Morning folks and happy Tuesday to you and yours. Back in to the swing now and after listening to the always excellent Arsenal Opinion podcast featuring Johnny and Pete on my morning run this morning, I was listening to some of their comments about some of the potential incomings that are being touted IN ADDITION to what we’ve already seemed to have – potentially – sealed and are just waiting on confirmation on.

**Shakespearian aside moment**

Fabrizio was speaking yesterday on his channel – I think it was a YouTube recording but can’t be arsed to go hunting as I’m doing today’s ramblings on the Met Line heading in to the City so only have finite time – saying that despite some rumours that both West Ham and Arsenal are about to walk away from this deal, that isn’t the case and both parties are ‘nearly there’. So when this transfer is ‘hopefully’ complete, we really will have gone through all of the many complicated stages of any deal, played out very publicly. Even as I said yesterday that there is no mystery in football any more because there were leaks that the Rice video had already been completed, we then get stuff about the deal nearly being off, before Fabrizio steps in with a ‘chill yer beans’ moment for those Arsenal fans (Like me) currently devouring any new angle.

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And it is ‘new angles’ that I wanted to touch on today because as I was saying, having listened to the chaps on the AOP this morning, I couldn’t help but be surprised that there have been these rumours surfaced about us being in for Tchouameni this summer for around the £70-£80million mark. Now, I am not going to look a delicious gift horse in the mouth and scoff at this player given his pedigree and the fact that many of us would have LOVED him last summer (I gotta mate Giles who I know was hot on him), but I just can’t see Madrid parting with a player with still so much football in his legs to be paid. To be fair to the AOP lads I think they effectively said the same thing, but it just got me wondering why we are still be linked with some of these big names. If we get a deal for Rice and Timber over the line, we’ll have hit up a cool £200million. Now, I know we have some sales to make and that could help to bring the ol’ ‘Net Spend FC’ trope back in to play, but I couldn’t see us a) prizing him from Madrid, and b) having enough cash to go that big.

It is nice to be linked to these players, but unless something massive happens in the outgoings side, then a deal like this feels like one too far for us if I’m honest.

I also think it is why I’m not sure we’ll end up getting Lavia. Great prospect, good talent, but dropping another £40million+ on a guy like that? Feels a little un-Arsenal like to me. And I think we can all see that Arteta is being backed and the club is making some impressive moves, but I just don’t see how this spending splurge continues after we’ve got Rice and Timber over the line. I suspect the noises to quieten down a little bit and whilst we’ll continue to be linked with players, I think the focus will go to moving out players.

And that could be happening sooner than we think, as yesterday it emerged that Granit Xhaka to Leverkusen looks to be entering the final stages. And I gotta tell ya, I find it amazing how we’ve gone from a guy who this time two years ago there were questions about a Roma bid for around €7million I think, to now Leverkusen stumping up a cool €25million to secure his signature. Why the inflation? Well, I guess that’s what happens when you are good. Clubs come to you and try a little bit of shifty business and you simply bat them away. Leverkusen were rumoured to be on the verge of doing a €15million deal at the end of the season if the stories were to be believed. But perhaps Arsenal have realised that if you want to be seen as one of the Premier League ‘Big Dawgs’ then you need to puff out your chest a little more and when you get the eyes from a Euro bloc club, don’t blink.

That’s what it sounds like has happened here and the result could be that we’ve bagged an extra €10million based on what we thought we’d get, for a guy turning 31 in a few months time who only has one year left on his deal. It still has to happen, but if all of these details play out, then you have to tip your hat off to Edu.

It also should make us a bit more bullish for the sales for the rest of the summer. You want Balogun? Sure thing – drop £50million on our laps. Oh, West Ham, you want Eddie? No probs, but that’s a minimum of £40million I’m afraid. Sambi Lokonga to Burnley? Go play with Vincent, Sambs, but Burnley need to give us the £17.5million we paid for him when we signed him.

These are the kinds of moves that I want to see us making. I want to here more stories like the Xhaka one and given we are only just at the start of the summer with clubs having players return to training now, the signs feel good and bode well for us.

Despite all of this though, I still don’t see us making another big money move. And for me I feel like anything over £40million is pretty big. So whilst I’d love us to keep our eyes open for a good deal or two, I’m going to be happy with our lot providing Rice and Timber get over the line in the next week.

That’s be the lot for me today. You guys have a good one and I’ll catch you all in the morrow.

Peace out.