Burnwinter wrote:

He's doing fine on it within his remit, but if Özil remains, how he is handled will be something to test Arteta.

TBH once Ozil remain into his final season I suspect there is little that can be done.

As the Bale situation has shown, once you put a player on an outsized contract, it’s difficult to manage him if his performance wanes. Not unique to us. Bale and Sanchez look to have been moved on at great loss and after significant and public pain. We need to keep the pressure on him from Edu’s side. Just show him the circular organogram and let him know he doesn’t feature in it, so he should strike a deal and go to Turkey or Everton

I guess the question you need to ask yourself when you're giving these deals is that if the player's career suddenly sours faster than milk, would he like to play football somewhere else or retire in every way but name? Sanchez would like to play football so I don't think United were ever in risk of being stuck with him for the remainder of the contract. The golfer and the Fortnite gamer aren't like that, so it took two clubs working together to pay the entirety of his salary for Bale to go back to the one club and league where he's been world class instead of sitting ln the stands.

Ozil really wasn’t that much of a risk, highly commercial 28yr old a 3 yr deal shouldn’t have posed much of a problem. I suspect if Wenger remained he’d have continued in much the same way, poor spells, good spells, but he’d have probably played and the wage wouldn’t have been a huge issue.

I don’t think anyone would have foreseen him being frozen out of the squad for most of that contract.

Burnwinter wrote:

He's doing fine on it within his remit, but if Özil remains, how he is handled will be something to test Arteta.

He shouldn't be registered if we are struggling to meet our home grown numbers, just leave him out completely.

I don't think there's anything left to handle with Ozil now. He's done, there's no value left in him.

I'll add this - everyday (season) we can see the opportunity cost of having signed Ozil to a massive contract and having him tail off. However, had we not signed him and lost Sanchez it would have led to other detriments. Ozil was (is?) still respected by his peers and helped certify Arsenal as a major club.

In the absence of Wenger we needed draws besides living in London and some nice kits.

We were definitely in a tough position. We had no choice once Sanchez happened. I’m just glad we didn’t sign both players to outsized deals. And then add Ramsey as well. We would’ve been in dire straits. At least Aubameyang is the best striker in the league and seemingly peaking. What we should definitely not do is give Lacazette a big deal. He is neither great nor peaking.

Claudius wrote:

We were definitely in a tough position. We had no choice once Sanchez happened. I’m just glad we didn’t sign both players to outsized deals. And then add Ramsey as well. We would’ve been in dire straits. At least Aubameyang is the best striker in the league and seemingly peaking. What we should definitely not do is give Lacazette a big deal. He is neither great nor peaking.

This is it. I like Laca but we should move him on.

Huge big boy role for Lacazette if he ends up staying this season. Team demands he pitch in 20+ goals and I think I back him.

I wouldn't back Laca to get more goals than last season. I'd probably put decent money on him getting less. I think he'll see half of his minutes eaten up by Eddie. He has an important role to play with his experience though and it just seems silly to sell him and buy someone else at this point, unless that player has an extremely high potential upside. Edouard doesn't fit that criteria to my mind. Someone like Luka Jović would make the conversation worth having.

If Laca and Auba chip in 20 goals each it'll be one of the most successful strike partnerships this club has seen. I think it's unlikely, particularly in a front 3.

He's basically a poor man's Firmino with more graft and less technique.

Klaus wrote:

I wouldn't back Laca to get more goals than last season. I'd probably put decent money on him getting less. I think he'll see half of his minutes eaten up by Eddie. He has an important role to play with his experience though and it just seems silly to sell him and buy someone else at this point, unless that player has an extremely high potential upside. Edouard doesn't fit that criteria to my mind. Someone like Luka Jović would make the conversation worth having.

I get the feeling Jovic is nuts.

Jovic is potentially world class, not potentially like someone like Daka but literally on the cusp he just needs game time and the right coach which Arteta looks a lot closer to being than Zidane who can't handle kids. Nine goals in like 15 games in his first half season, 27 goals in his first full season in Europe for a mid table side against some top class competition too. I'd be over the moon with him but can't see it now.

Klaus wrote:

I wouldn't back Laca to get more goals than last season. I'd probably put decent money on him getting less.... He has an important role to play with his experience though and it just seems silly to sell him and buy someone else at this point

You are saying he's a less than 10 goal striker but you want to keep him anyway? Is this just because you want the path to be clear for Eddie?

I think Laca has double figures in him, and I also think Eddie has double figures in him too, so if the two combined can score 20+ in the league it'll be a good return.

Qwiss! wrote:

Klaus wrote:

I wouldn't back Laca to get more goals than last season. I'd probably put decent money on him getting less.... He has an important role to play with his experience though and it just seems silly to sell him and buy someone else at this point

You are saying he's a less than 10 goal striker but you want to keep him anyway? Is this just because you want the path to be clear for Eddie?

No, if the lad is good he'll break through either way. It is because of youth though. We have Eddie, Saka and Martinelli all coming through in that forward line, they all look good to me, and Arteta seems to rate them. I just don't see the point of adding more potential unless it really is a too good to turn down kind of talent.

We need experience much more, players who know what it's like to play at this level, know their teammates well and what Arteta demands from them. The young players won't last a season. There will be times when they can't find answers on the pitch and ideally you have experienced heads around to assume responsibility at that point. We could maybe sell Laca and bring in another experienced player, but it seems like just as much of a gamble to me, and there's a dearth of weathered strikers. Doubly so when you factor in the massive workrate Arteta demands. Just look at what Jimenez is rumoured to cost and who's after him.

We have plenty of experience in the squad at the moment. We can easily afford to lose some. For better or worse we have to make our own money to invest in the team and with Auba signing a new deal it just makes sense to allow Laca move on and replace him with someone younger who can build value instead of losing it.

TIFO are excellent. Would highly recommend both of the above videos.