Well if it’s true that Celtic are looking for something approaching £50m, then I expect you to get your wish.

Morning Lom,

I've got mixed feelings over the Cabellos deal, if it happens. On the one hand with no option to buy it feels that we are developing someone else's player. On the other hand, if he has a brilliant season and is instrumental in getting us CL football again then I think its a win-win. Of course no option to buy does not definitely mean we can't buy him at the end of the season but the irony is the better the season he has the less likely we are to be able to afford him or even convince Madrid to sell.

Somewhere out there Terry Mancini II is just waiting

They may do but exciting is still a pretty strong emotive word. I wouldn't describe Martinelli as exciting as he is a low cost gamble with similarly low expectations of taking us to the next level. I heard a French journalist making a strong case that signing Saliba would be a very good move because if he continues on his current trajectory he should become an excellent player. However you could argue that if we have to loan him back then its not exciting as we don't get to use him!
As long as they can walk straight into our first 11 and improve us now OR they are outstanding prospects who require a bit more development/guidance then that's fine by me.

However on cabellos if we did have an option to buy at a fixed price then it would be more logical

Especially if we sign this guy,

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football ... a-everton/

It looks like ..


Everton 36 million
Tierney 25
saliba 25 on instalments
Cabelllos loan (10m fee)

So if we can sell Bielek and loan out jenkinson and chambers You may get our net spend down to around 70 but have to put up with our existing centre halves.

Did you say those last seven words with a straight face?

Beggars can’t be choosers

If we had to choose between signing a left back or centre half I’d go with the left back as we have to rectify the imbalanced left hand side of the team.

I suppose if Kos goes that leaves us with Holding, sokratis, Chambers and Mustafi. Not perfect but could get us through a season until saliba arrives.

Chambers in central defence? Jesus wept. Although I’d rather have him than the modern Koscielny.

I don't think there is any way back for Koscielny from his current position. I wonder how many offers have flowed in for him because after his strike we need to get some cash for him. Of course this could be Mustafi's break through season - becoming a crowd favourite and signing an extension to his current contract.

We can’t sell our duff players though. Little Josh Kroenke said in his PR interview yesterday that we are working on things for now and for the future also clearly a reference to saliba

If those are our CB options, I can see Emery sticking with the back 5 formation with Monreal and Sokratis and Mustafi as the CBs until Bellerin and Holding return.

I get that though I’d rather see Chambers, if he is going to stay, as Torreira’s back-up in central midfield than central defence.

I suspect Goonie could be right and in many games we’ll see a back three of Sokratis, Mustafi and Holding.

At the risk of picking at the scab of an old wound. Basically, Man Utd paid 24 million for a title. Fairly cheap I'd say.

https://talksport.com/football/572308/w ... 1563005477

'JUST TOO GOOD TO TURN DOWN' Why Arsenal HAD to sell captain Robin van Persie to rivals Manchester United in 2012

The Netherlands international had finished the previous season as the top scorer in the Premier League and looked like he had finally overcome his injury problems.

At the age of 29, Van Persie then made a stunning move to Old Trafford in a deal worth £24million.

The striker enjoyed a sensational debut campaign with the Red Devils, scoring 26 goals to fire United to a record 20th league title.

“He changed their situation, he was the difference between them and us,” former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said at the end of the season.

After scoring 10 minutes into his first start against Fulham, Van Persie went on a run of scoring a total of 18 goals in his next 22 Premier League games.

This included a hat-trick and a last-minute winner in a 3-2 triumph at Southampton, converting a late penalty to win 2-1 at Liverpool, a winner in an incredible 4-3 victory at Reading and a crucial goal against Chelsea in a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge.

And Arsenal’s former transfer negotiator Dick Law has revealed the offer was just too good for the club to turn down.

“We did everything we could to keep Robin,” said Law told Goal.

“He was 29 when he moved; he had a year left and wanted to do his very best in arguably his next-to-last contact – or even his last contract.

“In every case where we attempted in good faith to negotiate with players, we just couldn’t control all the factors.

“We knew how it looked selling to rivals but getting £24m for a 29-year-old was an important piece of business, it set us both up.

“It let Robin pursue a dream that he wanted and he was right, by going to United he won the title that season – but I think by the end of the next season, Sir Alex had left and that was the end of Robin at United.

“You would have to ask him if his calculation worked out. Financially, it worked out for sure, but he ended up moving to Turkey and then back to Feyenoord.

“If he had stayed at Arsenal I’m reasonably sure he would have gone down in history as one of the greats.”

We're *%^@** then. Mustafi is a dead man walking at Arsenal. His confidence is shot to pieces and the first (inevitable) error he makes he will be destroyed by fans who can't wait to see the back of him.

I'd rather take a massive financial hit than have him in the team.

I just can't see a way out. Mustafi will never get as much money(wages) as he does at the moment. Has a couple of more years on the contract. Just no way he would move. Even if he only plays Europa and the fans are giving him pelters, the pay cheque will keep him and the missus very happy. Would you ask for a move? See out the contract and move on a free.

Blame those that recruited him and offered him such a good package. The club is littered with overpaid underperformers.

This whole scenario across the club has got 3 years written all over it. Of course the problem can be that being money restricted we cannot buy quality players and we end up buying more players who don't measure up and we can't get rid of. If you want some examples look at Everton, who do not pay as much but do you think their fans are happy with Theo or some of the others they have purchased.

We have to be smarter than that but it is not easy. I am hoping that Edu might be able to get us some real gems from Brazil.

On Saliba it’s rumoured the deal is close but a varied price being quoted of between 30 - 40 million euros with potentially a 20% sell on clause.

I know nothing about the player but my goodness that’s huge money for an 18 year old.

Wasn’t he supposed to be joining Tottenham last week?

I’d much rather take a financial hit and get rid of Koscielny. As lomekian said, who I think summed up Mustafi quite well, most of the time he’s all right. The problem is there’s always a big mistake that’s possible.

I have to say also that of those who go it’s a minority of fans who refuse to see any good in him at all. There was a game last season when the effort he was putting in was made particularly noticeable by a particular incident and it almost seemed like he was receiving cult hero status. Think it was Rennes at home.

This!!

[quote="TOP GUN"]On Saliba it’s rumoured the deal is close but a varied price being quoted of between 30 - 40 million euros with potentially a 20% sell on clause.

I know nothing about the player but my goodness that’s huge money for an 18 year old.[/quote]
Wasn’t he supposed to be joining Tottenham last week?[/quote]
Have yet to see an announcement.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.u ... 86052/amp/

One really good thing about Mustafi is that he urinates off our friend from across the Atlantic. Means our dodgy defender isn’t all bad.

I'm still waiting for him to use his deep knowledge of the 'conference' to suggest a few replacements.

A mate of mine attended a friendly yesterday to watch his team play against a lower league side away in a kind of training type exhibition game. His team plays in the championship. I won’t mention the other team involved for a certain reason but let’s say they would expect attendances of less than 500 and play in the southern league.

Halfway through the second half his son who is in his late teens went to the toilet and was unbeknownst followed by 2 men into the toilet and given a pretty savage beating by the 2 home fans as a third blocked the door. Seeing his son stagger out my friend who is in his 60s confronted them and was attacked and had his head split open.

No reason to mention this apart from saying Football is pretty unique in its ability to attract morons and knuckledraggers and football hooligans and firms are the biggest lying hypocritical scumbags in the world.

That's terrible. I hope they are ok.

If we get Saliba and Cabellos and spurs were genuinely in for both then that is quite a hammer blow to them. On paper they have more to offer (maybe apart from wages), but champions league, upward trajectory, new stadium, settled squad, settled manager.......but players still choose us...

You really never know with sperz. I always thought they respected our eye for talent and would sometimes be interested in a player because we seem to value them highly. These days they seem to be much better at picking quality bargain players for the most part. They haven't spent much and are still way ahead of us the last few years.

Game live now :

https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/video/2775 ... -Arsenal-v

Arsenal 2-1 Bayern
Own goal and Nketiah.

Stan Kroenke here, borrowing Bernard’s computer (saves me internet charges). So Arsenal are winning against Bayern. So what do I need to spend any money on team rebuilding for? Good news.

Never heard of Nketiah before, who is he? I’ll phone Josh. He’ll know who to ask to find out.

Just been told he’s a young lad who plays in the same position as two other players whose names are apparently Aubameyang and Lacazette. Excellent, we can sell them both and make do with Nketiah.

Nobody can accuse me of taking no interest in team rebuilding. The fans will now support KSE’s ownership totally.

Stan,
Thanks for making the time available. Its great of you to take time out of Trumpy's nazi (sorry campaign) rally to find time for the poor people. All good news today. Just to make sure you are under no misapprehension - Bayern are not in the EPL and this was not the start of our season.

And while we normally have a red on our shirt, in this game we were in the yellow shirt - I am sure you knew that. Anyway great to hear from you - say hello to Trumpy.

Arsenal 2 - Bayern Munich 1. This result means we're going to win the league!!

Forgot that Kroenke likes to spend his cash on funding fascists rather than arsenal

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 91536.html

Are there any more reasons to think of not to like Kroenke. We must be running out eh ?

Looking to wtch the Bayern game but got the Colorad game by mistake. Stuck with it and saw 2 first class opening goals with assists from Eddie and the new Brazilian boy. Magnificent third goal from Martinelli.

Ecellent play throughout with none of the monotonous side to side passing at the back.

Loved the performance.

Arsenal fans flipping off little Josh Kroenke just brilliant

https://twitter.com/ryanrundle1/status/ ... 70976?s=21

Hysteria much?

More hysteria.

Presumably the plod have been informed?

Yeah they saw the thugs again at the train station heading back and phoned them to report it. The police said they didn’t have anyone available to attend the scene. Not sure if anything can happen