Sergioe Aguero (and Lionel Messi)

Barcelona’s plan this season was to have Argentine due Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero as their striking options.

Financial issues let Messi to join PSG on a free transfer whilst health issues have led to Aguero’s early retirement.

That has left the Spanish giants with on-loan Luuk De Jong and Man U flop Memphis Depay upfront.

Barcelona have scored just 28 La Liga goals this season – 11 less than league leaders Real Madrid.

They need someone to fire them up; both on and off the pitch. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be that man.

But they have no money

Barcelona’s big problem is they are financial screwed. They reportedly owe over £1bn.

That led them to spend just £10m over the summer on transfer; signing Emerson Royale who they then immediately sold on to Spurs doubling their money.

Their 3 big signings – Aguero, Eric Garcia and Depay – were all free transfers.

They do not have the cash to pay upfront and no club would give them credit or allow them to pay in installements.

With Aubameyang’s issues and high wages, Arsenal might look to get rid without a fee – either a free transfer or an 18 month loan deal with no fee.

There are not too many players of Aubameyang’s level that Barcelona could afford.

And they can afford to pay Aubameyang

One of the biggest questions surrounding an Aubameyang exit is “who could afford his wages?”

Despite not having money to buy players, Aubameyang’s wages could be covered by Barcelona.

Aguero retiring would have freed up some wages for them – and the Argentinian has likely had to repay any signing on fee.

There is also the money Barcelona had set aside for Messi.

With no transfer fee, Barcelona will find the money to pay Aubameyang’s wages.

And Auba will want to go

One of the issues with Mesut Ozil is no half-decent club came in for him; hence why he ended up playing for a mid-table team in a 3rd world league.

Ozil preferred to play fortnite in London than take a mover to a lesser side earlier than what he did.

Barcelona, despite their troubles, are still a huge club. One that kids like Aubameyang would have dreamed playing for when they grew up.

He would not take too much persuasion to join Barcelona.

A loan deal suits all parties

From Barcelona’s point of view, they can not afford a transfer fee on a big name January signing. Aubameyang is the best and biggest name they would be able to afford.

With 18-months left on his Arsenal deal, Arsenal would be happy to just get his wages off the books and Aubameyang away from the club.

Whilst Aubameyang would be attracted to another stage of his career that has taken him from Italy to France, Germany and England. Playing in front of the Nou Camp in the famous colours of Barcelona.

An 18-month loan deal with no fee and Barcelona paying 100% of his wages makes complete sense for all parties involved.

Keenos

Strange old year.

I made a decision to quit Twitter a year ago. It has just become an ugly place.

Too much racism, too much abuse. Too many people that would call up your employer just because you dared calling them out or exposing their hypocrisy.

Life is better without it.

A lot has happened with me over the last 12 months. Stuff I might go into one day. But not now.

I have always written this blog for me. Written is cathartic. If people read my blogs, like them, that is a bonus. It has never been a job. I have never wanted it to be.

Last Christmas was a tough one with lockdowns, no football and social bubbles. 12 months on it feels like not much has changed.

It has been tough but I am not complaining. I have a roof over my head and loving family. Others are not so lucky.

So this Christmas spare a thought about those jo longer with us. I think of Danny Bailey almost every time Arsenal are on. It still saddens me that I won’t see him on an away concourse again.

So have a good Christmas. Thank you to everyone that has shared, RTd or liked my articles.

See you on the other side.

Keenos

Despite his hat-trick in the League Cup, Eddie Nketiah is still likely to leave Arsenal at the end of the season.

In May he turns 23. He needs to start playing regular first team football.

He would have seen the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe come up behind him, pass him and now become members of the England squad. Meanwhile Nketiah is one of those players still playing U21 football despite being over age.

In 2018 he was England’s top scorer as they won the Toulon Tournament.

He would have since watched the likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Lewis Cook and Aaron Ramsdale all win caps for England.

The likes of Freddie Woodman, Kyle Walker-Peters, Tom Davies, Adam Armstrong, Hamza Choudhury & Jonjoe Kenny have also gone on to become first team regulars at different levels of the game.

Nketiah needs to move on to kick on his own career. Even if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves in January, a new striker will be bought in by Edu and Mikel Arteta.

And if Alex Lacazette leaves in the summer, it is more likely that they will go out and sign a second striker rather than promote Nketiah.

Nketiah has shown himself to be lethal at a youth level and has performed well in League Cup games against lesser opposition.

If he was 18 or 19 doing this, you would say he has potential. At 22/23 doing it, you would maybe say he has found his level.

Not that his level is Sunderland, but that his level is performing against those lesser teams.

I have always questioned whether he has the all round game to play for a top 4 hunting team.The hat-trick against a League One side has done nothing to change my opinion.

He is going to end up one of those players that in the Championship, scored 25+ goals a season, but then when promoted struggles to get to double figures.

Nketiah’s future is at a Fulham or Norwich City. Not an Arsenal.

Moving him on makes sense for Arsenal as well.

We need to start focusing on the next generation – starting with Folarin Balogun.

Balogun needs a 6 month loan deal from January to get some senior game time. The worry is without this he will end up another Nketiah – smashing up the youth levels where it is too easy for him but not really getting a chance at senior level.

We also have the likes of Nikolaj Möller, Mika Bierieth and Omari Hutchinson in the pipeline.

Moving on Nketiah puts Balogun into the first team squad as 3rd choice striker. This frees up more playing time in the PL2 for the next generation.

At the moment Nketiah is blocking Balogun’s progress, meaning the younger man is having to play a level below himself. That then blocks those younger than him.

Eddie will be on a high today following a hat trick. That performance might be good news for Arsenal as those teams fighting in the relegation battle – Leeds United, Watford, Newcastle and Norwich City – might decide to risk £10million on him in the hope he scores the goals to keep them in the league.

Nketiah is clearly a good lad. But his future is away from Arsenal.

Keenos