I\u2019m amazed to see the massive amount of transfer speculation on football websites, or rather I was until I stopped looking at them! I suppose we shouldn\u2019t be terribly surprised at this development as these sites exist to attract clicks and with no actual football to write about, what else will interest football fans? But it is annoying and naive to suggest that Monopoly money will be spent preparing for next season. I don\u2019t want to add to the general gloom around at the present time, in fact one of the joys of this website is to escape from the feeling of depression encircling us but we do need to be realistic about football finances at this very difficult juncture. Society globally has much bigger problems to confront than what happens in major football leagues around the world but equally as we are already seeing, the entertainment and drama that sport, most especially football, provides for a significant proportion of the planet makes it a hugely missed part of our lives- a welcome diversion from so much of what weighs us down in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Football will be hugely impacted, as will every other business by the fallout from Covid19. So far we are unsure if the current season will end and when that end may be. That will in turn affect the next season which may start weeks or even in a worst case scenario, months, after it was scheduled. Huge numbers of supporters or Sky or BT Sport subscribers may just not be able to afford to renew their season tickets or subscriptions, some may be very reluctant to rush to sporting events in big population centres for some time. All this means that football needs to behave very responsibly as we start to rebuild our lives. Clubs and players that are seen to behave irresponsibly or greedily will find themselves ostracised in a way they never have been before. It is against that background that I have analysed our transfer market activity over the last two seasons, four windows that have seen a big change in playing personnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transfers can be exciting. I can remember the pleasure on this site when we signed Mesut Ozil. Further back I can still recall the euphoria when we brought Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright and Sol Campbell to the club. The signing of Alan Ball was a huge deal for Arsenal fans just before Christmas 1971. But transfers also invite massive scrutiny (says he just about to bring our recent work under heavy scrutiny!) and given the huge investments they represent nowadays, more and more emphasis is being placed on how effective transfer strategy is. Recruitment of players is indivisible from coaching as a factor in success. One cannot succeed without the other but if you recruit badly in a division as competitive as the Premier League no coach, however talented, is ever going to be able to make a team successful. With our self- sustaining model we are not going to be bailed out by an owner with infinite financial resources like the owners of Manchester City. If we make serious mistakes we have to live with the consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how have we done ? In this analysis I\u2019m going to concentrate as asked, on purchases, but I will make a few comments on sales at the end. My methodology will be to look at the context of the purchase, the price paid and the quality of performances since the player was signed. In common with most websites who do this sort of thing I will assign a score out of 10, purely to give our readers something to debate in this virtual bar, which is sadly, the only sort of bar open nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Players purchased <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Berndt Leno –<\/strong> From Bayer Leverkusen – \u00a321 million <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Signed to challenge Petr Cech his ability with his\nfeet and his brilliant reflexes saw him quickly established as our number one\nkeeper. He played extremely well throughout our unbeaten run in his first season\ndespite a sense he doesn\u2019t always deal with crosses well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall most Arsenal fans rate him highly despite some notable mistakes. He was outstanding in our last game against West Ham and is in contention to return to the German national team – and they don\u2019t have Jordan Pickford as their number one! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 7.5<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stefan Lichsteiner – <\/strong>From Juventus – Free – (July 18) – (Left the club June 20) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lichsteiner was one of those purchases that didn\u2019t look as if it could go badly awry. He was a vastly experienced Swiss international right back who could also switch to centre back if required, he was a serial winner with Juventus and he provided cover for the injury prone Bellerin. He was also free although a big signing-on fee was undoubtedly paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lichsteiner found the pace of Premier League football a serious challenge and he was not helped by injury problems. He would probably have been another Oleg Luzhny if we\u2019d signed him about five years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 4.5 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sokratis – <\/strong>From Borussia Dortmund – \u00a317.7 million – (July 18) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sokratis was the recommendation of Sven Mislintat who headed up our recruitment for just over a year and took us back to his old club to sign Sokratis and his teammate Aubameyang. Only Sokratis is in my timeframe for this article. I wasn\u2019t excited by this signing but Sokratis has done a decent job. He is a fierce competitor, he occasionally pops up with useful goals as he recently did at Portsmouth in the FA Cup but his form declined radically under Emery in the latter days of his tenure. His performance against Southampton in the dog days of the Emery era was appalling and he seemed to suffer particularly as defensive cohesion broke down as we approached the turn of the year. Since Arteta has taken over he appears to have regained confidence and effectiveness .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was underwhelmed by the signing of Sokratis so he certainly hasn\u2019t fallen way short of my expectations. His time at Arsenal has coincided with a difficult era but he has looked solid at times and is manifestly a fierce competitor. But not really an Arsenal quality centre back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 6<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucas Torreira<\/strong> – From Sampdoria – \u00a326.4 million – (July 18) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another Mislintat recommendation, Torreira joined after a highly impressive World Cup with Uruguay. I caught a superb performance of his which saw them see off Portugal, Ronaldo et al and his early performances for us were generally excellent. He opened his account against the old enemy in the NLD (and was sent off in the return!). Torreira\u2019s form tailed off towards the end of last season but Emery seemed to have unusual ideas about what was his best position. He is a fierce tackler and ball winner but isn\u2019t particularly creative and has seemed to have stamina problems at times. But at his best he is a clear asset to the team and has improved significantly under Arteta, mainly through being played more often. The problem is he hasn\u2019t been consistent and he has been regularly linked with a return to Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember back to the heady days of autumn 2018 when he was sensational. That player is still there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 6.5 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matteo Guendouzi<\/strong> – From Lorient – \u00a37 million – (July 18) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Guendouzi was signed from Lorient , I\u2019m not even\nsure his mother had heard of him. It seemed a signing for the future and yet he\nwent straight into the first team and made a surprising number of appearances\nlast season. He impressed with his mobility and work ethic marred slightly by\nhis tendency to make occasional important mistakes . I found his assist stats\nunderwhelming last season but this season in the early days of the campaign he\nwas superb against Tottenham and Villa but made a disastrous mistake against\nWatford. Word reaches me that he is a difficult character to handle but one\nthat Arteta is willing to take on and mould. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n So far he has not quite fulfilled his potential but that potential is enormous and were we to sell him I suspect we could realise a very substantial profit. He is also on the fringe of the squad for the World Champions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dennis Suarez<\/strong> – From Barcelona – \u00a33million (Loan fee) – January 19 – (Left club in June 19) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n We had very little money to spend in the 18\/19 winter\nwindow and bizarrely signed a midfielder who we played as a winger and who\nsubsequently was found to be badly injured. He played four times but never started . <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Absolutely not. I described him as Meh to the power of n. That sums him up <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel Martinelli<\/strong> – From Ituano – \u00a36million – July 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first act of Edu was to bring Martinelli to the club. We anticipated, like Guendouzi, a gradual ascent to the first team but this boy has hit the ground running and is way ahead of schedule so much so that he is being linked with Real Madrid already. He scores goals playing through the centre although he is primarily a winger but he also works incredibly hard and has a good team ethos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And some. Our most exciting young signing for a very\nlong time and one of our big hopes for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n William Saliba – <\/strong>From St. Etienne – \u00a325 million – July 19 – (Loaned straight back to St. Etienne for the season) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n William has not kicked a ball for Arsenal yet and has\nhad a couple of nasty injuries so he is a typical Arsenal signing . We have\nhuge hopes for him which may be slightly hard for him to fulfil but early signs\nin France are encouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success \/ Rating – n\/a <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicolas Pepe – <\/strong>From Lille – \u00a372 million – August 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n When I read we had reached agreement to sign Pepe I didn\u2019t believe it. He was a sought-after marquee signing that I believed was out of our reach. I thought we might sign Zaha after a close season of wrangling with Palace but Lille were happy to accept a mega-fee in instalments and so we completed one of the most glamorous deals of the summer <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pepe has not found English football easy to adapt to. He possesses phenomenal ball skill and has a left foot that he can open a can of peas with but equally everyone knows how one-footed he is. He is a great dead-ball kicker (with his left foot!) as Scruz and I saw against Vitoria in the Europa League where he scored two brilliant free kicks. He has scored superbly at West Ham and notched against Manchester United and Newcastle but he is maddeningly inconsistent and ineffective away from home. Robert Pires had a slow start in his first season after joining from France…can Pepe similarly up his game more consistently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 6.5 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dani Ceballos – <\/strong>From Real Madrid – \u00a38 million – Loan Fee (figure not known) – July 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ceballos is highly rated in Spain but apparently not highly thought of by Zidane. His home debut against Burnley saw a sublime performance but the following week he looked overwhelmed at Anfield and then he picked up an injury in October which saw him out of the team as Arteta stepped into the hot seat. Recently he has returned to the team and Arteta after appearing lukewarm about him has praised his contribution and his attitude in training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think he has latterly adapted well. He has a high work rate, good passing stats and he appears to have adjusted to the physicality of English football. But will we be prepared to pay circa \u00a335 million to make the move permanent? And will he want to join? I\u2019m hearing not but much will depend on Madrid\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating \u2013 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kieran Tierney – <\/strong>From Celtic – \u00a3 25 million – August 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n I heard about Tierney from a Celtic fan several seasons ago and followed his career with interest from afar. I was very pleased that we signed him because I\u2019m not a great fan of Kolasinac defensively and I knew Tierney going forward was mustard. Sadly he joined us when injured (is there a theme developing?) and then after getting fit and starting very promisingly he dislocated his shoulder against West Ham and hasn\u2019t played since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Little to go on but he is one of the best crossers I have seen for a long time and I am confident, if he can stay fit, in a settled defence he can be a major asset. But can he displace Saka? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating -6.5 <\/p>\n\n\n\n David Luiz – <\/strong>From Chelsea – \u00a38 million – August 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was sitting by the river fishing In the summer when a mate contacted me and said how horrified he was that we had signed Luiz. A few minutes later another friend texted me to say what a brilliant signing this was going to be. Had you asked me before Arteta arrived I would have agreed with the first caller. Silly mistakes and daft penalties given away and he did little to stabilise a chaotic defence. Now I\u2019m starting to agree with the second. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luiz is a player transformed in recent weeks. He has made little secret of his preference for the Arteta era and has not only stepped up as a player but as a leader in recent weeks. \u00a38 million well spent in my view and I believe he is about to renew for another year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pablo Mari – <\/strong>From Flamengo – \u00a34 million (Loan Fee) – January 19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Context <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mari joined us on loan from the Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo and played well against Liverpool in the World Club Cup Final. He was not match fit as we signed him out of the Brazilian season (this one wasn\u2019t injured, just not ready) and he has made two, very impressive appearances at centre back during which we have yet to concede . Big, left-footed, passes well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n So far so very encouraging <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rating – 7 (a bit premature?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve not reviewed Cedric Soares as in typical Arsenal January fashion he hasn\u2019t been fit to play yet. He joined on a small loan fee and I suspect may join permanently in the summer when he is out of contract unless his eventual appearances are ghastly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So looking overall we\u2019ve signed 14 players in the last two seasons , four on loan , three of whom have hardly played ( and one hasn\u2019t played at all). Only Martinelli has been an outstanding success in the way that Aubameyang has been but I think 8 have represented decent value for money and I would also cite Leno as a particularly good signing . For reasons that I outlined earlier I don\u2019t think we will see massive expenditure this summer but we may see some departures. Aubameyang, Lacazette, Elneny, Kolasinac and Mkhitaryan may leave, I\u2019ve heard Sokratis and Mavropanos may also leave and Holding may go on loan. I\u2019d also love Xhaka to go but you know that already! That\u2019s a lot of upheaval but Arteta may not be able to get all of the players in he will crave. Expect a number of loan signings and only one or two major purchases. But won\u2019t it be wonderful to play again in a healthier world? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m amazed to see the massive amount of transfer speculation on football websites, or rather I was until I stopped looking at them! I suppose we shouldn\u2019t be terribly surprised at this development as these sites exist to attract clicks and with no actual football to write about, what else will interest football fans? But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=626"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":637,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626\/revisions\/637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}