It is no secret that Arsenal needs a central defender and judging by the comments of Arsenal’s head of football Raul Sanllehi it seems the club have also realised this.
Sanllehi was with technical director Edu and managing director Vinai Venkatesham at last nights Q&A at the Emirates Stadium and when asked specifically about incoming players, especially a central defender the Spaniard said
‘I cannot say a name because I wouldn’t be doing my job,’
‘If I say a name, I walk out the door tonight and he’s £10m more expensive.
‘The transfer window is a moving target, I have been doing this for 16 years now and I know that some windows are harder than others.
‘This is a particularly hard window. When I talk with other clubs, this is a common knowledge.
‘There is a bit of stagnation in the market and you don’t see the number of signings you normally see just yet.
‘I don’t know exactly how things will turn out, but I can assure you we are working every hour of every day. I think it’s a bit like school, where you evaluate your grade at the end of the school year and not in the middle.
‘What is most important is to talk with the coach, about how he is feeling about the team, what system he wants to play.
‘He knows more than anyone, more than me, about what he wants. We’re going to do our best and we will keep working, but I will not mention any names.’
So, reading between the lines it seems to me that they have identified a central defender but are keeping it under wraps for obvious reasons.
It also appears that negotiations are not going easy and that we are going to have to wait until the end of the transfer window to see the whole picture.
I could be reading it wrong of course, but I don’t think I am and that is good news as far as I am concerned.
For me, it would be a successful transfer window if we strengthen the defence, we have already strengthened the midfield with the signing of Dani Ceballos and I am satisfied with the forward lineup already.
Sorting out the defence will be the difference between success and failure in my opinion and I have to say that the latest comments from Sanllehi have given me encouragement.
dead line day….. get central defender(Anderson or Rugani on loan) then Dani Alves on 18 months deal. next week we wrap up Tierney and zaha/everton (preferably Everton if zaha goes above £55m)then we’ve had a fantastic summer
Joachim Andersen has already joined Lyon, but Rugani’s deal is still possible. No more elderly footballers please, no matter what they have achieved in the past
And I’d prefer a new player from EPL, rather than another player from a less competitive league. Besides, South American footballers usually aspire to move to La Liga and would most likely just use Arsenal as a stepping stone
Didn’t we hear from Wenger before that he was working day and night on transfers? My guess is that we might sign Tierney. That’s it. If we are going to ‘write off’ the coming season in terms of being in the top four mix, then Bielik and Mavrapanos should be blooded in. They can be no worse than the current top two pair.
I’d like to see Bielik, but Mavropanos should only be given the chance to play in non-EPL matches. Mavropanos still can’t contain experienced strong striker like Benteke and EPL players’ physicalities made him injured
He never mentioned anything about a new CB in his quoted comments, so I suspect he was talking about a new winger
Since the media already leaked Arsenal’s moves on Fraser, Carrasco, Zaha and Soares, I think they keep one more target as a secret. I hope it is a young winger from Real Madrid
Our net spend is interesting, three players in and 0 net spend. With Ospina sold and Matenelli brought in. Cech, Lich, Ramsey and Wellbeck so Ceballos loan nets off. Surely purely on the maths there needs to be one or two more signings.
I believe the £40 mill is in the region we did have to spend but it’s not about how much the players cost, it’s how good they are and do they improve the team.
I am sure you’re right, and I would add that the transfer kitty would be increased if we could shift players, but we’re still having so much trouble doing so because of the mistakes of the previous regime.
nothing we haven’t heard before. Every year in fact. And i cant remember the last time we had an amazing transfer window to the point I felt the squad was completely ready to compete for EPL title. Every single season we have giant holes somewhere in the squad.
Xavier Amaechi has left Arsenal for Hamburg in a deal worth an initial £2.3m potentially rising to £6.7m.There’s no buy back clause but Arsenal will receive 35% of next transfer fee.
Understandable but the likes of Saka and Trae Coyle have a far higher feeling
I hope that Sanllehi is telling the truth Martin. So many times we heard ‘we tried so hard but couldn’t manage to do it’. I think Sanllehi needs to earn our trust. If I see a CB, a full back and Wilf Zaha before the window closes, I will be a happy man. Trouble is maybe it’s all bullshite. We will see.
More words that’s nice. Cough up the couple million to wrap up Tierney.
Saliba next year and Tierney this year would set our defense for several years.
Ceballos, Everton, Martinelli, Tierney would be good window considering rumored budget. Selling Mustafi would make it a great window.
I think there is no coincidence that on the day of Q&A we unveil Saliba and Ceballos. This is good management. Positive discussions of more of what we want to do is a good sign, rather then them saying we are done.
The window goes in cycles. When Man City and PSG are signing, more cash is flowing on top of general revenue so everyone can spend because money is circulating – PSG sign neymar, indirectly liverpool can afford VVD, Alision, Keita.
But more clubs are rich. But clubs still want a payday on sales.
Previously football was about who you develop more then what you buy. Now it is the other way round.
What’s positive for us, imo is we have developed talented young men. Its paid off having Henry, Wright, Pires, Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Bould around the club.
And its positive our board are moving fast with signings regardless of the recent transition of Raul Emery, Edu
Keep going…
You are right. Our defense is not good enough if we want to play top 4.we need one center back and one left back.
Heard it all before. Used to be Gazidas, now these guys.
I take it with a pinch of salt and wait to see announcements on arsenal official website or wait till the window closes
So far we have spent very little
Sold very little
And the Premier League season is not far from starting
I honestly can’t say that I’m optimistic
Sell mustafi and kos … Bring in decent experienced CB add tierney … And have making of decent first 11 .. Am shocked we haven’t tried to offload xhaka who is the worst player of all … Partly responsible for missing out on CL and utterly useless in every department …
Leno
Bellerin Socrates/holding ? Tierney
Torreira guindhozi cab
Ozil
Aub laca
If we want to be even more attacking we push torreira to middle and bring in a winger but not Zaha at his silly selling price
So the bbc publish Everton are bidding 60million plus Cenk for Zaha but fear losing out to Chelsea. Is that the Chelsea who is banned from signing players? Media is crap, lets just let the window play out. Apparently so many clubs have to much aspiration on fees this will go to the wire for all clubs trying to sign the right ones
Sense would dictate to us that even the hopeless board, appalling owner and every single Gooner on our planet knows that we need a minimum of two top qualityb CB’s right NOW! BUT who among us has the slightest conviction that ANY CB, other than some unknown second rate French/ German/from the MOON or any other fake rumoured place, will actually come? Right now, barely two weeks from the seasons start, we STILL have the appalling joke Mustafi and the wrestler Sokratis as our likely starters at Newcastle. God help us all if that remains the depressing case!
jon, Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Danielle Rugari (Juventus) would be ideal.
Unfortunately Arsenal have probably missed the boat on Dunk, because Leicester are selling Maguire and are cashed up, which has put Dunk’s price up.