Good morning everyone, welcome to Monday.
However, it is not just a normal Monday. It is the eve of the transfer deadline day. The most wonderful time of the year. Tomorrow night at 11pm we’ll find out if Arsenal have been able to yank Moisés Caicedo out of Brighton by submitting yet another derisory and laughable offer of over £70m, or if they’ve changed management and upset another club. by offering to buy one of their players for a pittance of tens of millions of pounds.
As it stands, it doesn’t look all that promising on Caicedo – Brighton’s stance, understandably as I wrote yesterday, remains consistent.
???? Arsenal submitted the second offer tonight for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo. Rejected the latest proposal for international add-ons of 65 million GBP + 5 million GBP in Ecuador. Despite #BHAFC reiterating 21 year old stance not going anywhere, #AFC clearly still interested in @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/6vcR0RpkZy
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 29, 2023
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi said after their 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool:
“I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to move on without him.”
Which sounds encouraging, but why would he say anything more when his team did what they did yesterday without the Ecuadorian? He made sure the focus was on the players who produced a big win, not a guy who has misbehaved, for reasons we all understand of course. It won’t be Zerbi’s who Arsenal are dealing with either, so what he says doesn’t really turn the needle on this one.
I think it is possible that a deal could be reached, and Brighton could use this as another example of how well they negotiate. Having a reputation as a tough cookie when the big clubs call up their best players goes a long way. It will come in handy when the ridiculous offers for Kaoru Mitoma start rolling in over the summer. But what that means for Arsenal is paying a lot of money, and I’m not sure if that’s what we’ll do. Brighton can put whatever valuation they want on Caicedo, and there’s always a bit of leeway where you can pay more than you think he’s worth, but there’s also a point where the figure you’re looking for is too far off. buyer club valuation, and I can’t help but think we’re headed into that territory.
So what? Well, Moises Caicedo isn’t the only midfielder in the world and Arsenal may have a contingency plan. A lower-profile player from a club somewhere in Europe could well be an option, although you then have to consider the adjustment period. It’s not set in stone that any new signing from a different league takes time to get used to in the Premier League, but it’s not uncommon for a player to take time to catch up.
Then there is the loan market. In January, it’s not usually filled with the cream of the crop, but we brought in Martin Odegaard a couple of years ago, and it worked out well. However, it is most likely a rather unexciting and run-of-the-mill signing. A perfectly cromulent player who doesn’t level up, but doesn’t necessarily have to because he’s only here for a few months to give us a bit of depth in an area where we’re pretty light, especially if Mohamed Elneny’s injury is as bad as some suggest. of the rumours.
The question of our summer goal is another consideration. I believe the owners have financially supported the manager substantially in recent years. We spent around £135m in the summer, we spent another £50m in the January window and despite reporting otherwise, it’s hard to think that spending another £80m now (on Caicedo) wouldn’t have an impact in the summer. spent. We have players that we can sell this summer that could generate income, whether that’s enough or not.
But, I hear people say, we have a title to win now, and that’s absolutely true. The Thomas Partey injury scare gave everyone the chills because of how important it is, and I completely understand that. The thing is, maybe what you need to think about if you’re without him is how to readjust your team to deal with him, instead of looking for a player who can do exactly what he does at the level that he does, because that last part is really hard. . I would have a similar concern with Bukayo Saka, as we have players who can play on the right, but none of them can do what he does in terms of quality or consistency.
Which almost brings us full circle because if you think someone like Caicedo is a good fit for the Partey role, then by default that player is going to be very expensive. However, do you think he’s a better fit than Declan Rice? Your guest is as good as mine. Personally, I would prefer the West Ham man, but the chances of him leaving them in January are slim to none, I’d say.
Anyway, let’s hope we do something before the window closes. The potential blog post about ‘internal solutions’ for midfield in the wake of a quiet deadline day is not something anyone is going to much enjoy reading about. However, despite all the public posturing during transfer windows, deals can be made pretty quickly when it comes down to it, so let’s see what happens.
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We recorded the Arsecast Extra for you yesterday, if you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, it’s all below. Have a good.
