06 Jun 2023 09:31:08
Why is everyone so attached to fringe players. If we want to be like City we have to sell those players when they are in demand. Yes ESR brought us much joy in the past but he played 170 minutes this season. Kieran Tierney is a quality player but Arteta is reluctant to play him. Xhaka is a different story and I always thought we could improve in this position.
If we sell the players that are not in the first team when they are in demand we will get more money to invest in new players. If we keep them they will lose value and we are not improving the team with them.

1.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 11:59:44
I agree with you mate, although some players I don't want to see leave, ESR being one of them. He's had 1 season with us where he has been unlucky with injuries and I think he could be important for us next season.

2.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 13:43:56
I rate Tierney as one of the best LBs in the league. Don't want him to go, but also don't mind him leaving as he's made of glass.

ESR is a young talent, he had a great season then couldn't get a chance, I'd like to keep another year and see.

It's not attachment, if elneny, eddie, Nelson, Vieira etc were to leave i have no issues. we need to improve and bring in players who challenge.

3.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 15:35:43
The issue is we are in a different sphere now. A title challenge and top four are our aim. We can only play eleven players but we need the best eight or nine good players who are happy to be used when needed and not play 35 league games. We should replace anyone who isn’t good enough as a sub or is unhappy being a sub. Tierney is and Martinez was too good to bench warm so if unhappy they go. Pep keeps them happy because they are serial winners and pay their squad well enough. We may pay well but are not serial winners ( it’s just City) . So the best players happy to fill in is the best we can hope for COYG PS I’m wary of a player who’s happy to bench warm . Winston Bogarde anyone?

4.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 17:59:38
I have said it before, but I don’t get the anti ESR rhetoric. Is he going to be top class, I don’t know, I am not a football manager, but I believe the reason he didn’t play much this season is that he had a long term injury.

However, Viera had no such injury, and subsequently proved to be extremely unsuited to the premiership and poor at our level, and yet I don’t see his name cropping up as a potential sale to raise cash like I do with ESR.

Can anyone explain what Vieira has shown that ESR hasn’t? Both are young, both should improve, and yet one is foreign and cost £30 million, so he must be a better player right? In the same way, Pepe must be better than Saka, based on the outlay?

I hope I am wrong about Viera, and that he settles in better next season, alongside ESR who I also would like to see still at our club. There are some squad players who we probably could sacrifice to get better, but don’t forget those players also cover injury. You don’t want to sacrifice two or three experienced squad players, like an Elneny, just to buy a single player. You would then end up risking having to use a Hale End player as a sub if you go down a few injuries.

{Ed014's Note - I think we have ample players to move on in Mari, Lokonga, AMN, Cedric, Tavares, Holding, Pepe and possibly Nketiah, that’s without the reported moves for Xhaka and Tierney.

Not sure about Trusty, Marquinhos and Balogun who’ve been out on loan too.

That’s a chunk of wages to put towards Saliba’s new contract and any incomings like Rice or Caicedo as well as any possible coin for their respective sales.

So that’s 8 that I’d be happy to see go and seem 100% likely that they will leave, plus Xhaka.

So no need to get rid of ESR just yet, Arteta seems happy with him from what’s been said.

I’ve not mentioned Vieira as like you just not sure about him and don’t know obviously if Arteta likes him, would a loan be a good thing.

5.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 19:07:16
I wonder wether a loan would be acceptable Ed. I guess when we payed the £3omil and signed him the discussion would have gone somewhere along the lines that we really want you, please come to our club. So I wonder if it’s then acceptable to say a year later would you mind going out on loan to play for Burnley?

{Ed014's Note - I don’t know mate but he’s wanted game time which he’s unlikely to get next year where by a loan may guarantee an extended run of that and show for sure if he can cut it or not in the Prem.

Would need to be the right club and definitely one in the Prem.

6.) 06 Jun 2023
06 Jun 2023 21:50:52
I think Arsenal should take advantage of having had a good season and cash in on players that are not in the first team plans. Keeping ESR might mean he loses his value and it's a rough chance of him playing instead of Odegaard, Martinelli or Saka. Man City have done this a lot of times and they are the champions again. Jesus, Zinchenko, Sterling, Ferran Torres, Sane. I think that is smart get as much money as you can and invest in players that can break into the first team.