I did think Arsenal jumped the gun with that weird press release about Laurent K going on strike. Seemed a little defensive for something that should have been dealt with in-house like it would have under Arsene.
Anyway, the counter-attack is underway and I was told that there’s more to the story than Laurent bombing preseason because he’s a brat.
Apparently, when he signed his last deal with Arsenal, there was a final year clause that changed things up. Now, don’t hold me to contract details, but the gist was he was paid more than is reported up front, and now he’s in the final year, his salary has dropped to Jenks levels and it’s heavily performance related. I think this is a Huss evolution of doing deals.
He’s going to be 34 in September. He knows he won’t be played much. Holding will come back into the mix, Mustafi and Sokratis are ahead of him, Mavrapanos might come good and even if they’re all out, he’s massively injury prone these days. He thought there was a gentleman’s agreement that he could leave. He has a 3 year deal on the table to head to the south of France. He feels betrayed and is going to gun to get what he wants.
I don’t know why anyone believes in gentleman’s agreements or holds people to account for things they say in the corridor. I don’t know why he signed a deal that moved to performance related in his last year. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But… you can kind of understand why he’s gunning hard to exit here. He’s looking to max out retirement and he’s insecure about his body being able to last another year in the Premier League. He’s also been with us for 9 years and I’d imagine under Wenger, he’d be leaving the club without a fuss.
Again, I’m not sure why we’d hold onto him. He’s not really a big voice at Arsenal, he’s never been a leader and we shouldn’t be depending on someone with his injury record at his age. This isn’t us keeping John Terry behind. However, I guess Arsenal are looking at his as value for money if he’s on £45k a week.
It’s also an interesting contract evolution. Pay players more in the upfront, then make sure the final year isn’t pleasant. You either resign to get more money, or you give 100% focus and don’t mail it in so you make up the lost revenue. Clever on paper for sure.
I do worry about the culture at Arsenal and what all of this says about us.
We’re trying to move the club into a space where kids can learn their trade and grow into elite performers.
What are they learning at Arsenal? Who is guiding them?
You have 3-5 players who are here because they love their contracts.
Our captain is on strike.
The next in line for the armband is Xhaka, a player everyone knows isn’t good enough.
The biggest player at the club hates the manager, doesn’t turn up for big away days and is very publicly digging his heels in to stay.
Is any of this inspiring for young people? Does any of this look like good education? Are we creating the right environment to grow the best athletes?
In a game of paper-thin margins, these things matter.
Never mind that we’re a total shit show right now, the bigger concern for at the minute is how rotten our culture is and much hard work and future planning needs to be implemented to course correct us to a Champions League final in 5 years time.
Right, see you in the comments. x
“Have the new regime been behaving like a club that’s prudent with money? How much did the pointless signing of the unfit Denis Suarez cost us?”
Doesn’t mean we should throw good money after bad.
CG,
To be honest why must it be always Pedro’s boot?
My boot needs some licking too.
bris
It’s not his boot he’s sucking I mean licking.
As long as long as club are operating under premise Koz is gone were good, whatever they get which surely won’t be much after clubs public statement then take it.
Or cancel his deal if saga drags and becomes distraction.
I caned those Montauk Watermelon IPAs in the summer sun last weekend, dangerous stuff.
‘Have the new regime been behaving like a club that’s prudent with money? How much did the pointless signing of the unfit Denis Suarez cost us?’
So we made a wrong decision and we must make another wrong decision to justify the first one?
Marc
“No I disagree with you but I was curious as to your train of thought.”
OK let’s keep paying the wages of an injury ridden unmotivated 34year old veteran because he “refused” us earning a hefty £2-3M from his sale. Let’s show him who’s the boss.
Chika
It’s not about showing Kos who’s boss – it’s about demonstrating to the other players there’s a way to behave at the club.
Next time I’m in the states I’m killing myself with four lokos
“So we made a wrong decision and we must make another wrong decision to justify the first one?”
This is another wrong decision! We have more pressing needs.
It sounds like Kos thought he had gentleman agreement with people who no longer work for Arsenal and new crew are playing hardball.
Is the watermelon IPA delicious? I don’t normally like fruity beers but for some reason watermelon ipa sounds awesome and I will look for them in beer store.
‘WHO are KSE are going to turn to when they know Ivan’s Chum ain’t up to the task of Running The Arsenal?They only know Wenger’
The nurses over there are not doing their jobs, and someone should have them queried. They shouldn’t let this person go near a computer.
Hope C.G can’t access any sharp object anyway.
He is clearly a danger to others.
Villa are spending money like Fulham did last summer but they are investing more on a back line.
Next season will be interesting, just seeing the impact of the crazy money smaller clubs have these days.
I think that is is shaping up I be a make or break summer for us. Saliba is a bell weather moment, should he choose the spuds over us AFTER a contact was agreed it will be a major embarrassment to the new executive. Similarly if these fairly ambitious transfer targets fail to materialise (Zaha, Ceballos, Tierney) and the centre half issue – which has just had a can of gasoline tipped over it by our wantaway captain – will further point to a disorganised rudderless club in termoil. You will note I’ve not mentioned the manager here, he gets… Read more »
Arsenal have to make a stand at some point. The fever had to break. I’m glad they stood up to Kos.
You pick your battles and make an example of this one player then everyone else will know they are in a for a fight when they decide to use bullying tactics.
This had to be Edu putting his mark on very early.
Marc
“It’s not about showing Kos who’s boss – it’s about demonstrating to the other players there’s a way to behave at the club.”
Exactly! The players would learn not to trust “gentleman’s agreements” with the club.
‘Villa are spending money like Fulham did last summer but they are investing more on a back line.’
Smart I would say.
Focusing on making yourself hard to beat is more sensible than focusing on how to beat others, especially in this league, and it’s cheaper and easier to achieve.
KAMP
Saliba won’t be the first player to pick Spurs over is us.
Rafael van der Vaart and Vertonghen are two players that easily come to mind.
Personally, I think Arsenal should walk away. If they decide to go behind our back to talk to our hated rivals after extensive negotiations and a draft agreement …then we ought to walk away.
Who’s Saliba again?
An 18 year old potential prospect. There’s no embarrassment there.
There are other fishes left in the pond.
Any player who trusts an agreement not written on paper isn’t the smartest bulb in the room.
Have an agreement over a formal dinner, grab the napkin or your pocket squares and write a quick basic contract for both parties to sign.
Verbal agreement? Doesn’t Kos have an agent who has access to an attorney?
The verbal agreement stuff is just BS. Which player does them in this age and time?
Four Loco…..
Good god there’s a flashback. Fuck you jungle juice 🤮
Dream10
“Don’t understand why the club hired Emery if the club planned to keep two 50m pound #9s. He is a 4-2-3-1.”
yeah, and it’s why I have some sympathy for him. hopefully we can bring in Tierney, Zaha/Malcom & a good CB and he can play in his prefered formation.
I think it’s time for Serena to call it quits.
It’s obvious she’s past our time. She won’t have any problems making a transitions after retirement.
the Spuds beating us to Saliba would be very dark
The new crew haven’t shown enough imagination nor taken any risks this window.
It’s like they are trying to squeeze every juice from an old racing horse before she is sold off f=to Chinese butchers .
Dissenter
This Koscielny saga is 100% Raul. The man told Abidal he was free to go a few weeks after a liver transplant.
Thank fuck Newcastle exist.
Doesn’t get darker than going from Rafa to Steve Bruce.
Wallace
Was it dark when Vertoghen chose Spuds over us?
The darkness is that they are operating at a higher level than is and playing in a bigger stage at the moment.
Me thinks you guys over too focused on the symptoms.
Spurs have Foyth who is proving to be an astute signing. I’m not sure why they need to bust the bank on Saliba unless it’s just to mess with us.
Had this been a proven player then it would hurt. Saliba was a risk we wanted to take. We can still follow mahatma model and get other players.
Chitka
“Exactly! The players would learn not to trust “gentleman’s agreements” with the club.”
Yeah we should encourage players to trust verbal agreements over written contracts.
Dissenter
Where are the fresh new signings you promised us weeks back?
Told me and Batistuta that we were being hysterical little girls, well the PL literally kicks off in 4 weeks now.
Once again Chelsea’s transfer ban is a blessing because it’ll force them to use some youth players.
Why doesn’t the Kos situation mean the same to Arsenal if we don’t sign another CB? We have Chambers and Mavropanos.
WE
Think that was more likely to be me!
HERE”S HOW IT IS; Sign Tierney and Sabeilla….4 years down the road it will be a bargain . They know it… we know it…pay a little over the odds… their young and obviously teachable. Buy out clause around 3 times the over all contract terms…reduced at the discretion of the Arsenal year by year… Don’t get engages with prema donnas anymore…..anyone who doesn’t tow the company line…put on the block. 3 losses for Emery by Sept. and hand the reigns over to Freddie. If Ozil doesn’t contribute…whats the point of keeping his salary…freeze him out and trade pennies on the… Read more »
Dissenter
“Wallace, Was it dark when Vertoghen chose Spuds over us?”
they’ve been extracting more from their players for a while now, and if they’re also offering more for players than we are, then yeah, that’s new, and depressing as f*ck
Dream 100% Raul How so? The player wants a cushy exit … the club says no that we deserve to get something for you. What am I missing in this picture? Same thing happened to Sergio Ramos, captain of Madrid who’s won everything for them in his 14 long years there. He wanted to transfer to Chinese club on a free transfer as a reward and Florentino Pérez refused saying that the club has to get something from him. He didn’t go on striker and will probably leave in January. ‘That information about Abidal is false ‘”He is pleased Barca… Read more »
Zaha is his agents smoke screen…never could cut it in PL regardless of his attitude….weve got better at the club right now
I remind you that we would have taken 3rd place had it not been for our own failings….Tots are shit
Rafa to Bruce 😂😂😂
Mike Ashley is the cunts cunt.
Marc
Still backing Raul to pull multiple rabbits out of the hat eh?
Wenger eagle
We signed the great Martinelli, the new Ronaldo
The Glasgow boy may be on the way
What’s not to like. Besides you typically fret in the summer window like a post menopausal head mistress, it’s Batistuta who whines like a prepubertal girl 😜
Dissenter
Fail points. If he turns out to be Van Dyke 2.0 it will be costly loss though.
Just keen that we do make some statements signings particularly in defence.
I’d take Umtiti for 50m
I don’t know what value Raul brings to the table…I would have kept Sven
Anyone else spooked by that cheesy smile plane photo of Xhaka and Mustafi on the tour?
We’re not getting rid of the fuckers are we? May even have to swallow Xhaka as skipper lol.
were not signing 30 somethings for long term contracts….its pointless
Marc
I see you’re tying to milk a stone there. There’s no conversation to be had there. Better to move on.
Dissenter
Yeah Bati needs to up his period game for sure.
In all seriousness it’s starting to look like we lack a clue wouldn’t you have to agree at this stage?
Dissenter
Thanks for correcting me on the Abidal information. I think Raul is the one who is in charge with the Kroenkes away. He’s the one who is responsible for the Official Statement regarding Koscielny.
Wenger Eagle
I think these players know what the fans think of them and they just enjoy trolling is.
We want them out but can’t do a damn thing about it not unless we want to pay them to leave.
It’s the power of contracts man.
WE As I said the other day you can’t let the press run that Arsenal have a tiny transfer budget of £40 – £45 million for months and then fail to spend it. It would be beyond stupid and would certainly lead to his position being close to untenable. I’ll be honest I have no idea what the fuck is going on – if Sanllehi is playing hardball that’s fine so long as he pulls it off. If the fans don’t see at least 3 first team players come in I think the club will be close to fans boycotting… Read more »
Dissenter
Assume you were referring to my comment on youth players?
I’m not suggesting it’s the perfect solution more a case of so many on here have double standards that basically amount to: everything Arsenal do = rubbish – everything everyone else does = amazing.
Steady now.
Dissenter took a pot shot at me yesterday for asking a few question of Raul and Co then fled.
Wenger Eagle I said it earlier on The new team haven’t shown any I,agunation, are lacking inventivenes and aren’t willing to take risks. The only fight they’ve picked is with the quiet past it player who refused to stay an extra year. Asking Kos to stay an extra year is daft to begin with because he’s finished at this level. They also kept Monreal who will easily get a role on the walking dead set without practice, I think we will find our way eventually, maybe by accident. I am just too realistic to be disappointed. Wenger and Gazidis left… Read more »
It’s OK guys, I’m sure it’s just Edu is still recovering from a pilled up celebratory weekend of sandblasting trannies in Rio with his good pal Ronaldo.
The signings are a coming.
Nabil Fékir off to Real Betis. He’ll replace Lo Celso. Likely means that Lo Celso will end up at Spurs.
Marc
You were trying to converse with certain poster. You asked him nicely to clarify and all you got were snarky parries.
That’s what I was referring to.
Sal
I don’t have any problem with anyone laying into Raul, Emery or Vinai.
What you seem to do these days, is pretend like it all came upon us because an asteroid dropped in the club.
You are always quick to try to banish every attempt to link the problem to the old regime… it’s all on the new guts- that’s your mantra these days.
The only difference between the last two windows and the last 20 is there’s no Wenger to cover up the club’s utter lack of ambition.
No more empty statements like ‘We are looking for top, top qualidee’
Wow that’s a left-field move.
My hunch was that no big team would take on Fekir as he’s too much of a gamble physically and looks to be the way it’s gone.
Lo Celso to Spurs and Eriksen sold most likely domino effect.
Nabil Fekir has really c]dropped from his lofty perch.
From World Cup winner and failed medicals at Liverpool to Sociedad in the space of one season!
Dissenter
I’m far to thick skinned to worry about someone being snarky.
Mark with a C
You made a complete bell end of yourself with the RvP comment.
You’re better than that
In recent hours, #AFC have a tabled a bid in the region of €80m for Nicolas Pepe according to
@TF1
information.
Probably bullshit but I’d genuinely blow a hole in my pants if we signed him up
Rambo is back in the house
Pickle Rambo bitcheeees
Wenger Eagle
Thought Fékir was a dead cert for a non Juventus side in Serie A. Little injury prone, but a quality player who is a bit of a talisman. Expect him to be on the move.next summer
Dissenter
He needs to shave that silly beard
It’s not aerodynamic
Marc
Would you have said that we were just 2 first team players away last season?Because Ramsey’s exit means that we have an even worse XI than last sesson.
Most on here after the Wolves, Leicester, Palace and Burnley matches and then amplified with this EL Final were saying that we needed 6 new players minimum and were minimising Emery’s impact on proceedings.
Just find the cavalier attitude towards the window now pretty hypocritical in light of that.
Rambo
If the window does close with no significant signings then as you say the club is going to have a major issue with perception – no one to hide behind any more.
I’m amazed Adidas aren’t demanding more be done, they’ve just signed a deal worth £300 million and the club are doing nothing to encourage fans to go out and buy a new shirt.
Marko
Blowing holes in your pants? You must lead a fulfilling life. A maybe from the French league and you empty your hairy little nuggs. Yeah let’s blow you load and double our budget on a player who’s this years dembele -50%
On you go
Fekirs medical must’ve come back with him just having the one leg, Betis is a sideways move at best. Lyon a much better outfit
Dissenter
That’s nonsense, you and I posted in this space for years, think you’re aware of how I felt about the old regime both viscerally aware of how we’ve landed into this position.
The job at hand is to deal with that, which isn’t being done because it’s becoming apparent a plan B wasn’t hatched. If that’s proven wrong I’ll be the first to flag it until then standard service resumes.
French channel TF1 claiming that Arsenal have bid 80m Euros for Nicolas Pépé.
Lan Wright had a few things to say re: Kos. “I have to question Laurent’s loyalty and love for the club to do this in pre-season, when you are the captain with young players, a time in the season when everyone should be together. “This is going to be a tough season for Arsenal because we are in transition and we have a lot catching up to do. “For our captain to refuse to go on a pre-season tour after nine years of unbelievable service to destroy your legacy at a club that you’ve to professed to love it’s baffling.… Read more »
WE
It wasn’t cavalier it was pragmatism. We don’t have the money to go out and fix all the issues in one hit unless we can move on a lot of players. What I don’t get is not moving on players we’ve previously had interest in (or at least rumours of interest) Chambers – Middlesbrough, Mustafi – Inter, Elneny – I think it was Leicester.
My personal take at the moment is that we haven’t moved on anyone and we haven’t nailed down a player with the limited budget we have.
The club needs to get things under control.
So much for the brave new world in terms of Dortmund like scouting, etc.
We’re just lazily browsing reddit and online fan blogs for targets at this point I mean Zaha and now Pepe?
Does Emery even bother giving a list to Sanhelli?
Arsenal bidding 80 mil for Pepe 😂 ok then. Bid 15 mil for Tierney, 40 mil for Zaha, been drawing up a contract for 7 months with Saliba….
…but we’ve def just booted the hinges off the doors at Lille and offered up 80 mil.
Un na
Really? Please explain what was wrong with it?
The time line is spot on.
Gentlebris
That’s a load of noise from Ian Wright. Koscielny has a bum Achilles and is trying to secure his future. He’s been broken for a couple of years. Take a small fee to get his contract off the books.
CC
I’d say that rumour has his agents fingers all over it.
That’s or Kroenke’s just opened the cheque book (only kidding!)
Yeah 80m opening bid sounds like absolute wallop given how we’ve operated this summer with low bids for Tierney and Zaha.
If Raul got Stan shitcanned last night thus procuring Pepe we can call each other amigos.
The smart question is what they smoking over there at ITV?
… TFI
Emery must be wondering why he took this job. Zero in the January market and looks like peanuts again now in the summer.
Good luck trying to get a serious coach to come to this club next.
sal
What are they smoking? Sanllehi got the Kroenkes high as a kite last night.
i think im getting to the stage where I feel like we will not be bringing any new players in.
At this point I guess we just ride with the youth players…
Can’t see Laca Auba etc staying after another season of no CL
This could be it….
Marc I find it very hard to believe that there’s been absolutely zero enquiries into any of the players that we want to shift on. My worry is now that Emery and co don’t actually rate the personnel as lowly as many of the supporters, they might be convinced that the late term collapse was down to teething problems in the first season or something along those lines. I mean it took AW over half a decade to realise that the players weren’t good enough before he had a fire sale in the 2017 window and 2018 January window and… Read more »
A bid like that for Pépé (if true) means one one of the strikers is off.
Marc
Without question. Both he and Zaha have just returned from AFCON and a bogus link to us is pure drumming of interest.
80 mil for him too, behave. Plays for Lille, has one good season under the belt. Anyone paying more than 50 is desperate.
Honestly if we’re bidding €80m for Pepe, (if true), then I suggest we rather go hard on for Zaha. Pepe may be younger but Zaha has the experience needed in the epl to hit the ground running though it ain’t a given.
“Emery must be wondering why he took this job.“
Is money just a motivation for players?
£6 mil a year to “manage” us is nice coin, well worth a banging PowerPoint.
Is TFI credible… Never heard of them.
You made a good point with that post.If we are blooding in youngsters,them coming in to this environment is futile.This is a set up where there is no leaders,players doing a Winston Bogarde afraid to leave the gravy train and players that have no desire to push on and play for the club.Putting youngsters into this environment would probably do more damage than good.And we won’t even go there with the owner and management.If you are a young and ambitious up and coming footballer stay away from Arsenal at the minute.
Absurd thinking going from being skint to club record bids, nobody has a clue wtf comes next. Likely very little.
sal
When everyone said Sanllehi was a contacts man I didn’t realise they meant drug dealers and hookers!
Despite Sam Goldwyn’s soundite. If a verbal agreement existed between the two parties it is legally enforceable,
Arsenal fc would have breached that contract and by issuing a public statement, are attempting to place blame on Koscelney for their own breach of contract, for which they can be sued in a court of law.
Arsenal fc should have held a proper investigation before going public with the story. This whole managerial team needs to be moved out. They, not Koscelney are responsible for disgracing the club. The ship is sinking fast under this management team.
Dream
Would hope they’d allocate that more around park than 1 player if CF is off.
WE
Can’t see it – there are clearly players Emery doesn’t rate, if we’d had offers worth considering you would have heard something.
So apparently we’ve bid 72m for Pepe and 43m for Ceballos, suuure.
Meanwhile Fekir is going to Betis for 27m instead of relegating Ozil to the bench or tearing up our right flank. Ugh, I hate silly season.
Akan
Prove what I just said in private in a court of law. You can’t my defense “Your Honour he’s trying to negotiate a deal worth millions of pounds why would he lie?”
If a verbal agreement existed between the two parties it is legally enforceable,
Arsenal fc would have breached that contract
Not a contract therefore couldn’t have breached a contract
Freddie hits the nail on the head, while all the Zaha – and excuse me, Pepe? – talk is going on players who are openly being offered such as Fekir and Ziyech are being ignored.
I hope these guys know what they’re doing.
Just a thought.
Ivory Coast has a population of 27m.
Are we taking into account how much we could recoup through shirt sales should we sign him?
Don’t know how much a Football shirt costs in the Ivory Coast but I’m sure a fair few Ivorian citizens would be wearing a Zaha shirt if he signed, not to mention fans from other African countries.
Got to hang onto something .
“Ugh, I hate silly season.”
Most profound statement of the summer.