Effectively properly, we made a signing.
The primary deal of the summer season has gone down, and it’s Marquinhos from Sau Paulo, announced yesterday by the club. The 19 12 months outdated will price a little bit over £3m, and can arrive in London within the coming weeks for pre-season.
Technical Director Edu says:
We’re delighted to have accomplished the switch with Sao Paulo, as Marquinhos was a participant we had been looking forward to some time. At 19, he’s nonetheless very younger, so he’s a participant for the long run. We stay up for Marquinhos now becoming a member of us for pre-season, making his new residence, and persevering with to develop and develop with us.
The opposite day I wondered if he was going to be the additional vast ahead we wanted within the squad subsequent season, and I suppose Edu’s feedback about how he’s one for the long run in all probability reply that. It was attention-grabbing to learn that Wolves, who had critical curiosity within the participant, had mainly organized for him to go on mortgage to Grasshoppers, so except he’s a really fast developer, it’d be a shock if he was deemed prepared for Premier League motion for us.
Younger Brazilian ahead Marquinhos has joined Arsenal.
A deal for Wolves to signal him was regarded as up to now down the road {that a} mortgage to Grasshoppers was already being lined up for subsequent season. Membership has sought authorized recommendation.
— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) June 13, 2022
There could possibly be Europa League alternatives for him, in fact, and whereas somebody like Gabriel Martinelli has proven you may come from decrease down the Brazilian ladder and make an influence fairly rapidly, even he wanted time to develop and to ‘add some gears‘ as Mikel Arteta mentioned final season.
That also leaves us with area within the squad. On the appropriate we’ve got Bukayo Saka and, because it stands, Nicolas Pepe. That’s a topic that got here up throughout yesterday’s Arsecast Extra and whereas it looks like what ought to occur subsequent is apparent, it’s removed from uncomplicated. I believe the participant will need to go, I believe Arsenal might be joyful for him to depart, however the place is he going to land and who’s going to cough up a good price for a participant within the doldrums?
A £72m switch price additionally comes with £72m wages, and as we all know the earlier soccer executives at this membership handed out very substantial contracts to their signings. It didn’t seem to be that was one thing they frightened about an excessive amount of, as gamers like David Luiz and Willian arrived on massive, massive cash, so I assume that Pepe’s wages are kind of commensurate together with his switch price (nonetheless our document outlay).
It’s honest to say his inventory has fallen after a season wherein he began simply 5 instances within the Premier League, the final of which got here in October of 2021. There’s additionally the truth that we nonetheless owe Lille cash as a part of the deal, so even when we do handle to discover a purchaser, it’s potential that what we get doesn’t cowl what we’ve got to pay his former membership. All in all, it’s a tough one, however I nonetheless count on him to go this summer season. The underside line is that actions converse louder than any phrases, and his lack of involvement final season tells you every part you should find out about the place he stands with the supervisor.
Hyperlinks over the weekend to West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Leeds’ Raphinha do then make some sense when it comes to their enjoying profiles, however do you make a really costly signing for a place the place you have already got your assured starter (Saka)? You would clearly make an excellent argument as to why it’s a good suggestion. Rising the depth and high quality of your squad is necessary, and there’s extra soccer subsequent season with the Europa League. Plus it leaves you higher in a position to deal with the calls for of the Thursday/Sunday schedule + elevated journey and so on and so on, and the 5 subs rule means higher involvement from the bench any longer.
Because the ‘two striker’ debate continues, perhaps the concept is so as to add higher depth to the vast attacking areas. Gabriel Jesus, if he arrives, and Eddie Nketiah as the 2 centre-forwards don’t offer you an enormous quantity of selection (even when they’re not precisely the identical type of participant), however Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe on the left, with Bukayo Saka + 1 (Bowen, Raphinha) on the appropriate actually does. Add that further little bit of craft in central midfield whenever you usher in somebody like Youri Tielemans, and it does go some method to altering the attacking profile of this staff.
Let’s see what occurs. I’ll go away you this morning with the Arsecast Further, wherein we focus on all of the switch rumours, Mikel Arteta’s seaside footage, and much extra. Completely happy listening.
