Sky Sports Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on the future of two Arsenal players as the club focuses on rebuilding their squad. After a successful campaign, Arsenal is now recognised as one of the top teams in Europe.
To maintain their newfound status, it is crucial for Arsenal to continue improving their squad by parting ways with players who do not meet the desired standard. Cedric Soares and Nicolas Pepe fall into this category, as both players spent the previous season on loan away from the club.
The Gunners are actively seeking to offload these players, and Sheth reveals that the club is eager to find suitors who are willing to take a chance on them during the current transfer window.
Sheth said as quoted by Give Me Sport:
“I’m told that Arsenal are exploring opportunities for suitable exits for Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares. They have both only got a year left on their contract.
“It’s incredible to think that Pepe is still Arsenal’s record signing because he joined in 2019 for £72million from Lille.
“He was playing under Unai Emery and it just hasn’t worked under Mikel Arteta. It is just one of those things where he doesn’t fit into his plans.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Soares and Pepe are not fit to be a part of this team and we need to get rid of them as soon as we can.
The club has worked hard to ensure it gets the right players in and it must also get rid of those that will negatively impact their performances.
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What a scoop!
Soares definitely not a flop btw – played plenty of games and was solid for the most part. We’ve moved up a level and he’s not good enough to come with us, I suppose, but he didn’t let anyone down.
Davi, the phrase “letting anyone down”, plainly has different meanings to different fans. No player sets out to deliberately let their team down but it is a commonly used phrase to describe a player who is not good enough for that team. Most understand that.
But, in a TECHNICAL SENSE ONLY, no player lets a team down deliberately( though even that CAN BE ARGUED BY SOME, though not I).
Surely, the bottom line is that ALL sub par players need to be got out of our club,including Soares, some more speedily than others but, eventually, ALL OF THEM!
I didn’t say anything about intent?
What I meant was that he generally played to an acceptable level, few cockups, but i know he was never outstanding. I think we’re in agreement that it’s (past) time for him to move on, but i like to acknowledge that he did his job for us, and therefore wasn’t a failed signing as the term “flop” implies. I don’t think even arteta thought he would be an amazing player, but i do think he expected a reliable fullback – he delivered what was expected of him, therefore not a flop…
I also said nothing about intent where Soares is concerned. I was speaking about how fans perceive that phase “letting anyone down” as I believe you know perfectly well.
I do not agree that heplayed to an acceptable level and I also think a number of fans on here regard sub par players as being of “an acceptable level”!
I maintain NONE are acceptable, if not of true top quality. Though it takes time to clear away ALL sub par payers and replace with better.
And it takes good judgement in WHO you choose to bring in.
IMO, MA’s judgement in that area is his weak point.
His overall buying record is, at best, a curates egg(meaning good in parts).
“in a TECHNICAL SENSE ONLY, no player lets a team down deliberately”
This is why I ask about intent – I don’t attribute Intent to the phrase “letting anyone down”, so your line of reasoning confused me. Don’t appreciate the implication of me knowing perfectly well what you meant. I am not being argumentative.
Yes, it comes down to personal opinion on what is acceptable, but another side to it is expectations, which i alluded to before. Arteta didn’t buy him expecting him to play like dani Alves, Paolo Maldini or kyle walker. He was signed for a purpose as part of the rebuild, and was never more than a backup player for someone else, so I think he did what was expected. To me a ‘flop’ (failure) would have to be someone who couldn’t do what was expected, otherwise they’d be doomed from the start – so why judge them harshly later on? Understand others disagree and that’s fine.
DAVI then we simply disagree, but its not a hanging offence!
But I MUST agree with your ” a flop would have to be someone who couldn’t do what was expected”, because I see ALL players who cannot do as expected, as flops(or failures, to use your word).
I see no reason to buy ANY player, if they cannot do what is expected of them, even though I ACCEPT your point that Soares was not bought to be an Alves etc.
He was STILL bought to be a reliable full back and IMO he was NOT one. Hence a” flop”.
Fair comments, Jon. Even though I disagree on soares, I can completely understand you seeing it differently.
There are a number of players such as those in the article who are not at the level Arsenal require at the moment. However, there is an unnecessary negative labelling of these players some of whom are clearly good professionals. Soares is a case in point. The casual labelling of such players as flops is distasteful.
I totally agree!!
Agree. I don’t like it being said about Pepe either, even though I do think he was a bad transfer. He always put in the effort from what I saw.
Is it really “distasteful” OR simply truth? I am not remotely a woke type and far prefer plain, honest, to the point speech, which puts our love of the team and club WAY ABOVE individual feelings and sympathy for any individual.
IT IS A TEAM GAME AND SURELY THE TEAM, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL, IS ALWAYS PARAMOUNT!!
OR OUGHT TO BE!
That’s a very black and white perspective Jon and doesn’t leave room for any empathy towards the player who isn’t a slouch but more mediocre in talent but giving the best he can
I’m not at all suggesting mollycoddling just a little kindness in how we reflect on a contract spent at Arsenal
Admin Martin, there may be differing opinions on what exemplifies a “flop” (a strong derogatory term) as far as players are concerned. Surely in the case of Pepe and Tavares, the players just do not suit the manager’s requirements (either right or wrong, but up to his discretion).