Edu & Vinai: The Dream Team

[dashsnow17]

This is pretty much known already but our player identification is moving much closer to video and data analysis, and away from traditional scouting. Not everyone in the game agrees that's the right approach, but we'll see.

https://trainingground.guru/articles/arsenal-reshuffle-roles-as-scouting-becomes-more-data-driven

 

[Toby]

Think this whole data/video vs live/network scouting thing is blown way out of proportion. There will always be live scouting and those who haven't started using data by this time are a bit behind the curve.

Sven Mislintat - who a lot on here deem this "only data no network" merchant - was on TV last Sunday and said scouting consists of data analysis, live scouting, video scouting and analysis, personal dialogue. Scouts use both reports/data and personal networks to find players. Gave the example of when Stuttgart last season lost a CB, Klopp called him and said he had heard about them looking for a CB and he had a decent one on his hands Stuttgart could loan, so Mislintat took a look at him. That's how Nathan philipps ended up at Stuttgart for a season.

Regarding the number of personnel, maybe in relation to Arsenal firing some scouts, Mislintat said back at Dortmund the team consisted of 10 people overall - but they didn't just scout but also did game, opposition and halftime analysis. Now at Stuttgart he said his team consists of 5 to 6 people but analysis was now its own department due to its growing importance. And that they didn't have oversea scouts giving them reports or recommendations, but would fly out themselves to look at players once they identified them either via data or network.

Looking at if from that angle maybe trimming down the scouting department wasn't as bad as it sounds. Strange though that Cagigao, who was rather highly rated, was one of those who left.

 

[OnlyOne]

I mean, fair play really. Solid window for January. Absolutely no one else is really doing anything and I think that shows how little money there is and we've managed to cover a GK spot with a very experienced keeper even though he won't play a game unless Leno gets injured and secured a top talent for attacking mid for the rest of the seasons.

Paying off Sokratis and Özil are strong moves as well, previous management left us in a tough position but we bit the bullet and managed to also get rid of Kola. Added to that we made up for Saliba and got him a loan which looks like he's going to play and learn a lot.

Credit to Edu this window in my opinion.

 

[field442]

I mean, fair play really. Solid window for January. Absolutely no one else is really doing anything and I think that shows how little money there is and we've managed to cover a GK spot with a very experienced keeper even though he won't play a game unless Leno gets injured and secured a top talent for attacking mid for the rest of the seasons.

Paying off Sokratis and Özil are strong moves as well, previous management left us in a tough position but we bit the bullet and managed to also get rid of Kola. Added to that we made up for Saliba and got him a loan which looks like he's going to play and learn a lot.

Credit to Edu this window in my opinion.

Got Özil to give up some of his wages and put bonus clauses in the transfer deal. What a guy.

 

[akhil]

Good window so far from Edu, now ship some of the Hale end boys on loan. That would make it a great window. Cherry on cake would be if he could ship Mustafi as well.

Now don't offer Luiz a new contract and ship Willian out in the summer.

 

[Iceman10]

Good window so far from Edu, now ship some of the Hale end boys on loan. That would make it a great window. Cherry on cake would be if he could ship Mustafi as well.

Now don't offer Luiz a new contract and ship Willian out in the summer.

For “loans” (plural) I assume you are talking Reiss and Willock. For CM we are actually a bit thin right now with Guendouzi and Torreira not with us, so Willock might have to be kept out of necessity unless the manager can do something with AMN and/or Chambers.

The transfer window is good based on it being the trickier mid-season window, although cover for Tierney ideally would be resolved even though going out of the FAC means less fixtures. If not I will understand the difficulty of doing it before summer, but something like that could be the difference between qualifying or not qualifying for EL football next season (upto 40m in revenues).

 

[Macho]

Özil, Sokratis, Kolasinac & Saliba could have and should have been done in the summer.

Özil admittedly is complicated but the rest fell apart due to incompetence.

Better late than never though I guess.

 

[akhil]

For “loans” (plural) I assume you are talking Reiss and Willock. For CM we are actually a bit thin right now with Guendouzi and Torreira not with us, so Willock might have to be kept out of necessity unless the manager can do something with AMN and/or Chambers.

The transfer window is good based on it being the trickier mid-season window, although cover for Tierney ideally would be resolved even though going out of the FAC means less fixtures. If not I will understand the difficulty of doing it before summer, but something like that could be the difference between qualifying or not qualifying for EL football next season (upto 40m in revenues).

Yeah Reiss and Willock specifically. Willock has Partey, Xhaka, Ceballos and El Neny in front of him. There's ESR and Ødegaard for the 10 spot.
I honestly don't see where he gets any minutes. He should be ahead of a couple of them if you ask me but he's not in Arteta's eyes. There's no point hanging around at his age, he needs to play to get better. He's not going to improve as a player here.

Most of it applies to Reiss as well, although with him he needs to stay fit more than anything.

With Tierney, I'd just gamble on him staying fit and play Cedic/AMN when he needs a rest. Address the backup LB position in the summer, when you sell Kola. Promoting a new U23 player has not happened in Arteta's first year so far, not a single one. So I'm not going to hold my breath on any new faces from Hale end making a difference.

 

[Jack_the_boy]

I’m really interested in a current financial report. When is the next one due?

We’re not actually saving money by letting players leave because we’re having to pay them off.

 

[akhil]

We're actually being semi competent this window.

Özil, Sokratis, Mustafi and Kola out. All the dead rubber out in one window.

Saliba on what looks like a very good loan. He's playing every game.
AMN get some playing time and Willock on a potential 1.5 year loan.

Very positive we're pulling the plug on bad loans and moving them elsewhere like Smith, Medley and Coyle. This is very proactive stuff from the loans guy.

We need some decent transfer fees for some the older guys in the summer. Mavropanos, Guendouzi, Torreira, Chambers and potentially AMN.

Plenty of holes still need to be addressed but this is a decent start for this regime.

 

[kash2]

a walmart tighfisted **** of an owner, a pair of dumb and dumber executives and a cheap rookie manager will only achieve so much. Till Kroenke leaves, there will be no hope for the club.

There is never a thread criticizing the owner, and anyone who does so gets banned. This is the reality.

 

[novar]

Great job at clearing the deadwood, although fairly poor way to do so paying them all to leave. I would have paid Mustafi to leave sure, the others not so much

Only Xhaka, Arteta and Edu left, onwards and upwards

 

[GoonerJeeves]

I mean, fair play really. Solid window for January. Absolutely no one else is really doing anything and I think that shows how little money there is and we've managed to cover a GK spot with a very experienced keeper even though he won't play a game unless Leno gets injured and secured a top talent for attacking mid for the rest of the seasons.

Paying off Sokratis and Özil are strong moves as well, previous management left us in a tough position but we bit the bullet and managed to also get rid of Kola. Added to that we made up for Saliba and got him a loan which looks like he's going to play and learn a lot.

Credit to Edu this window in my opinion.

Shipping out Mustafi was the icing on the cake.

 

[Wrighty4eva]

How do we have a Brazilian DOF with no Brazilian links ?, we really should have the drop on our rivals for any young upcoming South American talents, but it seems the total opposite. What a wasteman.

 

[James Bond]

Özil, Mustafi, Kola, Sokratis shown the door.
Backup, league experienced, GK
(Highly rated) Attacking midfielder loaned in.
Loans out for AMN, Willock, and Saliba.

Saved loads on wages, spent next to nothing, and saved maneuverability for long term solutions for the summer (for hopefully more Partey/Gabriel level signings). Top window.

Huge credit to Edu and co.

 

[Gooner416]

Impressed with the clearing of deadwood; lack of fees though make it a bit of a disappointment but ultimately in this market, job done. Well positioned for a busy summer.

 

[albakos]

Impressed with the clearing of deadwood; lack of fees though make it a bit of a disappointment but ultimately in this market, job done. Well positioned for a busy summer.

Agreed.
I think the main objective either by Arteta himself or by the upper levels toward him was that if we want to have new signings, there needs to be a clear-out beforehand in order to release some funds off the wage books.

 

[SingmeasongSong]

Özil, Sokratis, Kolasinac & Saliba could have and should have been done in the summer.

Özil admittedly is complicated but the rest fell apart due to incompetence.

Better late than never though I guess.

Won't blame Edu for anything here, since he probably did the best he could in that weird January window, but I won't get overboard with praise either.

As you said, we should've done much better in the summer. On top of that, aside from some benefits for the squad climate, did we actually make a lot of money from it ?
For me it seems like we paid around 90% of the remainder of the contracts, probably a part reason for our big loan, and let them get 10% from their next club covered in a new contract ASAP.

Most likely, any agent would tell them to do that kind of deal, no financial losses but probably a good chunk more of it. Besides, they did not play - hard to see Edu fail in such ****ty deals anyone would do.

 

[El Duderino]

FWIW I think we made the best of a ****ty situation RE Özil, but we had chances to move Mustafi and Sokratis on before and could have maybe forced the issue.

This is not a dig only at Edu and Vinai, but Raul, Gazidis and Wenger as well.

The rumours that we wanted to extend Mustafi were and still are worrysome. We need to find a way to put theses players on contracts that make it easier form them to be moved on.

I would much rather give them a larger signing on fee if it means their wages are kept lower, for example (assuming such situation is possible, of course).

 

[Toby]

Mustafi

As I've come across him so many times on here, I'll just use your post now.

Mustafi is as strange a case to me Xhaka in a way. He surely never was Germany's best CB - but who is when you've got the likes of Boateng and Hummels - but always seemed a solid and complete defender. I remember him at Valencia, he was their defense leader, very vocal, strong defender, good passing and build up, solid pace. Those 40m Arsenal paid wasn't for nothing. And then at first he was seriously good for Arsenal and suddenly seemed to fall off a cliff.

Maybe the league's just too fast for them, maybe Mustafi isn't mentally focused enough under rising pressure, with Xhaka it seems to be mental awareness as well as his lack of pace and mobility - which doesn't count for Mustafi. Overall, Mustafi should've been not a stellar but a very solid right CB.