Sevilla have told former manager Unai Emery that Arsenal will have to meet Steven N’Zonzi’s £35 million release clause if they want to sign the France international this summer.
Emery took the defensive midfielder, who previously played in the Premier League for Blackburn and Stoke, to Andalusia in 2015 and he’s been tipped to recruit the player a second time as he looks to strengthen his midfield options at the Emirates.
Whether the rumour is true or not, Sevilla’s director of football Joaquin Caparros has made clear that there will be no wiggle room on price, whether Arsenal or any other suitor come to the negotiation table.
“Is that a rumour or is it true?” he posed to Radio Seville.
“Has Unai Emery called you? Well, as a successful man, Unai Emery knows what line the club keeps.
“If he wants N’Zonzi, he will have to call and put the bid in. And the bid is the clause. If you put that bid in, then there are no more negotiations [over the fee].”
N’Zonzi is under contract at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan until 2020 having penned a new deal in January 2017. He had been tipped to join the Gunners just days before signing his extension.
Do we want a big bloke in the centre of the park? If yesterday’s link with Marouane Fellaini is to be believed, then possibly.
Would love him in the center of the park with Granit
I’d love him WITHOUT Granit.
I’d much rather have him than Fellaini, and given his call up to the World Cup he clearly has something about him. It would also be wonderful for Stoke fans to be toiling in the Championship and seeing a former player be a rock for us in midfield as we return to the Champions League spots.
I’d have a one legged gimp before Fellaini.
I’d rather have to play every game with 10 men than have Fellaini.
I saw a post linking us to Sportings Gelson Martins on free, cause of some controversy at the club, a number of players are reportedly looking to quit. I wonder why are we not linked with Willem Carvalho again, since hes the most likely to leave, and i belive it ticks the most boxes we require. He did stagnate a bit, but i think he would be a better option out of these two mentioned since hes still relatively young and could be cheaper. What do you think?
I’d rather have Syphilis than Fellaini
Nzonzi – Xhaka
Ozil -Ramsey – Mkhitaryan
Aubameyang
mmm
Bold selections there… no defense or keeper?
Wenger’s Coq made them, not Bold!
wat
Maitland niles – Nzonzi – ramsey
ozil – aubamayang – mkhithriyan
erreiro-Xhaka
Fekir – MiKi
Laca – Auba
See what I did there I sold Ozil to China
After giving Erdogan a signed Arsenal shirt, Özil should be sold to FC Kandahar.
Looool, this is why I come to this blog everyday.
Happy with the players but I don’t want to see Ozil on the wing. If we’re not going to play him as a 10 then there’s no point in having him, he’s not a winger. The same goes for Lacazette and Aubameyang, play them as strikers or don’t play them at all. I want players playing in their best position and not just the stupidity of just fitting all your best players in a squad regardless of the balance. We find the hard things easy and the easy things hard. I don’t buy the argument that our players aren’t tactically… Read more »
“If we’re not going to play him as a 10 then there’s no point in having him, he’s not a winger.“
Yeah, he definitely had zero success pkaying on the wing with germany and madrid.
Who’s this mmm guy playin up front? When didn’t we sign him?! Is he from Borussia Dortmund too?
A lot of people have said that this guy would fix everything about our midfield, but I’m not so convinced. Apparently, for every good game that he’s had in the past season, he has two or three poor ones, and can sometimes have an attitude problem (although he did play a lot better than that when Emery was at Sevilla)
However, if it’s between him and that big Belgian with turd for hair and made of elbows, then I’d pick him any day.
What about if both are there for arsenal than everyone else can run free
It feels really difficult to pin down what we actually need in our midfield this summer. Whilst on the one hand I can see the appeal of a big, experienced holding player who can screen a defence, win duals and give the defence some support, you’d also say we’d need someone a bit more mobile than Xhaka (I haven’t watched much of NZonzi but it doesn’t feel like he is) who is good enough with the ball at their feet that they can’t be pressed into mistakes, and can also play a pass. The whole thing is complicated by the… Read more »
I don’t think we have to play Laca and Auba together, what do we have on the bench if that doesn’t work? What if there’s an injury? I think we’d be stronger with two 10’s (Ozil, Mhcki, Ramsey and Wilshere are all options then) or with a 3 in midfield.
I think you’re mostly right, and those five attackers should be on the pitch together in the biggest matches. But they give the manager some room to rotate otherwise. Mkhitaryan can play Ozil’s role as well as Ramsey’s, Lacazette and Aubameyang can each play without the other, or sometimes with Welbeck. I know this is contrary to what everyone believes, but the one player most difficult to replace is Xhaka–which could account for the interest in N’Zonzi.
I think Unai’s first priority is to create a balanced team that covers all that we need first, then worry about who fits the roles. This idea of “we have x super players, we need to play all of them somehow” is something I want to see gone now Wenger is gone. If he can create a balanced team able to attack, defend and press, and it means no Ozil, or no Lacca-Auba partnership then so be it. I want to see a left-footed winger playing on the left and a right-footed winger on the right. None of this right-footed… Read more »
“we’d need someone a bit more mobile than Xhaka (I haven’t watched much of NZonzi but it doesn’t feel like he is) who is good enough with the ball at their feet that they can’t be pressed into mistakes, and can also play a pass”
AMN?? Drop him in at the deep end I say.
Like you said, “I haven’t watched much of Nzonzi”. I have followed many of their games especially last season. So believe me when I tell you he is the midfield ‘spine’ we have all been craving for.
It almost sounds like the player you’re describing (who could bring some of Xhaka’s qualities – like those long, raking, diagonal passes – plus some defensive steel and physicality) is Manu Petit! I wondered if that was what Arsene was looking for when he signed Xhaka.
Although his stats aren’t too impressive, stats aren’t everything for a defensive midfielder, players like Kante have average stats but their presence and positioning make a massive difference to the team.
Kante does not have average stats
There is a video on Kante showing his work when he doesn’t have the ball. He was always moving, scanning to see how he can close spaces, prevent passes and doing this in a relentless maner ect…
It’s always tough to shake off your Blackburn heritage – he’s matured into a serious player now and there’s a lot of buzz about him. The fact we have the manager who developed him could give us an edge.
In many ways this signing would feel like the Gilberto Silva one – a no-frills player who can go under the radar.
Gilberto didn’t cost £35m
He had also just won the world cup and was only 26
In terms of the lack of flashiness. Gilberto would have cost a lot more in today’s market as well.
Different times mate. These days average joes go for more than 20-30mil if they’re targeted by Prem clubs. Inflation and influx of money in the Prem. Everyone and their dog know we’ve got the money, they would milk us massively.
I’ve liked this guy since his last season with the orcs.
However I see no sense in signing him – he’s so similar to Xhaka it seems pointless.
Agree, I don’t know why you’re getting down-voted. Xhaka and this guy on the same pitch = the slowest midfield in the league.
People seem to be under the impression he’s a destructive type player.
But like Xhaka he’s not a tackler, he’s a great passer between the lines. And as you say, he’s not a speed merchant who will add that harrying element to midfield.
For me he’s a really cultured midfielder, elegant on the ball with a great passing range. But he’s not what we need to make our midfield function.
Every rumour of a new signing tick a box inside me either free or agented (I don’t know if it is correct) except for Uncle Fellaini…. I really don’t want him hanging around emirates stadium seeking alms
For that money, I’d rather we went after someone like Seri or Kessie.
Seri isn’t a defensive mid though. Completely different type of player. Wasn’t impressed by Jessie when Milan played us.
I like him but I would rather a younger option. We are growing …older signing by signing. Anyone around 24-26?
.. hmm…
Where is the Coq?
The Arsenal are old, it is Ok, we are on a one to two-hhyear project to get back into the Champions League. We can’t do it with our youth. Once we are back in our youth will have one or two more years experience and the old guys will be shown the door. We must get back in and the way to do it is to double down on experience. We can rebuild in 2020.
Get YA YA on a years contract and get us back in the Champions league.
I’d take both Yaya and fellaini. Play Yaya at CB like he did for Barca. We could use them in cup competitions.
This is where the internet gets me. I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not.
Nothing tops a 40 million and one pound bid.
Maybe this time we could really get a player for one pound a week but but…let’s first make sure that one pound doesn’t kill Maitland Niles.
Can we just finally sign William Carvalho??
Too slow
So is N’Zonzi!
For that price I hope we pass on him, given his age (and his past with the orcs).
For £35M in the current market he is a steal. Plenty of experience and would add something that we don’t currently have. He was excellent at Old Trafford when they went there and won. Sat deep, kept it simple and kept the ball moving. Would allow Xhaka to possible play slightly further forward. His added size would definitely be a plus….we are in danger of becoming a tiny team again!
Can’t be having Xhaka further forward as he simply doesn’t have the mobility for it or to be B2B.
To be, or to be B2B.
for fuck sake, none of these signings make make any sense what so ever, either to old or just plane shit, all he is doing is papering over the cracks
how do you figure? we have the most mentally weak team you will ever see & defenders who primarily want to attack. we’ve signed an experienced right back who has won 7 scudettos in a row. & the guy from Dortmund is primarily a defender first and foremost. we just signed one of the top attacking midfield/winger prospects from PSG as well. those are pretty decent signings imo & definitely give the sense that Sven has a plan, unlike the past few years of our transfer business. we have plenty of young talented defenders- we need experienced ones to teach… Read more »
He’s just always incredibly negative about everything
His user name should be notafan.
I hate these transfer fake news linking bullshit stories. But I click on each and every one of them if the Arsenal is mentioned. Stupid me…
How come Fellaini is such a bad prospect? He is a elbowy c*nt that looks like sideshow bob. But he could also be our elbowy sideshow bob looking c*nt. Is it not always the case that we say we need a bastard in out centre midfield? Is this not a bastard? Is it that he is not good enough? despite being good enough for Man U? So Sanchez is a donkey since he joined up with mourinho. He was our stand out player. Point being a player can’t be assessed in a context that you havent seen him in. What… Read more »
I’m with you on this. Nzonzi is 29. I’d rather have fellaini for free and spend our precious money on a top winger.
I’m with you on this. Mourinho IS a wankstain.
Fellaini might be a cunt but he’s better than N’zonzi.
On what substance do you base that?
Just because he plays for a ‘top team’ doesn’t mean he’s a top player. He is a plan B at best. While N’zonzi has been a regular starter his whole career and just got called up for the best France squad for a decade. Don’t forget his Seville knocked Fellaini out of the Champions League this season if I remember rightly.. Outplaying Pogba, matic and all their so called top talent in the process.
We’ve had 20+ years preaching progressive football and you can seriously sit there and say that you wouldn’t see the issue with Fellaini in our team.? I cannot believe that. He was signed by David Moyes, his previous manager, and there are plenty of players ‘not good enough for Man u’ still on their books – they’ve spent half a billion to come second this year. It’s not as if he’s completely set the world alight for Belgium or Everton in the past, unlike Sanchez who has a clear track record of performance. He is not a bastard, he is… Read more »
Yes and our progressive footballing philosophy waved players straight through our midfield and central defence.
Our hard players bounced off the likes of hazard as he strolled 40 yards through the pitch.
I’ll take a plan b or a- that elbows the bastards and takes a cynical yellow.
There isn’t a gooner out there who didn’t hope we signed him from Everton…
He’s free. I’m all for amn being the man, or us buying a player but if we have a few guys in the squad that compete for a place then great.
If you’re really not bothered about footballing ability and more interested in someone being a vicious bastard, why don’t we just go for Lee Cattermole?
Czech
Spain-Greek-Turk-Spain
Ivory Coast – Swis
Armenian-Germany-Welsh
Gabon
We can’t start record-signing France on the bench.
He’s distinctly average and not much better than Fellaini. Why couldn’t we get someone like Kondogbia who’s far better.
He just signed to Inter, I believe. Or Valencia
Just signed for Valencia on a permanent deal, apparently. He was on loan from Inter last year, having had a terrible first season.
I’d still prefer him to N’Zonzi, though.
I wouldn’t mind Danilo from Porto, myself.
for fuck sake, sell ozil and buy someone decent, instead of buying old shit players, whats become of this once great club
oh please sod off back to the misery tree or wherever it is you live 🙁
This would actually be a very good signing. Ok, N’Zonzi didn’t pull up too many trees when he last played in England, but his recent performances in Spain have been getting rave reviews. And he’s exactly the type of player whom we’ve needed for some time now. It helps that he knows the manager and the country, so he should settle in quickly. It looks like the club are finally moving to address the obvious deficiencies in the squad which Wenger ignored for so long; but two more signings are vital: a quality centre-half and a world-class goalkeeper. No more… Read more »
So we need another slow and clumsy player to give Xhaka some support?
How about Yaya Toure for £1 per week? Yes get N’Zonzi too, but if Toure’s in first, that might strengthen our bargaining position. I reckon that he’d be great to call on every other game.
I feel you have unfairly promoted mourihno to a wankstain as he is just a stain, he hasn’t evolved to wank or any other kind of major stain just a plain old simple stain.
GB£ or €uros?
Most non-PL managers usually talk in €uros but our lazy media hears that as GB£.
Would rather have him in the middle of the park than Felleini any day.
Ugh what are we looking at a player who couldn’t make it at Blackburn or land of the orcs?
For me he’s a good player but nothing more. Not really what we need. We need someone who will rip it up and take games by the scruff of the neck. That may have to be someone more up and coming. Remember Vieira and Fabregas were both young when they started with us. We need someone who will have a big impact and provide a presence in the midfield. If we were to sign N’Zonzi I wouldn’t mind, he has some presence about him but I’ve never really seen him as someone who dominates the midfield. More just a tidy… Read more »
Great player! Made a really impressive improvement while at Spain, though he’s more of a box-to-box than an actual DM.
Bad idea to pair him up alongside Xhaka. He’s a bit slow. Doucoure or most especially Torreria would be better signings.
Sven clearly has no idea what he’s doing.
35 million is madness for N’zonzi. To even consider N’zonzi is a lack of judgement. He wasn’t that good in the PL and would never been able to get a starting spot in a top four team during his time in PL. Sure he might have improved in La liga but that’s a big might. La liga is not as competetive as PL and generally slower witch makes for a good environment for a slow defensive player. Him and Xhaka would be a disatser. I hope I’m wrong, if we sign him, but those two would be the slowest midfield… Read more »
Completely agree, I can’t see why anybody would want N’Zonzi and Xhaka on the same side, I swear to god I am faster than both of them and I am turning 40. And all this talk about Emery’s pressing does not equate with adding slowness to the midfield – I already think Xhaka, for all his qualities, is just too damn slow.
I liked the rumors about Seri/Praett/Torreira much better than these N’Zonzi/Fellaini rumors. For chrissake we have to compete with Liverpool and City’s midfield.
Your faster than both? What are you doing from August to May next year?
Probably the fastest from TV to the fridge.
Meh. AMN is 35 million pounds cheaper and a lot younger.
and most likely better, albeit less elbow-y
So….he’d be a great signing who’s been doing good things since his move to Spain, who’d cost way too much and would be too slow, but works well with Emery, though used to be an Orc – not sure I caught what the final conclusion was ?
I think that about sums it up
This is more like it. He has the Gilberto about him. Obviously he has size, but his passing is so crisp and secure. He never gives the ball away, even in tight spaces.
Another old player. Maybe gives a season to get us into CL but the way we are going, I think we will be a miss again.
That said, much of this media gossip could be just reported on negotiations for back up solutions as well.
If a better (and younger) option surfaces, its a no brainer.
For me if these old signings go through, Arsenal have completely lost its allure. We have lost a lot of it in recent seasons but we are now left with very few who would be described as world beaters. Its a band aid if these players come in nothing more. Even the players we have do not set us over many of the current top teams in CL and we do not have the same sort of excitement anymore as when Wenger was pushing first decade. If we don’t spend stratgically to give Emery the tools he needs, he can… Read more »
can you change the record, it’s getting a bit boring now
Isn’t Elneny the same type of player as Nzonzi?