⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Slow death]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

This time Arsenal is to be congratulated, they finally have a chance to make a good signing in this transfer window, I say this because Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi

OFFICIAL: Martin Zubimendi joins Arsenal on €65m deal from Real Sociedad, as agreed since May.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1941816047490814335

Martin Zubimendi played 36 games, scored 2 goals and got 1 assist and comes from a weak team, but Arsenal are still paying 65 million for him. I wonder:

Why didn't they use that money to sign Gyökeres?

I know Gyökeres costs more, but they could take that money and easily increase and pay Sporting and have Gyökeres. But they are making strange signings as always. It's hard to understand Arsenal when it comes to new signings. That's why in my opinion if they manage to sign Gyökeres, it will be the only good signing they have made in this transfer window, because they have been focusing on signing Chelsea players who can't even do well at Arsenal.

[Akbarkoe]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

Bejamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are still hot topics, because both Arsenal and Man United are quite interested in bringing in the player, unexpectedly now there is another player being fought over between The Gunners and The Red Devils.

Ollie Watkins is not a great striker but he can be relied on as a sharp spearhead, besides that he is also quite skilled at providing assists. Manchester United have approached both the player and Aston Villa, but the approach made did not produce sweet results, maybe because the offer given was not attractive or something else, but the player was reluctant to accept the offer and Aston Villa remained determined to be able to retain him.

And from some rumors that I heard that Arsenal is one step away from being able to get Sesko, so I think compared to trying hard to get Ollie Watkins, it is better for Arsenal to focus on Sesko's transfer, don't let the transfer stop in the middle of the road without clarity and Sesko is hijacked by another club. because remember it's not only Man United who wants to bring in the RB Leipzig player.

[Mate2237]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

This time Arsenal is to be congratulated, they finally have a chance to make a good signing in this transfer window, I say this because Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi

OFFICIAL: Martin Zubimendi joins Arsenal on €65m deal from Real Sociedad, as agreed since May.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1941816047490814335

Martin Zubimendi played 36 games, scored 2 goals and got 1 assist and comes from a weak team, but Arsenal are still paying 65 million for him. I wonder:

Why didn't they use that money to sign Gyökeres?

I know Gyökeres costs more, but they could take that money and easily increase and pay Sporting and have Gyökeres. But they are making strange signings as always. It's hard to understand Arsenal when it comes to new signings. That's why in my opinion if they manage to sign Gyökeres, it will be the only good signing they have made in this transfer window, because they have been focusing on signing Chelsea players who can't even do well at Arsenal.

65 million euros for a defensive midfielder is not a good I don't know how arsenal signing their players because this is a player that scored only two goals in 36 games this is not a good signing from arsenal



Arsenal is avoiding their main problem I think that arsenal is only concerned about doing business only and not really ready for the league title because you can see it on the way that they have been handling their signing

[TelolettOm]

Seriously! 5 days ago? Are you trying to say Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz 5 days ago or Chelsea signed Delap 5 days ago? EPL transfer window has been open since around between June 1st and June 10th that was when the window was opened. I agree with him, Arsenal is too slow and wants cheap players. Clubs do tag outrageous fees to their players, I totally agree but we are in that time and period the early we accept it the better. When too many clubs are after one player, the club will tend to take advantage and raise the fee since there's no regulations concerning players selling price. Gyokeres, Sesko and Osimhen are in the radar of top clubs and will be sold to the highest bidder.

The transfer window has been open for quite some time. In the last month, Arsenal have not made many moves, and only started to really focus on the 3rd week. And finally this time, Arsenal have officially signed Zubimendi

And not only that, Arsenal have also officially on verbal agreement and with personal terms to Gyokeres, in which the contract will last until 2030. It's a five-year contract.

Source: The agreement between Viktor Gyökeres and Arsenal on personal terms is valid until June 2030
And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

[₿itcoin]

And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Their defense is strong enough, now they need a strong striker to make the midfield & attack unbreakable. The North Londoners 55 million's Zubimendi signing bung the midfield gap left by Partey & Jorginho. You know he is calm, intelligent, a strong passer under pressure, so he has the potential to strengthen the Gunners midfield. The Vikings could sell  Rodrygo to Arsenal, cause Rodrygo is not in Xabi Alonso's match plan, his skill is fine, but he won't coup 10+ goals in a season. What they really require is a finisher like Osimhen.

[asriloni]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

My honest opinion about Ollie is that 29 years old, scored 15 goals last season, and finished at 7th as top scorer. He's still worthy as a striker, but don't like his release clause, which is £60m. If his price can be reduced like £45m, it's worthy.

[Velvet78]

My honest opinion about Ollie is that 29 years old, scored 15 goals last season, and finished at 7th as top scorer. He's still worthy as a striker, but don't like his release clause, which is £60m. If his price can be reduced like £45m, it's worthy.

Watkins' current market value is around 34.5 million pounds. That release clause is unreal. Honestly there wouldn't be anyone to pay him that much.    I don't think even 45 million is okay for him. He is 29 already.

I think he can't be sold above his current value in the market. For example, Manchester United can't find a buyer for Rashford at 40 million now. Aston Villa also doesn't want to pay that. So they shouldn't expect Watkins to be sold for a similar amount either.

[knowngunman]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

I read this on my news feed from random platforms but I don't know how authentic the information is. Watkins goal and assist contribution last season across all competitions is about thirty two (32) or thereabout and that stats is not too bad for a team like Manchester United that consist of average players who find it hard to locate the back of opponents net. Manchester United won't be participating in European competitions next season and I don't expect serious/productive strikers will be interested in signing a deal with them.

Arsenal on the other hand need to up their game in search of a striker to fully compete next season. I read they are pursuing to bring Chelsea Madueke to their squad and I wonder if Arterta knows what he really wants.

[Distraction]

Acceptable odds for the starts, but i predict the result may totally different.

Chelsea seems underrated here considering they're just getting better, and i think they may be having pretty small odds at the mid - late season. They can also compete with Arsenal next season. However, seeing Arsenal in the third is a big weird, but since they always finish at the second. So it's okay.

Newcastle may be always placing at the fifth.

17.00 odds are really too high. But truthfully they are really far from competing for a PL trophy for now... They can't answer in the same way to the other favourites in terms of transfers.

One shouldn't get deceived by the worth of Chelsea currently. Yeah they are the 2nd most valued team in the league. But it's mostly because of signing excessive amount of players. 

I don't find their squad quality higher than any of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

[MainIbem]

My honest opinion about Ollie is that 29 years old, scored 15 goals last season, and finished at 7th as top scorer. He's still worthy as a striker, but don't like his release clause, which is £60m. If his price can be reduced like £45m, it's worthy.

Watkins' current market value is around 34.5 million pounds. That release clause is unreal. Honestly there wouldn't be anyone to pay him that much.    I don't think even 45 million is okay for him. He is 29 already.

I think he can't be sold above his current value in the market. For example, Manchester United can't find a buyer for Rashford at 40 million now. Aston Villa also doesn't want to pay that. So they shouldn't expect Watkins to be sold for a similar amount either.

He might not be the best option but he's a worthy player since he's Premier league proven and can score a good number of goals, it's better than not signing any attacker or ending up with Rashford that's fallen out with the coach or Hodjlund that's yet to improve into the quality suited for a team like Manchester United, in a worst case scenario Manchester United can manage Watkins till they're able to qualify for the Champions League then sign a better option afterwards, maybe if they could offer 40 million to Aston Villa they could consider selling him, or they could do a swap loan deal between Watkins and Rashford if Barcelona or Bayern Munich fail to sign Rashford.

[SmartCharpa]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

I also observed that Manchester United is interested in signing the 29 year old striker from Aston Villa, but I don't think it's a good option to solve their problem for next season. This player is currently 29 years old, and we don't know how much time he has left to play at his best. Manchester United needs a striker who they can offer at least a 5 year contract, if Manchester United offers Watkins a 5 year contract, we don't know if the player will be able to perform at his best in the next two seasons. Watkins scored 16 Premier League goals and one Champions League goal last season.

Arsenal is not interested in signing the player,  they need a goal scoring machine, and the team has hid for Gyøkeres. The 27 year old Swedish striker from Sporting is better by Arsenal, who are ready to sign him and have reduced his salary to play for Arsenal. Manchester United may be the team to sign him.

However, Victor Osimehn still on Manchester United list of attackers to target this summer, but the player has refused to accept a salary reduction to join them. For Manchester United to sign Watkins, I believe it would be better if the team go for Osimehn, despite the money Napoli is demanding, because we didn't see his impact at Aston Villa last season. Arsenal signing of Gyøkeres might increase the chance of Manchester United signing a new striker for next season.

[EL MOHA]

Martin Zubimendi played 36 games, scored 2 goals and got 1 assist and comes from a weak team, but Arsenal are still paying 65 million for him. I wonder:

Why didn't they use that money to sign Gyökeres?

I know Gyökeres costs more, but they could take that money and easily increase and pay Sporting and have Gyökeres. But they are making strange signings as always. It's hard to understand Arsenal when it comes to new signings. That's why in my opinion if they manage to sign Gyökeres, it will be the only good signing they have made in this transfer window, because they have been focusing on signing Chelsea players who can't even do well at Arsenal.

There is no arguing the fact that Gyokeres signing will be a very good and serious one of the most important signings that Arsenal will make, but to be sincere the signing of Martin Zubimendi is definitely an important signing because looking at that Arsenal Midfield in as much as it looks to still have players I think they needed more technical ability and Zubimendi provides them with one, without Odegaard they suffer with lack of creativity and that has caused them many times. In as much as I agree with you that Arsenal first signing should have been a striker, I think even with a striker if they don’t recruit they will certainly be where they are currently.

As for going for Chelsea rejects I think they are looking at possibly signing Medueke as a backup option for Bukayo Saka, in all honesty if Arsenal could sign Medueke, another left winger and still get a decent striker I think they will be much of a better team than just signing a striker alone. There are rejects that strengthens a team, Mo Salah was once a reject but right now a premier league legend. The only thing I actually see from this Arsenal pursuit of Medueke is that it will hinder the progress of Ethan Nweri who is about to commit to a long time contract at the club

He might not be the best option but he's a worthy player since he's Premier league proven and can score a good number of goals, it's better than not signing any attacker or ending up with Rashford that's fallen out with the coach or Hodjlund that's yet to improve into the quality suited for a team like Manchester United, in a worst case scenario Manchester United can manage Watkins till they're able to qualify for the Champions League then sign a better option afterwards, maybe if they could offer 40 million to Aston Villa they could consider selling him, or they could do a swap loan deal between Watkins and Rashford if Barcelona or Bayern Munich fail to sign Rashford.

This is one thing I tell fans that thrown in age barrier as a yard stick into the equation when a player is about to be signed, except if Watkins exceeds €50m but below that price i certainly see him as a good option for the club at the moment, people tend to forget that Manchester United is such in huge mess right now that top strikers are hard to come by, they currently have young strikers with top top talent but they need a very experienced striker in the squad to not only take the pressure off this strikers but be a guide for them. During Ferguson’s era he did had aged strikers then to his squad for depth and experience, he signed the likes of Van Persie at such an age too. This age of a thing was why Manchester United missed out on Harry Kane two seasons ago. For me if the price and wages isn’t that huge then it will be a huge signing for them. Watkins can offer at least three or more seasons and help the club out of their misery right now before they start attracting big names again

[GiftedMAN]

And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Their defense is strong enough, now they need a strong striker to make the midfield & attack unbreakable. The North Londoners 55 million's Zubimendi signing bung the midfield gap left by Partey & Jorginho. You know he is calm, intelligent, a strong passer under pressure, so he has the potential to strengthen the Gunners midfield. The Vikings could sell  Rodrygo to Arsenal, cause Rodrygo is not in Xabi Alonso's match plan, his skill is fine, but he won't coup 10+ goals in a season. What they really require is a finisher like Osimhen.

I'm impressed with the kind of players Arsenal's going for if they could achieve signing them all then I don't thnk anything should stop them from winning the EPL but it would be very disappointing if after they signed all those players and still end up bottling the league like they've been doing. I don't think they'll sign Rodrygo as a top 9 they'll use him as the left winger the player they're hoping to sign for the top 9 position is Gyokeres and they're working really hard to get the deal done.

[Stormisover]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

Watkins is quite a good player but but not really what Manchester United needs at this point in time, Manchester United need a striker that is as hungry and eager as osimhen, I'm just seeing Watkins as another version of Rashford in a different position, and for arsenal I think they have gotten Victor Gyokeress, and I think that's a smart move for the gunners because a striker was one of their major problems last season and now they've gotten one I think they are good to go, as for Manchester United they can keep beating round the bush for all they want because I'm already seeing them relegate next season.

[BIT-BENDER]

Watkins is quite a good player but but not really what Manchester United needs at this point in time, Manchester United need a striker that is as hungry and eager as osimhen, I'm just seeing Watkins as another version of Rashford in a different position, and for arsenal I think they have gotten Victor Gyokeress, and I think that's a smart move for the gunners because a striker was one of their major problems last season and now they've gotten one I think they are good to go, as for Manchester United they can keep beating round the bush for all they want because I'm already seeing them relegate next season.

If Manchester United has Hojlund and Zirkzee and they are going For Bryan Mbeumo then I don't think they are above  Watkins. I am not saying Watkins should be their target but if they were to go for him, going by what they have it won't be a bad option.
For me Manchester United has financial crisis because they haven't really done much in the transfer window, the only player I consider standard that they have gotten so far is Matheus Cunha.

[Coyster]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

Arsenal are close to signing Victor Gyokeres from Sporting, the Swedish international is their main target, so i don't believe any rumors linking Watkins to Arsenal, they might only be interested if the move for Gyokeres falls through, and it likely could, because the president of Sporting is a stumbling block to the deal.

That said, Ollie Watkins would be a good fit for Manchester United, the future of Rasmus Hojlund is uncertain at Old Trafford, so they definitely need a quality striker for next season and Ollie Watkins is certainly one.

[Antotena]

I'm impressed with the kind of players Arsenal's going for if they could achieve signing them all then I don't thnk anything should stop them from winning the EPL but it would be very disappointing if after they signed all those players and still end up bottling the league like they've been doing. I don't think they'll sign Rodrygo as a top 9 they'll use him as the left winger the player they're hoping to sign for the top 9 position is Gyokeres and they're working really hard to get the deal done.

For long time now, Arteta thought he could squeeze things for Arsenal by using Saka and Martineli together with someone to replace Gabriel as striker but this wasn't helping. How can wingers be having more goals than Jesus that was supposed to be their striker but along the line they saw it though this was notice after the January transferred and nothing can be done, the early they sine number 9 the better for the club and I don't support Rodrigo.

Real Madrid will not want to come to Arsenal even if the club want to willingly leave him. They want to stay at Spain plus Arsenal is going to shit their account together that boy. The cost will not go below $100m of if they want him and I'm addition his pay check is going to be fact. Now for a club that hasn't won anything big will want to spend that amount, they are going to begging for bail out if they want to start that line of players signing, not good at all.

[kawetsriyanto]

Arsenal are close to signing Victor Gyokeres from Sporting, the Swedish international is their main target, so i don't believe any rumors linking Watkins to Arsenal, they might only be interested if the move for Gyokeres falls through, and it likely could, because the president of Sporting is a stumbling block to the deal.

Yes, you are right, so far, the most closed rumor to sign for Arsenal is Gyokeres after their successful signing of Zubimendi earlier. The agreement clause is around €65 million ($76.6m) based on the article that I read and this is so closed for done deal. Additionally, besides Gyokeres, Arsenal is also still working on negotiations with Real Madrid to sign Rodrygo closely, they also want to get that right winger to be on thier player lineup. Moreover, Real Madrid and Xabi have given the green light for Rodrygo to leave, as long as the fee is in line with their expectations. However, they are also facing challenges because on the other hand, rumors also say that PSG also wants him.



Reference: https://www.football365.com/news/arsenal-dream-target-rodrygo-man-city-liverpool-gyokeres-checks-in-bags

[Ale88]

Wherever this news is coming from it should better be a joke because it is funny. I don’t believe Arsenal would want a player that will get 10 chances and miss 8 or 9 of the chances. I really can’t wait for this whole Arsenal striker hunt to be over honestle because I am exhausted from reading same news each day for a month now. Sesko or Gyokeres they should just get one quickly.

There have been too many names linked with Arsenal but we have not seen any clarity yet, Arsenal seem to be very slow in perfecting their squad or maybe they are very cautious? no one knows their plans. Sesko, Gyokeres, Jackson and Osimhen are 4 potential names but I agree Jackson is not the best option for Arteta squad. I want Gyokeres as their first option although it seems quite difficult to get a deal Arsenal should be willing to sacrifice a lot.

What do you mean by "very slow in perfecting their squad"? The transfer window literally opened 5 days ago, there are almost 2 months to go, why would they rush to buy someone? Also because there is a lot of confusion out there, what's the real situation for players like Gyokeres and Osimhen for example? Will they sell them for 60-70 millions or do they really hope to make 100+ millions? Because only a desperate team would pay 100 millions for those players...

Seriously! 5 days ago? Are you trying to say Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz 5 days ago or Chelsea signed Delap 5 days ago? EPL transfer window has been open since around between June 1st and June 10th that was when the window was opened. I agree with him, Arsenal is too slow and wants cheap players. Clubs do tag outrageous fees to their players, I totally agree but we are in that time and period the early we accept it the better. When too many clubs are after one player, the club will tend to take advantage and raise the fee since there's no regulations concerning players selling price. Gyokeres, Sesko and Osimhen are in the radar of top clubs and will be sold to the highest bidder.

My bad, I'm used to the Italian transfer window that open on the 1st of July (same as Spain and Germany). I just checked and the EPL had a special FIFA Club World Cup registration period at the beginning of June, but this doesn't really change what I was saying because they all close at the end of August/beginning of September, so there is a ton of time left, and in the meantime it looks like they actually signed a couple of players so what I was saying still stands: I don't understand why people think clubs should rush to sign players. Negotiations are tough, there is a ton of money involved, it's not easy.

[Oshio-man]

And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Their defense is strong enough, now they need a strong striker to make the midfield & attack unbreakable. The North Londoners 55 million's Zubimendi signing bung the midfield gap left by Partey & Jorginho. You know he is calm, intelligent, a strong passer under pressure, so he has the potential to strengthen the Gunners midfield. The Vikings could sell  Rodrygo to Arsenal, cause Rodrygo is not in Xabi Alonso's match plan, his skill is fine, but he won't coup 10+ goals in a season. What they really require is a finisher like Osimhen.

I'm impressed with the kind of players Arsenal's going for if they could achieve signing them all then I don't thnk anything should stop them from winning the EPL but it would be very disappointing if after they signed all those players and still end up bottling the league like they've been doing. I don't think they'll sign Rodrygo as a top 9 they'll use him as the left winger the player they're hoping to sign for the top 9 position is Gyokeres and they're working really hard to get the deal done.

I think Arsenal coach mean this season title to make sure they win the title before he resign from the team to join another team. I believe, Arsenal coach will sign in all those players in this summer because they are young and talented players that will give the team hope of winning the premier League title, if the opportunity will be given to them to join Arsenal.