Maddison vs Odegaard
KK: Hi there Arsenal fans and welcome to Football London’s coverage of the transfer window. Just when you thought you couldn’t get enough of us. Myself Kaya Kaynak and Chris Wheatley the Chief Arsenal correspondent are back with another transfer round up with all the latest goings on around Arsenal Football Club. There is plenty going on and there is always plenty to talk about. We’ll be touching on some of the topics we touched on yesterday in a bit more depth as well as some of the new things that have come up over the past few days. Also, the big agenda setting story that has come out from the man himself Chris Wheatley today which is regarding James Maddison and Martin Ødegaard. Now of course we know that Arsenal are in the hunt for a number 10 but for those of you who haven’t read the piece Chris do you want to elaborate on what you published this morning.
CW: Yes, just want to say hello to everyone watching and I think at the moment Kaya I have seen more of you than I have my own family but, I’m not complaining of course. It’s great to speak with you again about Arsenal transfers and what is going on around the club. Martin Ødegaard of course we spoke about it yesterday that Ødegaard is still on Arsenal’s shortlist. They still believe that they can sign him and that has been kind of firmed up in the last few hours and I think Ødegaard is someone that could be coming to Arsenal towards the end of the transfer window, if the right offer is lodged to Real Madrid.
Of course Real Madrid if you’ve seen some of the training videos recently there is one that has gone particularly viral of Martin Ødegaard having a shooting practice and all the Real Madrid players are cheering the kind of spanish contingent and the other Real Madrid players scoring goals in shooting practice. When Martin Ødegaard takes his shot it is completely quiet, very strange. There have also been some reports in Spain that Ødegaard is not particularly happy or settled around the camp round now at Real Madrid. We understand that he would be open to returning to Arsenal having a really successful loan spell, in my view anyways in the second half of last season at Arsenal.
I think he would be a really good signing if Arsenal can get that one over the line and James Maddison is of course another one we’ve been talking about in the past month or so. He from what we understand was at the top of the list. People close to the player told us that a few weeks ago. However, the transfer fee as I said yesterday is a bit of a problem. I think £60 million in excess is going to cost Arsenal if they want to bring Maddison to the Emirates. So, that is a bit of a summary of the article but, of course you can read it on Football London for those who like to read. I know we’re more in the video age at the moment but, for those who do want to read the piece it is on Football London now.
KK: I might need to appoint you in the way of another piece which has just been published in the last half an hour. Which has been written about yours truly about Maddison vs Ødegaard. Chris we were discussing just before we came on about who we think will be the better option. I think we were both leaning towards Martin Ødegaard. That seems to be in contradiction to the rest of social media. Let us know in the comment section while we are sort of putting our arguments forwards as to which one you would go for. As you said Chris I think he had a really good loan spell with Arsenal last season and again I don’t want to give away all of my piece but in terms of ball progression and getting the ball from a to b and up the pitch Ødegaard was crucial in helping Arsenal recover from that really, really bad start to the season. My first two months in this job covering Arsenal, I didn’t see a Premier League win. I thought I was a jinx. Thankfully Martin Ødegaard came along and broke that for me so, maybe I’ve got a bit of a debt to pay to him but, I think he is a fantastic player. I think he got a lot of harsh reaction maybe because his goal and assist numbers weren’t that high being two goals and two assists but his underlying stats beneath that again which I analyse in the piece are really impressive. I think James Maddison is a player who offers a lot, particularly in the final third. However, as an all round player it is Martin Ødegaard for me.
CW: I totally agree with that and thanks for the comments coming at the moment. Some nice comments coming in again about our appearance which is great but we’ve got to appreciate that from Solomon. Hey Chris you look sharp today! Cite you…. And Kaya your haircut’s are nice. You guys put smiles on my face with the Arsenal news everyday. Keep it up guys. Really nice comments guys. Thank you.
We’ll get back to the transfer questions. It’s an interesting one Kaya and I think you’re a big fan of Martin Ødegaard. I think he is someone that would really add a lot to this Arsenal midfield especially with Smith Rowe kind of combining well with him last season, showing that they can play in the same team. So, let's see what happens with that one. I think there is going to be some progress on it in the next few weeks.
KK: Let’s go through some of your comments. Hillary says Maddison is better and he is from Kenya. Hello to Hillary who is watching in Kenya. Alex Steven says Ødegaard will be the same type of player as Maddison in two years and we need a technical passer right now. Some more questions coming through which we can probably answer as well. One that I saw was from Abubakar and he said is there any Lacazette news. Yes, Lacazette has been linked with a move away. We spoke about this yesterday again. It's been reported that Arsenal have received a bid from Atletico Madrid. It’s believed to be in the region of £13 million. Have you heard any updates on him Chris about Lacazette and can you give us maybe your opinion on what his situation might end up like this summer.
CW: No, I haven’t heard anything concrete on that Atletico Madrid bid but look I think he is a player who we’ve spoken about a lot and he is a player that Arsenal would be willing to let go of this summer. Again, we spoke yesterday about his salary and how that could affect things. I think it would be quite a difficult salary for any team in Europe to pay to be honest. I think Atletico can probably afford him but, again that salary will be the biggest problem in getting him over the line. So, look I think he is someone that could leave Arsenal but I think at the moment he is training, he is playing and he’s being involved in the pre-season games so, let’s just wait and see what happens on that one.
KK: Yes, I mean it’s close to £200,000 a week Lacazette’s salary so it is very high and very hard for many teams to be able to compete with.
Just going back to the Maddison and Ødegaard thing is an interesting question and an interesting angle we didn’t really touch on. Will Ødegaard be available for a loan or is this a permanent deal that Real Madrid are looking for and then another follow up question as to how much would he cost.
CW: Maddison we’ve already mentioned would cost probably an excess of £60 million but I think for Martin Ødegaard we will be looking at around £30 million or more than that. I think it will be one that is going to be negotiable and there is also the potential for a loan with an obligation to buy next summer. I think that could be a possible outcome especially with Arsenal’s financial situation. We know they have money but, I think after players' sales, this kind of deal would be easier to do. So, look, Ødegaard is going to be cheaper that Maddison that’s a fact and I think that would be one of the reasons Arsenal would consider going for him. You saw the way he settled in last season and I think he really bedded into the team. He’s a good guy and he is a kind of leader for the team as well don’t forget he’s the captain of Norway. I think he would be a good signing. I would like to see him come to Arsenal. I think he would fit in perfectly and I think you echo those thoughts Kaya.
KK: Yes, I think something to bear in mind with Ødegaard is that Arsenal don’t feel he needs a bedding in period like another signing would because obviously he spent the second half of last season on loan at the club. So, he knows what the manager wants and he knows what the rest of his teammates are like. He won’t need time to settle in which is another reason why this one could drag and drag to the end of the window.
Arsenal’s goalkeeping situation ahead of new season
KK: Another situation to keep an eye on is the goalkeeping situation. Jack Moore asked if there is any update on the Ramsdale/Johnstone situation. Again, this is something we’ve spoken about quite a lot. I think we are going to be repeating ourselves a lot over the next month but it is something to look forward to and something to discuss. Interesting angle that I thought about this morning maybe in terms of speeding up the goalkeeper deal. Arsenal will want their back up goalkeeper in by the time they play their first Premier League game against Brentford. Do you think that maybe the fact that August 13th, first Premier League game date is approaching quite quickly might speed Arsenal up in terms of their recruitment?
CW: Yes, I think so. It’s not one that I have put much thought into but yes I think you are right there. Arsenal will probably not want Arthur Okonkwo being their back up goalkeeper going into that Premier League opener. It’s not because he hasn’t got the quality. I just think he is an inexperienced goalkeeper and not ready for the Premier League yet. So, yes I think that Arsenal are trying to ramp up their goalkeeping activity. I think that is kind of clear. They are preparing a third bid now for Aaron Ramsdale. I don’t think they are going to go near that £30 million mark that is being touted by journalists covering Sheffield United. However, I do think they are going to pay a fairly large sum of money probably in the region of £20 million. It just depends if Sheffield United accept it and I think they value him a bit higher and they know Arsenal’s need for a goalkeeper as well which is always a bit of an issue in the transfer window when you know that another club needs a player. They know they can increase the price and I think that’s what's happening with Aaron Ramsdale.
Lucas Torreira update
KK: Next question is from Lucas Eastley about a Lucas Torreira. What is the latest on him? Again, he is someone we touched on yesterday. I saw quite sad quotes from him this morning actually.
CW: As we discussed yesterday as well I think he is someone that could be going to Serie A. He has already said that he wants to return to Italy ideally. I think his agent has spoken about it. Those quotes from Torreira were heartwarming stuff obviously he lost his mother a few months ago and that has clearly affected him. He’s mentioned that he has been seeing a psychologist. I was actually planning on writing a piece on Torreira on those comments as I think it is quite brave for a player to come out and speak about those kinds of issues that he has been facing. So, well done to him for doing that and I think in terms of his own future we know that it is unlikely that he’ll be staying at Arsenal. It is just a case of which club is going to pay the transfer fee or which club is going to go in for him. I personally think he is going to be going to Serie A but again there is nothing concrete on that at the moment. So, lets see what happens.
Ben White latest
KK: One last thing that we should touch on given that it is nearly the end of the stream. We haven’t got that much time. Any news on Ben White?
CW: Yes. The question on everyone's lips every single day. The answer is yes we do have some news on Ben White. We are expecting him to complete his move to Arsenal this week. I think Sky Sports have reported that he is due for a medical tomorrow. So, hopefully heads into London and does his medical, signs on the dotted line Arsenal have got themselves a very good player in Ben White and there will be no more questions on any news on Ben White. I think it is a great signing for Arsenal as we’ve already discussed and a really good addition to the Arsenal defence.
KK: We will bring you all the coverage of the Ben White deal and all the other news when it comes up. Whatever comes up this summer we’ll bring it to you here at Football London. Like I say we will be doing these every single day. So, we will be here a lot over the next month or so. So, definitely one to keep an eye on throughout the month. You can follow Chris and I on our social media and I think that is pretty much it.
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