So it appears the summer transfer dealings are coming to a close. Arsenal are welcoming medicals for Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. That’s two DMs, one for now, with the other pegged for future greatness. Here’s a little snippet about the Frenchman, who comes with discipline issues.

On the pitch, Guendouzi’s lanky frame and floppy hairstyle have drawn comparisons to Adrien Rabiot, and while that seems overly simplistic, there are some similarities to the two. Not really comfortable as a six, but not so skilful on the ball or direct enough to be used as a relayeur, Guendouzi instead relies on a lovely range of passing to affect play. At Lorient, this often manifested itself as balls played out to the flanks, or over the top, allowing him to play almost as a regista, dictating play on the counter whilst another midfielder retained the responsibility of breaking up the opposition’s play.

Despite not having the dribbling acumen of Rabiot, Guendouzi has shown flashes of realizing how to use his frame when in possession. Not particularly quick, he instead relies on a wiry strength to retain possession, using his long limbs to shield against opponents. That said, this same lanky aspect of his build can make him a bit lazy or prone to fouling when defending, as he is wont to leave a foot in or be somewhat lazy with his positioning in hoping to rely on his size, exemplified by a horror challenge against Auxerre last season.  Too, while his inventiveness in terms of a range of passing is impressive, he can also be overly ambitious or seem to lack much in the way of a rapport with his teammates.

What a summer.

Most of the issues appear to have been addressed outside the new contract we’re hoping will head the way of Aaron Ramsey.

In 6 months, we’ve mostly rebuilt the core of the squad.

We’ve ripped out a fair chunk of the dross.

We’ve seen an elevation of some very promising young talents.

We’ve reshaped the coaching staff.

We’ve changed the manager.

We’re as ready as we’ve ever been to tackle the new season.

Everyone lands a fresh chance. Duff players might come good, key players might be relegated to the bench, the old style will certainly be canned, a new era for Arsenal is taking shape.

I’m not dreading the start of the new season. No one is battling to justify why we’ve only signed a Costa Rican 19 year old with a month until the start of the new season. No one is wondering why our manager is commentating at the World Cup. No one is under any confusion about what the new regime is trying to do the squad.

You don’t need to pick through a wreckage to retrofit a positive spin.

It feels good. From a writing perspective, it’s hard to know where to head. We’re all buckling up for a ride, unsure of the destination for once.

Bernd Leno has arrived at Colney, the club have announced he’ll be taking over the famous number 19 shirt for the new season. In his Arsenal.com interview, it’s clear his English is up to scratch, he also knows a lot about the club. He mentioned Thierry Henry, Highbury, and Alex Hleb who used to pay for Stuttgart.

I’m very happy we’ve managed to bring in a keeper. He’s come with quite a hefty price tag for a keeper many said lost his way last season, but hopefully there’s a plan for him and we’ve brought him in because of specific skills we hope to bake into the way we play. My biggest gripe about Petr Cech is his lack of ability to play with intelligence out the back. The hoof has been the standard distribution method for years. To have a keeper that can break the lines with clever passing will add a different dimension to our game, it’ll also be good to have someone who can act as an auxiliary sweeper when needed.

Outside that, we need a keeper who can pull off stunning saves. We haven’t had a keeper who can do miraculous things since Fabianski. The Polish keeper had that part of his game sussed, just a shame that’d come with horrendous errors. He was a good keeper though, gone too early in my opinion. But hey, I’ll take a steely German manning the goal for the foreseeable.

Jack Wilshere made it official and joined West Ham. The most predictable transfer of the summer. Content here.

I think that’s about all I have for the day?

ENGLAND on Wednesday. On that, can you imagine being the guy that got naked in the bar and has a snap of his arse flying around the world on a Monday morning? How embarrassing. I’m dying just typing this. That is why I NEVER get naked at the pub, even after a strong win.