Morning, a quick Friday blog for you.
I’ve seen via socials that Fabrizio Romano has given the Martin Zubimendi signing a ‘Here we go!’, which might suggest something is imminent there. We had heard about Real Sociedad wanting the deal to go through in July for accounting purposes, which made sense from their perspective, but perhaps something has changed in that regard.
We’ve known about his arrival for some time, the Real Madrid stuff from a couple of weeks ago ended up having little substance, and my understanding is that this is basically ready to go from the club’s perspective. Announcing it on a random Friday in June would be a bit odd, but let’s see what happens.
What’s clear is that this is a player Mikel Arteta really wants, and he’s coming to take Thomas Partey’s place in the team. News that his contract negotiations with the club have stalled could be down to that in part, but a 32 year old whose legs have grown heavier over the course of this season has to expect that there’s gonna be a younger guy along to take his place sooner rather than later. Zubimendi is that guy. We can talk more about him as and when the deal is officially sealed.
Beyond that, not a lot happening. There’s a fairly tenuous link to Noni Madueke in one of the newspapers, but are we about to go shopping at Stamford Bridge again? I suppose you could make a case that if Ethan Nwaneri is set to figure more centrally in the season ahead, you’re then back in that position where you need some cover for Bukayo Saka. Someone like Madueke could fit that bill, but given what Chelsea would be looking for for a 23 year old with a contract to 2030, that’s likely to make him a very expensive back-up player.
I think what they have planned for Nwaneri could be an important consideration for the way the squad is built this summer. Will he be the understudy, so to speak, for Martin Odegaard? He could play alongside him too, but starting him in the left-8 position undoes some of that ability he has to cut inside on his left foot and unleash those wicked shots which quickly became his trademark. I still feel he might play games on the right, but quite how he forces his way into the starting XI on a regular basis remains a little unclear right now.
Speaking of Odegaard understudies, Fabio Vieira is currently with Porto playing in the tournament from hell, attended only by those damned to eternal suffering and pain, and he’s a player whose future will be interesting to see. I think when a manager loans out a £30m signing, after some suggestions his application on the training ground wasn’t quite up to scratch, the writing is on the wall. Ideally, you sell and recoup as much of that fee as you can, but his summer is complicated by his involvement in Infantino’s Ego-Trip, and the need for some kind of holidays after.
As we all await incomings, let’s not forget a big part of Andrea Berta’s role is selling players too. With last years loanees Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Karl Hein all likely to be in the departure lounge, and with one or two from the first team squad looking to leave too, all eyes will be on how efficiently we do that business. I know it’s a bit apples and oranges, but with Liverpool selling Jarell Quansah for £30m+, a player who had been bit-part and somewhat out of favour at Anfield, I’m curious to see how well Berta uses his experience of the market and what kind of revenue he can generate from our own sales.
Right, that’s your lot for this morning. I’m spending a few days in London where it’s hotter than it was in Barcelona last week. So, I’ll slowly roast my way around the city today, and I’ll have more for you here in the morning.
