comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 1 minute ago
I think a number of our fans underestimate how weirdly run we are. One major reason we lose a lot of money in transfers is signing players with low sell-on value. And it impacts our capacity to reinvest in the squad. Daniel Levy wouldn't sign a player close to 30 like Merino in the final year of his contract for over £30m. Tottenham and Liverpool spend as much as we do on transfers, but make a lot more from sales. Merino's signing is just inexplicable and I don't understand why we couldn't invest that in someone that offers us something more progressive. We didn't need Calafiori either when we had like 4 players who could all cover at LB (before MLS even came through to add another option).
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We spent all summer on that transfer too 😂

comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Bats Uncensored (U18355)
posted 6 seconds ago
Castor has similar level of mental gymnastics to J99, just at the opposite end of the spectrum
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Never been convinced by the manager but I think this week has confirmed things for me.

He needs to go at the end of the season
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Why does he need to go

There are no international tournaments this Summer, right?

I don't think Kroenke's care for 'resale' values. That was Wenger's thing.

And we definitely needed Calafiori, it's just a fecking shame he's as durable as tissue paper

Anyway, maybe this loss was good for us cos:
1) less fixture congestion
2) communicates to the higher-ups that we're in a moment of crisis and we have to make at least one impactful attacking signing.

If we make an Arshavin-style January signing that can lift the team, we might even give it a real go for the CL title. As far as the PL, it's a top 4 race now as far as I'm concerned. I'd bet on City overtaking us, but we should have enough to hold off the other challengers.

comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 1 minute ago
I think a number of our fans underestimate how weirdly run we are. One major reason we lose a lot of money in transfers is signing players with low sell-on value. And it impacts our capacity to reinvest in the squad. Daniel Levy wouldn't sign a player close to 30 like Merino in the final year of his contract for over £30m. Tottenham and Liverpool spend as much as we do on transfers, but make a lot more from sales. Merino's signing is just inexplicable and I don't understand why we couldn't invest that in someone that offers us something more progressive. We didn't need Calafiori either when we had like 4 players who could all cover at LB (before MLS even came through to add another option).
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We spent all summer on that transfer too 😂
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KSE have decided that this is the year they want to make money back. Which is fair enough, I suppose, but they couldn't have waited one more season?

The thing is if we win our next 2 games I do think we are back in the title race. I just have a horrible feeling we are dropping points in both of them

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 14 seconds ago
comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 1 minute ago
I think a number of our fans underestimate how weirdly run we are. One major reason we lose a lot of money in transfers is signing players with low sell-on value. And it impacts our capacity to reinvest in the squad. Daniel Levy wouldn't sign a player close to 30 like Merino in the final year of his contract for over £30m. Tottenham and Liverpool spend as much as we do on transfers, but make a lot more from sales. Merino's signing is just inexplicable and I don't understand why we couldn't invest that in someone that offers us something more progressive. We didn't need Calafiori either when we had like 4 players who could all cover at LB (before MLS even came through to add another option).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We spent all summer on that transfer too 😂
----------------------------------------------------------------------

KSE have decided that this is the year they want to make money back. Which is fair enough, I suppose, but they couldn't have waited one more season?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Arteta sold those players. His exact words were that we couldn't stand in their way when ESR told him he wanted to go. Eddie was at that age as well.

Surely we'll take some of our chances against spurs, we've scored one goal from our last 8.5 xg or something, it's just pure statistics now, this can't keep up

Next season Liverpool will be without Salah and TAA, and City will have a points deduction (if they haven’t been relegated). So if Arteta can’t win the league by then then questions will probably be asked

I trust Arteta's words about as far as I can throw him tbh.

What irks me to death at the moment is the goals we concede. We have heavily invested in our defense. But looking at all goals we conceded recently they are all coming from individual errors at our back.

comment by Bats Uncensored (U18355)
posted 3 minutes ago
The thing is if we win our next 2 games I do think we are back in the title race. I just have a horrible feeling we are dropping points in both of them
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And who is taking the chances.

We are left with havertz, Martinelli, Sterling and trossard

comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted less than a minute ago
What irks me to death at the moment is the goals we concede. We have heavily invested in our defense. But looking at all goals we conceded recently they are all coming from individual errors at our back.
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That comes from an ever-changing unit, but also from the lack of goals at the other end putting increased pressure on the defence.

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 13 seconds ago
I trust Arteta's words about as far as I can throw him tbh.
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He never played any of the players he got rid of. If there was a push from KSE surely they would have got rid of Kiwior and Zinny who had a lot of interest from Italy. Zinny is in fact likely in negotiation with Inter right now.

Really? What irks me is we should've scored ten goals over the last 2 games and we only got one from a CB

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted less than a minute ago
What irks me to death at the moment is the goals we concede. We have heavily invested in our defense. But looking at all goals we conceded recently they are all coming from individual errors at our back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That comes from an ever-changing unit, but also from the lack of goals at the other end putting increased pressure on the defence.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
good point

It's just depressing that Slot will win the league in his first year in England. Arteta must see that as a challenge. I think he might have been caught up on his own hype and we've gone backwards as a result. FFS, imagine spending the summer chasing facking Merino. Other than being a bigger threat on set-pieces, we might as well be playing Elneny.

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 55 seconds ago
comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 1 minute ago
I think a number of our fans underestimate how weirdly run we are. One major reason we lose a lot of money in transfers is signing players with low sell-on value. And it impacts our capacity to reinvest in the squad. Daniel Levy wouldn't sign a player close to 30 like Merino in the final year of his contract for over £30m. Tottenham and Liverpool spend as much as we do on transfers, but make a lot more from sales. Merino's signing is just inexplicable and I don't understand why we couldn't invest that in someone that offers us something more progressive. We didn't need Calafiori either when we had like 4 players who could all cover at LB (before MLS even came through to add another option).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We spent all summer on that transfer too 😂
----------------------------------------------------------------------

KSE have decided that this is the year they want to make money back. Which is fair enough, I suppose, but they couldn't have waited one more season?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh clearly looked at the record breaking goals scored last season, and blocked a big money transfer on a forward.

The money used for Merino and Calafiori could definitely have been better spent, but I genuinely think we had a budget, and we used it all.

Two loan signings after that kinda back up this theory.

Well I don’t have any confidence of winning either game

But IF we could. Winning a NLD is just the boost we need to kickstart this painful season

"Zinny" changed agents this summer looking for a move and couldn't swing it. If teams weren't interested then what can we do

ESR and Nketiah clearly had interest. There's no need to complicate things.

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 37 seconds ago
"Zinny" changed agents this summer looking for a move and couldn't swing it. If teams weren't interested then what can we do

ESR and Nketiah clearly had interest. There's no need to complicate things.
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We also turned down Saudi bid for Trossard. How do you explain that?

PSR is an issue but not one that was a huge problem with direct investment when loans were decalred illegal.

comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 55 seconds ago
comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 1 minute ago
I think a number of our fans underestimate how weirdly run we are. One major reason we lose a lot of money in transfers is signing players with low sell-on value. And it impacts our capacity to reinvest in the squad. Daniel Levy wouldn't sign a player close to 30 like Merino in the final year of his contract for over £30m. Tottenham and Liverpool spend as much as we do on transfers, but make a lot more from sales. Merino's signing is just inexplicable and I don't understand why we couldn't invest that in someone that offers us something more progressive. We didn't need Calafiori either when we had like 4 players who could all cover at LB (before MLS even came through to add another option).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We spent all summer on that transfer too 😂
----------------------------------------------------------------------

KSE have decided that this is the year they want to make money back. Which is fair enough, I suppose, but they couldn't have waited one more season?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh clearly looked at the record breaking goals scored last season, and blocked a big money transfer on a forward.

The money used for Merino and Calafiori could definitely have been better spent, but I genuinely think we had a budget, and we used it all.

Two loan signings after that kinda back up this theory.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't think they blocked a a big money forward, we just couldn't find anyone mate. Sesko wanted to stay at Leipzig, osimhens agent was a fecking clown (who he's now gotten rid of), Isak is clearly too expensive, Nico williams wanted Barca.

https://x.com/afcstuff/status/1878508181460046267?s=46&t=OGfZZhWP7rROftTlMhKPZg

😳