No Pukki competition = Relegation

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

Keep seeing people saying that Farke's additional experience and our older squad will see us through.

Its just bordering on delusional for anybody to be calling survival at this point, with no quality addition to the striking department.

At the moment we have nowhere near enough firepower to stay in this league, and you only need to look at the strikers that the teams who finished 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th had last season to realise this.

Comparing our squad now with our squad in 19/20 is irrelevant, talk about setting the benchmark low. The benchmark is the quality in the squads of the teams who finish 17th, and we remain short of quality in our squad.

Yes, I know, the window isn't closed.

Yes, I know, Webber said he is playing the long game.

Yes, I know, a quality striker and a Skipp replacement might be on the way.

But until those things actually happen, you'd surely have to be delusional to believe that we have the quality capable of staying out of the bottom three? Momentum can only take you so far, if we are entirely reliant on Pukki again then we are down. 

Webber has to deliver a quality striker to Farke, otherwise he's once again in a gunfight short of bullets.

Edited July 28, 2021 by TeemuVanBasten

[Mullet 293]

I agree we need another striker, not just a future prospect either but a proven striker at this level. 

Surely after two seasons ago they realise this 

 

[Canary Jedi 610]

No doubt they already know this. 
And don’t call me Shirley 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Canary Jedi

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

I see Arsenal are allowing Nketiah to leave....not sure whether thats permenantly or on loan?. We should be all over that...

[Danke bitte 1,154]

I agree with this post. I think we’ve even commented before on having Idah in reserve and Hugill leaves us feeling very wobbly.

But I would say we still have quite a bit of time before we quiver. I just hope they don’t think relying on a 2 year older Pukki is key to our goal scoring chances. Though from friendly match reports Pukki is returning to form which could carry us into the new season with aplomb. 

My fear is the change of style which seems to pervade our signings might be a bridge too far for the squad when you consider the consequences of altering formation when in the Prem, aka Chris Hughton season 2. 

I really don’t know what to think tbh

Edited July 28, 2021 by Danke bitte
Idiocy

[Vazzza 62]

9 minutes ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

I see Arsenal are allowing Nketiah to leave....not sure whether thats permenantly or on loan?. We should be all over that...

Still haven’t forgiven Nketiah for those 2 extra time goals to knock us out the carabao cup a few years back, on his debut no less. For that reason alone it’s a no from me 😉

If I remember rightly it was 2 headers as well, all 4’ nothing of him. 

Worst part was on the trains after listening to the Arsenal fans trying and failing miserably to sing his name. 
 

Edit: To answer the lack of striker depth question. I do wonder if Rashica could be effective in that role. We all know he’s played it before, and with our style of play it could easily suit his strengths. Fast, plays off the shoulder… remind you of anyone? If he has the same intelligence that is. That remains to be seen as of yet. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Vazzza

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,620]

If we go into the season with this squad, we'd go down.

If Brentford go into the season with this squad, they'd go down.

You could say the same about Watford and Burnley, maybe even stretching it to teams like Brighton*, Newcastle and Palace.

Will all of these teams go down? Of course not. The main reason is that there are only three relegation places, but also because every single one of these sides will strengthen their squad between now and the end of August.

TVB comes across as an intelligent bloke, so I really don't comprehend why he feels the need to start a thread like this on a weekly basis, because everyone surely knows that we're nowhere near finished this window.

EDIT: *Based on the fact that White is already gone, even though the deal isn't official.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man

[Hardhouse44 289]

13 minutes ago, Mullet said:

I agree we need another striker, not just a future prospect either but a proven striker at this level. 

Surely after two seasons ago they realise this 

 

Thats the problem everyone in the premiership wants one and everyone in the premiership is prepared to pay more for one than us!

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

15 minutes ago, Vazzza said:

Still haven’t forgiven Nketiah for those 2 extra time goals to knock us out the carabao cup a few years back, on his debut no less. For that reason alone it’s a no from me 😉

If I remember rightly it was 2 headers as well, all 4’ nothing of him. 

Worst part was on the trains after listening to the Arsenal fans trying and failing miserably to sing his name. 
 

Edit: To answer the lack of striker depth question. I do wonder if Rashica could be effective in that role. We all know he’s played it before, and with our style of play it could easily suit his strengths. Fast, plays off the shoulder… remind you of anyone? If he has the same intelligence that is. That remains to be seen as of yet. 

If only headers had been banned back then. 

[Uncle Fred 526]

We are going down the early season optimism has gone and the cold hard reality of being a self funded club has sunk in for all to see 

[Bill 1,788]

4 hours ago, Mullet said:

I agree we need another striker, not just a future prospect either but a proven striker at this level. 

Surely after two seasons ago they realise this

4 hours ago, Hardhouse44 said:

Thats the problem everyone in the premiership wants one and everyone in the premiership is prepared to pay more for one than us!

 

or in reality, many others have the resources to pay more - or if you are a silly little club like AFCB will borrow way beyond your means to pay more

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

6 hours ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

I see Arsenal are allowing Nketiah to leave....not sure whether thats permenantly or on loan?. We should be all over that...

Nketiah has been on my favourites list for some time. He scored a late couple as a sub. against City in the League Cup (?) I believe it was his debut. Arsenal came back from a one goal deficit. Josh Murphy had scored our goal in brilliant style, I seem to recall.

That would be a good one, imo as he should be within our price range. We know the big boys tend to  put unreasonable price tags on unproven youngsters.

Nketiah is not quite unproven, but has failed to make the complete breakthrough at Arsenal. They have previously lent him to Leeds (where he did not really get a chance to excel) and then recalled him early.

Good shout, imo. A Webber signing who has something to prove. 

P.S. I note Vazza has already mentioned his Carabao Cup goals. He is actually 5' 11" (or nearly.)

Edited July 29, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[DraytonBoy 251]

Nketiah will cost £15 million+, still want him?

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

12 minutes ago, DraytonBoy said:

Nketiah will cost £15 million+, still want him?

No. Have Arsenal priced him then?

[Jim Smith 2,610]

I think Tzokis (if that comes off) and Rashica would be the cover for Pukki along with Idah. 

[DraytonBoy 251]

He was offered to Leeds for £20 million in June so I'd assume they'd want close to that now.

https://dailycannon.com/2021/06/arsenal-offer-eddie-nketiah-to-leeds-united-for-20m/

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

21 minutes ago, DraytonBoy said:

He was offered to Leeds for £20 million in June so I'd assume they'd want close to that now.

https://dailycannon.com/2021/06/arsenal-offer-eddie-nketiah-to-leeds-united-for-20m/

Like I said before, the big boys have a habit of putting unreasonable price tags on their youngsters.

I was surprised at the amount Southampton paid for Angus Gunn at the time, but that sort of price range for such youngsters  has become the norm now.

From that article: 

"Nketiah’s contract expires next summer and his 13 goals in 65 games for Arsenal has not been enough to convince Mikel Arteta he is a player he could use in his squad next season."

"Use in the squad" being the pertinent words yet they want 20m.   

I would have said that 15m was Nketiah's ceiling, so it rules us out, especially if the Leeds quote was for real.

We still have a loan spot.

Edited July 29, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[TheGunnShow 7,377]

I still think people are forgetting how badly hamstrung we were with three centre-halves missing last time, with the net result our best chance was to play in a low block and generally slow the game down, which was not remotely what that team was built for. That also had the net result of our looking pretty short of attacking guile, especially with a relative lack of pace in the middle of the park. There's a reason why Hernandez was our best player after Project Restart, and it was his pace.

Rashica is clearly an attempt to shore up a lack of pace in the first-team ranks, Placheta's looking like an option to be thrown on from off the bench. If Tzolis makes a Greek duo on the left with Giannoulis you'll have two more speedsters who've already played with each other before for PAOK and presumably also Greece. That added pace across the team will mean we have more opportunity of attacking ourselves to create decent chances. We already know with Pukki that he's a reasonably reliable finisher at this level when he's fully fit. Lees-Melou looks like he's got speed and stamina for ages - he looks a more complete and somewhat faster version of McLean.

That extra pace around someone like the as yet relatively unproven Idah should also make him a real worry when factoring in his physical attributes.

Get Tuanzebe as a loan signing, get Tzolis in, and tbh I'd say we're about set.

[jaberry2 769]

9 hours ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

I see Arsenal are allowing Nketiah to leave....not sure whether thats permenantly or on loan?. We should be all over that...

Ive said for a while now Nketiah would be a good signing, albeit he may be out of our price range. Full of potential.

[Nuff Said 5,965]

9 hours ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

TVB comes across as an intelligent bloke, so I really don't comprehend why he feels the need to start a thread like this on a weekly basis, because everyone surely knows that we're nowhere near finished this window.

I don’t know about intelligent, more spoiling for a fight (I think he once described himself as emotional, which perhaps is more fair) but I’ve been searching for Wiz’s classic “Beating XXXXX could relegate us” thread since I saw this, because it struck me as the same sort of knee-jerk, illogical argument.

 

(Going OT, does anyone else find the search facility on here complete pants? If I search for a specific word I get no results. If I do a different search, I find the original word I searched for in the results!?!) 

[Mr Angry 2,019]

10 hours ago, Vazzza said:

Still haven’t forgiven Nketiah for those 2 extra time goals to knock us out the carabao cup a few years back, on his debut no less. For that reason alone it’s a no from me 😉

If I remember rightly it was 2 headers as well, all 4’ nothing of him. 

Worst part was on the trains after listening to the Arsenal fans trying and failing miserably to sing his name. 
 

Edit: To answer the lack of striker depth question. I do wonder if Rashica could be effective in that role. We all know he’s played it before, and with our style of play it could easily suit his strengths. Fast, plays off the shoulder… remind you of anyone? If he has the same intelligence that is. That remains to be seen as of yet. 

Don’t forget that the stadium announcer couldn’t pronounce his name properly either 🤣