Well what a transfer window it’s been so far for Arsenal fans with a farcical bid for Wilfred Zaha of £40m, a £28m bid for Saint Etienne defender William Saliba, who would have to remain in France for a further season and now an improved £25m bid for Celtics Kieran Tierney, who probably won’t be available at the start of the season through injury.
Hodgson on Zaha: "I don't think #Arsenal have actually made a bid that has come anywhere near our valuation. I'm sure the player realises that if someone's going to take him, he'll expect clubs to pay the market value. Until someone does that, there's not much to discuss" pic.twitter.com/iyTNbbpesE
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) July 16, 2019
If anyone can do things badly, it’s Arsenal. They couldn’t even get the Saliba deal across the line before Spurs jumped in to scupper the transfer. Arsenal’s new technical director Edu, must be wondering what sort of outfit he has joined as the whole thing seems disjointed and vague.
The priority remains in defence but the club are still continuously linked with a host of strikers in the press, yet it remains short of a genuinely creative midfield talent. This failure will no doubt be music to the ears of Mkhitaryan and Ozil who can collect another seasons salary for doing absolutely nothing !
The Express has decided that cash strapped Arsenal are about to post a £72m bid for Nicolas Pepe and if that were true, which it isn’t, Arsenal would have completely lost the plot. Why Pepe would suddenly be the highest target on Unai Emery’s shopping list is nothing short of baffling.
Arsenal have reignited their interest in Benfica Defender Ruben Dias but as with all stories based on rampant speculation, there are other clubs in the hunt, including Manchester United. How Sports desks up and down the country must love having a whole host of players available that they can associate with two premier league sides who are both past their sell by date.
#Arsenal have reignited their interest in Benfica Defender Ruben Dias. Dias was among the defenders Arsenal considered a move for at the start of the window. They compiled a dossier on the Portugal defender. He has a release clause of £54m in his contract which expires in 2023. pic.twitter.com/Vugv8RFc08
— WorldwideArsenal (@WorldwideAFC) July 12, 2019
Dias, who is thought to be Koscielny’s successor will cost about £57m and Emery gets points for his accountancy skills by stretching £45m by a further £12m. The media’s mantra seems to be ‘If you throw enough stones, you’ve got to hit something eventually’.
Roma’s 20 year old midfield sensation, Nicolo Zaniolo, is said to be the latest tug of war transfer target between Arsenal and Spurs. The media has enjoyed the William Saliba saga so much, that it’s decided to serve it up again in a different form in an effort to sell papers.
Are Arsenal and Spurs so intent on outdoing each other that they are going to bid for each others targets ? No, it’s just measured nonsense that fuels the North London rivalry.
What can be done to stop Arsenal falling into mediocrity? Cash. Lots of it. An owner that cares. A coherent transfer strategy. Effective recruitment. A boss opting for a settled formation which simply has to include two strikers up front. And a defence that can actually defend…
— Layth (@laythy29) July 12, 2019
With the transfer window closing on Thursday August 8 at 5pm, Edu, Emery and Arsenal will either have to conclude their business within the next two weeks to avoid their usual last minute scramble for bargains.
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