RocktheCasbah wrote:
Big Willie wrote:
RtC what would you consider more important for us though and would elevate us higher? A brilliant third choice CB or a top class number 8 that relegated Xhaka to a sub role?
Given that we saw exactly what happened at the end of last season when Ben White & Gabriel both got injured and Rob Holding played a game he was ill suited to at Spurs, I would have thought the answer was obvious. If you don't have top class centre backs, you will concede goals you shouldn't do and you will lose games you shouldn't.
Besides which, as Jazz says, this supposition that signing Ben White stopped us signing a centre back is just that, a supposition.
See that's the thing, I don't consider it a case of either White or a CB. Might have done so back then but not anymore. At the time I thought it was a waste of resources and that we'd have been better off replacing Xhaka with that money but since then it's been clear that there was never any real intent to do so. Neither back then, nor now and I've said that many times. As has been seen by the numerous big signings, failed attempted signings and the amount of write offs investments we've made, it's clear money isn't a big issue to those in charge, and that the reason we haven't signed an upgrade is because Arteta actually really likes Xhaka. So based on the above I'd 100% rather have gotten White than not.
My question was a hypothetical one in response to the importance you were putting on Holding's role as a 3rd choice hinderance. I don't know that I'd put more importance on the potential few games Holding may play over a season as 3rd choice over having a proper top class midfielder to relegate Xhaka. The former aims to reduce the gap between the first choice and back up in order to not have a huge drop off when injuries occur, the latter aims to raise the first choice's level altogether. Personally I'd rather we focussed on the missing pieces in our starting XI first and foremost before worrying about the quality of the backups, unless those first choice players are known to be injury prone. But that's just me, I appreciate some people see things differently. What I also have to clarify is that the issue with Holding being 3rd choice last season is something that is beneficial only this season as he only now 4th choice, whereas if we're have kept Saliba and got a proper Xhaka upgrade who could cover for Partey we probably would have been better off last season.
But yeah, once again, it's all moot because for Arteta and Edu, there was never a choice to be made otherwise Xhaka would not be starting games for us until today and Elneny would not have had his contract renewed. This whole debate is completely useless on the whole as a result. We just need to get as many good players in as we can no matter whether we're stocked or not. Looking at it from a perspective where money isn't the determining factor for us when it comes to signings I'm happy whoever we get as long as it's a good player (and White certainly is a good player). Whether it's a certified starter blockbuster signing, whether it's an expensive backup, or whether it's a hopeful youth pickup because the other option is either buying no one at all or buying someone that isn't good enough.
@[deleted] and Clrnc, I agree with you both in that signing White had no effect on whether we signed a new CM or not. I've said so many times. I was just curious on what RtC thought in that hypothetical scenario as it seemed he was suggesting that he'd rather have brought in White in order to reduce him to 4th choice this season instead keeping Saliba and buying in a more pressing position.
