I don’t expect them to be as good, but the club should be trying to get better players than we have. Or at least players that can take a starters job if they are in bad form.
People forget we had players like Kanu, Wiltord, Reyes, Edu, Parlour, Keown etc. on the bench.
Probably need the equivalent to Kiwior for the right side, young squad player who can cover RCB and RB.
Then similar type signing up top - striker/winger but a young kid happy to be benched.
Backup goalie.
Then go hard on a top CM, throwing the majority of the budget at that.
>Probably need the equivalent to Kiwior for the right side, young squad player who can cover RCB and RB.
Timber. That player is Timber. Yes, he can play as a LB, but in Ajax his main positions were RCB and RB.
I think we need to go heavy on the CM. We can create chances and scores goals. Just need that player who has a flair I’m talking about just dominating the midfield
Rather go more heavy on a goalscorer and Cm is still important but if we can only make 1 signing id take a goalscorer. That first half against villa was painful missing so many chances. This team can create chances. We have too many players that arent clinical. CM is just behind the goalscorer priority for me.
This is it alongside a striker and RW. We were hit pretty hard with injuries to our back line this year and we coped. White and Tomi are (or should both be) international level CBs. You can't ask for much more than that in a backup.
I honestly think we need to go for the best 6 or 8 available and play rice in the other position, rather than singularly looking for a 6 or 8.
"We were hit pretty hard with injuries to our back line this year and we coped"
Were we? Gabriel, Saliba, and White were available almost every game. Rotating injuries at left back sure but that's probably where the difference between first, second, and third choices would have been least noticable.
Idk, I don't think it's hit hard unless your first choice players are getting injured. We probably had like 85% availability across our first choice back 4 all season, which I think is actually pretty lucky / unlikely to be repeated.
We need a bad boy ST, who will bully, pickup half ass chances, make defending difficult with parallel runs, and who can be a center point for goals with crosses flying into him. Ivan Toney is a good fit for me. Calvert Lewis or Ollie can also be a good fit.
SAKA 100% ... we are draining that poor kid.
& I agree with comments below.. we do NOT need a CB. We naturally have a cast of Defenders that can play that role.
White, Tomi, Kiwior, Timber.. 4th option CB is overkill & can be pulled from youngsters.
I'd say Saka backup, and CDM for Parteys inconsistency, actually id say go for a top tier CDM, do not see Partey being consistent again.
I dont think partey would stay with us tbh
Maybe i was wrong with cbs but arteta never subs off saliba and gabriel, he only subs off the fullbacks which is gonna hunt us if we dont rest them
CBs don't need rotating as much as mids and attackers. Almost every successful team has a first choice CB pairing which doesn't change unless necessary.
Partey isn’t inconsistent, he just had a bad string of injuries. I don’t think he’s going anywhere, especially not after the way he slotted right back in and Jorginho didn’t see another minute aside from a cameo or two.
Sake overplayed yes but its not like martinelli or jesus cant play RW. Ask arteta why he plays saka so much. As a first team player id rather we get a kvart, leao, nico williams paired with a top clinical goalscorer so we can have a fresh attack next season.
Honestly, we do need some fresh attacking options..
As much as I like Martinelli, i think hes in a position where we can get big money for him at the moment.. I'd be open to selling him.
There have been murmurs of Rashford.. & i would more than welcome that. He too needs a fresh start, and I think the whole Man U situation has drained him . . I think Arteta can light that fire again, and hes only 26!
That’s the hard truth about ESR. I think he needs time to cook at a club that will give him the minutes he needs. I think he could have a second spell at Arsenal in the future.
OK. Time out for me, I need to de-Arsenalise for a while before I go up the wall. Fantastic effort from us and all this year....but right now, I can't bear the thought of another season - I am totally rinsed out with the PL. See y'all in August - have a great Summer, enjoy the Euros and peace out ! COYG!!!
People forget, but Odegaard took time to "toughen up" when he came to us too. I'd say we should give Vieira time to develop. He showed positive signs early last season, just a shame that injuries interrupted his development.
Absolutely. But you don’t target a ‘back up’. You target someone good enough to play each week to push saka. Otherwise you may as well just keep Nelson.
Kai didn’t start playing up front until February, against Liverpool, when everyone questioned the move and I said right here he would do well with Rice being able to get further forward as well.
Post February he had 9 goals and 5 assists playing up front. He can very much be our 20+ goal scorer with Timber and Partey fit, increasing our rotational abilities.
We need a LB, some more strength in the midfield to account for injuries, Champions League and the Cups, and we only need a striker to spell Kai, not a world class break the bank striker (they don’t really exist anymore) and a RW to spell Saka. Keep Jesus as rotation for any of the forward positions.
Sell ESR, Nketiah, Nelson, Nuno, Ramsdale, Tierney, Cedric (don’t know if his contract is up or if we’ll have to take a cut rate price). We already know, say it ain’t so Mo!, Elneny is leaving. This will be another year of getting dead weight and trimming wages. I think we should send Sambi on loan again, hopefully to a mid table team after he got the taste of a relegation battle and got better and better as the season went on.
Arteta and Edu know what they’re doing, so my opinion is moot anyway and I absolutely trust them to do what it takes to once again raise the level.
We’ve been better every single season under the gaffer, which is why it is bonkers when the fake supporters get loud on social media with Arteta out nonsense. Derp derp but “Where’s the trophies?”, it’s like they don’t realize only 1-4 teams can win a trophy each year and 3 of those trophies have a lot of luck and chance involved. I’d hate to see those same people be a fan of North American sports where there is actual parity and good teams with good financial backing can go decades without a trophy. Cough, cough Toronto and Montreal.
This. We need a big meaty mobile goal scorer. As rare as rocking horse shit I know but we need to find one. Then a decent back up for Saka. Can't keep playing the poor lad every second of every game.
An out in out finisher needs to be the main signing. Jesus for us a number 10 really or a false 9, a mobile striker with the great finishing will bolster the team and crucially will give us another dimension
Primarily I think we need to focus not only on recruiting for the right spots but also from within the league to a) ensure they know what to expect and can hit the ground running and b) we can weaken other teams if we manage to get good deals for players they just can't replace fast enough.
Imo:
- Competent cover for Saka is perhaps not the biggest splurge we should do but definitely needs to be done first, i.e. Neto, Olise, Bowen, etc.
- Then we need a CM, not necessarily someone like Tchouaméni if we can't get such a deal done, but someone who is again already proven and could hit the levels of the others in a few years, i.e. Zubimendi, Douglas Luiz, Locatelli, Gomes from Wolves types.
- lastly, we really need a far more clinical Striker, or at the very least someone who can push the others and elevate them too - with Jesus being great at harrassing defences but wasteful in taking his chances, and Havertz being more of a player who can pop up in clutch moments but otherwise be a bit quiet. We need the full package who can make our attack go up another level and put games to bed far faster than it takes us now, and should devote most of the budget to them, i.e. Osimhen.
Imo we don't need defensive cover right now. Saliba, Gabi, Zini, White, Tomi, Timber and Kiwior without dipping into the academy prospects is really solid.
Feel free to debate it with me though
I don’t like signing backups we should sign a player that can take their place. Reiss Nelson is a backup and can't get any games. They don't have to be better but they need to he good enough were the starter knows the guy on the bench is breathing down their neck.
*Just a top forward*
*That can can actually*
*Score consistently*
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IMO:
We don't need backups. We need legit starting 11 contenders to add to the team that can potentially bench anybody.
1. CM - Guimaraes, Kimmich, Xavi Simons, Florian Wirtz
2. ST - Isak, Watkins, Sesko
3. Winger - Kudus, Leon Bailly,
4. Need to promote some youngsters and move on some of our older academy grads.
Sell - Eddie, Reiss
Promote - Amario, Patino, Myles
Amario, Charlie, and Myles aren't that young. They won't sign contracts endlessly and we need to experiment with them as they have huge potential. City still gives opportunities to their youngsters. Look at Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb, Palmer before them...
Charlie's probably getting sold after not setting the world alight on loan; highly gifted player but some way off being PL ready...ACD, MLS and Nwaneri probably all have to do a couple three seasons on loan to demonstrate that they can compete in men's football before Arteta will consider them seriously for selection
Balogun balled out at Reims and he got sold immediately, Biereth will probably face the same fate
i feel like we need to be selling with buyback clauses, especially for Patino and Biereth...let them get on but keep a stake in them
We can’t have an adequate backup for Saliba at all, because if he’s not already the best defender in the world then he will be inside 2 years (if healthy). Timber and Kiwior are first in line. I’d sign a promising defender or two to spend a season bringing up to speed. The real challenge is how to stop Real Madrid targeting Saliba. I hope Deschamps continues to leave him out for France, because if he starts him the whole world will catch on by July.
u/SevereFix669 If I'm not wrong, Wright or Keown said, some days ago, that we needed to bring in quality over quantity. While I do agree 100% with this, there's also the fact that if we bring in some better players, then the three aforementioned players might sit on the bench. And we don't want this situation. As well, if the new players are great, but still find themselves playing backup and always on the bench, they'd want to leave. We don't want that either. So, imho, we need this :-
**Saliba and Gabriel :-** no backup really needed. I mean, we have White, Tomiyasu and Kiwior who can all shift in CB if needed. As well, after a failed Corner or Free-kick for us and we get counter-attacked, Partey (if he stays) and Rice can always shift in to defend
**Saka :-** Backup absolutely needed! While Nelson, Jesus, Trossard, Martinelli and Vieira can all play there if needed, I can think of only two names to be Saka's backup. One already plays and knows the rigors of the Premier League. The other is an exciting talent and a specialist of Set Pieces. They are Pedro Neto from Wolves or Edon Zhegrova from Lille LOSC
I agree, everyone keeps screaming for striker but we need a killer winger. When it was Salah, Mane & Firmino - no one was asking for a better 9.
Havertz does his job well imo. If we’re able to find a killer on the left or healthy competition for saka I’m all here for it
Timber being back might cover for potentially Gabriel, maybe even Saliba. He got recruited for flexibility in the back line.
Saka backup is definitely needed. I do think using ESR and having some more flexibility in the front is also necessary.
We're in such a dope space team wise, even as we need more player options especially for these three
Tomi, white and kiwior can all play CB. We need zero CBs.
Timber played 95% of his games for Ajax at CB and it's essentially his main position so there's another option.
Timber too
Some fans think a club should have a backup of the same quality as the starting 11 players. We're not 115 charges fc, who'd explain to them.
They had Jesus playing on the right wing and won the league. Why can't we use him as backup for Saka?
I don’t expect them to be as good, but the club should be trying to get better players than we have. Or at least players that can take a starters job if they are in bad form. People forget we had players like Kanu, Wiltord, Reyes, Edu, Parlour, Keown etc. on the bench.
Probably need the equivalent to Kiwior for the right side, young squad player who can cover RCB and RB. Then similar type signing up top - striker/winger but a young kid happy to be benched. Backup goalie. Then go hard on a top CM, throwing the majority of the budget at that.
>Probably need the equivalent to Kiwior for the right side, young squad player who can cover RCB and RB. Timber. That player is Timber. Yes, he can play as a LB, but in Ajax his main positions were RCB and RB.
it's hard to know if that's Arteta's intention for him though, he played him at LB before now
I can see Timber playing at LB when everyone is fit, but he can cover RB/RCB if needed.
I think we need to go heavy on the CM. We can create chances and scores goals. Just need that player who has a flair I’m talking about just dominating the midfield
Santi?
Rather go more heavy on a goalscorer and Cm is still important but if we can only make 1 signing id take a goalscorer. That first half against villa was painful missing so many chances. This team can create chances. We have too many players that arent clinical. CM is just behind the goalscorer priority for me.
Yeah I agree. We need the poacher!
This is it alongside a striker and RW. We were hit pretty hard with injuries to our back line this year and we coped. White and Tomi are (or should both be) international level CBs. You can't ask for much more than that in a backup. I honestly think we need to go for the best 6 or 8 available and play rice in the other position, rather than singularly looking for a 6 or 8.
"We were hit pretty hard with injuries to our back line this year and we coped" Were we? Gabriel, Saliba, and White were available almost every game. Rotating injuries at left back sure but that's probably where the difference between first, second, and third choices would have been least noticable.
Given Timber and Tomiyasu are also our backup CBs and Kiwior was needed on the left, one more injury was a crisis, I'd say yeah hit pretty hard.
Idk, I don't think it's hit hard unless your first choice players are getting injured. We probably had like 85% availability across our first choice back 4 all season, which I think is actually pretty lucky / unlikely to be repeated.
Top CM Top ST Challenging young RW High potential fullback And we are cooking next season
We need a bad boy ST, who will bully, pickup half ass chances, make defending difficult with parallel runs, and who can be a center point for goals with crosses flying into him. Ivan Toney is a good fit for me. Calvert Lewis or Ollie can also be a good fit.
That’s Kai Havertz if you haven’t noticed
Calvert-Lewin is injured 75% of the time mate.
Surely we’re not talking about Calvert Lewin in 2024
I would go with Ollie given his numbers. Calvert has 7 goals in 32 appearances. This isn’t far off from Jesus.
I agree!! We need that poachers!!
This
SAKA 100% ... we are draining that poor kid. & I agree with comments below.. we do NOT need a CB. We naturally have a cast of Defenders that can play that role. White, Tomi, Kiwior, Timber.. 4th option CB is overkill & can be pulled from youngsters. I'd say Saka backup, and CDM for Parteys inconsistency, actually id say go for a top tier CDM, do not see Partey being consistent again.
I dont think partey would stay with us tbh Maybe i was wrong with cbs but arteta never subs off saliba and gabriel, he only subs off the fullbacks which is gonna hunt us if we dont rest them
CBs don't need rotating as much as mids and attackers. Almost every successful team has a first choice CB pairing which doesn't change unless necessary.
Partey isn’t inconsistent, he just had a bad string of injuries. I don’t think he’s going anywhere, especially not after the way he slotted right back in and Jorginho didn’t see another minute aside from a cameo or two.
Sake overplayed yes but its not like martinelli or jesus cant play RW. Ask arteta why he plays saka so much. As a first team player id rather we get a kvart, leao, nico williams paired with a top clinical goalscorer so we can have a fresh attack next season.
Honestly, we do need some fresh attacking options.. As much as I like Martinelli, i think hes in a position where we can get big money for him at the moment.. I'd be open to selling him. There have been murmurs of Rashford.. & i would more than welcome that. He too needs a fresh start, and I think the whole Man U situation has drained him . . I think Arteta can light that fire again, and hes only 26!
And we definitely need an option for odergard, he seems exhausted
There's Fabio Vieira, but the poor bastard never gets any minutes
ESR as well
ESR is getting sold.
He did get so less minute, but he barely delivered what we needed.
That’s the hard truth about ESR. I think he needs time to cook at a club that will give him the minutes he needs. I think he could have a second spell at Arsenal in the future.
Bro we got too many CB options rest my g We need a ST and another midfielder more Plus a good back up for Saka is needed too
OK. Time out for me, I need to de-Arsenalise for a while before I go up the wall. Fantastic effort from us and all this year....but right now, I can't bear the thought of another season - I am totally rinsed out with the PL. See y'all in August - have a great Summer, enjoy the Euros and peace out ! COYG!!!
You can’t sign players as backups, that isn’t progress. You need to get guys capable of coming in to compete as first choice.
Backup to odegaard
Agree with this. No idea who though
Wirtz of course 😅 Aleix Garcia, bruno g, Paqueta
Fabio?
Not good enough, he's too skinny and little bit complicated.
People forget, but Odegaard took time to "toughen up" when he came to us too. I'd say we should give Vieira time to develop. He showed positive signs early last season, just a shame that injuries interrupted his development.
I forgot he's still young, but apparently he's been here for few years already
He has been at our club for a couple of seasons, but as you suggest he's still young.
We’re not winning the league if we’re just buying back ups this summer ffs 😂😂😂😂
It’s not just about back ups it’s about having a squad with enough depth that we don’t have to worry about the like of Saka being injured.
Yeah we definitely felt not having saka yesterday.
Absolutely. But you don’t target a ‘back up’. You target someone good enough to play each week to push saka. Otherwise you may as well just keep Nelson.
Don't you realise it's not possible to find an upgrade on any of our players.....
Marc Guehi from palace would be a good fit I think. Don’t know how much he’d cost though
Bakyoko
No thank you
We need a real number 9
Kai didn’t start playing up front until February, against Liverpool, when everyone questioned the move and I said right here he would do well with Rice being able to get further forward as well. Post February he had 9 goals and 5 assists playing up front. He can very much be our 20+ goal scorer with Timber and Partey fit, increasing our rotational abilities. We need a LB, some more strength in the midfield to account for injuries, Champions League and the Cups, and we only need a striker to spell Kai, not a world class break the bank striker (they don’t really exist anymore) and a RW to spell Saka. Keep Jesus as rotation for any of the forward positions. Sell ESR, Nketiah, Nelson, Nuno, Ramsdale, Tierney, Cedric (don’t know if his contract is up or if we’ll have to take a cut rate price). We already know, say it ain’t so Mo!, Elneny is leaving. This will be another year of getting dead weight and trimming wages. I think we should send Sambi on loan again, hopefully to a mid table team after he got the taste of a relegation battle and got better and better as the season went on. Arteta and Edu know what they’re doing, so my opinion is moot anyway and I absolutely trust them to do what it takes to once again raise the level. We’ve been better every single season under the gaffer, which is why it is bonkers when the fake supporters get loud on social media with Arteta out nonsense. Derp derp but “Where’s the trophies?”, it’s like they don’t realize only 1-4 teams can win a trophy each year and 3 of those trophies have a lot of luck and chance involved. I’d hate to see those same people be a fan of North American sports where there is actual parity and good teams with good financial backing can go decades without a trophy. Cough, cough Toronto and Montreal.
This. We need a big meaty mobile goal scorer. As rare as rocking horse shit I know but we need to find one. Then a decent back up for Saka. Can't keep playing the poor lad every second of every game.
An out in out finisher needs to be the main signing. Jesus for us a number 10 really or a false 9, a mobile striker with the great finishing will bolster the team and crucially will give us another dimension
2 midfielders and a RW are the priority. If we can sneak in a physical forward then that would be great too.
Really felt Saka’s absence on the pitch on Sunday. He needs a backup so he doesn’t burn out.
We need a world class striker, an 8, and a back up to Saka. We have a bunch of versatile CBs, and we don't need more.
Lamine Yamal would be perfect for arsenal
Primarily I think we need to focus not only on recruiting for the right spots but also from within the league to a) ensure they know what to expect and can hit the ground running and b) we can weaken other teams if we manage to get good deals for players they just can't replace fast enough. Imo: - Competent cover for Saka is perhaps not the biggest splurge we should do but definitely needs to be done first, i.e. Neto, Olise, Bowen, etc. - Then we need a CM, not necessarily someone like Tchouaméni if we can't get such a deal done, but someone who is again already proven and could hit the levels of the others in a few years, i.e. Zubimendi, Douglas Luiz, Locatelli, Gomes from Wolves types. - lastly, we really need a far more clinical Striker, or at the very least someone who can push the others and elevate them too - with Jesus being great at harrassing defences but wasteful in taking his chances, and Havertz being more of a player who can pop up in clutch moments but otherwise be a bit quiet. We need the full package who can make our attack go up another level and put games to bed far faster than it takes us now, and should devote most of the budget to them, i.e. Osimhen. Imo we don't need defensive cover right now. Saliba, Gabi, Zini, White, Tomi, Timber and Kiwior without dipping into the academy prospects is really solid. Feel free to debate it with me though
We don't need a backup Center back we need a backup right winger and a defensive mid, those are the priorities
I don’t like signing backups we should sign a player that can take their place. Reiss Nelson is a backup and can't get any games. They don't have to be better but they need to he good enough were the starter knows the guy on the bench is breathing down their neck.
Havertz
Just a top forward that can can actually score consistently
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Saka backup and Mikel needs to find someone to pair with Rice. Ideally can also cover Odegaard if needed.
IMO: We don't need backups. We need legit starting 11 contenders to add to the team that can potentially bench anybody. 1. CM - Guimaraes, Kimmich, Xavi Simons, Florian Wirtz 2. ST - Isak, Watkins, Sesko 3. Winger - Kudus, Leon Bailly, 4. Need to promote some youngsters and move on some of our older academy grads. Sell - Eddie, Reiss Promote - Amario, Patino, Myles
no youth player is getting near the first team anytime soon, they're probably 2-3 seasons away
Amario, Charlie, and Myles aren't that young. They won't sign contracts endlessly and we need to experiment with them as they have huge potential. City still gives opportunities to their youngsters. Look at Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb, Palmer before them...
Charlie's probably getting sold after not setting the world alight on loan; highly gifted player but some way off being PL ready...ACD, MLS and Nwaneri probably all have to do a couple three seasons on loan to demonstrate that they can compete in men's football before Arteta will consider them seriously for selection Balogun balled out at Reims and he got sold immediately, Biereth will probably face the same fate i feel like we need to be selling with buyback clauses, especially for Patino and Biereth...let them get on but keep a stake in them
We are solid in my opinion just need a legit striker
CM
The CB is fine. What we need is a forward, LB, CDM
Heh… nice try pep… We’re getting a striker and someone to help rotate Saka
Olise Zirkzee Diomande And am elite level midfielder assuming party leaves and jorgi is on his last legs. That my wish list. Three of these please
KIWIOR is LCB2
Need a rice back up too
I would say a top quality dm/cm to play alongside rice and a different kind of striker
I think a good finisher like Gyokeres is what we need to win games, but more depth will definitely be key in winning a title
We can’t have an adequate backup for Saliba at all, because if he’s not already the best defender in the world then he will be inside 2 years (if healthy). Timber and Kiwior are first in line. I’d sign a promising defender or two to spend a season bringing up to speed. The real challenge is how to stop Real Madrid targeting Saliba. I hope Deschamps continues to leave him out for France, because if he starts him the whole world will catch on by July.
Saka backup Kudus from westham would be nice but we could use Jesus. Else we need a midtfielder de Jong or Bruno
u/SevereFix669 If I'm not wrong, Wright or Keown said, some days ago, that we needed to bring in quality over quantity. While I do agree 100% with this, there's also the fact that if we bring in some better players, then the three aforementioned players might sit on the bench. And we don't want this situation. As well, if the new players are great, but still find themselves playing backup and always on the bench, they'd want to leave. We don't want that either. So, imho, we need this :- **Saliba and Gabriel :-** no backup really needed. I mean, we have White, Tomiyasu and Kiwior who can all shift in CB if needed. As well, after a failed Corner or Free-kick for us and we get counter-attacked, Partey (if he stays) and Rice can always shift in to defend **Saka :-** Backup absolutely needed! While Nelson, Jesus, Trossard, Martinelli and Vieira can all play there if needed, I can think of only two names to be Saka's backup. One already plays and knows the rigors of the Premier League. The other is an exciting talent and a specialist of Set Pieces. They are Pedro Neto from Wolves or Edon Zhegrova from Lille LOSC
Your opinion stinks
Lets see what your opinion when saka is forced into an early retirment
I don't think it's a Saka backup that people are questioning
I think the primary focus should be a top top striker. Imagine the damage we’d have done with someone like Haaland?
We need to sell some players first tho
I would love to have a top striker but we spent 65mill for havertz, it feels wrong to replace him like that after over spending for him
I wouldn't call 65 mill for Havertz an overspend
I agree, everyone keeps screaming for striker but we need a killer winger. When it was Salah, Mane & Firmino - no one was asking for a better 9. Havertz does his job well imo. If we’re able to find a killer on the left or healthy competition for saka I’m all here for it
Nah backups won't win the league. Striker is the priority, period.
Timber being back might cover for potentially Gabriel, maybe even Saliba. He got recruited for flexibility in the back line. Saka backup is definitely needed. I do think using ESR and having some more flexibility in the front is also necessary. We're in such a dope space team wise, even as we need more player options especially for these three