Today brought some tough reading as an Arsenal fan, and I can’t help but feel frustrated with our club’s efforts.
Reports have emerged to claim that our club has been beaten by Aston Villa in the race to sign Emi Buendia, a sentence that shouldn’t come out of an Arsenal fan’s mouth, but we also learnt that we are lowballing Ajax on a deal to sign Andre Onana also.
The goalkeeper is currently under a playing ban for supposed doping, and is ruled out until February as it stands.
Onana has entered an appeal to the ban however, with hopes that he could well be allowed to return to action before that time, and Arsenal are claimed to be keen on his arrival.
With his ban in mind, our club is claimed to have tabled an offer for his signature, but Ajax are not believed to be entertained at present.
Castles told the Transfer Window Podcast: “I’m not sure they’re in the best position, and I’m not sure Ajax will let him go for a cheap deal, but Arsenal have made what is described to me by a friend at Ajax as a ‘very low offer’ for Andre Onana.
“They’re trying to take advantage of that drug ban, which is due to run until February, but Onana is challenging that in court and is hoping that he will be cleared to play again next season. Either way, you can understand why Arsenal are trying to get him.”
Arsenal appear to be testing the waters in the hope of securing Onana on the cheap before a decision is made upon his appeal, but the Dutch giants do not sound like they are close to any form of agreement as of yet.
This news emerging on the same day that we have supposedly failed in an attempt to sign Buendia tells me we simply have to prepare ourselves for an extremely rough summer of tight budgeting.
Buendia to #avfc. Done deal. Personal terms and medical agreed and completed. Club record fee. Believe in the region of £35m, plus sell on. #ncfc bought out prev sell on from #getafe. Confirmation likely next 24 hours #nocircus #ncfc
— Paddy Davitt (@paddyjdavitt) June 5, 2021
Buendia’s deal reminds me in a way of our decision to turn down a deal to sign Ngolo Kante from Leicester due to agents fee, only to pay more for Granit Xhaka’s arrival in the same window, and while Buendia doesn’t quite have the same reputation YET, I fear he could well have been a huge player for us moving forwards.
Patrick
Cluelesslly we missed out on a decent creative midfielder. The only way I can forgive them is if they bring in Grealish, or else….
If anyone was really expecting Arsenal to be any different this transfer window then shame on you!
When has this club ever been any other way?
The club are so used to punching every Arsenal fan face with all the usual talk about how they will be “very active” only to laughably get bullied by most clubs who are simply more serious than Arsenal when it comes to “wanting” to improve.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy summer without monitoring Arsenal’s transfer business this year. You’ll only end up more disappointed!
Good advice. It is just not worth following Arsenal Transfers.
You are so Wright, if the owner is tired he must sell the team to someone who is interested in becoming the best, rather than just going along with the rest
We will once again be told that we almost signed Messi, Ronaldo, or maybe even Pele!!
We are seldom serious in actually signing any big name players.
I will keep my BP tablets handy for the next season, again.
Why do some Arsenal fans talk as if Buendia is a Messi or Modric. We are hurt because we lost a Championship player to Villa.
I trust Arsenal will pull up a top class player better than Buendia.
Buendia is the most creative player in English top flights, just behind players such De Bruyne and Fernandes. Why shouldn’t we be let down by this?
does de bryune and fenerndes play in championship? don’t compare those two legends with that beundia guy.
What I find so amusing about some of our fans and their take on the club’s dealings in the transfer market in ten easy points:
1. We sell our “dross” too cheaply.
2. We buy our “dross” too high.
3. We are in for any /every player the media can think of.
4. We always “miss out” on players that the club have never identified as being of interest.
5. We bid to low – We bid to high.
6. We always want to spend kronkie’s money – yet bleat that kronkie never spends any money.
7. Any club that, seemingly, beat us to the signing of a player, is always a “smaller club” than us.
8. We believe everything the media says about the club’s inability to close deals, not thinking that they (the club) have put a valuation on each player.
9. If we miss out on a potential signing, it’s because we are not proactive… not thinking for one second, that the player might fancy another club over The Arsenal.
10. We haven’t signed anyone yet, so it’s all doom and gloom – the kronkie’s are telling lies – we’ll be in a relegation battle – Arteta and Edu out!!!
Of course, there are some fans who roll all the above into one nice little ball and blame Arsene Wenger, three years after his departure.
Funny old game and funny fans as well…who have no idea about signing players (I’m one of them) but tell us all how it should be done (I’m not one of them).
Totally agree Ken.
Allegations, balderdash, speculations, fake news, fantasies, rumours and klickbait. I’m sure Buendia has been on a list of potential prospects, he might have been #2 or #499…
How to become an Arsenal fan. The Ten Commandments.
@Ken1945 Good as always.
Waiting for your next article with a topic of any of your choice.
Personally £30m is not a bad bud for the guy if you ask me. And am not sure about his efficiency, some say he is a winger some say CAM but I think we need CAM than a winger and if Arsenal decides he doesn’t worth the money that’s it .
Ken, I’ll add this to your list above:
Anytime we sell a player and he get good performance with his new club we start abusing the board
And anytime one of our target players perform well for their new club we take out the frustration on the players we bought instead. This is the initial problem the likes of Xhaka and Ozil had with the club, fans thought we miss out on Kanye because we were interested in Xhaka and Suarez for Ozil
Well said Ken
Great post Ken. Arsenal fans are not immune to a little bit of cognitive dissonance. We rationalise our beliefs about the club by picking and choosing the rumours that fit our narrative – if one believes that Edu and Arteta are clueless and Kroenke won’t spend any money, one is more likely to believe that Arsenal were all in for Buendia and messed up by being out thought and outbid by Aston Villa. And less likely to believe reports that we kicked the tires but never made a bid.
End of August is when we can judge (although must confess I wish we would do our business earlier…)
Media has made Buendia an Important Arsenal target, but we don’t know that he is an important Arsenal target 🙂
Arsenal apparently bid £30 million. Surely that makes him important enough. Just not as important as Villas £33 million winning bid!
Based on what, media speculations or reliable sources?
Arsenal never learn anything, we need to buy players in this league, in this country that will adapt quickly, we don’t want pepe scenario again, Also no way arsenal can buy Grealish, Club that cannot pay money for Buendia. After some years, report will come out that we are the first that wanted this player, by now I expect arsenal to have gotten two to three players before Euro tournament start. Then during Euro study and get players that perform well in the tournament. Arteta is just playing with his Cv because he will eventually be sacked if the squad perform woefully before December. Chelsea and Man City will go for quality players and pay that money for them. We want to be in top four, we want to win the league but we don’t want to buy the very best. Arteta, Edu and arsenal owner plus the board are joking.
Arsenal will end up doing panic buy and end up buying one player or two of less quality, while drag negotiation till last minutes of transfer window before eventually buy the player.
I would not believe the media, it appears Arsenal never made a bid for Burndia. Arsenal have been linked with at least 70 players! We will definitely buy 3 or 4. Arsenal have been mismanaged in the past, I am expecting a good improvement . This idea we don’t spend money is nonsense. Pepe 72 million, Aubameyang 55 million, Lacazette 50 million, Partey 45 million etc If Villa pay 35 million that is a club record for them.
It is not about spending money, it is about finding the best players and getting value.
So we should blame the Kroenke’s for buying Mustafi, Xhaka, Socratis, Terreira and many more! The issue with Krothey are too detached, hence the above transfers plus Willian, Cedric, Luiz contracts. Remember Raul was immediately dismissed, was Edu involved in these last. deals? Time will tell.
The transfer window opens tomorrow until the end of August. Lets give Arteta a chance, the squad he inherited was a shambles. Coming from Man City, he knew what he is taking on! Lets see our squad at the end of the window !!
👍
When did Buendia became big, do you remember how big he was last time Norwich played in PL? Can’t be that big when Aston Villa got him without competition from any “big” club…
Arteta, Edu and Kroenke à bunch of confused actors on the recruitment scene. Too sluggish in their decision making.
Not too sure if they really know what they want.
So trying to get the best possible deal for ourselves with Onana means we are ambitionless?
The window is still young. we’ll get players. Buendia isn’t the only available attacking midifielder.
Joe, the concern is that the bid for Onana was so low it was insulting to Ajax Amsterdam. If Arsenal don’t bid in “good faith” and it appears they are “having a lend”, then don’t be surprised if another club puts in a fair bid, which is accepted.
Sometimes Arsenal can be too smart for its own good.
Ozzie I get your point but am of the opinion that before a bid I tabled the club would have acted on some background check and insider information, what I may consider a ridiculous bid may be what is perfect bid for the player
This was always going to be a tough window, considering the presence of the Euros, the financial complications of covid, above and beyond our usual constraints, the lack of CL or EL monies and/or recruitment leverage and the fact that our ability to make any incoming deals might be intimately tied to our capacity to sell those who are deemed expendable…to make matters worse, we’re relying on a rather novice management team to navigate such complicated waters at a time when experience just might matter most…of course, I’ll reserve judgement for the time being, as it’s early days in the process, but I think it’s particularly difficult for fans of a club who have endured a plethora of frustratingly poor windows, both summer and winter, for the better part of 15 years, to exercise the requisite patience…now there have been exceptions to the rule, like the early Sanchez signing, albeit no one could have predicted his meteoric rise but good business nonetheless, or the January Auba signing, which was tainted by the messiness prior to and following his arrival, but as a general rule they’re either underwhelming, like the summer of Cech or the winter of Kallstrom, or they only materialize in the waning hours, smell of desperation and provide no viable acclimation period
so if this organization actually wants to change the culture, one of the best ways to do so would be to rewrite the transfer window narrative…now I’m not one who was convinced by the notion that Buendia was the catalyst for change that some might suggest, but if this club wants us to believe that we were all in for this player, yet like Suarez, that wasn’t really the case, then we acquire a lesser light with a considerably lower price tag, this will be a tough sell, rightly or wrongly, considering our history…what we need more than anything is a decisive early window that addresses key “needs” without excuses or needless waffling, so that we can put ourselves in the best position possible to actually start the upcoming season on the front foot…that said, I must admit that based on past experiences I’m incredibly skeptical of just such a proposition
I’m not convinced about how missing out to Villa in a bid to sign a player justifies any ambition from this club.
The irony here is that some fans are justifying this by claiming Buendia is not the big/world class player we need. And this same people will come here an moan about how the likes of Villa and Liecester (do shrewd business), buy cheap players with huge potentials and turn them into world class players.
Name a world class midfielder in his right senses that will want to play for Arsenal right now?
In the end I see them over paying for an average player who will turn out to be a mess. The normal Arsenal way.
in reply to Twinlights
Best comment on this site today.
True, like Willian
Missing out on Emi Buendia by not offering more than Aston Villa’s reported £33 more, is not the end of the world, as there are plenty of other options out there. Also Arsenal has plenty of options in its current squad in Pepe, Saka, Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe, Willock.
However, a greater concern will be if Arsenal fails to buy Yve Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion, or a similar DM, to partner Thomas Partey in midfield.
Missing out to Aston Villa on a dynamic dribbler, ball carrier, playmaker, that contributed over 30 goal/assist last season when Arsenal have problems creating chances and scoring from midfield is a massive loss.
Splendid, I’m normally not optomistic, but let’s see who Arsenal brings in.
Who would you have had Buendia replace Saka, ESR, Pepe, Martinelli?
Remember the figures you quote were in the Championship, yet people downplay Joe Willock’s 8 goals in 8 games in the EPL, because they were scored for Newcastle United, despite playing against the same opposition as Arsenal.
We love Willock, and we’d love to see him establishing himself in the first team (as a box to box, not am) but there’s only one problem. Do you see Arteta giving him a chance? He didn’t give it to him when his job was guaranteed, do you think he will now when he knows he might have just 6months to save his career at Arsenal? Not a chance in hell
Sims, unfortunately this says more about Arteta than it does about Willock. If Joe Willock wasn’t an Arsenal player we would be strongly linked.
Ozziegunner, while ESR impressed last season, Buendia is miles ahead. He can play centrally and wide, a bit like Carzola. Currently we have no one with his skill set. We have no ball carrier, dribller, creative, goal-scoring midfielder/winger in our team. He is exactly what he hoped Willian would be for us last season.
Hey, it’s alright missing out on Buendia, as Odegaard was our man all along… 😳
And if Onana heads elsewhere for a lot more than what we’re offering, there’s always Willy Caballero – the Chavs have just released him. At 39, that’s ideal!
The window runs from 9 June – 31 August, and if we still haven’t spent any cash come 30 August, god help me!!
Sue, you have to keep your sense of humour. With regard to Arsenal, it is all we are left with.
I’m not sure we were ever in for him but I am sure Martinez would have had a word or two with Buendia and given him the lowdown on both clubs……
The whole ITK/Twittersphere is amusing to watch if you don’t take it too seriously.
All chasing the bright shiny thing. Last week it was Buendia. This week? I’m betting they’ll be all over the “fact” that Neves has always been our real target but Arsenal are too cheap to meet Wolves demands and will be pipped to the post by a more ambitious West Ham.
You can all keep lying to yourselves.Tryinf to make it look like it’s not a big deal we didn’t sign Buendia…
We missed a big opportunity to bring a very creative midfielder to the Emirates…
Auba lacked service and it’s one of the reason he flipped last season…Get him a proper midfielder like Buendia and see him hit 25 goals in the league..
No world-class midfielder will come to arsenal with no guarantee of European football..
Buendia is quite good and well within our means to buy..But we had to be indecisive and stingy..
We’ll pay for this mistake by next season’s end..
Once again, Edu has exposed his incompetence and poor negotiations skills. As long as Edu is chief, l don’t see Arsenal making the top four,because he’s not working with Arteta and the club. There is conflict of interest that needs to be investigated and Edu should be sacked with immediate effect, after having to lose out to Aston Villa for Buendia.
I don’t have any iota of believe in this current Arsenal set up.. owners, management, Coach… Only God knows what will happen as we approach another season. I just don’t have confidence in this Arsenal management team!
Matheus Pereira from West Bromwich Albion is being linked to Arsenal. Similarly to Buendia he was the best player in the Championship before West Brom were promoted. Played well last season, Brazilian (Edu!!) and will cost about £15 million, so right up Arsenal’s alley.
Smh… I hear Oscar wants to come back to the EPL as well. I that is our number 10 covered.🤬
To be honest I don see that we need a goalkeeper. We have leno.
He did some mistakes but that’s normal if we looked at our defend this season.
A defender and a creative midfielder is what we really need. Leno is tired of holding the club. Without him we could be relegated.
pls, kroenke family’s and Arteta should go out of the club they don’t add progress to the club.