Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[JUAN PABLO]

Being linked with Pape Matar Sarr again too.

says we wont pay 22 million for him . .        probably bs

[ozzjim]

More likely don't want to, and will try and negotiate down. As much as we like early business, the pressure to get bodies in early is not the same as the last 2 seasons.

Sarr looks a real prospect so I do hope it comes off, likewise Alvarez. A good number 10, even on loan, would be nice then. Surprised we are not going for Perriera from Albion. Can't see Smith Rowe happening in a month of sundays.

[sid1964]

I agree the likes of Watkins / Cash have done well for us and taken us to 11th in the Premier league, but to get towards the top 6 we need far more quality in our starting 11

[N'ZMAV]

Seen a bit of Sambi Lokonga at Anderlecht over the last few seasons and at that price it's a steal.

The sort of energetic CM I'd be happy for us to be in for.

Arsenal are after him apparently. Wonder if that’s because they’re losing a player 👀

[cdbearsfan]

I agree the likes of Watkins / Cash have done well for us and taken us to 11th in the Premier league, but to get towards the top 6 we need far more quality in our starting 11

We would have been top six if Grealish hadn't got injured, we've just spent £40 million on improving our first team, and bought in a player to add experience and squad depth, and are likely to add at least one or two big money signings to add to the first team. It's only July.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Not sure if I wouldn't rather we sign Pape Sarr and Julian Alvarez for 35M, than ESR.

2 promising players, seems like better odds than 1 promising player.

[cdbearsfan]

GET. THEM. ALL.

[Percy McCarthy]

Not sure if I wouldn't rather we sign Pape Sarr and Julian Alvarez for 35M, than ESR.

2 promising players, seems like better odds than 1 promising player.

Even better odds with all three.

[algy]

Not sure if I wouldn't rather we sign Pape Sarr and Julian Alvarez for 35M, than ESR.

2 promising players, seems like better odds than 1 promising player.

I mean, I think we should sign all of them.

But ESR will have less settling in time - there's no danger of cultural problems, he could probably commute in from London for a while if settling was that much of an issue.  So I'd say Pape Sarr and Alvarez are both higher risk than ESR as signings.  Also, signing ESR makes Arsenal - one of (currently) our direct rivals - weaker.  And the importance of that can't be underestimated.

So if we genuinely were limited to an either/or situation, I'd probably go for Smith Rowe.  I really don't think we were far off top 6 last season, and if we can hit the ground running we'll be in with an even bigger shout this time around.

[Dave]

 Nice little write-up from F365 on the Smith-Rowe stuff.

There’s an interesting little rivalry emerging between Arsenal and Aston Villa.

On the one hand, it’s not really that surprising – they always seem to spend a good chunk of the year locked together in the table; it’s just that generally it’s the part of the season before any games are played. More recently, Villa quite literally weren’t in Arsenal’s league

Now they are, and they are making noise.

Arsenal sold the wrong goalkeeper when allowing Villa to get their hands on Emi Martinez. Arsenal let him slip through their fingers like, well, you can finish that joke for yourself. This summer Villa have already signed Arsenal target Emi Buendia from Norwich, meeting the Canaries’ asking price when the Gunners would not.

Who made the right call there, only time will tell. But what is clear is that Villa were a nuisance to Arsenal even before they started trying to sign Emile Smith Rowe. If they pull that off, we’re looking at a fully fledged rivalry. It shows just how ambitious Villa are, having got themselves back where they really ought to be. But there’s no denying it also shows just how far Arsenal done fell.

Out of Europe for the first time in a quarter of a century and now getting bantered off by a club that was in the Championship a couple of years ago. Martinez has already called joining Villa from Arsenal “a step up” in his career and Smith Rowe could be next.

He’s an interesting one. There’s no doubting that he has plenty of talent, but were Arsenal not in such dire straits he would not be the great white hope that he has become. He’s the sort of player that your Barcelonas or Real Madrids would cheerfully sell for £25m while making sure they had a favourable buy-back clause in place.

But Arsenal fans are reacting like losing Smith Rowe would be like losing a limb. There’s always extra affection and greater desire for youngsters who come through the ranks to succeed, but Smith Rowe currently has importance and value invested in him that doesn’t quite tally with reality. He has scored two Premier League goals. Even in a historically poor Arsenal side, he has been something approaching a regular for just six months.

He’s a talented and promising young player who has a relatively high ceiling but thus far little top-flight evidence that he is there for the long haul. He is not Bukayo Saka, who is a full year younger than his team-mate and already a bona fide local boy made good.

It’s easy enough to see why Villa would be interested in signing Smith Rowe and why Arsenal would be reluctant to sell. It’s not quite so easy to see why both seem quite so very determined.

But the very fact that a player who Arsenal don’t want to sell could still end up at Villa is revealing in itself. When we all leave our Euros fever dream and the cold light of domestic results takes over our lives once again, it might be that this nascent rivalry is exposed as a sham. That Arsenal retain enough of their lustre to keep a resurgent Villa at bay.

Yet right now there is nothing really tangible that makes Arsenal a better bet for any player than Villa. And that’s not just because the season hasn’t started yet.

[Mister E]

Nice little write-up from F365 on the Smith-Rowe stuff.

There’s an interesting little rivalry emerging between Arsenal and Aston Villa.

On the one hand, it’s not really that surprising – they always seem to spend a good chunk of the year locked together in the table; it’s just that generally it’s the part of the season before any games are played. More recently, Villa quite literally weren’t in Arsenal’s league ...

... Yet right now there is nothing really tangible that makes Arsenal a better bet for any player than Villa. And that’s not just because the season hasn’t started yet.

I like the message here: it asks the question - "what will ESR add to a Villa side that cannot be gained from either existing Villa players or other transfer targets?"
As others have said, bringing in Alvarez and Sarr offers clear added value to the squad - Alvarez is a tricky attacking player, and Sarr beings a little more backbone. ESR is perhaps only another option to Luiz, MGinn, Sanson, Ramsey and Chuky.

[Percy McCarthy]

Nice little write-up from F365 on the Smith-Rowe stuff.

There’s an interesting little rivalry emerging between Arsenal and Aston Villa.

On the one hand, it’s not really that surprising – they always seem to spend a good chunk of the year locked together in the table; it’s just that generally it’s the part of the season before any games are played. More recently, Villa quite literally weren’t in Arsenal’s league ...

... Yet right now there is nothing really tangible that makes Arsenal a better bet for any player than Villa. And that’s not just because the season hasn’t started yet.

I like the message here: it asks the question - "what will ESR add to a Villa side that cannot be gained from either existing Villa players or other transfer targets?"
As others have said, bringing in Alvarez and Sarr offers clear added value to the squad - Alvarez is a tricky attacking player, and Sarr beings a little more backbone. ESR is perhaps only another option to Luiz, MGinn, Sanson, Ramsey and Chuky.

More a replacement for Ross B I’d say.

[andyh]

ESR signing a new contract and staying……apparently.

[jwarry]

ESR signing a new contract and staying……apparently.

Yes appears we have been played by his agent, but you never say never

[cdbearsfan]

Well, we haven't, because we aren't having to give him a massive payrise, the can't be arsed to stay till the end of a cup final Tarquins are. How sad.