Liverpool and Spurs shame our owners ambition (Long Read)

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To make a bad weekend even worse, tragic news just dropped the Jose Antonio Reyes passed away after a car accident. A tragic loss of a young life. He was one of the most exciting ‘out of the blue’ signing from way back when and certainly an unsung hero of our invincibles era. Thoughts are prayers of everyone at Le Grove are with his family right now.

Onto football.

I took a pretty big swipe at our ailing manager yesterday, and many people felt I should focus more of my energy at the family running the show.

So let’s talk about what running a club with vision and purpose looks like. What better place to look than Spurs and Liverpool? (I know, it hurts so bad)

5 years ago, Arsenal had just finished the season in 3rd place. Spurs and Liverpool had finished 5th and 6th respectively. Neither team had broken 60 goals.

Arsenal were ahead of the game. We had built our stadium, we had better players, and we were still enjoying our superb run of Champions League football.

So what happened? As we wrote extensively at the time. The Kroenke family were happy to watch their fortune grow because they are real estate people. Sadly, they didn’t pay attention to the reality of what was going on pitch side. They couldn’t recognise the decline in the football, they didn’t understand what the influx of money was going to do to the competition in the league, and they only paid attention to the standard health metrics of the business… namely, that all financials were ticking upwards.

That said, here’s where so many fans get things brutally wrong. They’re not bloodsuckers. They have invested ample funds in Arsenal. We have had exactly the same chance at greatness as the rest of the teams around us. The single biggest failure of Arsenal was to keep Wenger on way beyond his sell-by date, the second biggest failure was on Ivan Gazidis for his cuck like behavior in not at the very least building an elite team around him. The third was the missed opportunities. Sign Sven Mislintat and Jurgen Klopp 5 years ago when we could have, we’re talking about a different Arsenal. We could have had Pep Guardiola. The list goes on.

Ivan didn’t have a real football vision for the club. He had some really nice platitudes that he’d parrot at the AGMs, but there was zero know-how for delivering his substanceless proclamations that we’d become like Bayern Munich (‘be like them’ isn’t really a vision).

No vision, no philosophy, no structure, and a bad manager was a recipe for criminal wastage… not just that, we had a placid fanbase that didn’t understand the damage their father like manager was doing (even now, people still talk about him like he’s an absent dad and it’s f*cking creepy).

Spurs and Liverpool didn’t have the same issues. They both embarked on a similar plan of attack. They hired in two managers that boasted vision, coaching skills, outrageous charisma, and absolute belief in the project they were taking on. A manager is step one, it’s always the simplest way to impact a club. Know what you want to do, then find people with the energy to deliver it.

Spurs wanted to bring through young players and coach them to elite levels. They wanted a core of British players that loved playing with each other and felt deep affinity to the manager and club (Arsene > Project Youth). They had a good crop of kids that blended in with very smart buys from around the globe. The football might not always be that technical, but the work ethic is a sight to behold. Their players are more than the sum of their parts, they are an uncompromising beast of a team.

Liverpool, it was simple, they wanted to play heavy metal football. Klopp made great strides in season one and slowly built players around his exciting vision. Power, pace, flair, aggression and warlike mentality from everyone was the absolute standard. No one has more fire than the manager, he’s someone they all love, and he loves them back.

Also, the fans knew what was coming, they bought into the energy and they saw actual progress on the pitch.

Both managers galvanised the fanbase.

‘But, but, but…’

The money, right? Stan K doesn’t invest, he’s a leech, he’s going to bring us down…

Not quite my friends. The Kroenke’s biggest weakness now is the one that’s going to sting them very badly moving forward. They didn’t take the time to understand what was going on at shop level. My guess is they haven’t wanted to be bothered because they’re making magic with The Rams. They don’t really get football, they’d like to succeed, but they’ve entrusted average people with the fortunes of the club, which was fine when elite average could get your top 4 every year, now the bar has shifted.

Arsenal has a net spend of €288m over the past 5 seasons. We’ve dropped almost €500m on players.

Liverpool, a team everyone calls cheque book these days, has a net spend over 5 years of… €204m! €84m less than Arsenal! Their outlay over 5 years is €710m, but 50% of that has come in the last two seasons because… the vision they implemented started reaping financial rewards!

Spurs success, as much as it pains me, is even more staggering. Their net spend sits at €42m over 5 years. Think about that, we’re out here crying that poor old Emery only had €83m to spend last summer! Spurs total player expenditure over a 5 year period has been €328m. (Numbers sources from Transfermarkt)

Wages paints an even starker picture. Liverpool has spent £990m on player wages (Swiss Ramble sourced) over 5 years, with Arsenal right up behind them having dropped a STAGGERING £975m. Spurs, a team in the Champions League final, having just built a new stadium, have spent £576m!

Let me put this into a harsher light… Spurs wage bill is actually £18m lower than ours was FIVE YEARS AGO.

Our weak leadership has consistently thrown their hands up and said we can’t compete because of money. As you all know, we’ve been saying that’s a loser mindset. The best thinkers always find a way to at least get themselves into the mixer. Atleti, Dortmund, Ajax to name but a few.

Luckily for Arsenal, all is not lost.

I have very little faith that current leadership is going to fix this mess. The vision for the club is meek at best, I don’t understand the action plan, and there’s no timeline against it. The shift we made this year is at least there’s now a loose idea of how a football club should be run, the problem is I’m not sure we have the expertise to deliver, even to the ‘proud’ part of it.

We’re going to feel the brute force of how a well-intentioned structure will always fail when average people are attached to its success. Arsenal is littered with people that don’t know what they’re doing, don’t understand the values of the club, and will ultimately fail. Also, please don’t think I mean that about everyone, the club is also full of a lot of absolute heroes who love the club and want to make it better.

There is hope. We are an institution, we are London based, we generate tremendous revenue streams, we have class, values and integrity… and we are a beautiful sleeping giant. When the Kroenke’s finally wake up, pull the wool from their eyes and take positive action by making people truly accountable for something exciting, we’ll be able to make the climb back up to the top.

… but what we can’t keep doing as fans is continue to celebrate average. We can’t keep groaning that it’s impossible to attain greatness. We can’t have such embarrassingly low standards.

Strong leadership shouldn’t be hard to find with the resources we have available. An exciting vision isn’t that hard to formulate if you are talented and ambitious. Moving Arsenal up a level in every department should be low hanging fruit.

… I just don’t think the reality has kicked in with those that own Arsenal.

Today is a dark day for Arsenal. Two teams that five years ago were in much worse positions commercially, financially and on the pitch are in the final of a trophy we’re not even good enough to qualify for.

The exec leadership can either lie down and accept it, or they can pull their finger out and get a little more serious about implementing an exciting vision for the future of our great club.

Let’s see where this summer goes, but for now, let’s all hide in a box and pray the worst doesn’t happen this evening.

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Freddie Ljungberg

Looks like Martinelli is a done deal. Really hope that one works out.

Dream10

Marko

Was Wenger not telling the truth?

Cesc Appeal

Marko This is a huge test for the new set up. Limited funds, out of control wage bill and a squad where the overwhelming majority of players need to be chopped but many of those are on ridiculous contracts and are so bad that shifting them for anything approaching value will be hard. If they manage it though they will swing opinion heavily in their favour. By manage it I mean cutting the dross and adding some young players with serious potential and some real physicality and tenacity into the side. Allowing a system to be implemented and making us… Read more »

Nelson

the Ituano FC youngster will join for £6 million when he turns 18 later this month.

At least, the price is right.

Dream10

Cesc Appeal

Let’s watch this week of what the Arsenal reporting journos are briefed. Ornetein, Jeremy Wilson and Amy Lawrence will be be given the heads up on the direction of summer transfers

Cesc Appeal

Martinelli was done a while back.

Supposedly Emery is a massive fan of his.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Cesc

What about young French sr etitine cb….

Cesc Appeal

Dream10

I’m not too fussed with what they say. I mean Ornstein will be interesting, but rather I care more about what has happened in August when we kick off the season.

Last summer was a competent display (which is better than most years) but slightly lacking in sales, this summer needs to be more than last. This needs to be an expert display of navigating the transfer market, using sales, amortisation, loans, scouting etc to the absolute maximum.

Cesc Appeal

RSPCA

That is Saliba.

Marko

Dream that we collapsed? Yeah of course he was right but it’s very hard to listen to that man talk about Arsenal collapsing when he had it down to a fine art when he was Arsenal manager. The mentality the fragility at Arsenal that doesn’t get sorted inside a season most of the players who let us down in the final he signed them. It’s just a little rich coming from someone who has 8-2, 10-1, 6-0 and more type results from his time at Arsenal.

englandsbest

G of H

With Ozil, Emery will be talking ‘giving’, not ‘selling’.

The other half of Turkey probably loves Ozil. I don’t know which half Galatasary or Besiktas are in, but on a free (and with a patriotic salary drop) he might well be their boy. And even more so if Mr Erdogan perceives it as a piece of one-upmanship on the untrustworthy West – and a slap in the face for Angela M.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Says this martini is both feet to me it’s right only…

Does this kill or help anothe4 youth.

Sell laca n pea for 120

Youths up front

Cesc Appeal

I wonder if loans with an obligation to buy at an inflated price might be used this summer? Thinking of someone like Umtiti. Basically betting on ourselves and moving the cost to next year.

Marko

CA it’s going to say alot who we target. Keep certain players and target the likes of Balanta and some piss shit cheap options and don’t expect improvement or decent football next season. But targeting a Upamecano type says something targeting a Saliba says something. I personally think that the fullbacks we sign this summer are going to tell you alot this management team. If they target flashy fullbacks who have defensive question marks about them that will tell you so much more than if they target actual fullbacks who can defend properly. That would them being aware of and… Read more »

Danny S

Pierre

You sure know how to grab on to a point and repeat it incessantly. Wenger obsessives, man marking Jorginho, chances created etc.

You are very narrow minded.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Cesc

I like the look of him in the team.

Marko

https://statsbomb.com/2019/01/window-shopping-nices-youcef-atal-a-potential-star-fullback-in-the-making/

He’d be my number one target for RB. 23 and Nice only signed him for 3 million euros last summer. Absolutely attainable. I’d much rather spend 15-20 million on him than 20-25 million on Meunier.

HighburyLegend

“Was Wenger not telling the truth?”
This is not the problem. Considering the total mess he left behind him, plus the fact that is the responsable of our greatest humiliations during his reign, he sould have kepr his mouth shut.
Senile moron…

HighburyLegend

*kept

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Is it me but is the ox a bit like John terry..

What did he actually do ?

Wayhim celebrating you think he was da main man.

tee

reports: Edu secures striking sensation(Matinelli) as first signing as Arsenal’s technical director

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Marko

Agreed

But the club are in the stage where they should have signed him a year ago….

We need to be the club giving youth a chance

Marko

Here’s hoping Edu is pushing for Palacios too

Marc

Will this kid get a work permit or will we be putting him out on loan?

HighburyLegend

@tee : are you talking about reports, or rumours ??

Cesc Appeal

Marc

He’s coming straight in. Emery wants to use him in pre-season. He’s got Italian citizenship or something, I think, so I think we’re working that angle.

Marc

Cesc

As long as whoever checked on Silvinho’s passport isn’t involved!

terraloon

Cesc Arsenal are one of the majority of clubs that choose to pay for players on HP not all clubs do. I am pretty sure that City & Chelsea pay all fees on signing a player . The difference between Arsenal and the majority of other clubs that pay by way of instalments is that most clubs use current cash flow to meet on going commitments whereas In Arsenal’s cash reserves there is a ring fenced sum in respect of transfer fees still owed Don’t get confused between amortisation and sums still owed they are not one and the same… Read more »

Marko

Palacios has injured his hamstring and is likely to miss the Copa America. Should get in there

Marko

He’s got Italian citizenship or something

Exactly right. I’m not sure he’s going to be thrown straight into the first team. He’ll probably play some part in preseason and see how it goes for him with the under 23’s. He’s still only turning 18 and playing in what the 4th tier of Brazilian football. Any videos I’ve seen of him though look like he’s a stand out.

David Smith

Wonder how Emery will react if the board do not back him in his quest to rid his squad of Ozil?

Valentin

@Elmo, The fact that Abidal is now back at Barcelona and Raul has left via the small door tell you everything you need to know about how both actors are viewed now at Barcelona. Also getting rid of a player whose purchase has already been amortised and who has only one year left is complete different from getting rid of a player with 3 years left. With one year left, you can give him for free and subsidise his wage. It is a one time small hit. If you force a player out with 3 years left, his agent will… Read more »

Hitman

Our problem for the last decade has been down the sides particularly playing wingbacks instead on wingers. A nothing compromise option and to make it worse the personnel are not good enough to pay that role. Not good enough to create chances (usually cant shoot, score or cross), nor good enough defensively not good tactically (high up the pitch on the counter exposing centre backs) nor intelligent enough. Typical Arsenal player – cheapest option. Not buying in quality. Why not play 442? That way we concede less. Full backs told to stay at home. Employ real wingers to can create… Read more »

Cesc Appeal

Marc

The scenes if we’ve spent £5 Million of our joke of a budget and he can’t get in the country.

David Smith

They will back him.

Anyone with a brain knows that pussy is a waste of space and a total waste of money.

It’s just whether they actually can get rid of him.

Marko

He has two years left

Marko

No one’s backing Ozil to stay over the manager that’s ridiculous to think. They want him gone just as much

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

One way to rid of ozil

Call in his agent
He never plays again.
Won’t be given a squad number.
Won’t train with first team

We offer 10m to buy out contract.

Take or rot.

Freddie Ljungberg

The only one that wants Ozil to stay at the club is Pierre, and that’s only because he hasn’t figured out a way to lure him into his sex dungeon and trap him there for all eternity.

Ishola70

This link to this Basle CB Balanta is banter. Balanta banter.

His playing record over the last few seasons is littered with suspensions and injuries. Just like that Kanneman CB who was also linked.

These links are done by anti-Arsenal trolls.

Ignore them.

David Smith

Hope they back him CA. They need to find a way. Suspect it is not only his performances, but a toxic attitude infecting the team.

Valentin

Özil is currently guarantee a minimum £17 millions per year for the next two years with an option (unlikely to be taken) for. 3rd year. That’s £34 millions. Who would take £10 millions over £34 millions when you know you are unlikely to get £10 millions outside of China or Qatar? Instead of concentrating you ire toward him, we should concentrate on trying to get the right kind of players. And that could be done even with him draining the club. In one year time, Özil will have to make a decision. Leave to get a longer contract somewhere else… Read more »

Marko

Ozil is 30 years of age. His 7 year contract with Adidas is up next summer. You explain to him that you want him gone and that if he doesn’t go he won’t be registered for any football next season and he won’t be allowed to train with the team. See what his advisors do then. They’ll be advising him that at 30 he can still play football elsewhere that he’ll need to be playing football to keep those sponsorship deals. I’ve never bought into the idea that while he’s a lazy motherfucker with zero fight in him that he’d… Read more »

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

David.

Well said

We’ve all seen it I. Thevwork place.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

31 in October

No squad number

Only way to do it.

Elmo

Valentin I said a couple of days ago that an Italian club might take him on a free transfer, on £250k pw wages (equivalent to a £20m transfer fee and £120k pw over 3 year contract). We would have to pay off Ozil to the tune of £10.4m up-front, but we’d save £26m net in wages over the next two years. If we could make that happen, does Ozil offer us £13m of value per season for the next two years (i.e field him in EL group games and PL home games against weak opposition) to justify keeping him? I… Read more »

Valentin

You explain to him that you want him gone and that if he doesn’t go he won’t be registered for any football next season and he won’t be allowed to train with the team. See what his advisors do then.

Yes, sue for constructive dismissal, win and get full payment for the remaining of his contract with potentially punitive damage added on top.

Marko

That is also true. This idea that he wouldn’t lower his wages at all to play football as opposed to not playing football like it’s unheard of.

Marko

You’ve got an answer for everything don’t you Val. Funny how we can’t possibly be able to get rid of Ozil but according to you the club was able to rid itself of Vieira way back when totally against his wishes. Forced out he was according to you. Stuck with Ozil. Also I don’t think he can sue us at all he’s our player and we can do what we want with him. That includes telling him we’re not remotely going to consider the idea of playing him ever and that also includes telling him he isn’t training with the… Read more »

Valentin

@Elmo,

That’s an option, if you find a sucker and Özil is willing to go.
However I would say that both events are unlikely.
Outside of Juventus, which Italian club can afford £13 millions salary per year.
Second biggest salary in Serie A after cR7 was Higuain alledgedly on £13 millions a year.
Napoli top salary is Dries Mertens on £5 millions.

Emiratesstroller

I have been always a fan of Ozil, but rather like Wenger 10 years ago he has reached his sell by date. The player can no longer handle the high tempo games in EPL and the rest of the team is no longer good enough to keep in the squad such a “luxury” player. Shifting such a player particularly after writing off both Ramsey and Welbeck in this transfer window is a massive problem. Let’s get real we need our limited transfer budget to BUY new players and not to pay out Ozil’s contract. Ozil has made it clear that… Read more »

David Smith

You look back over the last few years, and the club has made one completely unfathomable mistake after another. Players going for nothing, Wenger and his yes men kept on for too long, 35 million for Mustafi, Ramsey, Alexis, Ox and then Ozils contract.
It is incredible the owners allowed this, they should be embarrassed.
What were the club thinking? And why did it need a Josh Kroenke 3month review to get to the bottom of the obvious?

Samesong

Pierre sets the narrative and you lot are the sheep as always.

Samesong

Only a few on here that can pick up on certain nutcases trolling.

Vivek Arulnathan

It truly amazes me how meek Pedro is when talking about the owners. He was criticizing Wenger for about 10 years, rightly or wrongly. He didn’t give the man a break. He never gave him the benefit of the doubt. And I can understand that. From his standpoint, nothing Wenger did showed he was going to change or improve. Now Emery. He’s had one year. I don’t agree with Pedro that he should be sacked now. But I get where he is coming from. Emery’s weaknesses are historical. He has a muddled philosophy that probably belongs at a mid table… Read more »

Cesc Appeal

The level of press attention for Liverpool’s win.

Again…just thank goodness. Can you imagine?

Bankz

Remember when most Arsenal fans thought Klopp wasn’t a massive improvement on Wenger?
How times exposes all lies.

alex cutter

“Remember when most Arsenal fans thought Klopp wasn’t a massive improvement on Wenger?”

If by “most”, you mean a vocal minority of special needs AKBs. I remember “most” seeing Klopp as a huge improvement.

Words on a Blog

“So maybe it’s time you stopped giving our corporate overlords a free pass.”

Amen to that.

Danny S

‘Special needs AKB’

😂

azed

Getting Ozil out should be an easy job for Raul . Ozil is a proud and lazy cunt so the club should attack his pride. See how Germany got him to retire from the National team? Step one: take the number 10 from him and give him 57, 48 or any obscure number. https://mobile.twitter.com/mesutozil1088/status/1014115950289965058?lang=en Step two: Leak to the press that we are about to do a deal with Aston Villa for Jack Grealish with Ozil and 5M going the other way. In a bid to salvage his pride, watch Ozil and his agenst get a club in Italy as… Read more »

Un na naai

It’s no different to when united have won it. A win for Englishmen either way

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Apparently

We are going to get 5m

From ox being in the squad winning big cup

Up to 50m

I will suggest a fav we can stick it on at 2/1
150m war chest

Receding Hairline

The story about Xavier Amaechi wanting to leave because he wasn’t named on the bench for the finals is funny.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

I suggested earlier that we stop ozil of a squad numbe4 looks like u all agree,

Good

Now the fav thing

Marko

Receding it’s a ridiculous story.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

R
Maybe

Youngsters are so impatitence that could be true,

So roll the dice sling them all in

All or nothing as Steve Marriott would sing….RIP

jwl

I convinced myself Klopp was coming to Arsenal when he took break after Dortmund, I thought Klopp was taking one year sabbatical to get some rest and study Arsenal squad, and Wenger would be allowed to retire with dignity and one year remaining on his contract. I was wrong to get my hopes up.

Moe

Ouch, Alex Cutter………..concise, precise zinger. True though.

englandsbest

Vivek Areuinathan

Every word of your post is spot on. Problem is that I, and others, have been saying much the same for years and years, and still Pedro cannot see further than the manager.

He will take this as a defence of Emery. It isn’t, and if Emery doesn’t do the right thing this summer, I’ll be saying so.

Valentin

@RH, I don’t find that story funny, I find it alarming. It means that inside the academy the best prospects have made up their mind that they will not be getting a fair crack and that leaving is the best think to do for their career. Last season, Reiss Nelson had to be convinced. He only signed under the assurance that he would go on loan and that the following season he would be integrated in the first team. After the season they had, do you think that Nkethia, Willock will trust Emery? If you were any of them, would… Read more »

Receding Hairline

Valentin right on cue

How many youth players have Pep played at City

How many are in the Liverpool first team?

Lots of youth players played for us in the cups, most will go on loan to Germany as the club seems to fancy that country now for loans.

You seem to believe our U23 is filled with world class talent, I don’t think that’s so.

Why should Amaechi expect to be on the bench for the finals of a competition he didn’t play a second in? Why do you encourage such entitlement?

alex cutter

This Wawrinka v. Sissypants is the match of the year.

englandsbest

I have never been a fan of Ozil. Not even when Germany was winning cups galore. I accept that I am in a tiny minority, and that there is something I’m missing about him. Evidently he must have some special quality. Darned if I know what it is.

Valentin

@RH, You are mistaken if you think this is just about the final. This is how they have been treated all season long. Emery personally intervene to stop Nkethia loan to Germany and then ignore him for the rest of the season. They train all season long with those guy. They can see that they are better than some of the players who the coach would rather use than them. Anybody can see that Willock is a better choice than Özil as a high energy midfielder to man-marking Jorginho. Nkethia with his pace is clearly better than Mhikitarian as a… Read more »

Marko

Valentin I think he meant it was funny because it comes across as totally absurd. That an 18 year old who’s not ready for first team action would take not being part of a squad for a European final that he was not supposed to be involved in so badly is laughable.

Marko

With Emery in charge alienating them

This season he has played Guendouzi (3,000 minutes), AMN (2,000 minutes), Pleguezuelo, Nketiah and given debuts to Gilmour, Medley, Saka, Smith Rowe and Medley. I’d say for the first time in a number of years there’s an actual path forward to the first team for young players. For some obviously not all because most of them will not make it here.

Jamie

Xavier Amaechi 4 goals in the under 23s all season.

Between him, Nketiah and Willock, they haven’t scored a combined 20 goals all season in the under 23s.

Play kids because we might as well (and bin the overpaid seniors), not because they’ll instantly improve us. They won’t. They’ll probably make us worse in the short-term.

Valentin

Imagine you are an 18 year old player. You have been ignore all season long by the head coach. You are told that instead of going on holiday or play international football you need to stay at your club to sit on the bench of the Europa League. The coach tell you that as the regulation allow for 12 substitutes, you are definitely in. You invite you family to that momentum occasion. And then at the last minute , you are told that you are surplus and you need to go and sit in the stand. Now a few days… Read more »

Marko

The coach tell you that as the regulation allow for 12 substitutes, you are definitely in

In the know alright. Is this from the same person who told you that Steve Rowley was back at the club.

Valentin

Pleguezuelo signed for FC Twente. AMN was already a first team players. Guendouzi started the season because of the world cup, Torreira, Elneny were not ready. Since the beginning of the calendar year, he is firmly on the bench. Moreover young players bought tend to be given more chance than equivalent players from the academy. I like Guendouzi, but right now he does not deserve to be in the first team more than Willock. He does not have the strength and awareness to play a ‘defensive’ midfield role. You may see the path to first team, but they don’t. And… Read more »

Receding Hairline

You invite family to watch you on the subs bench?
Saka was on that bench and he has actually played in the first team.

Really don’t get your obsession with U23 football. You just declared most of them better than the first team.

Valentin

@Marko,

The initial team sheet published by the club had him in the bench. That’s the one that every newspaper were Peking from.

Valentin

@RH, I don’t declare the U23 better than the first team. I have only champion 4 players. 1) Reiss Nelson who should not have been sent on loan. We had no right winger with pace. Mhikitarian has no pace and AMN is viewed as a defender. 2) Nkethia 3) Willock 4) Osei-tutu : who as a trained right-back know how to defend. Round peg into round hole. Even if he had been as positionally suspect than LICHSTEINER at least he would have had the pace to recover. I also doubt that he would have had as many brain farts than… Read more »

Jamie

Adam Idah, 12 goals and 4 assists in 19 appearances in the PL 2. Real Madrid will be sniffing around with those kinds of numbers. I hope Norwich ties him down to a 7 year contract quick smart or they might lose him for nothing because he’ll soon be embarrassed at sitting on the bench while his granny watches from the stands.

This is a crazy discussion. Who’s even heard of Adam Idah? Bayern are not interested in Amaechi. Walcott > Amaechi at the same age..

Valentin

@RH,

Of course players invite their family the first time they are put on the bench. Even if they have no chance to taking the field, this is a great occasion for any player.

Marko

You may see the path to first team, but they don’t. And that’s concerning.

Oh they don’t. And who exactly is they? If they’re stupid like you then yeah they’re probably going to miss that really obvious path to the first team that Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe are currently taking. Valentin you try too hard to paint the current manager as someone who doesn’t use kids. I’ve given you examples of him playing youngsters and in Guendouzi and Kimpembe, Rabiot and Lo Celso’s case actual trust in young players

Redtruth

Bayern have regressed because of signing players like Gnabry.

Marko

I read an article on Ameachi around the time that the Bayern rumours were coming out and they talked about his potential but they also talked about how he’s not a 90 minute player he drifts in and out of games and he doesn’t make smart decisions at times. Basically he wasn’t even remotely being close to being considered for the first team.

Marko

I personally wouldn’t lose sleep either way with regards to Ameachi. Saka and Emile is different.

Receding Hairline

Nelson faded badly after September, his loan move was the right call and the coach there hinted he has a lot to learn

Nketiah won’t make it at the top level, seen enough to know we will be moving him on soon

Wilock will go the way of Hayden, tidy player good squad option.

This Osei-tutu kid I am beginning to think you have links to him, you are literally the only one who mentions him

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Red

You might be right there

bennydevito

New post!!!

Champagne Charlie

Marko

The next time you feel the urge to speak about other posters being rude or condescending pricks I’ll remind you of your constant attitude towards Valentin.

It’s been an embarrassing read, and he’s done nothing but offer up a view you disagree with. He’s not been abusive, but you can’t help yourself.

Jamie

Serge Gnabry is 24 in a month. He’s not far off Bellerin’s age, older than Iwobi, Guendouzi, AMN, Rob Holding, and Torreira.

If Gnabry was one of our hot prospects who had his head turned due to lack of playing time, how come 6 players his age (or younger) feature regularly in our setup?

If Amaechi had sauce, he’d be playing. He probably gets skinned by Elneny in training, which is why he’s never made an appearance in the PL.

Guns of Hackney

Our “could of had” managers list is nearly as impressive as our “could have signed” footballer list. It always really amuses me when I see our name linked to players Barca and Man yoo are after. It would be like Mila Kunis being linked with Gary Smith the gas fitter from Pontefract. No self respecting player is coming to us. Period. As I’ve said a million times, players after quick cash before retirement or broken ones are our bread and butter. We are light years away from being a decent club. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the price of tickets,… Read more »

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