Arteta has been very clear about the fact we first need to see some players go before we see some players coming in during the Winter Transfer Window.
Kolasinac headed to Schalke on-loan and we wish him the best. He will basically leave us in the summer.
Saliba has joined Nice on-loan until the end of the year. Edu confirmed that Saliba will pursue his progression there and rejoin us. I am glad he will get some playing time. I would have been happier if he went to another EPL outfit but oh well…
So who should / is going to leave us next?
- Sokratis’ days at AFC seem numbered. France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland and even England are possible destitations.
- Mustafi is reportedly on his way out and I would be ok with him leaving. Barcelona may be interested (odd if you ask me…) and Monaco as well as Koln…
- Chambers seems likely to stay and so does AMN
- There is talk about El Neny going back to Turkey but I do not think Arteta will entertain offers for El Neny
- There are rumours about Edu/Arteta considering to loan out Willock, Nelsson and Nketiah. Not sure how I feel about them leaving.
- Rumours also about Guendouzi being sold to Hertha Berlin as of this winter already?
- Lucas Torreira may be called back from his loan to be sold to an Italian club too…
- Any other players you would like to see out?
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‘RC78 – Any other players you would like to see out?’
Sell Pepe. He’s not producing the goods and the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Pete – sorry, I totally forgot about Ozil 😦
BWB – Pepe already out? We could maybe wait this summer?
Willian has to go, as he hasn’t performed since he joined. I would also be happy to see the back of Pepe as his back has probably seen the goal more than his front! 🤦🏼♂️
Arsenal need to clear out dead legs , David Luiz contract ending few months time and that is a progress on our part , why can’t we offload Willian ?
I’d let go of Ei Neny, Nketiah, Pepe, Willock, Nelson, Mustafi, Sokratis, Chambers, and reluctantly Özil [think its politics] And bring back Torreira and Guendouzi. Willian, there must be a better Willian in there somewhere, surely. I like Nelson, but I don’t think he’d get many games. And, of course bring back Dein. Fantasy football I know, just my opinion.
Thanks RC. I think most of who you indicate would be the right decisions RC.
I would like to try Willian in the 10 role in the 4-2-3-1 system, and would also see if Willick has more to offer there as he progresses. Nelson also possibly in the 10 or the attacking left needs more game time.
Pepe needs to be worked on for the remainder of the season. Sell him now and we lose ahed loads on our outlay and I feel that is pulling the plug too quickly and doesn’t help us right now.
If he improves a bit but not enough then at least his resale value goes up in the summer. I would keep a close eye on Raphinha at Leeds as an option. If he finally clicks we then have 2 excellent left footed right side attackers with him and Saka.
I like AMN for his versatility but also think he could be played more often. Chambers should also be brought back to fitness. He may also be a useful squad player but again if he is at least back to full fitness with some games under his belt we may get something back on him.
Apart from the obvious who you have stated RC I honestly wouldn’t pull the plug on any others and would refrain from spending till the summer and work with what we have right now, which I believe is high quality enough to potentially win the EL.
Nice one RC
Serious business probably needs to wait until summer, but in January it would make sense (if possible) to unload the following:
Sokratis (always gave his best for us and deserves to play somewhere else, but wages may see him sit it out until summer).
Mustafi (had a decent return to form at the end of last season but seems way down the pecking order now. Sell if we can find a buyer).
And Ozil if there are any takers, but he will almost certainly stay until summer.
That’s it, although I wouldn’t be averse to one or more of Willock, Eddie, Balogun, Nelson going out on loan.
Ones we couldn’t or shouldn’t shift in January:
Willian – who would conceivably come in for him with a deal anything like the cushy number we’ve given him? Sadly, he’s going nowhere.
Pepe – he could still command a decent price if sold to a French team (ideally PSG). Nothing like £72m of course, but we might be able to get back half of that if we’re lucky. But that ain’t going to happen until summer.
I hope we don’t bring Torreira back. He’s just not physical enough for his preferred role in the EPL.
I would keep AMN and Chambers for the long term – I feel they both have something to offer. I wouldn’t mind seeing Chambo given a go as the main defensive midfielder (in the current set-up he could play alongside either Xhaka or Elneny, or Partey when he returns).
Rumour has it Eddie is in talks with Wolves over a permanent deal….
Nice one, RC.. I’d like to see Pepe go to Palace… in exchange for Zaha!! 😉
Btw, how are you feeling about Pochettino? Alli incoming I bet!!
I am not so happy with Pochetinno at PSG to be honest. I liked him as our captain back in the days and I really value his work at Tottenham BUT he is not proven to deliver trophies nor to working with players with large egoes like Neymar or Icardi…I like the fact he is a former captain and that he ll opt for a 4231 but I don’t think it was a good idea to sack Tuchel now nor do I think that Pochetinno will deliver success in CL. I am actually convinced that with the change of manager, we may end up losing the league and national cups too…
Apprently, Allegri demanded too much money so we went for Pochetinno. I think Leonardo may a huge mistake in sacking Tuchel now and in hiring Pochetinno at this stage of our squad development. I hope I am wrong though.
The biggest hurdle I have in working out the ins and outs of the midfield is that I just don’t know enough about Partey?
Is he more attack minded or more defence minded? In view of this and the fact that he is an automatic midfield starter determines the kind of players we need around him.
Elneny was playing well with him but I think it is becoming clear that it was Partey making Elneny look good, certainly not the other way round.
I don’t know………………………..
Our squad is loaded with many players who are no longer useful to us. The likes of Sokratis, Mustafi, Kola need to depart. I don’t see the trio playing for the club again.
I would have liked to see the back of Ozil this January but we all know with the wages he is on thats wishful thinking. I also don’t know why Soares was given a permanent contract when we have AMN. He hasn’t looked Arsenal’s level in the matches he has featured.
I would like Willock and Nelson to be farmed out for the remainder. Time away will be immensely benefial to their progression.
Anyway, several players would be out of contract at the end of the season. If there’s no club that need them now, then they can go.
It will be extremely unwise to unhinged Willian now. Who says he can’t still be immense for us? Suarez was summarily dismissed by Barca and has that bode for them? They are struggling in front of goal, yet, the one they cast off is on top of the La Liga scoring chat.
Akinzo
There is a small group who are not writing Willian off just yet, but he has some way to go to get us all to do a Lacazette style 180
Nice Post, RC,
I was having a quick look back into old AA posts going back 10 years or so, and guess what? A major discussion erupted from time to time about — ‘getting rid of dead wood’– which and that happened frequently over the years.
At the current time we can see there are players who perhaps should never have joined us — but they were cheaper, in some cases, and we could never compete with the money barons of Manure/Citeh/Chelsea, and now ‘Pool and Leics. (yes Leics are owned by a billionaire, and look at the way they have taken our place in the rankings) so the cheaper and less competent players ended up with us — some of them poor value even at the lower prices.
There was an article in one of the papers referring Ozil’s relationship to Arteta, and demanding Mikel does not back down in his ‘dispute’ with Mesut, even if it makes little sense putting him into isolation when we could benefit from his creative skill.
I still do not understand what the hell went on there, and I am not interested in the why’s and wherefores of that anymore, but I was amused that a quote from a brilliant manager of the NYY some 50 years ago that the best way to manage dissent in the dressing room was – “to separate the players who really hated you, from the ones who had not made up their minds yet’.
Perhaps that is what Mikel is doing with his treatment of Guendozi and Ozil, and perhaps others we don’t know about.
Personally, I have always rated Dozi and Mesut but Mikel has to manage the players to make us fans happy with the way he wants the team to play, and those who don’t sign up to that, regardless of their inherent skills, have to hit the road, Jack.
Hi, LB,
I do not belong to any group, but I understand what you are saying.
Willian has been fairly desperate since he joined us, possibly because he has been trying too hard to impress us.
That said, in his most recent game he showed what he can do when he relaxes, and the speed, fitness and precision began to show through.
Please do not categorise me as a ‘groupy’ but I think he could still come good — even if your group disagree.😁
Hi RA
I slightly differ in the sense that I don’t think the problem with Willian has been that he has been trying too hard to impress I think he has had trouble adjusting to the style around him. In many ways that is understandable, both Aubamayang and Lacazette’s passing at speed is awful which has pretty much nullified our breaks and Willian has been tarred with the same brush.
By contrast with a change of personal around him Lacazette has come to life. I hold a flame that the same can happen with Willian, and as I have said before, the Brazilian is going to be given a fair crack of the whip as he is one of Arteta’s signings.
Oh, and you can be in our group RA, I know you want to……..
LB,
I had not thought of the impact Auba and Laca could have had on Willian, and on reflecting on your view, I think you could be spot on!! 😁
Wonder why torreira never got chance under mikel way better than xkaka
As per RA, we are still having this conversation 10 years on means something is wrong with our model!
Can I be a groupie for your group LB?
We fans have the penchant to dismiss players as relevant if they don’t swiftly click. And I think not waiting for William to find his rythmn isn’t fair. Claims that the Brazilian is just about the pay are baseless. We are witnesses to go vibrant he has as for Chelsea last season and argument that he is too old sound ridiculous.
There was a time that we were ridiculed for having too many youthful players in our ranks and now a lot of fans are scoffing at the thought of adding experience to the squad. We need to find a balance if we are to progress.
Like I said, there are matches that we’ve played very well even while we were on the dour streak but scoring had been the major issue.
Don’t ever underestimate what a win can do to to the confidence of any side. With a little more patience the duo of Willian and Aubemayang would come back to their mesmerising old selves.
It’s a very exclusive group Rocky but I think we can make room 🙂
Hi LB – do you think the same could be true for Pepe? About the personnel around him?
@Sue – Seems Pochetinno and Leonardo agree that a bid should be made for Eriksen. It could be in the form of a loan deal or swap deal (Paredes). Pochetinno also keen to add a Wing Back – maybe Raphael Guerreiro from Dortmund?
Navas – Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Bernat – Gueye, Verratti – ERIKSEN – Mbappe, Neymar – Icardi
Rico – Pembele, Kehrer, Diallo – Dagba, Danilo, Herrera, Kurzawa – Di Maria, Sarabia – Kean
If we don’t get Eriksen, then that position will come to Di Maria or Verratti (if it goes to Verratti, then Paredes or Danilo or Herrera will play next to Gueye).
RC
Good question but my answer is an emphatic NO, Pepe’s decision making is woeful. He is another Thursday night player: great when there is lots of space to run into but come Saturday and space is at a premium he is poor, so poor, the situation really is disappointing and I cannot see this improving.
Addendum: I have been wrong many times before.
hi LB – I was hoping for a ray of optimism from your side…I, unfortunately, am also starting to feel the same way about Pepe 😦
Unfortunately all the dreams in the world cannot solve our current squad issue, too many overseas players. Whilst we have room for homegrown players they will soon be filled by players maturing from youth.
The eye was taken off the ball in this area and given us this embarrassment where we are paying Sokratis and Ozil who can’t contribute. Would have been worse if we had kept Torreira and others who have gone out on loan.
Ozil in talks with DC United – maybe the end of the saga or maybe he is just planning his summer move….
New post about Draxler
I agree GiE. It’s very poor management … I suspect skullduggery. It may take 2 years to clear this problem but we are lucky to have so many talented youngsters coming through. At least those in charge of our academy are doing a good job.