⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[sotelorene]

Well,  we'll see, but Arsenal have been a solid footballing side for the past two seasons, the addition of Kepa brings depth, competition and also as a back up player for David Raya. I'm sure he'll complement Raya the perfect way. Better than Andrea Onana? Damn right,  I concur. Nicholas Jackson to Arsenal?! I haven't seen such, rather I've seen  Noni Madueke linked with Arsenal. Sesko transfer will sure be done in the month of july.

I hope it isn't more than only a weak rumour about Jackson to Arsenal. Otherwise I can't imagine how disappointed the fans would be.    They are waiting for a big name in the position. A really talented one.

Sesko signing is more realistic than Gyökeres currently. Because Sporting chairman wants an excessive fee which even made Gyökeres angry too. He doesn't want to play there anymore. If he drops out of squad then I wonder whether he will still end up in a Premier League team...

If Arsenal is looking for a striker then I don't see Jackson as a man for that task because he can not penetrate because he is very dull and doesn't have speed though he somehow knows how to control ball and also do finish well sometimes but these doesn't qualified him because a good striker ought to have all the mentioned above and as such Arsenal should go for another person and not Jackson. This sporting player, there is an extent it will reach the team that will successfully buy him will regret just my instinct because of the way things are going about his transfer.

[baeva]

Chelsea's £55 million bid for Jamie Gittens has been accepted by Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old has agreed to a 7-year contract. He is a young English player.  Chelsea's purchase is planned as a replacement for Jadon Sancho after he returned to Manchester United. Gittens' joining is the fourth transfer between striker Liam Delap, midfielder Dario Essugo and defender Mamadou Sarr. Chelsea's return to EPL competition seems to make the owner seriously improve the quality of Chelsea in order to compete in Europe.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cql02rn6031o

The sporting director of Chelsea is so stupid. They hand Dortmund 55 million just to sign a mediocre winger like Gitten. They could get Leao or Nico with such money, but wasted it in Gitten. I can't believe what i'm seeing now.

This sign is showing how they're so dumb, and have no clear plan on how to improve their squad. I don't think Gitten is better than Sancho, and i'd like to call it as a degrade.

55 million wasted for nothing ffs.

I totally agree with you. I remember that yesterday, while I was reading this news, I was actually wondering how it was even possible that they thought spending 55 millions for Gittens was a good idea. Chelsea have been buying a lot of players in these years, some were kind of known, other weren't, but I fell like no matter who the player was, they always overpaid. Other teams are spending similar money for players that are ready to play in the starting eleven. I just don't get it.

In fact, if you look at the current realities of the transfer market you will realise that only a small proportion of teams do not overpay for players. It is much more difficult to buy a player at his real estimated fair value, but, all teams who put players on the transfer market want to make money and so they put them on the market for more, obviously others have no choice but to overpay

I think everyone knows that this is a trade. The Portuguese and German teams are the ones who use this trade the best. Especially Borussia Dortmund is the best example in the world in this regard. The path of many star players brought to world football definitely passes through Borussia Dortmund. The most recent example of this is Bellingham who went to Real Madrid. We can also count star players like Haaland who was at Manchester City before him. Of course, we should not forget Lewandowski. Dortmund is the team that caused many players in the world to shine. It is almost impossible to sell a player at market value, especially for Premier League teams. If Premier League teams want a player, they will ask for at least 30% more than the player's value.

Yes, obviously a lot of teams ask for more with the potential for the player to shoot up and become a top player, besides in these deals we just see that the player was bought just for more money, but in fact it is written in his contract that he will still owe something to his past team, it's a basic requirement I think. Borussia have really had a lot of top players go through Borussia and how many more will go through them

[bitcoin_mining]

I don't know why Arsenal are leaving areas that should be more of importance to them because what they need is strikers, their defense and midfield is not much of a challenge but they need a striker who will be consistent in finishing because that was exactly what they lacked last season. Since Arsenal have signed Zubimendi, the midfield has been strengthened and Kepa will assist David Raya while cristhian mosquera will be helpful in the defense so they have to do the needful in the attacking positions so that they will become a complete team ahead of next season games. Arsenal seems to have lost interest in Swedish footballer Viktor Gyökeres if not he would have been a perfect striker for Arsenal considering his impressive performance at Sporting Lisbon. Benjamin Šeško is another good striker but it seems Arsenal might later go back for Viktor Gyökeres from rumors that am hearing.

I will say every position being considered so far are crucial positions and positions Arsenal are lacking in. If Arsenal successfully sign a striker today either ways they will still need to sign a centre back, a left winger and as well replacements for Jorginho and Thomas Partey which the club has now done. For me it doesn’t really matter the sequence because all will still be considered no matter which comes first or last.

Arsenal have shown some obvious weaknesses in every match, then Arsenal should be thanked for staying in second place in the Premier League with such a team and they have confirmed that position for the past few seasons.

Arsenal have not made significant changes to their team in these past few seasons, but this season there are rumors that Arsenal can recruit a good quality player in the strike position, if not in any other position.
However, before recruiting a striker, Arsenal must make sure that the striker's finishing skills are like that. If Arsenal's wingers on both sides play good football, then a good finisher will actually increase the chances of winning every match. If they can recruit some players in the midfielder and defense in addition to a striker, their team will be even stronger.

I don't know whether Arsenal will try to strengthen their team considering these things or whether they will recruit a good quality player to the club.

[SatoPrincess]

The sporting director of Chelsea is so stupid. They hand Dortmund 55 million just to sign a mediocre winger like Gitten. They could get Leao or Nico with such money, but wasted it in Gitten. I can't believe what i'm seeing now.

This sign is showing how they're so dumb, and have no clear plan on how to improve their squad. I don't think Gitten is better than Sancho, and i'd like to call it as a degrade.

55 million wasted for nothing ffs.

Everyone sees Gitten’s signing as a waste of money but I view that transfer as a prospective move not just for immediate impact. He is young with good skills and with the right grooming has the potential of being one of the best young talents in the game.

[TastyChillySauce00]

If Leipzig really wants €100m+ for Sesko they must be dreaming.    Or they just want to state they aren't keen on selling him yet. But honestly I don't think he'd like to stay anymore. They aren't going to compete in the CL after many years.

No one will be signing Sesko with such price. I know he's still young, but he doesn't have a lot of achievement on his career. What in the world club that is gonna waste 100 million to get unproven talent like Sesko?
He has 70 million clause, and still for his club to increase it, but i don't think they will do that consider the higher price, the more difficult to find the buyer for him.

[Distraction]

The sporting director of Chelsea is so stupid. They hand Dortmund 55 million just to sign a mediocre winger like Gitten. They could get Leao or Nico with such money, but wasted it in Gitten. I can't believe what i'm seeing now.

This sign is showing how they're so dumb, and have no clear plan on how to improve their squad. I don't think Gitten is better than Sancho, and i'd like to call it as a degrade.

55 million wasted for nothing ffs.

I agree about a part here. The transfer policy of Chelsea is trash. They are filling the squad with so many useless players. I agree 55m euros is also too much for the 20-year-old.

What I don't agree is that you say he is a bad player. I think he has a good talent. He just doesn't deserve to be spent this much money on truthfully. 

It's better to keep Sancho instead, indeed!

[Lannakosa]

I will say every position being considered so far are crucial positions and positions Arsenal are lacking in. If Arsenal successfully sign a striker today either ways they will still need to sign a centre back, a left winger and as well replacements for Jorginho and Thomas Partey which the club has now done. For me it doesn’t really matter the sequence because all will still be considered no matter which comes first or last.

Arsenal had the best defense in the Premier League last season. They conceded only 34 goals in 38 matches, which is the best defense. So I think Arteta should be happy with his defenders, and I also believe that Raya is a very good goalkeeper. But despite this, Arsenal also bought a new goalkeeper who will most likely be Raya’s backup. As for the attack, yes, they could strengthen it because they were significantly behind Liverpool in goals scored.

[SmartCharpa]

If Leipzig really wants €100m+ for Sesko they must be dreaming.    Or they just want to state they aren't keen on selling him yet. But honestly I don't think he'd like to stay anymore. They aren't going to compete in the CL after many years.

As you said, I don't think they're ready to sell the player yet, otherwise, €100 million for a player who scored just 13 league goals last season? Arsenal only considers the player because he is still young, otherwise, I believe Arsenal should not bid for the player since he can lose some opportunities to score. Arsenal need to think about signing Gyøkeres, who scored 54 goals last season, instead of the price Leipzig is demanding for releasing the player. Arsenal deserves a striker who can lead them to win titles next season.

Everyone sees Gitten’s signing as a waste of money but I view that transfer as a prospective move not just for immediate impact. He is young with good skills and with the right grooming has the potential of being one of the best young talents in the game.

I agree with you, I don't think Gitten's move to Chelsea is a waste of money, the player is young, and I'm sure he would be more important than keeping Sancho at the club. Perhaps those who used to watch Dortmund games might think he is worth the money Chelsea paid to sign him. The player scored four goals in the Champions League and 8 in the league with 32 games. Chelsea believes he is worth signing than Sancho, who Manchester United is only asking for €25 million to release him but Chelsea does not want to keep him. Let's see what Chelsea can do next season since their frontline will be very dangerous.

[Volgastallion]

When all the shadows and ghosts were starting to go away from the Manchester City team, yesterday they comeback in the form of Al Hilal, a disaster performance made by the Manchester team, and puttin shame on the premier league.

I know Al Hilal have big names but you cant lose in this way.

[hyudien]

I agree about a part here. The transfer policy of Chelsea is trash. They are filling the squad with so many useless players. I agree 55m euros is also too much for the 20-year-old.

What I don't agree is that you say he is a bad player. I think he has a good talent. He just doesn't deserve to be spent this much money on truthfully. 

It's better to keep Sancho instead, indeed!

Just like last year transfer market, many regretted Chelsea recruitment but what was the result? They managed to compete at the top of the league, on the one hand it could be said to be wasteful, but on the other hand if the results are positive, why not? The price set for Gitten is indeed quite expensive but remember it is Dortmund, a club that usually sells its players well, they always manage to convince their customers, and I also think there is another plan that we may not know why Chelsea wants to recruit him. Regarding Sancho, he has a fairly expensive salary and his contribution is not comparable so Sancho should be released from Chelsea.

[Velvet78]

When all the shadows and ghosts were starting to go away from the Manchester City team, yesterday they comeback in the form of Al Hilal, a disaster performance made by the Manchester team, and puttin shame on the premier league.

I know Al Hilal have big names but you cant lose in this way.

European teams don't take the Club World Cup as serious as the Champions League. This is why Manchester City got a ridiculous result like that. Normally they would easily crush them. 

Speaking of Manchester City, Guardiola has already spent around 130 million euros by signing 3 names:

- Reijnders
- Aït-Nouri
- Cherki

Probably there could be more to come as we haven't even reached the middle of the summer. Still there is a case of 115 breaches waiting for them on one hand right? 

[pawel7777]

How do you guys judge Man City's yesterday's performance against Saudi Al-Hilal, when the Citizens unexpectedly dropped out of the FIFA Club World Cup after losing 4-3?
I'm not going to lie, this is not the result I was expecting. The City did perfectly in the group stage (winning 3 out of 3) and I believed they are level above and would not have any problems going through to the quarter-finals.
I'm not sure if I underestimated Al-Hilal, or overestimated Man City. Either way, losing 4 goals in a game is a clear indicator of something not working as it should in the defense. They did dominate in both ball possession and shots on goal, but they still allowed Al-Hilal to make 17 shots with 6 on target, which is quite a lot.

I hear that Guardiola acknowledged the problem, so hopefully he will work towards fixing it before the season starts. But it's a shame they dropped out so early being one of the favourites.

[MainIbem]

...I'm not going to lie, this is not the result I was expecting. The City did perfectly in the group stage (winning 3 out of 3) and I believed they are level above and would not have any problems going through to the quarter-finals.
I'm not sure if I underestimated Al-Hilal, or overestimated Man City. Either way, losing 4 goals in a game is a clear indicator of something not working as it should in the defense. They did dominate in both ball possession and shots on goal, but they still allowed Al-Hilal to make 17 shots with 6 on target, which is quite a lot.

It's a very disappointing result by City no one would've ever believe the outcome of that match, inasmuch both teams did well in the group stage, but Manchester City were more favored to win that match but they couldn't defend properly. Guardiola have his own share of the blame, if he has started Cherki and Foden, maybe City would've scored more goals. Guardiola should figure out the missing piece in the upcoming pre-season matches so it won't affect them when the next season starts, if Al Hilal could score 4 goals you could imagine the number of goals Liverpool or Amy other top EPL team would score. Anyways I'm impressed with Hilal though they did the unexpected and made the tournament more interesting.

[Oluwa-btc]

I hope it isn't more than only a weak rumour about Jackson to Arsenal. Otherwise I can't imagine how disappointed the fans would be.    They are waiting for a big name in the position. A really talented one.

Sesko signing is more realistic than Gyökeres currently. Because Sporting chairman wants an excessive fee which even made Gyökeres angry too. He doesn't want to play there anymore. If he drops out of squad then I wonder whether he will still end up in a Premier League team...

Nicholas Jackson to Arsenal is far from happening. The recent I've read and heard from newspapers and radio stations would be Eze from Crystal Palace and also Noni Madueke from Chelsea. I'm a Manchester United fan quite well but I don't think Madueke is worthy to represent Arsenal. That said, a move for Gyökeres would be best for them atm. Why splurge such on a player without premier league experience?

[Velvet78]

Unfortunately we have got really sad news... 

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva have died in a car accident... RIP for both of them. According to the report, their car caught fire after a tire burst while overtaking.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13391754/diogo-jota-liverpool-forward-dies-in-car-accident-in-spain

I couldn't believe my eyes when I first read the news. Jota got married only 10 days ago and now this happened. He was 28 years old. It must be really hard for his family, friends and all the people who have loved him.

[SatoPrincess]

Kepa was backup for Real Madrid and they won the Champions League Competition. ARSENAL NEXT?!  

If Kepa continues to do his magic (!) then yeah it is Arsenal's turn.    All jokes aside, I think he is better than Onana at least. There will be different opinions on this for sure. But this is my thinking honestly.


Nicolas Jackson's name started to be called with Arsenal recently. Please say it is fake news... What is Arteta planning to do with this loser? This would be like the biggest mistake they can make while searching for a proper CF.

I don’t doubt that Kepa would be a good backup in goalkeeping for Arsenal judging from his backup role with Madrid in the absence of Courtois. He was excellent and helped the team during the time.
Nicolas Jackson linked with Arsenal better be a joke cause I will rather play Havertz and Gabriel Jesus throughout the season, yeah it is that bad!

[hyudien]

Unfortunately we have got really sad news... 

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva have died in a car accident... RIP for both of them. According to the report, their car caught fire after a tire burst while overtaking.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13391754/diogo-jota-liverpool-forward-dies-in-car-accident-in-spain

I couldn't believe my eyes when I first read the news. Jota got married only 10 days ago and now this happened. He was 28 years old. It must be really hard for his family, friends and all the people who have loved him.

Until now I still can't believe what happened to Jota, for me it's like a dream, but whatever it is, this is the path of destiny that he and his younger brother must accept. Life and death, no one knows, even a second from now we don't know what will happen. My condolences for the incident that befell one of Liverpool and Portugal best strikers, may Jota family, wife and relatives be given fortitude.

[Pandu Geddon]

Nicolas Jackson linked with Arsenal better be a joke cause I will rather play Havertz and Gabriel Jesus throughout the season, yeah it is that bad!

Nicolas Jackson was also linked with Juventus. But it seems like it will not continue to negotiations. Who knows how Arsenal can be linked with Nicolas Jackson, who is even labeled by some Chelsea fans as a bad striker. Arsenal do need a striker for the new season, but they have to consider carefully which striker they have to get to be able to compete in the new season.

[Volgastallion]

Nicolas Jackson linked with Arsenal better be a joke cause I will rather play Havertz and Gabriel Jesus throughout the season, yeah it is that bad!

Nicolas Jackson was also linked with Juventus. But it seems like it will not continue to negotiations. Who knows how Arsenal can be linked with Nicolas Jackson, who is even labeled by some Chelsea fans as a bad striker. Arsenal do need a striker for the new season, but they have to consider carefully which striker they have to get to be able to compete in the new season.

I cant belive how a team can ask for a player like Nicola Jackson, i mean he is gonna have a high salarie and you receive a player who miss every big chance he have.... and Juventus for what they want him? They already have Kolo Muani who is way better than him and worth a lot more.

PD: Condolences to Diogo Jota family rest in peace. Very sad news

[Inwestour]

I don’t doubt that Kepa would be a good backup in goalkeeping for Arsenal judging from his backup role with Madrid in the absence of Courtois. He was excellent and helped the team during the time.
Nicolas Jackson linked with Arsenal better be a joke cause I will rather play Havertz and Gabriel Jesus throughout the season, yeah it is that bad!

In the absence of Courtois, Lunin played almost all the games as goalkeeper, so I do not know how anyone can really judge Kepa based on his time at Real. Maybe the fact that he was a backup keeper for Real gives him some status, but it is very hard to evaluate his performance with so few matches. I think he would be a good backup goalkeeper for Arsenal. But Raya is doing very well there too, so I do not think Kepa would get much playing time at Arsenal either.