This is definitely an unbelievable Arsenal transfer window with not one player arriving and we are already on deadline day. But we have seen ten outgoings so far with a massive clearout of players that have hardly featured this season.
It would appear that now we are out of both cups and with oly 17 games in the League remaining, Arteta has decided to operate with a skeleton staff for the rest of this season and save as much cash as possible to put into the kitty for the summer.
With Aubameyang being confirmed as being seen in Barcelona and another likely departure, it is now being reported by 90min that Nicholas Pepe could be another one following him out the door.
The rumour is that there are a few clubs interested but one (unnamed) Spanish club are looking like favourites to sign the winger.
Admittedly Pepe has had very little game time this season, just like our other departures (except for Auba), and with Saka and Martinelli pulling up trees he is hardly likely to get any game time when either of those two are fit.
He has made 5 starts in the League and the last time he played 90 minutes was against Leeds in October, so looks definitely to be another one out of favour with Arteta.
I suppose it wouldn’t be that much of a shock if he was loaned out actually. A few more quid in the bank…
Dan Smith – Do Arsenal need to buy a striker for a chance of the Top Four?
But he is our only winger in case of an injury ir covid for saka and Martinelli…
Agree, would be madness to let Pepe go on loan this window.
Nketiah is out of contract in 6 months are hardly contributes, so why hold a place? Martinelli can fill in as a striker in emergency, and Pepe on the wing, or Pepe as a striker or false 9 even.
Point being, Pepe contributes to the squad, while Nketiah only takes up a roster spot and has offered almost nothing in goals or assists.
Given the current situation, with hordes of players leaving and nobody yet coming in, it would be madness to let Pepe go. Besides which, he has done very little wrong but is just another player who Arteta dislikes.
For much of last season, Arteta left him on the bench while the utterly useless Willian started ahead of him. When Pepe was finally given a chance, he finished the season spectacularly and ended up with 10 goals from just 16 starts.
This season he has started about 4 games, in which he had our only serious goal attempt (spectacularly saved) against Brentford, and a couple of games later he hit both posts in quick succession, with the ball rolling along the goal line for Aubameyang to score from 6 inches.
Supposedly he doesn’t fit in with Arteta’s style of play, so he has been hung out to dry. On top of that, there has always been an unhealthy obsession with his price tag of £72 million (maybe twice what he was really worth) and this has clouded the fact that he is actually one of the more talented players at Arsenal.
Arteta is doing the right thing, Arteta is doing the right thing. When the team is hit with injuries or covid, that’s when your cluelessness will be revealed.
Our English supporters will have to appear on match days with shin guards. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Let him go, he doesn’t get a sniff anyway. MA has chosen to bench our most clinical finisher at the club. Let him go where he will be appreciated.
I will never hold his price against him, he didn’t set the price or force Arsenal to pay it.
It took me a while to really deep think about this transfer window.
Why the hell would Edu and Arteta weaken the team without reinforcements.
But then it clicked. Is Arsenal actually getting weaker?
Arsenal Outgoings 2022 Playing Time:
Calum Chambers (2 starts in 2 appearances)
Pablo Mari (2 starts in 2 appearances)
Kolasinac (1 start in 2 appearances)
Maitland-Niles (2 starts in 8 appearances)
These guys weren’t getting playing time even when injuries happened.
Auba’s departure seems significant on paper, but in reality, we’re not missing much with his exit.
In 12 starts, Auba was only able to register 4 goals and 1 assist.
And he isn’t helping in either in a tactical or locker room sense. He’s just there chopping weekly salary and not playing
We only entertained six month loans.
Every bid that’s required a long term responsibilities, we simply declined.
Summer 2022, Arsenal is entering the transfer window with a lean wage bill.
Every player making money from Arsenal FC will be contributing in some way.
Arsenal has chosen this window, that they rather buy the top in the market, or nothing at all.
Wasting money and committing wages to another player that doesn’t fit this system sets us back again.
18 outfield players (City has 18 as well) is enough to compete once a week.
I would love a signing. But I’d rather this approach than another Willian mistake.
Everyone knows a transfer will blow till it doesn’t. Then everyone will say they knew all along.
Versatility and technical prowess over marginal players for top 4 aspirations.
You dont need 30 players to compete once a week anyway
GUNNER DEV, speaking as a loyal and older fan of well over
60 attending years and also as one who stands by and supports MA and what he is clearly doing, I do nevertheless sincerely believe we are playing with fire by leaving our alternate options so very thin and under resourced.
I fully agree with getting as much of the sub standard players as possible out of our club. I also firmly applaud the sidelining of trouble makers like Guendouzi and idle non tryers like Ozil and Auba.
All that is fine and dandy, EXCEPT, that we are way under insured in case of unforseen events and Covid or bad injuries.
So far this season we have been relatively lucky with injuries but we are treading on very thin ice after all these recent sales and no incomings of substance.
As a knowledgeable and deeply thinking man, I am also very aware that we have only 17 all Prem games remaining .
But my point above stands and I think we are putting our club in dangerously low numbers, UNLESS, as seems unlikely right now, we “miraculously” bring in top quality player in these last hours.
I am worried and it would be dishonest of me not to say so!
Absolutely mad rumour and surely is total BS. Only 90min reporting it with no mention at all on the reputable outlets.
It has been reported as well. We will have a squad of 16 players by the end of the window.
Absolute madness, we shot ourselves in the leg even harder than usual.
I call BS on this rumour and have a feeling that Pepe will play a big part in our last half of the season.
hope so, as he has shown the occasional flash. Apparently he was pretty good in Africa.
Hope you enjoyed yesterday’s 2-0 win over USA? Was my first real chance to get a good look at Jonathan David and was very impressed. Definitely one for the summer shortlist.