2017/18 Storylines: Arsenal Duo For Sale, Chelsea Star Unsettled & More

With the transfer season in full swing, George Keaney takes a look at some potential story-lines that might crop up during the 2017/18 season…

Diego Unsettled?

Already this Summer there has been talk of Diego Costa being left out of Conte’s plans, after he apparently received a text saying just this from his manager. Would anyone really notice if Diego Costa was unsettled, or in a bad mood? His regular mood swings and broody displays are sure to have headline writers on tenterhooks all year. Talks of moves to China will undoubtedly resurface right the way until January and beyond, but surely Antonio wouldn’t let his main man go…  Even with talks of Lukaku returning to Stamford Bridge, Costa would still remain the main man on the Kings Road, and the likelihood of him scarpering to the Far East still seems limited to me.

Dutch Disease in South London

Frank De Boer was finally announced as the new manager at Selhurst Park on Tuesday, and he’s already been quoted as saying that he wants his team to ‘play like Ajax’. With Ajax themselves parading their reams of young talent throughout this year’s Europa League for all to see, it may well only be a short time before a few more of them appear on English Shores. Everton have already signed Davey Klaassen, and fans of the Amsterdam outfit may well be right to be worried about a few more players heading to the Premier League.

De Boer himself managed Ajax for 6 years, as well as 3 years with the youth setup. He will likely have helped coach a handful of the current crop of stars, which will be enough for some transfer tittle tattle about them reuniting. We might not even have to wait until the start of the season for this one to kick off, with a couple of Dutch arrivals possible before September.

Arsenal Wingers for Sale

If you’re an Arsenal fan, then you’ve probably got enough uncertainty in store to last a lifeline. Peter Cech is ageing, Giroud is average and may be leaving, and star duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are yet to sign new deals. But with the season not even in it’s infancy, talk of a couple of England stars leaving might not be a flash in the pan. Oxlade-Chamberlain finished the season playing as a Left-Wing-Back, which confused everyone, (including himself), and Theo Walcott continues to play ‘What’s my Best Position’ with his manager and the rest of the country. The Ox seems to have untapped potential beyond belief, but is at risk of growing into, well, Theo Walcott.

With City ready to buy another star, and Klopp ready to utilise Oxlade-Chamberlain as a roaming centre midfielder, Arsenal should be worried. If Wenger doesn’t show intent right from the beginning to make him a key part of the plans, he might well be tempted to test the waters elsewhere. Walcott on the other hand has been due a break out season for years and years at this point, and maybe a Giroud exit would allow him to play centrally on a permanent basis; but it’s not like they haven’t tried that before.

Maybe both players need a fresh start? Arsenal could be in for a transitional season at this rate.

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