This thread is precisely what I meant in the match thread. The pinnacle of my optimism is that we can start to accept where we are, but the only way we can really do that as fans is if the club's leadership starts acting like Arsenal is a fallen giant, rather than clutching at the air where the handhold used to be eyes wide in terror.
Extending contracts on washed up players, blowing the bank on speculative transfers, and talking about getting back into the Champions League isn't helping. It's not malice as far as I can tell, but desperation. They keep going for one last big score, one last heist to get us back on top. Ain't gonna happen.
If I look at the squad overall, from the mid table perspective, some things clarify for me:
Leno is a top goalie and Martinez is an able backup. I'd like to get a talented, younger guy in as well.
Cedric and Mari are kind of whatever. We did the right thing in locking Saliba in, though he may need to go back out on loan, and Mari is the kind of opportunity buy you get from having a good network. Injuries are obviously ridiculous. Center back still needs a clear out (Sokratis for sure, Mustafi I wish) with one top signing. We still don't have that guy who'll just put in the performance needed more often than not.
We've got Bellerin and Maitland-Niles, and if we sell either we'll certainly be in for another right back, so I feel safe there. Left back is strong as well, especially if you count Saka.
We're stacked on young wingers, but they're not playing enough. I want to see more of Nelson in particular. Injury to Gabi is absurd. I really hope we don't get Willian because that smacks of another Luiz-like deal. It just doesn't help us at all, short or long term. He won't drag us into the CL. I'd much prefer to see the Mkhi-Kluivert deal go through, and then decide who needs a loan. If we do end up with Willian, then I'd like to see more of the young guys go to Ligue 1, Serie A, and the Bundesliga for loans. We can languish with the old-timers while they value up.
Striker needs sorting. Laca's lost it, and we're going to get fleeced by Auba if we're not careful. Eddie seems to have what it takes. I'd like a signing here that is made with Nketiah and Pepe in mind. If we can get the right deal to keep Auba then great, if not, then we need at least one buy.
Midfield is an absolute disaster. We need 2 major signings at the right age. The thinking has to be that a strong midfield helps our attack look better, it makes our young English wingers look better, and it increases overall squad value dramatically when guys like Pepe have the right platform. One of these signings should be a marquee player, and the other should be a solid performer with a good record. I hate to say it, but a guy like Milner.
In summary, if we're going to be a mid table sleeping giant, we've got to solidify the midfield to get our young prospects and high investment players on the pitch, whether out on loan or in the PL. We can't do any ball-and-chain deals with players like Auba, and we've gotta be ready to buy a striker. We need a CB clearout with at least one buy. Luiz was a mistake. We have to stop grasping for CL places and build a balanced team that can showcase our assets, facilitate player turnover, and build back to the top in cycles. We'll lose games, but maybe at least we'll be able to make sense of it.
Buy:
1 CB
2 Midfielders
1 Striker
(backup goalie, maybe)
Get rid of:
1-2 CBs
2-3 Midfielders
1-2 Strikers
Weirdly, in this mode I'd be willing to keep Xhaka and Mustafi. Sokratis, Torreira, Ozil, Ceballos, and Lacazette are the ones I want to see gone. With Auba everything depends on the deal.
