I’m hoping that Ceballos stays. He’s becoming a far more influential player for us and putting in far more complete performances.

Hasn’t the extension of Ceballos’ loan deal been confirmed? I’m sure I saw headlines saying it had. But having said that, I don’t recall reading any of the reports so perhaps I simply misunderstood the headline.

Not really. This is from the AFC site from a few days ago:

We are delighted to confirm that defenders David Luiz, Pablo Mari and Cédric Soares have agreed contracts to stay with us beyond the end of this season.
In addition midfielder Dani Ceballos has extended his loan from Real Madrid until the end of the current 2019/20 season.

By having average pace Guendouzi is quicker than Fabregas, who was slow. When Guendouzi first broke into the team he struck me as the best youngster since Fabregas.

I’m still hoping your wish to see him moved won’t be satisfied. Heard a little of a radio interview yesterday (I was in my wife’s car who changes the station that’s on way too much to keep track or even bother asking what’s on).

Anyway, there was some bloke with some sort of Arsenal background being interviewed. An ex-player I presume, but it could be another type of job or even a guy from a fan group for all I know. He said he doesn’t see Guendouzi being sold as he is rated within the club. Perhaps they’re trying to hasten his maturity? Who knows but it gave me a little ray of comfort as I genuinely think he’s a top player in the making. There was also a little hope offered by some more formal report earlier in the week that Guendouzi has been told he won’t be sold.

Going back to your initial post on this sort of thread naming players you want sold, why was there no mention of Aubameyang? If he refuses to renew his contact, do you see keeping him next season but then losing him for nothing as better than selling him now for what hopefully would be for a decent transfer fee to enable some sort of replacement to be signed, or a player in another position?

It would be too much, I think, to rely on Eddie and Martinelli and A.N other forward signing to lead the charge, and personally, others might think differently, I’d rather have Aubameyang for the last year of his contract because we won’t be able to replace those goals I don’t think.

Stephy Mavididi

Say that five times fast.

I did and I ended up saying 'Mustafi out'

Fabregas wasn’t quick but to call back to a previous line of argument, in a race between him Xhaka and Guendouzi I honestly don’t know who’d be slowest. That means they’re probably all slow. Although Febregas never placed behind a famously slow player in a speed test as far as I know. And to the point about midfielders lack of pace being no problem, during Fabregas’ tenure and beyond recovery pace of midfielders was a huge issue as we’d camp outside the opposition’s box and then be hit on the break and concede with the first shot in target. Recovery runs from midfielders are very important, and I’m sure players like Cazorla, Zidane et al weren’t very fast but frankly they mitigate that by being genius playmakers no??

As to the point about Brady I never saw him play being the young whippersnapper that I am, but I’ll bow to your opinion on that as I can’t make the comparison directly myself.

Why lacazette and not Aubameyang? Because Aubameyang is firing and Lacazette isn’t. Next season if we sell Aubameyang there are no guaranteed goals, even if we sign someone they’d likely be unproven, and Aubameyang is as close to a guarantee of forward goals you’re going to get. It would be too much, I think, to rely on Eddie and Martinelli and A.N other forward signing to lead the charge, and personally, others might think differently, I’d rather have Aubameyang for the last year of his contract because we won’t be able to replace those goals I don’t think.

All this baiting of Bernard re Mustafi just goes to show that your blocking of members is nonsense. You still read the posts don’t you? Stop pretending otherwise.

Say that five times fast.

If you could sell two players to make funds available, because I’m convinced thats the only way we’re making any signings other than free’s and loans, who would you let go?

Mine would be Lacazette and (look away Bern) Guendouzi. Two players who would bring in decent fees and I think have played out their time here.

Not Özil???

Hi Ash, Doesn't this just push the problem 1 season on and leave us in a worse position then than we could be in next season.
If Aubamayang makes it clear he won't sign a new deal you have:
Option 1: Sell him to the highest bidder and have £Xm to try to replace him
Option 2: Keep him for another year, probably get a decent goal output because as you say he's as close as you can get to guaranteed goals, but then lose him for free in summer 2021 so we're faced with replacing Aubamayang with £0 money

Obviously if the only price anyone was willing to bid for him was £10m then I'd keep him for his final year, but I'd think that there are enough wealthy teams out there who want guaranteed goals that he'd raise at least £30m+. The point is not whether we can replace Aubamayang with what we are forced to sell him for - we almost certainly can't - the point is it is a lot easier to try to improve the team with some money from his sale than nothing and doing the later just delays things by a year and puts us in a worse position

In a three man race between Fabregas, Guendouzi and Xhaka, I would be surprised if Guendouzi didn’t get the gold medal. Silver and bronze? Think my money would be on Fabregas for the silver and Xhaka for the bronze.

... Aubameyang is as close to a guarantee of forward goals you’re going to get.

I don't know his true value but 45 million seems awfully low for Sane from City to BM, especially for a 24 y.o. of his caliber.

Central midfield really is a priority in the summer. Özil is no great loss, nor Mkhi and Elneny. Ceballos will return to Madrid, Torreira could go back to Italy and Guendouzi could be used to raise funds. That is 3 players who have had a fair emount of minutes this season. If those 3 go we definitely need 2 central midfielders and I think we also need another attacking creative central mid.
If Arteta uses the 3-4-3 as the last few games then it is Xhaka + 1 in the middle. But if he goes down the City route of 4-1-2-3 then it is Xhaka at the base plus 2 x No.8's (de bruyne + silva in the city team). Saka starts coming in to the equation for that role and it potentially suits Willock and ASR but both are still very young and asking them to control a game and be responsible for our creative output is too much. None of the other midfielders suit this.

To get a team to suit Arteta's management style we've seen so far I think as a minimum you need a couple more central mids, 1 who can play deep or box-to-box and another who can play box-to-box or attacking, swap out lacazette for a more mobile striker. Plenty more work to do in the squad, particularly in improving quality in defence but the 3 areas mentioned above are not necessarily about quality it is about the make-up of the player to suit the managers way of playing

Except that in the only thing resembling a race between any of those three, the club speed test, Guendouzi finished behind Xhaka, so that’s just wishful thinking on your part isn’t it.

Also, if I have read it right, a transfer at that fee means Liverpool will have made about £8m out of his time with them. That doesn't seem a lot. If Arsenal did that we'd never hear the end of it!

Is the club speed test the graphic you said showed Aubameyang was slower than Xhaka? You didn’t mention Guendouzi as part of the graphic.

But are you seriously telling me you think Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang? If so, do you trust the graphic that much? Because, I’m sorry, I can’t trust any speed test that makes Xhaka quicker than Aubameyang, unless the latter had his ankles tied together or something similar.

So I’m perfectly comfortable in saying Guendouzi is quicker than Xhaka. Because I simply don’t think Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang, assuming that is the speed test you talk of.

No I didn’t see a graphic posted by Aubameyang showing he was slower than Xhaka. But if it’s true and it was reliable, why do people moan so much about Xhaka’s lack of pace, which they do? Just seeing them play I have little or no doubt that Xhaka cannot run as quickly as not only Aubameyang but Guendouzi as well. If he can, which would absolutely astonish me, then all the people who have moaned about Xhaka’s lack of pace can only be mistaken.

To be honest, I think OMOH raised a very good point as well, that had crossed my mind previously. Is huge pace as important for central midfielders as it arguably is in other positions? Petit wasn’t Usain Bolt in football boots, but would walk into my best ever Arsenal team. Fabregas wasn’t that quick either. Personally I suspect it’s more important in other positions. There have been countless players who have had fine careers not blessed with great pace, across many positions. Mertesacker and Giroud are obvious examples from the very recent past. Indeed, Giroud is still playing albeit not for Arsenal. It wasn’t long ago that Fabregas left Chelsea either.

I think I’ve already said Guendouzi is not quick. But I qualified that observation with my view that nor is he slow. I see him as having average pace. What I do firmly believe is that he has sufficient pace to have a great career in the game. Or if you prefer me putting it this way round. He isn’t slow enough to stop him from having a great career as a central midfielder. Whichever way round it’s put, it adds up to the same point. I still hope he has that career at Arsenal. But as I said before, I wouldn’t blame him or any other player for wanting to get away.

Liverpool? Do you mean city? Or are you thinking of Mané at Pool? I was racking my brain to think had I missed some complicated clause or a secret youth by Sane spent with Liverpool?? I have concluded it’s not me it’s you

Ash, to show I wasn’t bringing this issue out of thin air, here is the post you did and my reply to it. The were on page 12829. Your one was post number 513138 and mine was 513139.

Just seeing them play, I simply cannot believe Xhaka is quicker than Aubameyang and nor can I believe Guendouzi is slower than Xhaka.

Right so Guendouzi being the subject of the post clearly the “he” in “he finished behind Xhaka” relates to Guendouzi. It wasn’t grammatically the clearest but it does show me you didn’t understand the graphic, engage with it or even look at it.

Yes, I’m sure you have a hard time believing Aubameyang is slower than Xhaka, no one thinks that or has even ever suggested it!

Believe what you will, I showed you actual evidence that at the time of the test he - that’s Guendouzi for clarity’s sake - was slower than Xhaka. It might not be the case now But it does go towards the case that Guendouzi is, in fact, slow.

Maybe I'm becoming a big softy but I never thought I'd see the day when I felt actual pity for Mourinho. I'm happy as hell Sheffield Utd is putting it to them but I feel sorry for Jose.

Oh how far the mighty have fallen.