EPL 2023/2024
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Looks like Arsenal are making some good moves to shore up their defense, midfield and depth. Havertz provides a point of difference and perhaps a change in environment might benefit him. Another solid ball winning midfielder would be the cherry on the cake.
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Havertz will be really interesting. Shades of Odegaard who was signed to real with a ton of fanfare but never figured it out for them. Can arteta find a way to unlock havertz like he has for Odegaard?
Rice is the key for them though. One of the best at his position and a desperate need for them. It's so very arsenal that they're potentially going to miss out on him because they tried to nickel and dime west ham.
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Havertz has always clearly been a big game player who didn't quite gel with the Chelsea game (like all of them lately, honestly).
I think Rice is going to be a complete failure at Arsenal. There is no way he's worth 105mm & the pressure of it will tell.
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@MajorRage English players are always overpriced. Look no further than Maguire and Grealish.
Arteta clearly wants Rice so I'm happy to trust him. Ødegaard might be the only starting player left from the midfield used last season. If Arsenal gets the players they are rumoured to be close to signing (Jurriën Timber being another) then the squad will be better. The problem last season was when the starters got injured late in the season there wasn't the same quality to replace them.
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Am I the only one who rates Rice? The guy is world class and certainly won't be a failure at Arsenal. He'll do all the dirty work and will look even better with more quality around him, and will make your centre halves look even better with his ability to drop into the backline and cover when needed. He's also dangerous from set pieces and will allow his team mates to play more freely as he'll be there to cover their mistakes. A brilliant signing.
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@African-Monkey no I think I’m in the minority.
He isn’t worth 105mm.
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Nobody is worth 105m but I can't see Rice failing at the Arse, he's too dynamic a player. Will be interesting to see whether they see him as the holding player or want him to take on more of the Xhaka role and being given licence to maraud forwards.
Havertz on the other hand - could be a masterstroke if they can work out a position that suits him but it won't be as the central striker. Maybe in the Xhaka role.
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
Havertz on the other hand - could be a masterstroke if they can work out a position that suits him but it won't be as the central striker. Maybe in the Xhaka role.
That appears to be where he'll play as Arteta referred to Havertz as a midfielder. I also expect Havertz will spend some time during a game as the no.9 because he offers an aerial threat, so something different.
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@MajorRage You're right, but English teams always spend large on players so it's nothing new here.
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@Cyclops I think rice is pretty much sewn up from what is being said. Just negotiating how much is paid and when. Havertz is an interesting one and just have to wait to see whether his talents can be highlighted under Arteta. One more strong midfielder would be ideal.
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@KiwiPie well he is at least worth 90 as this is what City offered unless it was not a serious offer. Like all sports a player is worth what someone pays for him. Seems like he has some leadership skills that set him apart from Caicedo otherwise I would be just as happy with him and pushing for Fofana. I just want more starch in our midfield so let's move on from Viera and as soon as Jorginho.
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@canefan said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
Powerful stuff from one of my favourite Spurs players in recent times, who lost his way.
Hopefully this is a step in his coming back and being happy in himself again
It was powerful and sad. But I sense he has learned a lot of things in rehab and that he wasn't to blame for all this shit. Obviously, a process of recovery, but I bet he has so many more people rooting for him now. Hope he has a great season with improved outlook.
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@broughie said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
@canefan said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
Powerful stuff from one of my favourite Spurs players in recent times, who lost his way.
Hopefully this is a step in his coming back and being happy in himself again
It was powerful and sad. But I sense he has learned a lot of things in rehab and that he wasn't to blame for all this shit. Obviously, a process of recovery, but I bet he has so many more people rooting for him now. Hope he has a great season with improved outlook.
I was such a big fan of his when he played for Spurs. Such a shame he wasn't ready to ask for help when he played for us. I guess he had to hit bottom and reach out in his own time
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@canefan said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
@broughie said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
@canefan said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
Powerful stuff from one of my favourite Spurs players in recent times, who lost his way.
Hopefully this is a step in his coming back and being happy in himself again
It was powerful and sad. But I sense he has learned a lot of things in rehab and that he wasn't to blame for all this shit. Obviously, a process of recovery, but I bet he has so many more people rooting for him now. Hope he has a great season with improved outlook.
I was such a big fan of his when he played for Spurs. Such a shame he wasn't ready to ask for help when he played for us. I guess he had to hit bottom and reach out in his own time
Never saw him play but will watch for him this year. Stopped watching EPL once Wenger was on his last legs and Arsenal were full of fancy midgets who wanted to walk the ball into the goal.
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@sparky said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
Declan Rice has just Arsenal from West Ham for a British record fee of £105 million.
West Ham moaning about the time it took to finalise this deal was rich. They extended the early negotiations to get Man City involved and bump up Rice's value. Anyway, Arsenal now has their three primary targets so the immediate focus will be selling some players now.
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I had no idea about Dele Alli's back story - goes some way to explaining his decline possibly. He rose to prominence so fast at Spurs, scoring loads of goals, playing for England yet it was never clear what his particular talents were or his best position.
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2022 / 2023:
I had no idea about Dele Alli's back story - goes some way to explaining his decline possibly. He rose to prominence so fast at Spurs, scoring loads of goals, playing for England yet it was never clear what his particular talents were or his best position.
He had great vision and an eye for goal, very skillful on the ball. His best football was played when he was in the space behind the centre forward. When Pochettino moved him into a more defensive role he wasn't as effective
