Burnwinter it's something I've often found frustrating when there's reporting on how good our scouting. I remember for Partey, it was talking up the fact that Cagigao scouted him at Mallorca - great to hear but we still took a good c. 5 years to buy him and then his price was much greater.

I'm not sure what the hold-up is - hesitant recruitment that wants to reduce the level of speculation on players or a firm belief that said players need to reach a certain level before they become viable purchases (or something else). Feels like something we could improve but might be held back by our historic poor selling (ie. we'd be more willing to speculate on players if there was more confidence we'd get a decent return for them).

      Don Pacifico a firm belief that said players need to reach a certain level before they become viable purchases

      With Calafiori and Sesko you've gotta think it's because performances at Swiss or Austrian clubs aren't much to go by. No doubt we've got a scouting database with these leagues and more in it, but perhaps whatever "moneyball" methods we've got don't surface them for fuller research, flights etc.

      I've got no idea how the economics of scouting works.

      I wonder if it might be worth actively tracking more of these dudes who are doing okay on loan in weak leagues from stronger clubs. Especially if we don't have competitors in their positions in our academy.

        Don Pacifico I'm not sure what the hold-up is - hesitant recruitment that wants to reduce the level of speculation on players or a firm belief that said players need to reach a certain level before they become viable purchases (or something else)

        It's a difficult balance, isn't it? You go too early, people say as they have with Fabio Vieira, what's he doing here? He's not good enough. And the truth is, he might never be - especially at the level Arsenal have now reached. But you wait too long and then you find the player out of your reach, because Chelsea, or Manchester United maybe, come and do something silly.

            RocktheCasbah yep, survivor bias is real.

            The club probably have a 100 players on their list now that are “highly rated”

                Mirth exactly. Just because we scout or show interest in a player doesn't mean we believe they are capable of making the step up. If they go somewhere a level below us and show they can step up it makes sense for us to move then. All the big clubs operate like this. We could probably take a few more risks and try to send them on loan but overall no one was clamouring for Calafiori before this summer. Even before the euros he was hardly mentioned. If he turns out to be worth the money then its all good.

                We do need a few more gambles in the back up slots though. If we can't find a top class attacker this summer I definitely think taking a gamble on someone in one of the back up slots would be a good idea. Particularly as cover for Saka.

                    Qwiss We do need a few more gambles in the back up slots though.

                    I'd be stoked if we found a "Saliba" style signing up front: an under 20 chance with "generational talent" in areas we're missing, who's also athletic and physically up to scratch. Now's a good time, while we've got decent but not fully convincing options. We'd just have to find the right profile for big money but not Højlund money.

                      There goes the potential Eddie sale. Good signing for Bournemouth. He was a real handful when we played Porto.

                        Agreed. Excellent striker and great signing for Bournemouth.

                        We seem to have priced Nektiah out of a move. Shame.

                          TambourineMan kroenke wants his money I hear.
                          But this is simple maths. Nobody is paying £30m for Eddie and then committing another £25m to him on a 5 year deal. That’s rich.

                            Segway fuck. the market for eddie is shrinking. isn't there any desperate promoted clubs we can flog him to?

                              Segway He's a very good striker. Bournemouth really knows their business under Iraola. All very good signings that will bring them up another level instead of being relegation contenders

                                Keep Eddie then, and let him play in Carling Cup and random FA cup games. Figure out whatever loophole you need to figure out to enable us pick up Merino and whoever else is wanted, and move on.

                                I reckon another club will want him, I doubt we've had all our hopes pinned on Bournemouth.

                                But if we end up with less than what Marseille allegedly talked about, we've fucked up.

                                I don't think Bournemouth were ever in for him. It was just a case of journos seeing them sell a striker and knowing we'd one available. Looks to me like they had Evanilson all but done before they let Solanke go.

                                no way is reiss on 120k a week. even if he got a sign on bonus we would have paid that up front and not add it into his weekly wage thus making him unsellable.

                                  Meatwad Reiss and Nketiah’s agent really grabbed us by the nut sack. Lesson learned is to renew early or sell. Their contracts are the only worrying contracts we have given the typical market for selling them