***Official*** English Football Season 2017/18

[sledger]

I wonder if this whole Lemar thing has just been a stunt for Wenger to get his own way (i.e. to keep Sanchez).

Oh darn, we tried, but our attempts to sign him were thwarted by factors beyond our control. I guess we just have to keep Alexis now, tra la la.

I just refuse to believe Wenger would not have been fully aware of the complications of launching a big to sign Lemar with just hours of the transfer window remaining when the bloke was hours away from playing in a World Cup qualifier.

Or it's just another example of a level of ineptitude and incompetence the likes of which we rarely see, which I suppose also wouldn't really surprise me.

 

[Niall]

I wonder if this whole Lemar thing has just been a stunt for Wenger to get his own way (i.e. to keep Sanchez).

Oh darn, we tried, but our attempts to sign him were thwarted by factors beyond our control. I guess we just have to keep Alexis now, tra la la.

I just refuse to believe Wenger would not have been fully aware of the complications of launching a big to sign Lemar with just hours of the transfer window remaining when the bloke was hours away from playing in a World Cup qualifier.

Or it's just another example of a level of ineptitude and incompetence the likes of which we rarely see, which I suppose also wouldn't really surprise me.

Still some hours left,, but it does come across as a pr move more than anything. Even if you want to give Arsenal the benefit, ultimately an unhappy Sanchez here for 12 months and gone for nothing and no Lemar is bad work, they could and should have this wrapped up a long time ago.

 

[Niall]

Probably fair to criticise City also for Alexis. They should have this wrapped up ages ago as they had all the aces, loads of money, unhappy player at a side who I assume would be open to a sale. It won't hurt them much as they are still the best side in England, but Alexis would have ensured the title race would be wrapped up by April.

 

[Uppercut]

I think City might have preferred to get him for free next summer, but had to bid now in case he went somewhere else. It's a pretty good outcome for them.

 

[Cabinet96]

Anyone else think Mbappé to PSG isn't a great move for him? He plays in pretty much the same zones as Neymar.

 

[Pothas]

So Arry just bought half our team.

Said I could not be rational about Jota. Turns out I was wrong. We can't turn down 6+ million for a player in the last year of his contract, still he should!d have done better than Birmingham.
.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Haha, Barkley was having a medical at Chelsea and pulled out of the deal. Is he mad?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Who's going to be the first Arsenal fan to say that keeping Sanchez is like having a new signing?

 

[sledger]

Haha, Barkley was having a medical at Chelsea and pulled out of the deal. Is he mad?

From the BBC website:

"The Ross Barkley story sounds eerily like the episode of The Office where Brent gets offered a better job, fails the medical, and then tries to convince Malcolm that he turned the job down / failed the medical on purpose."

Such a great reference

 

[Uppercut]

Anyone else think Mbappé to PSG isn't a great move for him? He plays in pretty much the same zones as Neymar.

I never thought of this, you might have a point. I thought the more obvious problem was that he's probably not as good as Cavani yet. I also wonder if Monaco's system inflated their players' output, and they'll not look so good after moving, like almost everyone who left Dortmund during the Klopp era.

I mean he's going to regress anyway because his finishing last year was on fire, so I can see these types of stories picking up some steam.

 

[Cabinet96]

He played the Henry role in Monaco's 4-4-2 so could theoretically play as the 9 or LW for PSG, which are occupied by Cavani and Neymar. Could play on the right I guess, but literally all his success has come in one role which he won't get there. And of course both those factors you mention will play a part, though I'm sure he'll do well enough in a loaded super team.

Personally if I was him I'd have tried to become Ronaldo's heir at Madrid, who has basically been playing the same role for the last few years.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Probably fair to criticise City also for Alexis. They should have this wrapped up ages ago as they had all the aces, loads of money, unhappy player at a side who I assume would be open to a sale. It won't hurt them much as they are still the best side in England, but Alexis would have ensured the title race would be wrapped up by April.

Don't really think this is true. City were in for him the whole window but Arsenal wouldn't come to the table. They flat out refused advances until after the Liverpool game, when they finally decided to listen to offers. City can maybe be blamed for refusing to table an improved bid (which is what I think Arsenal really wanted, and we called their bluff).

I think City might have preferred to get him for free next summer, but had to bid now in case he went somewhere else. It's a pretty good outcome for them.

I don't think we'll be back in for him next year, personally.

 

[Furball]

Are PSG locked into signing Mbappe next season or can they send him back if he flops?

 

[duffer]

Got this off Goonersworld, apparently from a City source in Chile:

We officially made our interest known to Arsenal in May, we developed a good relationship with Sanchez and his advisers, we made an initial offer on the 25th August, this was formally rejected, then on the last day of the transfer window it was Ivan Gazidis who made the first move this morning – calling Ferran to tell him that the second offer was acceptable ... we made an offer that was initially accepted, however at approximately 9pm UK time last night Arsenal refused to sanction the move .....

We are disappointed as we and the player believed a deal had been agreed ... we remain keen on signing Alexis and will hope the relationship we have with him will eventually lead to him joining our club.

Cluster****.

 

[Furball]

Fans need to boycott if they want change.

 

[duffer]

old skool Arsenal tranfer window

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Yet Arsenal needed more signings than the rest of the top 6 to keep in touch with the rest of the top 6. Last season showed that, as an outsider I can't believe how bad their window was, god knows what it feels like as a fan.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Are PSG locked into signing Mbappe next season or can they send him back if he flops?

I'm pretty sure they're locked in but obviously I don't know for sure. I find it hard to believe he'll flop, the best young talent I've seen since Messi. Sometimes I wish our owners were as crazy as those Qatari's but eh, can't complain too much about winning the lottery haha.

 

[Cabinet96]

If we hadn't been so embarrassing against Liverpool Wenger's stance that Alexis was absolutely not for sale wouldn't have changed. It really shouldn't have been a transfer City were banking on and if it was they should've tried harder to actually get him rather than pissing about and deciding to blame Arsenal for keeping their best player

Far as narrative goes Arsenal couldn't really win with this one though. Same journos who said Arsenal shouldn't sell another player to a rival are now the ones saying he'll be a disruptive influence and that it was a suicidal decision by Wenger.

 

[Uppercut]

If we hadn't been so embarrassing against Liverpool Wenger's stance that Alexis was absolutely not for sale wouldn't have changed. It really shouldn't have been a transfer City were banking on and if it was they should've tried harder to actually get him rather than pissing about and deciding to blame Arsenal for keeping their best player

Far as narrative goes Arsenal couldn't really win with this one though. Same journos who said Arsenal shouldn't sell another player to a rival are now the ones saying he'll be a disruptive influence and that it was a suicidal decision by Wenger.

I'm with the journos tbh. Wenger's own mismanagement backed him into a lose-lose situation in which both choices deserve criticism. There's no getting round the fact that the club is a mess.

I think the awful awful truth is that Liverpool's management are miles ahead of everyone else. Getting Keita and Salah for 75m~ in this window is a joke.