Sicario2 - Tier 1 The opportunity cost of splashing like £60m (and roughly the same on wages over a five-year contract) on the wrong forward is enormous. You have to be sure and be realistic about what the market is giving you. You can't just get the credit card out and conjure a mega-striker transfer into being.
And let's not act like the club have been complacent – if we go back to January 2023, so the last 18 months, we've signed seven players, all of whom look like 'very good' to 'great' buys, and it seems an eighth is close: Jorginho, Trossard, Rice, Havertz, Timber, Raya, Calafiori, (Merino). That is a damn good record – the late Wenger comparison made earlier is totally unmerited.
It's also important to remember that it takes players a while to learn our system. We are going to be hugely boosted relative to last season just by having the likes of Havertz and Raya acclimated to the club and our football. And even if we signed a star forward today, we're still going to be reliant on Trossard, Jesus, and Martinelli to make contributions in the crucial early stretch of our season.
