Agree partially ..

Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,

If your stats are based off that metric any footballer could play in that position and look the dogs bollocks. Denilson had great passing and ball retention stats too remember

Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback,

Remains to be seen how good, or bad, Xhaka will be in Mourinho's team.

Stopped reading right there. Childish and silly in the extreme.

From a person who thinks equal rights campaigning is a silly waste of time that’s quite a compliment

We're being linked with Alexander Isak, Swedish forward who plays for Real Sociedad. Haven't seen him much as I only watch the national team in the big tournaments, but he's an interesting player. 6ft4 but not really a target man. Decent pace, very good technique and ability to dribble past defenders. Scored 17 goals in La Liga this season which is a great return for a 21-year old. Can see him linking up well with Saka, Pépé and Smith-Rowe.

midfield target attacking stats
https://twitter.com/adamvoge/status/140 ... 59/photo/1
midfield target defensive stats
https://twitter.com/adamvoge/status/140 ... 57/photo/1

This is a nice twitter thread a guy has done with all the relevant stats of potential available central midfielders.

I like the stats because they can confirm what you see on the pitch, or rebuke any stereotypes or bias you may have. I find that often the stats show the the 'high profile' player doesn't actually perform as well as you think and often shows some relatively unknown players with very high performance
This guy did another great thread for potential right backs.

If you're not a stats fan ignore all of this!

Nice graph of the attacking passing stats of the under 23 midfielders in the big 5 leagues. Highlighting a few interesting names.
Soumare - gone to Leicester for £20m. Feel many clubs have massively missed a trick there

Locatelli plays for Sassuolo and is prime for a move this summer - lots of teams linked. We have supposedly wanted him for a number of years but is probably out of reach given our lack of europe

To follow up on the above post, if you are planning on watching the first game at the Euros - Italy v Turkey there are a few players to keep an eye on. Locatelli in midfield and Celik the Turkish right back we've been linked with.

Yusuf Yazici is well worth keeping an eye on in the attacking midfield role. and I'd like to watch Barella in central mid for Italy.

Should be one of the better games in the group stage. Turkey are my tip to surprise a few people!

Wow.

Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback... oh look we’ve dropped to fifth !!,,

Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback.... oh look we’ve dropped to 8th !!!!

Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback... oh look he’s leaving but we can’t possibly sell him!!

But the stats show he’s the second biggest forward passer in the final third in the Premier League. As I said, your views on players appear to be largely driven by whether you like them or not, rather than what they do on the pitch.

Like I said 15 yards forward to the fullback. Sideways, backwards, cross field ball 15 yards forward to the fullback...

Never through the middle hence our weird u shape heat maps

His forward passing stats are for the final third. The final third! You clearly just dislike the bloke. It surely has to be that what drives your opinion, more than what he actually does on the pitch?

Worst player ever.

Lots of links that Arsenal are very interested in Ben White of Brighton. And talk we still want another right sided CB. No idea what this means for Saliba.
Although perhaps Ben White is being targeted as a Holding replacement

Very odd, Rich.

Can’t say I have an opinion on Ben White one way or the other but to splurge £40m on him seems wildly extravagant when other areas of the team seem a more pressing issue.

Not sure why David Ornstein has gone public with it either. He doesn’t usually get fed duff information so Arsenal must be happy for it to be in the public domain.

I would be incredibly unhappy if we jettison Saliba without at least giving him a proper go.

Well 4 assists in his last 90 games !!!!!!!!. He’s not some final ball wizard and his passing isn’t progressive. He recycles possession and that’s it.

Everyone knows this

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I haven’t ever seen Saliba kick a football so I’m unqualified to say whether he’s good, bad or indifferent let alone more extreme terms like brilliant or terrible. But after paying, what was it, £27m for him, it would seem very odd for Arsenal to get rid of him as I’ve no doubt people at the club would have watched him many times before we signed him? Has Arteta simply taken a dislike to him, as I’m suspicious he did with Guendouzi?

Otherwise, perhaps Rich is right and Ben White is being targeted as Holding’s replacement which may mean Saliba still might have a future at Arsenal?

Most peculiar, he’s also in the England squad right. He’s probably going to have the tournament of his life and his price will rocket.

You would have to assume the club know a centre back is being sold

Hi Bernard,

Holding was actually pretty good last season, not world class good but certainly good enough to be one of 4 or 5 cbs. Arguably our best cb.

If Ben White is a £40m player that makes Holding a £20m+ player at the very least then.

I don’t think Arteta took a disliking to Guendouzi. I think Guendouzi just showed himself to be a petulant little prick.

This White interest seems odd. But the whole Saliba debacle has been curious if nothing else. If he goes without having kicked a ball fit us then so be it, but it’s been odd if nothing else.

So Ben white is a right footer as is Holding and Saliba and others lefties so you would have to assume Holding or Saliba are more likely being moved on. Probably saliba as Arteta seemed to take to Holding last year

No, you think it or want to believe it. You often seem to focus on assists. But in doing that, you ignore passes including incisive passes leading up to assists. Focusing on assists for goals is such a limited way of looking at it. How about one of Aubameyang’s goals at the Emirates when the creative pass was Xhaka putting Tierney through in a wide position that enabled Tierney to give Aubameyang a simple chance he couldn’t miss? It was Aubameyang’s goal and Tierney’s assist, but the goal was centred round Xhaka’s pass.

I’m not as certain as you on that Darren.

Good players cost lots of money, bad players not a lot of money. Xhaka is being transferred for peanuts. Your unhappy because the things you’ve said about him don’t make sense and you’ve been proven factually wrong now

Spot on Darren the world and it’s mother could see Guendouzi is trouble. Contrast his attitude to someone like Saka or Smith Rowe ? Super professional and they would run into a wall for the club. Did the right thing to move him on.

It’s already been explained that there are various factors contributing to a player’s transfer fee, as well as quality. One of which is their age, another is their eagerness to move, with another being the state of the market. Xhaka is approaching 29, it’s a depressed market, and allegedly fancies a move. All factors that could negatively effect the fee we’ll get for him. I therefore haven’t been proved factually wrong.

Would be disappointing to see Saliba leave, but it does look like Arteta doesn't rate him. If he's successful elsewhere Arteta will have to accept being questioned about it.

All for signing Ben White though. Think he's a terrific young defender and Holding just isn't good enough for where we want to go.

Yes you have.

Plenty of midfielders even worse than Xhaka will be moving for more money this summer. We are getting peanuts because he has a reputation for petulance and making major bloopers that cost his team dearly in football matches. To ignore that shows you are in denial.

That’s interesting. You say “Plenty of midfielders even worse than Xhaka will be moving for more money this summer.” So says the person who considers Xhaka the worst player he’s ever seen play for Arsenal. I would say that strongly suggests there ARE other factors that drive the money players move for.

Okay, it’s a depressed market for players generally, but doesn’t that make you think age is one of them? A club’s performance at negotiating fees could be another. But what I do think is that transfer fee size is alone not a reliable indicator of player quality. Therefore, I have not been proved factually wrong. I think it’s more to do with you not understanding what the words ‘proved’ or ‘factually’ mean.

So who are all these other players you consider even worse than Xhaka who will be moving for more money than him? They’re clearly at other clubs, but who are they?

You have been proved wrong

Well take last summer at the height of covid as an example players like Allan and Timothy Castagne moved for over 20 million. We ourselves were being linked with Jorginho for a while at a cost of 35 million. Even players like Rhian Brewster with no experience were sold for 23 million. Tiago went for 27 million and not the peanuts Xhaka fee and the market was worse then

I don’t see the Ben White rumours having any legs at the £40-50m price being touted.

Not unless someone has made a big bid for Saliba or even Holding.

No I haven’t. I’m glad you’re presumably not a lawyer because you clearly don’t understand the meaning of ‘proved wrong’.

So are you saying Xhaka is better than both Castagne of Leicester and Jorginho of Chelsea? But hasn’t one of your moans about Xhaka been that he wouldn’t get into the sides of clubs above us? Jorginho is a regular in Chelsea’s side, so it’s strange (and hypocritical) if you’re now saying Xhaka is better than him.

I think what I have got right is that your views on individual players can be shaped by whether you like them or not. I wonder if the main reason the expression ‘red rag to a bull’ hasn’t been replaced by ‘Xhaka to Top Gun’ is that a tiny proportion of the population read the site. You just can’t let it go about him. It’s quite amusing really.

Jorginho as an example is better than Xhaka clearly hence the higher fee, castagne not sure, Brewster unproven but all higher fees than a player with hundreds of appearances for arsenal. Why is this ? This is because Xhaka has a reputation for petulance and making major bloopers that cost his team dearly in football matches. To ignore that shows you are in denial and kidding yourself but unable to dig yourself out of the hole you have fell in.

Apparently Brighton really want Nketiah apparently. Might make sense if you think about it. Nketiah plus 20 million ish

Loan out saliba for another year as it’s a make or break season for Arteta and he will get few games anyway.

New centre back comes in for 20 million and can play out from the back with his right foot and beat the press. We still have a healthy budget to get other players.

.....also Keep an eye on some of our players being linked with Crystal Palace.

I thought I asked who all these players are you consider worse than Xhaka who will move for higher fees. So why did you mention Jorghino, let alone Castagne or Brewster? How about Allan, as it’s down to him now? By the way, do you consider £20m peanuts? Because that’s the fee I’ve seen for Xhaka, a player who’s approaching 29, his contract expires in two years, and appears eager to move on. You obviously buy your peanuts from Harrods.

Fee being mooted I’ve read is 15-18 which is peanuts when you consider Tiago went for 27 and was seen as a total bargain.

Why are you mentioning the players quality anyway. Ha lol you have just admitted that quality is a factor in the price proving my point precisely

Maybe TG.

I must say that I’ve barely noticed Ben White on the relatively few occasions I’ve seen Brighton play.

Nketiah might make sense as Brighton desperately need someone to finish off some of their excellent approach work.

The transfer fee prices quoted in the media will be unreliable. That is sure not arguable. I’ve never said player quality isn’t a relevant factor and it would be a lie if you’re saying I did. What I do think is that there are other factors that influence the price paid and received.

This could include in no particular order the state of the market (depressed or not), players’ ages, length of time left on contracts with existing clubs, the eagerness or willingness for relevant players to leave current clubs and go elsewhere, the skill or competence in negotiating transfer fees for buying and selling clubs, and I doubt that will be an exhaustive list. So it is NOT solely down to player quality, which you appeared to be suggesting. One other relevant factor is that the view of a player’s quality is nearly always, to some extent at least, a subjective judgment by managers as well as fans, rather than an objective one.