Arteta on January transfers: unlikely

The conventional wisdom among Arsenal supporters states that the Gunners need a Center Back. There’s sense to that, the club does have six on the books but problems with injury and form leaves the club with just three reliable starters: David Luiz, Sokratis, and Holding. And Holding looked sorely out of form in the match against Leeds.

But Arsenal are also not a club which can simply schlep along two to three high-paid anchors. So, while change is wanted and needed it does feel like the club need to sell in order to make room for purchases. Yet, asked that question, Arteta was blunt: “We’re not thinking to sell.”

That could be a little more complicated an answer than I’m painting it. Three players were rumored to be on the chopping block up to just last week and none of them were center backs. Aubameyang, Xhaka, and Torreira were all making either none-too-subtle noise about wanting away from Arsenal or (in the case of Xhaka) had agreed to a deal to move. But since Arteta took over and instilled a sense of belief in the squad all three players have pledged their immediate future to the club. What will happen this summer? One day at a time.

The Xhaka deal is the biggest surprise of the Winter. I can’t think of another player who had such a remarkable 180 on whether they would stay with Arsenal (without the club offering them some bumper new deal). The stories about him agreeing a deal with Hertha Berlin weren’t rumors, they were facts. He was all but gone just a week ago. And now, I have very little doubt he will stay at least until the Summer.

Arteta has done a masterful job bringing all three of these players back into the fold. Xhaka has been smiling again, Aubameyang is declaring on social media that he loves the club, and Torreira has just won the player of the month.

“I was very pleased to read those comments. (Aubameyang) knows exactly what I think about him and obviously he’s a massive player for us. But at the moment we’re in the middle of the season and we haven’t discussed anything further on that at the club.

My intention is to keep Auba obviously because I know that if we keep Auba with us, we’re going to be stronger and closer to winning football matches. That’s the only thing.”

And when asked whether he thinks Aubameyang will leave: “I don’t know, we haven’t discussed that. But I’m confident that he’s very happy here because that’s what he said in the media.”

Arteta has also found a way to get the best out of the fullbacks – despite even more injury problems there. Fans are rarely a patient bunch but they are already saying that Maitland-Niles should be the starting right back over Hector Bellerin. And while Kieran Tierney rehabs his shoulder, Arteta has been able to either get Kolasinac to play above the level we have been used to seeing from him or find creative solutions such as deploying Saka there. And not just sticking Saka there as a body, but getting him to buy into the job and take on some additional instructions.

Arteta has energized this squad. He brings new ideas and is able to communicate his ideas effectively and the players seem to have responded.

“The first thing I wanted to change was the energy around the team and around the club as well. It is slightly better than how it was, or much better I would say. Obviously the fact we are winning games helps, and as well what I am seeing at the training ground since the day I moved is much more like I want to see.”

He’s also scaffolding his teachings so that he doesn’t overwhelm the players with 100 different things at once. He finally had a week of full training and has started to build on his previous sessions, but we shouldn’t expect massive tactical changes yet:

“At least we had some time to train a few things that I wanted to start implementing. It is nice to have a few more players back, a few from injury, and a bigger group where we can be not just match, post-match, recovery, pre-match all the time.”

It feels like training the players he has and getting the group back from injury are the main areas that Mikel wants to focus on. If that sounds familiar it’s because it’s the way that all good coaches approach team building: you can’t always buy your way to a better team, you have to also train players, work with them, and get them to play football the way you want. Bielsa was actually offered new signings last year and famously refused to take them, saying he prefered to work with the younger players than bring in new ones.

Arteta admitted that there are some key injuries and that the club will look to do a deal if a really good opportunity comes up. But instead of looking to the transfer window as an escape clause, I think Arteta is looking to simply improve the squad he’s got.

“I don’t know, I’m not expecting big things. I’m expecting big things from the players I have at the moment, the players that are recovering from injuries. That’s the biggest expectations from my side, they’re there. If we can find something to help us go through the season in a more balanced way in certain areas, and is helpful, we’ll look at the options.”

Arsenal will probably make a few loan deals out. I also feel like if someone comes in and offers Mustafi an escape clause the club will take it and look to replace him at that point.

But if you’re hoping for Arsenal to go out and buy Upamecano this January, you might want to just put that on hold for a little while. Not only are Red Bull in a title race in the Bundesliga but they also have an energetic young coach who has put them in that position and an ownership group willing to spend money to build a title challenger. I would be shocked to my core if Arsenal prised their best defender in January.

I don’t expect any signings but I do expect that Arteta will be making a lot of players – the Mustafis and Xhakas – into Likeanewsignings.

Qq

20 comments

  1. “I’m confident that he’s very happy here because that’s what he said in the media.”

    I laughed out loud when I read this. I hope Mikel doesn’t base all his justifications on media reports. Unless he reads YOUR column, of course…

  2. “He brings new ideas and is able to communicate his ideas effectively and the players seem to have responded”.
    ___________________

    This is the key, Tim. I was startled — in a good way — by the clarity of his expression. He communicates his thoughts and ideas very well, presumably even when engaging in high-decibel halftime cussing.

    Speaking of defenders, Im curious about what you make of Mavropanos. Does he have a future with us?

    Re: Bellerin and AMN, I dont like to be too reactionary so Im not going to jump on a bandwagon. But Ive said for a long time that Bellerin is weak on the defensive side of his role. He is superb as a link man on the overlap, but defensive/tactically he can look confused and not strong enough. Pep’s fullbacks, Mendy and Walker, are physical specimens, and no nonsense defenders. Alexander Arnold and Robertson are superb attacking fullbacks but also defend well.

    Intrigued to see what Arteta can do for Bellerin’s game. He already seems to have improved Kolasinac. Arteta’s approach seems to be that it’s his job to improve what he has, before condemning them as unsuitable. Have to say Im fascinated by his Xkaka project, and how that ends. But there were times in the Leeds game when Xhaka was carrying the ball. I thought that my TV needed adjusting.

    1. This is the key, Tim. I was startled — in a good way — by the clarity of his expression. He communicates his thoughts and ideas very well, presumably even when engaging in high-decibel halftime cussing.

      I would pay good money to hear an angry Arteta give players his piece of mind ,but not as much as I would’ve paid to hear an angry SAF or Gordon Strachan in action.
      According to one of Artur Boruc anecdotes from his stint with the Celtic, after one of Strachan’s half time “speeches “ all the continental players looked around and bust out laughing.
      Boruc said the only thing they understood was the cuss words.

      Like I said before I too am hugely impressed with Arteta and will gladly consume large portions of humble pie if he can transform some of the players I gave up on a long time ago into dependable cogs in his Arsenal machine.

      Assuming Arteta stays that long , I wonder what this squad might look like after four or five transfer windows.

  3. The Upamecano stuff makes me laugh whenever I read it. A) As you say, mid-season transfer from the top team in the Bundesliga? C’mon. And B) City, United both need a world-class CB too, we can’t compete with them on fee and wages.

    That said, Boateng on LOAN wouldn’t be the end of the world, I think he’d be a serviceable addition (even if he is a bit Luiz/Mustafi-like sometimes). Any experienced CB on LOAN. But I wouldn’t buy anyone over the age of 24 in January (or even the summer for that matter).

    1. Boateng retired Merteseacker, and for a while with Hummels, formed one of the best CB pairings in the game.

      There’s nothing Mustafi-like about him. But he’s old(er), and isnt the player he was. He also played briefly for City, but didnt make waves.

      1. I’ve watched enough Bayern games to know he’s prone to some pretty significant mental gaffes at important times of the game (I’m thinking of a few Champions League screw ups). That’s why I compare him to Mustafi. But agreed – in his prime one of the 10 best CB’s in the world.

    2. The knock against Boateng is that we have 2 thirtysomething stop gap defenders in Sokratis and Luiz. I’d be shocked if we brought in a third.

      On AMN, Im guessing without evidence that Arteta told him he is Bellerin’s competitor, not his stand in. He’s played like it the past few games, whereas in the past he’s moaned that he’s playing out of position.

      1. Sorry but the knock against Boateng isn’t his age, it’s that he’s physically and mentally fallen off a cliff. Check out LGAmbrose who watches Bundesliga a lot. Dude says Boateng is toast.

        1. Sure. Will do.

          To be clear, I dont want us to sign Boateng. Prefer a younger defender with potential to grow. If we have to sign a defender in January, I’d go for someone like Lewis Dunk from Brighton. He’s 28, though. Not “young.”

    3. Upamecano – “when Arsenal knock it’s a different knock” lol

      Boateng – this would be Lich Mk 2, he’s done, dusted, kaput.

      1. Yeah, but we’re not buying a CB in January. Never going to happen. Yet we need cover because if one of Sokratis or Luis goes down we only have Mustafi and Holding. That’s why as a short 4 month loan, we eat his wages during that spell, why not? He’s played for Guardiola, knows what is needed from a CB in that system.

        I’m in no way suggesting we buy Jerome Boateng. That would be just plain stupid.

        I watched Mings play yesterday – we missed a stud there, that would have been a cheap pick-up 3 or 4 years ago when we were initially interested.

        1. This was the exact same logic applied to Lich and I will respond with the exact same retort; the best case scenario, Boateng comes and never plays; the worst case scenario is we play him against Leicester, Tottenham, and Liverpool with 4th place on the line.

          Loan someone in but make sure as fuck it’s not Boateng.

          1. Ha, I was wrong about Lich at the time of his signing.

            If Bayern are letting Boateng go on a free , as some reports suggest, then that says it all right there for me.

  4. Our best bet would be to accelerate the arrival of Saliba. If the deal gives us any room to. There will likely be a financial penalty, but if we brought in someone on loan (Denis Suarez anyone?) we’d be paying good money anyway.

    Win win. He helps us out, he integrates earlier.

    1. C’mon Claude , Suarez loan was an overwhelming success ……in that , that Arsenal dodged buying him on the permanent bases instead.

      Which is what Barca wanted in the first place.
      A season loan at which end a compulsory permanent transfer.
      What genius thought up this fine concept I wonder.

  5. Come to think of it, I think I probably was wrong about Suarez too, if I remember correctly.
    Hey, but at least I predicted Pepe for the PL nutmeg king.
    He’s got to be up there ,no?
    So that’s one in my W column lol.

  6. it’s very unlikely arsenal will sign any central defenders in january but arsenal still has mustafi. i was surprised that arteta opted to play sokratis at right back ahead of mustafi but the big greek did okay. i’m hoping it was because mustafi had an injury but it’s not on any injury report.

    i’ve heard rumors that mustafi has a new agent and is looking to force a move in january. likewise, i haven’t seen him in any of the arsenal training. if it were my call, with holding clearly not ready to play and callum’s torn acl, i wouldn’t allow him to move this month. mustafi can play center back and right back so he provides arsenal depth/cover in both positions. in fact, i would argue that mustafi would have played both positions better than holding and sokratis respectively did on monday; such has been his form this season. i know he had the huge mistake against chelsea when he let abraham turn instead of pressuring him high up the pitch but i believe that was remnants of emery that can be corrected with training.

    saliba? forget about it. the kid is like twelve years old with zero premier league experience. he’s unlikely to move anybody to the bench for at least the next two years.

    mustafi is the best option for arsenal right now. however, we don’t know how the abraham goal has affected mustafi’s confidence or mikey’s view of the big albanian. likewise, we don’t know what that clown, raul, will do. we’ll see.

    1. Sorry Josh. A previous reply of mine must have appeared to be disrespectful .That wasn’t my intention, but apologies are nonetheless due. Mark

  7. …and forget about jerome boateng. he showed during his time at man city that he’s simply not suited for the premier league. he was an unmitigated disaster!

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