if Van Dijk is not going to be acquired.
If Van Dijk was not being negotiated the entire time (or even if you were continuing to pursue him), they should have been going after other CBs to add depth there (especially with Sakho out of favor and being sold to Crystal Palace).
What the hell did he do...kill Klopp's dog? I would rather see him out there than Lovren. But you are correct, Klopp has had a few transfer windows to get another CB and, for some odd reason, hasn't. I don't get it at all.
The wrong suspension for PEDs, which started with him not letting the LFC staff know what he was taking. Leaving a game early when he wasn't included in the time (under BR). Being late for things and having to be sent home. It all added up.
I think he's only behind Matip on the LFC CB list, but he's very unorthodox and probably doesn't do a whole lot to calm the usual uneasiness in the back for. I think the emergence of TAA, Robertson, Gomez, and (crosses fingers that it sticks) Moreno will make the CBs better. I still wanted VVD, but it's possible he has more faith now than he did. I don't, but what do I know?
With Clyne (and Lallana actually) out, Liverpool are woefully thin on defense. Think about it, they have the exact same center backs that saw Lucas start several games at CB last year. But this year they also have UCL football. I'm sure they'll be fine.
Meanwhile, if he survives tomorrow (which I"m not not), Coutinho will just walk right back into the team.
BREAKING: Arsenal have made a bid for Adrien Rabiot according to RMC. More to follow. #AFC #PSG
it verified elsewhere. The Sanchez to Man City deal -- they don't have enough attacking forwards/midfielders?
and it wouldn't be Sterling.
My guess is Lemar said no to Arsenal and the Sanchez deal was contingent upon that.
not selling to City for once is a starting point.
What are they going to do with an Alexis who is distraught and saying he won't play for Arsenal after leaking stories that the dressing room was tiring of him?
I really can't tell whether they were malevolent or incompetent through this episode.
They also alienated former main target Lemar so good work there too.
I'm generally sympathetic to a club wanting a player to honor a contract. And I'm also sympathetic to a club not wanting to sell to a rival. But when you are offered £60 million for a player who doesn't want to be there, has made it clear he will only agree to a move to your rival, is toxic in your dressing room, and who is out of contract in under a year, you take it.
If Arsenal wanted to refuse to sell to City, that's fine. But if you say that, you have to mean it (see, e.g. Coutinho). If you are ultimately going to cave, you had better damn well have done your due diligence on a replacement. To drag it out, capitulate to an agreement, then back out because you never bothered to check whether your replacement target wanted to come to your club (who, in turn, publicly turned you down, citing your failure to qualify for CL) is the height of incompetence.
I'm truly astonished by the Sanchez saga. And not because I'm a bitter City fan. I suppose I want Sanchez because Pep wants him. But I'm not crushed to see the deal fall through. I just can't believe what a cluster that whole deal became.
but why did City's full offer come so late?
City informally offered £50 million at the beginning of the window. Wenger told them to stick it. Earlier this week, (after Arsenal finally accepted that Sanchez would not re-sign or agree to go to a team other than City) Arsenal told City it would be open to a deal at the right price. City formally offered £50 million. Arsenal rejected it and asked for Sterling. City declined to give him up. Arsenal indicated it would be willing to take £60 million. City offered, and Arsenal accepted, with the understanding it was going to sign Lemar as a replacement.
Arsenal agreed a fee with Monaco, but didn't pre-negotiate with Lemar, apparently. So when he said, "thanks, but no thanks," Arsenal backed out of its agreement with City. Meanwhile, Sanchez had agreed to terms with City, and had apparently told his Chile teammates he was a City player. So Sanchez feels like Arsenal dicked him around, and it did (although I don't have too much sympathy for him).
Just an absolute cluster all around.
without Arsenal securing a replacement. No team is making a replacement bid at 90MM first without having the right amount of reserves secure and their valuation met.
City reluctant to make a serious offer significantly delayed the clock from starting. Had all summer to make certain or some price discovery on valuation.
The low bids for Alexis was not even exploratory. The same team just sold Ox for 40MM. For OXLAIDE-CHAMBERLAIN. 40MM....
"City reluctant to make a serious offer significantly delayed the clock from starting"
Are you really trying to say that 50M wasn't serious, but 55M was?
Come on, Arsenal have known forever that Sanchez
1) Was out of contract at the end of this season (and will now leave for free while negotiating in January with whomever he wants, most likely City)
2) Had no intention of signing with Arsenal
3) City was interested since the end of last season
How can anyone argue that Arsenal did or should have waited until Man City upped their offer 5M to start looking. Either way, they have to replace Sanchez, the guy is leaving after this year. They should have been doing due diligence on Lemar for next summer to replace Sanchez at a minimum (along with others). Whether City bids 50M or 55M, Arsenal should have been preparing for the fact that Sanchez was leaving sooner or later, regardless of what City did or didn't offer. If they waited for a serious offer to do due diligence on replacing Sanchez, then they are a bunch of idiots.
and Im spewing B.S.?
That's not the sequence of transfers. The clubs agree to a transfer fee and then they are permitted to formalize terms with the player. IN.THAT.ORDER.
That no contact happens until a transfer fee is agreed?
Really? I'm not talking about tapping up players but are you really suggesting that agents and go betweens aren't used to gauge interest and ballpark parameters of a deal?
I appreciate the all caps though.
and it goes far beyond money, is the last step and the most time consuming. That does not happen until a transfer fee is agreed and or a release clause is activated. After those terms are finalized it then needs approval by the new association, in this case the FA.
Exploratory conversations of interest, availability and likelihood are done by agents year round.
I don't have any problem stating that I know far more about this based on first hand. I am no expert in healthcare though. Ill leave that to you.
free next summer. So his transfer fee is less valuable by comparison. A team isn't going to pay full market value for a player they can get free next season.
Arsenal told City it wasn't going to sell Sanchez. Period. Full stop. City suspected Arsenal would eventually come around once it realized Sanchez was not going to re-sign or agree to go to Bayern or PSG (who Aresenal preferred to deal with). But City was not going to make a formal offer unless encouraged to do so. Arsenal had all summer to find a replacement. And it knew City would be willing to pay around £50 million. Only Arsenal knew for sure whether it would eventually sell. And if it was going to be willing to do that if it found a replacement, it was up to Arsenal to find the replacement.
My guess -- which is only that -- is that Arsene didn't want to sell (because he needs to win this season), and the board eventually overruled him. But by the time it did, it had to scramble to negotiate and find a replacement. Maybe it thought City was desperate enough to give up Sterling. In any event, City can't be blamed for Arsenal's inability to line up a replacement, if its willingness to sell was going to be contingent on that outcome.
when he says a player is not for sale has not paid attention for the last 12 years.
it wasn't going to make a formal offer until Arsenal indicated a willingness to sell. Arsenal had an informal offer all summer. It knew what was what from City's end. It didn't find a replacement because it was indecisive and negligent. Not because it it was unaware of City's intent to buy Sanchez.
Arsenal is not calling Man City to tell them.
Don't be so naive.
A club has to make an offer to the selling club. Willingness to sell is not some flag that is put up outside the stadium.
as I indicated above.
Nasri, Fabregas, RVP just for starters.
think negotiations begin with a formal offer. Once Arsenal informally told City it was open to a deal, City made a formal offer. This happens all the time. Clubs speak and negotiate informally. Once it gets to later stages, paperwork is exchanged. For Arsenal to act as if it didn't know City wanted to buy Sanchez, for £50 million, until Tuesday of this week is just silly.
they acted to meet their valuation + make a replacement.
Clubs can agree to a transfer fee and then be permitted to personal terms with the agent and player. Its three or four parties involved to make it happen for one transfer let alone two players and other factors (Mbappe and DiMaria).
each club won't sell without replacement.
Deal might hang in the balance if Dimaria will not move to Monaco, with Mbappe to PSG and Lemar to Premiership.
Manchester City came in with a second offer of £55m, plus £5m in add-ons – but it came down to Arsenal being able to sign a new attacking player.
Quite simply, they look to have run out of time on that front. They wanted Lemar, and Monaco demanded that they pay 100m euros for him, which Arsenal indicated they were willing to do. But there appeared to be insufficient time for Arsenal to agree a package with Lemar, particularly as he is in the France squad for this evening’s game against Holland – which kicks off in about 2 hours.
Were Arsenal able to get Lemar, they would have been inclined to take the £60m from City for Sanchez. But it is unlikely to happen now.
Why did they wait until the deadline day to hammer all this out is what I don't understand. Maybe they didn't. Now they'll end up without either by this time next year.
but let's not fool ourselves into thinking the ship is well run.
Why would Lemar want to go to Arsenal when he could just stay at Monaco and play in the UCL? The same opportunities will be there for him in January. Particularly, Arsenal - if Sanchez's presence doesn't bring down the locker room, Lemar would have a chance to see if Arsenal are able to right the ship for next year.
last night after doing homework and immediately launched into a 10 minute monologue of how Arsenal has dropped the ball, has not spent money like they said they would, etc. He's bummed about the state of affairs, especially after seeing Sunday's game at Anfield.
for those who will be routinely abused by Kelly/Swarbrick & Wenger/Kroenke.
I have already mailed out apology cards to anyone in my life.
As you well know, Arsenal is always a day late and/or a dollar short by design.
De Bruyne, Sané, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Sterling, and now Sanchez.
Six attacking roles, 4 "wingers", for 3 midfield positions. I'd be pissed were I named Silva, Sterling or Sane.
All that said, Sanchez may play the false 9 whenever Aguero or Jesus sit out with their typical injuries.
Embarrassment of riches.
a killer to Fantasy teams at 10.0.