... did you forget to take your happy pill this week.

Do you seriously believe it’s impossible for Partey and Aour to eclipse the incredible achievements at Arsenal of Xhaka, El Nenny and Torreira? (Club legends with statues being built when they retire obviously)

Do you think this is a similar comment to when you said you didn’t want Kieran Tierney anywhere near Arsenal

That's how I'd read it as well. As he has a release clause Atletico are refusing to negotiate and the money must be paid 100% in one lump sum on day 1. Perhaps Arsenal could overpay but stagger the payments?

I can see Aouar happening very soon, Partey could go to the wire and I just hope we have some proper back ups - there are plenty of good players out there who can fulfill that defensive, powerful, pacey destroyer role. I think we need both players to get in to the top 4 this year.

You're talking £90m for the pair, if we need to break even this year in transfers then its virtually impossible that we can raise £90m from what are ok with leaving (on the basis that our business is roughly even so far)
Kolasinac £10m, Sokratis £5m, Balogun £5m, Torreira £25m Those 4 seem the most likely deals at the moment. Mustafi £10m, Chambers £15m......if only we could fetch £25m for Guendouzi and just convince Özil to leave for free (adding his £18m wages in to the pot) we could make it happen.
Really those 8 players are not going to add anything this season (Mustafi could be useful) so it is frustrating to have them clogging up the squad. It is a struggle to push forward when so much is holding you back. We're slowly getting through it though, the key will be to not be in this same position next summer and the one after - which means our purchases can't be duds!

I suspect the reason for him not playing every game is linked to his age. He has had a number of disappointing games, after all. Personally, if as you imply there’s not a big difference between Saka and Sancho’s appearance record before their nineteenth birthdays, I don’t see it as necessary to make a nod to Gaz’s point. The point I remember most vividly about Gaz’s point was his suggestion that Arteta should change his preferred and therefore Arsenal’s playing style just so that Saka can play more often. That sounds a bit barmy to me, assuming I remembered the drift of his point correctly. I still think playing over forty games before his nineteenth birthday represents Saka being selected enough. So to repeat myself, I perceive Gaz’s suggestion (if I did recall it appropriately) as unnecessary as well as a bit barmy.

I would much prefer to see the back of Holding than Mustafi. It had looked like Holding may go to Newcastle on loan. I would like to think we’d get £20m or so for selling him.

I do think we have to be realistic about the chances of getting rid of Özil. I just don’t see it happening because I think he’s more than happy about not playing. His priority is getting £350k a week for the next nine months (his contract expires 30/6/21). Why should he leave? He’ll still be able to go and play for someone in America next year for relative peanuts compared to his Arsenal salary. So surely he’ll take the £350k a week while it lasts. Even if we offered to pay 50% of his salary if he moved, who is going to cough up the other £175k a week for a waster like that?

Big squad overhauls have happened in the last 3 seasons.
We had 31 first team squad members at the end of Wenger's last season, summer 2018, and we've only got 12 of that 31 still at the club. 19 players have left in 2 years. And those 12 still here includes Mustafi, Kolasinac, Özil, Mavropanos, Chambers.

In fact Wenger's last season started to see the overhaul which follows a period of only 11 first team signings in 4 seasons between 2013 and 2017

Summer and winter 2017 saw the departure of Sanchez, Ox, Walcott, Giroud, Coq, Szcz, Gabriel, Gibbs - that group had a lot of games for Arsenal.

Post wenger and not including loans we've bought in 14 first team players and 15 have departed. I expect both to rise in the next week

I’d agree about £40m. But the price I’m seeing is £20m.

I’m really not understanding why we’re shipping out AMN. Even more so when it’s to Man U. I rather think that will come back to bite us if it goes ahead.

I actually thought AMN was one of our better players in the defeat at Liverpool. Hope it doesn’t happen. He’s another one I’d rather keep than Holding, who is worth around the same.

Agree with that. And he is part of our home grown quota, and he is what I would call ‘true Arsenal’ rather than simply passing through like so many do.

From what I've seen, the AMN to United rumours originated in Germany, and has been rubbished by the press in Manchester. I also thought he had a good game against Liverpool, at least defensively. To me, he just doesn't offer enough on the ball to be a starting player for us, but I'd like to keep him around as a squaddie.

I would agree with that. I don’t see AMN as a automatic first choice, but as a valuable squad player. Indeed, out of the current set of youngsters that have so far come through the academy, Saka is the only one I can see as a regular first choice, unless I’ve forgotten someone. Does Martinelli count as an academy player? I thought he was a signing from outside but if I’m wrong and he does count as an academy player, he’s another.

If any of AMN, Nelson, Nketiah, Smith Rowe and Willock end up having longish careers at the club, I presently see all their futures as squad back ups. After his three sub appearances in the season before last I once had hopes for Medley becoming a first choice. But he seems to have fallen off the radar for whatever reason. Think he’s currently on loan at Gillingham, but I’ve no idea at all how he’s doing.

I would be in favor of a Lacazette and possibly AMN swap for Martial if we have to but would see AMN as a last resort to close the deal. Crazy as that may sound. I think he'd thrive in our squad. Imagine him and Aubameyang (or Martinelli for the future)? Mouth watering. Willock is a 'fox in the box' that is a unique skill we can use. The ball always seem to bounce kindly to where he is.

I would not sell Saka under any circumstances. I'd hate to get rid of AMN as well. We will need Luiz until Gabriel and Saliba are settled. Chambers, Holding and Mustafi can go obviously. We have Mari, Soares as back ups. I haven't seen much of the latter two but its almost impossible not to be better than the three former players mentioned. I had hopes for Holding but its not gonna happen. Chambers isn't going to be any better. Mustafi, the less said the better. Arteta can only hide his 'mistake waiting to happen' performances for only so long with formations and putting players around him.

yep

On the contrary, it is very easy to be worse than those players, particularly Mustafi. The premiership is a about the toughest test a defender can face. It very lazy to imagine that anyone we bring in, including the likes of Gabriel and Saliba (who are essentially untested) and will automatically do better.

I think Trump and Biden should debate this.

Well said Decaf. I think ‘very lazy’ is a good way of putting his automatic assumption that practically anyone will do better than those players. Especially, as you imply, Mustafi who is the obvious focus of his obsessiveness as it’s been going on for so long. I still remember him saying we could find someone from the Conference better than Mustafi. Whether he stays or goes this window, at least before leaving Mustafi has showed what a prat our friend from across the Atlantic really is.

Saka is in the full England squad

Yep, I'm not a huge fan of Mustafi, but the abuse he cops from AG is truly pathetic. Here's a quick pub-quiz question. Who, out of Mustafi and AG, recently

(a) pledged to donate 16,000 meals to help vulnerable people in Islington
(b) posted the sentence: "Willock is a 'fox in the box' that is a unique skill we can use."

One of the above deserves a wee chuckle at their expense. The other maybe less so.

The Athletic are reporting Torreira is close to joining Atletico Madrid on loan with an option to buy. It's been widely reported previously that we've been against loaning him out and were looking for a permanent transfer. I wonder if it means we're confident of bringing someone else in?

That’s better news than many will realise as Nigeria were bound to be sniffing around and there could be a pile up for African cup of nations if your letting Saka, Aubameyang, Pépé and potentially Partey go all at once.

...and fully deserved. One of if not the brightest young talent England has going for itself. Years ago the England squad lived was over hyped I thought. However over time I think British players got a lot better technically and I would put it down to playing with and against a very high level of foreign players. It's also helped them not be over-awed playing an Argentina or France or Spain.

That said, the continental players have also raised it up a notch. England has improved technically but other countries are richer in talent.

Maybe it's "fake news".

Hi Haz,

Seems an odd one, a loan without an obligation to buy does us few favours unless the loan fee is substantial, especially to Athletico.

On one side you have Athletico playing hardball on Partey's buy-out-clause and on the other side you have us rolling over and having our tummy tickled.

So, AMN is called up as well? Congrats to him, also well deserved. Good to see The Arsenal represented.

The Willock thing

Let’s hope that he doesn’t entertain any Icelandic ‘beauty queens’.

Guendouzi to be loaned to Marseille possibly, those predicting he would end up at Barca, Madrid or Europe’s biggest clubs look to be disappointed as Athletico and others wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot barge pole

https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/01/arsenal- ... -13354615/

So, if we loan Torreira and sign Aouar and that's it in terms of more signings is that enough?

In terms of a long term strategy it is but certainly not in the short term and not when you are trying to close a huge gap as quickly as you can.

From what I've seen of Aouar he's a small technical player with good dribbling and passing so he should be just what the doctor ordered. However, he's not big, powerful or especially quick so it still leaves some glaring gaps in the makeup of a topclass midfield.

It’s clearly his atttide that’s holding his career up. If he can sort himself out in that respect, I’d like to think we might see him back at Arsenal.

For me it's enough to make it a good transfer window - especially considering the circumstances - but not enough to make it a great one. It would still mean we've possibly (depending on how the signed players turn out obviously) strengthened our spine with a very promising central defender and a highly rated midfielder. We've also added experience and creativity in Willian.

Another central midfielder would've been jackpot. Still some areas to adress in the squad after that, but it can't all be done in one summer.

Lineup for tonight:

Talent too, if he was still doing the business on the pitch the club would have put up with any amount of nonsense. It didn’t put Madrid off signing Anelka that time too

Nketiah must score there.

Pépé in down the left, I feel he should just keep going and fire a shot in on the angle, he wouls have had a free shot at goal. Instead he looks for a cut back towards the penalty spot where more Liverpool bodies are

Not sure, I think willock should have probably took a swing it it.

Clear yellow for Liverpool.

Jota has a shove at Ceballos after the ball has gone. Carragher decides there's nothing wrong with it

clear pull back on Saka not given. Those sorts of decisions just astound me that the ref hasn't seen it

Looked like a tactical foul to me, the kind where the player knows himself he's fouling but does it because it's better than letting the opponent go past him. Astounded the ref missed it.

Not in my view. For me he has plenty of talent and I think it has to be attitude, and attitude alone.

Test. Having real trouble clocking in.