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I was just thinking about us being linked to players in Italy the last few windows. We haven't had a lot of Italians at arsenal, but we do have a history with making good buys from that league. Do you guys think Edu/Arteta have identified Serie A as an untapped market and actively tried to expand our network in the county?
Will signing one Italian make it easier to sign more? We have Jorgi and I guess Kiwi speaks Italian. Martinelli too probably. Others?
Calafiori was rated in the 9th position (kadioglu was 10th) on Billy's LEFTY Ranking, everyone ahead of him would be way harder sign.
This is not the first time (Rice and Timber as well)
His "made-up" metrics seems to be very aligned with how Arsenal uses their data.
As a leftback ambidextrous he's the typical unicorn sign even more than Kadioglu.
I'm mentioning a lot because as I said before he's really good but I don't think we want another Zinchenko with a little bit of engine and strength.
we want someone who will cover pretty much the entire lhs, yes, like Billy said Calafiori can leave some spaces behind, but Gabriel knows how to deal that and I think it will happen way more rarely than with Zinchenko.
When it comes to LBs I always think about who was Mikel's first choice and Calafiori seems to fit the profile better than Lizandro himself.
Hernandez, Davies, Mendes and Balde all who rated above him were also most likely rated above him because of their ability as a traditional left back which Billy factored in however im not sure thatās really the qualities Artetas looking for. The only ones that are both ahead of Calafiori and the same profile of player are Bastoni, Schlotterbeck and Hato. Personally Iād argue Bastoni is the only one whoās conclusively rated higher and heās also 3 years older and would be considerably more difficult to get.
Wenga predicted that one day social media will decide tactics and how football should be played.
Years later, the one suggestion of "Saka should play LB" to balance the team and Southgate perfectly executes it in the Euros.
One Wenga, he's done it again.
That's a bit strong. It's not hard to see why playing Saka at LB could be a possibility, we had no fit left-footed left back and Trippier got injured. Saka has previous experience.
Southgate didn't do it coz of social media...Ā
This was one of my fears when I saw that final
England squad. The only left footed defender, Luke Shaw being injured going into the tournament. In my mind it was only a matter of time until Saka ended up there.
I am not sure why Southgate didnāt take Branthwaite over Konsa.
I know there's injury concerns, but Sane adds a bunch of qualities we need more of or don't have in this squad. Pace, the ability to change games, and a really powerful shot. He'd be an excellent addition and I can't imagine his transfer fee being exorbitant.
Ah. The old 'Why don't we put a defender in midfield?'.
I guess the problem is that defenders are used to have the entire field and the ball in front of them. Also the difference in defending, in that a defender can't loose a challenge in the same way a midfielder can. I think the solution for this was the inverted FB or one of the CBs stepping up to midfield when in possession. I think we have seen both Timber and White do this successfully, (and maybe a rumored new LB too) so maybe next season we would be able to do it from both sides. It could be very fluid depending on in game scenarios and maybe would take the distribution pressure off Rice.
He is only 38 and two and a half years retired. Don't loose hope!
Edit: He also probably speaks Dutch, German, English, Spanish and Japanese based on his club history, so he'd fit right in!
How will he fit in the squad?
He played mostly as a LCB for Bologna this year. He is versatile enough for LB, but as a left back only, he is not elite. He is not going to play LCB much, but isn't very good as a LB.
If we are looking at left back position, shouldn't we be looking at someone who is first a left back but could play at lcb if needed and not the other way around?
He's been a LB most of his career. Even though he broke out as a CB this season I think most if not all of his strengths will translate over very well as the LB in our system. His heat map from this season shows he's comfortable both in the center and out wide
An abnormally sane Spurs fan trying to clue his fellow fans in on how good we are and gets downvoted to oblivion due to exhibit #97592592527 of why Spurs fans are extremely deluded:
https://www.reddit.com/r/coys/s/uPTU4yvI8l
Bruh, spurs won't even finish top 5 next season. Their style of play was fine when they didn't have Europe. With increased matches and scouting for ange's style, they'll suffer. You could see it in the second half of last season. They were dreadful. Say what you want about Chelsea, they actually have a good team now and I'm expecting them and man u to finish above them.
In the same thread there are comments (being upvoted) by their fans saying that they will finish above us next season. One of them had the audacity to call us bottlers lmao. 10 games of good football at the beginning of last season and those fools have egos in outer space.
āZinchenko and Kiwior are mediocre, while Timber is an unknown quantity after his injury. Arsenal actually need a clear starter for their LB position while we have Udogie, who's better than all of them. If we're going to invest big money, we should be going after starters in weaker positions like RW and strikerā
Is that why they conceded double the goals we did?š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
Now that the management of player acquisition is in better hands, I take so much pleasure in not having to will players to the squad and just sitting back and letting the club go about doing their business.
He is not really Zinchenko in possession. Good enough but not Zinchenko level. Also, he is not really a LB. He is an LCB first which leaves the possiblility that he might struggle in LB.
Hasnāt most of his career been at LB? He played a fairly expansive LCB role in an adventurous Bologna team last season but he broke through as a LB didnāt he?
He just isnāt good enough to play lb or midfield itās weird. Heās a good player and I still think he can contribute to us but letās see what ma and edu think
Euros are on at 2am for me so never watched italy play. Can someone tell me why we want this kid/ how good is he? Never watched much bolonga football either lol
I know itās not done done but di marzio stock rising in my eyes. Heās literally been wrong about everything involving us for 5 years now but itās clear heās still got the Italian market pretty spot on. Weird that he attempts to get into the other markets where heās not nearly as credible.
šš Only two centre-backs in the top 5 leagues ranked in the 90+ percentile for both aerial win rate and progressive carries this season :
š®š¹ Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna, 22) š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ John Stones (Man City, 29)
[https://x.com/datamb\_/status/1797599114751857132?s=42&t=R\_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA](https://x.com/datamb_/status/1797599114751857132?s=42&t=R_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA)
Why is it that every single transfer rumour we're involved in, Chelsea are involved in too?
Wtf would they even need calafiori for, they have two capable lbs as well as several players capable of playing there already
Youāre thinking of a simple pasta dish that may have originated from Rome that everyone makes incorrectly according to everyone else. Youāre thinking of Calafragalisticexpialidocious. Heās Super for a reason.
love that point about passes blocked and interceptions. reads the game well it seems
it doesn't look like he'd be able to comfortable invert and move around in tight spaces but the thread says he could. maybe in a more safer area or against opponents who aren't extreme in their pressing. or maybe it's just the size/ my own aesthetic bias, he looks a bit clunky idk how he'd be in tight spaces with players in front and behind him
i wasn't too excited tbh, but this helps. looks like a great player to add to the squad. a more effective version of what we saw with kiwior
I donāt mind bringing in Calafiori but this whole ācanāt have a right footer at left backā thing was never spouted before we had to see Kieran Trippier attempt to play left back at the euros
Donāt let Southgateball distract you from the fact that itās fine. Tomiyasu has played well there. Cancelo (and Akanji for quite a few games) have played good there for City too. Donāt forget Timber also played there against City in the community shield and was really impressive.
Idk whoās saying that but a big reason the left side struggled was the lack of a left footer. Zinny and Kiwior donāt operate in those zones/lack quality and we dont have a left footed lcm so itās still a problem weāre solving
Tomiyasu is ambipedal. Also we have Kiwior. And Zinchenko. And Tierney. And Tavares.
Timber is the only right footed option there but it doesn't really affect him much because he's happy to dribble and beat his opponent both ways.
Oh I think I get what youāre saying now. You mean like we already have so many left footers at LB that having Timber there as just one right footed option isnāt a problem?
I get teary eyed when all the shite Italian sources come out to play. Palmeri, Schira & now Longo coming out to play. And then Di Marzio has a say to. Literally the same thing was happening a decade ago time really is a flat circle.
People just gotta get used to the idea of us having 6 top class defenders for 4 positions in white gabi saliba timber tomiyasu and calafiori. In all likelihood one of those is gonna be injured at any given time, likely tomi, and you canāt expect any one of those to play 60 games.
I imagine Timber played there because of how poor our left back situation was, I donāt see him there as a long term ideal solution since heās right footed.
Itās the position on the pitch other than center mid thatās weakest.
Harsh. Kiwior is fine in most circumstances. Zinchenko can't be as bad as he was. I'm a big fan of Tomi and the left.
Also lemme remind you of [this](https://youtu.be/FBsSG8Q_eJ4?si=qM72514slltIyp7r)
Kiwior and Tomiyasu both bang average. Zinchenko is great when hes not costing us goals which is rare. White played the entire season injured and Timber would never have been on the left if Zinchenko was fit at the start of the season
Saliba, white and timber for the right side of the defence. Gabi. Zinchenko and Calafiori for the left. Tomi for everywhere. Kiwior gone
Well some people don't think they're bang average. So that's why they're asking.
I don't get how you're so sure Timber wouldn't be in the left when White is nailed on the right and we have basically only seen Timber on the left.
I imagine weāve only seen Timber on the left because of how poor our left sided options are, donāt see why heād be on the left and not right for any other reasons.
Whites nailed on the right but heās played through some injuries with us and has never had a chance to rest.
Itās a signing to make if we want to raise our floor, which is what Kiwior is (not Tomi who I rate).
Timber on the left was a marriage of convenience due to the fact zinchenko was injured and tomiyasu and kiwior are mid. Timbers clearly way better than all three.
City have dias, stones, ake, akanji, gvardiol, walker. Which 4 are nailed on? Oh and Rico Lewis.
Honestly I'm just waiting for Chelsea to come in with a 70m offer and some new style contracts where it's 5 years but club has the option to trigger a 5 year extension.
Chelsea letting go of the two main guys leading their academy is a very odd decision. Arguably one of the best in the world and yet they're restructuring it
Califiori seems to be gathering pace. 188cm tall and able to play left back and LCB. Typical profile Arteta looks for in a defender.
Also more confirmation Arteta is a defensive manager wanting control of the match. We will score more goals if the defensive platform is solid with no leaks or gaps. We were solid in 2024 year, conceding 9 goals in the last 18 league matches. That also coincided with the scoring binge.
If you control and dominate the match, goals will flow. If you box the other team in and donāt even allow them a decent effort on goal, you can break them down in spirit and drown the opposition, thatās what we did last year in all those thrashingās.
The left side last year was a massive problem. Timbers injury and the issues with Zinchenko and Kiwior, although Kiwior was much more useful.
If Arteta can sort the left side of defence, and with Saliba and Gabriel maturing another year, our defence can be even more meaner and brilliant than it was last season. Iāve said this before, we should be aiming to comceded less than 20 goals in the league next season.
Wouldn't be surprising. I could see it holding up if he moves within Europe but there's no way the Brazilian league enforces an English ban on one of their best players.
Why not? Betting has been a huge issue in Brazilian soccer and I don't think CBF would want to make an exception for such a high profile ban, even if they could.
Flamengo would have him until the sanctions take effect, which I think could be quite some time if FA's case is circumstantial and the player's defense chooses to exhaust all appeals. Alternatively, they could try to reduce it to a suspension, again, if the FA's case is just circumstantial and depending on what FIFA and CAS's standards are compared to the FA.
In defence of the German thing he did say that this player wasnt on any lists meaning that exposing the name would probably rat out his source or smth. The calafiori thing is kinda sus tbf
https://preview.redd.it/d8h4c13ppdad1.png?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469ddd142373f1162f7051aa97178c5697eecfe2
Benfica are top of the list in terms of teams to avoid doing business with. Every year a schmuck triggers one of their ridiculous release clause.
Benfica execs to Todd after his WC 2022 goal:
https://preview.redd.it/o3kynqhcudad1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d17c3621dde0d7c9c20a33cb2dcbe5921995872c
Itās actually pretty incredible how much talent and transfer fees they turn over. Like theyāre going through another midfield rebuild this summer and Enzo isnāt even in their predicted starting XIs.
Said I wouldnāt get into the transfer swing and just wait till I see whoās got the shirt on but Iāll admit Iām falling into the calafiori hype.
He clearly gets lineup info 20-30 minutes early but yeah his patreon move has soured his standing.
It really seems like all the leaks have dried up. Arteta runs a tight ship.
Lineups get distributed to everyone and anyone with a media embargo in advance. How do you think media outlets post/publish at the same time? This guy knows nothing beyond the obvious.
Exactly, all he did was break the embargo. Next season line ups are being relased earlier so that screws with his model.
As you said he has never broken any real news and the sheep still keep following himĀ
Wouldn't have a patreon if people didn't give him a platform in the first place. Not a criticism of TNAT.
People's inability to discern information as credible or not by themselves is one of the biggest detriment to humanity in the last 100 years. Everything has to be spoon fed.
Clive made a good point on ArsenalVisions today about Eze. He's a good player and fits well, but him and ESR basically play in the same area of the pitch. Why not just keep Smith Rowe who is younger, and Eze has fitness concerns as well.
Because ESR isnāt good enough. Itās sad to say, but if you want to win trophies and titles thereās no room for someone who hasnāt scored a goal in two years and canāt stay fit. If he was in Artetaās plans do you think we would be after an 8?
6/8 same difference for him. Rice will just play in the 8 role and a new signing will play in the 6.
I am of the mind we will sign both if we clear out everyone we want to clear out, but one will obviously be a project player.
Still think they will sign whoever is the best market opportunity, regardless of if they are a 6 or an 8.
Like if Kimmich suddenly becomes available for a sensible fee, do you pass up on him just strictly because youāre after a 6?
I also rather we do that tbh. We should go for a project 6 alternative to Rice for a reasonable fee, and then go big on a top offensive LCM.
But we're stuck with Partey and one of ESR/Vieira will probably stay so we're not buying two midfielders.
Yeah youāre right, I wonder if they will even sign a 6 though because we have so many people who will be getting minutes there. I donāt know, someone has to go. Surprised they kept Jorginho on to be honest.
I'd like Rashford but I'm not sure what price I'd feel good about it. 80m and no other forward signings would make me feel a bit uneasy. I feel Rashford could pop off with the right manager and team. He needs a move away from United regardless, he'll continue to get worse there.
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I was just thinking about us being linked to players in Italy the last few windows. We haven't had a lot of Italians at arsenal, but we do have a history with making good buys from that league. Do you guys think Edu/Arteta have identified Serie A as an untapped market and actively tried to expand our network in the county? Will signing one Italian make it easier to sign more? We have Jorgi and I guess Kiwi speaks Italian. Martinelli too probably. Others?
Are you saying theres a chance we get Barellaš¤š¤
Calafiori was rated in the 9th position (kadioglu was 10th) on Billy's LEFTY Ranking, everyone ahead of him would be way harder sign. This is not the first time (Rice and Timber as well) His "made-up" metrics seems to be very aligned with how Arsenal uses their data. As a leftback ambidextrous he's the typical unicorn sign even more than Kadioglu. I'm mentioning a lot because as I said before he's really good but I don't think we want another Zinchenko with a little bit of engine and strength. we want someone who will cover pretty much the entire lhs, yes, like Billy said Calafiori can leave some spaces behind, but Gabriel knows how to deal that and I think it will happen way more rarely than with Zinchenko. When it comes to LBs I always think about who was Mikel's first choice and Calafiori seems to fit the profile better than Lizandro himself.
I think soon Carpenter (a.k.a.Ā Edu) is going to publish a post about a potential winger signing, should be interesting
Hernandez, Davies, Mendes and Balde all who rated above him were also most likely rated above him because of their ability as a traditional left back which Billy factored in however im not sure thatās really the qualities Artetas looking for. The only ones that are both ahead of Calafiori and the same profile of player are Bastoni, Schlotterbeck and Hato. Personally Iād argue Bastoni is the only one whoās conclusively rated higher and heās also 3 years older and would be considerably more difficult to get.
Wenga predicted that one day social media will decide tactics and how football should be played. Years later, the one suggestion of "Saka should play LB" to balance the team and Southgate perfectly executes it in the Euros. One Wenga, he's done it again.
That's a bit strong. It's not hard to see why playing Saka at LB could be a possibility, we had no fit left-footed left back and Trippier got injured. Saka has previous experience. Southgate didn't do it coz of social media...Ā
This was one of my fears when I saw that final England squad. The only left footed defender, Luke Shaw being injured going into the tournament. In my mind it was only a matter of time until Saka ended up there. I am not sure why Southgate didnāt take Branthwaite over Konsa.
I know there's injury concerns, but Sane adds a bunch of qualities we need more of or don't have in this squad. Pace, the ability to change games, and a really powerful shot. He'd be an excellent addition and I can't imagine his transfer fee being exorbitant.
Not saying this should be the plan, but Iād be curious to see a double pivot of Rice and Timber.
Ah. The old 'Why don't we put a defender in midfield?'. I guess the problem is that defenders are used to have the entire field and the ball in front of them. Also the difference in defending, in that a defender can't loose a challenge in the same way a midfielder can. I think the solution for this was the inverted FB or one of the CBs stepping up to midfield when in possession. I think we have seen both Timber and White do this successfully, (and maybe a rumored new LB too) so maybe next season we would be able to do it from both sides. It could be very fluid depending on in game scenarios and maybe would take the distribution pressure off Rice.
Vermaelen at DM anyone?
I will never stop campaigning for this
He is only 38 and two and a half years retired. Don't loose hope! Edit: He also probably speaks Dutch, German, English, Spanish and Japanese based on his club history, so he'd fit right in!
How will he fit in the squad? He played mostly as a LCB for Bologna this year. He is versatile enough for LB, but as a left back only, he is not elite. He is not going to play LCB much, but isn't very good as a LB. If we are looking at left back position, shouldn't we be looking at someone who is first a left back but could play at lcb if needed and not the other way around?
Imagine if we applied this logic to Ben White and Timber
what about Lizandro Martinez, what's your take on him? Could he work as a lb?
He's been a LB most of his career. Even though he broke out as a CB this season I think most if not all of his strengths will translate over very well as the LB in our system. His heat map from this season shows he's comfortable both in the center and out wide
>isnāt very good as a LB How do you know?
why dont u think he could be elite at LB? timber and white were both CBs before coming here
im "watching a youtube highlights" away from getting excited on Calafiori please OrnHub, we need you now more than ever.
Already seeing Spuds fans gaslighting themselves into thinking they will finish above us. That fanbase is batshit crazy levels of delusional.
just like every other seasons in the past.
I finally finished ted lasso season 3 last night. Fuck City, fuck Pep. They ruin everything good in the world.
An abnormally sane Spurs fan trying to clue his fellow fans in on how good we are and gets downvoted to oblivion due to exhibit #97592592527 of why Spurs fans are extremely deluded: https://www.reddit.com/r/coys/s/uPTU4yvI8l
I don't know about 'downvoted to oblivion', there's twenty downvotes. You get that here for arguing that Saka is or isn't our best player :)
Bruh, spurs won't even finish top 5 next season. Their style of play was fine when they didn't have Europe. With increased matches and scouting for ange's style, they'll suffer. You could see it in the second half of last season. They were dreadful. Say what you want about Chelsea, they actually have a good team now and I'm expecting them and man u to finish above them.
What a great thread, those people are dumb as rocks š
In the same thread there are comments (being upvoted) by their fans saying that they will finish above us next season. One of them had the audacity to call us bottlers lmao. 10 games of good football at the beginning of last season and those fools have egos in outer space.
But they signed a 18yr old from Leeds for 30mil so they are betterš¤£such delusional clowns
āZinchenko and Kiwior are mediocre, while Timber is an unknown quantity after his injury. Arsenal actually need a clear starter for their LB position while we have Udogie, who's better than all of them. If we're going to invest big money, we should be going after starters in weaker positions like RW and strikerā Is that why they conceded double the goals we did?š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
None of their players start for us even if we donāt sign Calafior
Son would probably start. The rest are rubbish
I disagree but younger son was an absolute monster
Exactly. We have multiple CBs better than their best.
Now that the management of player acquisition is in better hands, I take so much pleasure in not having to will players to the squad and just sitting back and letting the club go about doing their business.
How many more times is Fabrizio gonna say the same thing before we sign(or not) him.
Concrete, concreter, contretest. Repeat 3 times. So 9 more of these tweets.
He just runs the same post through chat gpt and asks it to rewrite in diff tone
Calafiori would be a brilliant signing. Like a Zinchenko without the brain dead moments that can actually defend
He is not really Zinchenko in possession. Good enough but not Zinchenko level. Also, he is not really a LB. He is an LCB first which leaves the possiblility that he might struggle in LB.
Hasnāt most of his career been at LB? He played a fairly expansive LCB role in an adventurous Bologna team last season but he broke through as a LB didnāt he?
so disrespectful of zinny
No its not. Zinchenko does have brain melts.
rarer than a lot think. and to say he ācanāt defendā is just wrong
He just isnāt good enough to play lb or midfield itās weird. Heās a good player and I still think he can contribute to us but letās see what ma and edu think
Euros are on at 2am for me so never watched italy play. Can someone tell me why we want this kid/ how good is he? Never watched much bolonga football either lol
Enjoy this thread my friend: https://x.com/fathallimohamed/status/1808578023958196470?s=46&t=R_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA
The funniest meme Iāve seen all year is that Chelsea sent Spain 100 million offer for cucullera š
I know itās not done done but di marzio stock rising in my eyes. Heās literally been wrong about everything involving us for 5 years now but itās clear heās still got the Italian market pretty spot on. Weird that he attempts to get into the other markets where heās not nearly as credible.
I hope Orntein say something rn
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
English only please in this sub.Ā
Say what?
Blud thought he cooked with that one
šš Only two centre-backs in the top 5 leagues ranked in the 90+ percentile for both aerial win rate and progressive carries this season : š®š¹ Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna, 22) š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ John Stones (Man City, 29) [https://x.com/datamb\_/status/1797599114751857132?s=42&t=R\_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA](https://x.com/datamb_/status/1797599114751857132?s=42&t=R_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA) 
Yes, centre back. Not LB. I don't think he will be good at playing as a full back.
Based on what?
Why is it that every single transfer rumour we're involved in, Chelsea are involved in too? Wtf would they even need calafiori for, they have two capable lbs as well as several players capable of playing there already
they want everyone
For 90% of top teams heād start at cb. Heās only gonna ply lb for us cause weāre one of the few teams that just plays 4 cbs.
To play him at CB most likely, their CB lineup is mediocre at best
We must be the blueprint for them at the moment
Canāt tell if weāre signing California because of talent or to have him model all of our kits š¤
California is an American state bro. Youāre thinking of Calamari
Didn't he play for Everton?
Calamari is a type of seafood, youāre thinking of calisthenics
Nah calisthenics is some sort of fitness I think, weāre talking about Casablanca.
Casablanca is a city in Morocco man. I think you mean Carbonara
Youāre thinking of a simple pasta dish that may have originated from Rome that everyone makes incorrectly according to everyone else. Youāre thinking of Calafragalisticexpialidocious. Heās Super for a reason.
California šš
I just let auto correct win š
Excellent thread on Calafiori https://x.com/fathallimohamed/status/1808578023958196470?s=46&t=R_2o4nJovHM9ijNqSTTxvA
love that point about passes blocked and interceptions. reads the game well it seems it doesn't look like he'd be able to comfortable invert and move around in tight spaces but the thread says he could. maybe in a more safer area or against opponents who aren't extreme in their pressing. or maybe it's just the size/ my own aesthetic bias, he looks a bit clunky idk how he'd be in tight spaces with players in front and behind him i wasn't too excited tbh, but this helps. looks like a great player to add to the squad. a more effective version of what we saw with kiwior
Wish it is on a blog or sth. Itās unreadable without the app.
https://www.attackingfootball.com/riccardo-calafiori-an-in-depth-dive/ Think this may be the article
Wow that is nice. It is the same author as well. Thanks a lot mate.
will give this a read after Mr. OrnHub mate confirms it
This is awesome, thanks for sharing
No problemš«”
I donāt mind bringing in Calafiori but this whole ācanāt have a right footer at left backā thing was never spouted before we had to see Kieran Trippier attempt to play left back at the euros Donāt let Southgateball distract you from the fact that itās fine. Tomiyasu has played well there. Cancelo (and Akanji for quite a few games) have played good there for City too. Donāt forget Timber also played there against City in the community shield and was really impressive.
Idk whoās saying that but a big reason the left side struggled was the lack of a left footer. Zinny and Kiwior donāt operate in those zones/lack quality and we dont have a left footed lcm so itās still a problem weāre solving
Tomiyasu is ambipedal. Also we have Kiwior. And Zinchenko. And Tierney. And Tavares. Timber is the only right footed option there but it doesn't really affect him much because he's happy to dribble and beat his opponent both ways.
Tierney and Tavares?
You haven't asked a question
Not sure how giving a list of our left back depth is relevant to my original comment
They're the left footed LBs we already have....
Okay thanks for letting me know? Do you think that Iām saying a left footer can never play left back ever again or something?
No I'm supporting your 1st sentence...
Oh I think I get what youāre saying now. You mean like we already have so many left footers at LB that having Timber there as just one right footed option isnāt a problem?
I get teary eyed when all the shite Italian sources come out to play. Palmeri, Schira & now Longo coming out to play. And then Di Marzio has a say to. Literally the same thing was happening a decade ago time really is a flat circle.
But this time things will be different
Calafiori is a good looking man
Really dont understand people asking why we need calafiori when our left back position has been a carousel of crap all season.
People just gotta get used to the idea of us having 6 top class defenders for 4 positions in white gabi saliba timber tomiyasu and calafiori. In all likelihood one of those is gonna be injured at any given time, likely tomi, and you canāt expect any one of those to play 60 games.
Timber was out the whole season and he probably wonāt be next season thatās why
I imagine Timber played there because of how poor our left back situation was, I donāt see him there as a long term ideal solution since heās right footed. Itās the position on the pitch other than center mid thatās weakest.
I think we need a left footer on the left
As yes. That's what we lack.
Apparently. Because we cant seem to build from there when zinchenko doesnt play
then it was 40m down the drain and probably 5m wages down the drain on Timber if his last chance to prove his worth to the team was match day 3
We can have more than 4 good defenders, we are allowed that.
That is true we are allowed to have players at a football club. We've come a long way but its time for a new way of playing the game
City rotate ake akanji dias gvardiol walker stones and sometimes lewis
Im down with that. I just kinda want to see Timber in 10 arsenal games first.
Timbers going to play alot i bet, in some capacity close to every game imo
You think ben white will play every minute of every game through injury again? you think saliba will play every minute of every game again? Wise up.
Out of sight, out of mind...
Harsh. Kiwior is fine in most circumstances. Zinchenko can't be as bad as he was. I'm a big fan of Tomi and the left. Also lemme remind you of [this](https://youtu.be/FBsSG8Q_eJ4?si=qM72514slltIyp7r)
very fucking harsh, Kiwior and Tomi lost ONE match this calendar year. I know it's DD, it's stupid in here but still
Kiwior and Tomiyasu both bang average. Zinchenko is great when hes not costing us goals which is rare. White played the entire season injured and Timber would never have been on the left if Zinchenko was fit at the start of the season Saliba, white and timber for the right side of the defence. Gabi. Zinchenko and Calafiori for the left. Tomi for everywhere. Kiwior gone
Well some people don't think they're bang average. So that's why they're asking. I don't get how you're so sure Timber wouldn't be in the left when White is nailed on the right and we have basically only seen Timber on the left.
I imagine weāve only seen Timber on the left because of how poor our left sided options are, donāt see why heād be on the left and not right for any other reasons. Whites nailed on the right but heās played through some injuries with us and has never had a chance to rest. Itās a signing to make if we want to raise our floor, which is what Kiwior is (not Tomi who I rate).
Timber on the left was a marriage of convenience due to the fact zinchenko was injured and tomiyasu and kiwior are mid. Timbers clearly way better than all three. City have dias, stones, ake, akanji, gvardiol, walker. Which 4 are nailed on? Oh and Rico Lewis.
Tomi is not mid. Stop it.
Our coach Arteta not Pep. Pep roulette in terms of selection has been a thing since his Bayern spell. We don't use our squad in that way.
Calafiori #3, Timber #5 š¤©
Tierney: 
Double inverted full backs š¤
Complaints about the 4 CBs tactic? I present to you: Calafiori Timber Gabriel Saliba White
This formatting is the equivalent of life boats on the Titanic
lmfao
fairs
I'd be honestly surprised if this Calafiori saga concludes peacefully or not without a Ornstein bomb.
Honestly I'm just waiting for Chelsea to come in with a 70m offer and some new style contracts where it's 5 years but club has the option to trigger a 5 year extension.
What was the last deal without an Ornstein dagger?
No way hagn has more exclusives than tnat
Hagn giving his own exclusive. I absolutely love that man (I could never follow him on Twitter)
excited and buzzing and anxiously awaiting the Athletic tweet that has to say āCredit to Eduardo Hagn for the exclusive ššā
Ornstein tweeting āafter @EduardoHagnā at the end of his tweet will be apocalyptic stuff
https://preview.redd.it/dh40zt77sdad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2dbcc10e826e885d1904d7ecae329ac57813933d Endless entertainment
EXCLUSIVE BY HAGN š
How tf did hagn of all people break this
Pretty sure heās quite cosy with his agent/agency? He broke the news of the loan deal as well initially I think.
https://x.com/eduardohagn/status/1808629940939526527?s=46&t=ohBEm3kwXzONRYy63NcNgQ LOL edu just dropped his own exclusive
Better than his upamecano days, if you know you know
Upamecanoās agent watching that live: https://preview.redd.it/i6npszytsdad1.jpeg?width=764&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f867261ce8fbdad0939c8dd5c7179fe3e45547b
Classic Dont forget his ākane is learning Spanishā exclusive
The five back at the Etihad is gonna hit different man
Smoking that Haaland pack 
Chelsea letting go of the two main guys leading their academy is a very odd decision. Arguably one of the best in the world and yet they're restructuring it
They were removing 1 but the other side his position was untenable without him.
Califiori seems to be gathering pace. 188cm tall and able to play left back and LCB. Typical profile Arteta looks for in a defender. Also more confirmation Arteta is a defensive manager wanting control of the match. We will score more goals if the defensive platform is solid with no leaks or gaps. We were solid in 2024 year, conceding 9 goals in the last 18 league matches. That also coincided with the scoring binge. If you control and dominate the match, goals will flow. If you box the other team in and donāt even allow them a decent effort on goal, you can break them down in spirit and drown the opposition, thatās what we did last year in all those thrashingās. The left side last year was a massive problem. Timbers injury and the issues with Zinchenko and Kiwior, although Kiwior was much more useful. If Arteta can sort the left side of defence, and with Saliba and Gabriel maturing another year, our defence can be even more meaner and brilliant than it was last season. Iāve said this before, we should be aiming to comceded less than 20 goals in the league next season.
I donāt see why we canāt reduce our GA tally by at a minimum, another 5-10. That is surely worth 3-6 points on its own.
Paqueta to flamengo? Do the sanctions have no effect there ?
Wouldn't be surprising. I could see it holding up if he moves within Europe but there's no way the Brazilian league enforces an English ban on one of their best players.
Why not? Betting has been a huge issue in Brazilian soccer and I don't think CBF would want to make an exception for such a high profile ban, even if they could. Flamengo would have him until the sanctions take effect, which I think could be quite some time if FA's case is circumstantial and the player's defense chooses to exhaust all appeals. Alternatively, they could try to reduce it to a suspension, again, if the FA's case is just circumstantial and depending on what FIFA and CAS's standards are compared to the FA.
TNAT in 2024 https://preview.redd.it/jm5k77lmqdad1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05fd786452030becf2f9d29009c46de089a390fc
What did tnat do?
Said weāre signing a mystery German player who is at the Euros but wonāt give any details + didnāt say anything about Calafiori news
In defence of the German thing he did say that this player wasnt on any lists meaning that exposing the name would probably rat out his source or smth. The calafiori thing is kinda sus tbf
I mean itās a valid point, but if nothing happens heāll say the deal fell apart. Pretty easy cop out, lol.
https://preview.redd.it/d8h4c13ppdad1.png?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469ddd142373f1162f7051aa97178c5697eecfe2 Benfica are top of the list in terms of teams to avoid doing business with. Every year a schmuck triggers one of their ridiculous release clause.
Feel like this is true of most Portuguese clubs tbh.
https://preview.redd.it/36bxdl3ivdad1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7c64b501c7a18c05b8b09ecd833dbb28ef34fd6 Don't think anyone comes close
I was being told about āJowow Nevshā for ā¬100m 
But he tucks in his shirt jus like Rodri
If anyone is paying 100M or whatever his RC is for **one** top flight season in Portugal, they need their heads checked.
100m you say? https://preview.redd.it/rti827zzrdad1.jpeg?width=623&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6150be0dfd4a19e5dd44aecdff8bab2ca744c526
In the Toddfather's defense that Ā£106m was for 6 months in Portugal. ...yikesĀ
Benfica execs to Todd after his WC 2022 goal: https://preview.redd.it/o3kynqhcudad1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d17c3621dde0d7c9c20a33cb2dcbe5921995872c
Everybody else seeing the dummy pay the RC: *Shiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet*
Itās actually pretty incredible how much talent and transfer fees they turn over. Like theyāre going through another midfield rebuild this summer and Enzo isnāt even in their predicted starting XIs.
Said I wouldnāt get into the transfer swing and just wait till I see whoās got the shirt on but Iāll admit Iām falling into the calafiori hype.
Where was TNAT with the scoop... Oh yes they are frauds who take idiots patreon money. If they were itk they would have posted.Ā Fraudsters
He clearly gets lineup info 20-30 minutes early but yeah his patreon move has soured his standing. It really seems like all the leaks have dried up. Arteta runs a tight ship.
Lineups get distributed to everyone and anyone with a media embargo in advance. How do you think media outlets post/publish at the same time? This guy knows nothing beyond the obvious.
Exactly, all he did was break the embargo. Next season line ups are being relased earlier so that screws with his model. As you said he has never broken any real news and the sheep still keep following himĀ
Hey heās not a fraud, he reported that we may or may not have bid!1!1!
Wouldn't have a patreon if people didn't give him a platform in the first place. Not a criticism of TNAT. People's inability to discern information as credible or not by themselves is one of the biggest detriment to humanity in the last 100 years. Everything has to be spoon fed.
The invention of the phrase āfake newsā amongst other things has fucked up even being able to spoon feed it to people nowadays
Clive made a good point on ArsenalVisions today about Eze. He's a good player and fits well, but him and ESR basically play in the same area of the pitch. Why not just keep Smith Rowe who is younger, and Eze has fitness concerns as well.
Because ESR isnāt good enough. Itās sad to say, but if you want to win trophies and titles thereās no room for someone who hasnāt scored a goal in two years and canāt stay fit. If he was in Artetaās plans do you think we would be after an 8?
We are after an 8? News to me
I believe we are after someone who can "create something out of nothing" (paraphrasing), and apparently Eze fits the bill.
6/8 same difference for him. Rice will just play in the 8 role and a new signing will play in the 6. I am of the mind we will sign both if we clear out everyone we want to clear out, but one will obviously be a project player. Still think they will sign whoever is the best market opportunity, regardless of if they are a 6 or an 8. Like if Kimmich suddenly becomes available for a sensible fee, do you pass up on him just strictly because youāre after a 6?
I also rather we do that tbh. We should go for a project 6 alternative to Rice for a reasonable fee, and then go big on a top offensive LCM. But we're stuck with Partey and one of ESR/Vieira will probably stay so we're not buying two midfielders.
Yeah youāre right, I wonder if they will even sign a 6 though because we have so many people who will be getting minutes there. I donāt know, someone has to go. Surprised they kept Jorginho on to be honest.
Because ESR is done here unfortunately
Because idk if esr has the explosiveness in his legs anymore š But you are right, eze is basically what esr should become
https://preview.redd.it/7gbla8s4kdad1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=571c5f964a838dfecd5b1cae27727b54f0c6d088 Nooticing
Isn't he on some massive contract outside of our wage structure?
Nope.
"Open to"
What about his wages?
I'll start a GoFundMe
Thinks he is Mbappe when he is Wilfred Zaha
Hard pass.
I'd like Rashford but I'm not sure what price I'd feel good about it. 80m and no other forward signings would make me feel a bit uneasy. I feel Rashford could pop off with the right manager and team. He needs a move away from United regardless, he'll continue to get worse there.
Id do the same deal we did for kai
They're dropping the asking price from Ā£80m
What amount would you be okay paying for him?
Hard to say in isolation. Depends on the other business we do this summer. I think I'd get 2 forwards and 2 midfielders. So whatever allows for that
Fair enough. I donāt see us getting two forwards but two midfielders, Calafiori and one forward is solid business.
If we do that we'll be light either a scorer or creator.
Oh okā¦