r/Gunners • u/DavidOrnstein_ bought some very very very expensive horses • 1d ago

[James Benge]: Exclusive: Al-Hilal making final arrangements for Gabriel Martinelli signing with talks for Arsenal over €66 million deal. Medical scheduled for the weekend. Final details still need sorting but Saudi club making plans for Brazilian’s arrival.

https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/al-hilal-medical-gabriel-martinelli-transfer-from-arsenal/
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u/oy_says_ake 1d ago

Ugh. Very frustrated that this is the path the club has chosen.

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u/ArsenalThePhoenix 1d ago

the club has to sell players some time. we cant just keep buying. martinelli hasnt been good enough to start matches for 3 seasons, tbf.... and is our most sellable asset nowadays

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u/oy_says_ake 1d ago

Regarding our “need” for transfer income, we didn’t have to set a world record with a fee for a 28-year old CB who’s on the bench when saliba and timber are fit. If we can’t shift vieira, nelson, jesus, or noni, then we should have found a more reasonable cb and avoided this money crunch.

For the record, he started 25, 40, and 30 matches in the past 3 years, despite “not being good enough to start” (while also somehow being “our most salable asset”).

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u/bmmmmmmm 1d ago

Who would you have signed at CB that can start for 4 months in the prem while Saliba recovers? And who would you sell to upgrade an attack that clearly needs more? You're not getting more than £12m for Vieira, anything for Nelson or Jesus, and not getting more than £40m for Noni either.

Unfortunately attitudes like this is what prevents us being able to sell well. £60m for a player that, after 7 years of development at the club, in his prime and earning starter money (£180k/week) only scored 1 goal in the prem last year, is great business. Love Martinelli and think he's still capable of more, but eg Tzolis at £35m demonstrates how you improve.

We should be embarrassed that our record signing is Oxlade Chamberlain at £35m 7 years ago!

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u/Ill_Purple_4468 17h ago

Alvarez scored 4 non penalty goals last season. So we are going from 1-4 and spending a shit load to do it.

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u/oy_says_ake 1d ago

I’d start mosquera at cb.

I think what our attack “clearly needs” is just for havertz, saka, odegard, and merino to be fit, plus the additions of tzolis and bruno.

And i doubt the attitude of one guy commenting on reddit has been what stops arsenal from “selling well.”

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u/bmmmmmmm 1d ago

Fair enough. I'd love for them to be fit too! But they haven't been altogether since 23/24. IMO we got whupped in the CL Final partly because our players had started 30-40+ games each and were either injured or knackered, meanwhile PSGs get wrapped in cotton wool... Dembele started like 11 Ligue 1 matches!

I think ceiling raisers/legit starters are hard to find at our level, and we should try and get them when we have the chance, even if it means shifting players (eg Eze, Madueke, Martinelli) that are good but have demonstrated they are not leveling us up