Striker Targets: Page 2 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Striker Targets

Coombs

Pepe LeFrits we have such a painfully cumbersome transfer operation. Hopefully Berta fixes that. People would have you believe we're doing quantum physics when the reality is that the contracts are already written, just need to go in to work instead of fucking around on the BBQ.

Claudius

Coombs we’ve been signing and extending lots of players last few years. Please elaborate on cumbersome. Relative to what?

Gazza M

JazzG I was cool on him january, but I'm ice cold on him for the summer. he's the guy we begrudgingly sign on deadline day and pretend it was a master stroke.

Tam

Gazza M I think he would have been a good signing in January, and in hindsight it looks like a real miss for both Villa and us given how things have panned out since then. At this point we've got to take a longer term view of what someone can offer us in that role.

JazzG

Gazza M Fair but I look at a lot of the links we have to strikers and none of them jump out at me, well apart from Isak but I think we all know that is a bit of a pipe dream. I look at the guys we've been linked to and none of them strike me as clear upgrades over Havertz.

I like Cunha but sounds like he is going to Man Utd, seems like a bit of a loose cannon as well. I've seen Ekitike in a few comps but looks an interesting player.

Coombs

Claudius we might be the slowest gun in world football when it comes to getting deals done. Too much haggling, too much indecision, and it's cost us over decades now.

samthegooner

JazzG I don't think we need a clear upgrade on Havertz personally. I think we just need a different option than Havertz in terms of profile so that we can adjust tactics on a match by match basis. I'd love someone that can mix things up when he's starting in place of Kai, play alongside Kai and offer firepower off the bench when Kai starts in his place. I think most of our targets fit this bill.

SimplyThePest

Coombs Everyone knows it too and cocks us around as a result.

Bernard Woolley

Coombs Yes and no. We have pulled off deals like Havertz, Tomiyasu and Timber that basically got published when done and Gabriel, Partey and Raya which were a short fuse. I know media gossip is not necessarily a true indicator of how long a deal has taken but it's the closest proxy I have. Of course, the other side is deals like Martinez (lost because we dallied) and Rice (where we got taken to the cleaners on the price).

Claudius

Coombs how much time do you spend following other clubs transfer business?
For example, the league winners Liverpool. What can you say about their transfer attempts at Bellingham, Tchouameni, Havertz, Caicedo, Musiala. All were linked. None bought.

RocktheCasbah

Bernard Woolley Rice (where we got taken to the cleaners on the price)

but.... but we got him half price, or no?

RC8

Sicario2

The previous Auba won us our last trophy 5 years ago

Don Pacifico

Claudius also worth remembering how they were misled on Zubimendi.

samthegooner

@Claudius brings up a good point. I lurk on opposing team's subreddits (...I know, I should check myself in for help...) and every single fanbase other than maybe Chelsea has the same complaints as we do about transfer negotiations and dragging feet. I think it just comes with the territory these days with the 24/7 news cycle. Gone are the days when we don't know about something and then it just happens (or at least it's very rare) so every signing becomes a saga from the point when one journalist/ITK/nobody publishes a rumor to the time when the official announcement comes. I can only think of a few exceptions recently (Fabio Vieira, Timber to an extent). I do think we keep our official business under wraps a lot better than we used to, which is both frustrating to follow but also fills me with quiet confidence that the powers that be are working in the background (until nothing gets announced like Summer 24 and this last Winter window). I don't think we are much better or worse than most of our peers when it comes to negotiations but hopefully Berta does bring some additional shrewdness to the negotiating table with purchases as well as sales.

Coombs

samthegooner I do think we keep our official business under wraps a lot better than we used to, which is both frustrating to follow but also fills me with quiet confidence that the powers that be are working in the background (until nothing gets announced like Summer 24 and this last Winter window).

I mean, this is it right here. For every example of another club failing to sign a player, there is a counter example. We aren't on the right side of that continuum nearly enough.

QuincyAbeyie

One thing I know about Liverpool's transfer attempts is that they were enough to bag them a couple of titles and a CL win in the last few years.

Claudius

QuincyAbeyie this is true. but also not what @samthegooner and I were challenging from @Coombs' post.

SimplyThePest

The paucity of quality 'strikers' at current is incredible. The Adebayor of 2008 vintage would probably go for 70-odd million these days.

samthegooner

SimplyThePest If Duran is going for 70m + then Adebayor definitely would've gone for that much if not more.

Dom

SimplyThePest

During the international break I binged through highlights of the 07/08 season. We were so spoilt. Adebayor, van Persie and Eduardo in the same squad...

That version of Adebayor would be worth more than Isak.

SimplyThePest

samthegooner You're probably right.

SimplyThePest

Dom Might have been the best footy we've ever played, aesthetically-speaking.

Burnwinter

Coombs We aren't on the right side of that continuum nearly enough.

We are on the right side nearly enough, that's why we keep finishing second. Nearly enough is not enough.

The priority in the upcoming summer must be to make the squad concretely adequate to winning the league in 25–26. No more priority can be given to speculation on our level in future seasons. That can only be a secondary by-product of recruitment. Next season considered in isolation—even just the first ten matches of next season—is why Isak would be better than Gyökeres would be better than Šeško. No projects. No adaptation. No mercy.

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