N'Golo Kanté is understood to have a £19.6m

[The Jorge]

Surely Arsene needs to get his beret well and firmly in the proverbial ring if this is the case.

[SWv2]

Surely Arsene needs to get his beret well and firmly in the proverbial ring if this is the case.

Lot of money to pay for a person on the basis of one season.

Just saying.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Don't we need more of an Arteta/Alonso than a Coquelin/Makelele?

[The Jorge]

Don't we need more of an Arteta/Alonso than a Coquelin/Makelele?

Bit racialist, mate. Bloody Aryans

[The Jorge]

Lot of money to pay for a person on the basis of one season.

Just saying.

Yes, it's roughly a Jordan Henderson

[Ash]

Lot of money to pay for a person on the basis of one season.

Just saying.

Not sure it's such a lot these days. Besides, lots of money changing hands on the basis of one season is hardly unusual. A manager is more likely to be criticised for letting a player 'slip through his hands' than praised for assessing him for so long that he misses the chance to sign him.

[The Jorge]

Not sure it's such a lot these days. Besides, lots of money changing hands on the basis of one season is hardly unusual. A manager is more likely to be criticised for letting a player 'slip through his hands' than praised for assessing him for so long that he misses the chance to sign him.

Also, we've signed quite a few players on the basis of a decent world cup/euros. Arshavin, Jensen, Gilberto etc

[TheCurly]

Also, we've signed quite a few players on the basis of a decent world cup/euros. Arshavin, Jensen, Gilberto etc

Buying a player after a 4 week summer tournament is a tad different to buying one over a 50 game season imo

[SWv2]

Not sure it's such a lot these days. Besides, lots of money changing hands on the basis of one season is hardly unusual. A manager is more likely to be criticised for letting a player 'slip through his hands' than praised for assessing him for so long that he misses the chance to sign him.

Oh I know that, £20m these days is peanuts, as Jorge has said a Jordan Henderson (a singing mitigated by the fact that the same manager saw fit to spend big sums of money on Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll among others, so clearly a ****ing mental).

Our boss on the other hand is notoriously/infamously tight of wad and has only seen fit to spend a sum in excess of 20m twice in his time, both times on bona fide world class superstars. He baulked at the same sum last summer on Schneiderlinn who had just enjoyed a superb season at Southampton. Indeed he had done very well on the south coast for a few years.

Kante has done very well, a superb season, of that let there be no doubt or argument. A revelation indeed.

It is not my money so in reality I don’t give a **** but equally I know Arsene will be prudent this year so if he splashes big sums the splashing must be done with as much surety as is possible in football.

I’ve never been one to be seduced by the emperor’s new clothes. Each year a player can stand out, the true reflection on that player is an ability to sustain that level of performance (remember when Ramsey was brilliant, now every man and dog wants him out of the club and sees him as the root of most of our playing evils).

I would have thought in Kante’s case any accusation of slipping through hands would relate to last summer when he was plying his trade in France with Caen. Where was Grimandi while this footballing talent was there to be signed for a tuppence ha’penny?

[Ash]

Where was Grimandi while this footballing talent was there to be signed for a tuppence ha’penny?

Probably over the border in Switzerland, scouting Elneny.