Summer 2023 Transfer Window - [Excluding Transfers to Saudi Arabia 25.07.23]

To be fair, Liverpool had a barely functioning midfield to overhaul and are coming from 5th.

Arsenal finished second and have improved their starting 11 again.

Arteta should have that side competing on multiple fronts. He’s been seriously backed by the club, the title challenge last season was surprising but that’s the standard now.

He’s done a great job with Arsenal so far and it’s not like he’ll be sacked whatever happens next season but to try and give him a pass simply because City exist is a bit much imo.

Arsenal have spend nearly 200m this summer, Liverpool are around 100m.

I wonder what the average spend per year is between Arteta and Klopp is though. Obviously Klopp is there 4 years (?) longer than Arteta so has probably spent more overall. Could be interesting.

Exactly, why would we focus in on one particular window and ignore how much has been spent in total accumulating that squad of players?

People go mad when trying to spin together logic to find a narrative, to make a particular point they want to make sense.

Or people will 'just try and quote the lowest figure they can', as ye have demonstrated.

It's pretty clear what happened over the course of the transfer. Mount wanted wages parity with Chelsea's highest earners such as Reece James. He wasn't offered it and went into a stand-off with Chelsea and eventually decided to leave. That's been reported on by journos affiliated with Chelsea. And one has put the number of 250k +50k out there. This wages ties in with the same money as Reece James was given.

Man United were prepared to offer the money that he wanted, and so he moved there. Man United are also trying to put out this new image that they won't hand out guaranteed big money contracts anymore after the likes of Sanchez, DDG, Ronaldo etc, let alone the Henderson, Martial, Shaw etc stuff over the years. Of course journos associated with the club are going to want to relay that image of not giving big money contracts straightaway and so will tow the line of the lower number. One journo has put out the 200k + 50k figure out there as a result, a week after the other report.

This 200k number is meant to be the new base figure Man United want to be known now. But Rashford needs a new contract and is already earning that figure as it is, and will be expecting an increase..... (200k base + 50k bonus according to Jamie Jackson, the Man Utd reporter, in 2019)

Liverpool's spending over the last 5 years (summer 2019 - present) on permanent transfers of senior players is €420m.

Liverpool's spending over the last 5 years (summer 2019 - present) on permanent transfers of senior players is €676m. That is before Rice (€117m) and Timber (€42m) are factored in. So the total should be €835m soon.

Both are incomings transfers only and fees are all from transfermarkt. Arsenal have spent close to double of what Liverpool spent.

That's not controversial, but it's also very much an ill informed and very basic black and white way of looking at things.

Had arsenal won the league we'd be getting excuses of Chelsea's messy, Liverpool underperforming etc

The goldenmiller was so sure no player would want to leave the ac Milan family

obviously they are not the same. who in Christ's name said they were the same? City are cheats, Arsenal have worked their way to this point through sacrificing immediate winning in the past, for a set future with the new stadium. and fair fúcks to them. nothing I have said contradicts that. they are great, and Arteta has done a superb job up to a point.

but in the context of Arsenal actually competing right now, it's actually serving as a convenient excuse. Arteta has had full control over shaping that squad. he's turfed out the wrong-uns and brought in his players to the tune of about £600m over 3 years. at some point, he has to be expected to at least make a proper challenge and/or win a trophy. the FA Cup he won was superb, but that was a very different incarnation of what he has now.

because if he can't win, or if we're saying Arsenal have barely a puncher's chance, with how much money he is getting (completely above board) and how much control he has had for three years, then we're effectively saying that absolutely nobody has a fighting chance against City.

i'm not interested in an Arteta's build v Klopp's build rabbit hole. we'll bore people with net spend, X players were really crap, Y owners did this etc and we'll never agree. it's pointless.

if you don't think there should be significant pressure on Arteta to deliver trophies or be very close to City, that's your call as a fan. i think the backing he has had is remarkable season-on-season, and expectations should correlate with that. they would for any other big club.

Jurrien Timber now on the verge of being announced too it seems.

Pool were in far better shape than Arsenal 5 years ago

Interesting to hear PSG say they won't let Mbappe go for nothing next summer.

Despite the fact that they can't stop that happening if he doesn't leave this summer, it certainly makes things interesting now. Will Madrid stump up the cash this summer? Will he stay ?

I wonder will they let him rot in the reserves for the season if he does neither option?

Haha, there’ll conveniently be a temporary reconciliation in that instance. Mbappe has all the power and seems like he is going to use every bit of it.

This was the Arsenal team in 2019

This was Liverpool

I would say Arsenal have done fairly well to get themselves above Liverpool in just 4 seasons and spending just 250m more looking at those teams.

There is nobody from that Arsenal team still a starter for them

I don't think anyone is arguing that they haven't done extremely well.

the only question is whether they should be winning now, or how close they should be expect to push City, which is a depressing question, because we all seem to be admitting that City are uncatchable. Because if Arsenal can't do it, I'm not sure who should be expected to.

Liverpool - rebuilding. may click this season, may not. older players declining and being phased out for new ones etc.

Chelsea - who knows? it's a crazy place at the moment. they've some wonderful players, but it's a lot to ask.

Utd - Ten Hag doesn't have free reign. They spend, but he can't seem to get rid of players and efficiently mould his squad the same way Arteta and Pep seem to be able/allowed to.

Newcastle - not yet, obviously.

Spurs are Spurs.

Arsenal - a manager being given money and free reign over a young, talented, improving squad.

Logically, Arsenal are the only ones that should have a real chance, and if they don't, the league is fúcked again.

Decent fee fior Arsenal

Real Madrid have just announced Arda Güler too.

I haven't seen him play but apparently highly rated 18yr old who a lot of clubs were chasing.

They seem to be forming a very good team based on youth.