samthegooner This is the issue that I think we are dealing with this summer- its not due to a lack of action from Edu/Arteta but rather, the targets that would move the needle are either already at big clubs, will be extremely expensive, or have decided their immediate future already this summer
Well, that's always going to be the case, isn't it? The best attacking players usually cost more than top midfielders and defenders, and that's well known. We paid £105m for Rice in midfield, so spending a similar amount on a quality attacking player shouldn't be too much if we're serious about strengthening that area and not just looking for marginal gains. Aside from Vinicius (who obviously isn't available for even £200m) and Williams, who seems intent on staying in Spain, I don't think offering over +100m for any of the other targets would be outright rejected by their clubs. Why would we be any more able to make a run for Kvara, Williams, Rodrygo and/or Leao next season than we did this season if we can afford it and are clearly intent on making it happen?
The real issue here is that we don't have much money left to play with this summer because we've already spent 60-70m on Raya and Calafiori, plus another 30-40m on Merino, without seriously pursuing anyone from that list. You could even expand that list to include center forwards, and we'd see even more names who could be available with bids of +100m. If we're aiming for WC players and/or those with WC potential but only want to spend less than we did on Havertz, we'll always be in a position where we say we should save our resources for next summer, because either no one is available who can substantially improve us, or if they are, they're not available at a price we're willing to pay. Meanwhile we will continue to strengthen the GK and defensive positions.
