Puliiszola

I think that was pretty evident since weeks. And reports say that emerson is close to the inter move.

Roma were in talks for jorginho and I am 100% sure Barkley will be sold.

😥😥😥 It's going to be a long hard season. I still have a hunch/gut feeling that we might be able to offload alonso and get a 2nd lb.

Apparently he had even found a house. I mean the BS that is reported by these 'journalists"

Need to buy silva. 70kpw that's nothing compared to what we would have to spend on say - DUNK. Just buy him.

Lol. What is this based on? Why would alonso start as a LWB for arsenal ahead of Maitland niles? Whu? He is a better than Creswell. Lol. Soton - better than Bertrand - lol Spurs - better than Davies and/or rose - lol. Wolves - better than Doherty? Lol United - better than Williams or Shaw - lol. City - better than Mendy? Lololol Newcastle - Ritchie, solid option. As a LB, better than alonso Shu - ahead of Stevens? Really? Norwich - jamal Lewis - really talented and a better lb than alonso Bournemouth - Rico, another decent option. No way an open and shut case. Burnley - Pieters? Seriously? And that too in the Burnley system. Got to be shitting. Consider your point not even taken seriously. That's like someone drawing up a list of strikers and baselessly claiming that michy is better than most and would start for majority of PL clubs.. 😂😂 Ps - even here, our own manager has 0 confidence playing him as LB and has recently started azpi in the position. So can't even say he is a starting LB at Chelsea lol 15/23 Anyways, let's just end this discussion here itself. It's simply a massive difference of opinion. For you alonso is a better LB than Cresswell and for me, that's unthinkable. Don't think any of us will be able to change the other's mind, so no point in more back and forths. Let's just agree to disagree

I think kai is our only real move. Rest of the deals are goibg to depend on sales. I think once inter get their Europa sorted, emerson will move, and we will get our LB, be it reguilon (who is also tied up) or chilwell. Rice I think will be depended on if we can offload jorginho and a CB. GK woyld be if we can find a loan for kepa.

Fair enough. There is no doubt between alonso and emerson. My only disagreement would be with the first line. Like I said to Tomo, it seems most people on here rate alonso far more than I do. I think he is really poor, and very honestly speaking, would not get in many PL teams who are playing with a back 4. I will understand if he stays as a back up as we could not find a buyer, but hard to accept that FL and our board look at him and say "good enough". I mean in case of an injury to our first choice lB, I can bet azpi starts as many games as LB as alonso does or we just move to a back 3 again. That would be my prediction.

You might as well list him as a ST, would make 0 sense when the whole argument is about alonso as a LB. Either read what is being written and said or simply don't post. Lol. Someone who can't admit they are wrong despite several people saying "no it's not a hand ball" (our first interaction) or when people explain how amortization works (bakayoko thread) is telling others regarding their football knowledge and giving away character certificates too now. Lol. But no thanks.

Alonso made the TOTY playing as LWB, do undersrand the difference between a LWB and LB? What the roles entail? For someone giving away certifications on football knowledge, I would have thought that would be the bare minimum. Yes, Milner is right footed and yes he is old, yet he did what the primary job was - defend. I watched him this season against Watford and against Everton (the draw after restart), and yes kimited, like azpi becomes when playing as LB, but saying he was poor has got to be a total and complete exageration which is not really unknown for someone like you.

Are we really putting us playing back 5 on James? We could play back 4 with azpi and Alonso as traditional full backs. And hope that a WHU does not happen. As for costing goals, sure he costed us the fewest, only if we dismiss things like not closing down Taa for the cross even though he was playing as a WB and literally his only job would have been to not let one of the best crossers in world football, cross. Also, I did not mention newcastle, someome else did to show that they don't have an attacking threat, whereas I think newcastle got a decent number of scalps this year playing on the counter and using pace of Saint and almiron. So it's not hard to see why alonso can and will struggle. Lastly, my only "agenda" against alomso is that he is not good enough. I mean we have people naming our own players as "batshit", "donkeyoko", "donkeywater". I would say that's an agenda. Every time alonso takes the pitch, we suffer. In attack, as well as in defence. Also, my point since today morning has been consistent. Chilwell seems tk be a done deal. What if we actually are able to get a 20-25m€ offer for alonso, and get reguilon or tagliafco for the same price. People trying to prove that "alonso will be the best 2nd LB in PL" is what I would say is an agenda.

He was shit as LB and yet alonso is fine? whose primary role is LB. Lol. Sure.

Damn. That's such an opportunity missed. "Astronomical wages" shit that people spew on here is so weird.

Really? 60+% possession means you won't have to be tracking back? Have you seen the goals we conceded this season? For every half decent thing he does, j can give 5 examples of him fucking up. Want me to start listing them? The number of times we lose all momentum in attack as alonso, simply drags the ball behind. So you are telling me against the likes of yarmelenko, saint-maximim etc his defending won't be an issue? By God, as fans we really only see what we want to, rihjt? Suddenly alonso has become decent. The same alonso who I can't remember the last time he started as LB because our manager has no faith in him. "Personally, looking around the league I would say he would possibly be the best LB2 in the league unless that new kid form Greece that the Dippers have picked up is very good. " I am sorry, but this has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I have read EVER. I mean, I am actually laughing so hard reading this, it's unbelievable. Again, what is this based on? Are you telling me he is better than zinchenko? The Williams kid from United who has looked pretty good. I mean Milner is 10 times the LB alonso can ever dream off. It's shocking people who are dissing on batshuayi and bigging up alonso!! Alonso!!! Hahahaha. That is actually funny. Unbelievable

If we are cherry picking performances, did you get to watch michy at bvb? Each of his performance for light years better than anything alonso has ever put for us. Which upsides are we talking about as LB (LB not LWB). I don't want us chopping and changing our formation every 3rd game to incorporate one of the worst players in the squad due to rotation. Speed - lol Beating a man - lol Crossing - nope Defending - meh. Which particular attribute as a LB should we be thankful for alonso?

Hence the point I am making since morning. Are we going to keep switching to a back 3 to accomodate alonso or are we going to forego the whole left wing when playing him every 3rd game? Because given the fixture congestion he is going to play. What's the solution here? Alonso is better as a LB than michy is at scoring goals? Lol. How? Michy is atleast a decent finisher who has issues with his hold up play. Alonso is a "defender" who can't defend, too slow to beat his man in attack, poor at vrossing. What particular attribute of his makes him a "decent LB"?

How is he much better than michy as striker? Who is continuously called as "batshit". He is not even a LB, he is LWB. The fact that our manager either played azpi as LB or just changed the whole formation to a back 3 should be enough of a tell to show how much faith he has in who is supposed to be our 2nd choice LB in a season where squad depth is going to be paramount. Why do we need "budget". The plan is to sell emerson and buy chillwell. If we can offload alonso for 20m€-25m€ too (not unthinkable), and have reguilon/tagliafco available for the same amount, why should budget be an issue?

Lots of fair point. Just one though. If we get an offer for 25m€ for alonso and were able to get reguilon/tagliafco for the same amount, will it be worth passing this chance away?

You guys seem to rate alonso much higher than I do. For me, it's like saying, we have papy djobodji as our 3rd CB so we will be fine, or we have michy/Bamford/Franco di santo as our 2nd striker. I mean that's the level of alonso as a LB. A lower to mid table PL club player. Liverpool bought that guy from Olympiacos, (who a lot here wanted ahead of chilwell), and we are wondering why we are suffering in games and in breaking teams down when teams don't have 1 but 2 players better in a single position than ours. Also, what makes people say he will do well.against newcastle? They are gonna play deep, make us suffer on the counter? Can he help us in attack by dribbling past a player. Hell no. Infact he costs us several good positions by pulling the ball back. Can he atleast be defensively solid against counters? Lol. I am sorry, but alonso is the last name I would want to see on the team sheet and in our squad for next season. Which I can promise will happen a lot due to fixture congestion. I somehow feel we will sell him and buy another LB.

I think the concept of first xi will have to be thrown out of the window for this season. There is a game every 3rd day. That's huge. Rotation and depth will decide the measure of success this season. So I honestly feel a 2nd lb IS a matter of concern. If we play 60 games next season, alonso starts 20-25 easily. That's 20 games where we either need to change our formation or just forego the left wing. Point is, I dont think we will have a problem finding suitors for alonso, and I think we already have the signing lined up. It does not dent our budget or clog our wage and amortization bill. Whereas buying a DM is totally reliant on off loading jorginho. There is no way we will be buying a DM if we still have jorginho or our books irrespective of what happens with alonso.

Same people said that there is no way we would buy kai havertz after already buying ziyech and werner. Have you seen the fixture list? It's horrendous. We need depth. And we need quality depth. The likes of alonso have played against sheffield's and Leeds and have screwed us over multiple times with us having to change the formation and way we play. As for the last bit, same was being said about 1. Bakayoko - close to 20m € exit to milan (with lyon, Fulham and CP monitoring) 2. Emerson - close to 20m€ exit to inter (with Napoli and Juve in the race too) 3. Batshuayi - linked with 25m£ exit to Leeds So there will always be takers for players.

I disagree. Why would a player put in his best foot forward if there is no real danger of an ax. For some very weird reason, its only NOW, that people/managers want small squads. SAF always had a big squad and used a lot of rotation. We ourselves had 2 players for each position around 2004-10. After which our difference in the first squad and bench was very visible and hence the problems. There is a difference in supporting Chilwell, and over-using him. We bought torres for 50mil, and kept playing him despite his issues of form, injuries etc etc. WHat happened? Thats so not the way to get the best out of players? I would be fine with having castillo as backup, but never EVER going to be fine with having Alonso as a back up. The guy is useless. Will disrupt the whole chemistry and the way we play each time he takes the field. No way should he be in our squad next season.

20m euros for 2 years is nothing. Dunk is rumored at 40m pounds and lets say 80-100kpw wages. Thats 8m a year (amortized) + 4/5 mil a year wages for the next 5 years after which the re-sale value will be 0. That too for a player who barely improves us, can hardly teach a thing or 2 to the likes of ampadu, Andreas, tomori.

What do guys think of ampadu? Honestly think he is good enough to play for us. With how Rudi and AC have performed, I would sell them both and get Thiago Silva and Ampadu in the squad. Tomori and Ampadu would learn so much from silva in the 1-2 years.

Just because it worked for Liverpool does not mean it will work for us. City have walker and cancelo, RM have marcelo and mendy. There are plenty of examples. Moreover a "fight" for places is always good. Forget injuries, what happens if chilwell loses form? Are we back to alonso? What about a 2 month long injury? We also have reece and azpi fighting over the RB spot, there is literally no reason to settle for such a pathetic option like alonso when we can easily upgrade over it for literally the same price.