So to an extent I agree we need 5-6 players.
So how does that flush with

  • his ambition to win the champions league in 3 years. We won’t even be in it in years 1 and 2 at this rate
  • his recruitment and retention of older / delinquent players like Willian and Xhaka who are adding to our tied up capital problem?

Cos right now we have Leno, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Saka, Aubameyang. So you do need those 5-6 players. I assume he’s done with Pépé until further notice

Wonder if this is doable in Jan

Konate
Szoboszlai
Edouard

Probs get

Boateng
Eriksen

Though

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:

Wonder if this is doable in Jan

Konate
Szoboszlai
Edouard

Probs get

Boateng
Eriksen

Though

All good players, but you’d still have Xhaka as a single point of failure

Coombs wrote:

Well, if Saliba is a bust, then we do actually need a CB. It's ridiculous, shameful, and represents some of the worst strategic squad-building in the European game, but I'm pretty resigned to that at this point.

Sorry but can you explain to me how he's bust?

Look. He’s still 19. If we were certain that Konate was healthy, then we’d have Konate and Gabriel as 2 certain starters right now. And then we could develop Saliba with little pressure. He could do all the Europa and low stress games next season. And then i would dump most of the rest and leave maybe Holding and the mythical Mari. (Mustafi, Luiz, Sokratis, Chambers).

The problem with our center backs is we have lots of them but they are wrong profile of quality, health and age. Clearing the decks would allow us to manage minutes much better and focus on those that matter.

Btw, my point wasn't so much that we shouldn't have a better CB, it was more that I've seen nothing to suggest he is bust (or that the reason he's not playing is because he's bust).

Don Pacifico wrote:

Btw, my point wasn't so much that we shouldn't have a better CB, it was more that I've seen nothing to suggest he is bust (or that the reason he's not playing is because he's bust).

It goes back to a point I made yesterday.
I worry about the balance of power between Edu and Arteta. The manager is naturally inclined to focus on the near term given how tenuous those jobs are. We are already talking about Arteta’s replacements on this forum. Given that, the manager will be inclined to buy and play older players. It’s for the DoF to ensure the path to playing is made available for younger players. One tool to achieve this is to limit the manager’s degrees of freedom by refusing to buy/extend older players.

Going after another centre half is outrageous. How can that be our priority?

Qwiss! wrote:

Going after another centre half is outrageous. How can that be our priority?

You're underestimating how much a right footed CB will improve our ability to really ping those balls amongst our back four

Qwiss! wrote:

Going after another centre half is outrageous. How can that be our priority?

Imagine 2 Gabriels.

Gazza M wrote:
Qwiss! wrote:

Going after another centre half is outrageous. How can that be our priority?

You're underestimating how much a right footed CB will improve our ability to really ping those balls amongst our back four

We actually do need a high quality starting right sided centre back for the long term. It would've been nice to have blooded Saliba these past 2 seasons but it appears he is either a longer term project or Mav2. 

Sure we need it, but we need other things more.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Sure we need it, but we need other things more.

Yeah. 
The squad needs a lot of shit. 

speedy wrote:
Qwiss! wrote:

Going after another centre half is outrageous. How can that be our priority?

Imagine 2 Gabriels.

Both passing to Xhaka and Ceballos

Assuming Luiz, Sokratis and Mustafi are all off in the summer, then you could in theory go for another then if we sell Holding and Chambers and then go for an Upacamano or w/e.

No way can it be a priority though, and shouldn't even be in the thinking for Jan.

Qwiss! wrote:
speedy wrote:

Imagine 2 Gabriels.

Both passing to Xhaka and Ceballos

You mean both being robbed by, and then passed to, by Xhaka.

Qwiss! wrote:
speedy wrote:

Imagine 2 Gabriels.

Both passing to Xhaka and Ceballos

[Twitter]

😆 😆

goon wrote:
Qwiss! wrote:

Both passing to Xhaka and Ceballos

You mean both being robbed by, and then passed to, by Xhaka.

😆 true. All those lovely Gabriel, Xhaka, new Gabriel triangles.

We have Gabriel, Mari, Saliba, Holding, Luiz, Sokratis, Mustafi, Chambers, Mavropanos

Say Luiz, Sok, Mustafi leave and we sell Holding or Chambers, that still leaves us with 5 centre backs purely from a numbers point of view. If Arteta is serious about a 433 then we don't need 6+ CB's at the club. Unless he thinks Saliba isn't good enough, in which case he should look to sell and replace him. We can't have a CB we have invested £25m on being sent out on loan / sitting in the reserves until his contract expires, we aren't Man City.