Edouard | Celtic | Striker | Daily Star. FoLo says Leicester and Milan want him. |
| NEW | Matteo Guendouzi | Arsenal! | Midfield | He’s been in disgrace so long it seems like he’s already gone but Metro is saying he will be given a contract extension & return |
| 22 | Achraf Hakimi | Inter Milan | Right Back | Daily Express, HITC |
| NEW | Kyle Joseph | Swansea | Forward | Wales online: Swansea, Rangers, Celtic also want him |
| Update | Jules Kounde | Sevilla | Centre back | Daily Express, Star, HITC. Sports Mole says offer about to go in. |
| 25 | Layvin Kurzawa | PSG | Left Back | Sport Witness |
| NEW | Albert Sambi Lokonga | Anderlecht | Midfield | Like Yaya Toure, better than Yves Bissouma. TBR says, could be available on the cheap. Henry recommends. Henry recommends. |
| 27 | Noussair Mazraoui | Bayern Munich | Right back | 101 great goals |
| 28 | Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City | Forward | Daily Mail, Leicester Mercury, Football London, Sport Review, TBR. AFC pushing forward to deal. |
| 29 | Neto | Barcelona | Goalkeeper | Caught Offside |
| Update | Andre Onana | Ajax | Keeper (currently banned for one year) | Caught Offside, Mail, Telegraph. Mirror says Arsenal’s keeper coach prefers him to Leno for immediate change. Teleg says we’ll buy no matter what happens in court. Hard Tackle: deal close. HITC says he wants to join but Arsenal offer too low |
| 31 | Paul Onuachu | Genk | Striker | Sport Witness |
| 32 | Michael Olise | Reading | Midfield | All Nigerian Soccer |
| NEW | Aaron Ramsey | Juventus | Midfield | Just Arsenal News says cash plus Bellerin will do it |
| Update | Emerson Royal | Real Betis loaned from Barcelona | Right back | Sport Witness; could happen this week (31 May). Not happening “despite relentless speculation”- HITC commenting on its own news coverage. |
| 35 | Kays Ruiz-Atil | PSG | Midfield | Just Arsenal News |
| Update | Manor Solomon | Shakhtar Donetsk | Winger | Football.London, HITC. “Looking for a house,” TBR |
| Update | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | Forward | Daily Mail, TBR. the Hard Tackle Cost £49m. Sport Review. HITC says Ferdinand says he’s unplayable. |
| 38 | Edmond Tapsoba | Bayer Leverkusen | Defender | Caught offside. |
| 39 | Tiago Tomas | Sporting CP, Metro | striker | May not come as we don’t have Europe |
| 40 | Wojciech Szczesny | Juventus | Goal | Sport Witness; Szczesny counts as home grown and that could be the key point. |
| Update | Edmond Tapsoba | Bayer Leverkusen | Centre back | HITC, Just Arsenal News (twice), Daily Cannon (may be too expensive). TeamTalk suggest it is on. FoLo – its £60m or nothing. Chelsea, Man U beating Arsenal. |
| 42 | Tiago Tomas | Sporting Lisbon | Forward | 442: 60m euros agreed. But player refused Arsenal |
| 43 | Ivan Toney | Brentford | Forward | Brentford say no. |
| 44 | Pau Torres | Villareal | Centre back | Football London |
| NEW | Kieran Trippier | Atletico Madrid | Right back | Star |
| 46 | Cengiz Under | Roma | HITC: In exchange for Xhaka | |
| 47 | Dusan Vlahovic | Fiorentina | Striker | Teamtalk, FoLo. This is futbol: “he’s not going” |
| NEW | Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace | Wing | TBR. Same story as for the last four transfer windows |
And the list of players we are about to lose (according to “reports”)
The Leavers Chart
| No | Player | Going to | Reported by. |
| Update | Aubameyang | Chelsea | Telegraph: Arsenal can’t afford to keep him. Teamtalk & TBR say yes |
| 2 | Hector Bellerin | Real Betis | Sport Witness (now running story again), Just Arsenal. TBR say its Atletico Madrid. Man U (Just Arsenal) |
| 3 | Dani Ceballos | Real Madrid | Daily Express |
| Update | Matteo Guendouzi. | Brighton | Daily Express. Just Arsenal say Olympique Marseille. FoLo & TBR (suddenly picking up on the Brighton story) & Hard Tackle agree. HITC have Brighton. TBR outraged. OM, for Sports Lens. Deal done with Marseille (Cannon) |
| Update | Sead Kolasinac | Not staying at Schalke | Football London. Confirmed on 3 June. “Terminate his contract” is the illegal suggestion in HITC |
| 6 | Alexandre Lacazette | Daily Express | |
| NEW | Bernd Leno | HITC says he wants to leave; lots of clubs asking about him | |
| 8 | David Luiz | Daily Express | |
| 9 | Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Daily Express | |
| 10 | Konstantinos Mavropanos | Stuttgart | Daily Express, Kicker |
| Update | Reiss Nelson | Olympiacos | Daily Express, Sport Witness. TBR urging Arsenal to sell him |
| Update | Eddie Nketiah | Brighton or Watford or Leeds | Sports Lens, Sussex Live, HITC. TBR talking up Watford. Football Insider says Leeds |
| Update | Martin Odegaard | Real Madrid | Daily Express. Just Arsenal News say he can stay for €60 Million. HITC says going back to Real Mad. TBR – he’s going on loan again. Star says he likes new manager |
| NEW | Samuele Ricci | Empoli | Leicester also interested. Central midfield |
| 15 | Mat Ryan | Brighton | Daily Express |
| 16 | Runar Alex Runarsson | Daily Express | |
| 17 | William Saliba | West Ham, Bayer Leverkusen | Hammers New, Daily Canon |
| NEW | Emile Smith Rowe | Aston Villa | Caught offside who blame the Telegraph. Also Birmingham Mail. SR allegedly refusing to sign new contract. Being repeated; |
| 19 | Lucas Torreira | Atletico Madrid | Daily Express |
| 20 | Willian | MLS or Chelsea | Givemesport HITC says not going to happen |
| 21 | Joe Willock | Newcastle | Daily Express |
| 22 | Granit Xhaka | Roma | Sports Witness, Sky Sports, cultofcalcio.com, Mirror, Athletic (he just wants to leave). HITC – he’s agreed to go. TBR Arsenal reject bid. Inside futbul – it’s on. TBR – Roman getting impatient. |
Attacking the Arsenal – how the media are trying to distract from Arteta’s amazing triumph
reading the reactions to 25-y-o buendia’s transfer to villa is great fun
(whisper it but) i really didn’t see the point in buying the lad
he might be a good player (i didn’t see much of him, tbh, not enough for my opinion to be worth anything, anyway)
but … was it a dream or weren’t the three outstanding arsenal players of the season:
19-y-o saka, 20-y-o smithrowe, 21-y-o willock (not in a red and white shirt, unfortunately)??
i.e. 3 players who (more or less) play in the same position as buendia – not to mention 21-y-o nelson, who might be the most gifted of the bunch and just has to be given the same soothing treatment as the one bruce applied to willock, or again 17-y-o Hutchinson who strikes me as a truly amazing prospect …
a very happy un-deal this whole narrative turned out to be, imo (but i do wish buendia all the best for his villa career)
You can add Rúben Neves to the list