You get some transfer rumours that just will not go away and in fact, they pick up momentum and you get to a stage where you start to think, “this could happen” and that is looking to be the case with Arsenal’s interest in Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti.
It is becoming more and more credible with the latest reports claiming that Laurent Koscielny is set to leave Arsenal because of the likelihood that Umtiti will soon be a Gunner.
The Barcelona defender has a release clause of £450 Million, however, Arsenal can sign him for £44 Million, that is just 10% of his outrageous release clause.
Release clauses are a bit of a joke, they are put into contracts in order to prevent clubs coming along and trying to snatch a player without paying a premium, though if you are a club like Paris Saint Germain you have the means to pay almost any ridiculous release clause fee.
But it does show how highly Barca thought of Umtiti for them to put in such a colossus figure.
Umtiti, 25, has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou and if Barcelona manages to land Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, it is hard to see him having any future with the Catalans.
The same now applies to 33-year-old Koscielny who is fast coming to the end of his top-flight career and if it is not Umtiti, it will be another defender that Arsenal will buy this summer to replace him.
He’s not tall enough. We need a tall, dominant CB. Also too risky buying a player that had a big injury last season, what with our record, and the fact we still have two defenders out with long-term injuries.
Maguire should be the one we go for, and we can afford him. With player sales, the adidas deal, and even more so should we qualify for the CL.
I agree with you about Umtiti and also prefer Maguire but it looks like he’s on his way to Man City. I’ve just seen Chambers got Fulham’s player of the year award and could be a good shout to play alongside or rotate with Torriera when he comes back.
If Maguire is not available, better move for Issa Diop or Ibrahima Konate. Very young and very tall, perfect to replace Koscielny
But I have got a feeling Arsenal would move for Manolas, since they already have Sokratis, his partner in Greece national football team
Chambers is too slow as an RB, but he has the skills and the physical attributes to be a dominant DM like Matic. Might be good as Torreira’s competitor
Ainsley Maitland Niles is the player for the defensive midfield role,, he has all technical and physical attributes for the position. It was his natural role in the squad until, because of his versatility Wenger started using him as a backup for, first Monreal then Bellerin. Emery has continued what Wenger started, and as result the team is losing out and not getting the best from one of the most naturally gifted young players we have. He can do everything Xhaka can and much much more, meaning he is very quick and can actually tackle (unlike Xhaka who cannot) He also has great passing range with the intelligence and ability to distribute the ball with telling effect. Callum Chambers is just as limited if not more so than Xhaka and would not be the forward step the team needs in that position without spending any money.
Short, injury prone, overpriced. I will pass. I hate that Raul S. is trying to get his men in, like what happened with Dennis Suarez. I would have preferred if we kept Emile Smith Rowe and not get him on loan, or even tried Eddie N. at the wing.
Good player but injury prone and lacks physical presence which is needed in the PL.
Not a good value money buy at anywhere near that still high price(the farcical original price being no more than a silly joke). Too short, too injury prone and just not for me at all. You have to be tall to be a top CB in the Prem. It won’t be happening in any case, so is merely academic.
jon, I concur. Umtiti has had three knee injuries at Barcelona with Umtita prefering natural repair rather than an operation, which has caused disagreement with management. He is too great a risk, with his probable transfer fee, wages and injury record.
Arsenal should learn from the Dennis Suarez failed loan deal signing that they did from Barcelona last January window to avoid embarking on signing Samuel Umtiti this summer from the same FC Barcelona. A player who has the hallmark to become another Barca fail signing at Arsenal written all over him already if signed by the club MUST be avoided by AFC. If Umtiti is so valuable to Barcelona in terms of productivity, they won’t sell him but keep him at the club. But because of his no longer in the plans of the club’s manager moving forward next season due to his being prone to picking up injuries regularly, which have his football inhibited, Barca is looking out for a football club whose officials aren’t wise enough to dump him to the club knowing that they won’t miss his absence at Barca. But are the officials at Arsenal not wise enough? I should think they should be wise enough to avoid being bitten twice by Barca within 2 windows but get shy to not be bitten twice by the tricky Barca.
An in form Umtiti is absolutely world class to be honest. Perhaps the best Reader of the game in world football… No exaggeration.. And he isn’t that short as most people put it out to be.. About 6’0.. But again big doubts if he can stay healthy.. If he can.. Would be a massive addition. But if he can’t.. Pysio room… A costly gamble to be honest
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Yep, we need someone dominant, a beast. Koulibali liké, a Roc.nit known as hé was at first.
Xhaka is such an underrated player.
Xhaka has won the ball back per 90 throughout the season more so than any AFC player
He tops the PL list on retrievals too (I didn’t say that I got it off a website just to let you know, I don’t know how to find these type of stats everyone else seems to find)
No PL player has touched the ball more times than Xhaka this season, no hiding here \0_0) only 2 players made more passes than Xhaka this season and they are defenders (FYI when someone attempts more than all well then they inevitably etc.
Xhaka too has helped keep us one of the best records at defending set pieces, it’s like having a CB back there with his stature.
Xhaka also regularly competes at the top for most accurate balls into the final third, helping Auba and Laca receive it in time so they can turn and face goal ..opposed to having a man pushing through the back of them ala Giroud.
Xhaka is crucial to our tactics, an article the other day mentioned that maybe he’s not getting enough credit, that tactically he is more important to our set up than we realize, I would say yes for sure! that is true. With Torriera improving and mopping more up in future, and we recruit, I believe Xhaka will ultimately prove himself a top CM player v the competition in this league. I believe Xhaka is much more intelligent a player than he gets credit for, he often thinks about who to pass it to before he gets the ball, top players do that, bad ones don’t even look for a picture/up before passing it (unless it’s a dummy move ala Ozil) Fatigue is Xhaka’s biggest enemy, we just don’t have enough competition throughout the squad. He brings a maturity to the team along with Lacazette, when they are both fully fit/rested you can see this in spades.
Seems pretty clear that we Gooners don’t want him, with just one half endorsement on here only. Even that post calls it “a costly gamble” as he is injury prone. It won’t happen anyway!
He is a great defender. It’s no slight on him that Barca don’t want him. La Liga and Ligue Un experience is good. But he should replace Mustafi, give Kos one more year.