Does Benjamin Šeško take Arsenal to the next level? FT @SheKnowsArsenal

People deluded, I'm back again. Why is it not playing? People deluded, I'm back again. Technical difficulties, but nonetheless, we're back again, man. Sorry about that. Jess, how are you doing? It was playing for me. It wasn't playing for me. I thought something went wrong. I was like, oh, my God. No, no, no, no. But yeah, man, again, where's my manners, people? Do you not listen? Let me do the usual. People deluded, I'm back again. I'm here with Jess, a.k.a. She Knows Arsenal. It might be the off-season, but there's plenty to talk about. Mainly transfer news. Before we get into it, how are you doing? I'm good. I'm enjoying my beginning of summer in California. And I know you can't see him, but he's over there. What's the dog's name? Wynn? No, it's not Wynn. I know some Arsenal fans are not happy about the name, but his name is Beckham. You'll never make me hate Beckham, ever. Why Beckham? Why did you call your dog Beckham? I've got nothing against David Beckham. He's an icon, but why? Every dog I've ever had has had a B name, so I'm never going to change it. I just love the name, and I love Beckham. Posh and David Beckham are my idols. Why? Because I loved the Spice Girls when I was younger, and I thought Beckham was awesome. You'll never make me hate him. I don't want you to hate David Beckham. Awesome is a funny word, man. I thought you were going to say handsome or something, like a certain somebody. But yeah, man, it's all good. I don't know. You guys can't see him. You might see him later, but he's back there. He's excited, so yeah. All right, man. Now we know the revelation that Jess has a dog. She's enjoying the summer weather. Obviously, I'm a bit jealous because you're in Cali. I assume that it's mad sunny. We're in England. It's hella bipolar. But actually, obviously, with it being the off-season, I'm sure you've spoken about it. Everybody's waffling about Sesco. Fabrizio Romano has more or less said that we're trying to obtain him, and we're in a three-way kind of tussle for Sesco's signature. What do you make of the news around Sesco? Do you believe in him, and do you feel he moves the needle for us? I mean, I don't know. I think I've changed my mind on him several times just because it's like, okay, do we need somebody more like the finished product, or do we need somebody that can grow into this complete number nine? I think he's really talented, and I would take him at Arsenal. I don't want to get too excited because I know that multiple teams are interested and things can change very quickly. But I do think that if we were to bring somebody like him, it would make sense just because obviously Havertz's form is going to make some sort of difference in how the club operate in the window. So having a younger striker that needs some development, developing behind Havertz kind of makes sense. But I just still feel like we need a massive window. It cannot just be him. We kind of still need a winger. We definitely need a midfielder. So as long as this doesn't stop any of that from happening, I'm okay with it. I mean, I'm happy with Cesco. I've done videos about him. I've rated him before. I like him a lot, man. He's obviously six foot odd. He's quick. He's got the general play. He's got a certain amount of foundation that Arteta can kind of iron out. Do I believe at the point of signing Cesco immediately, I think we're necessarily stronger to fight Manchester City? No, in the same vein that if he was to get an Isak or something. But I think he could grow into that. Obviously ties in with our project. And I do believe within the next two years, if we don't sign him or anyone, and we assume he stays at Leipzig, everyone's going to be waffling about him. I really like him, man. And I think he would put pressure on spots. And me and you have spoken about this before towards the end of last season. I want the best of both worlds. I want Kai Havertz's form to continue. I want the players that weren't necessarily scoring last year to find their goal-scoring boots and those that will have to keep doing it. But I do think we need a striker. Take nothing away from Kai Havertz. Arguably, just on the basis of how we started and ended 2024 up until this point, he's arguably Arsenal's best player or something along those lines. But I just feel it's a bit weird because I feel like we're in the off-season now. Me and you both know we're going to score goals. We're going to be up there collectively for goals. But you just don't know who. I think the only one I could bet on, if he was to ask me to put my life savings, would be Bakayo Saka. Everyone's got the capacity to do such. Of course, you'd have to give the individual an adaptation period. But crucially, as you said there, we can't really count our chickens until we sign for us, man, because we've been burnt with Mudrik before. You touched on it, and I don't necessarily think you're wrong, but you changed your thoughts. You alluded to we more need an immediate upgrade versus essentially a development project. Why did Sesco change your mind, or why has your thinking process changed in that regard? Mostly just because of Havertz, to be honest. Sometimes I taper my expectations based on knowing my club, too. So knowing that my club is going to take Havertz's form into account, I'm like, okay, wrap your mind around the fact that Havertz will probably play number nine. It doesn't make sense to bring in somebody that would displace him. My biggest fear about bringing in somebody that's a little bit more proven is that that person would play over Havertz, and then Havertz would somehow end up in midfield, which you know is a no-no for me. And me. I don't want it anymore. So it's kind of twofold. Havertz plays well up front, so this would make sense. Keeping him out of midfield is important, and making sure that they have to invest in midfield is the right thing to do. Sesco's form at the end of the season I thought actually was a lot better than the beginning. He started to score a lot more goals, and the types of goals that he scores are goals that everybody else in our team cannot score, I think. The volleys, the way that he strikes the ball is different than the rest of the players in our team. Traditional forward finishes, essentially. Yeah, exactly. And I'm thinking like, okay, so maybe he's not the finished article, but if we had had him in our team against, let's say, Villa away or Villa at home or… West Ham at home. Yeah, could you have brought him in, and it would have been better than bringing in Eddie or something like that? Probably. Probably, you know, so I do think he would give us more. I've been saying on my channel for the last couple of days that Sesco and, let's say, Bakayoko, let's just put them out there. Sesco, Bakayoko, you bring them in and you replace them, or replace Reece Nelson and Enqueteo with them, I think you've upgraded, even if they don't naturally come into the XI. And I think you're right, man, in a sense of, you know, I always say, I think, in my heart, this is just me as an Arsenal fan, I think we've got 12 players that, realistically, Mikel Arteta trusts in. You've got the starting XI, and although he was in the starting XI, if we assume Trossart's on the bench, then that's the 12 you've got. Obviously, you could extend that to Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus and to a degree, Martinelli, people that were on the peripheral. But at a push, it'd probably be 14. We need to move into a 20-man squad. I've previously said on your platform, and I keep repeating it, you know, mid-season, Mikel Arteta, I don't know why it sticks in my mind, but Mikel Arteta sits there. He sat there in February or something and said, we've got one of the smallest squads. Now, I rate Mikel Arteta, how he's assembled the players, how he's collectively and individually, but that can't be a coincidence. And for a team that wants to fight on all fronts, I think that needs to change. Like, I think we did well generally last season, but there was times where, like you said there, if we had a different option against certain teams, maybe we could have got more points on the board. Maybe there could have been different protagonists. Do you think Arsenal out of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United is the best possible project for Sesco? I only ask you that because on the face of it and with a bit of bias, of course, I'm going to say Arsenal is 21. We've got this youth project. We're a lot more aligned in what we're trying to do versus the other clubs. But then you look at Chelsea, it's like you could make a case of you're going to start versus that Arsenal. You've got Havertz and Manchester United, you know, obviously is a historical big club, but you've still got Hojland and Hojland's form has kind of fluctuated. Surely you'd get more game time there, which, as you said, you look at Kai Havertz, you're kind of the number one now. You're the 65 million pound man. You've spoken about how you're a striker for club and country. So if you're Sesco, like, is Arsenal the number one then? I think yes, because, yeah, I hear what you're saying about, you know, Chelsea, they have a young project. You can make a case for either one of them or, you know, Manchester United as well. But we have the stability that neither of those clubs really have. You know, there's always talk about new managers. Chelsea already has a new manager who's going to be there. Is the stability there for a young player to develop? I do think young players need some sort of, like, an environment where they can develop without there being, like, so much pressure on them to, like, be the guy. And going into either Manchester United or Chelsea, instantly you become that. Like, I don't think that Sesco comes in and Nico, you know, Jackson is going to be the guy that they expect to, like, lead him. Like, that's not going to happen. They're going to put a lot of pressure on both of them. And the way that they treated Nico Jackson or, like, the fans and, like, how there was, like, a lot of, he's a young player trying to develop, trying to, like, you know, learn how to be at Chelsea. And they were, like, not really that forgiving in a season where they were meant to be transitioning. So what is it going to be like next season when I feel like their expectation is going to be top four? That's not the best situation for somebody like Sesco to come into. Manchester United, they already have, like you said, they have Hoyland. And they probably need to go with a more established striker, right? Big up Beckham in the cut, man. Now I understand why he's called Beckham. I thought, for some reason, I thought he had a black dog. So, but, yeah. Here, do you want this? Take that. But, yeah, I think we would be the best option because he would just need to come into those, like, cup games or, like, you know, burn a couple of minutes here and there, like, when we're already winning and there's not as much pressure. But that's just how I think about things. He might be like, I want to go somewhere where I'm the out and out, like, number one. That wouldn't be us. You know, that's. I agree and I think that's the gift and curse you've got to take where you're Cesco. I think you're not necessarily even the number one at Manchester United. As you said there with Nicholas Jackson, I know Nkunku can play a number of roles at Chelsea, but you're not necessarily the number one. You know, you haven't even necessarily been the number one at Leipzig. As you said, he kind of started this season second fiddle to Opendo and started strongly. That's where I kind of look at this Cesco thing on multiple angles. Is it a thing where his agent is, you know, don't get it twisted. I think all three clubs are interested in speaking, but is he overselling it? Is he playing Chelsea, Chelsea's interest against Arsenal United? Is he doing that the other way? There's also been rumours of him getting a new deal. You know, does he want to get this sorted before the Euros or after the Euros? There's talk of this release clause. And as you know, this in the modern day, there's all this PSR kind of stuff. Do you think he's the best option on the market in your heart of hearts? I think he's the best. He's the best option for what we want to do right now. But is he? Let's flip the question. If you are in charge, is he the best option? You've got the keys to spend. Is he the best option for you? If I was in charge, that's who I'd go after. But is he the best striker in his current form? No, I think he has the most upside. I think he price wise is the best, you know, but I still I think, you know, maybe Oseman is a little bit underrated right now. But like, if we're honest, like if we stuck him in our team, he'd probably bang, you know. And Yocharis is also very good, you know. Seems like the Yocharis stuff's gone quiet, man. Yeah, for sure. So to me, it's like, is he the best striker? No. Is he the best option for what we need? Probably, you know. So that's how I would think about it. I'd get him. I would. I'm with you in a sense of I think he's when you consider probably the budget we're looking to work with. And I think people fail to understand, even though I'm not an accountant, when you sign a player, you know, you have to factor in their weekly wages and the length of their contracts. So it's almost like the true cost. That's why I feel the Oseman thing is kind of redundant in a sense of you're spending a hundred odd million. He's on like 250, 300 grand a week. You times that by, you know, a five-year period. It's probably out of Arsenal and at this moment in time, Chelsea's remit. And it does feel like on the market, it's the calm before the storm. Do you feel though, like, what like, do you feel Cesco for 50 odd million is a better deal than, you know, as it says here, Napoli won in a hundred odd million for Oseman? Yes. Yeah, I do. Just because I'm still always thinking about, Beckham is not talked about. They got Beckham in the cut, man. Beckham is just like, he does not want to just sit. Like today, like every single day this week, he's just, when I did the stream, he would sit and go to sleep. Today, now that we're doing a stream, he's not doing it. It's making me mad now. But yeah, I think, I think, you know, cause you know, both of us are kind of like on the same page about this. My biggest fear about also going for somebody like Oseman and spending a lot of money on him is that it would inevitably hinder us from getting the midfielder. And I just, I need Arsenal to take care of business when it comes to the midfielder. So also I'm kind of like, well, Cesco's cheaper. So, but in terms of like Oseman, the player, as good as he is, is he worth a hundred million? I don't know. He only has like one season of like elite goal scoring. Like the other ones have been kind of like, whatever. And he's injury prone, you know? So what are we doing there? I think he's a little bit underrated right now, you know, people are talking about him crazy, but is he worth a hundred million? I mean, on the present day, you can't disagree. Why is he underrated though? Cause I never heard that, but I want to hear your thoughts. Well, I think, I think once like, like, if you, if you want Sesco, you want somebody different often, like what people will do to the counter person that's in the equation is talk about them crazy. Like instead of just saying I like Sesco more and that's who I would prefer instead of just saying that it's like Oseman ----. And it's like, but we know Oseman's not like that bad. We know if we stuck him most strikers, I feel like Sesco, Oseman, Yoker is if we stuck them in our team, they'd be really good. So I don't know why we were pretending like Oseman wouldn't be really good for us. I just feel like we don't have the hundred million to just spend on just that one player because we have so much other things to do, but I'm not about to sit here and act like Oseman's not good. Is he perfect? No. And the striker market is kind of dry, but like, is he probably the best out of the bunch? Maybe, you know, what do you think about Oseman? He's probably held in the highest regards. Out of the names you said there, like I think Sesco makes the most sense. I do like Yoker. I feel out of them, you know, if we signed Oseman, that would make me feel a bit more bullish in relation to winning a Premier League title because he's a proven veteran. He's got that kind of category, you know, but then I look at it and signings can go wrong. Whether you sign someone for 50 million a pound or whatever Oseman is, signings can go wrong. I just think with Sesco, there's a lot of upside. He's got like four or five years on Oseman. So if it did go left, we'd make our money back. I do agree in that. I do think people do that thing where, because I like one player, I'm going to act like the other one's crap. I like Oseman. I do think when we speak, when people talk about him, they kind of criticise his general play. Do I think his general play is that of a Kai Havertz? Not that I'm trying to, you know, praise Kai beyond the point or the others. Probably not. But I think where you kind of lose that, he would score goals. And I think, you know, you go back a few years ago, when we tried to sign Gabriel Jesus, I believe Charles Watts said, we spoke to Oseman's agent. I just think his paper taught where Oseman's concerned. But as I've said before, I'm kind of happy with everyone. If we got Sesco, as we've been speaking about, I'm cool with that. If we got Oseman, I'd be gassed. Jokerez, I like him a lot. Izak, apologies, would be the biggest of dreams. But it's fair to say we've moved on from that. Ivan, Tony, I'm not necessarily against it, but it's a myth, you know. And then, exactly. And when you start talking about the Zerskis and, I don't mind Zerski, but once you get into the Brian Brodley category, I'm like, I'd rather us just leave it, if I'm honest with you, and just sign a winger. You mentioned midfielders. We've been linked with Onana. What's your thoughts on him? Because I'm sure you're not convinced on him. Because they feel like that's who we're going to get. Now, like, the conversations around him are like, you just don't understand. He's in a bad team. He'll do so much better for us. You can turn water to wine and whatnot. Yeah, I'm like, I'm not buying it. Like, I think he's on the list, because why wouldn't he be? He's a 6-8, primarily proven, available this summer. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he be on the list? But do I think he should be anywhere near the top? No, I just cannot, like, oh, well, you underrate his passing. I'm like, I don't. Because the passing that he's doing at Everton is not the passing he's going to do at Arsenal. The spaces that we operate in at Arsenal are so much smaller. They play on the counterattack. So, I mean, I could pass the ball into space for Everton against Calvert. Careful, I've seen you play football on YouTube. I don't know if you could, you know. Yes, I could. I could absolutely do it. Because all I have to do is kick it into space. Make sure the goalkeeper doesn't get it. No, but keep going. Because I want to be devil's advocate. Finish what you're saying. But, yeah, like, I can see when you think that this is the player that we might end up with that you want to see the best. I just feel like this is not the marquee midfield signing that this team has needed for a while. Now, I know some people will be like, well, we just spent $100 million on Declan Rice. And I'm like, yeah, I get that. But there's still one other spot that has not been addressed. And it's the Jackal spot. We've been talking about this for years. When Jackal was here, it was, we need to start looking at somebody to replace him or take over the position. He left, and we still didn't do it. Now, it's been like three seasons now. Can we not just get this player in? And I know that some of the players that we've been linked to over the last couple of months are not really that available to us. Like, maybe Zuba Mindy doesn't want to come. And Bernadette Marais is not available. But I'm going to need you to tease out some other options before we get here, like, genuinely. Because this guy is going to be here. I don't think he's going anywhere. But can we look at other options? And I know we are. But he's got to be right down at the bottom of the list. Does he take us up a level? Is he going to elevate us? In his own way, I think he can. But before I offer my thoughts, I wanted to ask you, because you mentioned his passing, right? I don't think you're wrong, but purely in the name of giving people content and being devil's advocate, Declan Rice, obviously, you know, the way they were playing at West Ham and how he's playing is very completely different. So many people could sit there and say, you know what, I hear you, Jess, you're not wrong. But Declan Rice did it. Why couldn't Onana? Because I don't think his passing is amazing. I don't think it's parallel. But I don't think it's terrible. I do think he's technically sound. I do agree with you personally in a sense of I want to exhaust some other options before we get there. Once we start crossing out, for me with Onana, physically great, technically great, Premier League proven, like you said, 22 years of age. We've been linked with him before as well. So it makes sense. I'm not against him. But like you said there, I want to exhaust several other options before we get there. And for me with Everton, it comes at the cost. What is the cost of Onana? You know, if you're talking 50-60 and we can't get the other options, then I'll hold my hands up and say, you know what, let's do this. If you start getting beyond that and it stinks of desperation, at the end of the day, you've got to do what you've got to do. But then when you look at a Bruno Gomarez, a Zoubamedie, as you said, and half of these names, whether we sign them or not, what would he do better than them that would justify overspending and ultimately value for money? So, yeah, don't you think that's a bit harsh with him and questioning his passing where Declan did it? Listen, I'm here to bring the harsh reality to the show. Like, you know, I don't want to sit here and pretend like this guy, no. Every time I watch him play, I'm just like, no, I just, I mean, if we're going to go down the cheaper route or somebody that's not going to be as, like, exciting, can you just go to Monaco and get Yusuf Afana? Like, he's actually, like, very good. Amen. He costs $20 million, apparently. And he has more, I think he just has more to his game. Like, I just feel like Onana is very, I think he's limited. Like, if you want to play, he would be so good if we already had that marquee. Like, we already had our midfield set and we just wanted to add something that, like, or somebody that could do something different. Because he could be somebody that, like, if you want to, you know, be able to run through the lines a little bit more, you want to be able to win those midfield battles a little bit more, like, maybe the player that you have in there is, like, losing duels. Like, you want to bring him in to shore things up. But for him to be, like, that main option, because basically what you're saying is that your options in midfield, like, your main options are Odegaard, Rice, Onana, and Jorginho. It's not giving winning the Premier League. It's just not. You know, but that's just me. But if he was just going to, if he would take the Jorginho role and we added somebody that was, like, elite, then that's fine. But, yeah, it's a no for me. But, I mean, we'd be winning all types of headers. Do you know what? I don't mind him in it. Like I said, like you said there, I don't think he's the long-term Jorginho replacement. I don't quite think he's the Xhaka replacement. I don't think he's that midfielder that can dictate the tempo of the game. That's just not him, really, truly. And I think, you know, the one benefit, I would say, with signing Onana is that it frees up Rice to kind of do that eight-row kind of thing. But I'm not even convinced with just Rice and Onana purely as that, if I'm honest. I think Rice is learning how to do that, but it's not really his game set. I would like someone who's more directly somewhat of a replacement to a Xhaka, a more Arsenal centre-mid. But I can't sit here and lie, man. Premier League-proven physicality, multifunctional, along with Declan Rice. I think you're being, I think you're being harsh on him, man. But as an option, not the main person. Like, I'm saying, if we had our, like, and then you also have to, How did we get from Mount and Gundawan last summer, get Havertz, and then just completely disband it? Like, at some point, like, you've got to get that profile in that eight. You have to get that person in there. Then you can look at, like, Onana. I would have him in the team, just not as the main sign. I'm so desperate for us to get the Smithfield signing. I think it's just that. Join the club, man. Join the club. But that's the thing, as you said there, I think if we do go and sign Onana, I think it stinks of desperation from us. I think he's on the list. I think there's an admiration of him. I just feel like I don't even know how many targets we have, but let's just say we've got 10 targets. I'd probably put him fifth, sixth. I think we'll exhaust other things. Obviously, the Gomaras thing, it's not happening. Zouba Mendy, one minute he's on it, then he's not. It's fair to say he's not there. Fufana, I like him. He feels like he's attainable. If we go and get him, he's somewhere else. And I'm like you, and I'll actually go a step further. If we don't sign that number eight, you can forget about a Premier League title. I'll go on record and say that because there's no way of getting it. Many people will sit here and say, oh, DJ, what are you talking about? The last two years, we've kind of done that. That's great. But you look in our defence for whatever you say, you look in our attack for whatever me and you have said, there's stability there. There's too many questions in midfield. I like Jorginho. I'm not downplaying him at all. But I think every Arsenal fan, and I think if you ask Mikel Arteta himself, I think he used Jorginho more than he would like to. Obviously, Thomas Partey is a quality player. There's a lot of baggage. There's off-field stuff. The club want to move him on. He can't be relied on with fitness. And how much times are we going to watch the same movie and rely on the same story? You know, you are probably going to have me on your channel and rejoice when Smith Rowe's gone. But the Smith Rowe's, the Fabio Vieiras, they haven't locked it down. I would never rejoice at Smith Rowe leaving the club. Just because it's an L for me. I don't have a black heart. Like, come on. Are you sure? Just because it's an L for me. Nothing to do with Smith Rowe. It's because it's an L for me, personally. But it's cool because when Kirill gets sold to AC Milan, remember, innit? Remember. But yeah, moving on with that, yeah. Obviously, what do you make of João Neves? We've been linked with João Neves. And actually, if this would load and not flop me, Fabrizio Romano has said, you know, actually, talk of Zoubamendi not being on moving to Arsenal is premature. So what do you make of this Zoubamendi stuff? And what would you make of Benfica's João Neves, in theory? Man, like, okay, so okay, with João Neves, like, it's just giving, it's really giving YouTube Wonderkid vibes. Like, I've never really sat down and watched him play for Benfica. I think, actually, I think I did watch a game that he was in, again. Can't lie to you, he's a bully still. Okay, so you watched him more than I have because I think I've only watched, like, I was watching Jokeris for sporting and he was on the other team, you know, and I'm pretty sure they lost, you know, but I didn't really, I just saw a small kid out there with his shirt tucked in and I was like, oh, that's Benfica. Why are you voiding him for his shirt tucked in? That's maturity. I love the shirt tucked in. I'm actually, like, I think you should have one baller in your team with the shirt tucked in. I think it's just adds something. Yeah, the white guy's more mature. But, he looks good on comps, he's young, he's probably, like Sesco, gonna be one of those players in the next two, three years where people are gonna be like, oh my gosh, this guy. Um, you highlighted the price. That's kind of where I'm like, do Arsenal have, do they have that just lying around? I don't know. Um, would Benfica, after selling all these players over the last couple of years for exorbitant amounts of money, give Arsenal a discount? Like, no. Even half that would still be a bit mad for, as much as I like him, for someone who's 19 years of age and really a season or two. It's not making sense for Arsenal. But, if we are interested, if Arteta wants him, bring him. like you said, I feel he's one of them where people are gonna do too much, man. Yeah, I mean, it would be exciting. I don't know what you're biting on. Hey, Beckham, chill, man. Like, he's just doing whatever. He's taking the claim to be a midfielder, to be honest, with this heat map. Yeah, he's just, he's everywhere. But yeah, I think he looks like a good player. If we, again, if we just had to buy, like, one player, we could do something like this. But, there's just so many areas to address that I just don't think we have it. In terms of Zoub and Mindy, I think I've cooled on it just a little bit because I'm like, OK, what are you doing? Do you want to come or no? And I think he's the number one option because of the price. I think the price, the profile, the being from the same place Artetas from Spanish midfielder vibes, but, like, is he coming or no? You know, so, I don't know. exactly. It feels like mixed signals. And that's the whole midfield conversation has kind of felt like mixed signals. There's no number one choice or a clear, the clear person. So, the last two seasons we've kind of had at least one player that we knew we were going after before the season even ended. Like, it was Jesus the season before the Declan Rice summer. So, not knowing anything is a little strange, but, I guess. Doesn't that excite you though? Because as much as me and you obviously we're going to churn out the content. We're talking about Zubamendi and Neves and Gomarez and that. Doesn't that excite you though that it might be someone that's absolutely left? Because, I'm purely speaking for myself. I'm happy to entertain Neves and Zubamendi and Onana and all of these guys. But if I'm quite honest with you, forgive my language, I don't give a flying ****. Just come the end of the window, we've got that midfielder. Like, I don't want to talk about this again. Declan Rice, Odegaard, whatever in it, we're moving. And then it becomes, you know me, I've said it before, I would love two midfielders. I'd love a six and an eight or Onana and someone else. But, it's not going to happen. I don't want to continue this midfield talk. I believe we'll bring in one more and then next year when Jorginho, if Jorginho leaves, we'll bring in another. But, yeah man. Yeah, I kind of feel the same way. Like, I think last summer really just kind of rocked me. Like, the whole Declan Rice thing was just so long and stressful that I'm just like, this season I'm more like, just bring the people in. Like, just make sure that they're good and get them in quick. Like, Can we go back for Douglas Luiz? He's not really somebody that I like that much for some reason. Damn, why? I mean, you're not wrong, but why? I actually don't know. Like, I just, when everybody, like people are like, you just don't like his face. I'm like, hmm, really? Like, can you sign in fashion? It's about us Dartskin brothers now anyways, but. Oh yeah, like he's, he's an interesting one. You need to come up out of there. You're about to, eh. Eh, Bex, man. He's looking for something to really mess up right now. But, yeah, I think, I don't know what it is about him. Like, I can see that he's a good player, Brazilian international. I think one of his best qualities is being a dead ball specialist, something that we lack in our team. Somebody that can deliver the ball properly and also like score from free kicks and, you know, things like that. But I just don't see it. But maybe with Aston Villa like kind of being desperate to sell, maybe that's somebody that we'll go back to. But, I mean, if we started off next season with Douglas Louise Rice and Odegaard, would I be like, yeah, that's great. Do I think it's a better midfield than Man City or on the same level? I don't know, you know, and I think that's what I'm kind of looking for, but. Who do you rate more than? Onana or Luis? Like, okay, let's assume, all right, let's just say one reality, Luis is signed for us, next reality, Onana is signed for us. Which one are you happier with? Because it seems like you don't rate both. I think Douglas Luis I rate more because he just, it's the passing, like he has the passing and he has like, I just feel like he has the, he's going to midfield. I think that's what I'm like, I just need somebody that's going to receive the ball, keep it, pass it, do, you know? And I just, when I watch Onana play, it's like, boom, tackle, run with the ball down the pitch. And I'm just like, bruh, like, we're not going to have all that space. Like, what are you running to? That's also true. I can't disagree with that. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. You know, Douglas Luis would be higher on the list, but lower than everyone else. You know, I think, you know, I like Zuba Mendy and Grimur Raj, even though we're not going to get him, and Neves, and all the, I like them better. Is there any left-field choices you would choose for certain mid, one that you just like personally, not necessarily someone that's been linked with us? Um, I think, let's see. You know, I wouldn't mind, like, just like a curveball, like, different than the profiles we've been talking about. Like, I would take Eze and make it work. I'm not going to lie, like, no, it could, no, that's not a dead shout. That could work. Him in the eight row, that obviously is multifunctional, can play a couple of roles. That, that could bang, actually. I'm not against that, man. I don't know who I thought he was going to say that, that through me, I would have Eze. For me, I'd say Kootminers, even though he's getting advantage, just because you kind of closely align with what Granit Xhaka does. The problem with, with Eze, as you know, and has been the case with, we're talking about half of these players is you're looking at some crazy fees. And do you actually think we're getting into that point where I think everybody knows, yeah, if you do your scout and you can get value for money, but are we in that scenario now where we just have to pay the going rate? It is what it is. Yeah. Cause I mean, a basic midfielder is going to cost you at least 50. Like they're talking about like Conor Gallagher madness. Would you have him? No, I think I'd have him, you know, I would have him not for 50 million. If anyone's not listening, no, but I'd rather bring Myles Lewis Skelly in and let him like, like Big up Myles. No, but Conor Gallagher, do you know what? If you could sign an eight and Conor Gallagher could be another six in the squad, the little L and anything, I'm here for that. I can't lie to you. Yeah. I think he's, I think because he has to be a compliment to the midfield. He's not somebody that again, looking for the passing and the technical level and stuff like that. He has a lot of good like run around, work hard things, but I don't know if that's necessarily what we need right now. guts and passion. Yeah, exactly. He would be perfect for Aston Villa. When I saw the link, I was like, he'd be perfect because I do think that like Unai likes a hardworking three in his midfield. I think he'd be perfect for them. That's why I like Mendoza above all things, if I'm honest. Yeah. So, yeah, I think he's going for 50 million. So if that's the level, then I think we have to get comfortable with like whoever we're looking at. We're going to be paying at least like 60. Like people know we've got money and people know we're kind of, I don't like to use the word desperate, but people know we're desperate. Like you look through Arsenal's team. Evidently, you said it there at the beginning. Striker, cool winger. We need that center mid and am I wrong? Maybe I'm exaggerating. Yeah, but pardon me. Central midfield for me is the biggest priority. I know all the talk is around the striker goals, win games. Yeah, that's important. But for me, it's a center mid. And I had this debate with one of my friends. He asked me, would you rather find that mad center midfielder that changes our fortunes or the striker that changes our fortunes? And for me, I'm not going to lie. I don't think there's any rights and wrongs and goals, win games. And obviously, you know, as you said earlier, if we could have someone against the Aston Villiers and the West Ham's, we'd have more points on the board and whatnot. But I think I would lean towards central midfield. I know it's not the popular choice, but that needs to be fixed. I love Jules Junior. I like Partey, but there's question marks there. Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira, I don't even know if Smith Rowe's going to be here. I don't even know if Fabio will be fit. Central midfield has to be addressed in my opinion. Yeah, I'm on the exact same page. I just feel like we're making the midfield rebuild, building, whatever, more complicated than it needs to be. I don't understand the manager slash the transfer team's perversion. They're almost allergic to just a center midfielder. Is it that hard? Come on. I guess I just feel like we're just making it harder than we need to. We don't want to... It's like, I don't get it. Sixes or tens, let's try to make them play positions that they don't actually thrive in. Let's square peg, round hole. Just get a midfielder and just call it a day because I'm tired. But I've been asking for this. I was like an original Bruno Gamerais, get him in Brazil. So I'm tired. Just get him. Or get somebody like him. Why not? I'm with you with that, man. And again, Mikel Arteta, towards your latter days and Edu, you lot were central midfielders. I mean, it's fair to say Kai Havertz, his future's up front. Giorgio's not going to be here forever. Your expertise. Exactly. That's why I don't get it because obviously, defense wins titles and big up Mikel Arteta for not just improving our defense and having a stable 11 but also our outlook on defense. Goals win games. We've got some good attackers even though we could improve. It's the central midfield. That's the heartbeat really and truly and I just think we'll go up several levels if we have that midfield. I just feel we need that tempo dictator, that controller, that Santi Cazorla, really. If Santi was 20 years younger, 20 years exaggerating, if he was five, 10 years younger, he'd be lit, man. It feels like Santi's not been here for a minute. But he'd be lit. And like you said earlier, obviously, I don't work in football so I don't know but someone like Fufana of Monaco, he's right there. He's 20 million. It's not going to be the end of the world. Just get it done. Let's keep it moving. Who knows? There might be money for other positions. I can't have you here, Jessa, not ask you about your feelings on the whole Manchester City business. I'm sure you've seen over the last 48 hours, you know, Arsenal apparently are whistleblowing, pause and talking and whatnot. Apparently, Arsenal, Manchester United had fallen wolves in Brighton and shared some information. Quite frankly, snitching. What's your thoughts on all of this? I mean, listen, we've been speaking about Man City playing with a different deck of cards than everybody else, being dealt a different deck of cards, being able to do things that other teams are not able to do for a long time. And so, for me personally, I don't ever really get to like, oh, it's finally going to happen. They're going to get relegated and all their stuff is going to be stripped away. I just feel like it's just so, it's going to be so much harder than that. I think them taking the Premier League to court is kind of a Hail Mary and kind of like a last-ditch result. It's also like, okay, we know our cases, we know our trial for the 100- For the women's team as well. And the youth. It's like, let's tie everything up now. And they might have some information on the Premier League. They might have like, they have something like a last thing, Hail Mary, that they're going to throw out there to try to stop this from happening. I think they're desperate. I think they know this doesn't look good. But ultimately, I do think that Man City always have enough money and the right people in place to get away with. if you've ever watched any sort of like, crime shows or you're into like, those types of like, documentaries and stuff, you know, people that are used to getting away with things have things in place to make sure that when it gets to this point, they still get away with it. Yeah, exactly. So, I never really get that excited about it. I know some Arsenal fans are like, this is it. Don't be surprised if nothing ******* happens, guys. Do you think we're harsh on City though? And I say that because really and truly, with all the money in the game and the ethics and whatnot, you know, even our club, you look at who sponsors us and visit Rwanda and all of this, you know, if everybody's hands are dirty, are we just angry that they're just doing it better than everyone else? Like, really? And most fans, yeah, like, let's be honest, a lot of fans don't care about justice. Like, right is right and wrong is wrong. We wish we could live in a world with that, but a lot of fans don't give a flying **** about what City is doing. It's just in the hopes of they might have to relinquish a Premier League title or something like that. Could you argue that people are just mad that they're just milking the rules better than everyone else? I kind of think it's a little bit of that. Like, you guys are, the thing about City is they've gotten to a place where it's like, we know how it all started and the fake, kind of, like, sponsorships and- Talk it up, man. Are putting money into their- Like, we know that. Like, I was looking at some of the websites of some of these companies. I'm like, I could have made this on ******* Squarespace. Like, come on. This is nothing. Like, come on. But- It's kind of laughable, really. It is. Like, it's all in plain sight. You can see what's going on. It's not that hard. you know, but, from the moment that the money hit their account and they were able to make moves in order to, like, get themselves in a better position sporting wise, they've made all the right choices to get there. They've hired the right people. They did what they needed to get the best manager on the planet. And from that perspective, because a lot of us has all, like, have also spent a lot of money and had choices to make and our decisions have not gotten us to similar heights. You have to also be like, maybe they're just, how they've gotten to this place at the very beginning is, I think, what we're talking about mostly and the money shifting around, the sponsorships, things like that. But Man City are a well-run club and they've just done what other clubs have done sports watching wise way better. And so, we kind of have to hold that too because it's not like we haven't spent money, but when Man City spend money, they spend it really well. They hired the best manager in the world. They have the best people in their company. We had opportunities to do ---- and we didn't do it. So I think it's twofold. It's twofold. But they're definitely guilty. What? I mean, everyone's guilty, isn't it? I can't comment on things I don't know about. Everyone's guilty, man. I don't want it. I'm sure we're not the cleanest out there. We're definitely not, man. Who is clean? Where there's so much money in the game, where can there be ethics? Now, you know, and I think if anything, it should be us fans and honest lovers of the game versus the whole of the footballing world, whether it's Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Spurs are not serious, but everyone really. There's no ethics. There's too much money in this game. It's a product for these lot that they leverage. You know, you're in America, so you wake up at stupid o'clock to watch this team. I wake up and just talk about Arsenal all day, every day. We buy all these shirts. People got season tickets and sponsors of TVs and packages and things. There's no morals in this. Like, I just think fans are just vexed that they're doing it better than us. Like, everyone can act like, do this Kumbaya stuff and I love Arsenal. I love my fellow Arsenal fans, but let's be honest, a lot of us Arsenal fans like to sit here and do this, oh, you know, we're gentlemen and gentlewomen and we do it the gentleman's way and we do it differently. No, we ******* don't. It's like, we've got Visit Rwanda and whatnot. If we was to really break down ethics, it's a myth. So, they're just sitting better than us. Of course, if right is right and wrong is wrong and they have to face justice, then they're going to have to hold that in it. But I don't, I think they're going to get away with it if I'm honest. Like, they've got so much money there. They have something. They have the best lawyers available. This is it. They'll figure out something. Apparently, Edu and Arsenal have leaked documents. Now, I don't want to justify any ITK, but I can't condone the snitching thing if that's what Arsenal are doing. I mean, that person that put that out there got what they wanted. I saw it had almost four million views on it. So, adding Arsenal to anything is going to just blow it up. I don't believe that. I believe that if we could vote them into oblivion down to the non-league, we would do it. But, have we snitched? I don't know. I just think we're upset that simply put, we're disrupting the cartel of the Premier League is being disrupted. Let's be honest. It was Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. Then City come into this thing. Spurs are not serious, but Spurs have kind of made it. I think in a few years it'll be a top 10. I think in the next 30 years, they'll genuinely, or 30, 40 years, I genuinely think every team could get relegated and every team could win the league. So, it's just sinning. They're just doing it properly, man. My last thing for you before we get out of here and head over to your platform, Zinchenko. Now, apparently Bayern Munich are still trying to commit Alphonso Davies to sign a new deal and, you know, rumours of Zinchenko signing for Bayern Munich are wide of the mark. There's actually been rumours they want to sign Lokonga, do that tomorrow. But yeah, what do you make of Zinchenko? Do you think he's harshly treated by Arsenal fans? Yes, I do. People say he cost us the Premier League. I don't agree with that. In isolation, there's no way he did that. But I do think that there are certain players in the side where you can say anything about them and because the general feeling on them is negative, nobody will pull you up on it. Like, I don't actually think... Smith-Rowe. Ain't nobody talking about Smith-Rowe like that. That hurt my heart. Ain't nobody talking about Smith-Rowe like that. No-one talk about Kyrgios. See, Kyrgios ain't never done nothing to me. Why am I hitting him up for? Apologies, Kyrgios. I don't know. But Zinchenko is somebody that I personally do rate as a footballer. I think he's really good. I just think he has very obvious flaws that maybe don't... Like, right now, we can't afford to have those margins not go our way. We're not getting lucky enough. Do I think that he costs us as much as people say that he does? No, I think any time we lose a game and he touches the pitch, it's because of him. The shades of Hector Bellerin. Yeah, I just don't actually think that that's true. But I can see, like, the overall point being his defensive awareness is so poor at times that we just can't carry it anymore. I can understand that. Do I want to get rid of him? No. I, you know, don't think that I'm, like, pushing him out the door. But equally, if they're not then he has to be looked at as somebody that with a good bid coming in that you'd want to move him on. I like Senchenko as a footballer. I do think that, like, the whole conversation around Senchenko, it wasn't good to begin with. Like, I think there was a lot of people that just never really took to him. But then the social media, Instagram, political thing that he put out there, that's when it just fully just switched. And so there's no coming back from that. And so he'll never be liked by the whole of the, like, he's not going to be a fan favorite ever. Does that mean that we should get rid of him? No. But, you know, I do envision his role shrinking even more with Timber actually being available next season and maybe Arsenal bringing in a left back. So, you know, between him and Zinchenko, I spoke about this yesterday on my show. Who? Probably need to, like... Who did you say? Kibior or Zinchenko. I thought we was talking about serious players, but go on. Oh my goodness. It's all entertainment, people. It's all entertainment. But yeah. We're talking about someone that could defend. I would probably move one of them on, you know, and bring him on. Which one you're more likely to move on in your hearts or hearts? Because I might shock you with my answer. I actually think... I think Kibior would be the easiest to move on. And so I think he would be the more likely to go because he's had interest from... Like, he's not... I don't think he's damaged... Like, you know, he's not viewed as damaged enough yet. If he sits on our bench for another year, he'll be really hard to move on. But he's kind of still new. People still like him in Serie A. So if we said we wanted to move him on or whatever, I think a couple of Serie A teams would come forward. I think with Zinchenko, there's just been so much. He's older, he's injury prone, political ----, you know. Can't defend, like you said. Yeah, I just don't think that... I think he'll actually be more difficult to move on, even though he's the one that more people would want to go. You know? Do you know what the wickedest thing is? As much as our team Kyrgios, I'd rather let Zinchenko go. I don't think that he's a bad player, but I just feel you're on bigger wages. You've got two years left. I don't know how much years Kyrgios has on his contract, but he's probably under contract for a lot more time. I think there's more of a use for Kirio, especially because I know the talk is around signing a left back and if that's what Arteta wants, great. And on the face of it, we have got depth at centre half, but I don't think we really have depth at centre back. So I'd probably keep Kirio. For Kirio though, I think, do you know what? I think Kirio is more likely to ask to leave because I think he knows that I'm not really getting ahead of Gabriel. I'm behind several players in the pecking order at left back to the point where Arteta's kind of had to change that. And I think Kirio is probably more likely to bring in a decent fee if I'm honest. I think, you know, if I'm completely honest, so I'd rather move on Zinchenko than Kirio, but then I could flip that and say, I think people underestimate the fact that Zinchenko is a serial Premier League winner and he's got a bunch of experience and Mikel Arteta actually ******* likes him for one. Like you said, I feel the whole off the field stuff, it goes against him and it kind of transpires into the pitch. Now you should be able to separate the man from, you know, his views, but unfortunately that's not going to happen, man. Just let them know where they can find you, even though we're heading over to your channel immediately. Yeah, guys, you can just put it in the search bar, She Knows Arsenal, and I'll pop up. You'll see She Knows Arsenal, Jessica Black, She Knows Arsenal channel. Just click on it and I'll pop up. I'm the only one there. And yeah, we'll be going over to, well, this is not live, so it doesn't matter, but... Nah, we got to act like it's live. People, at the time of you watching this, this is live. Make sure you go over there in it and listen to the content. By the time this comes out, there'll probably be hella videos. So yeah, She Knows Arsenal, make sure you're following and whatnot. And I'm sure she's got a bunch of different talking points and stuff to go over, so we're going to go and do that. But for now, let us know your thoughts because I'm pretty sure you lot agree and disagree with a lot. Don't forget to subscribe to the platform, comment, subscribe, turn on your notification bells and all that good stuff. And yeah, on that note, we're out for now, but there's all this talk about fullbacks. I'd like to throw my hat into the ring, people. We're out.