Meatwad the people above arteta need to be serious about youth development. they are the ones that need to tell him the point of the youth academy isn't just to develop world class talents like saka, it's so that we don't have to bid 90m on some wasteman or 65m on some coward. it's like he has higher standards for the players that aren't his ideas, but if you're his idea the rope is many miles long.
I was going to respond to this in the youth team thread, but it's worth its own topic.
The other day that video about the "Brighton model" was shared around. Many aspects don't apply to Arsenal because we're trying to be title challengers so we're not flipping the likes of Saka or Saliba.
The part that's relevant is how Brighton manage the risk of … managers.
Edu gets a lot of credit for where we are. He's become the gentleman we needed in his role after a period of agent manipulation and Rolodex transfer work. However it seems to me he's under Arteta's thumb and can't push back. We're not in crisis currently, but I see many telltale signs we need a stronger Sporting Director and we've slid back into "Wenger mode".
I'm happy with our three big outfield signings this summer in Rice, Timber and Havertz. Each works to rationally complete our successful squad rebuild of the past several seasons. Even if there's some issue (Timber's season long injury, Havertz's form so far), looking at the individuals it's a far cry from when we were squinting at Yaya Sanogo.
No issue with us signing Raya either, good keeper and if it's ruthless, I've wanted us to be ruthless in the past.
I have no issue with the results Arteta's gotten us so far, the man's self-confidence is a treasure, he possesses tactical brilliance sufficient to influence many of his peers, and his innovations tend to be successful.
However … when you look at everything we're doing, from transfers in to transfers out, there is problem "leakage" in our football project.
We're underplaying development and fringe players who are destined to be transfer listed, degrading their value, demoralising them, turning them into nothing men.
We are making major signings ahead of development players, relegating them to the transfer list when they could possibly become starters (Smith Rowe has had both Vieira and Havertz signed ahead of him now).
We are signing players to move ahead of starters who are among the best in their positions in the league (Raya for Ramsdale, Timber for Gabriel, for example).
We are overplaying starters and arguably degrading our performances and results, while keeping fringe players around who barely appear and are rusty when they do.
We sign many players who fit unorthodox tactical requirements and might lose relevance and value to Arsenal if Arteta's approach doesn't deliver.
Put very briefly: Arsenal is piling up sporting and financial risk if or when Arteta stops working out.
With a massive senior squad and ambitions, our Sporting Director could be setting targets for each player's minutes, or insisting signings fit a conventional modern profile as well as Arteta's blue sky ideas. Making Arsenal "squad centric" instead of "manager centric" is the aspect of the "Brighton model" we need.
I'm comfortable if someone like Tavares departs for a relatively low figure as he's had struggles with more than one coach, but widely admired talents like Tierney or Smith Rowe or Pépé should be bringing in proper fees … and would do so if they were afforded minutes and not banished.
It baffles me we're shopping Smith Rowe around without having started him or subbed him on this league season, and due to FFP I'm uneasy if squad decisions are being made without reference to financial impact.
It's pleasing KSE are bankrolling our return to prominence, but if we can't go beyond a CL revenue uptick, we will have to rein things in too sharply later given the rate of our spending. We need some economy back in our affairs.
