He did say he'd leave next summer. I'm 99 percent certain that Sokratis signed a three-year deal with us though. Maybe he just misspoke or the third year is an option or something.

Mirth wrote:

We'd still have 4 CBs - that's about the same level of depth that other clubs have. Plus we can play Monreal there in an emergency - which isn't ideal but still better than Mustafi anyway

Yeah maybe you're right. After Papa & Luiz we have Holding coming back from a long term injury it might be a few months until he's ready. Leaves us then with Chambers & Mavropanos, though Monreal can do a job there as well if needed.

Tierney can also slide over as needed. We have lots of imperfect depth in the position. We should have enough to get through the season and significantly chip away at our 51 goal run-rate
I’m hoping Papa and Luiz can lock the position down until Holding has proved himself in Europa / League Cup

Claudius wrote:

Tierney can also slide over as needed. We have lots of imperfect depth in the position. We should have enough to get through the season and significantly chip away at our 51 goal run-rate
I’m hoping Papa and Luiz can lock the position down until Holding has proved himself in Europa / League Cup

I keep reading this but it's not true. He's played a couple of times at centre back for Celtic and Scotland, neither to any great level and against poor opposition. Also played a few games at right back for Scotland to accommodate both him and Robertson, but again, it's not a natural fit for him, his showing was average and the opposition was poor.

He's a left back. Anything else would just be another case of square pegs in round holes.

Plus I've never been a fan of weakening one position to plug a whole in another as you just end up with two problem areas.

I actually think having Hector and Tierny in the two full back positions will go a long way towards making the centre backs look better.

The wage bill has been lowered by _£20m/year net, but the squad has been strengthened in all the positions we needed, and with good players. Not bad going.

Satisfying to see some players that have been around too long leave the club too: Cech, Ospina, Iliev, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Pleguezelo, Bramall and Asano. A few half decent young players sold for decent money and sell-on clauses: Thompson, Bielik and Amaechi. That's _£23m in transfer fees right there and _£15m/year off the wage bill. That's not bad.

Then £40m+ for Koscielny and Iwobi, both good players but far from indispensable, is good money. And two injury prone players off the wage bill in Ramsey and Welbeck, that, whilst I'm disappointed to lose them for free, I'm not sad to lose them from the squad. Another _£17m/year off the wage bill.

£30m+ knocked off our gargantuan wage billl, ready to be redirected into top players (a big plus when young players fill squad roles; they earn low wages), and £60m+ in transfer fees without losing anyone that good or that important.

Not bad at all, and hopefully a few more players off the wage bill and bringing in transfer fees before the deadline too.

Tam wrote:

Claudius wrote:

Tierney can also slide over as needed. We have lots of imperfect depth in the position. We should have enough to get through the season and significantly chip away at our 51 goal run-rate
I’m hoping Papa and Luiz can lock the position down until Holding has proved himself in Europa / League Cup

I keep reading this but it's not true. He's played a couple of times at centre back for Celtic and Scotland, neither to any great level and against poor opposition. Also played a few games at right back for Scotland to accommodate both him and Robertson, but again, it's not a natural fit for him, his showing was average and the opposition was poor.

He's a left back. Anything else would just be another case of square pegs in round holes.

That’s why I said imperfect depth. The nature of the season is that crunches occur and we end up having to make these adjustments for one or two games a season. Xhaka at the back, Mkhitaryan at fullback, etc. We know that the flexibility exists, but it does not mean that it is a go to. We start with Papa-Luiz and work our way from there.

Talk that players will leave this summer trimming that wage bill further

Sterling effort

Tam wrote:

Claudius wrote:

Tierney can also slide over as needed. We have lots of imperfect depth in the position. We should have enough to get through the season and significantly chip away at our 51 goal run-rate
I’m hoping Papa and Luiz can lock the position down until Holding has proved himself in Europa / League Cup

I keep reading this but it's not true. He's played a couple of times at centre back for Celtic and Scotland, neither to any great level and against poor opposition. Also played a few games at right back for Scotland to accommodate both him and Robertson, but again, it's not a natural fit for him, his showing was average and the opposition was poor.

He's a left back. Anything else would just be another case of square pegs in round holes.

I don't think it really matters as Kola and Nacho just aren't good options any more. Once Tierney is fit he'll lock down left back.

Really hope we get this guy.
Leipzig will hope they get more money than they did for Naby Keita. They signed a ridiculous deal with Liverpool for the midfielder. They took Keita back on loan and pegged the price to where they’d finish. 52m pounds if they finished 6th and 59m pounds if they finished top 4 in the Bundesliga. They missed out on top 4 by 2 points. And off Keita went to Liverpool.

Upamecano is more highly rated than Keita. They will want a much bigger guaranteed pay packed. Hopefully, something like a clean 65m pounds with a loan for the rest of the season this January should seal it.

We could do it this month still. Give them ESR and pay them now, get him next summer.

Claudius wrote:

Tam wrote:

I keep reading this but it's not true. He's played a couple of times at centre back for Celtic and Scotland, neither to any great level and against poor opposition. Also played a few games at right back for Scotland to accommodate both him and Robertson, but again, it's not a natural fit for him, his showing was average and the opposition was poor.

He's a left back. Anything else would just be another case of square pegs in round holes.

That’s why I said imperfect depth. The nature of the season is that crunches occur and we end up having to make these adjustments for one or two games a season. Xhaka at the back, Mkhitaryan at fullback, etc. We know that the flexibility exists, but it does not mean that it is a go to. We start with Papa-Luiz and work our way from there.

Imperfect depth? I’ve never once heard of Bellerin considered as “imperfect depth” for centre back, so why should Tierney be?

Klaus wrote:

He did say he'd leave next summer. I'm 99 percent certain that Sokratis signed a three-year deal with us though. Maybe he just misspoke or the third year is an option or something.

I'm also pretty sure he said he'd leave at the end of the 19/20 season

We need 2 centre halves and a centre mid next go round

He did say he wants to go play in the US. And I was wrong initially. Contract is 2021

unless he has the option on the 3rd year, arsenal aren't letting him leave a year early unless he absolutely sucks this season and that's not an outcome i want.

We could get a fee for him next season. He'd fetch around 10m in this market pretty easily even if he's the wrong side of 30 and on the last year of his deal.

not in the mls.

Reports from Germany saying we did make a E60m offer for him last summer, which is supposedly in line with his new release clause

http://dailycannon.com/2019/10/report-arsenal-really-did-bid-e60m-for-upamecano-leipzig-trying-to-remove-e80m-release-clause/

the main worry was if he signed a new deal with them, because i believe his current one is winding down in the next 12-18 months