Sublime piece of business in January transfer window by Konstantin Mitov
Well lovely Arsenal people, if you told me that this transfer window we would get rid of Kolasinac, Mustafi, Ozil and Sokratis, I would’ve laughed out loud. If you told me 3 of the 4 players would leave on a permanent deal, I would’ve asked in what dreamland are you living?
But hats off to Edu and the team who managed to pull this off. This is like 350k for Ozil, 150 on Kolasinac, 100 on Mustafi, 90 on Sokratis, amounting to nearly 700k a week off our wage bill. Numbers are relative and based on what you read, but I don’t think they are too far off the truth. Especially after the leaking of Messi’s contract, it’s just incredible what footballers make these days. My point is that with that money off, we can have a little bigger budget to operate with in next transfer window and with the reduction of the deadwood, we can actually start upgrading certain positions!
Anyway we’ve also offloaded Maitland-Niles, which is kind of sad, as he’s a player that can be very handy in different positions, but truthfully, he never nailed down a place in one position and his desire to play regular football means a loan at WBA. It is a difficult task there, trying to survive so hard you call upon Sam Allardyce, but it’s also a good place to mould. I’m just not sure Ainsley can force himself into a regular spot at Arsenal unless he does exceptionally well at a fixed position like CM or RB.
Another player leaving on loan is Joe Willock who will join Newcastle. I had high hopes for Joe, but he had quite a few chances, going back to the end of the Wenger days and he never really took them. I think he has all the physical attributes, but the end product is missing and when you compare what Smith-Rowe has done in less than 10 games, I think Joe will find it hard to break into this position again for us.
This window we also signed 2 players on loan. Backup goalkeeper Mat Ryan and Martin Odegaard who had the footballing world gawking at him since age 16. Both cover positions that need backup and both don’t cost a lot and make perfect sense.
What would’ve made this window the perfect one is if we’d managed to get a Ryan Bertrand or Patrick Van Aanholt to cover for left back with the problems Tierney is having, but we couldn’t pull a deal and that shouldn’t take away from the fantastic job we did. Our squad was huge, and our wage bill still is. I truly hope Willian and Aubameyang boarded the last train on the Arsenal Charity ride. I don’t think we’ll spend money so carelessly on wages again, especially after we saw how the hunger and desire from academy players managed to lift our slump.
By the way, if we win at Wolves, we move up to 6th place! True it will only be for a couple of hours and teams above and around us have a game or two in hand, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt my eyes to see us in the top 6 again for a moment. In the state the league is in, if you put a run of 3-4 wins in a row, you can climb a few positions. We play Wolves and Villa next, teams who, despite how well they’ve done, are ones we should be beating if we want to find a route to Europe through the league.
I still don’t think a run of 7 games unbeaten is enough to convince me we’ve actually turned a corner and we’ve suddenly become a winning machine, but combining recent results, with recent departures and incomings, this is the best we’ve looked in terms of prospects for the future in at least 5 years. Now we just have to prove it on the pitch.
Konstantin
Long time since I read a quality article like this one.
Fully agree. Big up Konstantin!
We didnt offload AMN, we have him and Willock opportunity to get regular EPL game times somewhere else, that’s what big team do, having enough players on the fringe worthy of consideration by other EPL teams.
2 things I like in this window which have been lacking for a long time
1. Ruthlessness-knowing what you want and going for them, I read Dan articles about saving money, in his opinion we are weaker because we let go of unwanted players most of who has yet to kick a ball for us all season.
2. The second thing is acquisition of new goalie. After buying 1 just 6 months ago, no one would have thought we will be loaning a gk by January, in AW time, it can’t happen because le prof have a point to prove, to prove he made the right decision, he has to stay by the players, am not against our most successful coach but that’s his philosophy, but in MA we have a more practical person who can accept mistakes and correct them when it’s neccesary, the recruitment team admitted, Runna was a mistake /not ready and immediately brought in a replacement. That’s a good character going forward
We have done very well in the January transfer market,
In the summer get rid of Bellerin, Luiz, xakai, willian,
Auba,
Buy a no. 2 goalkeeper
Right back
No. 2 left back
2 midfielders
Striker
You are on drug….why do we well xhaka
You must be on drugs to think xakai is good enough for arsenal, he is a average midfielder who is too slow and we don’t want average players no more…
Xhaka seems improved teamed with Thomas and I think Arteta is fond. He is on 100k a week till summer23″ when he is 30, so I would be ok with keeping him, without a golden shower extension. Bellerin is on something similar, so perhaps keep him unless serious money is offered – more important – no improved deals. Auba and Willian will see down their contracts and the wifes will be happy – I think AUba will still be able to make the fans happy as well. I agree on just Luiz on the rid list, but I would also try to sell: AMN, JoeW, Nketiah, Chamber, Torriera, Mavropanos and Runar and in all respect we need to consider not prolonging Lacazette.
sign
Goalkeeper + promote someone from academy for 3rd spot (otherwise whats the point in having academy GKs?) Okonkwo?
Buy 1st choise left back who can also cover RB + promote someone from academy
Midfield: 6&8 Xhaka & Thomas backed by Elneny and promote Ezeez from academz
10 is ESR but perhaps cover is needed.
Attack: sell Nketia, sign young replacement for Laca, promote Balogun(ner) is still around
Spot on Konstantin
Arsenal need to offload William based on what saka and Smith are playing, because welliam can’t play alot that is what I suggest
KONSTANTIN Overall, a very fair summation of a good window. I don’t go with your “sublime”though, as we got no actual transfer fees at all for any of our deadwood and lost a huge amount on all of them, on wages and fees originally paid.
However, we can only start from where we are now, NOT where we should have been were it not for CAZIDIS’S AND SANLLEHI’S INCOMPETENCE.
I actually think a more sinister word than “incompetence” would be more accurate but without firm evidence I will leave that aspect there.
It seems to me though that after many years of drift by those in charge of transfer and contract policy , we are finally turning a corner. I do not yet say “turned, but merely turning!
I am an individual who has always been fimly against the whole restrictive concept of transfer windows at all. In no other commercial area in life can you only trade in two short annual windows and football would be well served by sweeping away this lack of freedom to run your business as you choose.
Excess rules and regulations do not sit well with me, as a freedom lover and this is also why I have been, from the very start, implacably against VAR in its entirety. I will be soon penning an anti VAR article on JA and hope that will stimulate much debate.
Jon
I remember our beloved AW prophecy of saying more deals will be done on loans and free transfers in the future. I believe the future has arrived …and before you say it..I was one of many who said AW time was up 4 years before he went and whilst he delivered frustration,paIn and sorrow he also delivered us many Memorable moments of joy.. another debate for for some I suppose
Agree with you we do have light at the end of the tunnel and patience from all of us will see us bare fruit in future..
Getting rid of players was a good thing but don’t get high hopes for next summer players on loan will be back not only that we won’t have the money to buy outright 4/5 players we need to replace those already gone which means more loans for us unless we sell the likes of AMN Willock Eddie MG Saliba ….that or we could welcome both MG and Saliba
Yeah spot on but I am thinking MA has a backup for our captain K.T I can see him using Gabriel Mag as cover while Pablo, David and Holding man our central defence options
Maybe Azeez will take Willocks place in Europa League squad?
This article makes more sense than the previous one that puts the blame on Kroenke
I also expect Arsenal beat Wolves tonight, because our team is more cohesive than before, there’ll be no Wolves supporter in the away game and Wolves have lost Jimenez. I’d be more confident if Lacazette, Tierney and Saka start though
Tierney is ruled out on arsenal.com, which is concerning.
I think 3 games in a week is to much to ask from Cedric in a physically demanding position (RB) so I would not be surprised if we line up with 3 CBs and Saka and Bellerin on the wings. Xhaka might need a rest to judgeing from past experience and a Thomas / Elneny combination has worked well before. Perhaps Ødegaard should start infront of ESR and AUba as trained, so I hope they have tested him neg for covid.
O T
Breaking (apparently).
Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Benfica this month could be played as a one-off tie on neutral territory under new rules issued by tournament organisers Uefa.”
I don’t know why you all are celebrating this TW. We all know this is going to happen one way or the other and getting those four players out now doesn’t worth celebrating as we got nothing from them. That 100m worth of players we let go for free excluding their wages. Why is it only us that often that get nothing out of our unwanted players. Chelsea got 18m from us for both Chech and Luis at the age of 33 and 32 respectively. Kola and Mustafi are under 30 and we gave them away. There is a gross resource mismanagement at the club and this is not a sign it has stopped. We just put 2 over 30 players on huge wages who are going to walk away for free in two or 3 years time. I want Ozil, Mustafi, Sokratis, Kola gone for the reason best known to me but I won’t see their exist now as a victory at the expense of club because that is what many of you are doing. You are happy they are gone because you don’t like them. Liverpool sold Lovren last season for good money. The only difference in them gone now or in June is little to me to be in celebrating mood. Liverpool got 20m for Brewster “pardon the spelling” but Arteta is clinging on to Nketiah like he is the second coming of Ian Wright. Nice article Konstantinos
Well said Mobella..
Unbelievable that we didnt get a penny for Ozil,Mustafi, Sokratis..
This club has been poorly managed in all ramifications this past few years…
If we ever hope to return to premier status the club has to start making smarter decisions..
What you and Jimmy don’t realise is that no club will sign those players on the huge wages they were on. Especially now with the pandemic. they tried to get rid of them last summer but no club could afford the ridiculous wages.
Without a proper backup LB brought in, I’d rate this transfer window 7/10 but only if it leads to an ambitious summer transfer window. I know we have Cedric and Saka who can fill in but neither is a natural LB and with Saka killing it as RW, it’s a waste having him anywhere else on the pitch.
Let’s hope Tierney and Saka become fit soon and Cedric stays fit.
I agree with you
How much will Chelsea get for Kepa for whom they paid 75m?Less than we will get for Pepe?.We are not the only Club which is guilty of poor recruitment.