You are the Director of Football: Page 4 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

You are the Director of Football

TambourineMan

I'd fuck it, embrace our strengths and go full giant.

Back 5
Rice
Nmecha
Paz
Saka
Havertz
Rogers

Coombs

JazzG Stick any decent striker there and he'd do exactly the same

So, Gyökeres is a decent striker. Finally, you admit it.

JazzG

Coombs I have said before I think Gyokeres could go to a different league and literally tear it up. I just don't think he is right player for us. I think/hope has a great world cup as well,

Qwiss this is bullshit. Just look at the run in and the CL semis, he was excellent even in games where he didn't score. The idea that when he doesn't score he does nothing is an opinion I'd expect from someone who hasn't watched us in 2026.

Yes he went from being absolutely useless to having a few good games, should this be celebrated?

Klaus

Most fans know very little about football and that's okay. Having had a proper look at us this season though I think it's funny that the discussion isn't centered around the tactical requirements when we are the most systems-based team in Europe. I'd like to see an old fatso like Watkins press like we do for 90 minutes, for instance 😂 Absolutely insane opinion. Villa asked him to work a little harder this year and he didn't score a goal until Christmas.

Players make individual sacrifices here to fit into a collective. We made the right signings last summer to strike a balance between the team structure and the need to expand upon it, and we won the league. The rest is just incoherent ramblings from nitwits.

Klaus

Burnwinter On this very subject, I sat in a room the other week where the line "So you have to use the framework in order to evaluate the framework?" was used to brutally cut down a master's thesis. Lass was in tears.

Burnwinter

Klaus The effect of evaluation is always partly caused by a prior that cannot consistently be evaluated by the framework. This in turn is a value all ethical physicists, mathematicians and metaphysicians have only become ethical by taking up as an axiom in some way. Now who's crying? 😌

Qwiss

QuincyAbeyie if he's a back up player we need a new CF and I don't see a lot of options in the market that make much sense. Kroupi doesn't bench him or Havertz for instance.

JazzG this is bullshit. Just look at the run in and the CL semis, he was excellent even in games where he didn't score. The idea that when he doesn't score he does nothing is an opinion I'd expect from someone who hasn't watched us in 2026.

Tam

Qwiss The idea that when he doesn't score he does nothing is an opinion I'd expect from someone who hasn't watched us in 2026.

You just had to watch some of the games where we subbed him off for Jesus to see his impact and contribution to the team. Granted, it's not top class, and it's not overly productive at times, but to downplay him as having negligible impact is simply ignoring the work Arteta is asking of him in our system and structure.

Qwiss

Tam yeah there are a lot of things at play here. No one thinks he's the new Henry but he's a decent Premier League CF and its quite hard to find an available replacement at a reasonable price. Then people like to play him off vs Havertz which is an interesting debate around goals vs other stuff but ultimately that only really matters if Kai can stay fit.

Tam

There's a lot of moans about Gyorkeres, much of it warranted, much of it just not, but there would be moans about who it was that came in.

Watkins - might nick a few more poachery type goals but we'd moan about the workrate. Isak, we'd moan about his injuriy record, or Ekitike's availability and maybe consistency, and so on and so forth.

I don't think any of them would have had any more of a meaningful contribution to the season than Gyokeres did. They factually can't have - we won the league, and the big one we didn't win, Havertz was up top and Gyokeres wasn't the issue.

It raises the issue of availability though, that's the big question going into the new season. We have Havertz, Timber, White, Odegaard, Saka and Calafiori all as key players both past and expected to be in future, of the team and who have significant concerns over both injury and form. There's going to be a few gambles in there for Arteta this coming season.

Qwiss

Tam We have Havertz, Timber, White, Odegaard, Saka and Calafiori all as key players both past and expected to be in future, of the team and who have significant concerns over both injury and form.

Timber 3363 - 3680 7043
Saka 3256 - 2619 5875
Cala 2261 - 1497 3758
Ode 1984 - 3447 5431
White 1880 - 1531 3411
Kai 1066 - 2809 3875

They are the total minutes played by these players this season and last season. Timber missed the season before but he hasn't been that bad since. What we need is someone to rotate with him so that those 3000+ minutes each season aren't condensed into a few months. Unfortunately Whites fitness looks seriously questionable and it makes him the worst possible choice to rotate with Timber.

Saka is fine. It'd be nice if he was more available but we have depth there with Madueke and Dowman.

Ode had a bad injury this year, thats life. I'd like to see if he can get over it next season before moving him on. We've plenty of cover there anyway so there should be no reason to rush him or over burden him.

Cala looks an issue, I have at admit I didn't realise his minutes were so bad since he signed. I'm 50-50 on sticking with him. If a big offer came in from Madrid I'd consider it.

Kai again its borderline. Hopefully Jesus goes this summer but we need someone else in the squad who can play CF if Kai suffers the same issues next year. I know people will say Merino but Arteta was reluctant to throw him on up front for Gyokeres early in the season and I think we need to try and avoid burn out in the attack. I would like to see a signing up front. I don't really mind if its a starter or a young back up but we need a bit more depth. If Kais injured I'd want someone who can play the cups, come on at 60 minutes and make an impact, etc

Qwiss

JazzG Yes he went from being absolutely useless to having a few good games

He went from adapting to being one of the most productive players in the league.

samthegooner

All I can say from reading this thread and wiping the blood out of my eyes is that thank god @DiabyKungFu isn't the Arsenal Director of Football.

Burnwinter

Claudius Been looking at this, and I reckon you're not far off what we could do.

I'd look at releasing Martinelli this summer to bring in that upgraded winger.

I'd prefer Yıldız to Barcola at this time, but from what I gather, Yıldız is not going to move.

We need at least one more "clever" forward who can create chances and link play. That's been the leading criticism of what Martinelli brings, and it's a criticism Madueke hasn't fixed despite being more than capable beating his man. So left wing is where it's at.

Yıldız could be that "more mobile Trossard" we've been speculating on, as he can drift central or play as a second striker as well as beating his man and having good running power. So it's a shame he is unavailable.

Ben White will stay at Arsenal unless there's a Biblical miracle. White would not currently pass a medical as he's been in rehab for that MCL injury against the Hammers. If White somehow gets fit and stays that way we could look to flip him in winter or next summer. £20m is not going to happen.

This means we'll be heading into next season with two at least semi-crocked right backs plus Mosquera unless we sign a player. Palestra sounds alright but I'm guesing the position will still be troubled by risks and contingencies.

I'd consider shipping one of Maduke and Eze out. Both are very good players with upside we've yet to see. However, Eze's a luxury player and Madueke's an inconsistent player. Both are going to be "finisher-zoned" among Arteta's romantic interests to a great extent.

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