Always felt long sleeves were more Arsenal.

And today we’re signing Rapinha

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football ... barcelona/

Soc is right. It’s all just bollocks isn’t it.

I know that I’m sticking my neck out with this question given that we need a centre forward. Is Jesus any good as a centre forward? I’ve read enough over the past few days about him for Man City and also for Brazil to suggest not. I even came across a commentator saying that he doesn’t want to play there.

I think if it goes through it’s a compromise by the club. Prioritised the overall squad rather than 1 position

He’s a solid striker who will score goals in the right team in the league that’s yet to fulfil his total potential and can be acquired reasonably.

Arsenal could lamp 100m on a Nunez or Osimhen but that would mean that when the injuries start to hit in January and we need a back up left back we are screwed or our midfield issues haven’t been addressed.

It’s prioritising the overall squad so its equipped. Everything goes back to artetas comments that he needs 22 reliable outfield players and 3 keepers. That’s the objective and I can’t argue with it if it happens

According to FV's Wiki page, it states he's expected to join Arsenal on July 1. Of course there's nothing on the main Arsenal website about him. So 2 weeks to go. Maybe he'll be part of the Gunners Summer tour.

Omar Rekic has joined Sparta Rotterdam on loan, they cover his salary and there is a clause that he plays 75% of the games he’s fit for or Rotterdam face a £1m ‘fine’

This is exactly how we should be working loans. Don’t send our players to places where the intention is for them to just be squad fillers. They have to start games.

I can’t bring myself to believe we’ll sign Jesus, Raphinha, Tielemans and Martinez on top of Turner, Marquinhos and Vieira. That would push a £200m spend before any outgoings.

If we did do all that then you wonder whether there would be an outgoing that we don’t expect in order to balance the books.

From my earlier post, I wonder what the rationale is for leaving it until 1st July? He’s not at the end of his Porto contract, which is the reason we’re paying them some €35m for him. If he was I’d understand it, so that his contract with Porto expires and we don’t have to pay a transfer fee.

As long as he does sign, it isn’t important whether he joins then or now. But leaving it until 1st July could feasibly enable other teams to make offers.

Agreed Rich I also think it highly unlikely we’ll get that lot.

I guess some of it depends on what we realize for the likes of Leno, Guandouzi,Pépé, Bellerin ,Mari,Torreira and Nelson which presupposes Arteta wants to get them out and whether and for how much we can shift them
I guess you could also add Cédric, Tavares and/or AMN to my list
That’s a lot of turnover
Maybe Xhaka is the dark horse we ain’t expecting to go although MA seems to like him

They are saying spurs are interested in Raphina but don’t they have an abundance of players in that position now ? Son, Persic, the Swedish bloke, Moura

So then it’s Barca who are broke or us. I still can’t see us going there though.

Agree with Rich I can’t see all those players turning up. Seems fanciful

So assuming the following essential players are Bought which we really need ..

Jesus 42m quid (minimum)
Vieira 30M quid
Lisandro or left back cover let’s say 35 million

107.

So I really can’t see us lamping another 75 on raphina and Tielemans. Rich is right doesn’t really add up.

It makes sense in our supposed pursuit of 2 quality players for each position but even if we have the money and want to do it it would seem unlikely we'd be able to convince all of them to join.

I suspect we have a certain level of interest in all of them which, for a variety of reasons, we are quite happy to be out there in the public domain keeping the press and twitter off the scent of perhaps some more realistic targets.

It just all feels a bit too good to be true and they always say when something feels too good to be true it probably is.

You made a good point earlier about us not lumping £100m on a single CF target but spreading the money across a few signings which, when you consider that none of the £100m+ strikers out there are a sure thing to be a success in the PL, makes a lot of sense both financially and from a sporting perspective.

It wouldn't surprise me to see one or two of the names mentioned signing but certainly not all of them.

Maybe something in the medical result doesn't sit right with Arsenal. Either further medicals being done or Arsenal re-negotiating fee.

Someone (Maybe Adrian Clark) on a podcast: the Handbrake Off one I believe, said that other than last season, Lacca had outscored Jesus in minutes per goal for the previous 3 seasons. I wouldn't know where to find those figures so I cannot verify it.

I am only guessing but I wonder if Jesus has second thoughts on joining us. When he was with Brazil he was asked about a transfer and he indicated a decision would be made after their last game which was over a week ago. But it all went silent and this seemed to coincide with the time Real allegedly showed interest. If we sign him, it is because Arteta wants him to play a particular way.

Still nothing on the main Arsenal website. There's also around £5M in add-ons to the £35M for appearances and CL qualification (if that happens).
No doubt other clubs are interested, irregardless he's had a medical. He's on holiday in Greece still apparently. He posted a photo on Instagram. Possibly why the delay for July 1.

Vieira has signed. Porto released a written statement saying so. People always say this when there’s a delay in the announcement. Million reasons for the delay. Marketing guys on holiday, financial reasons, waiting on a lawyer. Remember the delay in announcing Nasri had joined. Absolutely ages

I would say it is a good example of how screwed up football has become. A young unproven footballer guaranteed to play or the club that won't benefit from him long term incurs a large fine.

I read that Vieira had a release clause slightly higher than what we ended up paying and it was one of the reasons we moved fast (and quietly) because we thought other clubs would just come in and pay his release clause

In all time Prem rankings Jesus is 3rd to Henry and Aguero for goals and assists per minute of football played.

Vieira has signed. It’s only the announcement as TG says. He was in London over the weekend for the medical etc. His latest Instagram
Posting has him in Greece relaxing. He is an Arsenal
Player. Relax.

Alex Lacazette:

“I’ll keep in contact with my team-mates, with the coaches, with the club. I supported #Arsenal since I was young, so obviously I’m going to keep supporting them. I know I will come back to the stadium as well.

"Like we say, ‘Once a Gunner, always a Gunner.’”

I recall Sol saying how impressed he was 'top drawer' I believe was the term he used about the facilities, staff, etc.
I also have no idea if former Tottenham or Chelsea players feel the same or say the same about their time with those respective clubs, but all I know is that we are a classy club. When players that left with animosity (RvP, Anelka, Fabregas) try to come back, there is something special.

I haven't been following the transfer talk much, but is Jesus and Martinez pretty much a done deal? Are we really building a 'beast of a squad'? Or is that statement based on us getting all 3 players? (1 down 2 to go). I am not going to consider Gnabry...unless something happened while I was away from following football news.

https://www.justarsenal.com/arsenal-are-building-a-beast-of-a-squad-but-we-dont-need-tielemans/312858
Arsenal Are Building A Beast Of A Squad -- But We Don't Need Tielemans

So, with Vieira, Jeśus and Martinez for around 120 million which seems imminent, that would be some business with cash to spare. We can sign Gnabry too if we want to, then we would have a beast of a squad.

Arteta has said he wants 22 outfield players in his squad:
Tomiyasu/Cédric
Tierney/Tavares
Gabriel/Holding
White/Saliba
Partey/Elneny
Xhaka/Lokonga
Ødegaard/Vieira
Saka/Pépé
Martinelli/Emile Smith Rowe
Nketiah/Balogun

That's 22 players. The rumours are Jesus (who replaces Balogun), Raphinha (who replaces Pépé), Tielemans (who might replace Xhaka?), and Martinez (who might replace Tavares) It would be a huge statement of intent and would really only leave maybe 3 areas of small weakness with Cédric and Elneny first reserves in their positions and the need for a more powerful and tall CF

Very encouraging and useful. But that doesn’t quite my view of a ‘true’ centre forward. Having said that they do seem to be a dying breed.

It is going to be interesting what happens at Chelsea. Roman has gone, Marina Granovskaia their transfer guru has gone, they've already lost Rudiger and Christensen (I think) on a free, Alonso is desperate to leave and the defence is then being pretty much held up by 37 year old Thiago Silva and Azpilicueta. Last season they sold Guehi and Tomori who are both now England Internationals. They're also looking at sending £100m Lukaku back to Inter Milan on loan.

If we think it is too soon for us to properly challenge City and Liverpool over the season I can't see any reason why we shouldn't be looking at overtaking Chelsea this year

Hey Rich,

You would know way better than I do what is Chelsea's current financial situation. I recall hearing this and that about Roman and his money regarding Chelsea. They were being sold, have been sold? No idea and don't care to research it.

Anyway, does Chelsea still have the financial might to buy big names, great players? They also have a great cadre of young players they have been buying off for years. They challenged for a short span last season. Yes, they seem vulnerable based on the fact that had we played better down the stretch we could have beaten them to third place fairly easily I think.

Even if they aren't as good next season, Man Utd seemed weak as well and I can see why people would continue to think they are very vulnerable, especially since we finished ahead of them. Tottenham played well sporadically and are over-reliant on Song and Kane.

All that said, the aforementioned can easily see us with the same views. The way it seems to me 3rd is up for grabs. I haven't even brought up West Ham who are now very tough at home and are looking more solid as time goes on.

Basically, other than Liverpool and City, 3rd to 6th is wide open. There are no clear cut favorites to finish after City and 'pool. Obviously we hope its us but we are as inconsistent as the rest of the clubs.

Vieira has been announced on Arsenal Direct of all places. Go to the first page of it and there he is in the no.21 shirt.

I see Nick pope is going to Newcastle for 12 m

Surely under no circumstances Leno should be sold for less then that.

Club expecting massive shirt sales to follow now.

I’m concerned Vieira might have signed for Tottenham

Fabio Vieira’s English is very good

Surprised Pope is going for that little. Seems like a good deal

This should do it.

I think our new signing needs to spend his summer in the gym. He looks like someone with a youtube channel who teaches acoustic guitar.

I’m still concerned

Edu comes across well in his interview on arsenal player and the website at the moment I thought.

An actual footballer making decisions not some corporate d******* like Sanelhi making decisions off ego and finance only

Yes. Definitely needs to hit the brick lane Beigel shop for several salt beefs too. He’s a match stick

Is Arsenal Direct an official club website? He’s confirmed on Arsenal.com anyway. Not sure when as I’ve not had a chance to be on the internet since early this morning. Be interesting to see what his official date of joining is given as.

Him being on holiday in Greece would not make any difference. Like being on holiday in Greece wouldn’t have stopped Arteta choosing the shortlist for player of the season.