LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL TRANSFER CLOSE!

Hello everybody, welcome to That's Football, I'm Mark Goldbridge, this is your latest football transfer news, and we've got two deals that could close this week, very close, involving Arsenal and Liverpool.We will start off with Arsenal, and it's not the Vinicius Junior deal, by the way, we spoke about that yesterday.I do worry about that.And I say worry because obviously I think Vinicius Junior should be signing for Man United.

But I would like to see him in the Premier League from a purely football point of view.But I do think he might just be using Arsenal to get a better deal at Real Madrid.

But no, not that.We're talking Bruno Gomeres.There's a big update from Fabrizio Romano.Basically, what he is saying is, is that Arsenal are in direct talks again today with Newcastle to close Bruno Gomeres' deal.Bruno waiting for green light to travel for and contract signing as soon as deal is completed.Arsenal maintain total confidence.

Now strangely there is still, there are still reports coming out from Newcastle that they're baffled by all this because they're not actually in talks with Arsenal.

But even Newcastle journalists are acknowledging that this is probably going to happen and that these talks are taking place with intermediaries.Look, First and foremost, I think that when you win a Premier League title, you sometimes look at a team and go, well, how can you improve it?And you can sign players, but sometimes those players don't massively necessarily improve the team that won the league.Obviously, if Arsenal were to bring Vinicius Junior in, he would improve it.I think he'd improve any team in the Premier League.But I do think Bruno Guimaraes does improve that Arsenal side.

I think he's a brilliant player.I think he's a leader.And I think putting him into that Arsenal midfield mix He's probably a starter, actually.So I think it would be a very good signing for Arsenal.And Arsenal are at that point now, where as Champions League finalists and Premier League holders, you are icing the cake.You are literally just dropping players on to ice the cake.

There's no more build for Arsenal.They don't need to build a bench or an audience.first team.They are literally dropping players in and just trying to improve things.So I think Bruno Guimaraes would improve them.

I do think the deal will happen as well because also I look at Newcastle and actually, and we'll mention this about Chelsea in a minute and Liverpool, Newcastle are not in Europe.They've lost their manager, they've lost some key players like Anthony Gordon and Tonali, Bruno Gomera is probably going to go, maybe Lewis Hall is going to go.But that's not necessarily the end of the world for Newcastle.You're going to make north of 200 million quid, which you can reinvest in the squad.And they still do have very important players, Tao, Shah, Byrne, Joel Linton, Harvey Barnes, you know, add players in.Maybe they could go and get Stiller from Stuttgart.

Maybe they'll get someone like James Garner or someone like that.Or maybe they'll go and get the next Bruno Guimaraes from France or something.

I know he's Brazilian, but they bought him from Lyon.So they'll have the money to go and do that.And Newcastle's aim this year will be to try and get back into Europe, maybe even the top five, playing one game a week.I don't think Newcastle need to dig their feet in like they did with Isaac.I think they've probably learned their lesson from that.They'll get a good fee for a player at the right age, 28, that they can reinvest and they're not in Europe.

So I don't think Newcastle need to prove a point to their fans and go under no circumstances.I think they can afford to let Bruno Gamerez go and build again under a new coach.And I think they will.So I expect that deal to happen pretty quickly.Another deal that should happen soon.And I want to know what I've seen.

I think I saw Carragher say he wasn't happy about this Barcola deal.And look, everyone's entitled to an opinion, you know, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but I would love to know what Liverpool fans think about Barcola, because I actually think in the market that you're operating in, where you're not going to get Diamonde, you're not going to get Alisse, there isn't really a standout superstar winger that you need, that you can get.but you do need one because Salah's gone now.And I think that when you look at the Salah you brought in, or the Van Dijk that you brought in, no doubt world -class players, but were they world -class when you bought them?And I think sometimes you lose sight of that.A lot of these players that end up being Premier League greats weren't necessarily Premier League greats when you bought them.

There is always that element of risk.And I think with Barcola, I understand that element of risk.

But to me, he is a player that at PSG and for France maybe doesn't get the focus he deserves.

put him in a team where he's going to play every week and be a star player and give him the platform to learn and develop.I think he'd be brilliant.And I also think under Liverpool, this is a big season for Liverpool in the sense that they do have Champions League football, but they have a new manager in Iriola who wants to play good football.And I do think he's got a bit of patience.I think Iriola is a project, whereas Slot would have had to deliver this season.That's less pressure.

Always pressure at Liverpool, but patience with the Liverpool fan base is really important.And I think Barcola at Liverpool would be a good signing.Obviously, he's part of the French squad that played in the third place game, which was the final weekend of the World Cup.He's not going to be back in training for another week or so.So Liverpool do have that time.But the Premier League starts two weeks on Friday, three weeks last Friday.

So it's coming around quick.Obviously, the World Cup has delayed some people coming back and that's allowed clubs to be a little bit slower in their negotiations.But I think that this is a deal that we'll see Liverpool move forward on over the next week or so.Obviously, they've got to agree a fee with PSG, but he wants to go and Liverpool need a winger.I think I think it'd be a good signing.I do.

I think it'd be a good signing and a good player in the Premier League, an exciting player in the Premier League.And I think Liverpool are going to be a very interesting team to watch how they develop across the season.So let me know your thoughts on that.Obviously, I think they need to do a little bit more business because they have got Champions League football as well.Whereas I think Chelsea, look, I saw something today linking Maresco wants to take Neto, Pedro Neto from Chelsea to Manchester City and this talk of £70 million.I'd keep an eye on that one.

I think it might happen and people might say it's a strange one, but I call it the Masraoui effect.We've had this at United where Masraoui may not be the most glamorous signing Man Utd have made in the last a couple of years, but he's the sort of signing that gives you seven out of 10 every week.And for a United side that sometimes your whole team can be lower than a six, below average, these types of players, obviously you can have your star players, but these types of players that can give you, do you a job week in, week out, can be very, very important.And I think maybe Maresco is looking at Neto like that.And it's certainly a lot of money that Chelsea could bring in.And remember, Chelsea, like Newcastle, I can speak from experience here, they don't need to carry a big squad, and that might be a bit of a learning curve for Chelsea fans, but you're not in Europe at all.

So we literally, last season, from when Carrick came in January to the end of the season, we basically played Manu and Casemiro as our midfield two every game, every minute.You're playing one game a week.You don't need to rotate.And when you're playing one game a week, you don't need to come off after an hour either.So Chelsea could make a tactical decision to sell a couple more players, carry a thinner squad, go for top five, keep a bit of money back and then save it for next summer and go big.You don't want to be carrying a big squad with one game a week.

So from Chelsea's point of view and their fans' point of view, you might not get such an ambitious summer.But, and maybe that's what they're looking at with Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, if you can focus in on each game week and get yourself into the top five with a thinner squad and keep some of that money back, next summer when you're back in the Champions League, that's when you go bigger again.And that's something that certainly went in Man United's favour.So keep an eye on that.Maybe Neto does go to Man City.Maybe they do cash in there.

But we are approaching the start of the Premier League season.Lots of people playing pre -season games.None of that really matters, of course.But what matters in the next couple of weeks is who's going to make moves where.And it looks like Arsenal are going to be busy.It looks like Liverpool are going to be busy.

And maybe for the Chelsea's and the Newcastles, without European football, it's about trimming the squad a little bit.pocketing a bit of money, bringing a couple of players in, but keeping a little bit back for hopefully being in the top five next year.It's gonna be very interesting.Lots of new managers in the Premier League this summer.Anyway, get your comments in, smash like on the video.I'll speak to you on the next one.