Us and Norwich are apparently interested in signing Saliba on loan, who Arsenal are expected to allow to leave on loan to a championship club after his move to ASSE collapsed on deadline day. I suspect this will not happen unless Dawson is shifted, but I'd let the useless ****er leave on a free if we could bring in Saliba. He is a top drawer defender - and as such we will likely not be signing him. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/fo...a-rahman-transfer-news-deadline-a4565076.html
I posted a similar update from the Standard in the transfer suggestions thread. Clearly we have interest in Baba Rahman but hard to tell if we have interest in Saliba or if it is just speculation based on past links. Would make a lot of sense to Arsenal/Saliba though, should we move on Dawson - with Saliba staying nearby and joining a team that will try and work things out from the back and hopefully compete at the right end of the table. Norwich just moved on Timm Klose so have only 3 recognized CBs now (+ Tettey who has played there) so they could do with a CB, but it will mean he can't get settled in London, which is probably quite important for a 19 year-old moving from abroad who just lost his mum. I suspect that most of the championship will be interested is signing him, so we'll have to convince Arsenal/Saliba (financially or otherwise) that it's the right move for him. You'd think we're as well-placed to do that as any one else, but we're obviously well-stocked with CBs.
Yes - he can just jump over the fence to travel between the clubs. That's a huge plus in our column, I reckon.
Would be an player in the Troost Ekong category of actually improving us, rather than in the Sierralta, Perica, Murray category of bodies through the door, and for that reason I don't think it will happen.
I would say that Saliba - if he does come into the Championship and is given a bit of time to acclimatise wherever he goes - would be like Leeds signing Ben White on loan. He would probably be the best CB in the league.
Brentford are claimed to be favourites for Saliba. And Arsenal and Brentford have a decent relationship going back a few years I think.
Jokes on them. I bet they wish they were part of a group where they paid £20+m for Success and Penaranda and got players like Sierralta in return.
I think we're probably about as well placed as Brentford to get him in. You'd imagine Arsenal will be looking for a club that has a little money to spend, is in/near London and will be competing at the right end of the table. The reports linking him to Brentford seem about as substantial as those linking him to us (i.e. not very). They also have quite an established CB partnership of Jannson- Pinnock with the former club captain I believe.
Yeah, don't see this happening, even if Dawson does leave, defence isn't where we need strengthening the most, even if he would be an upgrade. Norwich would make a bit of sense, they need defenders a lot more than us, and have Buendia who could potentially go the other way, but I think Brentford would be more likely given the proximity and the fact that Jansson has a record of losing his head at crucial moments...
Yes, but I don't see why we'd be adding a 6th/7th defender, whereas Brentford I believe only have 4 first team CBs, with Saliba surely being a viable first team option than Goode, Sorensen and possibly Jansson too. Didn't watch their game at the weekend, but shipping 4 goals is not a good look, based on current projections, it would take us 16 games to let in that many!
Would we be in a position to offer him a guaranteed spot? Who would we drop for him out of Cathcart and Kabasele (assuming T-E will come in for Wilmot)? We'd probably have to say that we'll start him in order to get him. Aside from the proximity, one other thing which could work in our favour ahead of Norwich and Brentford is that we play a back 5, which seems to be Arteta's preferred formation now - therefore if he came to us he'd get more familiar with such a system and potentially more easily slot in to Arsenal's one in future. Both Norwich and Brentford play with 4 at the back.
I suspect if finances allow, we will be open to an upgrade in any position in the team. On ability alone, Saliba would probably be our best CB and would certainly be in the team I think. But I do agree about numbers - if we wanted Saliba I suspect that means Dawson will definitely be sold and one of those in the team currently will have to rotate.
Sell Dawson to West Ham, bring in Saliba, that leaves us with him, WTE, Kabasele, Cathcart, Wilmot and Sierralta, what happens then? Sack off Sierralta? Loan out Wilmot again perhaps? I just don't see it happening, why strengthen our undeniable strength when we could strengthen in areas where we're not so strong? Surely we'd be better off getting a left-back from them?
Sierralta is unlikely to feature much at all I bet. I bet he’s here in case of an extreme crisis. Quite why we didn’t give his spot to Mariappa is a bit beyond me.
Unfortunately, this is from this morning's Athletic article on what Partey brings to Arteta's Arsenal:
But you could sat the same about us, yes, we've been playing with a back 3 for all of this season, but when we get everyone back, we might be playing a 4-3-3
True, but either way it unfortunately discounts the advantage conjectured by lowerrous in the post of his that I quoted.
Any left-backs available on loan that will leave the loaning club absolutely laughing? Brandon Williams (without Sarr going the other way of course!)? Danny Rose?
Surely the fact he can park at the Arsenal training ground and walk through the gaps in the fence to get to ours is something in our favour. He would walk into our first 11. It’s the sustainable option for Arsenal and the player.
Williams won't leave Utd right now, and were he to leave it wouldn't be for the Champ - they already rejected a loan offer from Southampton for him last week.
I'm getting rather confused about the fence situation at London Colney - if there are gaps in the fence, then why did that young lad Forde jump over it? Is he also a keen amateur pole vaulter?!
