Episode seven begins with Hysaj joining up with the squad. If you remember from the last episode I agreed a swap deal between him and Bellerin with Napoli. I’m a fan of Bellerin in real life, but he was an absolute bomb scare in this game and I’m delighted to be shot of him. Next, out of the blue Kobenhaven finally agree to sell me Sane. Best of all, they are pretty much willing to take any player I have in a swap deal. I had been thinking I would have to part with Ozil, but now I have options. Mesut is 30 now and declining in stats, so I do need to move him on soon, but perhaps I should look at bargaining him against someone else.
Fast forward five minutes and I have taken a chance and tried to set up a deal where I give them Rob Holding plus a few mil… if they go for this it might just be the best bit of business ever. I’m now thinking about who else I could get to strengthen the team at the expense of Ozil, as I don’t want him sitting on the bench while his value declines. It could be time to look for another right winger. Sorry about this thinking out loud, but it’s the best way for you guys to follow my thought process. Anyway I have inquired about Suso (AC Milan), Pulisic (Dortmund) and Thauvin (Marseille).
The next match is against Burnley in the FA Cup. I have decided to SIM the game, but the lineup I put out is as follows; Ospina (GK), Kolasinac (LB), Mustafi (CB), Fosu-Mensah (CB), Toure (RB), Xhaka (CM), Tielemans (CM), Ozil (CAM), Bergwijn (LW), Kluivert (RW), Lacazette (ST). The result was 2-0 Arsenal.
The Sane deal has went through. Rob Holding + £4m. Absolute madness… what a deal! Negotiations for Suso and Pulisic have broken down, but Marseille have agreed to sell me Thauvin in exchange for Ozil, so I’m going to go ahead with that one. If he ends up not fitting in well he’s young and talented enough that I could look for another player swap in the summer. Our next league match is Bournemouth away. I have included the two new boys in the starting lineup. It is as follows; Alisson (GK), Lukaku (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Hysaj (RB), Tolisso (CM), Goretzka (CM), Sane (CAM), Balde (LW), Williams (RW), Poulsen (ST). Highlights below.
Conceded two poor goals, but other than that a great performance. Especially from both of the new boys. Both getting assists and Sane even getting on the scoresheet. Once this team properly gels it’s going to be special. For now a 2-4 win is a good start for this new look side and Thauvin should be in the squad within the next 48 hours. Man City have offered £19m for Goretzka, but I have no intention of selling any of my top players aside from one of Lacazette or Aubameyang. Next up is Cardiff City at home. I have made two changes for this match; Alisson (GK), Kolasinac (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Hysaj (RB), Tolisso (CM), Goretzka (CM), Sane (CAM), Balde (LW), Kluivert (RW), Poulsen (ST). Highlights below.
A pretty dodgy performance if I am honest, but we pulled it out in the end again with a 3-2 win. Bad mistake from Hysaj for the first goal, but he was solid apart from that. The game was played at a fast pace and I struggled to get the ball down and knock it around like usual. The next match is Leicester away. There’s some fatigue in the team just now with games every four days, so I have rotated a little and taken a risk on others. This is the lineup; Alisson (GK), Kolasinac (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Toure (RB), Tielemans (CM), Goretzka (CM), Sane (CAM), Balde (LW), Thauvin (RW), Aubameyang (ST). Highlights below.
An excellent 1-3 away win and debutante Thauvin got two, while the third was a great team goal finishing with a cheeky lob by Tielemans. It’s starting to feel like the invincible season might just be possible. Plus we are building great team chemistry for our second season which will no doubt include the Champions League. Anyway that’ll do episode eight. I’ll be back in the next few days with the ninth installment. Until then like, follow the blog, comment and hit me up on Twitter @VizualDze.
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