HOUSEBOAT - Warning: tenuous links ahead!: Page 580 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

HOUSEBOAT - Warning: tenuous links ahead!

Big Willie

He looks good tbh, but can't tell for sure if he's an attacking mid or defensive mid. Seems to be all over the place in the video. Deep, high up central, out wide.

Clrnc

Big Willie I watched a lot of his matches when I took notice of him and wishlisted him back last year. He have an insane pass in him, extremely powerful shot and super hardworking in defensive tracking. Reminds me a little of a young KDB.

Claudius

I’m really annoyed by the collapse of the European market. This is a player who should be going to Lyon or Napoli for £30m. We shouldn’t be taking the risk on him.

Qwiss

Claudius Agree. If we could pick him up on the cheap for a Fabio Vieira sort of role I wouldn't mind but otherwise has too much potential to be another Mudryk. Have to walk before you can run and all that. I'm sure if we sent Nwaneiri to Shaktar for a season he'd tear it up too.

Claudius

Qwiss yeah. You talking about Fabio really nails this. That’s a guy who should’ve been at an intermediate club for a year or two for finishing school before coming to us. The problem with these players is we have to scramble to get them, and then as a top club you have an unfinished player who needs playing time while you’re chasing the perfection that is Manchester City. It is hard to balance.

lorddulaarsenal

Definite yup

Dragan

If he is available we should be all over that. Natural winger, comfortable on both sides, right age and on the verge of having an Odegaardesque rise to stardom.
Not an expert on Real's financials, but with Mbappe joining, and investment needed in more defensive areas, they likely need to raise some cash. Rodrygo/Diaz seem the most obvious candidates with Guler integrated into the first team as well.

Clrnc

Dragan don't really rate Diaz that much. He seems like a Sevilla Villarreal level player

lorddulaarsenal

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/exclusive-arsenal-transfer-news-gibbswhite-32424344

Wouldn’t say no. Competitive fucker

lorddulaarsenal

Well want. Have a feeling this summer gonna be mint

Big Willie

lorddulaarsenal Well want. Have a feeling this summer gonna be mint

Gabby, Saliba are impenetrable and undeniable. Any backup defender wouldn't get many minutes, and understandably so. We already have Kiwi as backup unless he becomes first choice LB. Meaning we'd have two of Tomi, Kiwi, Timber and White to cover at a stretch whenever the other two are playing fullback.

Can't say I'm too enthused about spending big bucks on another defender unless we're losing one of our main guys back there. We have much more important positions to upgrade, big money signings at CB is bottom of the list of things to do in my eyes.

samthegooner

Big Willie To me, Diomande is the perfect example of a market opportunity signing. Would he start over Saliba and Gabriel right now? No. But he's young (20), has already shown many examples of his talent (including against us last year), and probably has as much potential as any young CB in the world right now. He also can back up Saliba at the CCB position as a right footer, which is a spot we really don't have adequete backup in the squad right now. To me, we are still in a spot like last year where if Saliba were to go out, we would be in trouble. Diomande solves that while also providing great rotation, another option to play RB as he has the requisite athleticism and technical ability and you now have two of the best young CB's in the world along with Gabriel, White, Kiwior and Tomiyasu. We were feeling similarly when we went out and bought White with Saliba still waiting in the wings and I think this is a prime opportunity to future proof the squad.

Don Pacifico

samthegooner that just sounds like he'll barely get game time so unless we'd send him on loan, I don't see the point. Either that or one of our defenders is leaving this summer...

Big Willie

samthegooner To me, Diomande is the perfect example of a market opportunity signing.

I do think think we can afford to bemaking opportunistic £60m signings for backup CBs.

samthegooner To me, we are still in a spot like last year where if Saliba were to go out, we would be in trouble.

Don't think we would be tbh. Especially next season when we'd not be without Timber for the whole year. White can cover there, so can Tomi and Timber.

samthegooner Saliba has played every minute of every EPL game this year. Its great that he's able to handle that workload but that is not sustainable season over season, especially with extra games assuming we go further in cup competitions.

How many games did you see Ferdinand, Terry, van Dijk or any of the other CBs playing for the top teams miss over the years. CB is one of those positions where you don't make changes often. The partnership and understanding between the two is very important and you rarely see any unforced changes back there even when you have PL and CL to contend with.

samthegooner If that forces out another of our defenders, I don't think thats necessarily a bad thing.

So long as we aren't getting rid of Saliba, Gabriel, or White then fair enough. It would be annoying as fuck losing those three and I don't see this guy making us better than those three, though I could be wrong.

samthegooner I think Diomande's ceiling is a top 5 CB in the world, just like Saliba

This is the basis for which we both have differing views on the signing. I think he is a good player but will be basically backup to the far superior Gabriel and Saliba for the forseeable future. If you think he's a top 5 in the world defender then yeah, I get you, you have to take that chance. Haven't seen nearly enough of him to come to that conclusion myself though.

samthegooner I just don't think you turn down the opportunity to lock down top 5 talent even if its not an immediate need.

Agreed... if you think that's what he is.

But if we end up shipping out Gabriel or Saliba for another defender, he better be the next Maldini/Cannavarro/Sol/vanDijk hybrid.

goon

Ideally anyone we sign to play CB needs to be able to fill in at full back too. We have a few of those already in Timber, Tomi, White and Kiwior. But that’s the way forward in terms of building depth and at the same time making sure players get game time.

samthegooner

Saliba has played every minute of every EPL game this year. Its great that he's able to handle that workload but that is not sustainable season over season, especially with extra games assuming we go further in cup competitions. There will be plenty of games even if everyone stays healthy. If that forces out another of our defenders, I don't think thats necessarily a bad thing. We should constantly be looking to improve at the margins now and we have seen teams like City do this constantly (shipping out Laporte when bringing in Gvardiol, etc.). I think Diomande's ceiling is a top 5 CB in the world, just like Saliba. At our stage in the rebuild where we have addressed areas of need and are now looking to take that next step to elite status, I just don't think you turn down the opportunity to lock down top 5 talent even if its not an immediate need.

samthegooner

Big Willie Totally fair points! I think the last point is the most important since we just differ on where he stands with his potential. I also am completely on board with the thought that Gabriel, Saliba and White are completely untouchable in terms of forcing out and I meant one of Zinchenko/Kiwior/Tomiyasu, but personally I still think we can accommodate Diomande without selling any defenders this summer since Tomiyasu and Zinchenko's injury history makes me wary.

CPM

You can't play our high-press style without incredible CBs. They have to be excellent in possession, and they need the strength and recovery pace to handle matching up 1-on-1 with opposition forwards while most of the team is pushing up to recover the ball. If Arteta feels like he doesn't have a true 3rd CB, or a proper right-footed backup to Saliba, and he and the scouting department love the player, then why not? I think it would mean one of Kiwior, Tomiyasu, or Zinchenko out the door, which would be for the best.

The fact that Chelsea are linked makes me skeptical though. On what planet would they be buying big-money players this summer?

Big Willie

Yeah, and it's not that I do(n't) rate him, it's just that I haven't watched him enough to get a proper feeling of him coupled with how highly I rate our CBs being up there with the best CBs currently in world football, both of whom are pretty young as well, and would probably be able to play to a high level for at least another 7/8 seasons for Gabi and 9/10 seasons for Saliba.

Agreed on keeping those three at all costs and if need be selling one of Kiwior/Tomi/Zinchenko need be and if he'd that good. The latter two purely for fitness reasons unless they can get over them. However Tomi just signed a new deal, Zinchenko may be too important to Arteta to consider selling and I'd probably still want to keep Kiwior who is able to play CB and LB (who btw I wasn't convinced of at first but has won me over this season in that LB role).

My main issue with a 60m outlay for this lad is that it may well require us to sell one of the first 3 purely from a financial and squad heirarchy standpoint. Arteta wouldn't be spending such a large amount on someone if he wasn't going to be ready to start immediately.

lorddulaarsenal

Saliba is awesome as a left sided centreback so it’ll allow us to rotate and have supreme depth

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