Tottenham looking to close deal on Arsenal target as early as today

It seems that Tottenham really is as serious as you can get in wanting to snatch St Etienne defender William Saliba from under the noses of Arsenal.

It is being reported that they have bid more than what Arsenal have offered and that they will be meeting with Les Verts on Saturday with the intention of closing the deal.

They are also said to be confident that the 18-year-old will agree to join them despite the teenager initially keen on a move to the Emirates.

With so many credible sources like David Ornstein and Mohamed Bouhafsi confirming the speculation, this has moved quickly on from gossip to reality and the threat facing Arsenal is very real.

To lose a player in this manner and to Tottenham of all clubs is more than just being embarrassing, it points to serious flaws in our transfer negotiating tactics, or lack thereof.

I have questioned the wisdom of signing a player for a position that we need covering immediately but to then loan him back for a year and in terms of the transfer itself I am not really that bothered.

But I am bothered about how we conduct our business and as the original tweet above says, haggling for seven days over bonuses and instalments is a recipe for disaster.

Let’s see how this one unfolds over the next 48 hours because it really is up in the air now and I doubt anyone knows at this moment in time what the end result will be.

32 Comments

  1. This is seriously embarrassing. How this once greet club has fallen.

    Not only the board but the management is useless, Raul does not know how to run the club, nothing has changed since Ivan left.

  2. So typical of Arsenal over the last few years taking so long to close deals. it was the same under Wenger. “How much d’you Want” £50 Million, “We’ll give you 5”, £45 Million “We’ll give you 7” and so on and on. We’ve become a laughing stock, I’m sure everyone has noticed the media having a field day taking the piss out of us. No wonders as it’s been reported we lost out on so many big players. Sickening, especially when small clubs like Leicester giving £100, Million for two players. Where’s all the experts gone who’s been predicting all the nailed on deals like Kev and Dan. Gone quiet all of a sudden. Told you weeks ago Kev, you talk out your back side.

    1. well its the finance and contracts team that have been negotiating……and not the manager

      used to be Dein and Co….then Gazadis, Law and co

      now its raul and co

    2. Be reasonable. Why insult Kev?
      You could have made your point without the insult. When he responds, he will rather be the one under scrutiny. Grow up man!

      1. Maybe you haven’t noticed Kev’s BS predictions over the last couple of months. Don’t know where you’ve been.

        1. Does that give you the right to insult him?

          ..he brought a rumour your old enough to swallow or reject it..grow Up boy

          1. Yeah it does and I’m not the only one who’s fed up with his BS. If you don’t like it….. Tough.

  3. I’m afraid Spurs might not have to loan Saliba back, due to their higher bid. Saliba is only useful if he can play for us in this season, not the next season

    Apparently Arsenal can only get new players if there is no competition from other clubs nowadays, as what happened in Lacazette, Aubameyang and Tierney deals

    If Saliba is really good, Arsenal should have increased their offer to land him as soon as possible. Otherwise we had better look for another good CB, which should be available at that price range

    1. I keep saying the same thing. We get big money players that no other big club seem to be bidding for. We then pay premium for them.
      Ozil
      Laca (Even if I like him a lot)
      Auba

      Oh, Ozil has been madr available, let’s sign him.
      Laza has been made available, let’s sign him.
      Auba has made himself available, let’s go for him.
      Sanchez has been made available, let’s go for him. Etc.

      No strategy. It’s like we have that SALE mentality. Oh my god this product was £100 now it is £50, let me get it. This was for £80 now £35, let me buy it etc.

      You buy things just because they are made available for you instead of buying the things you need.

  4. Let us just wait until it becomes apparent that Spurs bought the player. He chooses Arsenal before other clubs including spurs at least that is what we were told so even if his club accepts the spurs bid and he doesn’t want to go there, there is nothing his club can do about it. In between, Arsenal need to get their heart together and be more serious about what we want and doing. We can’t keep opening up ourselves for ridiculing and disrespect. If you don’t want to buy a player don’t bid for him and let this drag on. If everything to be believed, this is a player that his value can move from 30m to 100m in few seasons. So why all this incompetence. Someone should tell us we don’t control the market. The fact we give our players away so cheap that doesn’t mean others will give us theirs so cheaply. I’m so annoyed right now but I’m keeping it in check until when it becomes apparent Spurs has him. On second thought, I will just forget everything Arsenal for now

    1. Hold on pls! As a footballer, between a Champions League finalist that needs you to play for them like asap and an EUROPA finalist that has the same intention but dont feel you are that developed yet so they wont mind having you the year after, who would you prefer

  5. He certainly has potential, but from what I heard he seems like just another strong physical CB. I think to sort out our defence we need a different type of defender, the one with positional awareness and commanding presence as we play high and were exposed too often. Those attributes come from experience and I just can’t see a 18 year old teenager balking order at the likes of Sokratis, Xhaka, etc. The problem is that kind of defender is extremely rare and expensive (VVD). Our last is maybe Mertesacker and I hope he could develop one from the academy. He is underappreciated and like it or not we miss him more than Kos.

        1. Arsenal missing VVD from Glasgow Celtic still annoys me. I hope I don’t feel the same way about Kieran Tierney in a few year’s time.

          1. That you would consider Tierney’s potential in the same league as VVD’s is a bit embarrassing.

            Tierney can become excellent, but VVD’s physique gave him the potential to be the best.

    1. Arsenal need a fast and imposing CB that has a lot of experience in doing dirty jobs. I think Saliba is too green for that

      We have Koscielny, Monreal, Mustafi and Sokratis that has vast experience in doing the dirty work, but their bodies are getting weaker due to aging process. Mavropanos is too inexperienced and Holding is still injured

      If Emery plans to use a three-CB formation again, we need a new CB because Koscielny is leaving. I think we can forget about new winger if we purchase a CB

      1. Diogenes, please note I used the word “hope”; no where did I state that I considered Tierney would turn out as good a player as Van Djik.
        I am embarrassed by your interpretation of what I said; please read again.

  6. Why don’t Arsenal bid the 30m plus Koscielny to have Saliba immediately? That may address both club’s immediate needs. Saliba will be worth 60-80 millions in the next two years under proper guidance and from my point of view he’s worth that much

  7. 30 mill for an 18 year old who can’t play for us this season.
    No just no.
    We got Guendouzie for 5m and Martinellie for 7m.
    Reece Oxford is available for 10 mill.
    Looked outstanding as a 16 year old when Westham beat Arsenal at the Emirates 4 years ago.
    Has not been handled well at a misfiring Westham and went on loan etc.
    He is only 20, is English and had a year in Germany playing.
    Supposed to be a little hard to handle but what teens with money in their pockets aren’t?
    If he succeeds he will be worth 60m like McGuire and Stones in 2 years.
    Sign him up 🙂

  8. Arsenal are like a tragic sit com. You can’t make it up. Last season Sven Mislitat brought us pro-active signings. We definitely looked on the way up. Obviously Sven ‘found us out’ and got out ASAP. With no Mislintat no one one has the faintest idea who to sign or even howv to do it. We look mugs. Look at Leicester, West Ham, Aston Villa, City, and sadly…the Spuds, all signing quality players. We are being run by the ‘3 stooges’, who don’t have a drop of Arsenal blood in them. Satan Kroenke, Vinai Venkashetam and Raul Sanllehi. Pure sitcom

  9. So we are getting rid of Bielik, Amaechi and Koscielny but keeping Mustafi, Özil and Xhaka.

    We are also not interested a profilic winger who scored 19 and assisted another 16 last season with £25m release clause because we want to haggle for a £80m not so prolific winger.

    Now we losing out on “the Mbappe of defenders” to Spurs even though he wouldn’t have cost us this season because we wouldve sent him back on loan, like Keita and Zouma.

    Laughing stock, we are.

  10. Welp, looks like the Saliba to Arsenal done deal transfer is on course to turn into an undone done deal. The problem is even if it fails we could never be certain the club were ever after him in the first place. All these rumours could simply be nonsense from the media like the Torreira AC Milan and Xhaka Inter Milan transfers.

  11. So spurs want saliba. Simple why not use the money we are to spy for his service go after Alderweirweld.Since the player may have set his heart on staying for another year, I think Spurs effort is an exercise in futility.

    1. I have been saying all along sign Alderweireld and { Cahill on a 1-year deal} two premiership defenders for £25 million. Nobody wants our deadwood or they don’t want to move

  12. Spurs have got the hunger to improve. They will be better than us for the next decade at least

    They have an owner who wants to WIN

    Honestly, if Kroenke is stopping Emery from getting the right players, I would resign if I were him.

    1. Innit, why should Emery risk retributive clauses in his contract by leaving early, when he only has to see out this season? Then again if things go sour management will probably “throw Emery under a bus.”

  13. Indeed mate. We are done and now all sée what Wenger had to go through. Cheap owners who have us miss players, for 5M or 10M.

    Mainly out business is awful; we should target & focus on what needed.
    Saliba is for next year but should be locked weeks ago as Dombele, Koulibaly and a young speed winger as Bailey. Cenallos, Guerrero at LB and a young talented RB.

    That’s 220 millions.

    Meanwhile; sell players with value:Xhaka, torreira, chambers, miki, Mustafi…

    1. Mogunna,regarding your first paragraph:

      What a shame that it’s taken so long for that to sink in with some of our fans.

      Just as the pressure got to AW in the last two seasons, so it will with UE, unless fans realise just who are the real culprits.

      Perhaps the realisation that “deadwood players” can’t appear in a european final and finish 5th (3rd!!) might sink in as well?

      Not to say we don’t need new players by the way.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors