OF COURSE we can sign players in Jan, WE ARE ARSENAL! FT‪@DiffKnock‬

What you're kind of alluding to there is Arteta has done all the hard parts, the fragments of the team are there. The hardest thing to do is put the ball in the back of the net. Now I'm not trying to catch Mikel Arteta out, but I listen to his press conferences. In February you said we've got one of the smallest squads. I don't think we've addressed that. You said we need to be a team that scores 100 goals. In the last two years we've improved in that. But when you break it down, it's been set pieces and I'm not criticising that because that still needs to remain. But you also need to score from open play and I think a bit of it is just simply put down to the profiles. As you said, all of us were screaming to just put Havertz up front. He's done all right. And I think Havertz can be part of the squad. You're just not a 20 goal man. I hear it. Is there really not an excuse to bring in another left winger or someone that can give us something? Forget stats, for example. That kind of profile we're missing because I think for me as an Arsenal fan, and maybe people disagree, above everything, Saka provokes fear in the opposition. I'm not saying the others don't do that, but I think when you've got someone like that, full backs, like someone on the left hand side and you know you're playing against someone like Amane, you're going to think twice about going forward. You get into a 1v1 situation or you're high up the pitch, you're in issues. So that's what I mean by, for me, a lot of my frustrations isn't necessarily with this season or isolated in games. It's been a bit of a build up there. I wouldn't say stats lie and they don't necessarily tell the truth. It depends what picture you want to paint, which is, for me, it's a mixed bag. Like, you know, Alex Deschold on one hand there's many different good variables and on the other there's statistics that could be improved. The hardest thing to do is score goals in it. And if we just had, for me, if we had a player that got numbers, turned some defeats into draws, some draws into free points, we're laughing, man. We are, but we're not at the moment. Just on the stats point, yeah, it's about interpretation and you can interpret it. And that's the key thing. I think, and applying context, I think on the attacking, I think we're all in agreement, I feel, that there's an issue in the final third. And I would put some of that down to coaching, but I put a lot of it down to profile now. I've mentioned many times what I think we're missing, but ultimately what you were saying there, it sounds like you want someone who is a 20, 25 goal a season forward, right? I think we need that, bro, because we're just talking like, again, if we want it for me, if we want to do what we're doing the last few years, I think we've got enough. If we're talking about getting over the line, you've got to get me another attacker, bro. I hear that. The problem with it is balance. And like, for example, if you're saying, okay, I want Isak to take over from Kai Havertz, you will get a drop off from Saka. And then you will, because of what Havertz does with Saka in terms of the rotations, in terms of how he facilitates him, supports him, drops in on the right. If you look at Havertz's touch map, he's supporting Saka. I think the quickest way to improve this team is on the left with a left winger. I think that's a solution as well. Even if you give us 50% of what Saka gives us. Well, yeah, ideally more, but just imagine that we're laughing, but someone who with the isolation that Martinelli currently has can still create. Exactly. And we can come on to profiles in a second. But I just think... Get onto it, bro. We're here for your thoughts. Well, it's more, you know, the market has to dictate it. But I suppose what I'd say is I think we're all on the same page. I think then it's now a case of who. And I can come up with a million names. Isak, Semenyo, Oseman, Lukman, Mamuch, Shechko, Layal, Kudus, Nico Williams, Rashford is there, Blahovic, Ferguson, Ryan Perlman, Samu Rojan, Gerald Pedro, Alex Boehner, Karim Adeyemi, Jamie Gittins, Mateusz Kunia, Viktor Jokares, Tyler Dibling. There's so many players out there. And then it's a case of, okay, we Ryan Schurke, Ryan Schurke, someone's put Watkins. I don't know if he'd be my first pick, but look, you have to think about two things. You have to think about who's available and what you can do, which is, you know, you have to be realistic. It's not FIFA, but equally the need that you have and how that person fits that need. And my big thing is let's not let perfect be the enemy of good. That is so key. It doesn't have to be perfect. Perfection is an illusion. We're never going to be perfect. Exactly. Exactly. And I think you can go two ways. If you think the strike, I think in Arsenal's dynamics right now, if you think the striker is available, if that to you is Jokares or Isak or whatever, I think you then have to look at other dynamics. I think you might need a new left back. I think you might need a different set up in the midfield slightly that would impact Saka. And that's a different conversation. Do you pull Saka inside? I don't know. Does that need a right back? Different right back profile, different conversation. If you believe in a striker, I think the quicker fix is probably off the left, but either way, whatever you do, there's a clear need and there's a need now. And I think there's this sort of thing about, oh, we'll wait till the summer. Well, who says that players are definitely available in the summer as well. If you have a need and you can do something to improve, go and do it. I don't get this thing. You know, with certain players, okay, it's going to be a little bit more complicated in the January window, but we haven't, we have an obvious need. Everyone can see the data is saying it, the fans are saying it, Mikel is saying it as you were sort of alluding to, I'm sure the players would like that. There's question marks about, you know, what's happening with Martinelli and Sterling and Jesus and whatever in their future. Every attacker apart from Saka and Thurigree have us to be fair, basically. So there's an obvious need and there's so many options out there. And I don't, I don't know what else it would require for us to move. I don't understand, basically. Let's look at your tweet then. Semenya, who I like, I think he'd be a good kind of option for the squad. Osman, we've all waffled about him. Lukman as well. You said you, obviously I think people probably misconstrued this tweet without seeing the replies where you said, can see all three happening in Jan. But can you really, do you think it's feasible that we could get a one of a Semenya and Osman and Lukman, genuinely, even though you have said it is hard, but anything worth doing is hard, which is true. Mate, we're Arsenal. We do this, we do this thing where we're, again, we're in this, this is my whole point about the project thing. We will sit there as fans and bemoan not beating Bayern Munich. And then the moment you say, Osman's got a release clause, you go, oh, he'll be on really big wages. True. Nine of Bayern's starting 11 are on 300k a week. Do you want to beat them or not? That's the realm we're going to be in. And I said this on a stream with you a few months ago, I said, we need to stop being accountants. Like obviously we can't be reckless, but if Arsenal go to the way we want to, you're going to have people like assuming Kai Havertz is demoted to a kind of squad player role if we sign a striker, you're going to have him on decent, on a decent wage. We have to be okay with that. You're banging on the money. Who, and by the way, it's who, you know, that's, that's for Osman. But then you'll go Semenya or, you know, but Semenya, you know, long, you know, long-term, he might not be exactly right for us. You can sell players. You can sell them. You don't have to, it would stop, get out of this project mindset. Or why, why would Lukman want to leave Atalanta in the middle of the season? Cause we're Arsenal. And he's a London lad. Football club. And he's from, he's a, well, yeah, he grew up in Charlton, right? Like stop this, this accountant, this, this sort of project mindset that we've all got. Like if, if you want to win the league, you have to get the talent at the level that is that I, yeah, I just, I find it really bizarre because, because, and then it's like, okay, you might really go, no, no, no, no. Look, we definitely wouldn't leave. Okay. But you agree we have an issue. Yeah. Okay. What about these 50 other players? There must be someone. This is what I'm saying. This is what I'm saying, because I feel fans fall for this. I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm not saying to sign players for no reason, but this, we can't find a profile who's available. I mean, it makes sense. And the more you say, it makes more sense. But then at the same time, like we've got money, we can sign these players and you know, Arsenal football club, like all these clubs, they have all the scouts and the analytical data and all of these things available to get things over the line. I don't think we're going to sign anyone in Jan, but kind of on brand with what you're saying. I think we need to really, I think there's too many unanswered questions. I feel we've got too many struggles on the left. And that's why ideally for me, we sign, we've got Kai Havertz in the squad. You've got Saka there. You've got a next striker in the squad. You've got a left winger, but I believe one of the two, we need a bit of a boost. For me, it's all about more. I feel we've got more questions than answers. I feel when you're looking at a league title, there needs to be more, more, more answers really. And for me, it's not always about how good we are at our best, bro. It's at our worst. At our worst, who is going to make the difference? Who's got that in them? Lord knows where we'd be without set pieces. Lord knows where we'd be without Makaio Saka at this moment in time. I need some other players. And I'm not accusing none of the players of not pulling their weight. It's just, let's be real. Saka is the only one with that bit of stardust potentially. I think we need one more. We just need a, we need a boost. That's why I'm saying if you could get someone that's 50% off Makaio Saka, if we had someone that's doing what Cole Palmer's doing on the left-hand side for Arsenal, where would we be? If we just had somebody else, just one more at this moment in time, where would we be? I don't know. I don't disagree. I don't disagree. And yeah, I mean, I will say, you know, every team in the end relies on, on a, on a player or, or, or a phase of, you know, where would Real Madrid be without Vinny? You know, where would... Yeah, but then you look around the whole Madrid squad. You're right. But look around the whole squad, even the ones like Rudiger, like players that are just playing to a certain level. Like I'm not accusing none of our players of not doing that, but... But the players... We have to get with this. My point is to get them over the lines, you know, and that might be... Yeah, 100%. I think that's okay. But yeah, it's not letting perfect be the enemy of the good. And, and the idea that if you can only improve 3% rather than your... you would prefer to improve 100%, still improve 3%. If you, if you, if you can only go to the gym two days a week, go to the gym two days a week, don't not go to the gym. Do you know what I mean? It's just, just do it. Just what you can do in the variables that you can control to be better. And that's, I don't doubt Mikel Ortega wanting to be better. I don't know if Edu shortchanged him, if we spent money the best possible way, if we was naive. I'm neither here nor there. As I said in the last example, last time he was here, when you're at your grandma's house playing with all your cousins, if somebody breaks something, everybody in that room is going to get beats. My grandma is not going to ask who did what. And even if you snitch, you're going to get in trouble, innit? So everyone's going to get beats. We're all in this together. We share the W's, we share the L's. This is what we've got. We want to win a league title. And for me, I'm starting to get a bit nervous because the last two years we've had a fantastic opportunity. If Onslaught wins that league, I don't want to be that kind of paper tabloid guy, but, and I'm not saying you should sack Ortega, but I'm looking at him very funny. Chelsea are looking like they're getting their act together as well, bro. We're obviously going to improve, but we need, we're so close. We're so close. There's no denial. It's a bad look. I mean, what I will say is, you know, the whole, oh, what phase is Onslaught in? The phase where he has four Premier League all-timers in his team. That's the phase he's in. Everyone loves phases now. I'm seeing United talking about that. Everybody's, everyone's in a phase now. They mocked us for this. Everyone's phasing. Since the beginning of 23-24, Mikel's had world-class players in his team. So, do you Mikel's, I would say, two years into about where Onslaught is. So, so yeah, that's not a good look, but the, you know, to say, oh, he's been here since 2019. Well, hang on a minute. Yeah, that's disingenuous. You are a mess. He was a mess. It's been the last three years, including now, that we've been serious now, or something serious, like we can start to talk about bigger things. The last few years prior to that, they've been a write-off. That's obviously a bit disingenuous. It's like, even when you see the figures, they claim Ortega has spent 900, 800 million, and other teams have spent more. I'm not saying Ortega's got everything right, but that's where I think people are disingenuous. I would say post-Rice is where you can start to say he should be winning leagues, but you can't say, oh, yeah, which is, yeah, which is completely fair, but like, Still ain't replaced Granit Xhaka. Let's be real, bro. We still ain't replaced that. Like Ortega, you're too smart of a man. And whatever you've tried, it hasn't, there's been no long-term fix now. I hope Murray knows a step in the right direction. I hope in the summer we get an eight because I feel we need a different profile midfield. I think we're kind of fairly stopped at the six. I know Jorginho and Partey could depart, but this is what I mean by these problems are not new. They're not new. Like all the things I'm talking about, they're not new. And this is what gives me optimism, but also makes me a bit negative is we're so close, but yet so far, we've done so much good. We've done the hard things. We've come a long way in Mikel Arteta's five years, really. Look at what the man had to deal with the minute he signed for this football club, respectfully for a novice manager. He had COVID, obviously the whole Aubameyang and Ozil stuff. He had a lot. We've been on a serious journey, you know? So don't let it, don't let this be the defining legacy for me, man. What do you make of this? Long story short, apparently Arsenal have been consistently linked with Jocorez. However, Mel Sport has learned that there are reservations over a move for the player. Jocorez has a reported 85 million release goals in his contract, a big financial commitment, particularly when you consider he'll be 27 by the time next season starts. They're also said to be some concerns over whether he can replicate his goal scoring record in one of Europe's major leagues, having built his rep in Portugal. Where are you at with that? Not convinced, but if the club like him, then if you don't based on that, well, yeah, but you know, yeah, there'll be some, there'll be some people in the chat and you're watching this who are convinced in which case go and do it. I don't, I honestly, I don't really, I have my opinions, but it's more obviously, but it's the intent that I want the club to show. That's so, so if they, if they're convinced by Jocorez, I will be, I will be honest. I don't see it outside the box. I don't see, I think he did okay against Saliba and Gabriela in, in our game, but from what I don't see, he's great in the box and he's great. He's great in terms of, you're going to get running as channels, but against low blocks in most of So, you know, but, but, but, but if, if, if the club say, no, we're going to play differently, we're going to approach the games differently. We're going to give up more territory. They'll be going to transition team. Fine. Sure. Where's the next one? What else have we got on? Is that among the players who will be considered next summer is Alexander. Is that true for many is the leading candidate to fill the role as Arsenal's new attacking focal point is that ticks all the boxes for Mikel Arteta. There are no internal concerns over his injury record, particularly given the intensity of Arteta's teams. I think the last sentence scares me. That means beyond the obvious and how difficult this move is, it might not be someone. Yeah, man. Yeah. The fitness thing is, is the main concern because I, I think he can give us a bit more transitional capacity. I think he can be what they say that a bit more of a focal point player play who remains on the last line, doesn't drop out all the time. I think it's just going to be a lot of money. I like the talent. I, I have a little bit of concern. I want a, I want a bully. If we're signing center forward, I see why you'd say that I want a Samu on margin. I want an awesome and type player. That's, that's, that's my, what I like. But if you want to go with the set, that's fine too. I don't, I don't think he's actually a bully. I think he's very technically gifted and a dribbler and someone who will score a lot of goals and can get, can get to the byline. And he's like, technically for a man of his size to have his feet is crazy for workout wide as well, man. Would you make a Cisco then Cisco remains of concrete interest to Arsenal. The club will continue to monitor Cisco and we'll be in a strong position to strike having already completed much of the groundwork. If the players identified as their main target, I think it's quite feasible for Cisco to Arsenal. I think it's a deal that could be done. If that makes sense. I think Chesco is the, the rival to Holland in two and a half years. I hope so. Cause I look like a fool. You should see all the comments on my videos where I've been pushing Tesco propaganda. Oh, you really are deluded. He literally has everything. He has absolutely everything. Pace, high strength. He's got the attitude. He's got the, the, the, frankly, the aura, those sorts of things just needs that consistency. Now, in my opinion, he's he's brilliant. He's just a bit inconsistent as a young striker is. The thing is though, again, to come back to it, if we're convinced by the talent, go and do it, go and do it in January and yeah. Okay. It's not absolutely perfect, but it would give us when, when the margins of this thing, when you do something that's a bit good, it would probably get you over it. If you do something like it, you know, I'm not, I'm not suggesting you go sign a league two player and that'll be enough. But if you sign a player of the site of the, of the quality of Benjamin Tesco, he's going to get you eight goals in the back end of the season. That might be enough. We missed out by two points last season. I have to ask you my final word on the transfer stuff. Yeah. Marcus Rashford. Could that be done in January? Because it's, is it, is it a coincidence that beyond the obvious he's come out with that interview a month before the window opens, would you go for Rashford? I know you're one of them. Well, I think profile wise, Rashford is not quite perfect for the left-hand side, but he'd fix a lot of our issues. I think, um, in January, if, if this deal was available in the summer, I would be pushing for it in January. It's I think we'd have the habits period where he was just a little bit off it and we need immediate impact. You take him in the summer, then summer of 2025. No, because, because I think this is a player that if you're, I think last summer I would have done it at the price, but this year, next summer, I think there's more players available who I, who I think are better suited. He's a player who, if he's 40 million last summer and he's willing to drop his wage demands, you do that. Absolutely. And then, cause you've got some time. I won't lie Rashford. I love an underdog story. I'm wishing the best for you. Just not at my club, bro. Like we've got our own things to deal with. I just want some players that, you know, I'm not kind of coming with that kind of baggage. What did you make of Gabriel Jesus getting a hat trick and away from him, missing a tap in Raheem Sterling's performance, you know, at that point where we need our squad players to step up, especially with Gabriel Jesus, you know, surely he's played his way into the crystal palace lineup. Maybe even off that left-hand side. Maybe off the left. Yeah. That's a good show. Um, I think you've got to have, have us against Palace. I prefer not to speak that miscriminal criminal. Yeah. Yeah. That's really poor. I'm, I'm very, I'm rarely like the club have made an error and it's like an objective error. Like that, you know, cause I'm, my thing is like, you know, I sort of see what they're going forward in quite well. That's just a mistake. Sterling's a mistake. That's it. Um, I, cause I don't think he has it in him. I think, I don't, I don't, he has the, the attitudes to, to, to the, the, the desire to play for the club, basically. I think that's harsh on Sterling. Surely the desire and actually that's harsh. Maybe it's just not, I'll just don't rate you like that. Like you've just, you've taken Reese Nelson's place, just being a buddy. I hear it though. Cause you could, you could argue, you know, 30 years of age, no matter how much you're not playing at Arsenal, it's probably more football than you faced at Chelsea. Cause Marista clearly said, you know, you're not involved and it's a relationship of convenience. We need a player. You can stay here for a year. I'd be amazed if he signed for us on a permanent basis. What about Jesus? Has Jesus turned it around? No. Um, I, I did, I do find it interesting. We'll spend, you know, if I did a straw poll of Arsenal fans two weeks ago, but I covered Jesus and you know, you said you get a 30 million pound offer for Jesus. Do you take it? Everyone says yes. And then he goes and scores the hat trick. And then you get the whole people writing off Jesus, man. I need a much bigger sample. I think over the course of his Arsenal contract, we to both Man City and to him, we will pay out over a hundred million pounds for him. That's not enough. That's not, it's not, it's not good.