Thread by @nonewthing

"Arsenal moving on 2 out of 3 of the midfield that helped them challenge for the title would be terrible."

I don't even know where to begin with this. Let me take it apart in a few tweets.

👇

Football at this level is situational and opportunistic. Market opportunities exist. Contracts exist. Finances exist.

Arsenal are trying to build a team that can challenge for every single trophy within their considerable (but not unlimited) financial means against richer clubs.

With the season and the project that Arsenal have, we have opened ourselves up to the creme de la creme of football players just beneath the Ballon d'Or level and about to break into it in terms of reputation.

At the same time, we have a team with more or less a full XI.

But the key thing is that we know this XI is upgradeable, particularly in certain spots, depending on the role. Assuming nothing changes, we just gave (or are planning to give) out new, hefty, long contracts to Saka, Martinelli, Gabriel, White, Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Jesus, Saliba.

If you invest too heavily and too long on direct competion in these positions, you are basically wasting lots of money when/if one doesn't play regularly enough.

Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Trossard are good examples of efficient spread in cost/minutes and ROI.

The key thing is that you expect these guys you are giving long, hefty contracts to to be availaible for most games and play most of them. Between injuries, suspensions, form streaks, substituitions, rest and lesser competitions, you expect your Trossards/Jorginhos to fill in and

provide adequate value/cover for money.

For double roles in the team (positions where you essentially have two players at any time doing largely the same roles like the CBs or wingers or fullbacks), it makes sense to invest heavy in proper quality for a 3rd option.

Also, this is where adaptable players come into fore. If you invest on a Bernado Silva, you are essentially also buying for 2-4 positions. If you have a number of those in the squad, it really helps limit squad size and financial cost at whatever level of financial might you are.

Arsenal have done/are doing this in several positions across the team.

Now, it is clear that the only positions Arsenal can invest heavy in are on a possible 3rd winger to challenge, rest or rotate Saka/Martinelli and a new midfielder in Granit Xhaka's position.

Why?

For one, Odegaard is the captain and has Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith-Rowe behind him. This is not the same for Granit Xhaka whose more box-to-box role has no like-for-like replacement in the team.

Two, Arsenal have not invested as much in that position as they have done

elsewhere.

Heavy links to Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice, both of whom can do the role, suggest the intention.

However, both Caicedo and Rice happen to also be incredible at the DM role, especially in the double pivot system Arteta has organized with a false fullback coming in.

Rice is indisputably one of the best, if not the best, defensive midfielder in the world. His calm, stalwart characteristics in conjunction with his physical profile make him perfectly suited to be a holding midfielder as well.

However, Arsenal have Thomas Partey.

Thomas Partey is a member of the incredible Arsenal XI, but below the surface, certain issues bubble.

For one, Partey has not justified his financial cost in the project, largely through regular season injuries. For 3 consecutive seasons now, Partey hasn't played enough minutes

due to regular and extended injuries.

Also Partey's characteristics on the ball are not especially suitable to the idea of the role Mikel has there. He is undeniably one of the most progressive midfielders in the world but unlike a Toni Kroos or Rodri, his progressive play tends

to come largely through punchy vertical passes instead of wide passes and large switches of play.

This is the type of progressive play Mikel Arteta expects from Oleksander Zinchenko rather than his holding midfielder. Partey also doesn't help his team grab a hold of the ball in

frantic, transitional games. Rather, he is the chief instigator of turnover-heavy passes. That is not what Mikel Arteta wants or expect.

Also, Partey is on a gentle decline arc physically. After a decade of physically exerting himself for Cholismo and in the Premier League,

the once-named Octopus is losing his legs.

Last but not the least, the number 5 managed to get himself into a chaotic legal dispute over an heinous rape accusation, which, at this time, has not been fully investigated but still looms over the heads of player and club.

With just two years left on his contract and a hefty 250K a week contract, it is obvious that any possibility to move on the talented but issues-riddled midfielder must be pursued, especially since a world-class alternative has emerged in his position in the transfer market.

Ordinarily, this would be no problem. An alternative of Partey and an upgrade on Granit Xhaka would be fine.

The problem is that both possibilities would cost Arsenal at least 80M each, a long contract and hefty wages.

Arsenal can afford this but barely so, if recent history is

any guide.

It is likely that such spending would leave Arsenal unable to secure the quality alternative to Saka and Martinelli and even a Holding upgrade.

A solution would be accepting a transfer bid for Granit Xhaka, who has less availability issues but is also 30 and running

out the last two years of his contract. Given the circumstances, there is no better time to sell Granit Xhaka than in this window.

But that would leave Arsenal in exactly the same position as this season with no LCM alternative.

Enter Charlie Patino.

“Of all the years I’ve been scouting, he’s the best kid I’ve ever seen,” Brian Stapleton - Arsenal scout.

"Sean O’Connor discovered Jack Wilshere and he said to me that Charlie is the best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End,” says Stapleton.

Patino is a talent who the Spanish FA are reportedly keeping an eye on, as well as Barcelona, and who was meant to be on the Phil Foden pathway at Arsenal.

Patino's ability with his team in possesion are indisputable (he got a goal on his first senior debut). He is more talented

than Granit Xhaka in those aspects. But the key question is the defensive phase.

Can he do the the Granit Xhaka box to box role?

This question is exactly why Arsenal loaned him to the depths of the Championship to address those issues.

As it turns out, Charlie Patino is also a duel monster.

Let me repeat that: the cerebral, silky-turning Charlie Patino, wins his duels for fun in the championship.

Blessed with long legs that wrap around the opposition in the tackle a la Busquets/Camavinga, a long body-span

AND the willingness to commit and put those attributes to use.

Charlie Patino made 40 appearances for Blackpool this season. You do not do that without showing passion, desire, consistency, commitment and fight at that level, without being willing to run.

Also, Charlie Patino ranked

1st for interceptions
1st for dribbles
1st for fouls won
3rd for tackles

For Blackpool this season. Read and digest that again.

And when you are done, look very carefully at this radar viz of Patino's statistical output in the Championship.

Essentially, Charlie Patino was one of the best midfielders at defending in the Championship last season.

Read that again. Let the significance of it drop into your head.

The wiry silky ball genius we sent to the Championship last season ADDED steel to his game.

If you do not understand, here is what it means.

The Championship has proven to be a proving ground for young EPL-level talent in recent years. Whatever you can do in the Championship as a young talent, you are able to reproduce in the Premier League.

From Olise to Bamford to Watkins to Phillips to Bellingham to Abraham to Nketiah to Toney to... the list is long and unassailaible.

If you prove it in the Championship, you can do it in the Premier Leage.

The consequences of this is staggering for us and Charlie Patino.

We have, somehow, essentially regenerated Granit Xhaka at a higher level from our academy.

This is not particularly surprising, given Patino's pedigree and reputation from a young age (we beat off Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea to sign him at 11).

It is not a wonder why the boy believes he is ready for first team opportunities. Because there is no argument against it. He is truly and indeed ready.

We have a tall, rangy duel monster who can turn on a dime, is a buildup dictator, master of space, has pausa and ballstriking.

His maturity on the ball and on the pitch is unbelievable for his age.

A player with all of Xhaka's strengths and more and none of his weaknesses.

And here is something to blow your mind:

"Charlie has an amazing awareness of where he is on the pitch and where other players are on the pitch."

These are the words of a pro scout that works for Arsenal. The significance of that statement to Patino's potential is staggering.

Why is Declan Rice the best midfielder in the world?

Why does Erling Haaland score so many goals?

What makes Martin Odegaard the incredible midfielder he is?

Why can't anyone stop Kevin De Bryune?

The answer to each and everyone of these questions is the same:

Space.

In football, the average time a player spends on the ball is 2 minutes.

Read that again. 2 minutes for every 90. Football is essentially a question of what you are doing in the rest of those 88 minutes.

Positioning, body shape, interpretative movements: these are what determine

the fate of every football player. Off-ball intelligence is why anyone is good in football.

Of course, if you can perceive and manipulate space well, you can do things like interceptions, recoveries and ghost into positions to score all the time.

Patino having this gift is what

makes him truly unbelievable. It means he can learn to defend off-the-ball in a double pivot with our DM as Granit Xhaka does and ghost into positions to score like Martin Odegaard does.

He is a gift from the gods of football. Having a talent of this level in the situation

we have him brings us to a necessary decision, both of which have effects.

Do we sell Xhaka and integrate Patino next season, possibly suffering a bit when Caicedo doesn't play

Or

Do we sell Patino, keep Xhaka beyond his sell-by date while one of our own goes to Brighton and

becomes one of the best midfielders in the Premier League (with an unnecessarily high buyback clause if at all)?

I know what the Arsenal DNA chooses. And one season of Granit Xhaka is not worth losing his literal regen and 20 million worth of transfer fees + wages for.

This was Charlie Patino's debut in the Championship, before he went on to play 30 more games and become one of the best defending midfielders in the league.

Look at this and tell me it is worth losing this boy for ONE Granit Xhaka season.

Take the hit. Caicedo/Patino is good enough for one season. We might not even notice Xhaka's absence. Have you considered the possibility of that?

One season of having Xhaka/Partey replaced by Caicedo, Rice, Jorginho and Patino will NOT RUIN US.