Why Arsenal signing William Saliba and sending him on loan makes PERFECT sense

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Rumours circulated yesterday that Arsenal had agreed terms with 18-year-old French central defender William Saliba. All is to remain is to agree a fee with St Etienne.

Part of the expected deal is that Saliba remains at St Etienne on loan for next season. It is a term that makes complete sense.

Whilst most will question why we are buying a much needed central defender for £20million, only to loan him out, it makes a lot of sense once you work through everything logically.

Saliba will not be Arsenal’s only central defensive signing this summer.

With Shkodran Mustafi likely to be sold, it would leave Arsenal with just 3 senior centre backs. Laurent Koscielny, Sokratis and Rob Holding. Holding is injured and Koscielny is in nearly ready for the knackers’ yard.

It would be a very naive decision if Arsenal let Mustafi leave and do not buy a senior replacement. That senior replacement would not be Saliba.

So let’s imagine Arsenal sold Mustafi and signed a senior central defender – someone aged around 25-years-old and Saliba. It would leave us with:

Sokratis
New CB
Rob Holding
Laurent Koscielny
William Saliba
Calum Chambers
Kostadinos Mavropanos

With 7 central defenders, something would have to give.

For a start, I imagine Calum chambers would be sold. His fee would basically pay for Saliba; getting rid of any budget concerns. That would leave us with 6.

You do not need 6 central defenders in the squad. 5 maximum. That means you can afford to loan someone out. Remember Chambers spent last season out on loan.

So you buy a starting XI replacement for Mustafi. You then buy a replacement for Chambers; who spends a year on loan akin to Chambers spending. The status quo of squad numbers remains the same. 5 central defenders with 1 on loan:

Sokratis
New CB
Rob Holding
Laurent Koscielny
Kostadinos Mavropanos

Loaned: William Saliba
Sold: Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers

It is important that young players play. Over the years so many talented teenagers have failed to progress to senior professionals due to lack of game time.

Saliba is just 18-years-old and has just half a season of 1st team football under his belt. A full season on loan at St Etienne, playing week in week out will return a much better player.

In 2020 Arsenal would then be getting a 19-year-old defender with over 60 senior games to his name. He would then be much closer to challenging for the 1st team.

So let’s fast forward to 2020. Laurent Koscielny leaves. Saliba joins up with the first team:

Sokratis
New CB
Rob Holding
William Saliba
Kostadinos Mavropanos

Sokratis will then  be 32-years-old and have 1 year left on his contract. With the new central defender established having played a full year of Premier League football, it will then be a choice of who plays next to him. Either Sokratis, Holding or Saliba.

Saliba would still be just 19-years-old at this point, so we would not have to rush his development. He could comfortably spend a season as 3rd choice centre back for the 2020/21 season before kicking on to be 1st choice a season later.

Buying a senior centre back to replace Mustafi and then Saliba to replace Chambers and spend a year on loan makes perfect sense. It would show brilliant foresight and succession planning.

And once we shift Chambers, Saliba will have next to zero net impact on our transfer budget.

Keenos

Should Arsenal follow Dortmund’s lead?

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Borussia Dortmund have reportedly cancelled the season tickets of around 500 fans who did not attend a minimum of 7 of their 17 league games.

This last season Arsenal have suffered from empty seats at the Emirates. This is not unsold seats, but unused purchased tickets – many of which are season tickets.

There are many stories floating about of fans who have an empty seat next to them for every game except for the big ones.

Whether these are “fans” who have enough money to miss the majority of games and do not really care; or touts who can make up to £500 a ticket for the big games not being bothered to sell the lesser games for £30. Either way it an issue which Dortmund have shown can be dealt with.

It would not be too hard to create a fair and reasonable criteria that is inserted into the terms & conditions of buying a ticket. This could include:

  • A season ticket must be used at least 10 times during a season (26 home games / 38%)
  • A season ticket is considered “used” if it is posted on he Ticket Exchange – regardless of whether it has been sold
  • The club will issue a warning if a season ticket is used less than 10 times over a season. If it occurs for 2 consecutive season; the owner relinquishes their right to be able to renew
  • In the unlikely event that a fan is long term sick and unable to make 10 games for 2 consecutive season and unable to post tickets for sale on the ticket exchange, they must inform the club. The club reserves the right to request medical records as proof

If the club introduced this criteria, it would ensure those “fans” who have season tickets with no intention of going to the majority of games would no longer keep their season ticket.

It would encourage fans to sell tickets on the ticket exchange if they are unable to attend – ensuring that there seat is filled by someone else.

It also created the caveat allowing for long term illness. Although true fans who are ill for 2 years and unable to attend would likely end up renting out the season ticket elsewhere.

Arsenal should seriously consider implementing this criteria to ensure the stadium remains full when sold out, and more tickets filter down to fans who want to go.

It is our understanding that the club if further investing in the ticket exchange, allowing it to remain open closer to the game. They should also make the Arsenal app easier to buy tickets on.

Alongside the ticket exchange, the club should create a “donate tickets” where fans can donate their unsold ticket to to local children or charities.

Whilst we understand that this would put pressure on Guardians, coaches or teachers to be supervising children outside of normal, we are sure that a free ticket to The Arsenal would outweigh this.

You could have a “donate tickets” option on the ticket exchange which is available regardless of whether or not a game has sold out; with the option closing 2 weeks before the game to enable the school or charity the time to request tickets and organise who is going.

As with anything Arsenal related, you will have fans complaining. You can not please all the people all the time. But the clubs priority should be to have the stadium as full as possible; even if that means removing season tickets off fans who are missing 60% of games.

Keenos

Darren Burgess, Edu and Markus Schubert

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Darren Burgess

Who?

This week it was announced that Darren Burgess, Arsenal’ Director of high performance, was set to leave Arsenal after two years.

It perhaps shows the insanity of Arsenal’s online support that what was essentially a fitness coach leaving became headline news.

We had David Ornstein writing on it for the BBC, it also became a headline article in The Sun, the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard.

It highlights why the media often write stories about Arsenal. We eat up content, click links, like no other club. For many of these outlets, Arsenal news is their bread winner, the main source of income.

A fitness coach leaving any other club would not make the news.

And keeping to form, Arsenal fans lost their mind over Burgess leaving. Even though thought did not know who he is, what he looked like, or what he did.

Let’s focus our time and energy on the important stuff in life guys.

Edu

A few people pointed to Darren Burgess leaving as yet another example of how the club is a mess behind the scenes, following the departures of Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat. His depature certainly is not on their level.

Some then took the argument further pointing out that Arsenal not yet appointing a Sporting Director, despite being on the look out for one following Gazidis’ departure last year.

The truth is that Edu is set to take the role, but is currently employed by Brazil as General Manger.

He will remain with Brazil as General Manager until after the 2019 Copa America which starts today. It finished on July 7th.

It would have been very poor form if Edu resigned a few weeks before a major continental tournament.  And equally poor form if Arsenal had officially announced his appointment whilst he still has a key role to play for his country.

Let’s stop making mountains out of mole hills and take the time to learn what is happening before commenting.

Markus Schubert

It seems Arsenal are on the verge of signing their first player of the season in Germany youngster Markus Schubert.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper is available on a free transfer and was 1st choice for Dynamo Dresden in the 2nd tier of German football last season.

With Emiliano Martinez set to be 2nd choice behind Bern Leno next season, there are reports that Arsenal will consider sending Schubert straight out on loan to continue his development before returning in 2020 as Leno’s understudy.

There is also the possibility that he might slot into the U23 team, and perform the duel role of 1st choice in the PL2 and 3rd choice in the main squad, with Dejan Iliev providing him cover when he is called up to the senior match day squad.

With Arsenal also set to confirm Gabriel Martinelli early next week, the signings will see a shift in transfer policy from signing senior pros to young, exciting talent.

If you did not read yesterdays blog on Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Eboue, it is well worth it. a reminder to everyone that we are all human and stop with the online hatred.

Keenos