Our most like first 3 recruits this summer:
- Timber – CB – Ajax, a Dutch international. A young and promising defender, he brings some physicality and pace to our back line and he is not bad at bringing or passing the ball forward, in the tradition of Dutch players. Gabriel and Saliba have a tough competitor to contend with now…
- Rice – DM/CM – West Ham, an English international. A solid performer in the EPL but also at international level, Rice can play at DM and at CM. Good at breaking plays and also at taking on people in the midfield, an astute acquisition but what a price to pay at 105 Mln…
- Havertz – AM – Chelsea, a German international. Considered a prodigy at his beginnings in Germany, he has been struggling a bit since joining the EPL. A hard working player that can play in the midfield and upfront. Versatile, young and talented but quite expensive as well at 65Mln
Does the arrival Timber means the end of the Holding experience at AFC or just the sending of Kiwior on loan?
With the arrival of Rice, there is a question mark on the future of Partey and Xhaka. Let us see. Ideally, we keep both.
With the arrival of Havertz, players like Vieira, Nketiah, Balogun and even ESR may seek a move away from our club.
The Edu-Arteta axis still targeting young, hard-working, technical and versatile players. We have to trust them. I am still baffled by Havertz but gotta trust the process…
Ramsdale – White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko – Partey, RICE – Saka, Ode, Martinelli – G. Jesus
Turner – Tomy, TIMBER, Holding/Kiwior, Tierney – El Neny, Xhaka – Trossard, HAVERTZ, ESR – Nketiah
Still think we can improve our RB position and our back-up GK…I d like to see us go for Frimpong at RB and then M. Sels at back-up GK.
COYG!
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FGG:
I have no issue with paying £100m for Rice, as he’s basically our midfield for the next 5-10 years, and he’s English, but I do worry about the number of players we are planning to go into next season with. We have a CL campaign to add to the schedule, and if Havertz, Rice and Timber are the only incomings, then can we really afford to let Xhaka, Partey and Tierney go???
Squad
Ramsdale Turner
White Tomiyasu Timber
Saliba Gabriel Kiwior Holding
Zinchenko
Rice Jorginho Elneny Vieira
Odegaard Havertz ESR
Saka Nelson
Martinelli Trossard
Jesus Nketiah Balogun
Unsure
Hein Holding Mari Tavares Tierney Cedric Xhaka Partey Lokonga Marquinhos Pepe
Erratum in my original post: Jorginho ahead of El Neny on the bench, of course…
Please where did you put jorginho? Like he’s missing in your 16.
Ramsdale
White – Saliba – Gabriel – Zinchenko
Rice
Odegaard – Havertz
Saka – Martinelli
Jesus
Turner
Tomiyasu – Timber – Kiwior – Tierney
Lokonga (Lavia)
Vieira – Smith Rowe
Trossard – Nelson
Balogun (Nketiah)
Seems a lot stronger than last year. Maybe not CL winning yet, but a clear step forward.
Ooops, swap Jorginho for Lokonga.
Arsenal have changed the way they buy and sell players. If you want facts here they are. The structure of the deal for Rice was already part agreed between West ham and Arsenal which was the initial £75 million, but the add-ons was the stumbling block. The add-ons have now been changed and agreed. This is together with the pre agreed initial £75 million is £10 million for each of the first 3 winter years of a 6 year contract but *without conditions*, the 7th year optional. Total is £105 million. Kai has a similar structure deal but with added minor conditions. That is £50 million plus £5 million for each of the first 3 years of a 6 year contract with 7 th year optional. Total £65 million. My friend works in the admin team, but I cannot mention her name. The structure for Kai will be announced first then Rice within 9 days. Personally i dont think he is worth it, but time will tell. They will also sell their players in a similar structured way to get the maximum capital for thieir players from financial difficult teams.
Hi Mirasu – check erratum note…
Hi NB – maybe you are right and Havertz will be part of a midfield 3 (Ode, Rice, Havertz), let us see
Apparently Holding on his way out to Turkey…
Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Kiwior as our main CBs
White, and Tomy (if he stays), as potential back up options together than Tierney
I think Havertz makes total sense. Imagine him in the positions that Xhaka was finding himself in last season!
When we have the ball, it will be Zinchenko pushing in field to pair with Rice, and then a front 5 of….
Saka Odegaard Havertz Martinelli
Jesus
Now that is a talented, versatile front 5, who have bags of goals in them from all different positions. All 4 midfield players are capable of going beyond the striker and into the spaces that Jesus creates when he drops in. Havertz also adds an aerial threat as he’s very underrated in the air and can time his runs as we saw at Chelsea.
It’s a signing with risks, but he was seen as a mega talent before he went to Chelsea and is still young enough that we can see the best of him. Chelsea didn’t use him correctly due to their lack of a CF, so if Arteta can do for him what he did for Odegaard then it’s a very astute signing.
I hope you are right fatginger…For me, Havertz is good going forward but he fouls a lot defensively…Let us see how the team is set up and how it evolves
Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Well, staN the man anted up, AFC actually getting business done early for the first time in decades.
Only thing I want to see is another defender as Tomi coming back from ACL tear, he will never be the same, think Holding and Bellerin and 100’s of other players.
Our defense collapsed 2+ year in a row in the last 10 games, let’s not have it happen again.
AFC have no room for players like El Neny, Holding, Tomi and jorg to sit on the bench and never play while adding absolutely nothing to the team!
What a summer, might even go to LA to watch them play the MLS game.
Aaaron
That should read: Arsenal actually getting their business done early for the second time in two years. Do the names Jesus and Zinchenko ring a bell? Still, why let facts get in the way of an opportunity to kick Arsenal.
Well LB,
You have a point, but those were hand me downs, no scouting involved, 2 former champion players who are very good, and those 2 were shown the door-seriously. I do like those players though.
Now Rice, that was/is a big ask, Kai, was being shown the door, AFC have shown courage in trying to replace Xhaka with an even better version of that role, Timber looks like an inverted rb that has promise. That is a mixed bag for the price AFC are paying, but to compete with $h*tTy that is what will have to happen.
Still want AFC to move on some people, and get one more playable backup cb in case something happens in CL, Cups, the EPL. That is a heck of a lot tougher schedule this next year than playing 1X per week, Arteta will have to rotate or the same results will happen.
Mikel is learning, and this year he will have to show continual growth and imagination.
Really sad the news about cancelo has died down
Why most saying havertz will play in xhaka position isn’t he a more of a striker
Our other LB name elludes me currently the Portuguese will he be loan this season? Still which we get cancelo much better version of zinchenco but other other lb had a really good loan so don’t mind seeing how he has improved
Timber is versatile and quick. Cover for right back.
Good to see all the usual doom merchants still on here ( LB excepted), spoiling the site!
LBG,
Just a glass half full on here, old enough to know better.
If Mikel and Club don’t melt the last 10 games of the season, then this just might be the season to lift the EPL trophy again!
It has only been 20 years for goodness sakes, but the EPL is the toughest league in the world for a reason.
My guess at the Havertz role is that he will be replacing Xhaka — but only sometimes.
Imagine a game where the opposition have come to defend and waste time, think Newcastle, usually what happens is that we lay siege to their eighteen yard box.
In this scenario Xhaka is not best suited to the fast inter play needed to get quickly past such teams — But Havertz can and he can do it in spades.
Now imagine we are playing City……Havertz is on the bench and we load the midfield with slightly more defensive minded players………….
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It doesn’t matter if a player is scouted for 18 months or if Edu finds him in a box of cereal, in the same way it doesn’t matter if we pay £6m (Martinelli) or £72m (Pepe)….aslong as they do the business on the field then who cares!?
Havertz adds another option, and as you rightly say LB, it will be horses for courses.
If all 3 of these players sign then I imagine that will be our incoming business completed nice and early, apart from maybe a youngster or 2. It will then be interesting to see who leaves. Personally, I think Xhaka will go, but I’d really like to keep Partey as the idea that we are onto a midfield pair from Zinchenko, Elneny and Jorginho if Rice gets an injury is not exactly filling me with confidence!
If I was Arteta, I’d also be looking to offload Nketiah if it meant that Balogun would stay. The ideal scenario would be a PL season long loan for Balogun, and a new contract, but if Arteta is forced to choose, then I’d go with the younger man who appears to have a higher ceiling.
I just hope we get these 3 deals done without any hitches and then we can get excited early for the new season.
I wonder if City signing Gvardiol and Akanji will open the door for either Laporte or Ake to leave?
Both left sided CB’s and would be an upgrade on our squad players. Ake capable of covering that LB spot aswell if Tierney was to leave. I’d happily take one of them as competition for Gabriel.
The Saudi’s really are just throwing cash at everyone and seeing who will take it. You can’t really blame clubs and individuals for taking the money, but it just goes to show that not even footballers wages are enough to stop greed.
Why anyone under the age of 30 would swap European football to go play in a third rate league is beyond me, but it does appear that this is only going to get worse.
Who knows, we could be witnessing the beginning of the end of European football as we know it….
Slim
Has anyone of any merit, under the age of thirty, gone to play in Saudi yet, just curious?
Jota has just gone from Celtic for £25m. He’s 24.
Ruben Neves from Wolves for £40m+. We wanted him last summer according to the rumours at the time. He’s 28 I think.
Mendy from Chelsea, who’s 31 which is young for a GK.
Gerrard and Nuno Espírito Santo both managing teams over there. Was only a season ago they were managing Spurs n Villa!
It will only take 1 or 2 important players for others to follow I reckon. It won’t be long before Sky or BT buy the TV rights and kids are wandering round in Al-Nasr shirts!!! 🤦🏼♂️😂
China thought about it a few years ago when the likes of Oscar and Hulk ended up over there, but they didn’t follow it through. I’m not sure the Saudi’s will abandon this quite so easily. They have the money to buy anyone and everyone.
Hmmmm, good points
It’ll be a shame to see Arsenal doctor Gary O’Driscoll leave and join Man U but apparently he wants to move closer to his family in the North West and I’m sure we’ll bring in a good replacement…
Edu-Arteta need to move to PSG after their time is over at Arsenal…PSG’s transfers have been abysmal since 2016…
GK – Donnarumma, Navas?
RB – Hakimi, Mukiele
CB – Marquinhos, Srkiniar, Kimpembe, Hernandez
LB – Mendes
DM – Ugarte, Danilo
CM – Verratti, F.Ruiz
RM – Asensio, Kang-in
CAM – Neymar, Vitinha
LM – Mbappe, Soler
CF – Ekitike
There is still: Rico (poor guy is in the hospital), Chevallier, Bidshiabu, Bernat, Sanches, Paredes, Icardi…
No clue how the team is going to function or be set-up…With the current crop of CB, a back-3 may be a good idea
Donna – Skri, Marqui, Kim (or Hernandez) – Hakimi, Ugarte, Verratti, Mendez – Neymar – Asension, Mbappe