Arsenal looking ahead of biggest squad overhaul ‘in decades’
Arsenal Football Club are reportedly planning the biggest squad overhaul ‘in decades,’ according to Football.London.
The Gunners need to finish seventh, if they have any hopes of playing European Football in the form of the all-new UEFA Conference League.
However, that is highly unlikely and beyond their control. Mikel Arteta recently claimed that the club has fallen massively behind their counterparts in the Premier League.
That is obviously due to lack of spending. But it is also because when the money has been spent, it has not been spent in a clever manner.
Many would argue whether Arsenal should have signed Nicolas Pepe for 72 million or Willian, who is on massive wages. Other arguments revolve around not extending the contracts of players and as a result, letting them leave on a free.
However, the Gunners are gradually steadying their ship. The last few windows have been crucial in making a more balanced squad.
Now the North London side head into another transfer window, to stop the decline and aid the few signs of spark which were seen in this dreadful campaign.
According to the Football.London report, The Gunners want to strengthen their first team squad in multiple positions.
Arsenal owners KSE (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment) are believed to going to pump the team with a lot of cash this summer.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma is the one player the report suggested that Arsenal are interested in. Mikel Arteta is believed to rate the defensive midfielder highly, since his move from Lille in 2018 for a fee of around £15million.
Signing the Mali international might mean the end of the road for Granit Xhaka at Arsenal. The majority of Arsenal fans won’t have any complaints if the Swiss do end up departing the Gunners, after what was seen as an error-prone stint at London.
Their stance of landing the Brighton midfielder were boosted at the weekend, after reports emerged that Bissouma has handed a transfer request at the Amex Stadium.
Focusing on the outgoings, it is believed that Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torriera, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sead Kolasinac and Eddie Nketiah are all up for sale.
But we believe Arsenal can offload many other players to boost their transfer funds, we detailed in this article here.
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Until next time
Yash Bisht
Sander Berg>bissouma
Sander Berge is epitomy of average.
Can you please elaborate how Berge tops Bissouma?
Sander had a major injury which he might turn him into an often or ever injured player. A player who misses a large part of the season with a groin injury (I think that is what it was), is likely to have groin issues for the rest of his career, especially if his game is bases on a high work rate.
I’m not convinced Xhaka should leave even if we sign Yves. First and foremost, there’s possibility of losing both Yves and Partey to AFCON for a month and Elneny as well if he stays with us. Then again it’s impossible how well and fast Yves will acclimate to his new team. I see Yves as a replacement for Ceballos in the squad. Personally if we managed to sign Camavinga, I would overlook Bissouma and sign Sheffield’s Sander Berge who is cheaper. A midfield of Willock, Xhaka, Camavinga, Partey, Sander, ESR and possibly another attacking midfielder should be good enough to get us back into the Champions league places if we also strengthen other areas like GK, LB, RB and St. depending on whether Leno, Bellerin and Lacazette leave
*impossible to tell how well…
Alternatively instead of looking for an attacking midfielder, Arteta could stick with ESR and have Willock & Willian as back-up. The funds can be used to acquire a different kind of striker from what we currently have. A towering target man with good aerial ability for Plan B
And of course there is Miguel Azeez and other youngsters with massive potential
Onuachu of Genk FC can be this towering target man.
Niles Should be reintroduced and Elneny sold. Elneny isn’t doing anything special and Niles is just as bad as Elneny. Keep xhaka in the bench as he isn’t good enough for first team. Bissouma may need time to adjust. Hopefully Partey will be better this season
If Bellerin Torreira Guendouzi are not wanted by mid table Arsenal who would want them let alone pay their ridiculous salary demands as well as Arsenals ridiculous valuations?
Arsenal had to give Ozil, Socritis and Mustafi away and is still paying much of Ozil salary.
So players on fat Arsenal salaries are all going to run down their contracts to leave on a free there by enhancing their salaries at their new club.
Torreira is on 75k p/w Kolasinac is on 120k p/w Bellerin is on 120k p/w.
The only clubs who can pay these salaries are not interested in washed up has beens from mid table Arsenal
Maitland Niles is one who might leave as he is on 35k p/w.
The club also has to have 8 home grown players meaning players like Holding Chambers Bellerin Willock Nelson Niles Nketia may all be needed to fulfill the quota.
Two home grown loan players one a LB and one an attacking mid would be good then some like Niles could be sold
But getting any one aside from Luiz and the two loan players off the books is going to be a devil of a job.
It is always much harder to get rid of players that we think. However, I think Guendouzie should be easier to sell given his enourmous potential. Torreira should also be sellable given he was good enough to make a few appearances for Atletico.
Bellerin, who knows if anyone wants him.
I guess for the three players above it will all come down to price and in the current market price won’t be what it used to be.
Xhaka must stay coz even partey is injury prone….. We can’t depend on one midfielder.
People talk about stability as a reason for not sacking well in this case MA but if reports are true and we bring say 5 new players in the summer it will take time for the team to gel AW never liked to bring more than 3 players unless forced by circumstances like injuries..because of it would disrupt the harmony in the group because of the domino effect 5 new players that’s 5 regulars wondering if their starting placed threatened then you have the subs who haven’t been played that much thinking that they’ll now play even less wondering if they should stay or leave … that’s a lot of players not in a good headspace potentially causing troubles the Kroenkes have promised to spend money this window mostly because of the debacle of the SL and our worst finish in decades the fact that they were not willing to spend money when we were in the top 4 or just outside and selling our best players says it all but let’s wait for the summer transfer window they might surprise us but money won’t be enough it will have to be spend wisely on good players and the big question “can MA and Edu..be trusted to do exactly that?”
Regardless of any implications, Bissouma would be a very good acquisition as he has the skills to play as a DM or a B to B operator.He covers the ground quickly which is something lacking in the likes of Xhaka, Ceballos,Elneny and for that matter ,Odegaard.As to whether he would prefer Arsenal to Liverpool, well at least he would be guaranteed a place in our first eleven, which might not be the case at Liverpool.
We really should not overlook Azeez though. He’s very similar to Bissouma and would do well with him in a 3.
But Arteta being Arteta, he’ll probably play Azeez about 4 times next season.
Bellerin seems to have an international reputation far higher than he deserves so there is hope there at least. Bissouma is a decent player but I cant see him as a gamechanger. I don’t think he would choose to come here anyway, and I never believe Football London, who regularly reprint clickbait as fact.
I always saw Xhaka as a deeply flawed midfielder with his greatest weakness being his obvious lack of mobility and poor tackling.
Imagine a more mobile partner for Partey who currently has to play around the lack of pace Xhaka has.
Having said that, as a partner for Partey I currently prefer Xhaka over Ceballos or Elneny. Xhaka is a better forward passer than Elneny and more composed then Ceballos.
If we can get Bissouma we probably should.
You talk of club owner pumping money this up coming season and again end up talking of club selling players to raise funds now which one is right?