Transfer: Winter Transfer Thread

[The Abusement Park]

Well, quality will shine through under managers that don't play a restrictive system and overcomplicate things tactically, but Arteta and Emery do just that. When players can't move besides the set position they have been given at all, and have to stand in one spot in possession, there is no room for individual brilliance.

Mou plays the most restrictive system out there and is one of the most successful managers of all time.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Arsenal have more top 6 finishes than any club bar Liverpool. I can't take you joking about us, so I feel I have to point that out

Top six has nothing to do with history, but current strength. Otherwise clubs like Aston Villa or Everton should be a part of it. Remember that it was mostly referenced as the top four a few years ago.

Truth be told I don't think Arsenal deserve to be considered in the top six right now, even though the media hasn't recognized that yet.

 

[cgf]

Well, compared to the Arsenal players, this is nothing, which makes me think Arsenals struggles are hugely management related. Not saying the Arsenal players have higher ability now, but this is something interesting to think about. Xhaka was a supertalent at Gladbach ( on par with Tielemans, Xhaka went for 40 million). Torreira a top class Serie A midfielder who starred at the World Cup and had top teams chasing him ( more than Ndidi). Lacazette was one of the most prolific strikers in the world before Emery / Arteta got their hands on him. Pepe had 33 goal contributions in the 2018-2019 Ligue 1 season, the second most after Mbappe that season. Willian had a good season last year before becoming one of the worst in the league under Arteta. Tierney had a huge reputation in Scotland. Mustafi and Saliba were considered great young defenders before signing. Bellerin was a top class player before Emery came.

If Granit had ever been as good as Tielemans then Eberl would've gotten 60-70 million for him out of you suckers.

 

[cgf]

Mou plays the most restrictive system out there and is one of the most successful managers of all time.

...is he though?

 

[Blender]

If Granit had ever been as good as Tielemans then Eberl would've gotten 60-70 million for him out of you suckers.

Xhaka is as good at Arsenal as he was a Gladbach. He's a very technically skilled player who is a loose canon, which is a big limitation on his ceiling.

 

[AB13]

Mou plays the most restrictive system out there and is one of the most successful managers of all time.

Defensively yes, but not when his team has the ball. Quite the opposite. They are allowed to break quickly in whatever manner they want. Overly systematic attacking and trying to coach every scenario in every offensive phase on the pitch, is just counter productive and limits all creative instincts the players naturally have.

 

[The Abusement Park]

The Ricardo Pereira one is the most baffling. He was considered an excellent player when they bought him, and proceeded to be excellent as expected. Not top 6 quality though.

Ironically their best player is the most random player of the lot in Vardy.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Well, quality will shine through under managers that don't play a restrictive system and overcomplicate things tactically, but Arteta and Emery do just that. When players can't move besides the set position they have been given at all, and have to stand in one spot in possession, there is no room for individual brilliance.

Pereira was not better than the current top 6 fullbacks before signing. Obviously, Leicester have developed players so my model of judging talent is flawed, but I have a point.

Sure he was. He was starting for Porto at one point. He was genuinely a very good RB before going to Leicester.

 

[cgf]

Xhaka is as good at Arsenal was he was a Gladbach. He's a very technically skilled player who is a loose canon, which is a big limitation on his ceiling.

It also didn't help that because of how slow-footed he is he needed someone like a prime Kramer next to him to do all of the running & bail Granit out whenever he was put under pressure; letting him just sit in space pinging balls up to Raffael.

 

[The Abusement Park]

...is he though?

I hate the guy and his football but you can’t deny that early in his career the dude won everywhere. But his stubbornness has clearly come back to haunt him.

 

[cgf]

I hate the guy and his football but you can’t deny that early in his career the dude won everywhere. But his stubbornness has clearly come back to haunt him.

The dude also lost everywhere

I get that we're in year 1 of the Mou cycle where everything is going his way & everyone is forgetting the way he flames out once his new players get sick of his s***, but Mourinho has burned down more quality than he's built up through his career.

 

[YNWA14]

Sure he was. He was starting for Porto at one point. He was genuinely a very good RB before going to Leicester.

He was also fantastic in L1 before going back to Porto. Pereira was long known as a very good player, and I think many of the top 6 teams would have taken him. Hell, I still think he's the best RB in the league when healthy (or was his last healthy season).

 

[Blender]

He was also fantastic in L1 before going back to Porto. Pereira was long known as a very good player, and I think many of the top 6 teams would have taken him. Hell, I still think he's the best RB in the league when healthy (or was his last healthy season).

He's been injured for quite a while now, but he was certainly in the discussion for best RB in the league before the injury.

 

[koyvoo]

Pereira, for the record, has started playing with the reserves and is set to return just before Christmas. He will definitely add a huge boost to the team.

 

[The Abusement Park]

The dude also lost everywhere

I get that we're in year 1 of the Mou cycle where everything is going his way & everyone is forgetting the way he flames out once his new players get sick of his s***, but Mourinho has burned down more quality than he's built up through his career.

Sure, I also made sure to emphasize early in his career. But his trophy cabinet is still bigger than everyone out bar Pep

 

[Blender]

Pereira, for the record has started playing with the reserves and is set to return just before Christmas. He will definitely add a huge boost to the team.

Pereira, Soyuncu, Ndidi, and Castagne are all very close to being back.

 

[S E P H]

Pepe has been awful at Arsenal, massive bust. Maybe he'll be a better fit at a different club, but he's not working out there.

Your descriptive verbs are cute, "massive"? Lol, no. He keeps dominating the Europa with ease, it just seems when he plays in the EPL that something is happening and he isn't the only one. Willock yesterday looked better than Auba.

 

[Blender]

Your descriptive verbs are cute, "massive"? Lol, no. He keeps dominating the Europa with ease, it just seems when he plays in the EPL that something is happening and he isn't the only one. Willock yesterday looked better than Auba.

I'm glad to hear that he has dominated Rapid Wien, Dundalk, and Molde.

 

[East Coast Bias]

Your descriptive verbs are cute, "massive"? Lol, no. He keeps dominating the Europa with ease, it just seems when he plays in the EPL that something is happening and he isn't the only one. Willock yesterday looked better than Auba.

Well he's not running at f***ing Dundalk's backline for starters

 

[S E P H]

Nice to see you admit that it is on par with Leicester.

I hereby exclude Arsenal from the top six, and from now on reference it as the top five.

This makes no sense, LC is a top 6 club at the moment and for large parts of last season they were too until Covid struck. So comparing Arsenal and LC as top 6 clubs is actually appropriate. You can argue and make a great case that Man United has fallen the furtherest away, but there is an obsession with Arsenal on this board.

 

[robertmac43]

In Arsenal news Buendia being linked with Arsenal today as he has in the past.

 

[The Abusement Park]

This makes no sense, LC is a top 6 club at the moment and for large parts of last season they were too until Covid struck. So comparing Arsenal and LC as top 6 clubs is actually appropriate. You can argue and make a great case that Man United has fallen the furtherest away, but there is an obsession with Arsenal on this board.

We’ve fallen the furthest? Yet you finished last year lower than we ever have.

 

[S E P H]

I'm glad to hear that he has dominated Rapid Wien, Dundalk, and Molde.

Wien and Molde aren't that bad of clubs though, they'd be midtable clubs in all of the major leagues and Chelsea has this amazing ability to draw and lose to midtable clubs all the time...

Well he's not running at f***ing Dundalk's backline for starters

Nice "lets go after the worst team in the group so my point is made" post.

 

[Blender]

Wien and Molde aren't that bad of clubs though, they'd be midtable clubs in all of the major leagues and Chelsea has this amazing ability to draw and lose to midtable clubs all the time...

Wien and Molde are worse than every team in the EPL, but somehow you can't figure out why Pepe is doing well against lower league competition but not EPL competition?

 

[S E P H]

We’ve fallen the furthest? Yet you finished last year lower than we ever have.

You have to considering how many managers you lot have had and the money you lot have spent. This is a "what if" situation, but I highly doubt that Arsenal would be in the same position United is in if we were allowed to have the same funds you spent the last four/five years. Plus we've won more trophies than you lot during that same timeframe which everyone is hilariously forgetting. I mean an FA Cup is an FA Cup, but a trophy is still a trophy mate.

E: Plus what is the difference between finishing 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, or 14th? They're all significantly meaningless.