It might be pretty reductive to think the only consequence of picking up the wrong player as our new 6 is the transfer fee.
I attribute one of the major reasons we missed out on top 4 last season to the absence of Partey. Our stats also show we lose more games without him in the team.
That role is extremely important for the way our team thrives. If we don’t pick the right player, the consequences would likely be more than the reported £30m being quoted. It could go as far as stagnating or even dropping our standing in the league.
The main reason we decided to reduce our wage bill was because “we had a UCL bill on a UEL budget”. A consistent run in the UCL for a few seasons (hopefully starting with next season) might give us a bit more leeway when it comes to our wage bill. I don’t think we’ll keep penny pinching for much longer.
As for Declan Rice, good player but not my cup of “coffee”. He doesn’t seem press-resistant enough and I think that shows in his dribble numbers, though, his dispossession and touch numbers are really good. Being able to shake-off a press in tight high pressure situations is what makes Partey special.
Looking forward to see who takes on the mantle from him.
You can look at it that way, or you can also look at it as last season we were still recovering from/experiencing oversaturation of the wage bill and it made us less nimble in the transfer market. Right or not we didn't pursue Tammy Abraham solely because of being stuck on our stable of strikers, for instance.
Maintaining flexibility allows the club to move more quickly to make changes, rather than the stagnation you're talking about. Rice, for example, could join on the "he could be the difference between CL and EL" line, but there's always the risk that it's not true, like Nico Pepe. If Saka didn't come along I shudder at what the wing might look like right now. If KSE are willing to spend to cover mistakes, then so be it. But as we've seen, they seem more likely to require those guys to be gone first (Mustafi/Ozil/Auba/Kola/etc)
Ultimately, hoping for a good medium. I think our risk tolerance should increase to a point where we go more for a “near guarantee” than a “likely project” player. Ideally, at a transfer fee and wage that would be relatively easy to move on.
To be honest I think a £25m player from Brazil is in that wheelhouse. Martinelli or Marquinhos would be your likely projects. But the prices being discussed for Danilo would be second for Palmeiras to only Gabriel Jesus, who made a pretty quick impact in England. Players like Bruno Guimaraes have cost less. Edu and Arteta seem to be putting trust in their scouts to meet the assignment here, which I think is the intersection closest to near guarantee and accepting of the role we'd give.
Your points are good. I suspect Arsenal is going to try to avoid getting in bidding wars with United or Chelsea. Those alre teams that will pay any amount to get a player. And they will end up with lots of overpaid expensive underperforming players. It’s bad for all the reasons you said and keeping the age range and salary structure makes more sense. We should not have a need to get caught up in the Rice or Bellingham bidding wars. Or Gazpko.
Good article, and I tend to agree. The Partey succession plan is an interesting one, and I’m not really convinced Danilo is the guy given all the metrics.
If Juve or Inter offer you €25m for Partey this summer, which you can then put toward Caicedo or Rice, do you take it?
Personally I think if anyone offered that much you'd have to take it. Then you could attempt a splashy signing instead of a successor. I have a hard time seeing anyone taking on the risk of his wage given the recent stuff around him though.
I think I would. Given the injury track record and the age I think that is too good to turn down.
Replacing him would not be easy and it would certainly be expensive.
I agree also that Danilo is unlikely to be an immediate player to replace, he has interesting tools but is still raw and I think I would want to see more of him in a single pivot vs the double pivot he has done in Brazil.
It might be pretty reductive to think the only consequence of picking up the wrong player as our new 6 is the transfer fee.
I attribute one of the major reasons we missed out on top 4 last season to the absence of Partey. Our stats also show we lose more games without him in the team.
That role is extremely important for the way our team thrives. If we don’t pick the right player, the consequences would likely be more than the reported £30m being quoted. It could go as far as stagnating or even dropping our standing in the league.
The main reason we decided to reduce our wage bill was because “we had a UCL bill on a UEL budget”. A consistent run in the UCL for a few seasons (hopefully starting with next season) might give us a bit more leeway when it comes to our wage bill. I don’t think we’ll keep penny pinching for much longer.
As for Declan Rice, good player but not my cup of “coffee”. He doesn’t seem press-resistant enough and I think that shows in his dribble numbers, though, his dispossession and touch numbers are really good. Being able to shake-off a press in tight high pressure situations is what makes Partey special.
Looking forward to see who takes on the mantle from him.
Good read.
You can look at it that way, or you can also look at it as last season we were still recovering from/experiencing oversaturation of the wage bill and it made us less nimble in the transfer market. Right or not we didn't pursue Tammy Abraham solely because of being stuck on our stable of strikers, for instance.
Maintaining flexibility allows the club to move more quickly to make changes, rather than the stagnation you're talking about. Rice, for example, could join on the "he could be the difference between CL and EL" line, but there's always the risk that it's not true, like Nico Pepe. If Saka didn't come along I shudder at what the wing might look like right now. If KSE are willing to spend to cover mistakes, then so be it. But as we've seen, they seem more likely to require those guys to be gone first (Mustafi/Ozil/Auba/Kola/etc)
I take your nimble point.
Ultimately, hoping for a good medium. I think our risk tolerance should increase to a point where we go more for a “near guarantee” than a “likely project” player. Ideally, at a transfer fee and wage that would be relatively easy to move on.
To be honest I think a £25m player from Brazil is in that wheelhouse. Martinelli or Marquinhos would be your likely projects. But the prices being discussed for Danilo would be second for Palmeiras to only Gabriel Jesus, who made a pretty quick impact in England. Players like Bruno Guimaraes have cost less. Edu and Arteta seem to be putting trust in their scouts to meet the assignment here, which I think is the intersection closest to near guarantee and accepting of the role we'd give.
Your points are good. I suspect Arsenal is going to try to avoid getting in bidding wars with United or Chelsea. Those alre teams that will pay any amount to get a player. And they will end up with lots of overpaid expensive underperforming players. It’s bad for all the reasons you said and keeping the age range and salary structure makes more sense. We should not have a need to get caught up in the Rice or Bellingham bidding wars. Or Gazpko.
Good article, and I tend to agree. The Partey succession plan is an interesting one, and I’m not really convinced Danilo is the guy given all the metrics.
If Juve or Inter offer you €25m for Partey this summer, which you can then put toward Caicedo or Rice, do you take it?
Personally I think if anyone offered that much you'd have to take it. Then you could attempt a splashy signing instead of a successor. I have a hard time seeing anyone taking on the risk of his wage given the recent stuff around him though.
I think I would. Given the injury track record and the age I think that is too good to turn down.
Replacing him would not be easy and it would certainly be expensive.
I agree also that Danilo is unlikely to be an immediate player to replace, he has interesting tools but is still raw and I think I would want to see more of him in a single pivot vs the double pivot he has done in Brazil.