Don Pacifico it seems to me that I think it's a problem that we didn't address it in the summer while you think it will be a problem if we don't address it the next one..? But sure, keep not playing some game.

    Don Pacifico I didn't suggest anything, I stated clearly we don't go after forwards with the same urgency as we do defenders. We signed even more goalies than forwards in his time here ffs.

        jones as an economist who understands supply and demand very well, you’re heavily underplaying these dynamics in talent markets.

            Also, when Arteta arrived at Arsenal the first back four he put out was Ainsley, Luiz, Sokratis, Saka. Two years ago, we were trying to win the league with a guy at the back who's now playing for Sheffield United. The fact that we're so good defensively now doesn't mean we didn't need to invest to get there.

            At the top end of the pitch, he had Auba and Laca. Whatever about how their careers finished with us, at the time of Arteta's arrival, they were both two years into their Arsenal careers (at £100m for the pair) and perfectly serviceable options. With Saka moving forward and Martinelli coming through, we didn't need the investment up top we did at the back.

            • CPM likes this.

            jones based on what? You're willing to discard the existing examples that don't fit your narrative and then you've got Sesko who we've been trying to sign repeatedly (why would we be trying to sign him in three consecutive windows?), Vlahovic who we went in for at £80m that would have made him our record signing at the time, same for Mudryk.

            As Claudius has pointed out a few times, top forwards are harder to sign because supply doesn't meet demand compared to all other areas of the pitch. Just because you decide to build a squad from the back, it doesn't mean we don't try to go after forwards with any urgency.

                Been assuming for years we built the squad from the back because it's been a relatively more routine process that has left us needing those last couple of "capstone" signings.

                There was wishful thinking last summer based on our performances second half of last season. Havertz is really good. But he's not by himself a Premier League winning forward.

                I can't imagine there won't be greater urgency this coming summer. If there isn't that'll be very silly. I'm just hoping now the powers that be will bring us what we need and it won't be too late.

                Gurgen I don’t know if he has overachieved. But he has done well to manage most of the challenges thrown our way. And done a better job of it than Ange, Pep and others. He now needs to find a way to score with no forwards. That’s the job.

                  Don Pacifico you're talking about "existing examples" and go on to list three players we didn't actually sign. Sesko not being here is actually proving the exact opposite of what you think it does; again if we went after him with the same vigour we do any of our defenders I reckon he'd be here.

                  And even if we threw the kitchen sink and still couldn't land him - when we couldn't get Koundé over the line we lined up White immediately who at 50m+ was far from a cheap purchase, when we couldn't get Raya we got Ramsdale who similarly looked overpriced at the time (and does now again) before going after Raya again.

                  We're a club fighting for the title who has spent €700m on non-forwards in the last five years. Everyone could see we needed reinforcements if not upgrades for the front line even before our last few injuries. Yet we're looking at playing Merino at CF and a 17 year old at RW for months in the run-in to the season.

                      Claudius see my post above. Supply and demand come into it for broke clubs not for those who spend 100m+ every season; I follow my hometown club Frankfurt who have a fraction of our financial muscle and they have three or four forwards who'd start for us right now.

                      There is absolutely no excuse to play a defensive midfielder up front for a club of our stature for months on end.

                          jones Again, I don't buy this. Take someone like Marmoush who I have grown to like. When he joined your club, he'd come off a season where he'd scored 6 in 34, and had only made about 45 Bundesliga appearances after 6 seasons with Wolfsburg. Thats 1 1/2 seasons ago. Would've been underwhelming. The point of a team like Frankfurt is a guy like Marmoush can get tons of minutes in a slightly less competitive league and rapidly build out his arsenal - in a way he would not be able to at Arsenal. Just ask all the young forwards who've gone to United, Cheslea etc., and not kicked on.

                              Claudius nobody argued for signing Marmoush on a free in 2023 - why do we compete for titles if we can't sign players like him in Jan 2025? We could have easily signed him last summer as well - he didn't fully explode until this season started but he wasn't any less established than Calafiori even then, he'd also suit us perfectly as he can play up front and on the left equally.

                              But since you mention Frankfurt - the club was completely broke not long ago and lost top strikers every summer for the last five years, in 2021 the club even lost all three of Haller Jovic and Rebic at once. Got Silva on a cheap swap deal who went on to outscore even Haaland in his one season at Frankfurt, then when he left for Leipzig got Borré on a free from River Plate who won the club the EL straight away. Upgraded on him with Kolo Muani on a free transfer and after a 40+ G/A season sold him for 100m the year after, next season we got Ekitike for 16m as replacement and Marmoush on a free again.

                              Ekitike needed time to get fit and up and running while fortunately for the club Marmoush exploded out of nowhere and was sold for 80m 18 months on, in addition to Ekitike last summer the club signed 18 year old Uzun for big money and despite having two top talents - Heki reached 25G/A for the season in the mean time - for one position spent a record 25m for Wahi this January.

                              Most of the players mentioned would have helped Arsenal this season let alone in the future. This is Frankfurt a club that has not even close to the same faculties to build a team that can compete for titles yet we're supposed to believe Arsenal can't find anyone to help? People didn't let it slide when Wenger said it was difficult to upgrade on Giroud or Welbeck why would they now with obscene amounts of money at our disposal?

                                jones Sesko not being here is actually proving the exact opposite of what you think it does; again if we went after him with the same vigour we do any of our defenders I reckon he'd be here.

                                I think this is where we will have to disagree.

                                  11 days later

                                  Win our next game (we play one day before Liverpool) and we ‘just’ go 9 points them when they play a Merseyside derby. Liverpool look tired and fatigued but 12 points might just be too much.

                                  Having said that, Man Utd were 8 points clear of City with 6 to go in 2012 and blew it.