Arsenal are being linked with three potential signings according to the Monday morning transfer gossip.
The first name in the frame is Danish defender Joachim Andersen, who currently plays for Serie A side Sampdoria. The 22-year-old is also wanted by Manchester United and Tottenham, according to Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato. Andersen has been a regular first team player for the Italian side and has represented Denmark at every youth level from U16 to U21. He is clearly highly thought of and the fact that he is attracting interest from high profile clubs tells you he would be a great signing, especially considering his age.
The second player that we are apparently interested in signing is Charlton Athletic midfielder Joe Aribo, according to the Mirror. Aribo plays in a similar style as Aaron Ramsey and is renowned for his driving runs from the midfield and that is probably the reason we are being linked with the 22-year-old, as a long term replacement for our soon to be departing Welsh star.
Finally, there is Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella and this one is starting to look a very real possibility. The reason for that is simple, according to the Metro we sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old in action for Italy against Finland where he got his name on the scoresheet.
It is a bit of a coincidence that all three players are 22-years-old but at the same time it is telling, it shows that we are looking at young talent with a long term view, a policy that Arsene Wenger implemented in his early years in charge.
Another positive is that all three of these rumours sound very realistic and that shows that we will be having a very positive summer transfer window.
Any news on Lichsteiners new contract? I know Sue is anxiously waiting for him to sign a new deal ?although last I heard he’s weighing up his options, it’s amazing he’s even got options but that’s the way it is ?
??? brilliant!!
Don’t worry Sue I got a feeling the Licht man will be tearing up and down those Emirates pitch wings for a few years yet ??
Oh jeez ☹? you know it’s going to happen now you’ve said it ?
I know it’s gonna make me look like a genius again ?
I’ll just call you Albert (Einstein) from now on ?
Will I change my John Wick name to Albert then ? ??
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What we need is proper left back and a Central defender. This should be the top most priority of the summer. We need to ship out Mustafi and Ozil. if we can offload these two plus others we can use the money to get a goal scoring creative midfielder. The team looks good at the moment but are way behind than city and liverpool. All can change if we can finish the season well.
We also have few loan players coming back . Chmabers, Nelson and Martinez. Those will look like new signings. Also I want welbeck to extend the contract as i believe we will not be be getting any better striker who can play a second fiddle to our main strikers
We already have Kolasinac and Monreal for LB. Agree on the new CB and shipping Mustafi/ Ozil out, but I don’t think Ozil would budge due to his large salary package
I’m curious to see the new Chambers and Nelson. Welbeck is a good attacker, but he got injured a lot
I hope the rumors of Barella and the other CMs are not true, because Arsenal have more pressing needs in other departments. I predict they would surprise us with a big signing during the pre-season
Monreal already passed his prime and Kolasinac is actually a wing back not a LB. We need a left definitely unless Enery decide to play whole season with back 3 and wing 2 backs. Even in that is the case we need to spent a little bit to get a cover for Kolasinac.
im ok with the back 3 for now, but as soon as we get wingers and a fullback l would love for us to revert to a back 4, as it’s more in our DNA than the 3 at the back system, the extra man should be in attack not in def
but we are doing great so keep it up Emery!! if he gets top 4 give the guy the manager of the season award, if we are truthful we are punching above our weight, and it feels great 🙂
Offcourse but we have kolasinac and mustaf your point was good man!!
What arsenal lack is quality and leadership not QUANTITY,we’ve got quantity enough to bring more, we lack quality and in this modern football you can’t compete if you lack QUALITY… quality actually means players to scare opponents by only their presence and LEADERSHIP to minimize uncalculated risk as much as possible that is why liverpool folked out £142m for vvd and allison… Who is talking about their price today… That is also what barca and madrid doing… Sprashing £80m to sign 24yrs cr7 who will accurately score 30 goals in following 10yrs instead of experimenting with a lot of quantity with a lot of risk.. Think since madrid signed cr7 how many players played to us at similar position? Not less 4 and still deliver nothin and us fans still dreaming to compete with them,transfer mistakes begin when we rejected £60m for sanchez knowing player has only one year left and extending ozil contract… We shoul have sold both and sign ronaldo previous summer to partner lacazette though some will think i am joking,we still going to repeat sama mistake again seems
signing ronaldo good one!as if he would want to come to arsenal,come back to reality,I think playing fifa has gone to your head man:)
The advertising is back pat can’t even see myself type this .
Yeah me either mate, so I’m just using free adblocker working a treat
A CB, a wide player, a good attacking midfielder, i’ll prefer if we can replace ozil with coutinho, knw it will b kinda hard but i do hope it, if we’re able to seal a champion’s league spot. we can recoup d money spent on him with shirt sales.
By the way.. I really dont see nelson makin it in d arsenal first team.. Y
he might be gud n yung n averagely performing in germany.. But if he doesnt improve on his upper body den i dnt tink he’l ve d chance. He seems like he’s gonna fall and break dwn n cry everytym he’s tackled.. Even if Ox was injury prone n inconsistent.. We agree he was fierce n intimidating.. Wen he was on d boost gudluck to d defender cos he’ll use his upper body strenght to protect the ball, smaller players like santi,silva,aguero,lacazette,hazard and salah got this attribute
I agree that all players need enough body strength, both upper body and legs too to be effective in the Prem. I see more actual physical relative weakness in Ozils upper body than any other of our current players. Of course “WEED” Walcotts lack of both physical and mental power was notorious but thankfully he is now Evertons problem and I rejoice in that fact. You must have seen far more of Nelson than I have as I have not esp noticed this so called weakness you portray. I don’t say you are wrong ; merely that I haven’t noticed it, though I agree he could bulk up a bit. In general I find many of todays players too thin looking for my liking. It is a mans game and hard to be successful in it with a teenage boys frame. When you are 18 it is normal to have a teenage boys frame but not at say 23 or older as many players from all clubs still do, even at that age and above. A tough physique is a basic requirement for any top player. I also find Bellerin too scrawny and he needs to bulk up. Muscle adds power and the top world level sprinters all have muscle power. It does not, as some would believe, dull speed at all. Quite the opposite. The ideal full backs frame is Carl Walker and is is never outmuscled.
Expert analysis from u.. N d walcott scenerio.. Geez.. He was the worst of d lot.. He actually froze in face of an opposing player,.
leo, So glad to have a fellow Gooner agree with my long time loathing of the dreadful Walcott. It was never personal as I am clear he is a polite and engaging human and a good family man too BUT as a player he was a huge liability for a full decade. I saw that after a mere handful of his very first games in our shirt. He just did not fancy the physical side and necessity of top Prem football and was in my view , actually scared to get involved in the physical side all players need, however talented they may or may not be, to be a top player. In so MANY games he disappeared without trace . Some called that HIDING! I AGREE WITH THEM!
Jon, maybe it’s that vegan’s diet Bellerin is on, I also agree he looks too lightweight! I do work out and eat plenty of meat, mainly chicken and beef! He should gorge on lots of salmon if his diet allows, I don’t really know what vegan’s eat. Some footballers these days look like flyweights haha
John Thanks for your sensible reply . I am torn over veganism , though I love meat myself, as do all my immediate family. BUT I do see the production of farm animals as anti our planet in the longer term. BUT, we are here to talk Arsenal (which I sometimes seem to forget) and I have no doubt that many vegans are just too scrawny to be fully top sport ready healthy, and certainly when we are talking Prem players, who DO need physical power, which meat provides better than much else. I freely admit to therefore being a hypocrite on this question. Weights in the gym do work in adding bulk and I feel so many players are poorly advised that adding muscle dulls speed, when the opposite is clearly true. That is unless you become so muscle bound as larger body builders do. There is a sensible balance to be struck and when you analyse all the past and present greats in the Prem , they all had stamina, energy and power, as well as obviously too, great natural talent. You don’t need huge muscles BUT you do need enough! And MERE talent alone, is never enough. Your body is your worktool and such as Henry, Vierra and a certain Dennis Bergkamp(worship, worship!) taught the Tony Adams and Parlour brigade how much that extended their careers. THOSE were in the great days when the THEN mighty Wenger truly enightened our players and our football and moved our game into the modern era. His personal tragedy was that he failed to keep up with those younger and still present managers who took the game to its now even higher level. I need not spell out who I mean as you will all know.
You hit the nail on the head Jon, a balance needs to be struck. An equilibrium of healthy eating, training and mentality. I would point out another variant would be technique, I trained in martial arts for 15 years and I could out muscle a lot bigger and visually stronger opponents by being technical.
Walcott did not like the physical argy bargy of the game although he did score some wonder goals after being tripped or knocked over.
Bellerin would benefit of bulking up as he doesn’t mind a barge here and there and using his body weight but his slight frame does put him at a disadvantage a lot of the time.
To add to my early point, not sure if they are but they should be taught how to outmuscle opponents using their opponents strength and balance.
I am afraid this part of the game is being wiped out as fouls are being called on two players being shoulder to shoulder.
What a fascinating post and thank you so much! I agree with you in that Bellerin lacks bulk but does NOT lack fight, as Walcott did. Mental strength – a phrase much used by Wenger, sometimes even when it was clearly lacking in his later teams – DOES play a major part in any players armoury.
It’s not mental strength per say but the mentality to fight and be physical, something Sokratis, Torerria and Lacazette have.
As a matter of my interest and for distinction , how would you summarise mental strength and how do you feel it differs from the “mentality to fight” which you describe so well in the players you list? I am genuinely interested ! PERHAPS IT IS AN UNFAIR QUESTION AND PLEASE TELL ME IF IT IS!
Mental strength I would say plays on the individual and team. It is to deal with the rigours of the game, being 1-0 down and having the ditermination to come back (we fell apart against Bate after going behind and loosing a man), loosing consecutive games and having to get a positive result, being in the title race and keeping up performances.
On individual basis coming back from an injury and coming back to the level you were performing at or playing against an opponent that is better than you but not giving up the fight to keep them from getting the upper hand.
Mentaility to fight has cross over but that fighting spirit, taking the fight to the opponent, being aggressive while being professional and fair.
So from that I would say mental strength is a longer term frame of mind and mentality to fight is that state of minds to be aggressive and not letting the opponent get the better of you.
Well said Jon! Just in case anyone thinks I’m having a go at vegan’s, I really wasn’t, I was simply pointing out in order to achieve a good physical build for premier League football is a rich diet, including meat! Protein is key to repair muscles after workouts and also building muscle and meat is a great source of it! Also want to add that Bellerin has suffered more injuries since becoming a vegan.. coincidence? I think not although he’s probably been advised that he would have greater athletism on that diet.
There are alternatives to meat, that have just as much protein!
Vegan’s don’t eat anything animal related.. so I do wonder what he eats! Yes I like a muscly man, but sometimes a guy’s build is how it is… Ozil isn’t built like a bricksh*thouse… but take that top off & there are nice pecs & loaded guns… same with Bellerin ? I don’t think they’ll ever end up looking like someone off of World’s strongest man!!
But apart from to you and maybe a few others too Sue, what players look like is irrelevant except in how their build affects their playing effectiveness. The tough physique I speak of is still important and Ozil and Bellerin are both too scrawny and it shows in their play. Which to MOST of us , is all that matters, their plain facial looks(IMO) being irrelevant.
I don’t fancy Ozil or Bellerin Jon… they’re not a patch on Kolasinac ?
I’d better not DARE say then that I think him plain too Sue. So I won’t, even though I just did!
Oh Jon you know he’s far from plain really ??
I’m getting ads too admin. I’ve sent you two screenshots.
Disappeared now I hope!
Pat aka Mr Admin, Can you please keep on top of this continually re-occurring and annoying problem. It is affecting your otherwise fine sort for the worse. A great shame!
i was excited about the frank kessie rumour, did that go away? i personally want an imposing mid that can run with the ball to create space for his teammates, like yaya used to do… the ability to pass is a given, but i personally want some height so our team is more rounded…a player with similar attributes to SMS from lazio, would make my day 🙂
On the topic I hope the new tactic (from what I see) Emery will bring in young talent with potential and in playing together will create a strong team system that will create a bigger value than the sum of its parts.
With a spattering of older players for back up and experience. I agree Ozil and Mustafi are the weak links in the team, I personally hope they come good as it benefits the team in the long run in not having to aquire more players in the few windows coming up.
NMC, thank you so much for your kind reply to my” mental strenghth” question (above this post). A fascinating insight and you clearly know your onions. I hope you will be on here far more from now on. Your latest post, is a fine example!
Thanks Jon, been a long time visitor to the site and recently had time to post my view to a few posts but happy contribute and always interested in hearing others views on the trials, tribulations and the celebrations of our great team.
Quoting the Metro and the Mirror for transfer rumours. Need I say more lol.
I think Arsenal is going to promote a few youngsters into the first team before any signing