Arsenal Banter 3

29 Jul 2026 06:12:58
You say we are a different animal 62. I disagree, mate. We have always been this way in the transfer market. Hincapie and Merino will be " new signings " lol

Wire - Certainly hasn't stopped spuds or City doing business :)

The other thing I don't get is we sell players cheaply.

Still, after all this time our most expensive sale is the OX at 35 million.

I might be proved wrong when Mbappe signs, eh lol.

29 Jul 2026 08:49:35
Hi Banbury, mate. Our transfers do tend to happen out of the blue and away from the media gossip pages these days.

Maybe I will be wrong, and we will be told that we don't need additions because Liverpool, City, Chelsea all have new managers who will need time to settle in, while our manager is already well settled.

😊 I doubt it, but it could be the case, I guess. 😊😊😊😊

28 Jul 2026 12:38:33
I do wonder why we are dragging our heels. Maybe players we thought were leaving are staying? I really expected players in by the start of August.

28 Jul 2026 15:56:19
All the talk about Vini Jr.. With Madrid signing Diomande, just wondering if Rodrygo is still an option? But is he any better than Martinelli, I'm not convinced.

28 Jul 2026 23:01:14
In just 3 or 4 weeks, all the wondering and all the second guessing will be over, and all will be very well indeed.

The Arsenal are a very different animal these days, and the odds on us being asked to accept a fully fit Saka and Timber as being as good as new signings are extremely low.

I'm pretty sure we will all be very excited to get our first glimpse of our new signings come 26/27 season opening night. 👏👏👏👏

29 Jul 2026 03:22:30
World Cups always throw off timing for things. The club has barely had a pre-season and it's not even August yet.

26 Jul 2026 15:03:13
I think Berta (the don 🕶️) could be cooking up something special for us gooners. I saw an article about 3 weeks ago that he wanted all our deals concluded in the next 2 weeks, so now he is a week past that statement. Which I’m fine with. The guy is a sly old fox 🦊. I trust him 100%. I mean, come on guys, he absolutely smashed it for us last summer. I don’t think Vini will be coming to us, just using the mighty Arsenal name to get a better pay increase at Madrid… but just got a nice feeling that all of a sudden the don will pull the trigger on at least 2 maybe 3 incoming deals.

And we will all say wow, wow and possibly wow again. We gotta stay cool 😎 whilst the 🕶️ works his magic. North London forever, whatever the weather…🔴⚪️❤️.

26 Jul 2026 17:13:21
Hello Gabi, mate, hope everyone and everything is good for you.
I am, like you, very doubtful over Vini.
But Bruno, Alvarez, and a r/b and a stop gap c/h, and we are ready to rip.
Just reading that Christos has clocked the fastest time in training, quicker than Gabi or Vic.
Take care, Gabi, mate.
Coyg.

26 Jul 2026 18:31:12
Hi Bill, alls good, my friend. The good thing about Don Berta 🕶️ is no one actually knows what he actually has lined up. The papers can do all their talking. I'm just waiting to see what the little fella really does. In Don Berta 🕶️ I trust. Arsenal till I die. VTH. 🔴⚪️❤️

26 Jul 2026 19:24:31
Gabi, I tend to disagree. He didn’t sign a needed LW. Noni didn’t improve the starting 11, and we still need a top striker. He was slow at signings last summer. Sorry, but as we still need a top CF & LW, he’s slow again this summer.

Clearly I’m missing something.

This isn’t me being anti whatever, but stating what I see - it’s almost the end of July & no big signing. Looks like he needs a bit more intensity & assertiveness, which looks like the reason we didn’t sign Rogers.

26 Jul 2026 20:17:33
Sy, mate, we won the league, was 1 penalty miss away from CL glory. The players we are interested in were all in the later stages of the World Cup, they get extended breaks.
Rogers was 117 million, so, so overpriced.
If anything, Villa played Chelsea like a fiddle. Would be interested to know if Chelsea knew that our ceiling for Rogers was 80 million.

The 3 players mentioned, Bruno, Alvarez and Vini, are seriously expensive players, and it will take seriously strong negotiations and a lot of wonka. We are not like City and Chelsea, who clearly disregard any financial restraints or laws. We are the Arsenal.
Hoping you are having a good summer, mate. Take care.

26 Jul 2026 22:08:04
100% Highbury. It was our squad depth that won us the trophy and almost the Champions League. You can have the best striker and wingers in the league and still fall short. Could we have a better striker and LW? Of course.

But even then, sometimes it doesn't always bring success. Let's enjoy being current champions and hope it's the start of a fruitful period, whatever players are with us COYG.

26 Jul 2026 22:19:50
Hi Sy, hope all's well. Totally agree on Noni. Being honest, I wasn't keen on us signing him in the first place, but once we did, I backed him because he was an Arsenal player. But I honestly thought Berta did well, apart from Kepa (although for 5 mil he wasn't too bad) , and Noni. The rest of the signings were very good. Although it's hard to make a proper assessment of Norgaard as he didn't often play (which was a shame; he was a very good player at Brentford) . Mosquera, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Eze and Big Viktor all played big parts in us winning our first title in 22 years, and only missing out on the Champions League final to penalties, which is a 50/50 lottery.

So, in all fairness, and only my humble opinion - and it is only my opinion, and other people are totally entitled to theirs - we did alright last summer transfer-wise. We became champions of England once again, so I can't complain, mate, and I'm happy to wait and see what happens. Just one thing: regarding Morgan Rogers, he is not worth wasting £117 million on. £70 million maybe. £75 million absolute max. If Chelsea want to pay silly money for him, that's their choice. Arsenal won't pay silly money for someone who is massively, massively overpriced. ✌🏻 & 🫶🏻 To you, Sy, take care, bud.

26 Jul 2026 22:42:38
Evening! All good here, and I love hearing us referred to as champions. What an achievement! We didn't have a strong transfer window, and really strengthened our squad. What we need to do now is strengthen our starting 11, so our attack is as effective as our goalie, defence & midfield. I'm not taking anything away from last season, but I still believe he could have been more effective, but we won. Eze has not been great except the Spurs game. Not a huge fan of Vik, but we took forever to sign him so he missed training with us.

Noni is Noni.
We aren't Chelsea, but if we want Bruno - get it done! Stop messing around.
If we wanted Rogers - get it done and stop trying to get players cheap and missing out.
We just need to be more decisive and not trying to work 5 deals. Get it done or move on.
Hope you are all good and excited for new season.
The market is the market - we either compete and move forward or reject it and shrink.

I agree that we did alright. I wouldn't say we smashed it. That's all as we are still looking to solve the same 2 issues.

26 Jul 2026 22:55:48
Champions 25/26.. Arsenal. We got what we all craved for so long. We must now keep moving forward. Let's see what lies ahead, and we can all have a good old natter when the summer transfer window slams shut. It's going to be very interesting. COYG/VTH. 🔴 ⚪️ ❤️

27 Jul 2026 06:39:42
🤣🤣 I nearly got suckered in by the we bought Noni narrative, so we had a poor window! Then Gabi reasoned we bought Hincapie, Viktor, Eze, Zubi and Mosquera and I was back in the room! I did miss Kai getting a kicking though, which was strange and threw me again! 🤷‍♂️ COYG.

27 Jul 2026 06:53:04
Morning Sussex, hope alls good. I personally like Kai and am very fond of Merino, who is hugely underrated. Both of them often pop up with big goals in big games. No complaints there from me, buddy. 😉

27 Jul 2026 07:35:14
All good here, Gabi! I'm just getting a premonition that the reason we didn't win this that or t'other is we didn't sign Rogers! Villa fans were mystified as to why Emery was playing him earlier in the season. If Rogers is the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy! Chelski will do well this season, as they did poorly last season, a bit like United.

No Europe, and so Alonso will have all week with them, and way less games, so less tiredness and injuries. It's why United will struggle more this season. COYG.

27 Jul 2026 09:25:04
Maybe the 3 unwise men at Chelsea have once again followed the wrong star and have ended up singing yet another Wodderwick or Woger, Hertfordshire mate.

Maybe Noni and Eze didn't consistently turn water into wine but they both played a part in our return to the promised land. 👍👍👍👍

27 Jul 2026 11:52:21
Hi Sussex, I hope you are well.

Hi Gunner, yes, they played a role. One was a squad addition, the other was meant to be a game changer, & at times turned wine to water, but probably was not helped by playing in handcuffs. Hope you are good, fella.

27 Jul 2026 11:59:19
Hi Sy, mate, all good in this hood, and hope it's the same with you, geeza. 👍

27 Jul 2026 14:50:56
Bigger picture, the squad addition helped when Saka was injured or needed a rest, and the game changer gave us memorable moments over them up the road. All players and staff contributed this last great season, whether bit part or large part.
Hopefully onwards and upwards.

27 Jul 2026 18:51:38
All good here, thanks! But what has Arteta ever done for us?
I’m so thinking this Vini Jnr rumour is nonsense. I’ve gone so far the other way and found myself agreeing that he would be worth it, because defences would not double up on Saka, and Saka would benefit enormously! Then I realised what a Biggus Dickus I was being, and relaxed again! It’s tough this transfer rumours lark COYG.

27 Jul 2026 19:57:54
Blessed are the Greek, Shropshire.

27 Jul 2026 23:09:54
Ramsgate, yes, you are spot on, and Noni was an important Saka cover, & so was strengthening the squad, for sure.

28 Jul 2026 16:04:51
Hi, Sy. Your opinions and thoughts are pretty much bang on. We shouldn't rest on our laurels, we definitely need to improve in some areas if we want to make that next step that the manager and board want. Just wanted to appreciate the gradual climb we've made in recent seasons. Could it be better.

sure. Could we be more entertaining. sure. I think we all agree on that. Hopefully, with that monkey off our backs (winning the league) , the handbrake will come off. Whatever happens, everyone on this site wants the same outcome. Hope your summer has been good so far, Sy. 😎 🍺

28 Jul 2026 20:56:07
Excellent summer, bud - love hearing the words Gunners & Champions in the same sentence. Love it, and yes, we've come so, so far! We really have an opportunity to dominate, and can't wait to see us play without that monkey on our back, although it will be replaced with people wanting to beat the Champs!

We have come a long, long way, and for me to complain about certain things actually proves it - signing Vini (5 years ago - nope) , moaning about Noni (5 years ago, no - I was moaning about the clown Luiz) .



What a journey we are in, and still on. 👍💪

25 Jul 2026 19:53:15
Just been reading that Man Utd have ceased their interest in Alex Scott.
Apparently he is our second choice behind Bruno.
I read up on him and he has 3 serious knee injuries and came back each time, which he should be very proud of, but I wonder if that's the reason United walked away.

26 Jul 2026 01:51:54
Think they walked away due to the price. Reported Chelsea bid something like £64m, and it was rejected, with Bournemouth wanting £80m+.

26 Jul 2026 07:27:12
Thanks for the update, Fuser, mate.
Take care.

25 Jul 2026 16:24:19
Orstein is confirming our interest in Vinicius Jr. Some interesting rumours floating around.

{Ed014's Note - current market value supposedly €140 million but contract up next year so would no doubt be less.

He's apparently on £400,000 a week and he’s unlikely to take less than that to move anywhere.

Do you think we’ll buy him Sally?

We’ll need to shift a few out that’s for sure.

25 Jul 2026 17:13:45
Lads and lasses, if we pull this off with Bruno and Alvares, we will be unstoppable this coming season.

25 Jul 2026 17:08:29
That's a fair old wedge Ed mate.I cannot see it happening personally but you never know.
I read that Josh Kroenke is going to be more involved this year in transfers.

{Ed014's Note - it will be a real push if it did happen, like you I can’t see it Bill.

Not sure in what capacity Josh would get involved as Berta is doing a great job.

25 Jul 2026 18:00:43
Ed14 this is a no brainier football wise and financially wise think of the sponsor deals the imagine rights shirt sales he has his own follows, we would pay his fee outright in shirt sales, plus make history for Arsenal with the cl this is massive for us if it comes off, anyone says we can't afford it is wrong the money will flood in trust me

{Ed014's Note - well let’s hope it happens then mate.

No one would have believed we would buy Declan for the price, so I guess it’s always a possibility.

26 Jul 2026 01:59:04
He's apparently turned down Madrid's offer of £500k/week, as reportedly he wants around £650k/week. (I converted the figures from EUR) It seems like a PSG signing, or he waits it out to force Madrid's hand and eventually renews, as I can't see any other clubs matching those numbers.

{Ed014's Note - that’s mental money

25 Jul 2026 23:23:36
I really don't know Ed14. I just hope a huge disparity in wages doesn't cause an issue.
It would certainly be a statement signing.

{Ed014's Note - I guess there’s always a disparity in wages at all clubs and as a group players will always know that but if they achieve the collective goal then is it such a huge issue.

I doubt Merino is on the same money as Saka for example but he still loves playing for the Arsenal.

26 Jul 2026 01:15:23
Rumour has it he's looking for Mbappe-level wages in his negotiations with Real Madrid. So that £400k week salary Ed would jump to £500k. Crikey.

{Ed014's Note - that’s just it, if he’s already on 400k he’s not moving for the same or less.

26 Jul 2026 06:16:47
For that money he's going to an oil club. I would love it to happen, but I just can't see it.

26 Jul 2026 09:09:00
"If you can keep your head when those around you are losing theirs."

You will still have a football club when the madness ends and their financial bubbles burst.

26 Jul 2026 09:39:21
MA to current squad: "Well done on the Prem and getting to within a penalty shoot out of the CL", but I'm bringing in a player on double your wages - he's not Prem proven, and he'll refuse to track back, which is not a problem because we are selling our whole defence to fund him, so no one there to help anyway.


Vinicius to Real - okay, I'll accept £500,000 a week.
Nothing at all to see here - just add to the fecking madness pile and assume we have no interest - paper talk COYG.

26 Jul 2026 14:13:57
Madrid take a huge cut of his image rights. We wouldn't do that, which would mean we could pay him the wages he wants.

26 Jul 2026 14:48:15
You can inherit the wind - Gunner 62 - classic.

24 Jul 2026 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, United's Squad Balance and the Left-Side Dilemma

23 Jul 2026 11:23:32
With Liverpool now linked heavily with Barcola and Chelsea looking at Guimares, I am puzzled why we are not an attractive option to the players. I understand the financial aspects but is it our playing style that is putting off these players?

23 Jul 2026 12:19:41
Has to be a money thing. Players nowadays just want a huge bank balance. If we aren't careful, we could end up with a very disappointing transfer window, when, let's be honest, at the end of May, huge sums of money were being talked about.

23 Jul 2026 13:11:05
We have to replace players and upgrade in certain positions. But, it is no coincidence the steroided wide boys C£ty and Chelski have caused this with Anderson and Rogers transfers. I like Liverpool, as, like us, they have done it the right way, but even they spent massively heavily last summer and finished out the top three. I said before £80 mill for Guimares is madness, as was £117 mill for Rogers, plus £130 mill for Barcola, bonkers.

Do we change the club's transfer model because C£ty and Chelski are paying silly money. Also, look at the Villa site trying to justify getting Garnacho as if that wasn't discussed during the Rogers' transfer. They talk about us with the dark arts on the pitch, but others are very dark in the boardroom. Should we join them, is my question? Where is the moral compass? COYG.

23 Jul 2026 16:05:42
I think we are getting a little too concerned about signings, especially when we've no idea if the club are genuinely interested.

Also, I don't rate Barcola at all, fast, yes, but beyond that looks very hit and miss.

I don't suspect we were in for Rogers either, as not a position we needed to cover.

23 Jul 2026 21:21:48
Hey Stoner, buddy.

Long time no see.

24 Jul 2026 19:13:04
Who is this Stoner chap? Mal? Do we even know him?

Honestly though, not sure we were in for Rogers, and I haven't seen enough of Barcola to comment. I will, however, say that I'm hoping for some magic from Berti. Don't even mean that he should go out and sign established stars for gazillions, but an unknown, or two, that are going to set the Prem alight would be nice.



We do have a few positions to fill, so hopefully we get some decent business done this season.

24 Jul 2026 22:53:11
Pretty sure it was Spuds who set the tempo for prices this summer, spending £100m on Tonali and then £85m on Fernandes. Both Anderson & Rogers have the Homegrown/English tax added to their values, hence their prices are higher.

25 Jul 2026 14:21:38
Top players, like you mention, want to play the beautiful game and express themselves. The dirty tricks, pulling, pushing, wrestling, time wasting at your own corners will surely put the best talents off of joining you.

25 Jul 2026 15:06:23
You shouldn't come on here and slag off the Argentinians, bad for international diplomatic relations.

25 Jul 2026 20:08:08
Messi possibly the best player of all time didn't have problem playing in the dirtiest team in modern times, if Argentinian thugerry is good enough for Messi then Arsenal's physicality shouldn't be a problem for any player interested in success

26 Jul 2026 02:00:24
Not sure Messi had the option to play for Spain or France at this World Cup, G62. 😂

{Ed014's Note - always amazes me how opposing fans jump on a style of football when they really know the quality of football this Arsenal team has and can play under Arteta.

Just sour grapes as us winning the league was a little too hard for some precious people to take.

26 Jul 2026 19:34:44
Hi Fuser, I totally accept Messi didn't have the option to play for anyone but Argentina, mate, but he wasn't forced to be part of a team that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons; he chose to do so because he wanted success.



We might not have played the most attractive or adventurous football for much of last season, but we definitely played the most successful football in England; hence, we are Premier League champions. 👏👏👏👏👏

22 Jul 2026 12:16:27
If Summerville has gone for 80 mill, then the market has gone truly nuts.
What price Gabi, eh?

22 Jul 2026 15:03:06
Made me go Whaaaaaaaat!! So checked Bill and all I got was £55mill plus 5Mill to Saudi team. Not unreasonable for 24 year old Dutch international. £80 Mill would be bonkers. New sales talk is 2 x Summervilles = one Anderson or one Rogers. Totally agree, even at my figures, the game's gone. Until we spend gazillions on a LW, of course. Coyg.

22 Jul 2026 19:12:52
Hello Sussex mate, hope you and the family are safe and well.
My mistake, I didn't read the small print, the story I read had €80 million; I read it as £80 million.
My apologies, mate.

22 Jul 2026 20:30:43
Crikey, Bill, no apologies necessary! Anyway, I spend my whole life apologising to Mrs Sussex for stuff I’ve done, am doing, and am going to do. Always in the 💩, just a matter of how deep. Come on, boys, let’s get creatively dirty like the Villains and Rent Boys.

Surely we have a hotel or a Walmart we can sell, or the girls team. We’re supposed to be masters of the dark arts, not from where I’m sitting. Coyg.

22 Jul 2026 22:26:32
Everyone and everything that is for sale is only worth what someone, somewhere, is prepared to pay for it.

I wonder what happened to all those old car tyres that people called art and sold for a fortune in the 70s. I'm guessing the buyers eventually ended up paying someone to take them away and get rid of them.

23 Jul 2026 04:48:39
Remember NFTs? 😂

22 Jul 2026 09:24:32
Having signed Tzolis, Meslier and Hincapie, adding Rashford, Barcola/Kroupi, Bruno and a defensive cover will be good business for us.
Rogers would have been good but definitely not worth 117 million, and he thinks he has joined the biggest club in London, so good luck to him. 😄

22 Jul 2026 12:20:50
Who do you see leaving us? We know Jesus will go, and Trossard has gone, but who else do you see going?

22 Jul 2026 12:54:45
Kepa, Nelson, Vieira, Norgaard, Jesus, I really like the look of Tzolis.

22 Jul 2026 12:58:01
Is Tzolis any good then? Henry rates him, so ......

22 Jul 2026 20:57:58
Wasn't great at Norwich, but then again Olise wasn't great at Palace, mate.

22 Jul 2026 22:40:24
Henry was an absolutely wonderful player, but not so wonderful as a manager. How much is his opinion really worth over anyone else's?

23 Jul 2026 06:54:38
Probably worth a bit more than our opinion, 62, lol.

23 Jul 2026 12:45:29
Most likely, mate. 👍 But probably not as much as a top scout, coach or managers' opinions when it comes to spotting talent.

Henry is unquestionably an absolute Arsenal legend on the pitch, much as Rooney and Neville are Man United legends, but all 3 are pundits because they failed in their attempts at football management, while Wenger and Mourinho were below average players but, in their day, incredible managers with a real eye for a player.

Pundits do what they get paid to do, which, of course, is give opinions, but those opinions have a very dubious reliability rate. 😊

23 Jul 2026 19:07:42
Tzolis is gooner. 👍👍👍👍

Let's hope he turns Henry's opinion into wonderful judgement and Arsenal into Premier League and Champions League champions. 🤞🤞🤞🤞

22 Jul 2026 07:20:08
Why does it seem every club is beating us to the targets we won't, or are they not the real targets?

22 Jul 2026 09:23:44
I think we are all agreed it's an inflated market, SB. I think we also all agree that we require a pure left winger, which Rogers was not.
Villa stuck to their valuation and got Chelsea to pay almost the asking price, so fair play to them. The difference nowadays with us is that we won't be had over on transfer fees.

We are being run by people who know the value.
imo I would pay the asking price for Bruno, Kroupi, Alvarez, Scott because they would bring exactly what we require.
I trust Mikel and Berti.
COYG.

22 Jul 2026 13:31:25
I'd like us to get Scott.

21 Jul 2026
New image uploaded to the
Arsenal Player Sightings page entitled,

Click picture for larger image