It is not always about which players a club signs in a transfer window, sometimes it can be about players being sold and how much is raised, Alex Iwobi going to Everton for £30 Million being a prime example.
And in terms of players being sold to non-Premier League clubs, the transfer window remains very much open.
Therefore, there is still time for Arsenal to pull off one last transfer masterstroke and if they manage to offload Shkodran Mustafi for a decent price then they will certainly have achieved that.
Unai Emery has admitted that he spoke to the German about selling him. “I spoke with him when we finished last season,” Emery said of Mustafi. “I spoke with him when we started pre-season and I spoke with him also two weeks ago saying maybe there was the possibility he can leave.
“But I don’t have doubts if he needs to play because he is a good player. Maybe we decided to be more competitive in each position, at centre-back with David Luiz, with another player in the middle with Ceballos, with Kieran Tierney, with Pepe.
“I think being more competitive we can respond better in the season. Some players maybe they can play less with that situation and can leave.
“But it’s one decision taken with the player, with the club, with the team. At the moment he is here and really if we need, he plays with us. I have confidence he will do well.
“Some supporters can believe or like one player more than another player, that’s normal. But inside I want to be strong and to create a big squad with a big, competitive, winning mentality and above us, with confidence in each other.”
Not sure that could be any clearer, to be honest, and while Emery has said all the right things if Mustafi remains at the Emirates, it is also fairly evident that if a club comes in for the German with an acceptable offer before September 2nd then he will be sold.
Of course, if Mustafi refuses to leave there is not much the club can do but with four games before the European transfer windows close and if he does not get a game then that could certainly help him change his mind.
If I was a betting man then I would be very tempted to put a little bit of money on the 27-year-old leaving the club at some point this month.
Well, we can hope anyway.
I like this new arsenal, not shying away from what is needed. All players not deemed good enough will be sold/ ask to move on. Finally, our team is acting like the big team it is.
Xhaka is also surplus to the requirements of the team but more importantly getting rid of him will also improve the performance of the team. It seems that the only purpose for keeping Xhaka is because Emery doesn’t have any idea who else he can name as captain.
Xhaka is absolutely the worst person for the role he has a loser mentality which will translate to the rest of the team when things get tough. He never takes responsibility for his own errors, instead he calls out the team collectively. Xhaka is a coward on the pitch and should not be in the team let alone captain.
Xhaka does a bad job because he is a very slow player for a midfield
defensive or attacking player and cannot read the game in front or behind him, So why he is still an arsenal player is beyond me.
I have the same question like yours. Xhaka is not better than Mustafi either.
Love the captaincy rubbish people come up with all the time essentially because they dislike the player in question. Everyone said repeatedly Arteta wasn’t captain material, I mean it was constant and one gripe that a high proportion of fans held as one of their biggest at the time. Fast forward and hes been assistant to Pep for awhile now when City beat us and Spurs to his coaching signature in the first place. Then Pep credited him publicly for Sterling’s uptick in form in his first year having worked with him 1 on 1 on the training ground in regards to his attacking positioning yet apparently he wasn’t a “leader” when he was with us or captain material. At some point he is going to be a very successful manager especially having worked under Pep that is clear to anyone not refusing to accept reality because it makes them wrong. He is still good friends with Poch (they were having lengthy talks on coaching long before he retired) and can call Wenger anytime he likes. Has anyone who said such things at the time eaten humble pie since? Of course they haven’t, most still deny he is a capable leader even now! They just spout the same uninformed nonsense about other not captain material players regardless of the fact there is no way they can possibly know what type of leader they as they are never there in person with them and nobody who has, has ever said anything publicly negative about their leadership. This is a case where you should pay attention to what people who do personally know them say and the decisions the clubs/manager to take, it was obvious to me for a long time before he retired based on this that Arteta was a top manager in the making (his Poch conversation were documented, his touchline demeanour especially when injured was obvious, his effect off the pitch was regularly talked about by various people who were actually there.) You could easily read what people thought about his leadership, none of it was remotely negative yet fans were convinced. Funnily enough we haven’t actually been in top 4 once since he left and we never dropped out of it once when he was a actually there! Slightly lucky maybe but did we lose a massive positive influence on the rest of the squad when he left? Absolutely why we wanted him to stay but who can blame him Pep/City way too good to turn down and most our fanbase insisted he was a terrible leader.
The other useless leader at that time according to most then is now a vital part of our academy leadership now too in Per. If people don’t rate a player fair enough it’s subjective talk about it, debate it but when people try to pretend the club/manager are trying to get rid of a player they have made it obvious they want to keep as they have with Xhaka and rate or that they are a useless leader despite the fact they have zero knowledge of any of our players leadership credentials because they’ve never even had a single conversation with the people involved yet alone seen them in leadership situations it gets my back up.
Xhaka was captain at Borussia Mönchengladbach at 22 and led them into CL qualification. He was captain for Switzerland during what has been a golden era for them and in a team that is built on fundamentals not insane talent so he was almost certainly competing with a good number of very good leaders for that role when he’s had it. If you don’t rate him as player whatever but it’s obvious that he’s an actual leader these things do not repeatedly happen to players who can’t lead especially not a Xhaka’s age.
If we’re being honest here nobody cares about that whole Xhaka pep talk. He is the reason imho why Mustafi is worth about 26 mil and Harry McGuire is worth 80 mil. Like Arteta, Xhaka is the glaring testament to why you shouldn’t make a low mobility mercenary the captain. And no, no one is actually buying the line that he is a leader. Pointing around and yelling and standing in front of the front four like they’re actually going to give you the ball there is not what I call leadership.
Tell us something, how is it possible that Mustafi leads McGuire in every single meat and potato CB stat, and this hump Mcguire gets all the acclaim? Because Xhaka was the leading contributing factor to the majority of his high-ass mistakes leading to goal category. Mobility issues. We literally can’t put him anywhere in the midfield. I say dump Xhaka and adopt a wait and see approach with the center halves that we have.
Wow. You just blamed xhaka for Mustafi’s errors? You need to go back and watch some tape because you are as wrong as wrong can be. Objectively wrong. Mustafi’s errors are consistent and span games where Xhaka is not playing or when he’s playing more forward with Torriera in behind him. Mustafi’s a liability in high press, on set pieces, and when the field is stressed. This is true no matter who is in front. And what’s more, if Arsenal is a high press, possession oriented team that wants midfielders and wingbacks pressing forward — you damned well better have a CB who can cover. Which Mustafi isn’t. So you’re, I hate to say, wrong on every objective measure.
Well, there is a grain of truth in that.
Mustafi would have much less to do and thus less mistakes if Xhaka wasn’t so poor in his defensive contributions You may say someone like Henderson is not that good, but if you compare the low number of times he puts his team in trouble defensively, he’s amazing compared to Xhaka and his unique combination of lack of pace, lack of focus, and rashness.
I mean, people say Luiz is error prone, but not really if you look at his stats. But that’s partially because Chelsea would never ever play someone like Xhaka in CM – not for more than 1 season at least.
Very interesting read and you raised some good points. Makes me think, what do us armchair fans really know?!?
Xhaka is here to stay, lets face it. Not this year, not next year he will not leave anytime soon. He is a leader or not, he is a good enough player with limitations, and when used properly can do good. We have Ramsey gone, Willock wont become a Pogba or Casemiro in a year, Dani is on loan with us(and no option to buy). Our midfield is thinner than we think next season. With Saliba in, hopefully we can spend all budget on midfield next season.
Our net spend this season is positive. Yes, if you consider the structured payments we will do for the players, we made a net profit after Iwobi sell. If Mustafi goes, surely next year we will have enough to spend and fix the positions we like. CL can help too.
Xhaka costed us dearly I prefer chamber instead.. We have willock who is the perfect replacement…. On captain we can have Alex lacarzet. Who never give up motivate others and respected by other players…
I think people have forgotten Chambers, Guendouzi and AMN here. Xhaka is a stop gap whilst these players develop. Chambers was great for Fulham Ainsleys playing out of position and Guendouzi hopefully will kick on again this season. Xhaka only considered a captain cause hes a senior player nothing else
Chambers cannot replace Xhaka – he is not a defensive playmaker. He can replace Torreira as a DM.
Guendouzi and Ceballos can replace Xhaka. Perhaps Willock, but have not seen enough of him to be sure of his long-passing ability.
What an insight, respect.
I remember people commented on Arteta’s hair so that’s a refreshing change. Honestly,the only candidate for captaincy is Xhaka (he’s in the club for few years and quite vocal). Leno can do it in the future.
What else can I say u have nailed it bro,let these people shut up and enjoy the game. Some of them talk much but never even stepped on a football pitch let alone playing!
@Angus.
Very very mature analysis you did there.
We all have our iwn biases / personal opinions most of the time and refuse to acknowledge Facts.
For example most of us have been making fun of Jordan Henderson of Liverpool from the day he signed for Liverpool many seasons ago. But the evidence keeps suggesting that he is a very important player at Liverpool rated by each and every manager that has managed that club since Rogers signed him. It seems like he is the first name in midfield for them no matter the manager in charge down there.
This tells me that Henderson must have something that all these managers rate. But we as detractors keep saying “Hahaha, Liverpool have Henderson as their main man in midfield”.
Same with Ramsey. I have never rated him as a player. Most of our fanbase never rated him on a whole may be until his 2014/15 season. But it seems like managers see different.
I can see the same with Xhaka. Don’t rate him same as the majority of our fabbase, but managers seem to see something in him.
I think we have got to have humility Sometimes. May be the things we look for in a player are not exactly what managers look for.
Xhaka makes the most mistakes and makes everyone look poor around him.Even Torrera looked average the second half of the season. Per, although slow could read the game well, fact that he came off an injury and won the the FA cup against all odds against CFC. Arteta could read the game too, that is the reason average players become great coaches and most great players become average coaches. The problem with Xhaka is his temperament and he inability to read the game.He is poor as a player (skill) and will be poor as a captain due to his attitude/temperament. AFC cannot be compared to BM. Emery had no viable options last year, so he had to use him. Wenger hired him, so he was compelled to use him.As I mentioned in another post, our problems remain with Ozil, Xhaka, Mustafi, Elneny and Mkhitaryan. Elneny might move, Mustafi doubtful, Mkhi, Ozil and Xhaka will run their contracts down as no one seems interested either in their on pitch performances or merchandise sale.
Loser mentality and a coward, that is a bit of stretch. While I am not a zhaka fan and believe he should be sold. I would suggest he is not good enough for Arsenal based on ability not mentality.
Spot on! He’s always the first to go pick up an opponent when they’re fouled. Or he goes to make peace. Can someone pls remind him that 3 points are at stake and not the Nobel Peace Prize!
Mustafi, Ozil, Xhaka need to go and perhaps Mkhitaryan, Elneny too. We need to streamline further
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Give Edu and Sanllehi some time (Champions League money would help, too).
Also, if Mustafi (or any of them) doesn’t want to go now that he’s been shown the door, don’t list him on the team’s roster and assign him to play with the 9 year-olds at Hale End. Tell him that he can continue to collect his check until his contract ends if he wants, but by then no one at any professional club will want him, if they even remember him. You won’t believe how fast he will agree to be sold to another club!
I agree. I don’t expect them to go now. It will take a couple of years at least
Actually this summer we did more than I expected
Now this is what I mean when I ask for proof that the club are saying that they are prepared to let a player leave.
Note the difference to this and claims by some on here that the club want to get rid of other players, but offer no proof whatsoever.
Of course we all voice our personal opinions (quite rightly too), but let’s live in a world of reality not guesswork based on one’s own preferences when claiming “the facts” and /or “the majority view”.
Ken, you’ve said it all?
@ken1945
Whilst I partly agree, as I’m a huge fan of facts, and evidence, you’re also wrongly dismissing a key point.
It’s not often that a club/manager go public with who they are trying to sell, but that doesn’t mean fans can not read between the lines.
Xhaka is the player that interests me the most in all of this. Because the new regime have been very good at identifing the deadwood, and moving them on. For the first time in years, players are actually being judged on their performances, but Xhaka remains? Xhaka has been dreadful for us, yet we are not hearing even the weakest rumour about him leaving. It’s baffling! Surely the club can see how bad he is? I just cannot get any indication from the club about their thoughts on him. Almost the entire fan base can see how bad he is.
It will be a very interesting few weeks as to who else may leave.
My only guess is that they are trying to push his stock for a sale. ElNeny is a much better footballer. I’m shocked that he would be pushed out before Xhaka. Consider me baffled as well mate.
I can’t agree Elneny is a better footballer than Xhaka.
Welbeck, but Elneny doesn’t make as many mistakes!!
I can accept that some people don’t like Xhaka because he’s a higher risk midfielder, though stat wise many of those risks pay off. But some don’t. However, you’re utter irrationality about Xhaka shows through again here. Elneny is th sultanate deadwood player, without a single exceptional game or performance to show for himself, constantly outclassed against top 6 teams and yet— you claim he’s better than Xhaka who, for all his faults, can at least out together a highlight reel from his time with us. I have to call this confirmation bias— you will see anything that encourages your argument against Xhaka, even to the point of outright hyping a player that has been one of the most underwhelming signings in a decade.
To think that both players were signed by Arsene Wenger baffles me really. Not arsenal materials at all
His first couple of seasons I would say yes definitely I expected more from him and I did not rate him highly even though I knew he was good at passing from deep and I knew he was good in a midfield tussle.
Last season – Emery’s only season is a different story. Xhaka simply was one of our best performers throughout the full season.
I remember people who were against him like me, at about 6 to 7 months into the season (they waited before saying) …I have to admit that Xhaka has improved this season, they held back a bit but admitted it was evident. Then when Torriera went off the boil and the matches came thicker and faster toward the end couple months, both of them slowed down a bit or couldn’t bounce back for the next game in the way they were earlier. Xhaka made a couple of errors along with Torriera nearer the death. Guendouzi went off himself but much sooner and Ramsey was injured, it cost us. When facing third game in a week and facing a team at home and not in Europe, not having fresh legs counts.
That for me does not write off all the improvement that was made. Emery will have noted that Xhaka was one his most influential players of that season. If he hadn’t of improved, I’d be saying similar to what others are saying but I wouldn’t go overboard, just like with his improvement I wouldn’t go overboard, it is what it is, and now all that matters is …This Season!!!!
TMJW,regarding mustafi (one of AW’s worst buys in my opinion) the mistakes are so frequent and telling, I find it as no surprise that the club are officially putting out his availability.
Xhaka, however, has given a lot more positives to the team…don’t jump on me, but read on!!
He is a lucky player, in as much as his many mistakes are not as glaring as mustafi’s are overall.
His shooting abilities are good and I would always expect him to dreate something from a deadball situation.
I just cannot see UE letting him and mustafi go at the same time, we just haven’t got the players needed if another injury crisis happened as it did last year.
But long term I do not see him staying.
On Ozil, we agree to disagree, as is our perogative, but this transfer window has most certainly seen UE putting his mark on the club and finally we can judge him on his players, the ones he decides to keep from the previous regime and his results following these decisions.
Well said Ken. The Xhaka haters need to tone down their rhetoric and accept the fact that he will most likely be our Captain. I have never understood why some people can be so paranoid to the extent of hating a player they think is not good. Players are selected by the coach who observes them regularly and decides who is most suited to play. All fans can do is to support the team.
I would say it’s more worry, than hate with Xhaka. He’s a midfield version of Mustafi.
Ozil is someone to hate because of the disrespect he shows to our manager, and his team mates, due to his egotistical nature. I feel sad and angry he wears the shirt of Arsenal.
So does Xhaka have Emery’s nudes with him or what? Why is he not saying anything about Xhaka and Mhiki
All of these xhaka haters are boring….He’s not a favourite of mine but it’s clear to see that for the past 2 years we have been pants when he doesn’t play…..some please remind me of 5 decent performances without him in the team….I’ll wait
Nah, it’s just the threat of the whole Xhaka clan coming to London again, like when there were some issues a couple of years ago.
Where I live everyone is scared of Albanian mafia. Maybe the heads of our club misunderstand clannishness for mafia.
Eddie, I refer to my reply for TMJW…he cannot deplete his squad any further, especially if mustafi does leave in my opinion.
Of the three you mention, surely mustafi would be the first we would like to see gone?
I suspect, also, that UE must see the confidence has been ripped away from mustafi…not sure if you watched the Emirates cup game, but the player was being booed even before he entered the field of play!!!
At least we now realise that UE is not afraid to let the fans know when he is looking to offload a player, as far as I can see he hasn’t named any other current player…so let’s accept that and support them.
Ozziegunner: following on from yesterday’s post I agree with you about the first test, Ken said you were lucky but I’m sure he was just having a laugh. However I do think we threw it away when we had you 122 for 8. I also think it was a massive blow to lose Jimmy for the whole 5 days but I also think that maybe Jimmy was taking a chance with an old injury. Looking forward to the second test beginning I think on the 14th. You talk about the sleepless nights, I think, if I’m correct you start in Australia about 8-30 pm and go on to 3-30 in the morning. Compare that over here, remembering it’s winter time with a 02-00 am start and finishing at 9 am in the morning. Now that is sleepless nights.
Yes, Kenny Steve Smith with his ability, concentration and mental strength (maybe he can give Arsenal a team talk) and the great Essex bowler Peter Siddle assisted by Lyons saved the first innings. The Australian bowlers restricted England to a 90 run lead, which was critical.
Wade demonstrated what happens when a wicket keeper gives up the gloves and concentrates on batting; he scored heavily in the last Sheffield Shield season for Tasmania, where Payne was the wicket keeper. Barstow take note.
Australia now has 5 fit in form fast bowlers, plus Lyon who just passed 350 wickets.
The injury to Jimmy Anderson was unfortunate, but as you infer we will never know if he took an injury into the match. It was unfortunate too when Glenn McGrath turned his ankle and missed a number of Ashes tests. This was compounded when the selectors refused to pick Stuart Magill to partner Shane Warne (over 40 wickets in the series).
By the way OG, great transfer window, I’m sure you agree, with lots of time left in the European window, and I have to agree with Porchetino, ridiculous we close now and the Europeans go on for another three weeks, it would be even better if we could offload players like Mhki, Xhaka, Mustafi and Elneny so that he helps go again in January. However for some reason I think Unai likes Xhaka and is even talking about captaining the club. Are well, we can’ complain, probably the best window we’ve ever had since they started this format.
Kenny, very positive, with very astute transfers particlarly with an eye to the future and a low “front end” expenditure.
Based Xhaka’s performances in some games for Arsenal and Monchengladbach and Switzerland, I believe if the mistakes can be “belted out of him”, with Torreira and Ceballos along side him, we hopefully may see improvement. In a nutshell, I haven’t given up hope yet. The summer transfer window may be exciting given the number of high profile players becoming free agents with the opportunity to sign precontract agreements for the 2020/21 season.
Let’s just hope Xhaka improves quickly with his brain since he can’t gather speed to maneuver and turn pass players.
If I were Xhaka I will watch a lot of Pirlo’s game and build his game on that bases.
I want to believe that Ceballos and Torreira will play alongside him and improve him
Agree, he should look up to Pirlo. That said, Pirlo got Pogba and Vidal alongside him to compensate for his lack of movement. Really hope Ceballos and Torreira can fill in, Ozil has to play higher because of his work rate, or not play at all.
Off Topic. But the team news for new castle game has confirmed that kieran tierney will join full team training in 4-6 weeks. Which means he wont be playing in the first team for 8 weeks at the very least. 🙁
Yes xhaka makes a mistake here and there but he still is a very decent presence in midfield, with a decent passing range. He’ll be a good squad player till willock, torreria and guendozi fully mature but we definitely need to look at signing someone like cellabos permanently. His lack of mobility is an issue but it’s not as bad as mustafis calamities, myhkitarians ability to disappear or elnenys sideways passing. These players need to be moved immediately cause they add nothing to the squad. Xhaka like Ozil has his days, just not very consistent
can you imagine what Arsene will do with this current arsenal team.
He will play them all out of position. For the first time in over four seasons, I’m exited about an Arsenal team and getting ready to watch them play.
??????
I can’t agree Mustafi to go now. Because he is a good playet than chambers. At least Emery used him as a bench.
xhaka is too dull and stagnant , arsenal needs a natural mobile player for DAT role, if emery can draft TOREIRA to DAT position I believe he will do better Dan xhaka, though xhaka captained his national team but DAT does not mean he will be a good captain in AFC, We need a leader like HENRY, VIERA, GALLAS….
It’s Saturday!!
Hoping City win later…. then I’m hoping for a Grealish masterclass ? Come on Villa…
One day to go until the greatest team the world has ever seen play….
I sure will miss Kolasinac & Ozil ?
COYG
Sell mustafi or keep him doesnt change anything; we did not buy a top CB,RB and beast in middle; 3 priority for past years; our failure remains and worst; Messi and ronaldo wont change that. Kos asked to reshape defense and stood up…all these years pissed frustrated and ashamed to read and see how bad is defense he is leader of.
If anyone needs few games to realize the major issue we have with a weaker defense; you about to cry Kos.
How do we oblige him to leave instead of fixing defense as he asked. He was the one protecting Arsenal fort as a brave captain, turned down barca real munich and any club to do so!
To read some posts is unreal as this shitty mess and spirit we left in.
Ronaldo is useless without a defense!
That window is just flashy and fake, we got pepe and saliba pn payement plans, 40M total! Sold iwobi same price. We will sell more and cash up, not spend a dime but profits.as Kroenke does. And has many fans buyin shirts and tickets. I.see.so much excitement among us.
That is football , need a defense or it is no game. Last year showed.this and.had oir brave Kos in tears in final europa
Shame on board and all bad mouths
We.about to pay
Listen, Koscielny did not reject any Bayern/Barca/Madrid offers. Surely you understand agents manufacture bogus transfer rumours to secure the best contract from the parent club? Are we going to say now Barca were after Bellerin and he chose to commit to us too? Both players possess questionable defensive skills and am very doubtful they would even make the bench in the top teams they allegedly and so kindly turned down to persevere at Arsenal. Koscielny in particular has got to be the most overrated player I’ve seen at Arsenal after Wilshere and Ozil. The way fans talk about him you’d think he is in the same league as Varane and Sergio Ramos. I even see preposterous claims that he formed at some point, “the best center back patnership in the league”, with the diabolical Mertesacker as his right hand man.
As for profit making, I don’t understand what the problem is. Every sound business MUST turn a profit even if just to survive. If your expenses exceed revenues, you are on the path to insolvency and bankruptcy. I keep saying, if Kroenke is pocketing profits from the club and crippling its finances, it’s very simple to establish this. Just go through the audited financials on the official club website and see how much profit Kroenke is taking out of this club, ZERO!
QD, unfortunately Mobella lives in a fantasy world and won’t let the facts get in the way.
Wow! the level of your fiction is unparalleled.?
A quantic dreamer in another planete.
Kroenke is a country head with no knowledge nor love of football but money only.
Quantic boy you dt get the point and simple fact that we have no defense where kos was the best.
Cant have a game without a defense or attack. Reality; our defense is worst than last year it had us fail for while teams strrnghed their weak spot; we made a bigger hole.
Pepe instead of CB koulibaly, not get DM dombele nor sidibe RB makes this window a bad one overall; holeS all over defense, huge asshole…
Insults are first sign someone is losing an argument.
Kos was good defender but never great. Arsenal with Wenger focused on attacking football and possession, Wenger never stressed defending, every fan knows that.
Emery doesn’t focus on solid defending fundamentals either;
” I’d rather win 5-4 than 1-0″ and he was quoted when first hired.
I agree with you club should have fixed defense first, but that’s not how we play with Emery.
I have to say I dont like xhaka as either a player or captain he just shouts at players to make it look like he’s contributing when really he’s a passenger. I’ve played with players like that. I think we should drop him auba as captain, and play Luiz as defensive mid. A role he,d be great at, he would be able to wander like he does but at least there would be some sort of cover behind him.
i wonder we were not able to sign a quality and top centre back,but jst hope our defence will not be as shaky as they were last season. 51 goals last season,xo poor for a top team
thunbugga, which “quality and top CB” was availae, who would play for Arsenal without Champions League and whose club would sell to Arsenal without a heavy premium.
Maguire went to Manchester United for £80 million, yet Luis, for £8 million has achieved more in his career, than Maguire is ever likely to.
@Angus.
I take your points but dont agree.
The leadership involved post and pre match or in a coaching role are very different to what’s required in game.
I want someone who is vocal, can rally, can organise and motivate, can call for concentration and Chins up when things go wrong.
The only people I see doing this in the pitch are xhaka and sokratis.
Xhaka just doesnt quite have it for me and sokratis is a little nuts and OTT!
For me there is only one in game captain and it should be David Luiz.
Makes no odds though as Emery goes for this 5 captain non sense! I want someone to be captain and feel honoured and responsible for raising the teams performance in every way.
Someone wholl speak pre match and so on. Appoint 5 captains and they can hide behind each other and point fingers elsewhere like Mustafi loves to do so much.
Kieron, I too cannot understand this 5 captains scenario; Emery is the only coach I have ever heard put it forward in any sport. Captain and vice captain or attack and defense captains end of story.
I’d say it’s just Emery’s way of letting the players know they have to be more responsible – and he’s making them feel more involved. Getting them to communicate more with each other, wanting mature/big mentality players or at-least for them to try to step up more. I don’t think he’s being literal.
If we want to move on Mustafi,who I do not rate as a player, but respect as a man,we have to adopt an entirely realistic attitude in terms of an appropriate asking price.We have to ignore the fact that we paid well over the odds for a very average CB who never shone at Valencia (in the words of their fans ,when I have visited that beautiful city).If our new negotiating team , who have had a productive window, can encourage possible suitors to pay £15m(3x£5m) we could have the basis of a deal.Time alone will tell.
Need to be careful about trolls all worrying about AFC’s confidence after everyone says AFC won the transfer window, AFC nailed it, AFC done the best business, AFC slapped Tott and UTD down in transfer window. They’ll want our fans having a b***h and moan, talking crap about our own players before season has even started. Just shows how worried you all are, I don’t blame yous.
Looking forward to seeing their defenders nerves when Auba Laca Pepe Cabellos Ozil Mkhit Willock Saka Martinelli are all getting minutes. We should be able to rest players more this season, that bollocked us last season esp our starting two CM. This season Guendouzi is one more year in and Willock looks to have legs, Luiz can play there and Cabellos. Pepe can play all along every forward position, also Martinelli can come in to rest someone maybe even Nelson and Saka will too. We have more options at fullback too. Come on you Gunners, really looking forward to it now.