FLUID PHASE OF THE WINDOW
All the boys are back in training, and the energy levels look electric. There are just two more games left of preseason: Leverkusen, then Lyon. It went fast, right?
Transfer stories aren’t moving that quickly, although we did get a little bit of insight from Gunnerblog as to why there might be a delay on Merino: he’s an Arteta signing, and not everyone likes him.
David Raya was also an Arteta signing, but so was Fabio Vieira. Mikel Merino is 28 years old, and he’s been bumbling along for years, so it’s fair to ask why no one has paid attention until now. Arteta is the king at Arsenal, so I imagine there’s only one way this story will end, especially with his contract going unsigned. That said, I don’t like it when managers go outside the process to push their favorites - though that seems to happen in most places that have superstar managers. Even places they don’t, like United.
Player exits haven’t really progressed, except for some journalists repeating what I wrote the other day: We don’t need to sell Eddie, so if the deal is subpar, we’ll keep him. As the window wears on, there will be more interest in him. He’s 25, has a great profile, and he’ll score goals. Teams are waiting to see if there are bargains to be had. But if West Ham can drop 27 million euros on a 31-year-old journeyman, there’s no reason to believe Arsenal are being outrageous to want £35 million for a 25-year-old with plenty of Premier League experience.
Reiss Nelson, Aaron Ramsdale, and one of Kiwior or Zinchenko are in similar situations. All four could be useful in the Premier League or across Europe. All four will be subject to more intense interest, especially as some clubs' shortcomings are likely to get brutally exposed in the first three games of the Premier League season.
There are some rumors going around that make little sense to me. Italian media is trying hard to push Osimhen to Arsenal. Given the price tag and the Serie A talent tax, I just can’t see him going anywhere outside Chelsea this summer. Arteta already said we weren’t going to make any mega signings, so I’m unsure why people think we’d blow £120 million on Osimhen—a player that really doesn’t thrill me. He only managed 25 games last year, and he doesn’t offer us much more than you’d get with Ivan Toney for a third of the cost.
My eyes are all on the winger—do we raid the Spanish big dogs with flabby squads, do we target the players with one year left to go, or do we hunt down someone like Neto with a Romford Market trade for the ages, or do we blow it all on some Brazilian kid we’ll have to bake for three years like Saliba.
I have no idea, but you get the feeling the window is now in the fluid phase… a list of targets for every scenario has been drawn up. The best deal wins.
Ok, short one today. Hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe if you’re in England. xxx