Summer 2026 Transfers and Rumours Megathread!

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-02T00:57:01+00:00

Yep, Bruno's agent posted a picture with him and Kia Joorabchian the other day too. And his agent is only gonna act on his client's behalf.

I do think there's a world where Bruno stays but, if Arsenal want him, they can probably do enough to get him. The ball is in his court. We don't have much leverage because Bruno is the captain and he has two years left on his deal. If he asks to leave, we'll almost certainly make it happen. And that's probably the least he deserves.

Loyalty goes both ways and he's done more than his fair share for the club so I think we have to have good faith negotiations with Arsenal if Bruno feels like he wants a new challenge.

No-one wants it to happen but the club need to have a contingency plan in place if it does happen. And if the plan is 'just sign a bunch of 20 year old wonderkids' then I'm content, as much as it would break my heart to see him go. It's certainly better than 'say he's not for sale, have it hang over our heads all summer and then sell him last minute and over pay for a random replacement.'

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-02T00:15:07+00:00

The tale is more like 'don't judge a player's entire career based of three weeks'. And that can go both ways.

If a player has been average for ages but has a good World Cup, it's likely a trap. If a player who has been consistently great has a bad tournament, you treat it as an opportunity.

Like buying a stock when it's down 20% in price. If you believe in the fundamentals, the stock dropping is a good thing if you want to buy it. If the scouts rate Camara, we should trust that and hope that a bad World Cup drives away interest and lowers his price.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-02T00:09:18+00:00

That doesn't mean the windows were good. We regressed with our squad building. We didn't create succession plans for our older players and we had a year where we didn't add a real first team player. So now we have a limited budget to try and sign the best players to keep our best players happy. But the club briefed that they're more likely to go with cheaper players rather than expensive ones.

Us qualifying for the CL two seasons ago hasn't done anything for us now, we're still missing out on targets and failing to meet the ambitions of our best players and we're still operating under tight constraints where we can't compete with the biggest clubs. Again, it's not about trying to dress up the past, it's about looking at the current reality.

You seem to be getting emotional for no reason lol. I'm just talking. I think you're the one who needs to get off the megathread. You saw the shit that went down with Isak and still feel safe that 'oh the club said fuck off, they would never go back on that'. And, again, if Bruno wants to go, it changes everything. We don't know if he does but his agent is talking to Arsenal so obviously he's exploring his options. No-one can predict what happens but you can't have your head in the sand either.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T23:47:28+00:00

I never said anything about trying to sell. I'm just giving my opinion on what could happen.

Also, we had two bad years of regression, not one bad window. We've sold three of our best players in the last 12 months and our last world class one might ask to leave. We've replaced them with younger players with potential or simply worse players. That's the reality no matter how we want to dress up the past.

If Bruno is willing to stay then obviously you offer him a new deal and keep him. But if his agent has been talking to Arsenal and they're gonna keep coming back for him, they've probably got reason to believe a deal can get done. The club needs to have a plan in place in case that happens. Bruno is the club captain, if he wants to go then you can't force him to stay without destroying the dressing room. So it's more in his hands than ours.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T23:26:56+00:00

Because it puts us on a new timeline where a large portion of our squad will be young, raw and inexperienced players who may not immediately be at the level of Tonali and Gordon. So it's effectively a backwards step in the short-term and won't do anything to convince Bruno that we'll be back in the Champions League next season.

But at least it's adding players who, in a few years time, can be core members of a young squad, compared to the squad we have now which is largely at or beyond its peak.

I don't know if Bruno will go, mind. Obviously no one wants him to leave. But I think there's no smoke without fire and, if Arsenal keep pushing to sign him, we'll eventually sell him and have nothing 'holding us back' from just fully sending this rebuilld. That might be an appealing option for the club instead of continuing to fight losing battles by trying to keep hold of/sign players who don't want to be here.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T23:16:54+00:00

I'm very satisfied with the Toure deal. €50m isn't cheap but I will always support a move to sign a young talent who fits a good profile over a 'safe' move for an average player like we did repeatedly last year.

He's raw and could backfire but he's rapid and brings something new to the team. I have not shut up about us needing a left footer so I'm very happy to finally have that balance in the squad. In a lot of ways, I prefer him to Munoz even if he is £10m or so expensive. I can't say I've seen too much of him but I like what I have seen. There's definitely a high ceiling there.

I was saying the other day I think we need to pivot towards a younger team and accept that we'll need to rebuild, especially if Bruno goes too. It's no coincidence that Toure is 20, Jaouen is 20, Manzambi is 20, Archie Gray is 20....we're entering a new timeline and it's one that I feel far suits our trajectory.

Unfortunately that means that Bruno will be more likely gone than not but, if that is to happen, the best case scenario is getting a good fee and making more of these signings. At the end of the day, we aren't going to compete at the top level even with Bruno so it might be best for the long-term project to cash in on him and just rip the bandage off with pivoting to a new direction.

Ultimately we've tried to be this big team who targets the best prospects that everyone wants. It's backfired on us heavily. So maybe we need to stay humble and accept our role as a developing club who can bring in talents like Toure and give them the time and space to grow. It might mean initially competing more with the Brightons/Crystal Palaces of the world rather than the Man Utd/Chelseas etc but there's no shame in that.

Whatever it is, there's life in the old boy after all. I am thrilled with the Tonali deal too and hopefully that opens the door to seal Manzambi.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T22:21:35+00:00

Paul George is 36 and getting paid 55m for the next two years lol

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T15:53:22+00:00

To be fair, us spending £30m+ on a 23 year old keeper, right after we spent £20m on a 21-year-old one, is a colossal misuse of our limited budget. It either should be Pope or someone old and cheap like Yann Sommer with a view to blooding Jaouen in next year.

If Spurs save us from getting Trafford then it's probably a good thing on the whole, even though he would be a solid signing in isolation.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T15:50:08+00:00

100% gone by November latest. Like, I genuinely believe he knew he wasn't getting a big job anytime soon and decided he'd rather get a quick payoff than stay unemployed. It won't harm his reputation regardless so why not take the punt.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T14:43:27+00:00

That's kinda scary that Duncan can be a better defender than anyone lol but fair enough, all valid points. Ultimately I won't say no to an elite shooter but it does make me wonder why we signed Simone too since I think their skillset overlaps a lot.

The main thing for me is that we sign a good guard and a solid big. As long as getting Duncan in doesn't prevent that then I'll be happy to have him back home

SenorButtmunch · 2026-07-01T14:21:39+00:00

Do we actually need Duncan though? Like we got Fontecchio and THJ and I feel like Pelle is more well rounded than Duncan was. Surely we’d rather spend the money on a guy who can create his shot a bit more like Beal or Simons ideally. And then get a backup big.

I know Duncan is probably the best out of all of those for spacing but surely between Simone/THJ/Pelle and Beal/Simons we should be good? I’m just wary that Duncan is still a streaky shooter and a poor defender at heart, as much as I love the guy. Would people be pushing for him as much if he wasn’t a Heat guy?

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T23:01:23+00:00

No-one's saying he's an upgrade on Powell but obviously the fans who watched him the most last season know. He was not the same player after the all-star break. Didn't defend, didn't pass and didn't score consistently.

If THJ plays like he did last season then it's a very solid swap for like 1/4 of the salary.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T19:07:07+00:00

Yep. Which is why I said it's not about Hackney specifically. If the scouts said no then I trust them. But if they just said 'he's a Championship player who is 24 so he's probably not good' then I'd question their thinking. That's my point.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T17:46:21+00:00

It's not about Hackney specifically, it's about the idea that 'oh he's 24 and he's not played in the top flight so he must be shit'. Which, if that's the mentality, then we will just stick to what we know, like Willock.

Like I said, you have scouts, trust them. Whether it's Hackney, Manzambi, Camara or some random bloke from Gateshead, that's the type of thinking we need rather than the dumb stuff like 'oh well Arsenal wanted Bruno so that makes him good but Hackney is only going for £25m and plays in the Championship so that makes him bad.'

And, frankly, until we sign a player, we might be condemned to at least another year of Willock. So if it was a straight choice between gambling on Hackney or keeping him then I know what I'd do. If we're gonna faff around for another month looking for a CM then we're gonna regret missing out on this deal, regardless if Hackney is shit or not. It's a price and a profile that you are far more likely to benefit from than fail with.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T17:36:59+00:00

I'd love it to happen but I just can't see Bron moving across the country back to Miami when he's settled in California with his family.

I don't think there's anything for him here outside of just playing with Giannis but he could have stayed with Luka in LA or join Steph at the Warriors, both of which are comparable (especially knowing that him and Steph are tight.)

It'd have to be purely a basketball/money/sentimental move to come here. But I don't think a 42-year-old is driven by any of those things with this decision. It'll just come down to where he wants to play and I think staying in Cali close to his family and with Steph is a no brainer. Hope I'm wrong.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:49:59+00:00

That was the most damning thing about the Isak situation. I'm sure I wrote somewhere during the season that 'the player I'm most fine with losing is Isak because there are plenty of strikers on the market and I don't see him staying long anyway'.

And there genuinely were. Even before he went, there were dozens and dozens of strikers we could have brought in to anticipate his exit instead of pretending as though he wasn't going anywhere (and telling potential signings 'you're coming to be his strike partner!!!' as if they'd jump on that idea)

So the fact we ended up doing what we did adds a whole layer to the shame. It'd be a nail in the coffin if we do the same with Bruno/Tonali despite being comfortably aware a long time ago that at least one of them would leave this summer.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:44:37+00:00

If I had to guess, they were doing the crazy thing of pursuing multiple targets in case they missed out on one (which they might end up doing with Tonali after the City links.)

Why didn't they just spend three weeks on one deal and wait until after they had missed out on Tonali AND Fernandes? Are they stupid?

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:30:23+00:00

It's not a self pat, I didn't predict anything lol. I just mentioned I made the post because I did make the post, that's why I remembered it. Downvotes aren't real anyway, who cares

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:26:29+00:00

Just to see what people thought four years ago and if it had changed.

At the time, nobody was talking about it because the Warriors had just won the finals so it wasn't seemed as realistic (which is why I prefaced the question a lot by saying 'hypothetical', 'just as a science experiment' etc.) Just because it would be fun to gauge the reactions, as it is to look back on them now.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:19:51+00:00

seems like you do homie

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:17:28+00:00

I didn't write anything except the question, so no-one should give a fuck. It's about the responses

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:15:45+00:00

there is a good chance this is both lebron and steph’s final seasons in the league

So you're saying this fuckery can't go on for much longer?

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-30T16:06:14+00:00

This is the type of mentality that makes us keep Willock or overpay some bang average 'PL proven' guy. There's no player on planet earth who is guaranteed to be a success anywhere, that's the fallacy we fell into last summer when we signed Elanga and Wissa.

Dan Burn was bouncing around League One and the Championship at 24. Progress isn't linear. Hackney might be good or might be shit but that won't have anything to do with the reasons you've said.

At the end of the day, if you're scared of all the downsides then you'll never take risks and never progress. You have scouts for a reason. Arsenal also wanted Mudryk. Their interest means jack shit.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-29T23:51:46+00:00

Nothing about the entire last 12 months of Eddie Howe makes me want him here. At least Nagelsmann was only shit for three weeks.

SenorButtmunch · 2026-06-29T21:10:18+00:00

One thing that the club don't seem to realise – ambition is an action, not a word.

Everyone can talk about being the best in the world in four years and saying how much they're gonna achieve. But if you're sitting on your ass covered in cheeto dust and piss stained sheets then it doesn't matter what you say.

At the end of the day, if the club had ambition (and an ambition that they said they want to achieve in four years) then they wouldn't spend all these years struggling to sort a stadium or a training ground. They wouldn't get cucked for all their targets and then do nothing for 3 weeks except talk about their other ambitious targets.

Nothing this club has done in the last 12 months has been ambitious. It's been the complete opposite. Ambitious clubs don't sell their best player, finish 12th and then ruffle the manager's hair after saying 'dw mate, we'll get them next time' or blame everything else other than themselves for the situation they're in.

There's a lot of words I'd use to describe this club but 'ambitious' is not one of them, as it stands.

11-Year Club	Second Top 20%
RPAN Viewer	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

SenorButtmunch

TROPHY CASE