flobaba well, I also said I would only sell him for 120m+ a couple of days ago but even that will just about get you Isak or Wirtz. The reason I put 80m is because that is just above the level of the most expensive defenders in history so is more realistic. Would also be over 2x our transfer record.

In any case, one thing that’s typically neglected in these discussions about swapping out players is the disruption it causes. Gabriel is the best player in the best defense in Europe. He’s also a significant contributor to offense. Who is going to be making last ditch tackles, distributing the ball from the left on offense, and scoring headers at will on corners? It will either take a couple of years to plug all those gaps with one player, or require other players to adapt their roles.

      There was that weird phase when Arteta played Partey and benched Big Gab that I still didn’t fully understand. Whether because he wanted Party at RB or it was when the first rumours of Gabi going to Saudi came up, or he really wanted to play from the back, so maybe he also was surprised by how pivotal he has become for us

        FEBravo that’s was when Saudi rumours first surfaced. And Gabi seemingly needed to clear his head

          Claudius to all that I say, we've got cash. Flush with it, aren't we? We didn't spend this January even though we could have, and some say should have. We apparently stand to gain over 100m if we defeat Real Madrid in the CL, we've secured almost 70-80m already. I hear even more clickety clank, clickety clank as over 60m goes straight into Stan's piggy bank for finishing second in the league. We'll likely be shedding a lot of wages over the summer as well. Add to all that the 100m ish that Gab should fetch, and we are in the game for almost any set of players we want.

          To all the irreplaceable talk, again PSG replaced Mbappe in one summer, and i'd wager they would even say they are in a better place as a club for it. Go ahead and list all the attributes the Frenchman has, that were "irreplaceable". And there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing it by committee either. If there's anything we know about Arteta (and our team) is that he / we are adaptable. We will be just fine boss.

          No player is irreplaceable.

              flobaba Mbappe is a significantly better player than anyone in that PSG lineup. They’ve added a lot of good players all over the field and look their best balanced in years, but let’s put some respeck on Mbappe’s name

                  RocktheCasbah Anyway, madness to sell him, unless we get a ”Godfather" offer. If Van Dijk was worth £75m to Liverpool 7 years ago, how much for Big Gabi now?

                  Not to detract from your general point, but the circumstances are quite different as well - the equivalent would be something like Branthwaite moving from Everton to Arsenal now, or Vidic moving from Man Utd to Saudi in his pomp. We're doing Gabriel a disservice to equate his potential move from Arsenal (flying high and 'challenging' for leagues) to that of Van Dijk to a club with title aspirations. Not only doing Gabriel a disservice, we're low balling ourselves in the process.

                      Tam exactly - if they make us an offer that we actually consider, then it has to be stupid money. Jhon Duran who has done virtually nothing with his career moved there and fetched Villa allegedly over 60m. Maybe twice what the player is actually worth. We have a player that's actually worth about 100m on today's market, so let them make us an offer first. Let's hear the numbers and then we know if we have to have a proper sit down, let me pour you a drink situation.

                        I don't think anyone who says irreplaceable/wouldn't sell at any price means it literally. It's easy to make up numbers - sure, I'd sell him for a billion pounds. But people are basically saying they wouldn't sell him at a price anyone will actually offer. If we're talking 150m, that's not money to go all "you wouldn't trade Gabriel for Wirtz and Isak?". It's possibly enough for one of them.

                          QuincyAbeyie indeed Quince. And then we after we get Isak etc., we still need to solve the problem of replacing Gabriel in defense. It’s not like moving on from Pepe because we had discovered an internal upgrade in Saka.

                              Claudius exactly. If you get, let's go mad and say £100m for Big Gab then you spending over half that to replace him with someone not as good and who needs to settle in. So that's less than £50m to your transfer kitty. Not to sniffed at but not money that suddenly gets you Wirtz and Isak.

                                  Big Willie The post this thread needed and I agree with the rankings.

                                  Reckon we might benefit psychologically from one or two big sales this summer, so long as it's a massive window for signings. It'd hurt, but time has come to feel the mortality of the whole project with Arteta.

                                    Coombs a good test for this is name 4 to 5 better players globally in each position. That helps you understand where players rank. We actually have a fair few players who sit in this place. And then some positions will stick out as opportunities.

                                    I will contribute what I think are the top 6 forwards based on their most common position (no particular order):
                                    Top 6 right wingers: Salah, Saka, Dembele, Lamal, Rodrygo, Olise
                                    Top 6 strikers: Kane, Lewandowski, Haaland, Mbappe, Isak, Osimhen
                                    Top 6 left wingers: Kvaratshkelia, Vinny Jr., Son, Raphinha, Barcola, Williams

                                        Claudius -- top 6 CBs?

                                        Gabriel, Saliba, Rudiger, Van Djik, .... I actually think after those 4 the last 2 spots would be incredibly debatable.

                                            Claudius a better test, though, is what makes for good football that wins trophies. I appreciate we have a magnificent defense, but we play to their strengths as well. There are other ways to get things done.

                                                Coombs most opposition fans I talk to are very high on Saliba, Gabriel and especially Raya. There is a ton of respect for these players. Part of why we have the strengths you highlighted is exactly because of these players. Arteta started with Leno, Sokratis, Luis Mustafi, in these positions. He could not play his football perfectly with that group for various reasons.