goon wrote:

Odegaard is definitely the better option. Laca is working at the moment as a sort of blunt force instrument but Odegaard is capable of so much more potentially in terms of bringing the other forwards into play. I can wait for him to get his mojo back but he need's to at the very least match old man Laca's energy levels in the meantime, I was a little disappointed by how little he was pressing against Watford, even in our own half. Unusual for him as he's normally very disciplined about his role.

We need a strong and settled midfield to get the most from Odegaard. Arteta needs to pick Lokonga or Maitland-Niles and stick with them beside Partey. M-N has it all but I'm still not convinced he has the mentality or concentration to lock down a midfield spot. 

I'm liking what Lacazette gives us at the moment, but we're inevitably going to take a hit when/if we move from Lacazette to Odegaard. I'd be hesitant to do that just now when we're on a bit of a run and there seems to be a good spirit in the team.   

Guimaraes to replace Xhaka would do nicely.

Kamara in as a free transfer, would make us ridiculously strong in the DM/CB roles especially as Saliba comes back.

If we continue with this 4-4-1-1 then I would go all out for Joao Felix.

Or even Zakaria to replace Xhaka. His contract also expires in summer of 2022.

Zakaria I'm not sold on.

I think if we're going to buy someone to put in front of Lokonga then he better be Partey levels of good. Kamara, Guimares, Zakaria... not for me.

And I'm actually not sold on Lokonga, but he's rated very highly, was bought for good money, and needs games to develop.

Ricky1985 wrote:

I think if we're going to buy someone to put in front of Lokonga then he better be Partey levels of good. Kamara, Guimares, Zakaria... not for me.

And I'm actually not sold on Lokonga, but he's rated very highly, was bought for good money, and needs games to develop.

Do you not rate Guimaraes then?

I think he would be perfect in a flat two in midfield.

If we went to a middle three, then Gravenberch would be highly interesting as well.

Who would you target Ricky?

I like Phillips, I think he's actually suit our squad but I don't think he'd be good value.

Ricky1985 wrote:

I think if we're going to buy someone to put in front of Lokonga then he better be Partey levels of good. Kamara, Guimares, Zakaria... not for me.

And I'm actually not sold on Lokonga, but he's rated very highly, was bought for good money, and needs games to develop.

Did you not feel the same way when we we paid good money for Saliba and were buying other players to put ahead of him? Or do you reckon the others are Partey level players already?

We definitely need someone and ideally it needs to be someone Partey level or at least someone who compliments him really well. Having a top class midfield should be the cornerstone of any team looking to win things.

Lol, we are talking about things we knew already before the season began.

This season feels like one where not having that single piece (the Partey partner) could be pivotal to whether we achieve top 4 or not. I guess there was a lot to do, and we had to prioritize our activities in the window. But I’d rather we had recalled Saliba, get him back onside and on board with the team, and assigned the funds / resources available to plug that gaping midfield hole.

If we go for it in January, I would be extremely impressed with our management’s vision and drive. Even if we fail, just making the attempt would put them firmly back in my good graces.

Edit: and this is not a slight on White- he’s been really good during this positive run, it’s just my preferred resource allocation, and what I was harping on and on about throughout the summer window.

I'm really not expecting any big move in January. I think in previous years they'd have brought in some old journeyman to shore up midfield but I don't see that happening now. AMN and Lokonga have been decent back ups and I think it makes sense to stick with them.

Its a bit of a mystery to me why Elneny is still at the club though. I was about to say he'd be fine as a sub for those during AFCON but he'll be at it too.

Big Willie wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

I think if we're going to buy someone to put in front of Lokonga then he better be Partey levels of good. Kamara, Guimares, Zakaria... not for me.

And I'm actually not sold on Lokonga, but he's rated very highly, was bought for good money, and needs games to develop.

Did you not feel the same way when we we paid good money for Saliba and were buying other players to put ahead of him? Or do you reckon the others are Partey level players already?

A midfield version of Ben White or Gabriel is exactly what I'm talking about, yes.

I also think there's a difference between playing an AMN or Lokonga and having them learn on the job than having a centreback cutting his chops. Mistakes there costs goals and games, a midfielder can get away with a lot more.

ohboy!!! wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

I think if we're going to buy someone to put in front of Lokonga then he better be Partey levels of good. Kamara, Guimares, Zakaria... not for me.

And I'm actually not sold on Lokonga, but he's rated very highly, was bought for good money, and needs games to develop.

Do you not rate Guimaraes then?

I think he would be perfect in a flat two in midfield.

If we went to a middle three, then Gravenberch would be highly interesting as well.

Who would you target Ricky?

I haven't seen enough of Guimares to be fair, but what I have seen hasn't blown me away.

I think we've got to see what sort of player we need there. Is Partey going to be the lone sitter, as he was in a few games earlier in the season, or is he going to be part of a 2-man pivot? In which case are we looking for someone similar to slot alongside him or do we want to free him up to get on the ball more and create?

If we're looking for an all-action ball winner then Bissouma is the obvious candidate. If we want someone more technical then I think experimenting with Ødegaard as a Modric-style, Number 8 is our best option.

I'm hoping for the latter option because I'm not sold on Ødegaard as a 10, and I think he has the potential to be very good in that deeper role.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Big Willie wrote:

Did you not feel the same way when we we paid good money for Saliba and were buying other players to put ahead of him? Or do you reckon the others are Partey level players already?

A midfield version of Ben White or Gabriel is exactly what I'm talking about, yes.

I also think there's a difference between playing an AMN or Lokonga and having them learn on the job than having a centreback cutting his chops. Mistakes there costs goals and games, a midfielder can get away with a lot more.

I'd say Maitland Niles could be considered a midfield version of White. Same age, both have England call ups, decent loan spells, very talented but still plenty to prove.

Yeah, we'll agree to disagree on that one. I see Ben White and Gabriel as shouts for two of the best centrebacks in the country - I don't see that in AMN right now.

Athough, I will say Ainsley impressed me a lot against Watford. I'd say he's definitely ahead of Lokonga at this point.

I think if we had actually played Ainsley over the last two years instead of freezing him out he'd be further along in his development though. Technically he's one of the best we've produced. I don't think there's a tool in Kevin Philips's toolbox that Maitland-Niles isn't in possession of too.

Lets be real we paid for Ben White’s ability offensively rather than defensively. He makes rookie errors but understandable as he is relatively inexperienced.