Claudius outside of Arsenal good brother Claude, what about you where you at these days?

Gazza M there's no reason to assume we'll fix anything next summer when we didn't tend to the big holes in our last two summer windows. Don't think Edu was doing a stellar job but him leaving certainly won't help things

Gazza M I also think the transfer approach is Arteta and the team is also a little worry for me when it comes to attacking players. Even signings where you can recognise it has improved us we have often overpaid or left ourselves with stupid wages on the books, Jesus and Havertz prime among those in my view.

Our moves on the forwards front other then Trossard have been very questionable Willian, Sterling etc.

There are a couple of issues with our forward line. Three is the dynamism issue that Martinelli and Saka alone will not solve. But more than that is just availability. Yesterday in the second half with Saka & Nwaneri injured and Kai sick, we just looked thin. We are depending on Jesus who has also been brittle. It’s a time bomb.
So we just need to add now. Sterling is back in a few weeks but I would also get the best forward we can find. And not be overly Goldilocks about it. The two best forwards out there are probably Isak and Kvara. Would be surprised if their teams gave them up even in the summer. We will wait indefinitely with blue balls

Gazza M 100% this. In a perfect world we could bring in an attacker that would help both short and long term this month. But I highly doubt that’s going to be possible so we would likely need to overspend for a short term half measure, which would likely eat into our financial power this summer when players that could address needs are more likely to move. At this point, while I’m not ready to concede the league, it’s looking like it’s going to take a pretty big dip from Liverpool combined with a run reminiscent of last year from us (while missing our best attacker for the bulk of it). Unless we can pull forward a signing we’d make in the summer, I’m fine with holding fast at the moment. I also don’t want us rushing Saka back even if it means we suffer as a result. He’s too important to our long term future.

Claudius that’s nice to reflect on, but almost completely irrelevant. Picking us as being the form team of 2024 also smacks of the ‘Wenger would have won the league if it ran from January to December’ chat we used to get. It ignores that we had an almost perfect and likely unrepeatable second half of 2023/24, and very imperfect and hopefully unrepeatable first half of 2024/25.

I’m sure Arteta and the players won’t give up when it comes to the league, but for the miracle to happen we need a combination of several factors to go our way. And it also assumes Liverpool will collapse and allow us in - not beyond happening, but not likely.

The general talk of setting the league aside and being contenders in the Champions League is just baffling to me.

Did nobody watch the game yesterday where we struggled against 10th place Brighton, or the many others this season where we’ve been ropey and struggled for creativity?

If I indulge the expected response of injury/fitness disruption and assume we have a fit and firing team, is everyone ignoring our recent European form where we’ve looked technically inferior and lost the midfield battle to more technically sound teams? I don’t see what’s changed since then, I don’t see the development or improvement in our team that raises us to the level of taking the next step.

Seems like we’re pinning hopes on Saka and Odegaard performing miracles rather than any sane notion of building a capable and competent term, and more generally, seeking to excuse and explain away our issues by focusing on external factors rather than things within our control to change.

(Not all directed at you Claudius)

Qwiss I can see wanting Cunha if you'd be happy with the signing half a year ago as well. But for those who thought there were no players who would improve us in the summer because only world class players can do that, I'm not sure what's changed now. Players getting injured was always going to happen.

QuincyAbeyie the summer was an under performance from the transfer team. Even those who thought/hoped it wasn't have seen the reality play out in front of them.

The reality is the same players who were gettable last summer are gettable this month. Cunha, Vlahovic, Osimhen, Rashford, etc The market is what is, no point in people crying that there isn't a prime Henry available.

Claudius and Williams is no more gettable in the summer anyway. If he wants to come here we could sign him now.

City are going to sign 3-4 this window. We can't keep standing still.

Qwiss and Cunha is 25 (turning 26 in May). It’s not like he turns back into a pumpkin in the summer. If we get him now he’s still part of the core for next year, and also gives us platform to release one of Jesus/Trossard

Cunha looks like a clear upgrade on Jesus. But I don’t think you can continue to neglect our squad by signing him unless one of Jesus or Havertz is moved this summer. Have the three of those for one position is almost as bad as trying to fit those players into the wings (or Havertz to 8).

Barcola benched for the second game in a row.

Week and a half before our next PL game. Let's get something done before that and really go after Liverpool. A good signing could add some positive vibes too.

DiabyKungFu I’d be more than happy to pay above market prices for Barcola this month. I’m not saying he’s better than Cunha right now but he fits the squad better as a pure out and out winger. I do have some concerns about how most of his goals come in transition but we need a transition monster anyways as our squad is painfully slow (this weekend’s starting XI was the slowest lineup I can ever remember us putting out). Put whatever we would be willing to pay for Cunha towards Barcola (plus more probably)and I’m game.

I think creativity is a bigger issue for us than finishing tbh.