I feel like this summer, more than many that have passed before, is feeling like one of the worst.
14 years of neglect have hit us very hard.
We have regressed.
Our nearest rivals have progressed.
If we were looking at a graph, it’d be the saddest graph in the world.
5 years ago, Spurs and Liverpool were behind us in the league. Now they are Champions League finalists with monster transfer budgets. Both clubs invested in elite coaches with big ideas. Both clubs are now attracting the very best in the game. At the same time, Arsenal fans were purring at the idea of Wenger being given big money to spend.
£350m later… we’ve managed to make things worse.
Arsenal didn’t make hay while the sun was shining.
Many people are complaining that Spurs are spending after a stadium move. That’s because their frugal strategy of prioritising youth, smart buy and great coaching is reaping bigly in Europe. They had a coach that took them to the Champions League final after spending zero pounds last summer.
Arsenal’s issue, for all the bluster, is that we were never really that future-facing.
We hoarded Champions League money when elite players were adding 50%+ year on year. Remember when we baulked at £32m for Higuain? Remember when we fucked up Suarez? There are so many times we didn’t pull the trigger because leadership at Arsenal hid under the comfort blanket of Wenger’s perceived view of value.
Arsenal didn’t recognize the clear patterns that were emerging in football.
They didn’t preempt what the uplift in TV money would mean for agent expectations with contracts. Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Alexis would still be at Arsenal on £180k a week if we’d given them proper money when most major clubs were bumping salaries. At the very worst, we’d have sold them. We waited until it was too late and lost two for fuck all and had to keep the third on outrageous cash because of Ivan’s ego.
We never paid a premium when it made sense.
We didn’t take chances.
We didn’t refresh our talent, ideas or thinking.
We invested too much in players that were good for a culture of meekness. Too little in players that could have taken us to the next level.
Now we’re in a situation where we’re in danger of being gazumped by Spurs for Saliba, we’re being hardballed by Celtic with Tierney, and we’re seriously contemplating selling Auba to fund a move for a 27 year old winger who scored 15 goals last year.
Edu is having a week off after the Copa America according to Ornstein.
What a mess.
Still, Adidas is our kit sponsor, so who cares?
Thoughts on the leaked advert (someone in deep shit over that mishap):
This is a great spot.
I love the humour. The respect for the local area and the texture. I like the mix of old and new. I love that Wrighty is in it. I like that Adidas are massaging our egos pretending that we still run North London.
There’s a lot of hope in there.
It’s so great to have a proper sportswear brand backing us.
Mustafi is going to look about x4 better sliding into the back of Harry Kane next season.
Bring it on. Being shit with good clobber. Bit like me playing in goal with silver mercurials back in the day.
‘All the gear, no idea’ my friends teammates used to say to me.
See you in the comments. x
Watch an actual 90mins of Pepe you would see he’s no fluke. The way he creates space with movement is absurd. The way he finishes ice cool is retarded. He’s not worth what’s been quoted anyway but he brings all zaha has and even more (with less dives). Different leagues anyway but French ligue is quite physical
Pedro
“14 years of neglect has hit us very hard”
So so true.
Imagine buying a new car in 2006. How shit would it look now?
Exactly!!
Of course it’s all the fault of Emery, Raul and Vinny.
Very poignant post Pedro.
For some on here though, it may prove to be a little bit too much.
“Your take on Kroenke seemed to be dripping with loathing of decent wealthy people.”
We were discussing the person who owns our club and has presided over the decline and fall of the past few years. You are making the assumption that he is decent.
Looks as if we are actually going to try for Zaha
Zaha won’t go for 80m though! More like the 50 ish Mark”
No they won’t! They just sold their RB for that amount
No way they allow literally their star Player and most valuable asset go for same..
The Player has about 3years left on his contract ,unless he goes on strike and really forces the move to make his position really untenable we aren’t en’t getting him
Whatever people think of Emery it’s nice we actually have a manager who is solely focused on the on field aspects. He doesn’t care about finances etc and is pushing the board to find a way to fund a Zaha move.
Micheal
I’ve no problem discussing the pro’s and cons on Kroenke.
Your entire post was coming from an angle of “rich people evil”. Usually the ranting’s of lefties.
‘This common belief that Nicolas Pepe is a super star in the making amuses me, i just don’t buy it.’
Sorry Marko, seems you were only correcting the dude who said that.
Cesc
We also haven’t been subjected to him in his speedo’s playing beach volley ball.
Zaha bid will be chambers and elneny plus 40m
I really won’t take Ornestein seriously at this point in time.
The most significant pro I can see by going for Zaha is that it’d absolutely shit on the idea that we just have 45 million to spend this summer. But how utterly negligible would it be if we were willing to spend 50 million on Zaha with our defence. We need to be spending that sort of money on a CB
Lari
You’re limiting yourself to this point in time?
Really – what’s this amazing plan?’
The kind of amazing plan that pushed Wenger out of here, and Wenger had many friends among the fans. Stan has none, though support was gathering for him here today.
Marko
On the bright side it might mean we’ve got buyers lined up for some of the players we need to move on.
Could also be a PR stunt this Zaha nonsense, we’ve been here before aren’t we? making the fans think they’re really ambitious and pushing for success at all cost when what’s actually going on is them closing for deals to bring in a Carrasco/Fraser.Wouldn’t surprise anyone
bris
The fans were getting pissed off but what made Kroenke’s decision was when it became clear we were going to miss out on CL football for the second successive season.
Seriously what could the fans do to force Kroenke out? Outside of a mass protest where all fans stop going which would just not happen I think you’re living in lala land.
If Bissaka is being sold for 50m, no chance that Zaha is going for anything under 70m.
This has smokescreen written all over it.
‘Your take on Kroenke seemed to be dripping with loathing of decent wealthy people.’
Kroenke and decent in the same paragraph?
Things are happening here today.
Marc there are upsides to it. Another one being we look like we’re serious about improving that we plan on stop being a complete joke club. But I still stand by what I say there’s better and cheaper going than Zaha in Europe. Christ I hear Everton might be looking at Everton. You know the Everton that’s looking like the only decent Brazilian playing football at the Copa America. I hope Edu is being kept in the loop and thinking 50 million I could get you Ziyech and Everton for that.
Victorious
As season ticket renewals have already been done there’s no benefit to the club in raising expectations on signings.
I really think you’ve got to learn to realise that a comments section on a blog does not represent the Arsenal fan base en masse.
Arsenal dithers?
Can’t be. I thought it was only Wenger who dithered incessantly.
bris
He’s a lefty and I’m on a wind up.
I hate lefties.
‘If Bissaka is being sold for 50m, no chance that Zaha is going for anything under 70m.’
Age difference.
Demands do shoot prices up.
Even beyond that, We got PEA for £60m, £70m is not outrageous for Zaha.
Klopp will sign Everton for the sheer banter of it all.
GB
He’s 26/27, still has at least 4-5 years of his prime in front of him. And he’s far more important to them than Bissaka was.
‘Seriously what could the fans do to force Kroenke out? Outside of a mass protest where all fans stop going which would just not happen I think you’re living in lala land.’
Would you want to continue forcing yourself to own a club if 95% of the said club’s fans turn against you?
What would be the point?
It’s not hard to get Kroenke out and he knows it.
Arsenal is the biggest feeder club to ManU. Brazenly have been selling their best player to that club for 7 years now.
As if there are no clubs in other leagues who would pay as much gor that deal.
WE
That Everton thing has got the pilot scene from Airplane written all over it – Over, Under and Dunn.
‘He’s 26/27, still has at least 4-5 years of his prime in front of him. And he’s far more important to them than Bissaka was.’
Eagle, but money bag United were interested in Bissaka, not the case with Zaha.
bris
Yeah you can say it’s easy as many times as you want. How do the fans do it?
“Stan you’re a very naughty boy”
If you said something without thinking just admit it.
Zaha is staying in the prestigious spotlights of the prem, but he wants to be with the big boys.
He knows we have the room that suits him fine. He might have whispered this to the dudes that run Palace.
They either sell to us or they hold on to a player whose heart is elsewhere.
I bet if we go decent, they wouldn’t create much mess.
I think Zaha would be an excellent signing. He’s got everything that we’re missing. And I don’t think he’ll go for more than £60m. It may be one for the end of the window if we manage to move players on.
Tierney and Saliba will get done. And I think they’re very good signings too.
marko
No, it doesn’t, not if we sell Auba for £60m.
If the owner has no passion for the club, the fans would lose passion also. I heard that Stan left the game once during half time complaining that the place was too cold. FFS!
Intriguing to see Milan – actually asked to be left out of The Loosers Cup…….. As If that tournament could not get any more tarnished from Baku Finals to teams now actively seeking not to be in it…… No surprise its Mr Emerys claim to fame. I wonder if Man City get chucked out of CL- do we go in it? That would be a bonus . (I bet Emery ,though will be secretly hoping – UEFA find it Citys favour) He will be absolutely toast in proper heavyweight Euro soccer We lost against Rennes and Bate with him in… Read more »
‘Yeah you can say it’s easy as many times as you want. How do the fans do it?“Stan you’re a very naughty boy”If you said something without thinking just admit it.’ Don’t be so naive, Marc. Arsenal’s matches are watched all over the world, if just half the people in the stadium chant abuses at Stan for the 90 minutes while holding up banners with creative contents mocking Stan, do you think the dude would go to bed happy that day? Repeat that for three months and it becomes an international embarrassment. Do you think an American billionaire wants an… Read more »
Auba is going nowhere
bris
Yeah and I can’t wait for you to organise it. How many matches do you attend a season?
Marc
Emery strikes me as more a boardshorts kind of guy.
‘Arsenal dithers?Can’t be. I thought it was only Wenger who dithered incessantly.’
What’s your point?
That Wenger didn’t bring the dithering culture here?
You are some fan, man.
Cesc
As long as I’m not subjected to him in budgie smugglers I don’t care.
For one thing the people in charge now aren’t stupid enough to sanction a move for one of our best players to one of our rivals. Now that Wenger is gone we don’t have to worry about that
Could we see some of Sanllehi’s old Barcelona tricks with Zaha? Basically get the player to do the work.
For the right price I’m a big fan of this move, I think at Arsenal Zaha jumps up a level and totally changes the dynamic of our attack.
If you went from Kolasinac and Iwobi as your left flank to Tierney and Zaha that is some upgrade.
“Even beyond that, We got PEA for £60m, £70m is not outrageous for Zaha.”
Going by this, Zaha should be 28m. 70m will be very outrageous for Zaha. I might eat my hat. No way will it represent value for money.
Ziyech, Lozano…………Nelson all better value than Zaha
‘Yeah and I can’t wait for you to organise it. How many matches do you attend a season?’
Well, I didn’t actually organise ‘Wenger out’, and whatever dust being kicked on Twitter regarding Kroenke, I’m not responsible for that either.
You may find it surprising that some things naturally happen when they are due to happen.
“For one thing the people in charge now aren’t stupid enough to sanction a move”
You mean like Wenger’s Kallstrom’s to Emery’s Suarez?
I bet Kallstrom was cheaper…..LOL
bris
I didn’t say you organised Wenger out.
But you did answer my question – you don’t go so you’re talking about the fans in the stadium doing something that you would only see on TV.
You have to remember that Man United are going to get 25% of the fee put up for Zaha because of the sell-on clause.
So Palace would only actually get 50ish million for a 70m fee.
Gentlebris
How dare you disagree with the sage Marc
He is the Font of All Knowledge on all things Arsenal
‘Going by this, Zaha should be 28m. 70m will be very outrageous for Zaha. I might eat my hat. No way will it represent value for money.Ziyech, Lozano…………Nelson all better value than Zaha’
Zaha singlehandedly carries Palace, a PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB, and that’s obvious to even his haters.
Can you say the same for those other dudes?
I like Ziyech too though, but not proven consistently, and not a prem veteran.
‘How dare you disagree with the sage Marc
He is the Font of All Knowledge on all things Arsenal’
HillWood,
Well you should have warned me earlier, mate.
WE
Yeah that’s why I think they might like some players. They were interested in Chambers a couple of years ago, potentially use him? Could add another one or something like Nelson on loan for the season and we pay his wages as well as £45-50 Million.
Hillwood
Far from it. I haven’t stated any facts whether actually or from my point of view.
All I did was challenge him on a comment he made as to how that would happen. He dodged it, dodged it again and then went vague.
I am aggressive in my views but very rarely do I state “facts” etc, outside of saying a lot of posters on here need to take a triple strength chill pill and most transfer rumours are utter bollocks of course.
Imagine if Arsenal or anyone paid £70m or even £40m for zaha.
That would make him 14 times or 8 times more expensive than Maradona.
That’s lolz right there and don’t gimme that BS about inflation…that’s still an absolute mind turd to get your head around.
Zaha is, at best…a Hackney marshes wonderboy. A domestic level banter merchant that will sleep with the boss’s pudgy daughter.
We have to adjust our expectations and start looking at £15m players. This would be worse business than Ozil because Zaha has zero marketability.
‘But you did answer my question – you don’t go so you’re talking about the fans in the stadium doing something that you would only see on TV.’
Yes I don’t go, Marc.
Of course, we would have met and shared some beer if I ever went.
I can see Zaha happening as a way to not lose fans, and keep the base excited about something. We go a barren summer – and the natives will be in kill mode sooner than later
“That would make him 14 times or 8 times more expensive than Maradona.”
No inflation?
GOH
I know a lot on here are getting wet about Zaha but I find it to be a really under whelming link. Far too much money for a player I don’t think is half as good as is made out.
If he was foreign would he be rated so highly?
Zaha tanked at a wickedly poor United.
Plus he doinked the manager’s daughter. The man can’t be trusted.
Arsenal are a clean club. Imagine this dirtbag on the wing…the whole east stand would be pregnant every time he makes a run.
No dice.
bris
I drink in the Tolly – get your arse up there and I’ll buy you a cold one!
For one thing the people in charge now aren’t stupid enough to sanction a move for one of our best players to one of our rivals. Now that Wenger is gone we don’t have to worry about that” Wenger certainly wasn’t in charge when we spent a WHOLE month signing the dud D.Suarez Wenger certainly isn’t in charge as we’re currently recieving some public ridicule in negotiations for Tierney Not Wenger fault we’re taking ages to close the Saliba deal I mean I can’t help anybody who by this point in time still hold Wenger responsible for the way the… Read more »
“Plus he doinked the manager’s daughter. The man can’t be trusted. ”
Has Emery been told that has to go into his contract?
Gentlebris
I mean he scored 4 more goals all season than Andros Townsend, he wasn’t exactly a one-man band.
He’s a very good player but if they want 50-70m for him I’d tell them to fuck off and look on the continent for better alternatives.
Marc
This punk is domestic level. Nothing more. We are in such choppy waters at the moment, a David Batty would look like Zidane to us right now. Pathetic.
Speaking to an Arsenal fan today and they were offered seasons tickets this week by the club. Interesting that there are rumours interest in season tickets is down and they are calling up people on the waiting list.
Kroenke must know, or be being told, that over the last 6 years you’ve basically pushed the fans to breaking point with your hands off approach and failure to sack Wenger until it was too late. There is no patience left.
Bunga
Even with inflation…this still makes me vomit.
Wilfred (stupid name) is a 27 year old jobber. As much as I detest Ozil…at least he has some credibility in the game…just. No fucker is getting zaha on their shirt. Ever.
CA
Still wouldn’t see much incentive on their part.
They’d take in 30m of that fee and have a PL novice in Nelson attempting to re-produce a top 5 PL wideman’s production in Zaha.
Best wideman outside of the top 6 along with Felipe Anderson although i prefer Anderson.
GOH
Fuck me David Batty – you know how to depress someone!
They’ll never struggle to flog season tickets though will they? They simply have to keep going down the list which from what I’ve heard is ridiculous and has people waiting literally years.
Zaha is not the answer. I wish this is just a rumor. Id rather Nelson than Zaha at 70m. Both would contribute same about amount of goals assist (+/-5)
WE The thing is how much will Zaha start to kick? Little rumblings starting to come out that he’s going to try and facilitate a move. I mean I don’t have much sympathy…shouldn’t have signed the new contract or at least insisted on a reasonable release clause. But that was a Barcelona special, that means Palace have a decision to make. Would still take a hefty offer, but do the push for an insane fee and potentially have a disinterested player depreciating in value next season to the point that they end up with less for him next summer than… Read more »
Zaha for £20m plus Chambers and Mustafi. That works.
We need to start trading. We have no financial firepower but we do have some fools to trade plus cash.
Torrier for £30m
Xhaka for £35m
With some savvy, we could improve the squad with some low level scumbags that might be slightly better than the dross we have stinking up the pitch.
Auba and Laca for a combined £90m would do me fine.
‘We have to adjust our expectations and start looking at £15m players. This would be worse business than Ozil because Zaha has zero marketability.’ Taking all things into account and our rivals especially, if we have to adjust our expectations to £15m signings, we have to also adjust our expectations to a permanent Europa league status. Even Spuds with the new stadium to pay for just dropped good money on Ndobele. Obviously the only way to deal with that is to run away from quality players just because they come with reasonable price tags, and start looking to hide behind… Read more »
Cesc
I’d be careful with that – How do you think I got a season ticket. There’s a turnover every season where a number drop out (I doubt we’d ever be told how many and I’d love to know what the current waiting list is). The club then contacts people on the waiting list and offers them a ticket. I was offered a choice between several available seats and narrowed it down to where I now sit.
The only people who would buy a season ticket would be Chinese and a student based in london for a term.
No right minded person would ever or should ever consider paying to watch Arsenal.
GOH
And what does Torreira’s replacement cost?
*about same amount of goals and assists
GOH
You’re going into serious dickhead mode now.
Gentlebris
Mate, it’s called coaching. Or, finding talent at decent prices.
There are players out there who do not cost world record fees who could improve us. Other teams do it every single season. Where to Dortmund get their players from?
Our scouting network must be drunk. Anyone who suggested that Mustafi or Xhaka was a good fit for this league was trolling Arsene.
We do not need to be spending £300m in a season to get better.
If emery wasn’t such a dullard, perhaps we might have achieved slightly more than we did this season.
Cesc
It would be nice to see us play dirty behind the scenes. If Zaha is so critical to Palace’s survival then they’d be better off getting some money for him and avoid the fallout and disruption of a key player causing problems.
Ziyech, Lozano…………Nelson all better value than Zaha
Two out of three ain’t bad
Marc
Upper tier North Bank is a soulless place to sit and watch a football match ….why would you choose to sit up there .
My brother has a couple of season tickets up there , 4 rows from the front , wouldn’t be my choice , a load of miserable gits up there…
Lower tier for me ,all day long.
‘We have to adjust our expectations and start looking at £15m players. This would be worse business than Ozil because Zaha has zero marketability.’
On the contrary if the move did happen, it could be a marketing masterpiece. Zaha is fashionable.
Marc
Torrier is shit. He had a couple of good performances but not much else. He is sounding out other clubs so let’s ditch him.
He cost £26m? So a £4m profit isn’t bad considering he scored one goal, assisted zero and was in the defence that conceded more than an awful last season.
He’s not great.
We need to start moving on the dross fast.
CA Yeah and look, it all depends on what we offer and how far apart we are from their valuation of him. My guess is that he will kick up a fuss as you say as he’s looking at himself thinking I’m going to be 27 soon, prime age for a winger and I need to be playing at a higher level than Palace. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that they cut their losses on a potential dressing room cancer waiting to spread and use the money to hound out a replacement. Problem is, what player remotely comparable… Read more »
Wenger certainly wasn’t in charge when we spent a WHOLE month signing the dud D.Suarez
Yeah that’s definitely comparable to the time Wenger sold Van Persie to United. That’s a good little lemming
‘I mean he scored 4 more goals all season than Andros Townsend, he wasn’t exactly a one-man band.’
Not just the goals, Eagle, but the(like Pedro would put it)sauce.
The last game he played against us more than convinced me, he was consistently cutting through our guys like butter.
The sheer presence, the ‘cojone’!
And everyone knows Palace is shit without him. This guy can be our own Hazard, and you will agree Real didn’t sign hazard because of his many goals.
Say we do spend 50m on Zaha though, combined with the fee on Tierney [20+], how much money does that realistically give us to address the critical CB/CM areas?
Can’t be much.
Mystic
Apparently the 90’s are back in too!
You know and so do I that zaha is a Sunday league twist merchant. We’ve all seen them. They turn up sober and do a couple of kick ups, nutmeg a player and then get cut in half by a beer monster who just wants to get back drinking.
GB
You are aware that he’s only 2 years younger than Hazard?
And Hazard shits all over him, come off of it. He was already twice the POTY in a PL winning side at Zaha’s age.
Don’t even get me started on Tierney.
Teams have been successfully parking it against us for years, and now we have a prospect who can make that stop, some on here are still being funny.
Seriously?
Pierre
The lower tier tickets weren’t available in a good position. The guy’s I go with are lower tier and the atmosphere is a lot better I’ve sat with them, my view is better though. You have to remember you’re taking a pick from people who have given up seats so lower tier tickets aren’t as available.
Hazard is one of the best players in the world. Fact.
Zaha isn’t the best drummer in the Beatles.
I’ve got my analogies mixed up.
marko
I make Auba the most likely sale. He is nearly thirty, A diminishing asset that could fetch £60m this summer, and most likely a lot less next summer.
But whether it’s Auba or Laca or whoever, my point remains. A transfer pot is a net figure, not a sell-to-buy figure. I will be very surprised if the net expenditure on transfers reaches above £25/30m.
Everyone thinks that Zaha will be our Ian Wright moment. It won’t. It will be our “just signed a really, really expensive Sunday league clogger for big wages” moment.
Only Emery or Arsenal would be looking at an attacker when every man, woman and animal on the planet knows we need a whole defence and midfield.
Banter FC.
Selling Auba to fund the Zaha move would be really thick.
englandsbest
But would Merson sell Auba?
‘And Hazard shits all over him, come off of it. He was already twice the POTY in a PL winning side at Zaha’s age.’ Zaha just enters his prime, we wouldn’t really know Hazard shits all over him until he moves to a big club. If Hazard played at Palace, would he have done more? Pogba was released at United because he was supposed to be a young shit. Look at him now, a world cup winner who now threatens to leave United while they keep holding to him. Zaha is a doer of good things if he carries Palace,… Read more »