According to The Athletic, Arsenal are weighing up a late move for Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto after negotiations for Espanyol’s Joan Garcia hit an impasse.
Despite courting Garcia for several months, and reportedly agreeing personal terms with the player, the Gunners are unwilling to pay the €30 million release clause that would guarantee his transfer. Unwilling to part with a highly-rated talent so late in the window, Espanyol are understandably playing hardball.
With just over 24 hours of the transfer window remaining, Edu needs to secure a backup keeper to David Raya before sanctioning Aaron Ramsdale’s proposed move to Southampton. A fee for the England international has already been agreed and the player has undergone his medical. Presumably, he’s sitting in a hotel somewhere on the South Coast biting his nails while his fate is decided by others.
The decision to turn attention to Neto, a player who has been linked with the Gunners in the past, is purely pragmatic. The ex-Barcelona stopper, 35, is set to be usurped at the Vitality by the newly arrived Kepa Arrizabalaga and will be available on loan for a comparatively small fee.
In truth, having loaned Karl Hein to Real Valladolid, Arsenal could do with buying two goalkeepers on deadline day. It remains to be seen where else they cast their nets. Wigan’s Sam Tickle was linked yesterday.
Need more keeper news
I don’t like to make sweeping statements but I think we need a keeper who can play sweeper
I don’t like to make bold claims, but I think we need a keeper who can boldly claim crosses.
Ideally they can handle criticism and spherical objects
I’m no judge of character but they should have good character and judgement.
You’d hope their automatic reflex is to draw the line
Why not call Scezny from retirement home?
Take the fag out of your mouth I can’t tell what you’re saying
This is the way. I’m still hoping this happens. Arteta played with Sczeszny back in the day so surely he’s just a call away.
I think we need a keeper who can speak Spanish: Raya, Joan Garcia, Neto.
I believe Neto speaks Portuguese, seeing as he’s Brazilian.
Decent backup
Free agent Szcz to the rescue. Edu make it happen.
Emiliano Viviano free agent. It is time
My brain read that as “Vito Mannone.” Who appears to be on the bench at Lille, it turns out!
Don Vito lives!
One day, we’ll look back fondly at the goalkeeper obsessed 2023/2024 transfer windows. Maybe, I dunno, Chelsea seem into keepers too ATM and anything associated with them is gross.
Not a very good situation to be in.. I pray we get a very decent 2nd keeper.. How true is the coman rumour
To be fair before the last season or two I’ve never given a single thought to our second choice keeper let alone our third choice, I don’t think we need to worry let alone pray. That said I am pleased and aroused by the prospect of signing a player named Timmy Tickle
You don’t give much thought until if and when Raya gets injured. This could cost us the title and it’s not worth the risk. We shouldn’t try to repeat the Runarsson signing again
Wont somebody think of the children
Exactly my point.. A keeper who will step in and we won’t see or notice a difference… I prayed and hope this don’t bite us back.
Coman I doubt. He has been offered to us but don’t think we are into it
As a short term option, we should be. Keep the ammo in reserve for bigger targets next summer. But unless you believe in Reiss Nelson (unfortunately I don’t believe he’s up to the standard we need), we are short a forward. A Single injury and we’re stretched, two n injuries across the forward line and we’re in deep trouble.
Cross’n’players.
I’ve heard Arsenal are planning a late swoop for Sebastian Frey… 😉
Hi Mart Poom, mate it’s mikel, how’s about you put on your gloves for another season , come to London mate .
Marts mouth will be open and aghast – but it’ll be unclear if that is anything more than his resting face
I’m super anxious about a striker, don’t generally get this way leading up to transfer window jim white wank fest, but the need for more goals, cover for all positions across the front , jesus not being fit, it’s just crying out for a forward.
We’re so close to winning the league and the boot a forward would give the squad, fresh impetus, something different, something unknown to opposition .
Kyogo, Darwin Nunez, Toney, whilst none are superstars, all have traits that would add to us and be some additions bringing freshness
Is Sèbastien Frey, available???
Edu, make it finally happen!
If you think Garcia is good enough, pay up the f**king release clause and stop this penny-pinching haggles! Except you want to go into the season with one goalkeeper. Or, maybe, force Ramsdale to stay and have a disgruntled unmotivated player in your hands
I do think Garcia is good enough but I refuse to pay the release clause – i place a value 6p lighter than his worth and I’d like to see us with only one keeper as it’ll motivate rammers
Kinda true. This situation is suddenly farcical again. If we have been tracking García all season we know how much his release clause is and so shouldn’t be surprised at this late stage. So why try to fkn low ball them at this stage? Again I’m not impressed one bit how this whole goalkeeping saga just refuses to fkn get resolved. Not a good look for edu or Arteta.
A corporate man should be the first to know that millions of British pounds are not equivalent to “pennies.” Thus “pinching millions” might be more appropriate.
I like transfer news as much as the next man, but I’ve fogging heard enough about goalie ins and outs for one transfer window.
I can’t believe nobody’s made a joke about how we were after the wrong Neto, etc etc. I’m here for y’all.
Maybe we were after the wrong Joan? I’m sure Ben White would love a Joan Miró sculpture or two for his dogs to play with, shouldn’t cost much more than Joan Garcia…
Neto deal is official now btw. Season long loan, no obligation. That’s the correct type of deal IMO. Thoughts on the Garcia approach… Usually I can see seamless logic in the moves the club makes but this one is a headscratcher. He’s very good by all accounts, obv that’s the appeal. At 23 though he needs to play to develop further (and keep/grow his value). It follows that Arsenal MUST have pitched some kind of time share between him and Raya that he found agreeable. The only other possibility is a loan back to Espanyol, like Liverpool are doing with… Read more »
Wow, that happened quick. Nice update!
Very good points. Season long loan deal for Neto is very very sensible. Any possibility of Garcia still happening i.e both clubs meet at the middle to become the defacto cup keeper and Neto third choice?
Signing a forward on top of the above would make this an A transfer window for Arsenal in my books.
https://x.com/David_Ornstein/status/1829298527568097606?t=iSDBkIGM_y2V0tZuMMnEmg&s=19
So Pedro Neto can be our back up for Raya and Saka? Classic versatile Arteta signing.
Fabrizio misunderstood when Arteta told him he liked Neto.
I think this Neto move is very smart and I have utmost confidence in him as our second string keeper.
+ It does not close the door on Hein if he happen to prove himself at the Valla…Not sure if it will happen for him but I like to keep an open mind on this…
+ I don’t want to c us selling the rams for 18 mil and buy a new second string keeper for 30 mil..that would be a waste of resources + lousy & ridiculous piece of business mirroring Boehly Chelsea.
Yeah I mean it seems high for the value he’s projected to bring for it and I think that’s why we balked. It’s just a strange one. We seemed to have a degree of confidence that we could do it for less than the release to match the value better and I don’t understand why. Then we pivoted to a totally different type of deal.
Can arteta convince szcsecnzy to delay retirement and rejoin us. Shouldn’t be spending alot on a back up.
oh no! No Sterling please!
It will be the worst business for Edu,a 35 year old coming to back up Raya is a poor decision
While Mr Tickle is good, I would prefer Mr Messi.
Why couldn’t we do £10m Chiesa?
Wondered that too tbh. He was there all summer. Seemed like the right sort of signing. Big injury history probably put us off.
We can get Szczesny on a free. Passionate old fellow that one
This whole window has seemed far different from our last few windows under Arteta leaving so much of our business to the last minute with two fairly large sales for us potentially happening on the last day without any confirmed incomings to replace them. Hard to believe we will sell ESR and Nketiah and loan Viera with only bringing in Merino for the attack and midfield. I can understand ESR and Viera for Merino since we have Nwaneri plus a healthy Partey (at this point). Where will be dangerously light will be at striker considering the number of matches we… Read more »