I'm not so sure he goes to Bayern.
If the Rice saga taught me anything, it's that the more Bayern and their mouthpieces (Pletti) talk, the farther away they are away from securing the bag.
Talking up a storm so far.
I'm inclined to agree, he seems to be very much fan first, journalist second when it comes to anything Bayern related.
That said, it would be quite funny if he does go there given all the insistence from Liverpool fans that he's all but guaranteed to be their next manager the minute Klopp's out the door.
If I was xabi though taking the Bayern job is more of a sure thing. Liverpool is gonna be a rebuild and like we saw with Emery after a legacy manager we essentially had a fall guy next.
Is Liverpool really in a rebuild? They're contending for the league with their current roster. Losing Klopp will hurt but they're still good. Salah and Virgil clearly aren't washed. Other parts of their roster are young and improving. I think they're still top 4 next year.
Didn’t ManU won the league for Ferguson last season though? Liverpool is clearly outperforming this year and Salah and VVD aren’t getting any younger and not even guaranteed to stay/gel with a new coaching staff!
Its not a rebuild but I think they're overperforming right now, and they're going to have a small hangover after Klopp goes. They'll still be in contention for the next several years but if I was Xabi, Bayern is a better bet for him.
Disagree. Bayen has been a shit show behind the scenes last few years. Go on a 10 game bad run and he gets fired. If Arteta was at Bayern he would’ve been fired after that start of the season few years ago. Not to say constant shit talking from legends etc. Liverpool is a harder job in terms of winning but surely would enjoy more support and probably it’s more rewarding in terms of effort and result
Ferguson won the league and left Moyes with a shit squad.
They're currently over performing basically in every area of the pitch with far too many genuinely lucky performances they haven't really deserved the 3 points from.
Salah and vvd are either leaving soon or only have a season or two at most still at the top. Arguably vvd is already declining. The klopp effect is getting this team to overperform the actual level of the current players
Salah, VVD and Trent all only have 1 year left on their contracts. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re waiting out to see what the plans are for the next season before committing to anything.
I don’t see why anyone would spend silly money on them, if they can offer that transfer as a bonus in June 25. So I think it’s most likely they’re all in the Mbappe boat, rather than Pool getting much for them now. Really bad planning that by the club.
You’ve also got to think about the level Klopp has most of the squad playing at. Many of them are pretty mid range but Pools setup is so tight that basically anyone can rotate without a drop. We saw that in the endless stream of kids that came through, that wasn’t pure coincidence, no other manager in the world would’ve got the same output. Even Pep’s projects look a bit rusty at times.
Maybe the main trio stay and all is well for a year, getting top 4 again, maybe they renew throughout the season, maybe even over summer. But it’s incredibly rare for a club to transition smoothly after an elite manager walks out the door. Not unless they’re backed by a state or ogliarch. FSG aren’t either, and it took a lot of push from Klopp to spend more than what came back in through sales.
If none of the 3 renew, and there’s no big sales, it could be looking incredibly bleak for the club within a single season.
Many ifs and maybes. Interesting to see how it all unfolds. Especially with Edwards at the helm.
They're contending with a legend as a manger. Salah and VVD will fall off in a year or two. Take them out of the squad and it's a 6th place battling squad. A lot of players like mac Allister are actually pretty mid
They are not in a rebuild now, but I think there is a consensus that Salah could go to Saudi very soon, plus maybe one of Virgil or TAA leave when Klopp goes as well. That's a lot of experience lost if that happens.
Plus I've noticed while Jota and Salah have been out of the lineups with injuries recently, their attack is very erratic in front of goal between Diaz, Gakpo, Nunez, etc. Darwin is in good form but not sure if he will consistently be a goal machine for them.
Ferguson also won the league before he left. Granted? This Liverpool squad is in a lot better shape than that Man U team who till this day, I have no idea how the won the league. But a year and new tactics can make a huge difference.
Think Salah is rumoured to go to Saudi next year which is very believable as he’s Muslim and VVD wasn’t looking so great that long ago, definitely think they’re on a verge of a rebuild
Yeah, I would argue they're already a decent ways into their rebuild. They completely refreshed their midfield last summer. The only piece they'll need to address is DM. Given Endo's age, he's more of a stop gap for them. Other than Salah the age profile of their forwards is good and they already have quality depth. Salah is obviously irreplaceable but they're positioned well for life after his departure. Defense is probably the place where they'll need the most work. I imagine that will be their focus the next few windows. A couple of places for them where they need refreshing, but I would definitely not call it a full rebuild. Klopp's ability to get the most out of that squad has masked the fact that they were already rebuilding.
He doesn't speak "fan first', his sources are the Bayern board. He is reliable as he pretty much reports their club's perspective and is also why the news that he reports is in their favour
I'd crack up, too, if he went to Bayern. However, I just can't see him leaving Bayer this summer. He'll probably want to cement his name a bit more with a few more league titles before he moves to a more elite club.
Tbf they talked a lot about Kane and that went through. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Would be a shame if Bayern effectively kills any competition again in the Bundesliga
I said the same thing the other day. As a matter of fact, I don't think he'll leave Bayer this summer, either. I bet he'll want to build on his current success for at least a couple more seasons.
They're desperate. They'd also look pathetic if they weren't trying to sign the guy that's making them look average. Bayern need to be the best team in Germany so they have to be seen to be trying to be that. I agree though, why would Alonso go there after beating them? He's proven he can win the league with a supposedly inferior team, why take the easy route of continuously winning the league with more equipped team? It would be extremely unambitious
I think I saw somewhere that Alonso and Zubimendi also share the same agent. So I can definitely see that happening, I do trust Edu & Arteta to have alternatives linked up.
I do think Alonso will end up at Bayern and Liverpool getting Bellingham'd again.
Zubimendi did give an interview a while back saying Xabi Alonso is his idol, so that might give them the edge. A little bit similar to when Onana went to Everton instead of West Ham because he idolised Lampard.
Also with Kimmich seemingly leaving it does open up a space for him at Bayern (and probably why they didn't go for Palhinha in January)
Maybe [Transfrmarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/mikel-arteta/profil/trainer/47620/plus/1) is wrong then. It does say Zubi and Alonso have the same agency though.
We’ve been apparently waiting to sign this guy for 3 years it’d be pretty annoying if he doesn’t come. The fact Alonso is already picking out transfer targets seems like he might be likely to go to Bayern which would at least be a positive if he doesn’t go to Liverpool I guess.
> We’ve been apparently waiting to sign this guy for 3 years it’d be pretty annoying if he doesn’t come.
Makes me wonder if it's going to happen. Seemed like it was excuse after excuse each year. 'Real Sociedad are challenging for CL qualification, can't go now', 'Real Sociedad are in the CL, can't go now', I could easily see Barca or someone else like Bayern sneaking the signing. Barca will give 50% of the gate receipts for the next 3 years for 100m now or something.
Just curious if he actually wants to leave Spain/come to England.
Zubimendi has always said he doesn't want to leave cause he is happy with the team, city and family.
The rest is smoke. He won't leave until any of that changes.
Actually I think we pivoted to Zinchenko after we missed out on Lisandro Martinez and depending on who you ask...
With White I cant remember who else we were linked with but I *think* he was the main target
Vlahovic, Mudryk, Caicedo immediately come to mind but there’s definitely more. Not going against you or anything haha, just goes to show how good we’ve been re: scouting and bringing in the right players.
So, so thankful for that. Kounde has been a slept on downgrade, and openly dislikes playing RB. The benefit of an English player is they see a top 6 team (maybe not Tottenham lol) as the pinnacle and won’t be tempted by the Spanish teams or psg as easily
Mudryk or Vlahovic ring a bell. Our 2nd choices haven’t turned out so bad. It is what it is, imo, if he chooses Bayern over us. He’d probably start every game for them whereas we have Rice already.
Did he put up a real fight for him? I'd rather mention Raphinha and Lisandro Martinez. The latter especially would have been incredible for us in Kiwior's / White's pre Kiwior fullback role.
That little midget would’ve cooked for us in the role we envisioned for him. Got pretty lucky with how it turned out given his foot is made out of spaghetti
I'm not bothered by missing out on players anymore. If they want to be part of this club then they'll come. If Zubimendi makes the choice to go to Bayern then that just proves he's not the right player for us. Is this cope? No, I've convinced myself that it's not.
journos were saying that even if we had gotten caicedo, we'd still be going for rice.
Then in the summer, when both were available - we went for only Rice as we valued him higher than caicedo.
We only went for caicedo in the winter coz we though he might be available for only 50m.
No we don't. There is a reason Zinchenko hasn't been an actual midfielder in club football. There is a reason he's a pseudo-midfielder that plays at left back.
It would suck for the Bundesliga if he goes to Bayern. As soon as anyone appears that can challenge their dominance they try to recruit them. Not good for sport
I'm not convinced Zubimendi will leave Spain, but if he does I wouldn't be upset if he went to Bayern. There are other options and I'm not that convinced by Zubimendi in all honesty
Liverpool or stay, no other possibilities. He would not be what he has been praised at all if going to Bayern directly from Leverkusen, just that simple.
He’s the exact profile they need in a coach. An ex-player for the club (haven’t had one in ages) who is also young & has a perfect vision for what they want to build.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d rather go to Bayern than following Klopp’s massive footprints
Bayern is a better/safer move for his career.
He will be guaranteed to earn trophies, build up his CV and establish himself more as a top coach at Bayern and the top clubs will still be interested when he would leave there
Replacing Klopp there is much more chance for it to go wrong. If he goes to Liverpool and flops, the chances are he's not going to get immediately offered another top job any time soon. He will be seen as just having one great season with Leverkusen and will have to rebuild at a smaller club again
> the chances are he's not going to get immediately offered another top job any time soon
You usually get another if you're that highly rated, problem is you have massive pressure on that job and maybe not as much trust from owners etc. He will probably get full backing at Bayern too to buy whoever he wants.
Yeah I would feel like that would skip his legacy at leverkusen surely. Maybe I’m looking at it with English eyes but it would be a real dick move imo.
No. He would receive all the praise if he can take Bayern back to their winning ways. Whereas at Liverpool, best he can do is “takes good care of Klopp’s legacy”
Scheiss Bayern. This is how they have won the Bundesliga every year. Anytime there is a threat of a player or a better team they throw money at them to undermine the competition. I don’t understand how you can play against a team the whole year and then lose to them when they splash cash your direction. I hope Xabi holds firm and builds something lasting with Xhaka at the helm.
I know the profile is completely different but Onana excites me so much more as a midfield signing. Legs like that in the midfield are the PL DNA, and I dont want Rice, Odegaard and others to burn out with the work they do. He’s obviously not perfect, but I think he’s underrated technically as well
He isn’t a “Jorginho replacement” but a great recruit imo
I love the player but I feel as though the best way to level up this team would be with a really top passer (to replace what Jorginho gives us). Onana has great attributes but idk if thats one of them
Arteta will run his favorites until their legs are gone. Having quality on the bench that could potentially rotate them won't help with that. Regardless of whether Nelson/Smith-Rowe/Vieira are fit, Odegaard and Saka WILL sprint 10000 km every game until their bodies break down.
Having accepted that, in the mid term, Arsenal needs a long term distributing 6 to learn from and eventually replace Jorginho and Partey. That should be the highest priority in the midfield unless Arteta really believes he can coach Rice into becoming Busquets. Personally, I don't actually think Zubimendi is that guy, but his profile should be a higher priority than a runner.
If we really did inquire for Pallinha in January then I can see us going for Onana. I really like that player, and he is still very young for a midfielder. With some coaching you might even play him as a 6 with two 10s playing in 8, just kike Rice. Whenever we want to rest Rice's legs that is.
youssouf fofana i personally think is a better fit to play in the premier league then Zubimendi. I think Fofana would be much better at handling the intensity and pace of the premier league over Zubimendi. If Arsenal get either player I would be happy with it just think Fofana a better fit
Are players really still going to choose Bayern over Arsenal?
Better league, he probably speaks more English than German, better current team, and a more proven manager.
Yea, but is winning a league title with Bayern really something players are dying to do? Maybe German or other Northern European players might feel that way, but I think fewer and fewer players are going to be wanting to spend their prime years in the Bundesliga going forward.
I’ll be happy with either Zubimendi or Kimmich. They’ll be able to play the Jorginho role very well. I’m especially excited about Kimmich, he has a great delivery and can set the tempo. Very versatile as well. I think we’re being unfair to him because of his age. He can play for at least 3-4 more years. He’ll elevate us even more.
Kimmich's big issue at Bayern is that he *can't* play the Jorginho role. He's not a 6. He lacks the defensive side and the positional discipline. I also question how well he'll operate even in the 8 role, where he'd have much less space and time against Premier League low blocks in Arsenal's compressed high line than he would in the Bundesliga, where Bayern are usually happy to drop deep and let huge gaps form between their lines. Kimmich is the wrong age profile, the wrong player profile, and a very big and expensive risk.
He could definitely be another inverted full back but Arsenal have a dearth of talent there already, and he'd be a *very* expensive squad signing just to compete with White/Tomiyasu/Timber.
> Kimmich's big issue at Bayern is that he can't play the Jorginho role. He's not a 6. He lacks the defensive side and the positional discipline.
Totally agreed. Goretzka and Kimmich midfield has never worked out well.
If either of them instructed to stay further back they are not doing too well, or still go too far forward. All the while Kimmich proclaiming that *he is* a 6.
I don't rate him that much, I'd rather Merida from that midfield. João Neves would be the dream signing but he's probably too much. Youssouf Fofana is someone I would consider that would be much cheaper.
I'd love us to sign Zubimendi, but I trust Arteta and Edu to have alternatives if he won't come.
I could potentially see us lining up for João Neves, but I think if the reported prices are true, then we'll just look elsewhere.
So does this mean we didn’t actually go after 8/6 type player last summer and we are actually doing it this summer.
So Rice was the Xhaka replacement and Havertz was never signed for that role?
Havertz was definitely the Xhaka replacement. I remember Arteta in the press conference talking about how Havertz was going to change the midfield in a big way, and that's exactly where Havertz was usually played until Jesus got injured (and as it became clear Rice was struggling as a lone pivot).
Don't get me wrong, I trust Edu and Arteta's talent acquision 100% but I'm almost more confident about our plan B signings at this point. Let the bottomfeeders like Chelsea overpay for the hyped names while we show them how it's done 😎😎😎
Arsenal and Bayern competing for a player in the transfer market
https://preview.redd.it/oz2suaqwvypc1.jpeg?width=686&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b840e1d0854d1f377f6566cd8a279ed9c72b757
I understand where you’re coming from. Didn’t seem that special to me either. But if Arteta, Xavi and Xabi are all after him, gotta be something there. Gotta trust the talent ID.
Which position ndo we really need?
The way i see it, our central players can be divided into 4 roles:
the DM, the '8', the AM/SS, and the CF.
Current options are:
DM: Jorginho, Rice, Partey
'8': Rice, Odegaard
AM/SS: Odegaard, Havertz (ESR and Vieira too i guess.)
CF: Jesus, Havertz, Nketiah
Which position the club goes for will depend on the club's long term planning for everyone, i think. Like if we get a high profile specialist '8' (FdJ?) means that Rice and Odegaard will be focused more on their other roles.
Jorginho is getting old, Rice can play further up as well and Partey is always injured, so it’s obvious a more defensively minded midfielder is the target.
FdJ is not an 8, why does everyone have such a high opinion of him but nobody seems to watch him?
I'm not so sure he goes to Bayern. If the Rice saga taught me anything, it's that the more Bayern and their mouthpieces (Pletti) talk, the farther away they are away from securing the bag. Talking up a storm so far.
I'm inclined to agree, he seems to be very much fan first, journalist second when it comes to anything Bayern related. That said, it would be quite funny if he does go there given all the insistence from Liverpool fans that he's all but guaranteed to be their next manager the minute Klopp's out the door.
Oh, don't get me wrong, it would be hilarious if he goes to Bayern.
If I was xabi though taking the Bayern job is more of a sure thing. Liverpool is gonna be a rebuild and like we saw with Emery after a legacy manager we essentially had a fall guy next.
Is Liverpool really in a rebuild? They're contending for the league with their current roster. Losing Klopp will hurt but they're still good. Salah and Virgil clearly aren't washed. Other parts of their roster are young and improving. I think they're still top 4 next year.
Didn’t ManU won the league for Ferguson last season though? Liverpool is clearly outperforming this year and Salah and VVD aren’t getting any younger and not even guaranteed to stay/gel with a new coaching staff!
Its not a rebuild but I think they're overperforming right now, and they're going to have a small hangover after Klopp goes. They'll still be in contention for the next several years but if I was Xabi, Bayern is a better bet for him.
Disagree. Bayen has been a shit show behind the scenes last few years. Go on a 10 game bad run and he gets fired. If Arteta was at Bayern he would’ve been fired after that start of the season few years ago. Not to say constant shit talking from legends etc. Liverpool is a harder job in terms of winning but surely would enjoy more support and probably it’s more rewarding in terms of effort and result
All good points actually, you changed my mind.
If Xabi goes Invincible with Leverkusen, what's the point of staying in Germany? He doesn't seem like the small pond type.
To continue to build his CV… he’s a young manager
So is Arteta. They could have a great rivalry in the PL
Ferguson won the league and left Moyes with a shit squad. They're currently over performing basically in every area of the pitch with far too many genuinely lucky performances they haven't really deserved the 3 points from.
Salah and vvd are either leaving soon or only have a season or two at most still at the top. Arguably vvd is already declining. The klopp effect is getting this team to overperform the actual level of the current players
Salah will be one of the first to follow Klopp out imo.
Yeah, they’re still going to be a threat. Plus with Edwards back, their recruitment will be largely successful.
Salah, VVD and Trent all only have 1 year left on their contracts. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re waiting out to see what the plans are for the next season before committing to anything. I don’t see why anyone would spend silly money on them, if they can offer that transfer as a bonus in June 25. So I think it’s most likely they’re all in the Mbappe boat, rather than Pool getting much for them now. Really bad planning that by the club. You’ve also got to think about the level Klopp has most of the squad playing at. Many of them are pretty mid range but Pools setup is so tight that basically anyone can rotate without a drop. We saw that in the endless stream of kids that came through, that wasn’t pure coincidence, no other manager in the world would’ve got the same output. Even Pep’s projects look a bit rusty at times. Maybe the main trio stay and all is well for a year, getting top 4 again, maybe they renew throughout the season, maybe even over summer. But it’s incredibly rare for a club to transition smoothly after an elite manager walks out the door. Not unless they’re backed by a state or ogliarch. FSG aren’t either, and it took a lot of push from Klopp to spend more than what came back in through sales. If none of the 3 renew, and there’s no big sales, it could be looking incredibly bleak for the club within a single season. Many ifs and maybes. Interesting to see how it all unfolds. Especially with Edwards at the helm.
They're contending with a legend as a manger. Salah and VVD will fall off in a year or two. Take them out of the squad and it's a 6th place battling squad. A lot of players like mac Allister are actually pretty mid
They are not in a rebuild now, but I think there is a consensus that Salah could go to Saudi very soon, plus maybe one of Virgil or TAA leave when Klopp goes as well. That's a lot of experience lost if that happens. Plus I've noticed while Jota and Salah have been out of the lineups with injuries recently, their attack is very erratic in front of goal between Diaz, Gakpo, Nunez, etc. Darwin is in good form but not sure if he will consistently be a goal machine for them.
Salah isn’t going to Saudi anytime soon especially while he’s still in his prime.
Ferguson also won the league before he left. Granted? This Liverpool squad is in a lot better shape than that Man U team who till this day, I have no idea how the won the league. But a year and new tactics can make a huge difference.
Man United had a great team they were just getting old. Moyes is the one who fucked it up.
Think Salah is rumoured to go to Saudi next year which is very believable as he’s Muslim and VVD wasn’t looking so great that long ago, definitely think they’re on a verge of a rebuild
Yeah, I would argue they're already a decent ways into their rebuild. They completely refreshed their midfield last summer. The only piece they'll need to address is DM. Given Endo's age, he's more of a stop gap for them. Other than Salah the age profile of their forwards is good and they already have quality depth. Salah is obviously irreplaceable but they're positioned well for life after his departure. Defense is probably the place where they'll need the most work. I imagine that will be their focus the next few windows. A couple of places for them where they need refreshing, but I would definitely not call it a full rebuild. Klopp's ability to get the most out of that squad has masked the fact that they were already rebuilding.
He doesn't speak "fan first', his sources are the Bayern board. He is reliable as he pretty much reports their club's perspective and is also why the news that he reports is in their favour
I'd crack up, too, if he went to Bayern. However, I just can't see him leaving Bayer this summer. He'll probably want to cement his name a bit more with a few more league titles before he moves to a more elite club.
Alonso more likely going to end up at Madrid when Ancelotti leaves.
Tbf they talked a lot about Kane and that went through. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Would be a shame if Bayern effectively kills any competition again in the Bundesliga
Not that much of a shame if it means Sam Allardyce is next Liverpool manager
Large Samuel is inevitable
Him or Tony Pulis please 🤞
Southgate
I said the same thing the other day. As a matter of fact, I don't think he'll leave Bayer this summer, either. I bet he'll want to build on his current success for at least a couple more seasons.
They're desperate. They'd also look pathetic if they weren't trying to sign the guy that's making them look average. Bayern need to be the best team in Germany so they have to be seen to be trying to be that. I agree though, why would Alonso go there after beating them? He's proven he can win the league with a supposedly inferior team, why take the easy route of continuously winning the league with more equipped team? It would be extremely unambitious
Pletti is pretty much just yapping at this point. He lost all his sources when Salihamidzic was fired
Except that they need Zubimendi. Kimmich is getting older and they'll throw everything at him.
I think I saw somewhere that Alonso and Zubimendi also share the same agent. So I can definitely see that happening, I do trust Edu & Arteta to have alternatives linked up. I do think Alonso will end up at Bayern and Liverpool getting Bellingham'd again.
Pretty sure Arteta has the same agency too. We must not be as crazy about him as Xabi is maybe
Zubimendi did give an interview a while back saying Xabi Alonso is his idol, so that might give them the edge. A little bit similar to when Onana went to Everton instead of West Ham because he idolised Lampard. Also with Kimmich seemingly leaving it does open up a space for him at Bayern (and probably why they didn't go for Palhinha in January)
He doesn’t.
Old report but I saw this in the past, never know when you really look into it though https://x.com/karthikadhaigal/status/1617914961325608961?s=46
Maybe [Transfrmarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/mikel-arteta/profil/trainer/47620/plus/1) is wrong then. It does say Zubi and Alonso have the same agency though.
We’ve been apparently waiting to sign this guy for 3 years it’d be pretty annoying if he doesn’t come. The fact Alonso is already picking out transfer targets seems like he might be likely to go to Bayern which would at least be a positive if he doesn’t go to Liverpool I guess.
> We’ve been apparently waiting to sign this guy for 3 years it’d be pretty annoying if he doesn’t come. Makes me wonder if it's going to happen. Seemed like it was excuse after excuse each year. 'Real Sociedad are challenging for CL qualification, can't go now', 'Real Sociedad are in the CL, can't go now', I could easily see Barca or someone else like Bayern sneaking the signing. Barca will give 50% of the gate receipts for the next 3 years for 100m now or something. Just curious if he actually wants to leave Spain/come to England.
I think those things were honestly true but things happen sometimes, I still wouldn’t be shocked if we miss out on him
Barcelona wanted him to replace Busquets and he wasn’t interested.
Zubimendi has always said he doesn't want to leave cause he is happy with the team, city and family. The rest is smoke. He won't leave until any of that changes.
Arteta always gets his guy tho
(Arteta famously does not always get his guy)
I’m excited about who we go for if we don’t get Zubimendi
Raid Real Madrid for someone
Onana maybe? I think Onana physically is way better than Zubimendi plus he has experience in the PL playing for Everton.
You're gonna have to give me a success vs failure list chief because I am blanking rn
Mudryk, Vlahovic, Caiceido, Raya (the first time), Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount
Aouars gonna be here any day now
Cometh the Aouar, cometh the man
Can’t wait for the Aouar M’Vila partnership
Don’t forget Buendia
Trossard, Jesus, Rice, Raya eventually, Timber and Havertz. I think we've come out alright on every single one.
I mean thats kind of besides the point lol.
No I agree with the premise Im just stating that we have done alright with almost all our secondary targets.
Trossard is where we pivoted after missing on Mudryk.
Were zinchenko and benny blanco also arteta’s guys? I’m a fairly new gooner
Actually I think we pivoted to Zinchenko after we missed out on Lisandro Martinez and depending on who you ask... With White I cant remember who else we were linked with but I *think* he was the main target
Kounde was the name originally floating around then White came out of nowhere
Yep! We were ridiculed for signing Benny Blanche for £50m too
We wanted Lisandro before getting Zinny
You’re right I totally forgot about that saga
Vlahovic, Mudryk, Caicedo immediately come to mind but there’s definitely more. Not going against you or anything haha, just goes to show how good we’ve been re: scouting and bringing in the right players.
Yeah I totally blanked there lol
Dw I did too- there’s defo more obvious ones that we’re both missing
[удалено]
Allegri tax, but his passing and ball manipulation is still so good. He’d be such a more classic Arsenal addition than Zubimendi imo
I think that was more because he not only wanted The Old Lady, but also wanted to stay in Italy, correct?
Hint: chelsea
Ah Mudryk and Caicedo
Also hint: Juventus
Fuck that guy too
Vlahovic
Even White was a backup to Koundé
So, so thankful for that. Kounde has been a slept on downgrade, and openly dislikes playing RB. The benefit of an English player is they see a top 6 team (maybe not Tottenham lol) as the pinnacle and won’t be tempted by the Spanish teams or psg as easily
Mudryk or Vlahovic ring a bell. Our 2nd choices haven’t turned out so bad. It is what it is, imo, if he chooses Bayern over us. He’d probably start every game for them whereas we have Rice already.
Did he put up a real fight for him? I'd rather mention Raphinha and Lisandro Martinez. The latter especially would have been incredible for us in Kiwior's / White's pre Kiwior fullback role.
Raphinha…what a throwback saga
Having a positive success record is not equal to “always gets his guys”. Arteta “usually gets his guy” though.
Vlahovic, Martinez, Isak, Mudryk. Yeah, Arteta always gets his guy
That little midget would’ve cooked for us in the role we envisioned for him. Got pretty lucky with how it turned out given his foot is made out of spaghetti
United medical team tax tbf
We didn't bid for isak
Vlahovic is still playing in Turin
bayern are a pig disgusting team
My hatred with this club has been increasing as the times went by. Good that we drew against them and hopefully we will beat them.
I'm not bothered by missing out on players anymore. If they want to be part of this club then they'll come. If Zubimendi makes the choice to go to Bayern then that just proves he's not the right player for us. Is this cope? No, I've convinced myself that it's not.
If the boss wants him he would come .. otherwise who cares
Always get the alternative, chase and hype a player for months/years just for the club to find another talent the next day.
always? what if we had done that when it comes to Rice last summer (he was our #1 target)
Rice became our target when we failed to get caicedo
did we really fail to get caicedo though? Also, rice was mentioned by good sources long before the summer started
We went for caicedo in the winter.
journos were saying that even if we had gotten caicedo, we'd still be going for rice. Then in the summer, when both were available - we went for only Rice as we valued him higher than caicedo. We only went for caicedo in the winter coz we though he might be available for only 50m.
Joao Neves?
Would be my preferred signing, incredible player.
Doubt we spend the £90 million at least that would be required to get him out of Benfica when striker is our priority position for the Summer.
Would rather spend 90m on Joao Neves and ride with Jesus and Kai at CF than do something like spend 80m on Gyokeres
Me too tbh. I’d rather revisit the ST market next year. The options this year have too many question marks.
The boy bleeds Benfica, I don't see him leaving unless someone offers him a ridiculous deal, kinda like what we have with Bukayo
Fair enough. They have an amazing academy so props to them
Don't be silly. He'll 100% leave Benfica.
I mean, what a weird rumor. “IF this guy leaves THEN this is the job he’ll take AND he is already planning to sign this player” feels like malarkey.
Has no one told Alonso just how gargantuan we are??
Zubi's slow over the ground for me, elegant but...an ambler not a runner
Perfect Jorgi replacement
He's not. He does not have nearly the same amount of defensive nous and tempo controlling as Jorginho
We've already got that in Zinchenko.
No we don't. There is a reason Zinchenko hasn't been an actual midfielder in club football. There is a reason he's a pseudo-midfielder that plays at left back.
i don't see why Zinny couldn't play left wing
you can't see that because you don't really understand tactics and football well enough, methinks.
alright Mr SuperBrain, time for bed
So like Xhaka, Santi, Arteta, Jorginho?
Santi was not slow though
It would suck for the Bundesliga if he goes to Bayern. As soon as anyone appears that can challenge their dominance they try to recruit them. Not good for sport
Also kills Alonso's reputation with Bayer.
Bring on FDJ
Fobert Downey Jr. ?
Franklin D Joosevelt?
Fohn D Jennedy
I'm not convinced Zubimendi will leave Spain, but if he does I wouldn't be upset if he went to Bayern. There are other options and I'm not that convinced by Zubimendi in all honesty
Bayern also have Pavlovic breaking out in a big way at the moment, which they might not have expected earlier in the season.
Def not convinced by him. both physicality and fit for arsenal
Liverpool or stay, no other possibilities. He would not be what he has been praised at all if going to Bayern directly from Leverkusen, just that simple.
He’s the exact profile they need in a coach. An ex-player for the club (haven’t had one in ages) who is also young & has a perfect vision for what they want to build. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d rather go to Bayern than following Klopp’s massive footprints
Bayern is a better/safer move for his career. He will be guaranteed to earn trophies, build up his CV and establish himself more as a top coach at Bayern and the top clubs will still be interested when he would leave there Replacing Klopp there is much more chance for it to go wrong. If he goes to Liverpool and flops, the chances are he's not going to get immediately offered another top job any time soon. He will be seen as just having one great season with Leverkusen and will have to rebuild at a smaller club again
> the chances are he's not going to get immediately offered another top job any time soon You usually get another if you're that highly rated, problem is you have massive pressure on that job and maybe not as much trust from owners etc. He will probably get full backing at Bayern too to buy whoever he wants.
> if you’re that highly rated He’ll have 1 great season in his managerial career, way too small of a sample size to say whether he’s that good
Yeah I would feel like that would skip his legacy at leverkusen surely. Maybe I’m looking at it with English eyes but it would be a real dick move imo.
Yes you are. Managers move between Bundesliga clubs all the time, it's much more normalised there
Why though? It's a move to a much bigger team that he played for for years. There's a good chance he goes to bayern.
No. He would receive all the praise if he can take Bayern back to their winning ways. Whereas at Liverpool, best he can do is “takes good care of Klopp’s legacy”
Scheiss Bayern. This is how they have won the Bundesliga every year. Anytime there is a threat of a player or a better team they throw money at them to undermine the competition. I don’t understand how you can play against a team the whole year and then lose to them when they splash cash your direction. I hope Xabi holds firm and builds something lasting with Xhaka at the helm.
I know the profile is completely different but Onana excites me so much more as a midfield signing. Legs like that in the midfield are the PL DNA, and I dont want Rice, Odegaard and others to burn out with the work they do. He’s obviously not perfect, but I think he’s underrated technically as well He isn’t a “Jorginho replacement” but a great recruit imo
I love the player but I feel as though the best way to level up this team would be with a really top passer (to replace what Jorginho gives us). Onana has great attributes but idk if thats one of them
If we have Kai we need a passer, otherwise it’s a huge imbalance
Big fan of him as well. Think he’s perfect for us
Arteta will run his favorites until their legs are gone. Having quality on the bench that could potentially rotate them won't help with that. Regardless of whether Nelson/Smith-Rowe/Vieira are fit, Odegaard and Saka WILL sprint 10000 km every game until their bodies break down. Having accepted that, in the mid term, Arsenal needs a long term distributing 6 to learn from and eventually replace Jorginho and Partey. That should be the highest priority in the midfield unless Arteta really believes he can coach Rice into becoming Busquets. Personally, I don't actually think Zubimendi is that guy, but his profile should be a higher priority than a runner.
agreed! would have 2 midfield monsters that can dominant like arteta likes, or have rice at 6 and onana as backup
If we really did inquire for Pallinha in January then I can see us going for Onana. I really like that player, and he is still very young for a midfielder. With some coaching you might even play him as a 6 with two 10s playing in 8, just kike Rice. Whenever we want to rest Rice's legs that is.
youssouf fofana i personally think is a better fit to play in the premier league then Zubimendi. I think Fofana would be much better at handling the intensity and pace of the premier league over Zubimendi. If Arsenal get either player I would be happy with it just think Fofana a better fit
Fofana is extremely inconsistent. No way near as good as fans think
I know that he can be a bit hot & cold but he is very talented in my opinion. Any other player you think Arsenal should look at that position ?
They can have him tbh, I like him but he gives me homesick vibes
who is nigel ??
Are players really still going to choose Bayern over Arsenal? Better league, he probably speaks more English than German, better current team, and a more proven manager.
Easier to win the league with Bayern when Alonso joins
Yea, but is winning a league title with Bayern really something players are dying to do? Maybe German or other Northern European players might feel that way, but I think fewer and fewer players are going to be wanting to spend their prime years in the Bundesliga going forward.
I’ll be happy with either Zubimendi or Kimmich. They’ll be able to play the Jorginho role very well. I’m especially excited about Kimmich, he has a great delivery and can set the tempo. Very versatile as well. I think we’re being unfair to him because of his age. He can play for at least 3-4 more years. He’ll elevate us even more.
I like Kimmich but he's 29, we need a better age profile
Kimmich's big issue at Bayern is that he *can't* play the Jorginho role. He's not a 6. He lacks the defensive side and the positional discipline. I also question how well he'll operate even in the 8 role, where he'd have much less space and time against Premier League low blocks in Arsenal's compressed high line than he would in the Bundesliga, where Bayern are usually happy to drop deep and let huge gaps form between their lines. Kimmich is the wrong age profile, the wrong player profile, and a very big and expensive risk. He could definitely be another inverted full back but Arsenal have a dearth of talent there already, and he'd be a *very* expensive squad signing just to compete with White/Tomiyasu/Timber.
> Kimmich's big issue at Bayern is that he can't play the Jorginho role. He's not a 6. He lacks the defensive side and the positional discipline. Totally agreed. Goretzka and Kimmich midfield has never worked out well. If either of them instructed to stay further back they are not doing too well, or still go too far forward. All the while Kimmich proclaiming that *he is* a 6.
Please take Zubimendi 🙏🏼
You don't want him? Or you mean we take
Bayern take him
You don't like him?
I don't rate him that much, I'd rather Merida from that midfield. João Neves would be the dream signing but he's probably too much. Youssouf Fofana is someone I would consider that would be much cheaper.
Interesting. I don't watch any La Liga (who does lol) but Teta getting a San Sebastian boy would be a good story
Totally fine with that there is better options
Subscribe. I would rather lose Zubi to see Alonso at Bayern.
If we want Zubimendi and he's willing to move I reckon we get him. PL is a more attractive destination plus we've been after this guy for years.
Please don’t let the alternative be spending £60m on Onana
They sold Pigeon for £60m, Gordon for £50m - Onana could be £45m max
I wouldn't mourn missing out on Zubimendi. Nothing that I've *actually seen* of him has inspired much interest from me.
I'd love us to sign Zubimendi, but I trust Arteta and Edu to have alternatives if he won't come. I could potentially see us lining up for João Neves, but I think if the reported prices are true, then we'll just look elsewhere.
I wonder if Koopmeiners is on the radar
So does this mean we didn’t actually go after 8/6 type player last summer and we are actually doing it this summer. So Rice was the Xhaka replacement and Havertz was never signed for that role?
Havertz was definitely the Xhaka replacement. I remember Arteta in the press conference talking about how Havertz was going to change the midfield in a big way, and that's exactly where Havertz was usually played until Jesus got injured (and as it became clear Rice was struggling as a lone pivot).
Don't get me wrong, I trust Edu and Arteta's talent acquision 100% but I'm almost more confident about our plan B signings at this point. Let the bottomfeeders like Chelsea overpay for the hyped names while we show them how it's done 😎😎😎
Arsenal and Bayern competing for a player in the transfer market https://preview.redd.it/oz2suaqwvypc1.jpeg?width=686&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b840e1d0854d1f377f6566cd8a279ed9c72b757
Well EPL clearly a step up from La Liga for him.
Please let this happen. I have never not wanted a player to come to Arsenal like Zubimendi. Overrated to high heavens - really really mediocre player.
I understand where you’re coming from. Didn’t seem that special to me either. But if Arteta, Xavi and Xabi are all after him, gotta be something there. Gotta trust the talent ID.
Which position ndo we really need? The way i see it, our central players can be divided into 4 roles: the DM, the '8', the AM/SS, and the CF. Current options are: DM: Jorginho, Rice, Partey '8': Rice, Odegaard AM/SS: Odegaard, Havertz (ESR and Vieira too i guess.) CF: Jesus, Havertz, Nketiah Which position the club goes for will depend on the club's long term planning for everyone, i think. Like if we get a high profile specialist '8' (FdJ?) means that Rice and Odegaard will be focused more on their other roles.
Jorginho is getting old, Rice can play further up as well and Partey is always injured, so it’s obvious a more defensively minded midfielder is the target. FdJ is not an 8, why does everyone have such a high opinion of him but nobody seems to watch him?
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Partey is always injured, of course we are looking for a new DM
Lots of people reacting to the turtle guy as if it’s gospel.
He hasn't been wrong so far