The Mailbox offers a suggestion for how Arsenal could borrow Kylian Mbappe while still making £50million from PSG. Also: have Man Utd been fooling us all along?
Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…
Mbappe (or Neymar) to Arsenal
I sent an email which was the result of a brain fart to do with the idea of Mbappe going to Arsenal. Seems crazy but I have now had time to inhale the aromas properly and have crystalised my thoughts – which sounds a bit rank.
Anyway, bear with me. So Real Madrid want Mbappe but can’t yet afford to buy him outright and are holding out for him to arrive in 2024 as a free Bosman transfer. Mbappe has now made his position at PSG almost intenable due to the comments he’s made and so there is a need for him to get out of there for the upcoming season so he can be ready to get over to Real next summer. This seems like the ideal opportunity for Arsenal to leap onto this. He could go head to head (tete a tete) with Haaland for the golden boot and become an instant legend.
Here’s how we could pull this off. So, we have Balogun who played pretty well in France last season and we’d like Mbappe for at least one season. How about we sell Balogun to PSG for £50m so he can flourish there and at the same time take Mbappe on loan until next Summer? Surely this would be a win-win situation as he’ll help us (definitely) win the league next season and further drive up his stock ahead of his move on a free to Real Madrid. Arteta would also be fond of this situation as it will put himself in the shop window for the Real (or more likely Barca) role. Which of course is not what I want, but I am realistic as he is clearly a highly ambitious manager.
Alternatively, the exact scenario could also be played out with Neymar and in some ways this could be more realistic with our Brasilian connection in Edu, Martinelli, Jesus and Gabriel etc… Although he does seem a bit of a dick and so I personally don’t fancy that.
Basically, what I am saying is that Arsenal will be signing one of those two superstars before the close of the window. You heard it here first (or maybe from some nutcase on Twitter/Meta’s new version of Twitter).
JazGooner (forget Romano/Ornstein, I’m the guy you need to listen to)
Arsenal the entertainers
We’ve seen a whole lot of talk about how after 4 years and x pounds spent that this is the year that Arteta has to deliver silverware. Plenty of people have jumped up to say that is delusional for a whole lot of reasons – City’s billions, 4 trophies to play for and 6 other clubs that all feel the same way, midtable upstarts who won’t just flop over to have their bellies scratched in the league and will legitimately fight for the domestic cups, etc.
All of the focus on trophies undercuts what Arteta is delivering and will continue to deliver, and I think there is a blatant refusal to acknowledge the reason why. I’m sure I’m gonna get a lot of “Well of course an American would say that” but…For a small fraction of fans, football is a live event and the pandemic proved that the fans in the stadium do matter, but for most of us football is a reality tv program…whether we like that label or not, that is exactly what it is.
And what Arteta’s Arsenal delivers, regardless of your feelings about this terminology, is “entertaining content”. They are a team that I want to watch. With all due respect to Unai, the end of the Emery era made me question whether I wanted to watch anymore. Arteta changed that.
And OF COURSE I WANT THEM TO WIN, but if they don’t, if they are steamrolled by City again, I’ll still watch next season. I like these characters, I want to see them grow and succeed. I want them to go far in cup competitions so I can see more games against the best teams in the world. We didn’t all get suckered into Game of Thrones cause the good guys always won. I do not understand the Stewie’s of the world with their “Just throw money at it until all fall before you!” solutions, missing entirely what is likeable about this group of players. Just enjoy the F-ing show…it’s really good!
Side note: Harry Kane is like the opposite of cool, good catch.
Josh, Arsenal MA
Arsenal don’t need a trophy
In response to Rami this year, the answer is no we don’t ‘have’ to win a trophy this year.
Even if we did, a league cup wouldn’t really count would it? We have won the Fa Cup 4 times in the last 10 years so that wouldn’t wash either. So that leaves either the PL or the Champions League. I don’t think anyone can really claim we ‘have’ to win the PL when you have an all-conquering Man City and a likely resurgent Liverpool challenging for the title as a minimum.
This is also our first CL campaign since 16/17 so really not realistic to win that surely?! Football 365 had it spot on. Another title challenge (i.e – still be in the mix in April) and getting to the knock outs of the CL would be a decent season. Arteta is rightly filling the squad with quality now that we cannot put out a 2nd string in the Europa League.
Last season showed that we had a great first 13/14 players but then the quality dropped markedly (think Holding & others). The likes of Pep have 18/19 top draw players he relies on. That is where we need to get to.
Tom (London Gooner)
Have Man Utd fooled us all?
Have a sneaky suspicion Man United might be playing a blinder. All year I’ve read that their transfer budget is anywhere from £100-150M, but what if this was all a tactical lie?
What if they have for once finally identified attainable targets, ahead of time, valued them appropriately, stuck to that valuation and have been putting into place the required steps to get the transfers done, all without the “United Premium” we see so often?
By simply acting as if they are broke, or confined by FFP or the sale, clubs appear to be treating them as if that extra £20M they love adding on top of transfers is no longer there or warranted.
The Mount fee feels right and is way less than the initially reported £80M. Onana for £50M would be great, and if the can get Hojlund for £50M, also reported to cost £80-100M, then hats off to Mr Murtough & Co.
All three for £150M goes a long way to improving the squad, and leaves whatever’s really in the budget that’s left + player sales to further improve the team. This all with plenty of time before the season starts.
Calvino
No worries for Wolves
I’m not 100% on board with Tickner’s assessment of Wolves’ summer worries. I mean he might be right but Leicester fans will be asking where this astute concern was for them last summer. Dave’s perspective of things could be accurate but it seems to me that a clear out may have been one of the lures to get Lopetegui to join them on the promise that proceeds will be all his to build a new team. If so then these early sales are a necessary step to give them enough time to get their targets.
I’m not rubbishing Dave’s narrative we could both be right or wrong to any degree and genuinely if we have an article from last summer warning Leicester then I’ll start calling him Dave “The Oracle” Tickner and give him all the credibility.
Simon M, LFC
Kane should go
I reckon Harry must go, and Spurs must sell him.
Harry clearly wants to win something, and Bayern give him the most direct path. Spurs would expect to get £80-100M. With one year on his contract, and time to reinvest, they should take the deal.
The alternative? Through rose tinted glasses, what? They finished top four and win the FA Cup, with Harry so enamored he decides to renew? Very unlikely.
Harry’s 30 goals last year didn’t get them Champions league football or a trophy and I doubt it will this coming year as well.
Spurs have to compete against last years reigning top four, a renewed Liverpool and a refurbished Chelsea, who also won’t have European football on offer. This all with what appears to be the weakest squad of the lot and a new manager in a new league.
I’d say sell now, buy Benfica’s Ramos or one of the many talented strikers available, accept a transition is necessary, and build tomorrows Liverpool.
Calvino
ICYMI
I just wanted to let you know that I thought Thursday’s Mediawatch was outstanding.
J
