A familiar summer, but perhaps the youngsters will shine next season by Konstantin Mitov
Hello lovely Arsenal people! I’ve been following what’s going on this summer transfer window without having too much expectations as I’ve learned what transfers are with Kroenke in charge.
Today we announced 2 signings – Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid and Saliba, who we are sending back on loan in France. I like loan deals to be honest. They help you when the money is not there, although just the Adidas kit deal a season is bigger than our transfer budget, but that’s a whole new topic.
Ceballos is held in high regard, and the fact Madrid do not want to put in a buyout clause mean they value him. He’ll be interesting, because he’ll ask a question of Ozil, and since Ramsey is gone we don’t really have an alternative.
Saliba on the other hand is also highly regarded, but sending out on loan when our defense is a shambles asks questions. We really needed to address the defense and even if we’re sending Saliba on loan, why not do it in England? I guess this was the only way to convince his team to sell, without overpaying for the player. Problem is, that this makes it another year until he even starts to adapt to English football.
Koscielny is on strike and I expect him to leave. Honestly it’s so sad to see such behavior from an otherwise decent servant of the club, but do we need him really? Our defense leaked 51 goals. With or without him, that number should be 21 less at least! The problem is, we’re stuck with Mustafi and I don’t think he’ll cut it with Sokratis and Monreal. Chambers is back and Holding could be a massive boost when he returns, but we’re playing a risky game here.
I’d give Chambers a chance. Can it be worse than Mustafi honestly? We’ve seen a lot of youngsters in a preseason which saw good results, but we’ve seen this before. I honestly think this is the season where the youngsters should be given a chance. Players like Willock, Nelson and Eddie Nketiah should be more incorporated, not just in cup games.
The problem is that they play where Ozil, Auba and Lacca do and I don’t see how we’ll keep 700k/week on the bench to play youngsters. Then again, the new blood might bring something different than what we’ve seen for the last 3 years in a row.
It’s unclear what we’ll do with Gabriel too. It seems like we have too many attacking players, yet there’s that Zaha thing. I like him. No doubt having someone who can take a player 1 on 1 is an attribute we can use in the squad, but 70 million? They can get that from Everton if they want it so badly.
Speaking of Everton, we could get him (the Brazilian) if we’re desperate for a winger and I’d rather spend 70 million on a proper CB and a LB. We’re trying to get Tierney from Celtic. I’m not too convinced on players who play in Scotland with all respect to their league. But a new defender that will be here next season would be a welcome sight.
The ignorance of the defense is a major concern. We could’ve done with a new DM, yet Xhaka will be most likely captain next year. One of the most error prone players in the squad. And the shortlist of captains included Ozil. Enough said, you’d hope, but who would really pick?
This summer reminds me of summers past. I don’t see the plan. The signings don’t add up, because the formation and our style of play are unclear, yet the obvious problem (the defense) doesn’t seem to be addressed. Maybe we’re hoping that Torreira and Sokratis will steady the ship in their second season, but it feels like we could’ve had a better plan.
As funny and illogical as it is, I’m a bit excited. The youngsters seem full of energy, and if they’re given the chance, they’ll have something to prove. Besides, we did sign 2 players today and whenever I see a player pull on the famous red and white shirt a little fire lights up inside and makes me think of a better future even if I fully well know it’ll be a hard season.
On another positive note, the new kit is stellar. I’ve been refusing to buy the kit until we spend some money, so I don’t fund another American ranch, but hell, I’m taking the new one. It’s 10/10 for design.
The good thing about this transfer window is that just like my road trip to Italy, it’ll end soon and we’ll get to focus on the football. A fun tip for all of you on the road there, despite the Italians being famous for pizza and Ice cream, Croatia is the place where I ate the best of both.
That’s me done for now. Hopefully you’re enjoying a wonderful summer. See you in the comments.
Konstantin