With Monreal as the back up ahead of the youngsters and Jenkinson

Our squad can probably be summed up by saying we have
A good GK
A weak defence
A decent midfield
A top class attack

My hypothetical question would be would we be better off if you flipped the quality of our defence and attack? What if our back 4 were the defensive equivalent of Pépé/Aubameyang/Lacazette/Özil...and our attack was the striker equivalent of Mustafi and Jenkinson?

We’d be more boring but I think we could easily win more points in the league

They would be crazy to let Mustafi and Kosielny go without at least one replacement coming in. As bad as they are right now you can’t start a season with only 2 centre half’s.

Your just throwing the bait out hoping for a nibble

I think Haz is right ,Gaz. Even if we sign a CB in the next week I doubt he'd be thrown straight in, unless he's brilliant.

Nicholas Pépé is so yesterday

Who are we signing today?

I'm really not! Even if we sell Koscielny and Mustafi and sign a central defender it would seem Chambers is here for the season, and judging by our games so far it looks like he's ahead of Mustafi in the pecking order. With Holding out I'd expect him to start against Newcastle even if we manage to sign someone before then.

I think personally our away form is simply so poor because we didn’t have any pacy players to counter attack teams away from home. We had to rectify this.

If you gave me a choice of signing Pépé or Maguire or Koulibally I would have chose Pépé. Our task is to get top 4 not win a title.

Hopefully we can find a way of offloading Mustafi and getting a replacement in. Best for all involved

I’d agree defense is our weakest link, but our attack was in desperate need of an upgrade as well. Sometimes you don’t get to choose in what order you strengthen the team. I’m sure Klopp would’ve loved to make Van Dijk and Alisson his first two signings, but it wasn’t possible at that time.

blimey he's quick isn't he

Jeez it will take some convincing for me to see Chambers in the side in any position but as CH I just can’t see it. I don’t rate him at all.

The problem is that Holding is really an unknown quantity and we will see when he is 15 games back as to whether he is good enough. Chambers is not good enough IMO. We need to cover this position otherwise Mustafi it is. Chambers failed in this position at Arsenal and at Fulham - he is not an option IMO.

I read somewhere that in the post season analysis of the away form it was exactly that lack of counter attack and a winger who can dribble at players that was identified as one of the problems. Apparently Pépé last year had

118 shots
108 fouls won
102 take-ons

With that front three I think there will be less need for midfielders and wing backs to go bombing forward in support so there should be a bit more balance. Hopefully to allow some to focus more on defending. We still need min 1 CB and maybe a LB although Tierney seems pretty injury prone. If we just got a CB though I'd say it's been a very good window.

I had forgotten Chambers and I think Hazuki is right. No new central defenders coming in and I think he’ll be in the team. For me that does nothing to make recruiting somebody to play there less urgent. I’ve mentioned before, he did well enough in midfield to win Fulham’s player of the season award. Although, let’s be realistic, considering their season that makes him little more than the best of a bad bunch. My Fulham supporting relatives called him a disgrace to the shirt when he played in defence, and that’s a Fulham shirt not an Arsenal one.

Arseblog news reporting that Asano has signed for Partizan Belgrade for £1M, and Bielik has signed for Derby for a fee rising to a potential £10M.

I’m 55 years old.

Supported Arsenal since I was 7 years old.

Seen many comings and goings, and lots of highs and lows.

Spent a relative fortune traveling to and from home games and away games up until about 6 years ago.

Reasoning with myself that the disaffection I’ve felt over the past few years with Wenger was because of the highs he took us to, and the feeling that it was stalemate for my club.

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I was still in a couldn’t care less mood about the new season, and wasn’t really keeping up with any news of any kind. (And I used to get the FA handbook each year for checking rule changes).

So why am I now more excited than I can remember about the new season? There’s no massive justification for it, and if I was to claim that I think Pépé is a massive signing, I’d be lying because I know next to nothing about him, and have watched him play even less.

So why, at 55, am I as excited as the 9 year old me getting his first Arsenal top (in York, on holiday, of all places)? Have I mistakenly swallowed my dad’s happy pills?

Am I alone in feeling this way?

I think the signing of Pépé feels like we're getting properly into the post Wenger era, and that we're looking to move forward. That at least makes things interesting, and adds a bit of hope which had all but disappeared by the time Le Boss finally slung his hook.
Anyway, good to hear you're excited for the season- football should bring a bit of fun and pleasure!

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but Bielik has joined Derby for £10m.
Asana also gone for £1m
Must bring our total outgoings to about £16m.

Rumours we want Coutinho on loan with an option to buy.

Has to be bullshite, I mean it'd be like watching the bloody Harlem Globetrotters

We wouldn't be able to defend at all so most games would end up 7-5.

As long as we win 7-5 I'd be happy with that! Would be great fun.

But seriously, as grantyboy says, if we have a fantastic attack with wingers and a no 10, then it means that our full backs dont have to bomb up and down the wing as much, leaving gaps at the back.

Maybe a change back to a more traditional flat back four is on the cards??

Hang fire Soc it could be simply a smokescreen for us to get Messi.

In all seriousness this won’t happen. I’d crack up if it did but it won’t.

That said ... just read this



Arsenal have set out their basic conditions for the transfer of Philippe Coutinho, 2 year loan with a fee of £12 million & then the option to purchase set at £88 million, Barçelona, Arsenal & Philippe Coutinho are keen on the move to happen.

Philippe Coutinho & Kia Joorabchian have spoken to Unai Emery face to face & they've received the necessary reassurances over game time that he wanted, Jorge Mendes has also stepped in to help Arsenal sign him & Ruben Dias in the next 6 days

Who the fudge is Ruben Dias?? I can’t keep up!!

That would be a great deal. Not much spent now and we try before we buy. I suspect we would be selling someone if he arrived. I don't think it will happen. Some of these deals could depend on the relationships between the clubs.

However the mention of Dias is interesting. I think Man U wanted him at some time. I understand from wikepedia he is 21 yo CB but believe he had pretty good season with Benfica. He might be a better deal than Tierney as at least he has played in a competitive league but I think there is a silly release clause on him. Maybe if we can layby like the Coutinho deal we will get it over the line.

I suspect the whole story is BS but it could be an interesting week.

I have looked with interest for updates on Tierney's injury problems. Because how in the world could he pass a proper thorough fitness test if he is injured. The last word I can find is this from Celtic.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17 ... ears-head/

but it is 2 weeks old. people know my views on him.

"Only" ten mil? I would have thought after his recent performances his stock would have risen higher?

Can't see this ever happening. Shock if it does. Don't even want to think about it and avoid disappointed from hoping too much.

Hi TG,

So many b%*&s%*^ rumours floating around, especially in the light of the Pépé deal which has heightened expectations to ridiculous levels (I love it though ).

I am hopeful about Tierney and that the delay is just so he can pass a medical, but who knows.

I think a CB is a possibility but I would be surprised if it is anyone particularly expensive or highly rated. More than likely a loan or a cheap experienced player a la Sokratis to fill in for a season or two..

I don’t see many league 1 players going for £10m

How much did we get the Ox for?

Hey Rich, Bielik, to me at least, seems worth more than 10 mil. That's all. Especially with the prices being banded about these days.

Barcelona should be a nice warm up before the season proper. And I'm starting to have doubts over the Tierney transfer. We can only hope it happens soon.

So, not just me then? Just had to look him up.

How realistic is it to get more than £10m? At the age of 21 Bielik made two substitute appearances for Arsenal in the League Cup. Hardly a sign of him being highly rated at the club, I’d have thought. He apparently has a good season at Charlton in League 1. After showing us your knowledge of Conference defenders, I realise you’re the expert on lower league football. I stand to be corrected, but does that really make him worth more than £10m?

I’d be all for signing Coutinho and Tierney at the expense of a centre back. Yes it’s mental and the problems in central defence would continue as we would still have Mustafi but it would be worth it with the sheer attacking force we would possess. Football is about excitement after all.

I have a feeling we have gone off Tierney though for some reason. Just a hunch as I think it would be a shame. We need a left back even more than a centre back.

https://www.givemesport.com/1494496-shk ... utoplay=on

I’ll just leave this here... Bernard this is a link to pictures of cake and other assorted pastries.

.....

Passing accuracy and stuff like that maybe but there isn’t a stat in that list that accounts for “let me drop an absolute head scratching mindfuck clanger that will cost my team x “

Mistakes leading to goals...

Edit:

Or leading to chances

So Benik Afobe has joined Stoke.