It’s best we don’t know
by Vuyo Mataka
Arteta and Edu have their own plans, its best we let it play out
We all wish we could be the fly in the wall in the Arsenal board room and listen in on the transfer ideas they have for the team. We all want to be in the know. We put too much pressure on every transfer window, knowing we can’t change the outcome.
I guess we are desperate for transfer news, however, silly season has just begun and the transfer window is long. Arteta, Edu and the rest of the team are hard at work. We do not know who they are going for – and its best we don’t know.
The backroom staff have surprised us with of their signings. The likes of Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale confused us on first arrival, but have proven themselves to be vital to the team. When the backroom staff failed to sign Mudryk and Caicedo they were able to pivot and bring in top-class players in Trossard and Jorginho. The team have their targets and will do their best to improve the team.
There are a lot of players that are on our radar as fans, mainly Rice and Caicedo. We all understand how much the midfield needs to improve and these two players definitely improve that area. Rice, a young leader, ball carrier and physically imposing.
Caicedo, a true ball winner, hard worker and tactically versatile which makes even more invaluable. There was one player that surprised us all, Kai Havertz. It annoying to see a struggling player from a rival being linked to the club, it feels like we are helping them with shift dead weight.
It is easy to write off a player when they are off form, but the club must feel that he can add to Arsenal’s title charge. Players can rediscover form when given the opportunity elsewhere. The club needs to bring the transfers as early as possible, we do not want to miss out on priority targets.
This is the time for the club to be ruthless with incoming and outgoing players. This transfer window means the most because we were so close to winning it all. Every player we are linked to is under a lot of scrutiny. We are looking for level raisers and the club is too.
We need to be patient this window, our season rides on it.
Vuyo Mataka
Just Arsenal Show – Alfie and Rob are back for the summer! Here they predict every single Arsenal incoming and outgoing this summer, including fees and potential destinations for outgoings.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
Maybe Rice is just a smokescreen for Zubimendi or Lavia
I don’t think Arsenal would be willing to spend more than £90m for Rice. They might as well instruct White to play as Stones did for Man City and sign a new right CB to compete with Tomiyasu
gotanidea- Lee Dixon made this very same statement, one regular contributor went on a rant when I repeated his utterance.
But there is feeling the lad wants to join and Arsenal will oblige for PR/ political reasons too.
Romano said Rice has agreed verbally to join us. The only problem is he still has two years left at West Ham, so they asked for £120m according to Sky Sports
In my opinion, £90m would be fair price for him
Gotanidea,not sure Wright could release the ball quick enough in that tighter position higher up .Wouldn’t surprise me if that was Arteta’s intention to get Caicedo as an unorthodox rightback to then slip into midfield when in possession and flood the midfield. Not permanent, just as a tactical option. But we still would need a DMC, maybe that’s why he also wants RICE.
I heard White played DM at Leeds. Caicedo would be a nice option, but Chelsea are signing him to replace Kante
Subimendi and Lavia have an average Whoscored rating of 6.6
I can see RICE staying at Westham and seeing out his final year, in the hope of a big pay check from Arsenal next year. ///There is a lot of talk about an opening bid of £80 million being rejected that originated from a Westham supporter/reporter and a Chelsea supporter/reporter from 90 min and the Evening Standard, both reported from unknown sources. The truth is the bid was the same as last year, but then he had 2 years remaining on his contract. That bid was £54 million with future add-ons taking it up to £70 million. Now that West ham are no longer in a controlling situation with Rice holding all the cards with just 1 year remaining and a preference to play for just Arsenal due to his wanting criteria, West ham have no choice but to accept Arsenals fare bid of £70 million after add-ons, or risk losing him to Arsenal next year for free. It does not matter if Man City, Man United or Chelsea make a bid for him.They could even bid £200 million and Westham could accept this. I does not matter, He won’t be going anywhere other than the team the player chooses, not the team West ham chooses. West ham have only two options, keep him for one year, or sell him to Arsenal due to the players preference.
West Ham does has one year option that they can activate, just as we did with Saliba, so in fact it would be two years left at West Ham.
But I do agree with you, if the player choice is Arsenal, nothing David Moise, Man city and Chelsea can do, that’s why fans should not panick
And you think if those clubs offer him and West Ham silly money. he will reject them for us?
He might actually. I don’t think Declan is all about the money. Of course it might be a factor, but I don’t think that it will be the main point in his mind.
The question is what West Ham will accept, but I would think they are willing to be respectful with regards to his wishes, even if it costs them a little.
If City offers him the same money we do, he will choose them over us. Never vouch for a player’s loyalty. Never
That is a fair point. He has no reason to be more loyal to us than Man City, his loyalty is towards West Ham, but from what I gather he really wants to stay in London. That is a big point, also he seems to like Arteta….then again Guardiola is the best manager around.
It could swing both ways, my point is just that money will most likely not be the main point.
I still think he would come to us, but we should move fast.
dgr8xt, Bellend Bob, don’t underestimate the attraction of playing in the capital, not the least to a club playing attractive football
West Ham has an option of extending his contract by another 12 months. That means he has 2 years left. It’s a fact
I was quite frankly shocked to hear us going for Havertz, but I then spent some time looking at some of his games….that guy is good, like really, really good and only 24. Yes, he had issues at Chelsea, but the whole club is a mess and if there is one manager who could revive Havertz then that’s surely Arteta.
I trust the people in charge fully – still I am probably as eager as anyone to see us make a move, and I still would love to see Rice playing for us. He is amazing, both as a player and as a person, but £100M or more is also a lot of money.
You guys need to read up on contract law. A club will not activate a players one year contract if either, he has been put up for transfer or requested a transfer. That’s contract law and that’s a fact. Otherwise their would be no option it would be a given in favour of the club making the contract onesided and void. So he has asked for a transfer and the club has it him up for transfer, so see you next year at Arsenal if not this year. Nice!
Exactly, he Hasn’t requested a transfer or been listed by his club so they can activate the extra year. You need to accept the facts rather than keep banging on about contract law!
Let’s not be silly. The club chairman has publicly stated that Rice will be sold this summer, as this is his wish. So we could drone on about contract law or just accept that him being sold is the most likely outcome.
He hasn’t been listed or asked for a transfer. If you know what the chairman said, it was they wouldn’t stand in his way if the right offer came in. In effect he still has two years left and that is why 100 mil will be required. If not he would only command half. Rice has publicly stated, he isnt asking for a move.
Rice to Manc City is done just a matter of time before it comes our! Just another transfer Arsenal have lost out to due to there pathetic negotiating!
Not pathetic negotiating, he’s not worth £100m, he’s worth £80M at best. Liverpool got MacAlister for £35M which should put it in perspective a little. Caicedo not worth £80M, again £50M at best. We need to identify other targets and go for them, sod these two bob clubs holding is to ransom. Where’s our plan B and C, this is on Edu, his responsibility. And if he can’t source players then he should go. Edu already has numerous failures on his CV with overpaid Brazilian has been given bumper contracts, failures to sell players where instead he ripped up their contracts and paid them off, spending a whole window chasing Vlahovic to fall flat on his face and watch him go to Juve, the list goes on. I mean can anyone seriously tell me Nketia is worth £100k per week when players like Bernardo Silva are earning £150k or Ivan Toney on £21k per week.
Nocolo Barella, James Ward-Prowse, there are top midfielders, experienced, to guide us through the Champions League.
Dream on, mate.
Newcastle are in talks over a 50M move for Nicolo Barbella.
Make no mistake, Arteta and Edu will deliberate until the last minute and end up panic-buying like they did with Jorginho and Trossard. I actually thought getting Jorginho was a great stop-gap but Trossard isn’t as good as everyone thinks he is. He’s like a slow, less talented, sickly looking Eden Hazard.
I actually think Havertz would be good business. He has something to prove and is a gifted footballer, he just isn’t a main striker and may flourish when the brunt of the scoring expectation is taken off him. I don’t think we will get Rice or Caicedo and I think that’s will be for the best in the long run. Neither are right for our current system.
We don’t know though, and we are all guessing. Don’t bother making a wishlist as you’ll only be disappointed. I consider Edu and Arteta to be incredibly poor when it comes to transfers, whether they are incoming or outgoing. We seem to undervalue and overspend but not on the players we actually want.
I don’t see us signing anyone from within the Premier League, and will instead rely on ropy unproven donkeys from minor European leagues, because Arteta would rather sell Balogun and buy in someone older who scored fewer goals in the same league for a better team. That’s the logic running our club.