Are there any English people you don’t consider revolting? The question remains. Who here has ever criticised an Arsenal player because he’s English? Just wondering because I can’t think of anyone.

Hint, it wasn’t me who called them revolting on here in the first place.

I won’t name names and cause more rows. Conversation closed. Bye Bernard

I do consider some English people revolting. Don’t you consider some English people revolting?

The question remains as we can’t have reached 10 hours 17 minutes on this issue yet. You suggested White would receive criticism because of his nationality. Who here has ever slagged a player off because he’s English? I genuinely can’t think of anyone.

Or perhaps he found your impeccable logic and careful marshalling of evidence too overwhelming. I'm sure many opposing generals, when faced with the blitzkreig, would also utter the words “nah don’t bother” before reaching for the white flag.

People like using rhetorical devices like 'top 5 of all time' or 'world class' when they don't literally mean it. Unwise!

A small and mostly revolting minority?

What happens if you accidentally read or reply to a post that is past its sell by date? Botulism?

How dare you compare Henry and Bergkamp!?! ! Tssk!

A failed attempt at humour ! Congratulations

Pro Tip : Nothing

10-12 hours? I think its half-life is considerably shorter than that, Mcquilkie.

It strikes me that whatever sense it may have had when it was newly minted has already dissipated.

No Im serious you can tell cos I dont punctuate

I still struggle with why White was a priority signing for Arteta, but I wish him well at the club. I wonder who will be the leader White or Gabriel. Usually one person is dominant.

I thought attacking midfielder would have been our first priority but still time to bring someone onboard.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/p ... 8041a5e2b4

“Ben was a top target for us and it’s great that we’ve completed his signing,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the club’s website.

Kudos to Arsenal & it's owners to spend big this summer. I never thought we would spend so much for one player.
Welcome Ben White!

Looking forward to Arteta's new team for the season. Time for him to bring us back to the ECL!

I'm not confirming till ltg says so.
joking :)

But I am thrilled. It's our 3rd touted defender in a couple years, albeit the other two were young and not proven at the highest levels before signing them. 1 out of 2 with them. Can't think of the last 'proven' top level defender we signed? Does Pers? Sylvestre? Count as such? I'll let the forum nitpick that.

It remains to be seen if we have overspent but I suspect we haven't. I'm happy with the back 5 more or less and having Partey in front, well, we shouldn't leak goals as much. Fingers crossed.

https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/30/what-mikel-arteta-told-ben-white-about-future-arsenal-transfers-during-talks-15017193/?ito=newsnow-feed

When even Soc is optimistic about the season this could be a pivotal season. Like me, he is a bit more skeptical than the average gooner. I'm excited about seeing the new players and the return of the better performing ones last season. This season is also a pivotal year for Arteta. Yeah, he'll need some time to put all the working parts together into smooth running machine but he can't take all season to do it.

Hoping we'll see Xhaka out the door. Nothing against him but we should be doing better.

You have my permission now.

The illuminating thing about Xhaka is that it appears to be Roma or nothing. No other club is looking in, even after a good Euros, and saying he looks a bargain and making a better offer (or indeed any offer).

Actual video of ltg announcing Ben White's signing.

Amazingly, the queue to sign Xhaka is longer than Mustafi's.

Wtf are you talking about? They took EUEFA to court got the penalty fees cancelled and stopped a major injustice. Whether you like it or not they did nothing wrong.

Imo opinion it would be good for grass roots footie. Get rid of the likes of RM, Barca and Juve and money no longer bends the rules.

Football would go back to being a sport.

I’m not wanting to get into the debate whether the clubs did or didn’t do anything wrong. However, am I missing something as I’d have thought it benefits Arsenal too, as we were one of the Super League clubs?

Hi ltg,

I think its the post covid market. I'm not a big fan of Xhaka but he was undoubtedly one of the standout performers in the euros and the fact that no club is willing or able to offer more than the paltry sum Roma have is indicative of what a troubled market it is.

It's also why we are having trouble offloading players like Kolasinic, Willian, Bellerin, Lacazette etc. There are just very few clubs willing or able to make the kind of outlay in transfer fees and wages that it would require. Teams are looking at loans with options to buy which is not great for the selling team.

The upside for teams who do have money is that they are in a strong position to pick up bargains or players who would normally be out of their reach.

Hi bromley. I know I owe you a sincere apology for doing this post as you did yours comfortably more than 10 hours 17 minutes ago, making it too old to debate. But I didn’t know Ben Stokes is a Tottenham fan.

I looked him up and saw he was born and raised in New Zealand until the age of 12, when his parents moved to the north of England. It didn’t actually say where in the north, but I’d have assumed the north east was a fairly safe assumption considering he joined Durham County Cricket Club rather than Yorkshire or Lancashire.

I know Tottenham have support all over the country, and presumably New Zealand. They’re a pretty big club after all. But my impression has always been that their support is more localised in London and the home countries than Arsenal’s (and Chelsea’s).

Wonder why Stokes decided to support Tottenham?

We seem to be have the classic conundrum of both struggling to sell and struggling to buy.

FFP was never going to work because 'money' rules. There is just too much money and the big money almost always has influence over the rules that govern their own money.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58032330

Hi AG,

By all accounts City have cheated their way to several titles with inflated sponsorship deals, it's just that their lawyers are smarter than everybody elses and can muddy the waters suffiently so that UEFA's attempts to punish them are thwarted at every turn.

At the end of the day, it made sense to sell Xhaka because he wanted to leave. But from a pure squad building perspective, he shouldn't be the midfielder to leave, and if Roma can't meet our valuation we're doing the right thing by keeping him.

I see it like this: Using Bissouma as an example (because we've been linked with him, not because I think we'll actually sign him), would you rather see us start the season with a midfield of

a) Partey, Bissouma, Lokonga, Xhaka

or

b) Partey, Bissouma, Lokonga, Elneny.

The above is meant to reflect what I hope for the coming season, not what I think will happen. I'm far from confident we'll try to sign another central midfielder, but I think it would be a mistake not to do it.

I am certain the reasons socrates gave about Xhaka are correct regarding the struggling to sell part of the equation. But LTG, are we struggling to buy? Tavares came for around £8m, Lokongo arrived for about £10m, and now White is here, with reports saying £50m. £68m spent already, allegedly, with unless I’ve forgotten someone (entirely possible) nobody yet out the door on a permanent deal.

Some of us discussed Arsenal being one of the wealthiest clubs in football a few days ago. We also have one of the richest owners. So we should be able to compete with almost everybody, and outspend the huge majority. I’m not another Swiss Ramble (I only recall ever reading one of his reports) so don’t know the in and outs of where the £68m has come from. The club’s own resources or Kroenke’s?

Perhaps it is the club’s own money, or if it’s KSE’s perhaps it will have to be paid back in due course (maybe with interest). But with his obvious unpopularity and the support for Ek’s takeover bid, as well as wanting to get back into the Champions League, is it feasible Stan is finally putting some of his own money in? If so, does that make Arsenal the latest financially doped club?

Hi Haz,

I see keeping Xhaka and offering him a new contract as a pragamatic approach to a tricky situation but not really a progressive move. Signing another top central midfielder as well as keeping Xhaka would be progressive.

Hi Bernard,

I think Lokonga was closer to £17m.

We did have to pay massively over the odds for White, but thats what big english clubs invariably do with top British talents. Man U payed £80m for Harry Maguire and £50m for Wan-Bissaka. Chelsea payed £50m for Ben Chilwell. Looks like City will pay £100m for Grealish.

I think we are looking to offoad players both for financial and numerical reasons and had we been able to do so I feel we would have made some more high profile signings by now. Will we make more signings if we can't sell.....I hope so but who knows.

I've read where some Gooners, excited about our prospects this season, see us threatening top 4. What about Sperz, Chelsea, Leicester or Man Utd do people think we'll just jump over any of them? Even if Kane goes to City, I'm not writing Sperz off. It's going to be a free for all. Ebbs and flows to this upcoming season.

Hi Bernard. I was a bit shocked to see you reply to my post beyond the prescribed sell by date. I expect you’ll be receiving an official warning from the mods.
Nevertheless, as I understand it Stokes isn’t really a football fan at all, but Tottenham sent him a shirt for some reason, and a tabloid newspaper used it as an excuse to fill a bit of space.

Morning socrates. If Lokongo was £17m rather than the £10m I said, that makes the expenditure so far around £75m. I think you’re right that incomings will be more likely with some outgoings. Who will they be?

It certainly looks like Xhaka won’t be one of them. Indeed, I think it’s more likely he’ll get a contract extension. My impression has always been that Arteta rates him very highly as a player, and it wouldn’t shock me if his prospective move to Roma had more to do with Xhaka favouring it instead of Arteta. That it didn’t come off may even have led to Arteta chatting with him, saying why not hang around with a pay rise in a new contract?

So who else might be on their bike? I don’t think Willian will move, even if he and Arsenal would probably welcome it. The sticking point being his salary, which he won’t get anywhere else. He’s also guaranteed it for another two years staying with us. My guess is Leno will stay, as if we really pay what Sheffield United want for Ramsdale, Stan must be financially doping us.

I can see Lacazette being offloaded to Atletico Madrid, but I reckon it’ll have to be for peanuts for it to happen. If Elneny goes, I think that will also be for peanuts. Bellerin might fetch an okay fee, but if he leaves we’ll presumably have to buy a new right back. Any or all of Willock, AMN, Nelson and Nketiah might go for semi-decent sums, even though not as much as it would have been in a non-depressed transfer market.

Their departures will hopefully fund the purchase of another central midfielder because even if Xhaka stays, we still look light there.

Thanks bromley. That would explain why Stokes supports Tottenham, even if he’s not a serious football fan. Wonder why Tottenham sent him a shirt though?

Just the smugness of the statement. These clubs *%^@** up because they are unable to do basic maths and hold any accountability over themselves. That’s the truth.

Btw despite you being a dribbling gurning *%^@ I agree with the last part. Those clubs are bad for football however next time those clubs try again the English clubs will be involved again despite everything I bet you.

Modern day journalism isn't worth the paper or site its written on. I keep seeing Daniel Ek buying Arsenal articles and these journalists know he doesn't have the money. If he had well heeled partners, okay a possibility but Kroenke isn't going to sell. Anyway, there is next to no chance of that happening. Almost as much chance as my exchanging holiday gifts with....

The 4th estate has been dead for a while.

I probably didn’t explain myself very well. What I meant was that when we try to sell then clubs ‘haven’t got enough money’ and the market is depressed but when we try to buy then the price goes up with little sign of a depressed market.