What is going on my darlings?!
I am currently in Washington with my dad.
The weather is disgusting. It hit 100 degrees yesterday, or 37.7 Celcius. We walked the landmarks in a fit of ‘let’s not be pussies about this’ and I can confirm this was a mistake.
I have no idea how the players are supposed to deal with this… peak temperature arrives at 1700!
There is a BIG game tonight as we take on the once-mighty Fiorentina. Another chance for some of the kids to shine. Another chance for Mustafi to show the world he is a total legend and well worth the £90k a week.
Some interesting snippets in and around the internet. Arseblog had an interesting piece from Sven about his time at Arsenal. It’s what we all knew… he fell out with leadership because they changed direction when Ivan G left.
The key takeaway – one I have debated at length with people is… the dreaded contacts approach to football is real.
Arsenal is the only club on the planet that can move in the direction of modernism, only to crush it and go back to something that reeks of old fashioned curtains. He basically said instead of being proactive, using tech, people and data to uncover value in a competitive market… we’re waiting for agents to bring players to us. Pretty much the exact strategy that’s seen United do so well since Fergie left.
I guess we have to hope that Edu has something to say about that. It is not efficient to rely on the opinion of people who have something to sell. That is not a forward-facing approach to building a super club. When it succeeds you can’t repeat it either… it’s built on luck of the draw.
Very depressing if our new technical director agrees with this… because, you know, it’s not a very technical way of looking at a game that is advancing at a rate of knots.
Don’t be a dinosaur, Edu.
It was amusing that the journo speaking to Sven pestered him about taking a smaller job, his response was basically – ‘we fill 60,000 for a relegation battle and we’re nosier. This isn’t a small club.’ Fair play.
Talking of Edu, it reads like he gave a personal response to my blog the other day.
There are a lot of things to do, but I will try to explain to you a little bit about almost everything. People always say that the technical director has to look after and be involved in the process of signing players, selling players, keeping players, loaning players. That’s an important part of the job of course and I understand that. But for me there are more important things in front of that – we have to look after what we have today. We have to work hard today. We have to look after our squad today. The future is the future, and signing players means sometimes the future, and of course I have to be involved in that process, but I also have to take care of today. I explained to the players when I arrived that I’m not the guy who stays inside the office and waits for someone to knock on my door and send a message to me. I want to be involved in the process, I want to be on the inside, I want to be with them, I want to be with Unai, I want to be with the staff as well, to try and advise them if they need it, and give some advice for them. Being involved is important and that’s what I really believe from today. The link with the academy is very important because people always forget about it, because they talk about signing big names, but we have to take care of the academy as well. That’s one point I have to be linked with.
So there are short-term things to address, and also medium-term things to address?
Yes, that’s part of my role as well, because in football there are short-term, medium-term and long-term [challenges] of course, but how do you share that? I have to look after short-, medium- and long-term, but Unai has to look after the very short-term [challenges], and that means Wednesday, Saturday, training sessions, looking after the opponents and the strategy of the games. I have to give him time to look after that situation, and he has to give all his energy to that very short-term, he has to look after that and I have to help him with it. And medium-term and long-term, when we look after the academy, maybe you’re talking about medium-term and long-term, so that’s important to me, to be linked very well with the academy as well. So as I said, Unai has to be focused with his energy on the very short-term, and I have to help him with that.
What do you say, Edu, to the fans who are concerned about the club’s future? Some fans are positive, some fans are less positive. What do you say to those who are less positive?
We have to understand the fans, we have to understand that. That’s important. But they have to understand us as well. Because we have a philosophy. The club is changing a lot, so I saw that before I signed up for technical director, I saw the many changes now Arsene has left. The structure of the club changes a lot. So that’s a process, and sometimes we need time. I understand that time is going against us but we have to be aware of that. But in the end, we’re going to give to [the fans] some good things I am sure. I am sure. Because since I started to talk with Vinai and Raul about that job, I felt the energy of the club. I felt the very positive things around it. That’s why I really believe and that’s why I am here as well, because I feel we will do good things in the future. Not the future-future, but nearly there!
Let’s jump one year into the future. If we spoke to you again then, where would you hope the club would be at that point?
I’m not saying [it’s a] dream, but [we need to be] focused to be fighting for the Champions League again. Of course that’s our target. To make the squad even stronger. I want to see the fans enjoying, as before, the club even more. I know how they live the club, how they love the club and we have to give them something back so they can enjoy again the club.
This reads really well for me… and the club are clearly trying to appease the whingers like me. They want the ground to be buzzing this season, which is fair.
What I like:
He’s addressing the now, he’s talking about stages to what he’s doing and he’s said that his goal is to fight for the Champions League.
No time frame… but I’m giving him one. 5 years. Champions League final. Make it happen!
Transfer wise, no one really has anything. All the deals we know we’re gunning for are just chugging along. Dani Ceballos is going to be a very interesting move for Arsenal, that would make me feel a lot better about the coming season. If we can bring in a couple of wide players and a centre back, at least we’ll have inched forward. The most important thing for me is building out the athleticism of the squad. It’s been painful to watch average teams bully us. We need a more brutish character this season, Zaha certainly gives us that sort of edge.
In the… ‘look who we let go OMG OMG’ instalment today. Ismail Bennacer just took the player of the tournament at AFCON. Ouch. It’s amazing how good other clubs have been at identifying the better prospects in our youth ranks.
Hopefully, Emery really does get pressured into playing the kids this season… John-Jules, Saka, Willock and Medley best be £30m players by the end of the season.
Interestingly, Chelsea HAS to take the youth approach. Top 4 could be battle of the kids.
Right, that’s me done, enjoy the game this evening and HYDRATE if you are in the ground.
Bankz is here for the tr4phy again
Let’s make another clean sweep
BOOOOOM
Tr4phy
Tr4phy
Nice one groovedaddy
Haha, nicked it
“To make the squad even stronger.”
Yeah right, with Mustafi, Xhaka and Ozil – aka the 3 stooges – as our leaders…. (lol ?)
Top 10
Good post Pedro,
Really looking forward to Edu sailing our ship.
Wasn’t too keen at first but I like what he’s saying and if we fail to get top 4 this season or we’re well off the pace come December, Emery will be gone.
I’d be interested to know what this “philosophy” Edu speaks of.
At least he didn’t utter the word “values”.
“Previously we had a strong systematic approach to transfers, a mixture of watching things live as well as quality data and video analysis. Arsenal actually owns their own data company. “That meant that we acted independently, we knew about all markets and players in all positions that came into question. “However, the new leadership work more strongly with what they are offered from clubs or agents through their own networks.” How to actually dissect what Sven said well I mean on the surface if you’re really objectively looking at what he said he comes off a little butthurt but also… Read more »
Pedro As always I’m grateful for the time and effort you put into the blog but sometimes you really let a self imposed agenda take control of your writing. Why do you take Sven’s interview as gospel? He has a well deserved reputation for being a spikey character and to me the interview looks like sour grapes. If you look at the factual evidence and timeline what he says does not add up. Players signed whilst he was involved – Auba (older, not data driven and Dortmund), Miki (older, not data driven and ex Dortmund), Sok (older, not data driven… Read more »
With Edu name-checking Viera as the closest friend he still has from the Invincibles era, and with Viera accumulating managerial experience in the last few years, the prospect of an Edu/Viera Technical/managerial partnership now seems much more likely in the next year or so…
Also the offered from clubs and agents stuff doesn’t quite make sense. It’s not a bad thing anyway but I’m pretty sure that Celtic or Tierney’s agent aren’t offering him around to anyone. Saliba either given that deal. Maybe Martinelli.
Nah nah nah Words I already called Edu hiring Vieira next summer. I called it. I mean I did say him or Nagelsmann but I can definitely see Vieira next summer
Words
That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
Then look at the players we’re being closely linked to this summer – all younger up and coming players with the exception of Zaha. This is actually true. It might be taking an age (understatement of the year) but there’s actual thought for the future in some of the prospective signings this summer as opposed to the Sven signings. I think that may well have played a part in him not getting the TD job if I’m honest. He went by and large very safe and short term with most having no resale value and I guess that they were… Read more »
Marko
In hindsight Sven’s time at Arsenal isn’t looking half as good as his reputation paints him.
Marko, take a day’s break from Le grove you fvcking potato.
So tiresome having to navigate past your large chunks of drivel in the sea of comments.
I mean it wasn’t awful but I still don’t agree with that Halo certain people have placed around his head. Still would have preferred he was still here but over Edu? No. I even wanted Monchi and admittedly still rate him but my god going by his scattergun approach to transfers we may have dodged a bullet there. 120 million and counting spent this summer and in all honesty only really Kounde sticks out. Maybe Joan Jordan and Reguilon on loan but that’s it. Good at selling though
Rambo don’t you have to be handing out tiki torches at a rally somewhere right about now.
Marrakesh 47c or 116f. That was hot. Anyway, question: If Sven hit a roadblock in the way we identify and sign players and was effectively shown the door for disagreeing, what makes anyone think Edu can or will do something against the Arsenal board? I mean, the man has been plucked from Obscurity (he wasn’t near anyone’s tech deck list) and now been made fairly wealthy…I’d imagine. I way is he going to slay the golden goose. Sorry but Edu, like Emery with his big plans (bullshit) will quickly fall into line and appoint the usual rhetoric: class, upholding values,… Read more »
Also, people like Stan don’t hire people who ask questions.
Nothing will change until Stan goes…and he isn’t going.
Rambo,
There’s a few on here with their demented ramblings last night that need to take a break long before Marko does. Marko’s one of the better much more reasonable posters on here compared to some of the other abusive nutters that’s for sure.
Edu is really going great guns if he already has a philosophy in place.
But he did say in that interview that “we” have a philosophy which would most probably mean a philosophy that existed before Edu’s arrival.
I don’t want to hear about philosophies or values.
They are just words and get out clauses when the team falls short.
What both interviews reinforced is the fact Raul prefer the wheeler dealer approach that every clubs is trying to move away. The only consistent and repeatable way to find value in the market is to take a systemic , analytical approach. Contact dealing may bring you a great player once in a while, but it will more likely bring you vultures trying to sell you overpriced average mercenaries. Exactly the type of results Raul supervised at Barcelona which resulted in him jumping before getting the boot. Edu also confirmed that Director of Football cannot be away from the team. He… Read more »
People who study philosophy or quote philosophy generally either:
A. Don’t have a job.
B. Will never have a job.
C. Have a job they will quote philosophy to keep.
I already hate Edu. The Brazilian fanny.
Eeeeiiii…. No signing yet?
They’ll come definitely but when?
Quite frustrating refreshing your data to read about a ‘done deal’.
I hoped I never went thru this, this season but I guess it’s the love for the club. Cheerio guys!!!
Marc, maybe because my agenda is fuelled by insight into the workings at Arsenal you don’t have?
Valentin
Ceballos has more about him than Suarez.
Just because one player was not worthy doesn’t mean you close the door on all.
I imagine the philosophy must be winning while playing good football.
That’s what Arsenal stands for all over the world, entertaining football.
Raul prefer the wheeler dealer approach that every clubs is trying to move away
They sure are. It’s probably why people like Jorge Mendes and Mino Ravioli are going out of business. Certainly not attaching themselves to clubs in any way. Anyway we have a analytics company and this idea that we’ll be disregarding data analysis is silly.
Marko,
Are you arguing that the contacts approach is a good one?
I mean, I’m not surprised, but do you care to flesh this one out?
Sven was not right for Arsenal. Marko has explained his methods, so his interview was balderdash.
How does a man who keeps buying his old players complain about someone else who keeps contacts with agents?
Marko is bang on it
Not realising he’s running down a hole
Pedro,
Ok, so your views are informed by insider knowledge, great.
Tell me this: who do you prefer as Arsenal Technical Director: Edu, or Mislintat?
If it’s the former, the intricacies of who is to blame for the Saintly Sven’s exit are immaterial.
If it’s the latter, it would be interesting to understand your rationale.
I like Edu’s comments, I think he’s going to be a really smart hire who understands what it takes to be a TD. I mean hopefully the first time his pick isn’t chosen he doesn’t run off like a crybaby bitch back to Brasil and he will instantly be an improvement.
Thanks Lari03
The hypocrisy
Man gets new job and 50% of his recruits are from old contacts but he doesn’t like contacts. I am struggling to see what data and analysis approach made us spend 75m on two 29 year olds from Dortmund.
Words, what is my agenda?
I read that we sold Ismail Bennacer for £1 m but have the option to match A.C. Milan to buy it back. Arsenal didn’t want to exercise this option.
Bennacer is perfect for Emery’s high pressing. He attacks like a rock while Guen is like a feature. I find him better than both Guen and Xhaka. Guen needs to gain another 10 lbs of upper body strength before he can play like a man.
Pedro playing the insider card again. Never gets old that one.
Cesc,
According to Pedro’s inside information, The Noble Sven is most definitely not a crybaby bitch. He has been cruelly harassed and tormented by the Evil Emery and his know-nothing-about-Football merchandiser side-kick Raoul.
#feather
Woah.
Remember when the total clusterfuck, Emery came in blaring trumpets of tactics and analysis?
Remind me how that played out when he utterly stunk up the Emirates in his first season.
Just because Edu says something positive, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
Arsenal recruit politicians. Season renewal time. Seat selling time. Every season you lot fall for big promises.
Suckers.
Dubai 50c plus.now that was Hot.Hotter than a gorillas jock strap.Anyway I digress.more shit stirring from conniving journos or palace,take your pick.in stating Everton now prepared to bid on Zaha.lol!detimined to try & make Arsenal cough up full dollar.an obbvious response to ur links with Soares,Kean etc.wheres the ingenuity.c*** ts.
Are you arguing that the contacts approach is a good one?
No I’m arguing against this perception that we’re going completely away from data analysis. I’m also arguing that football is always going to be contacts driven anyway. You’re always hearing agent this intermediaries that and that will never change. And also I’d kinda take it at face value complaints about our transfer approach from the guy responsible for Lichtsteiner. Data driven approach to transfers? Must have been a virus on that one
Ishola70, I don’t doubt his quality because of Suarez. I just don’t think that this style of players will fit in both the EPL and that Arsenal squad. That style of players are great when you play a possession based game. They retain the ball and recycle it well. The problem Arsenal does not play that anymore. Emery wants to be on the front foot, aggressively trying to retrieve the ball high up the field. He won’t offer that. He may be better than Xhaka under pressure, but the kind of physical pressure that he has been facing in la… Read more »
Pedro such an excellent blogger but sometimes you push your agenda in a senseless manner tbh. Like your Emery being average agenda. And the Raul being old school agenda. Sven is sour he didnt get the TD position he was promised. Im sure it must have been a hard deciison for Raul to break it to him but theres some sense in that too. Sven is an excellent scout no doubt about that but maybe Raul and Vinai thought and convinced Josh that he did not have the character to be the TD ,the face of the club off the… Read more »
Quite comical how Pedro, an inside source for a decade on Arsenal, is suddenly having that thrown back at him when some aren’t happy to chew on what he has to say.
Meanwhile you have some guys on here who need something written in a newspaper before it apparently has any credence.
Work that one out. Same names time and again.
Valentin
Then you don’t know much about Ceballos.
He isn’t just all about on the ball.
He offers off the ball as well.
Yes offensively he plays like a 10 and these sort of players are questioned about overall play. But Ceballos himself isn’t just restricted to on the ball.
CC, I know…
Agenda > Translates to: I don’t like what you say.
Pedro with his insider knowledge also painted Gazidis as a visionary mastermind who was just waiting for Wenger to leave.
Pedro,I don’t think you’re coming back from that.
Quite comical how Pedro, an inside source for a decade on Arsenal
Change is afoot at Arsenal the only one to survive is Pedro’s informant always. Dunno if it was a joke but I remember years ago he said it was Pam the tea lady. Surely not.
Anyway interesting approach to what was being discussed Charles.
“Marc, maybe because my agenda is fuelled by insight into the workings at Arsenal you don’t have?”
Pedro – insights or not the facts to date do not back up what Sven said. In fact they almost do the exact opposite and show that Sven was far to ready to fall back on old contacts / signings.
How do the links to Tierney, Saliba and Ceballos demonstrate a contacts only approach?
Words on a BlogJuly 20, 2019 16:29:13
Pedro,
Ok, so your views are informed by insider knowledge, great.Tell me this: who do you prefer as Arsenal Technical Director: Edu, or Mislintat?If it’s the former, the intricacies of who is to blame for the Saintly Sven’s exit are immaterial.If it’s the latter, it would be interesting to understand your rationale.
Pedro please respond
Also seems off to critique the agenda thing.
Sven gets sacked because Raul likes contacts scouting
We sign Suarez from Raul’s club immediately
Sven comes out and confirms the details people like Marko said weren’t true
I have an agenda.
My only agenda on this is that we do things properly.
I love Edu, I have penned nothing but praise for him, I just hope he’s modern and smart.
You are weird if you disagree with this imo
Pedro,
I haven’t ascribed an agenda to you or used the word “agenda”.
Once again, my question was: if you prefer Mslintat over Edu, what is your rationale for that preference?
Because if you have don’t have a particular preference for Sven, then his departure is immaterial.
Alexis Claude Maurice was partly data driven, he was also recommended by Jeremy Aliadière.
However my take on him is that he also tend to disappear during games. I am not convinced that at this stage of his career he would be a better option than Reiss Nelson.
Still not a single player on the dross list sold yet. Also no signings except for an 18 year old kid. Terrible transfer window so far.
Dont think Emery is the man to take us forward dont understand what he brings to the table also I’m sure the players are struggling with what he wants from them all in all Emery has been a bad choice!!
It was me who mentioned Pedro having an agenda. It’s strange that he bit quite so hard because nearly all people have some sort of agenda most of the time. Anyone who gets pissed off when accused of having one is obviously aware they are pushing one.
Thing is I actually think the concept of it being either one way or the other is daft beyond belief. You utilise all methods and opportunities and dismissing one approach completely is naïve.
Pedro,
Please what’s your take on this by Words
“Once again, my question was: if you prefer Mslintat over Edu, what is your rationale for that preference?Because if you have don’t have a particular preference for Sven, then his departure is immaterial.”
Words, the opinion of our ex scout is admissible, what a silly assertion.
Talk about agenda. Hands over ears if you disagree with evidence.
………but Edu has the Arsenal DNA they say.
Those Brazilians get plenty of sun down there and they use hardly any sun screen, and we all know what UV rays do to DNA strands.
Let’s hope Edu’s DNA hasn’t mutated into a corporate yes man’s DNA Kroenke’s so fond of.
Pedro
That’s it in a nutshell. It’s a ceremony of ‘I don’t agree with you, so I’m going to systematically unpick everything you say and draw a line back to what I disagree with’.
Heaven forbid views that were held prior actually start realising themselves. The speed the feet shuffle is comical.
Just look at this summer, all is ok and we aren’t desperately needing a squad overhaul….except we did when we fluffed game after game end of season so again, figure that one out.
Landscape changes constantly for some.
That Pedro has an inside source doesn’t necessarily mean everything he writes is from an informed perspective. He can just as well be writing his personal take on things and there is nothing wrong with that.
I see Pedro cleverly sidestepping Words’ direct question.
Typical
Elton boys like chips n his Crewe dislike change…
Reverting to agents is a sure fire way to keep the budget over .
Like we are being run by fisher price kids…
No one has ever said we don’t a squad overhaul… No one ever. That some acknowledged the difficulty of moving on certain players due to wages doesn’t mean we don’t need to be rid of them.
Pedro,
You’re doing the politician’s thing of deflecting onto accusations of conspiracies and agendas and not answering the question I asked you
Oh well, never mind, I’m off to prepare for a Le Grove free Saturday evening.
CC, classic benchmark is Emery admitting he mismanaged Ramsey.
Whiplash
“Talk about agenda. Hands over ears if you disagree with evidence.”
Pedro – you’re going down the same path you did with Arteta – getting pissed off because people disagree with your opinion and actually put facts up to back it.
Please explain the evidence that what Sven is saying is fact based that is beyond “Sven said it” and “an inside contact you don’t’ have access to” because the actually signings and links this summer which I consider to be actual proof of methods says the opposite.
Today though is odd, I don’t even know what people are disagreeing with.
Everyone should want Arsenal to be an advanced club that relies on tech, data and elite people mining for opps based on more than gut feel.
Marc, we literally signed Denis Suarez as the first move of the new regime.
Sven comes out and confirms the details people like Marko said weren’t true Big huh from me. What did I say wasn’t true? That we’ve gone away from data analysis onto a strictly contacts driven approach? Again I would take statements from the guy responsible for Lichtsteiner and others with all the seriousness that it deserves. Plus you have to remember as well the whole point of Raul bringing in Edu is so that he becomes responsible for transfers going forward. So the question then becomes is Edu data driven or contacts driven? Given how Pedro is attaching himself to… Read more »
… and for you Marc… I said I hope Edu doesn’t take that route.
Evidence suggests Martinelli is contacts. Madrid loan, contacts. Zaha isn’t really an elite scouting job, nor Tierney.
Not saying these are bad players, just I hope we have a better plan moving forward.
Marko, it’s not one person.
Yes everyone wants tech,data and competency ( not too hung up on terms like elite people). But at the end of the day this game will still be 50% contacts based. Fulham bought a lot of players depending on data when they came up last season, data doesn’t take into consideration things like character and suitability to the league, a kid putting up numbers in Austria might struggle in England vice versa. Having good contacts with the best agents in the game means you are first to know when certain players are available, nothing wrong with that Too much has… Read more »
Pedro, Some people have attached so firmly their colour to Raul and Emery’s mast that any hint of criticism to them is viewed as dissent, agenda driven and judgement on their person. When you try to use facts to justify your position, their dance to adjust to the new reality is just comical. Like you said, some still can’t reconcile the fact that Emery has now publicly admitted that he mismanaged Ramsey and basically discarded medical advice to follow what the player wanted to do. But Pedro, I thought that you were my friend, how can you say such bad… Read more »
Pedro You think a day will come when club computers will communicate with other club computers to do transfers, same way you’re still arguing for a utopian process where managers don’t bring their own physios to a new job. You keep trying to push these dichotomous arguments to deride the contact based method of Raul. You keep setting up Sven’s very mixed results against the new regime, even though we don’t have enough from Raul to test your hypothesis. The contact approach will always be required to facilitate transfers. We just have to mesh it properly with the data analysis… Read more »
How long exactly is this “squad overhaul” supposed to be for? If we are having difficult shifting bad players now then you’d imagine we’d have same difficulties shifting them next season and on and on until their contracts expire and we give them a wrist watch and a guard of honour at their last home game. The excuses for any sort of movement from Raul and co are wearing thick and thing and some of you are overdoing the whole “give them time” line. They’ve had one year, they should have already realized that certain players are not good enough… Read more »
Pedro Yeah Suarez was a fuck up and signed because Emery had worked with him before. That does not mean we are only going to sign players in future who are in Sanllehi’s little black book. My point is Sven sounds like a bitter ex – you believe him I think he’s making stuff up. Players we signed with him at the club Mavropanos (I forgot about him earlier), Auba, Miki, Sok, Lich, Leno, Torreira and Guendozi. Half of those were 28 plus and well known players and 3 of the 4 had played at Dortmund. Looking at those facts… Read more »
Guendouzi isn’t elite scouting,good prospect lots of work to be done, nor is Torriera who wasn’t really an unknown in Italy and we paid good money for, his suitability to this league is still under question and if he has a season like his first he will soon be on the market.
Who on here was the name Bernd leno a surprise to? Aubameyang? Sokratis? Litch?
Is it because Mislintat had neck length unkempt hair, wore Converses to work and had that weird Beatles Indian music album in his car which of course takes cassette only and has no power steering?
What Pedro is deriding as contact based is simply being on top of the human element in the transfer business.
1. You have a list of agents and technical directors.
2. You constantly update that list by keeping in touch.
3. You did little bits of humanity to the list- birthdays and anniversaries to tell your secretary to send flowers etc.
There’s nothing wrong with having a list of relevant people in your industry but Pedro will have you believe it’s dated and unnecessary.
And too much is being made of a failed 6 month loan because of the context of it unless you’ve got your defender of Arsenal glasses on.
The reason Wenger and Gazidis are no longer here is so we stop making stupid decisions and signing a broken Barca player as one of the first real moves doesn’t exactly speak good of them
Valentin
It works both ways.
You have stereotyped players in Spain because of the loan of Suarez.
Suarez was a “lightweight” player.
Ceballos isn’t seen as such.
And it looks like you have stereotyped these players because of the involvement of Emery.
Anyhow this argument seems a bit silly to me.
Contacts based signings can go wrong as well as right. Same with data signings. Swings and roundabouts.
“Evidence suggests Martinelli is contacts. Madrid loan, contacts. Zaha isn’t really an elite scouting job, nor Tierney.”
Where as no one had ever heard of Auba, Miki, Lich, Leno, Torriera and Sok. Certainly Sven hadn’t which is strange because he’d worked with some of them.
And too much is being made of a failed 6 month loan because of the context of it unless you’ve got your defender of Arsenal glasses on.
The reason Wenger and Gazidis are no longer here is so we stop making stupid decisions and signing a broken Barca player as one of the first real moves doesn’t exactly speak good of them.
Dissenter
Imagine having a contact you’re close with in South America who gives you the heads up on some young player not widely known in South America let alone beyond.
I mean you’d never look at that player would you.
The other day Charlie Chuckle was ascribing the signing of Aubameyang to Mislintat’s scouting prowess. I’ve forgotten the exact BS he called it. Truth is that Dortmund did us no favors for a player that had been struggling to find a club willing to pay the transfer fee. The entire planet knew Auba was available. He flirted with Chinese clubs the summer before and BVB were tired of him. There was no competition for him at the time we walked in. Even then BVB still bullied muse and extracted every bit of coin from us. They even placed the burden… Read more »
Batistuta Suarez wasn’t injured when he was signed. You have players on the squad we have wanted sold for years. Suarez has since joined Celta, he is no longer our problem. That you guys still name drop him when we still have mustafi,elneny,jenkinson on our books is funny.
All “bad signings” made by this regime are no longer on our books.
Pedro , once you’ve decided Emery was a failure and a wrong hire ( quite possibly right ) many of your articles have been agenda driven. Not the least of which the one post in which you tried to build up the quality of Arsenal squad by praising the likes of Xhaka, Mustafi, or Monreal as national team captain, World Cup winner ,and a seasoned international for a mighty Spain…………, while there isn’t an Arsenal fan alive who doesn’t think Xhaka is too slow for the PL league, Monreal is too old for football and Mustafi should be sent off… Read more »
Batistuta
I think we can all agree that the loan deal was a failure, no if’s ands or buts
I also think we can expect that very transfer team will make mistakes. Mislintat too had his basket share of them in just one season.
Cesc
Maybe Sven has the mythical special sauce or maybe just the same hair dresser as Arteta.
” and Mustafi should be sent off to Mars to look for possible signs of life.”
I think Mustafi should be checked over for signs of intelligent life himself.
*Every transfer team
Hands over ears if you disagree with evidence. Pedro can I ask a genuine question but where was the evidence of “a strong systematic approach to transfers…as well as quality data and video analysis” with regards to the signings of Lichtsteiner, Sokratis and Mhikitaryan? Players Sven had previous with contacts some might say. What was the data analysis that made Sven go for Sokratis instead of Issa Diop. Funny thing in all this is if Ever Banega or Simon Kjaar rocked up at Arsenal there’d be absolute murder and rightfully so but in the case of Sven Mislintat it’s…dot dot… Read more »