I'm gonna start a new thread on this one, Sami Mokbel is very reliable and looks like we've got a summer deal done.
Martin Zubimendi
Very interesting. Hopefully it's true.
Wonder if they've had it sorted for a while but are leaking it now to explain why they aren't spending.
Would be a fantastic signing. Great player.
Could someone explain what we spent £110m on Declan Rice for then? Were we under the impression he was Steven Gerrard or something? Still feels like we're randomly mashing buttons here to a certain extent.
Rice is an 8 and was signed as one.
Curious to know how many people who are mad that we don't have enough attacking players with magic in their boots are also happy for us to play Declan Rice between the lines because he's good at pressing.
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knew we'd lock down a midfielder before a forward. would be quite a coup though, and something to hang over the scousers for once. the age profile of midfield next season will be spot on
Clever by the club announcing this in a midst of a crisis and ahead of the NLD. Very good PR.
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Our Partey replacement, who can do what Rice can't as a 6.
Funny, was just talking about this guy...
Great replacement for Partey and Jorginho.
Would still like a more creative attacking midfielder as our options will be Rice/Merino/Zubi/Ode for 3 positions if we add 1 more attacking then good blend from 5 mids for 3 positions and Ethan/MLS together as the 6th.
I think it's opportunistic more than anything. Rice is flexible enough to play 6 or 8, and where he ended up was always contingent on who we brought in as his partner. I think a creative LCM would have been better, but if Zubimendi is the best midfielder on the market that we can purchase, then so be it. Better that, then getting a sub standard LCM even if profile and balance wise it's probably better.
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DiabyKungFu Some of our best football last season came with Jorginho and Rice ahead of him, maybe he is trying to replicate that?
Also assuming we lose Jorginho and Partey this summer would leave us as with only Rice who can play as a 6.
I’ve seen almost nothing this year to suggest Rice is excelling at our 8 position. Really worried that we continue to sign players based on their talent rather than their fit for the specific roles Arteta demands.
Zubimendi looks great, but will he improve Rice (as an 8)?
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Jorginho's best quality has been those lofted passes that he plays from deep to break lines. I don't know if Zubimendi has that in his locker, and his FBREF has him closer to Partey in terms of progressive passes, so it will be interesting to see the level of creativity the midfield has.
To be fair, I'll say that Zubimendi in and Jorginho + Partey out seems fine. I am concerned that this is THE midfield signing though and we're going to go into next season with a single real attacking midfielder again. For as much as the left wing and center forward doomers have been vindicated, I still think attacking midfield is the most critical signing for the team to make. We'll see. Maybe things will be fine. The prioritization has consistently baffled me, though.
Great news, should bury Partey definitively. Zubimendi is quality.
Big fan of Zubimendi but I also have some concerns about Rice long term as an 8. It's probably purely aesthetics as I have always loved to have a midfield with a screening destroyer as the 6 behind two more technical and ideally hard working midfielders. The team did look awesome last year when Jorginho and Rice were partnered but I do have my doubts on Rice in a more advanced role. Now, if we could sort out the left side of the attack and bring in a goal scoring center forward, that may eliminate a lot of my concerns. Regardless, it shows that Arteta is still able to bring in the guys he wants and won't compromise even if Liverpool, City and Madrid are all knocking at the door. And even better, it means that Partey is finally going to be gone this summer - good riddance.