an offer which is being described as 'difficult to refuse'
Back in the real world, it would of course be incredibly easy to refuse as its a ****ing insult.
Are these stories planted to try and put the selling club under pressure? Last month I recall Real Madrid being willing to go as far as 60 million for him.
Double it and add £10m. VVD was almost £80m 7 years agoQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Anything over £100m accept it.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
He's a ****ing defender, for Dennis' sake.
A highly talented and young one. Look at the issues we've had getting a pair of decent CB's. Must have spent well over £150m sorting that position out.Quote:
Originally Posted by IUFG
Exactly. Genuinely great centre backs are like gold dust these days. Worth a fortuneQuote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Who do they do the deal with? They got Edu’s no longer with the company auto reply. Please forward any emails to Gunnersaurus
I understand Gunnersaurus is a busy man. What about that dog?Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat Vegas
You know Edu didn't/doesn't actually do things like financial stuff and contracts?Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat Vegas
I’m still a bit confused as to why we‘ve brought in Calafiori tbf.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Is he there to cover Gabriel, because he‘s far too slow to be an effective, genuine wing back. He could compensate that snails pace by playing deeper against quicker wingers but that would risk buggering up the high press.
He’s an established international at CH, so I can’t see him being happy to sit on a bench.
So, a top player whose best position is closed off.
He's primarily there as a left back who can play at centre back. Cover for Gabriel but mainly a better defensive option than our other left backs.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7sisters
While not the quickest, I think comparing him to a snail is a little harsh :-)
Largely irrelevant as he looks as though he is going to spend most of his time injured, making him an ideal replacement for Tierney.
Yes, and to put pressure on the buying club too. Remember how easy it was to convince Arsetwitter that we absolutely HAD to hand over a hundred million quid for Ivan Toney or Mikel would be a complete failure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Sad.
Well, quite. There remains that element of shoving square pegs into round holes though. He’s built his rep as a CH with Bologna and the national side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I’m happy he’s in the team but the strategy is a bit muddled.
If we wanted an LB to replace Zinchenko, that’s what we should have focussed our efforts on, then again, we already had Timber and several good support players as cover.
I can only conclude that Edu misunderstood the brief and came back with a seriously top CH prospect.
A bit like your wife sending you out for milk and coming back home with a pack of ham and a copy of Autocar.
We‘ve all been there, I suppose.
I don't think it was about replacing Zinchenko. I think it was more about Arteta not really trusting Kiwior who was our only cover for Gabriel. Arteta probably wants to get where City are- having the ability to change the back four regularly for different types of games, by shuffling players who can play in multiple positions. So far that hasn't really been possible as we have had 3 or 4 defenders unavailable each game so we have had to pick from what is available.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7sisters
I also think this summer was the first time the financial situation has really hampered our recruitment. I have no doubt whatsoever that we wanted to strengthen the forward and creative parts of the squad but we simply couldn't afford to. Calafiori and Merino represented affordable solutions to the areas we could actually fix. Sterling was the affordable solution in the wide areas but is clearly not setting the world alight in training so far :-( I suspect we would have been better off keeping Reiss Nelson but Arteta doesnt trust him....
Yes, or the African lad at Napoli. Toney went to Saudi for 40 million and the lad from Napoli ended up on loan in Turkey :hehe::hehe:Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
Obviously LA. He’s left the club innitQuote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
I don't think Gabriel will be at the club much longer. That period at the start of the season where he was on the bench told me that he's open to a move if the right offer comes a long.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7sisters
I think the club have been pretty foresighted in recent years and have bought in Calafiori is Gabriel's long term successor.
That was last season for two games - he's played pretty much every game since and been given a leadership role.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Quite, superb partnership, vital goals, seems a great personality and has really grown. Probably more settled in the UK as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
Timber, White and Calafiori all excellent defenders but a partnership priceless - fairly sure Arteta knows thisQuote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
and I would think he is one of the most important players, alongside Saliba, Odegaard and Saka.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
Longer term, Arteta may want to upgrade but I would think he has many, many priorities that need fixing before this.
Is a huge, huge piss taker of opponents and alongside Ben White one of our most irritating players. Too important to lose :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
I'll give you that. Would be nice to see some investments made in some of the attacking areas of the pitch. I think that Mikel quite rightly wanted to make us tough to score against first (hence hefty investments in a goalkeeper, several defenders, Rice, Merino etc). Now those foundations seem sturdy and settled; time to complete the project.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Yup. It's like when ManU bought Rio for 30mil. Arsène said it was a good signing but 10m too much.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
But we then spent 30m on Vermaelen, Kos and Per. Don't get me wrong, the latter two were great players for us. But when you look how much we spent on CHs, Ferdinand for 30m looks a bargain.
We spent 55m on Big Willy and Big Gabby. The best CH pairing since TA6's days.
If we sold Willy, we could end up spending 50m on a replacement who isn't good enough and ends up getting loaned out and sold cheap as we buy a 2nd 50m CH and repeat ad infinitum.
Fergie always said the one player he wished he could have signed was Big Tone.
We have to keep Willy and Gabby. The Ødin injury has really ****ed us. Just have to hope we can stay in the CL until we have everyone fit, the Dec-MnM-Ødin MF works and MnM and Cala learn to work triangles with Gabby M and we start to get on a roll that gives us belief as it did post Dubai at the start of the year.
If you remember, Zinny was MA's second choice. He initially wanted Martinez who was a LCH/LB.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I think he wants FBs who are ball playing CHs who can play as FB or DMs {so can invert.}
So when won FB is attacking, if we get hit with a counter, we have a back 3 who are all pwoppa CHs.
Yup. MA thought he could try TP5 at RB - so he could invert into MF {he plays as one part of the box MF with a DM and inverted FB, and he'd played RB in Spain so must be could enough 1v1.} This allowed him to play BW at CH so we'd have 2 ball playing CHs. {Look at the ball for Saka vs Scousers.}Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
But he realised BW is a better FB, a better back 3 defender when the LB is inverting and that Gabby and Saliba compliment each other so well, the fact that he's not as good a passer as BW is irrelevant. Add in all the goals he scores and it took MA two games to realise the error of his ways and Gabby's first name on the team sheet level.
The same Summer they signed Ferdinand, we signed Pascal Cygan :-\Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Rio is a great example. He was both hugely overpriced and one of the bargains of the century :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Yes, that is exactly it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
And only one of those two players played in a team that went a whole season unbeaten in the leagueQuote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
And played in a side that beat Inter 5-1 in the San Siro
Good points.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
And the other won six premier league titles, a Champions League and won 81 caps for England. And failed a drugs test. What a lad! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
And speaking of Cygan and wins in Italy, what about the goal-line clearance during the 3-1 win at Roma?Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda
It was 1-1, Totti had that shot in the box, Jens and Sol well beaten, the ball going in the near corner. Then from off screen, this bald, French God appears as if by magic {like the shopkeeper in Mr Benn} and clears the ball on the line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bU2hHaOex4
Trying to think of goal-line clearances I've enjoyed as much. Cashley vs WHU in a 2-0 win at Highbury near the end of the season for our tenth win on the trot putting us two wins from the title.
The ball was over the line, though. But Bergy's run and inch perfect pass for Freddie to score our first with under 15 mins left was one of my fave ever moments at Highbury. 3-4 mins later, Kanu, and singing "We're gonna win the league."
Gibbs in that FA cup final at 2-0 down.
But that Cygan one was special cos I couldn't even see him on the tv when the ball was passed Sol and Jens and about to hit the back of the net.