Kevin Campbell has supported Arsenal’s decision not to rush into buying players in the last transfer window.
The winter market is a tricky one to navigate, but if you want to do better in the second half of the season, you need to spend money in it, sometimes.
Arsenal offloaded the likes of Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
There is a feeling that the club needed to replace their former captain who left for Barcelona, but he departed so late that they had to panic-buy to sign a replacement.
But the club ignored the temptation and its former player, Campbell thinks it was the right thing to do.
He told Football Insider: “If the right player isn’t available, the right player isn’t available. Don’t just sign someone to appease the fans. That’s not right. I agree with the club on that.
“If the right player is not available then you have to take the risk and wait until the next window. You have to go with what you’ve got.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Signing bad players is sometimes worse than not making any signing, and it is a mistake that will cost you money to fix.
Not panic-buying has given us the chance to watch our targets closely and to also evaluate more players.
In the summer, we can easily spend to fix the positions that need to be strengthened in our squad.
I read we were after Isak but refused to pay his release cause as it was deemed too high. And rightly so.
I guess that rules out summer move for Isak as well, which is good news.
I just wish we can,squeeze in top 4 because that would mean the summer will be truly breath-taking.
Our squad now is about 20 strong with 4 more almost guaranteed to leave (Laca, Eddie, Elneny, Leno). And I suspect the likes of Cedric and Xhaka are on thin ice as well.
Our almost certain incomings are Saliba and Turner. So we are very likely to be down 6-7 senior players!!
I highly doubt Torreira, Bellerin, Guendouzi, Mavro, Mari or Nelson will ever wear the shirt again
Spot on. Saliba returns to START, already have Lenos replacement (will get a few million for Bernt)
This summer we should still be looking at Bissouma to Partner Partey. He’s Premier League ready & would slot into our midfield nicely, he bosses the middle of the park. Is he not an Arsenal fan also?
Next would be to off load Xhaka to Roma for £20m once Elneny leaves then look at Ruben Neves fron Wolves, Can also play the no10 role, again Premier league proven and ready to go.
Lastly would be the Striker department as soon as Laca & Eddie leave, buy Calvert Lewin. Same as above ready to go, bangs in goals and is a handful in & around the box.
We can buy these 3 without UCL but even with that I would still buy these 3 and welcome back Saliba.
Pepe needs to step up now or he faces the chop also come the summer but he impressed me at the AFCON.
Ramsdale – Turner
Tomi – ??
Saliba – White
Gabriel – Holding
Tierney – Taveres
Partey – Lokonga
Bissouma – Neves
Øde – SmithRowe
Saka – ??
Calvert – Bologun
Martinelli – Pepe
Azeez, Patio & Other youngsters coming through
Sean I’d not be so certain about Bissouma if I were you. His character is the subject of informed comment as being not good enough. You do, presumably, know of what he has been, seemingly, accused?
No why what he being accused of? That’s a shame, footballers think they can do what they want!
Just two days ago Campbell said Artea should have signed several players and failed miserably in the transfer market and severly compromised our chances of European football this season . Now he says it was wise not to sign any one just two days later . Pundits 🙂
I agree we shouldn’t panick buy of course.
What we should’ve done is had a realistic plan with realistic targets.
I think they had a list of targets – maybe mentioned in the media, maybe not. What’s realistic in the summer is not necessarily possible in January – players are less inclined to move and clubs certainly don’t want their top players moving mid season, as it disrupts the whole team and both the window and pool of replacements is too small. Hence flat refusals or hiked prices.
With the notable exception of the incredible prospect Vlahovic, I don’t think big funds were made available so the options were loans, speculative bids on our shortlisted players or buying rubbish at worst or hit or miss players off-profile at best, to fill holes – which most agree would be a step backwards: Willian, Cedric (and a host of others, anyone)? Kroenke runs Arsenal as a business, so he probably has treasury and cashflow planners, and that is difficult to change mid-season for a business model which allowed for big spending both last and next summer but only modest January outlay. Hence Arteta’s US dash to plead for funds was largely fruitless.
Huge risk, but rumours are there’s a very large war chest for the summer, and should we somehow make Top 4, what a close season we have in prospect…
guy we do not KNOW for certain that MAs trip to see Kroenke was about being allowed funds to spend in JANUARY.
We should not assume what we do not KNOW to be the case, despite the general assumption. I am wary of assumptions being true, without ACTUAL proof of such truth.
talk about stating the obvious KC…fact remains that you can’t shoot blanks in any window when you’re supposedly undergoing an extensive rebuild, especially when you consider that our not so dynamic duo already wasted a full year with their post-FA pipe dream
furthermore, all this talk about how we must avoid “overpaying” at all cost is a bit rich in light of the fact that we just paid over the number on a couple of recruits last summer…not to mention, why would anyone think that any players we might have coveted in January are going to be cheaper come the summer, except if there was some sort of contractual reason
in fact, it would seem far more likely that their respective valuations would rise, should they continue to perform well for the remainder of the season, given the increased likelihood of multiple suitors entering the fray
personally I think we shate the bed, as this window presented us with two viable selling points, regarding both playing time assurances and the potential of being in Europe next season, due to our presently slimmed down roster and table position, that might not exist come season’s end