It would come as no surprise to see Arsenal make a January addition in midfield, with numbers in a key area of the pitch extremely light.
After sanctioning the departure of Ainsley Maitland-Niles last week, Mikel Arteta seemed fairly unequivocal about what should happen next.
“Obviously we are going to move, and we are going to look for options because we are very short there,” he said.
One of the names mentioned over the last few days has been Juventus midfielder, Arthur, and today there are a number of reports saying that the Gunners are in talks over a loan deal until the end of the season.
On that basis, it would make sense – bolstering numbers between now and May, while keeping powder dry for the summer when a more long-term target is more likely to be available.
The 25 year old has made just 11 appearance this season, starting just 3 Serie A games due to an injury absence at the beginning of the campaign, since when he’s been unable to command regular football.
He signed for the Italian side from Barcelona in 2020, part of a suspicious looking deal which saw Miralem Pjanic go the other way – with both player valuations appearing to be accounting fiddles more than a true reflection of their market value.
It remains to be seen quite how much truth there is to this, but there’s a fair bit of smoke and the links are being widely reported today.
We’ll go a fence-sitting 5 on the Poo-O-meter, and if he does sign let’s hope it’s more Martin Odegaard than Denis Suarez – although circumstantially it does more closely resemble the latter.
Is he any good?
Not everyone gets a round table.
On second thoughts, lets not go to Camelot. ’tis a silly place.
Thanks for that Daveo.
You can get them at Ikea.
Can’t pretend to have seen much of him but what I have seen I’ve liked. Ball carrying, tricky, dribbling CM. Has been accused of lingering on the ball too long before playing a pass, i think he can be a bit indecisive but he has some gorgeous highlight reels (i know, i know…) i have renewed faith in the club’s scouting though, so here’s hoping. Worst case, he’s gone in the summer. Hope this doesn’t mean Juve move for Bruno G, would love him. Also here’s a nice thread about him if you want to know more: https://mobile.twitter.com/adamvoge/status/1481277759645270018 this bloke… Read more »
What??? Juve paid £60m for him just 18 months ago?? Woh. I had no idea.
Sign him. He can’t be half bad if Barca paid £30m and then Juve paid £60m.
That’s not how this deal worked. It was dodgy as anything and a book balancing exercise. Very suspicious.
He was supposed to replace Xavi when he moved to Barca. But the move to Juve was as shady as shady can be. Especially with a 50 year old Pjanic moving the other way.
Barca probably thought it would be so typical of them when they moved Etoo and paid a gazillion pounds with it to get Zlatan, and get away with it unnoticed. But you know how Barca operate and where they are now lol, loving it personally.
Can someone explain to me how this “scheme” worked? I’m too dense to work it out.
I’m assuming this is something do with minimising profits on the balance sheet, but if both teams are paying crazy money, wouldn’t that then increase profits? Or is it that the payments were staggered, so the annual profit would be reduced to such an extent that both clubs’ corporation tax figures would be reduced overall?
Barca’s ownership set-up is such that the board are responsible for debt above a certain margin.
Barca sold a player approaching his prime (melo), and bought a player past their prime (pjanic).
However transfer income is accounted for in the current year but transfer expenditure is spread across the extent of the players contract.
This pushed them back under the margin at which the board were personally financially responsible.
So in basis terms the board sold a good player and bought a shit one to avoid being financially liable for all their other recent transfer fuck-ups.
Yeah exactly, I don’t know the exact numbers involved, but essentially they trade assets of “equal value”. Even likely that no money changes hands.
However, both then declare income for that transaction of 60m – but an expenditure of just 12m, because the expense is split over 5 years.
They’ve then just creatively given themselves +48m profit for the year just from that transaction. Of course they lose +12m a year afterwards but that’s a problem for future…
I think it’s to help with FFP. Both clubs get to report a big profit on an exiting player, which helps with FFP, and get a valuable “asset” to amortise over several years, which spreads the FFP hit. But the over-all cash in or out for each club is small.
It’s possible it was FFP related, but TJB084’s explanation is both financially sound and the agreed upon explanation for the ludicrous behavior.
21 caps for Brazil, says Wikipedia. Never seen him. Don’t Juventus have another unused, maybe injured, midfielder?
In the past, Messi has gone out in out public saying Arthur can play similar to Xavi with the ability to play a perfect pass. I think that has some merit to his ability. He’s played for Barça and Juve which should say a bit about his character and skills. He’s also also been sold off by the two so… Let’s see how he does in the premier league.
His character is the problem and the reason he’s not reached his potential, he’s a disrespectful party animal and drinker with issues of being late and even not turning up. I wouldn’t want him anywhere near our squad and if our scouts are so good at picking personalities then this isn’t going to happen.
Only 5 ft 7 in so I worry whether he is what we need. I’d prefer a physical presence like Gilberto rather than another Santi (who I loved but felt someone that short wasn’t best suited to the physicality of the PL in central midfield).
Fingers crossed it works out for him in the PL if we sign him.
But Santi was probably as wide as he was tall 😂 and incredibly difficult to shake of the ball. Man, I miss that guy..
Santi is the exception to the rule.
I don’t think even Messi could do what santi did in the middle of the park.
@andreas he’s v good. Barca fans were pissed to see him leave. Saw several performances of him in LaLiga where he bossed the midfield for Barca. He kept a number of high profile names out of the starting 11, if that means anything.
And that’s why they moved him on and he can‘t get in a pretty dysfunctional Juve midfield now?
Juve are an absolute dumpster fire of a team right now. Not the greatest barometer chum.
Scroll up and read the comments.. He got moved on for financial reasons.
I saw him play in person for Barcelona against Celta Vigo and he definitely looked like a baller on the day. Obviously it’s a small sample size but he certainly passed the eye test.
South American football expert Tim vickaary say he is one of the best players to come through in years , but badly played positionally at Barca and injuries mostly at juventus . But seen as a huge prospect when younger. He sounds like a xavi type of player , small but solid , one touch fast passer , brilliant technical ability, safe in possession. Bring him in.
Brazilian players are great but not all adapt well to the style of play in the Premier League. We need to be careful not ending up with 70% Brazilian players in our squad Incase Edu is fired or these players get home sick.
my only concern with brazilian players is how many, many brazilians have endorsed that homophobic cunt jair bolsonaro in the past. and not just in football, f1, too.
call me old-fashioned, but i’d rather have no dictator-endorsing (özil, willian) or fascist players (ceballos) on our books.
love gabriel and martinelli and would welcome people of any country, just hope they’re not transpire to be in favor of things i’d despise regular people for
Bolsonaro is the scum of the earth
You and viegunner are Brazilians? To talk that way about the president? people from the outside usually dont know the hole picture
Just saying because i live in brazil
why is this guy getting downvotes? i understand he misspelled ‘whole’ but he makes a very valid point about how perspective is important. reporting is subjective these days and facts are fungible. i’m not saying bolsonaro is a good guy, i also think he is scum. but why downvote this very sensible comment on perspective?
If Martinelli goes on to score 30 a season and Gabriel lifts the PL and CL trophies as captain, I personally couldn’t give two fucks who they vote for, or what they do in their personal time.
that’s legit. personally i prefer it if the team i root for consists of players i find likeable.
it’s not the same and strictly hypothetical, but would you also give no fucks about it if the player leading us to a trophy turned out to be a sexual predator? not sure man city fans want mendy back in their team
Call me crazy, but I’d love Aaron Ramsey back on a short term contract, even a loan till the end of the season.
You’re crazy.
It would be nice for sentimental reasons, like I’d love to see Jack or Santi pull an Arsenal shirt on again, but none of those ideas are gonna work well in reality.
Estas Fuckin Loco…
Can someone explain what would be so wrong with bringing Ramsey home? He would love to come and wouldn’t ask for much in wages, ability wise, he is still better than all of our CM when fit. I see fitness to be the only issue but, performance based wage structure would address that. I know people think that we should move on from older players, given Willian and recent Auba experience, but AR8 is our own DNA, and would give everything on the pitch. He would also fill homegrown quota. Even if he was only a sqad player, he would… Read more »
Wouldn’t ask for much in wages? I don’t see him taking 1/4 of his current £450K.
If he wants to move, he would have to. Even Newcastle wouldn’t pay that wages to him. And i think we would have to pay less than other British clubs interested. Let’s say he would take south of 100k or even less. What’s the issue then?
I think Newcastle absolutely would pay him big wages on a short term deal. I love Ramsey but the fitness issues are just too great.
He’s not good enough I’m afraid. Was never as bad as some made out but never as good as others made out. Wish him well and very thankful for two cup finals winning goals but please don’t bring him back.
lessee: He’s not good enough, isn’t the sort of player MA wants, has a crap injury track record, fucked off to Juve (actually, fair play to him – go get that money!), and despite his hero PAST at AFC, he is not the future.
Love Ramey to bits. But he’s gone.
When we’re trying to plug a temporary hole, fitness issues are an issue. Reliability and fitness are just as important as standout skill.
I have that concern with Arthur too if he’s had an injury interrupted season this year.
The greatest ABILITY is AVAILABILITY – agree 100%, if it’s going to be short term, we need them available as often as possible.
Arsene Wenger and Kim Kallstrom would disagree
He’s just not the type of midfielder we need right now We need someone to provide structure and control in the midfield, but also far better at resisting the press in a positive way than Xhaka, and without the braindeadery. Ramsey often operates ahead of the ball and is extremely chaotic as far as midfielders go We play far better when our deeper midfielders stay together as a clearly defined 2. Any time we start drifting towards a 4-1-4-1 type shape it all goes to shit. If you tried to play Ramsey as one of the deep 2 I guarantee… Read more »
If Ramsey wanted to go on ‘not a big wage’ or pay as you play deal he would be gone already, as Juve have tried to shift him for over a year.
The fact he is still there shows he is not willing to give up his insane wage. So not sure why you think he’s super cheap and it’s just chance no one is going in for him.
He’d be mad to step away from his contract at this stage of his career, we all like Ramsey but his time is done.
Arthur in Brazil was outstanding, was very good at Barca, don’t know what happened after that. But there is a seriously good player in him
I’d be basically happy with this. Low risk, medium-high potential for reward.
I completely get that he could be another Suarez but if he is then oh well, Partey and Xhaka/Lokonga can start over him and we can make a measured, thought-out signing in the summer, the last 6 or so of which have been very good indeed
Oh God no…
I suppose there is some merit to this move, bit I would really like to get past being the receiving end of a loan. Signings, sure. Loans smell of a small club keeping up with the big ones.
Loans are part of every club now
“…starting just 3 Serie A games due to an injury absence…” Now that sounds mysteriously ominous.
It’s January. I expect our Physios will be checking his back very, very well.
closest player in the modern game to santi cazorla- sign him up
Looks like Torreira, but 3cm taller!! I don’t get it…
Saying this as someone who followed him quite a bit, he was REALLY GOOD when he came up through the ranks of Gremio, bossing the midfield in Brasileirão and already showing a lot in the national team aswell. When he went to Barça there was still that feeling that he would eventually become the owner of Brazil’s 8 shirt, somewhere over the line something went wrong and he vanished. Juve is well known for being a Graveyard of central midfielders, and there is certainly a good player in there, would be all in for this transfer to happen. (side note:… Read more »
I’d much rather Bruno, he seems to have a better attitude than this guy.
Agree, I like Bruno a lot! I was only putting into perspective how things can change quickly, Arthur was one of brazil’s hottest prospects 2 years ago
bossing no brasileirao, ta de sacanagem man? Esse bicho é horrivel
He looks a little light weight for the Premier League and hardly ever scores a goal. We’ve tried squad players with Mari and Cedric and I think it is better to wait than panic.
He has much higher ceilling than those two, more similar to Ode than them
To speak about a high ceiling when a guy is in his mid twenties and has – at best – stagnated over the last couple of seasons is pretty optimistic, to say it nice.
Sounds rather similar to Bergkamp’s situation when we signed him from Inter once upon a time. Sometimes things are just meant to be.
Would prefer Wijnaldum tbh.
No thank you.
We need coverage double-quick. And reliable coverage. The recent injury concerns would be a worry with Arthur. Fat lot of good it would do us if we got him and he was too injured to play.
On a related note, this sort of rumor doesn’t bode well for Wilshere. They seem pretty similar players. But Wilshere’s been training with the team for a couple months, meaning he’d integrate immediately from a tactics standpoint. If we’re considering Arthur instead as a cheapish short term fix, it probably means the view is that Wilshere is just done physically. That would be sad.
But Wilshire didn’t come to Arsenal to play for first team or did he?
Shite – Cough up for Bruno or get Gini on loan. Why has AMN gone without a replacement??
Because Arteta decided that there was no point keeping AMN around when his mind and body were already out the door. He decided that he would rather play Odergard, Chambers, White, Patino etc etc in central midfield if necessary.
Chambers & White are not a realistic option for midfield. We could have surely hung on for another couple of weeks while we play Liverpool & Sp*rs
Saw a fair bit of Melo when he played for Barcelona. Technically, he is immense. Incredibly secure on the ball. Very press resistant. Arteta would love that. I think they fell out of love with him in Barcelona because, while his game is VERY tidy he’s quite conservative. He doesn’t take risks and fire off killer balls. He’s a cog, not a weapon. I would love to see what Arteta can do with him. Maybe Melo just needs the right sort of love and coaching in the right team. If he’s going to succeed anywhere, it will be with a… Read more »
Interesting… can he run ?
Where’s Kim Kalstrom when you need him?