The Arsenal summer transfer game

Pepe LeFrits

The wishlist with a twist. Here are the rules:

You have €100m (euros) to spend on players this summer.
You can buy any player you like, for the value in euros specified on transfermarkt.com.
You can increase your transfer kitty by selling Arsenal players for the price specified on transfermarkt, but note: not all of the players in the Arsenal squad on transfermarkt...

Your starting position is the squad as below. Partey, Neto, Sterling, Jorginho and Tierney have all left the club (end of loan or free transfers). Lokonga, Vieira, Nelson etc have been sold to raise funds already. Jesus and Tomiyasu have had their contracts terminated as well, so you can't sell any of these guys. Your base squad is as below (a bit threadbare in places...):

Goalkeepers: Raya
Defenders: Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Gabriel, Saliba, Kiwior, White, Timber
CMs: Rice, Merino, Zubimendi (value: €60m)
AMs/Wingers: Odegaard, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Saka, Trossard
CFs: Havertz

Note your transfers, then post your first XI and your second XI. If you don't have enough players for a second XI, you can pad it out with youth players (e.g. Setford, Porter, Dowman, Nichols, Clarke etc) but you can't sell these guys for extra funds. I will then judge you harshly on how your first season as Arsenal manager will go. Will you get lucky with injuries? Will you lose Saliba and Gabriel to ACL injuries on match day 1? Nobody knows. Except me.

The Arsenal squad is here: https://www.transfermarkt.com/fc-arsenal/startseite/verein/11
You can browse player values here: https://www.transfermarkt.com/spieler-statistik/wertvollstespieler/marktwertetop

flobaba

Pepe LeFrits how are you judging this again?

Is there a way to fantasy league this, where come season's end we sum up the points total accrued to each player for the entire team and compare to see who has the most points?

Pepe LeFrits

If y'all agree it's too hard, let me know. It's hard to gauge but there are a lot of low fees on transfermarkt so I think this strikes a reasonable balance.

MistaT

Love it, and going to avoid some work today to have a proper go.

Qwiss

Don Pacifico chatgpt say what I said last week about Sesko and Arsenal in a different way

JazzG

Is it anyone from the list or do we need to be realistic with

Also what kind of budget is €100m! You're tighter than the Kroenkes!

Pepe LeFrits

JazzG Is it anyone from the list or do we need to be realistic with

You can buy Yamal if you can raise the cash.

Also what kind of budget is €100m! You're tighter than the Kroenkes!

It has been a hard year for Walmart, belts must be tightened.

Qwiss

Sell

Havertz 65m
Rice 120m
Trossard 22m
Zinchenko 20m
+100m
= 327

Buy

Yamal 180m
Gyokeres 70m
Rodgers 55m
van Dijk 23m
Vardy 1m
loan a GK

Big Willie

Qwiss nice, but you've gone over by 2m btw.

Claudius

Qwiss 😂 😂

MistaT

In:

CF - Sesko at €70m
AM - Saibari (PSV) at €27ym
Winger - Semeyo at €40m
GK - Jose Sa at €7m
Total - €144m

Sold:

Zinchenko for €20m
Trossard for €22+
sell some youth player(s) for €2m
Total - €144m

Squad is as follows:

------------------------------- Havertz (Sesko/Merino) --------------------------------
Martinelli (Semenyo) ---------------------------------------- Saka (Nwaneri/Saibari)
------------------- Rice (Saibari) ------------- Odegaard (Saibari)--------------------
------------------------------- Zubimendi (Rice/Merino) -----------------------------

------ MSL (Calafiori) ---- Gabriel (Kiwior) -- Saliba (White) ---- Timber (White -------

It'll be a shame to lose Trossard as he's our most clinical finisher, and that can be an asset for attacking subs. However, Saibari is an astute finisher himself with 8 goals two season ago and 15 goals last season. I also think he offers far far more in attacking midfield positions (on either side) than Trossard.

My biggest worry would be what to do if Zubimendi goes down. If it was me, I would switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Rice and Merino flat, but that doesn't seem to be aligned with Arteta's vision. So we're definitely short there as I don't see Rice operating well as our lone 6.

Pepe LeFrits

Big Willie so did MistaT - specifically said you can't sell youth players to generate extra funds!

RowJimmy

Trying to be realistic about who is available even if the prices are not accurate (or more often are not the actually important part of the deal)

Sell: ZInchenko & Kiwior (20 + 28)
Buy: Nico Williams & Ekitike (70+ 75)
Backup goalie: whoever is available for 3.

I would have gone for Rodrygo plus Delap to stay within budget if Delap hadn't already moved.

RowJimmy

Actually, Wirtz and Wirtz alone. Pay over the odds.

Kel Varnsen

In: Zubimendi, Nusa, and Darwin
Out: Zinchenko and Tierney

Close enough..

Qwiss

Kel Varnsen Darwin Nunez?

RowJimmy

Kel Varnsen Tierney is leaving on a free.

Burnwinter

I've been away camping for the past week, but I'm keen when I can get a bit of top quality idle time at work in the next little while.

daredevil

Sell:
Trossard (22m)
Martinelli (55m)

Buy:
Williams (70m)
Rashford (loan)
Fabian Ruiz (40m)
Mateta (30m)
Igor Paxaio (35m)
Szczęsny (1m)

--------------------------Raya/Szczęsny
White/Timber--Saliba/Kiwior--Gabriel/Calafiori--Skelly/Zinchenko
-------------------------Zubimendi/Ruiz
--------Odegaard/Nwaneri----------Rice/Merino
Saka/Rashford---------------------------------Williams/Paxaio
-------------------------Havertz/Mateta

samthegooner

Love this idea.

Sell:
Odegaard 85m
Trossard 22m
Zinchenko 20m
plus 100m
Total: 227m

Buy:
Sesko 70m
Morgan Rogers 55m
Semenyo 40m
Ayyoub Bouaddi 28m
Mikkel Damsgaard 28m
Total: 221m

Squad is as follows:

------------------------------- Havertz (Sesko) --------------------------------
Martinelli (Semenyo) ---------------------------------------- Saka (Nwaneri)
------------------- Rice (Merino) ------------- Rogers (Damsgaard)--------------------
------------------------------- Zubimendi (Bouaddi) -----------------------------

------ MLS (Calafiori) ---- Gabriel (Kiwior) -- Saliba (White) ---- Timber (White) -------

Hurts me to sell Odegaard but wanted to add more end product, pace, power and youth to the team with Rogers. A Rogers and Rice midfield would be a nightmare to play against physically. Sesko can rotate with Havertz or play next to him as a LW option. Semenyo can provide depth on both wings, while Nwaneri and Damsgaard can provide more creativity off the bench in the midfield or on the wing. Really wanted to get in on one of the best young midfielders I've seen recently in Bouaddi who can learn behind Zubimendi and also play at all 3 CM positions. I'd be a little worried about defensive depth but I think Rogers, Semenyo and Sesko would be great additions to our attack at this budget and Damsgaard can be a discount Odegaard off the bench with chance creation.