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bluulysses.bsky.social
bluulysses
@bluulysses.bsky.social
Chelsea fan working in football. FPL Analytics Elite 1000 (FPL Ulysses on X), ID 800
Reposted by bluulysses
(Josh is possibly the best U20 cb talent on the planet. I’m in the camp of not going into the market and trusting what you have unless you’re signing a clear starter when everyone’s fit - otherwise, might be 3-5 points worse off this year, but if Josh scales development then that would be worth it)
August 9, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Okay gotcha, and I think if I was to disagree I would be splitting hairs.

I’m hoping that when there’s less financial burden (UEFA, Summer of Todd, FOS sponsor), that they’d keep the Nico level hits, and that hope is fuelled by the other hope that they’re actually trying to win.
September 1, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I don’t think they see player trading is the vehicle for their ROI, but for making the team better, if only because they seem to be deliberately pushing the PSR limits and losing lots of money, so it can’t be the former. It could just be that deals are the aim as everyone gets paid I guess 🤷‍♂️
September 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Oh I dunno, there’s a pretty significant gap from Jackson to Cole, at the least ~£50m in value.

And I’m not sure it’ll calm down, I imagine there will be significant turnover, but even this window has seen many fewer children signed. I imagine if they bought another club that would change.
September 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I don’t think successes HAVE to be Cole-esque, but making ugly sales have had to be a part of remedying their bleak initial windows, so they’ve made certain compromises to comply.
What they do once we’re more stable financially will be revealing . Ultimately, it’ll all depends on how well they roll
September 1, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Jackson is a shame. I think we needed to make one ugly sale for UEFA spending restrictions, and it was him rather than Andrey or Josh. I think Noni was sacrificed for Steve, who was further ahead than we thought, and because Neto couldn’t be sold for profit.
September 1, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I can see a world in which it works, and I wouldn’t have said that 6 months ago. Don’t think it’s the best way of doing it, and I’d feel a LOT better if they’d kept Jackson alongside JP Delap, but I think there’s a fair chance we finish 3rd this year (injuries depending). Give the 🏆 a go 26/27.
September 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
I see Delap as the No2, and JP as the Jackson swap. Delap vs Nkunku/Neto/George 9 mins is good, JP vs Nico maybe a wash?

I think they think it is. Might take longer than just spending it on guys readier now, but they’ll just keep dice rolling at 40-50m on 20-23yos until they have loads of hits.
September 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
The existing relations aspect is obviously tough to stomach, though at the least this summer I haven’t viewed their picks as destructive.

You’re right that I’m choosing to view some of this sunny side up, allows me to enjoy the football more I think at the end of the day.
September 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
It does, I’m also higher on Sanchez than most and believe any CB signing that wasn’t somebody genuinely WC would have been a bad move.

And I’m at peace with the level of risk. I don’t like the Gittens fee, and am Hato sceptic, but otherwise I don’t mind it’s a safer pool.
September 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
That’s fair re Andrey, but the signing is consistent with the strategy employed since Stewart joined, and I credit them for not selling the player this summer for the undoubted windfall they’d have got, and I credit them for not doing a makeshift CB deal or a bad GK signing too.
September 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Give Steve a year and maybe Noni is no longer an upgrade. Eze I do like, but I could make the same argument at LW and CAM about Garnacho and JP (it’s a little punchier at LW but not out of the question). I’m a Gyok sceptic and happy that’s not where we went. Ekitike though …
September 1, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I have, but they are also key parts of our window, and weren’t guaranteed to be so when they were signed. At some stage along the line, I suppose I have to credit the SDs and seems easiest when they join the squad.

They do all improve us yep, but hopefully only marginally so in each case this year
September 1, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Steve and Andrey are both players they’d want imo, especially at their prices. Garnacho at £40m probably interested Arsenal, but went after Noni instead so a straight LW no longer played (Eze covers Odegaard too).

Also - how many of Arsenal’s players this window actually interest you?
September 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM
(Josh is possibly the best U20 cb talent on the planet. I’m in the camp of not going into the market and trusting what you have unless you’re signing a clear starter when everyone’s fit - otherwise, might be 3-5 points worse off this year, but if Josh scales development then that would be worth it)
August 9, 2025 at 6:46 AM
The Benfica fee was supposedly going to be for only about half the rights, so we’d have had a 40-50% sell on on top of the €20m.
July 27, 2025 at 10:02 AM
I think if he doesn’t meaningfully change their attack when on the field, given the opportunity cost of all the strikers moving this summer and how long awaited a ST has been, that would be a bust for Arsenal
July 25, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Yeah I know, I just like to pretend otherwise sometimes to feel good. I am a JP9 believer though, so I’m less bleak than those that aren’t.
July 24, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I think this hypothetical bank was metaphorical for all the PSR room they could possibly have if they sold everyone they haven’t already (Nico, Felix, Nkunku, KDH, Sterling, probably Trev, etc).
July 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
(If it wasn’t the whole bank … but it would be and the wages and it won’t happen. Unless it was the whole bank and a bit of somebody else’s bank)
July 24, 2025 at 2:26 PM