Qwiss He played like that for Napoli as well, I have been reading PSG forums recently and seems like he has not adapted well there but PSG is a bit of a graveyard for talent so not entirely surprising. For me he was better than Rodri at the Euros.

I also don't think we are in for him.

Makes sense to try and wait for him if they think there is a chance. I am guessing the player has probably indicated he'd be open to joining

JazzG our pitch to williams should be "barcelona is trying to run some kind of ponzi scheme here, they dont have money, you dont want to end up at a shitshow like that"

I’m not sure I like where William’s head is seemingly at

I don't see us trying to move for a player who sees us as second best. Been a few occasions where we seem to have moved on from players that initially rejected us.

Wonder if Oyarzabal is on our shortlist. Might be unlikely to raid Sociedad again mind after Merino

Don Pacifico we should. Ødegaard for example clearly saw us as second best but because he couldn't break into RM's midfield he chose us. In fact, almost every player we'll be interested in would probably go to RM instead if given the choice. It's just that most of them won't have the choice, and Williams might not get it with Barca.

QuincyAbeyie yes. Let’s not be arrogant. We are also not a in a position to be going after any old player. A random winger will not improve us. Nico is in play and is good enough for a title contender. Let’s pursue.

Big Willie yes, Vlahovic was Arteta era. One of the prime examples.

QuincyAbeyie don't agree with how you've framed it. Yes, he moved to Real Madrid, which chronologically made them his first choice but by the time Arteta had brought him on loan for a season and Madrid were ready to sell, we (and Arteta) were very much his first choice. So he hadn't at any point rejected Arteta's Arsenal, which for me is the critical difference.

Arteta's track record has suggested he only wants players who are fully bought into what we're trying to do as a club and if for whatever reason Williams would still prefer Barca over us, I think you could legitimately challenge whether his motivations align with ours.

Sure if Smith Rowe goes we’ll replace him with someone say Merino, and if either or both Nelson and Nketiah go we’ll bring in someone else.

Maybe Nwaneri fills a spot but he seems perfect to allow Odegaard to rest

lorddulaarsenal yeah. He’s ready for 500-600 solid minutes. And PL2 action on the side. The quality is in your face.

Don Pacifico so you honestly think most players we sign would've chosen us even if Real Madrid also made a similar bid for them? Agree to disagree if so. We need to be the first choice out of a signing's possible options, not the first choice including every impossible option.

mdgoonah41 A lot of these guys grew up watching iconic Real Madrid and Barca sides, the pull is very strong and even the best English teams struggle with that. With one of his best mates there and not having to leave the country we’ll need to put a very strong case to him.

QuincyAbeyie I think we're basically on the same page here. But I'm not sure of the point you're making because it is possible for Nico Williams to move to Barca...therefore we're not the first choice out of his possible options as I understand it.

Clrnc this is more in relation to the rumours over the last couple of years that Juve would be open to selling him and we made no effort to go in for him again.

Don Pacifico we don't know if it's possible for him to move to Barcelona. That would be why we'd be waiting.

QuincyAbeyie Clrnc feels like both situations are subjective in how you interpret them. Ultimately, I'd be surprised if Nico Williams joins us.

preparing to advance fc.

given how dusty partey looks, skimping out on midfield might not be the best move

I've been thinking for a while that Johan Bakayoko will end up being our forward signing just from process of elimination.

Gazza M what you mean skimping out?

Claudius He means not reinforcing adequately in midfield. "Skimpy" is a synonym of "scanty" with a rich tradition of use as a noun to refer to half-dressed women bartenders down under.

Burnwinter Or might Claudius mean that signing Merino doesn't represent skimping out, in his opinion?

Coombs I think he’s an excellent addition. And will age out as our young guns mature into starters. The signing makes a lot of sense in terms of present quality and signalling to Ethan and Skelly

Coombs True, Claude might've meant that.

Seems the elite regista everyone agrees we'd benefit from isn't really on the market, so it's all a bit moot.

Gazza M okay, so who is available

How would anyone know which midfielders are available or not?

God no

Claudius ah the old 'if the tolly scouts don't have a name, then there's no-one available' chesnut

Gazza M actually, there is so much information on transfers (even shared here daily) that we have a very good understanding of who is in play and who isn’t. For example, we know the 5-6 first team players from our team who are potentially available for transfer.

So who is available that you guys believe we should secure ?

Gazza M

It's a perfectly reasonable question. If you want something, name it.

varela could be an option

Gazza M if you can't then Merino is surely the best available midfielder on the planet.

Line of logic doesn't make sense - even if there's no one else available, it still doesn't change the fact that we're missing a critical ingredient and will have to somehow circumvent the issue.

Mirth

Sure, but it can stop the fanbase from using it as a stick to beat management with.