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.
Yea then maybe let those who want to bitch about it on a blog do so without chirping in your 2 cents about people bitching about it.
I mean it’s not hard
Victorious
Apparently it’s the wages, that’s the reason why we are going to be starting with Mustafi in CB at Newcastle in 3 weeks.
Bati
What is a super fan? I would also point out what is said on Le Grove has zero fucking effect on real life.
So with all that in mind I’ll hold fire till I’ve something real to moan about.
Spuds get fed up of Tripper.. Gets sold 20M,Dippers gets bored of Ings gets shot to soon for 25M? Solanke to Bournemouth, dippers also sells Moreno, who is literally worse than Kolasinac, also Chavs eventually shifted Morata for 50M,lol.
Kroenke,Raul and the other loonies are running us down to permanent medicre with every passing minute
Arsenal is by far the worse run club in the EPL, with Newcastle coming a close second
We’re utterly done as a top level outfit
Victorious
Who do you think will take Mustafi on 90-120k weekly that he is on/
Who do,] you think takes Xhaka on his enormously wages
Would you take Jenks in his 45k weekly wages.
These salaries are fait Accompli , we have to live with the consequences.’
Let’s stop the grandstanding.
If you know clubs willing to buy them at those wages, let Arsenal know because you may be due for a hefty commission.
How my players are we going to shift out and keep paying half their wages?
Bati
No reading you moan and bitch constantly without saying anything new is in no way boring.
Apparently it’s the wages, that’s the reason why we are going to be starting with Mustafi in CB at Newcastle in 3 weeks.”
LMAO.. Ospina was on something like 50-80k and we just about eventually shifted him for 3M. Lol
Thats a number 1 goal keeper for Colombia and of good age too
It’s not about the wages Bat.. We just have some very thick idiots ruining things for us
As usual
It’s marko. All day all night. No wonder it’s dead on here
Fuck me aren’t there any bonfires in Dublin tonight? No cars set alight?
Keirion Tripper signed a 35k weekly salary 5 year deal in June 2017, of you believe the typical internet sources.
He moved to Atletico for more money, as is the normal practice
Who’s going to increase or even match Mustafi or Xhaka’s wages.
The Arsenal situation is a bit different. ,
Champagne CharlieJuly 20, 2019 18:31:41
Marc If your big summation is at least the new lot want to buy some players then your bar is embarrassingly low. We turned the club structure upside down to ‘want to buy players’? Fill me to the brim with that confidence. I’m sold on it. You even see how pathetic things are but you’re hesitant to commit to saying it because it maybe go against your primary belief that anything is better than Wenger. Better is better than Wenger, but average is not.
Ospina was in 40k weekly, from the typical internet sources.
Hence it’s easier to move him albeit with a smaller fee.
CC, if you take club’s statements at face value Wenger was always on the record saying Kroenke never stopped him from spending,.
Right now the club is saying they have to sell to buy and have only 45 m available with which to rebuild the team.
I think that’s a huge difference isn’t
Dissenter
I get it must be difficult to shift the likes of Ozil and Mikki who are not just on bloated wages but have also been bang average over the years
But the likes of Elneny, Jenkison, Kolasinac? no way. They’re all likely under 100k.. We should be considering taking as minimum as possible in transfer fee and ruthlessly cull them
Palace is sniffing around Jenkison,Kolas has suitors as well, don’t tell me some of the EPL Newcomers wouldn’t like some of these players
We’re not just ruthless enough and diabolically amateur in transfer dealings
Ospina was also entering last year of contract.
Easier to sell.
Mustafi and Xhaka too many years left on contract.
Xhaka still four years remaining lol. Four ‘kin years.
The new ‘modern structure ‘ gave Xhaka the new contract
I was wondering whether Xhaka was on an agreement previous season to get improved extended contract. Number of matches played etc. The end of season previous to Emery’s arrival.
If not I want Emery sacked without delay.
Ishola
Wasn’t Xhakas contract renewed last year?
Marc
Do you fella, just don’t see why you get all riled up with others bitching and moaning at our lack of activity, you’re nor some kinda police or something so if you see a post where someone moans, maybe just scroll past it
Victorious
I’ve mentioned something about subsidizing the wages for some of these players or was it China1 that said that.
Buying club gets to pay just half while we take care of the rest, at this stage and given the length of their contract, maybe lower their valuation, take the loss and hit a hard reset at the whole thing. Like you said, probably harder with Ozil or Mikhotayan but surely can’t be sane for other low earners
Batistuta
“Wasn’t Xhakas contract renewed last year?”
It was officially announced summer Emery came to the club.
But was it done just before Emery arrived?
I mean I wouldn’t put it past Gazidis to leave yet another of his turds in the office drawer for the new incumbents to discover. Quite a few of his turds hanging around.
Really a shameful thing to call oneself a gunner these days.. We’re been taking to the cleaners both on and off field not just by the top 6 now but the likes of Everton, Leicester, West ham
Those clubs have better managers than us and are having a far better summer as well
We might finished 7th or below next season and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying close attention since we had a ‘modern structure ‘ in place
Fantastic round of golf from Shane Lowry today
16 under
I find it laughable that the italian media sell the idea that Inter Milan are booking
a medical before buying Aubameyang.
First it was Lukaku and now it is Aubameyang.
It is laughable because everyone know that Inter Milan don’t have the resources to buy any player with a transfer fee north of £50 million unless it
is on the “never never” or with a “long term instalment payment plan”.
At 0.52 lol. Fuckin Gazidis!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MAcy-cZO4o
Buying club gets to pay just half while we take care of the rest, at this stage and given the length of their contract, maybe lower their valuation, take the loss and hit a hard reset at the whole thing. Like you said, probably harder with Ozil or Mikhotayan but surely can’t be sane for other low earners” Spot on Bat Isn’t it just ridiculous the lousy excuse of wages being flog around every time a question of why most of the dross still hang around are brought to the fore Really I thought there wouldn’t be a better time… Read more »
Marc Why am I head butting a wall? Because I’m not bending over backwards like you? There’s numerous reasons why I’m “underwhelmed” with the current state. If you think it boils down to simply when we buy in a transfer window I’ll leave you to it. Chitom Where is it said we have to sell to buy? We have money or we wouldn’t bid for players no? That’s taking it at face value. If we had to sell to buy then the emphasis wouldn’t be on who is joining us, but who is leaving. Zaha, Saliba, Tierney in the pipeline.… Read more »
The Ospina transfer was the perfect how not to negotiate. Same thing with Saliba. The one thing that any good negotiator does first is to find what are the blocker/non-negotiable point of the other party. Ifbitbisvthe minimum price, you then move on quickly to the instalment plan. If it is time of the transfer, you then negotiate the price. Somebody should have identified early on that Saint Etienne would not budge on the year loan. So instead of increasing the fee in order to convince them, we should have stuck to the original price and negotiate on the payment schedule.… Read more »
Hillwood
Sorry mate, Lowry looks in control of his game but the weather needs to blow or it’s a cakewalk. Was hoping for Westwood but he’s soiled himself.
Lowry unless it blows, Koepka of it gets testy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbSqO4__XIk
‘I’ve mentioned something about subsidizing the wages for some of these players or was it China1 that said that.’
C’mon man
It’s been repeated over and over again. It’s obvious that the team is working in a very limited budget.
Subsidizing wages to get players out comes at a price we can’t afford.
I can understand getting the odd player like Mangala [at city], problem is that we have a battalion of them.
Do it for one player and then the rest will dig in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95GUKeyDvaY
Valentin
Ospina is a back up keeper. Backup goalies aren’t hard to find.
A young starter like Tierney is not in the same league. Celtic have learned from their mistakes. They sold Van Djke off cheaply and ought to have gotten some of that windfall that came the way of Southampton had they insisted on a sell-on clause.
I think it’s Arsenal trying to stretch a budget by trying to pay as little down payment as possible. The selling clubs are rightly balking at this idea.
Ishola what’s the point of the YouTube clips?
We have some set of clueless bufoons currently running the club to the ground no point rehashing past ills. This current idiots are on their way out doing whatever errors in judgement the previous management managed
Of course Kroenke remains the common denominator
Jenkinson is on £45kpw in his last year of contract. That is the equivalent of £2.5 millions. Jenkinson may not be Arsenal quality, but he did a good job at WestHam. He is lower premiership and top Championship level player. Most players of his level are on £25~£35kpw. So if he is overpaid by £10~20kpw that means 500k~1000k for a year. That’s the extent of the hit on the price that Arsenal should take. If Jenkinson still refuse to leave because he wants a bowman style sign-on bonus to compensate for his lower wage, then send him on loan to… Read more »
Charlie
They are forecasting rain and wind tomorrow
All links courses need that. Will make it an interesting day
Victorious
I really don’t want to repeat myself but who do you think we have to thank for all of this?
Don’t think too hard.
It seems you’re suffering from the same syndrome that hit me for the first time in 2008-09.
Valentin
…and what if Jenks refuses to go in loan?
You can’t loan players out without the permission of the said player.
Hillwood
Totally agree, it’s necessary as today was easy least for anyone with nerves. Wind and rain tomorrow will make it a proper event, Shane’s arse could go as he’s under tremendous pressure
Charlie
22mph forecast tomorrow with rain in the afternoon ..anything could happen..will be brutal our there.
There are some decent odds for players 8 or 9 shots back…stenson 200/1 , ten shots back …a good each way bet.
Lowry, superb today and should get over the line , he knows the course and the conditions but the last day of the open is something completely different.
Dissenter, Ospina was Arsenal back-up goalkeeper. At Napoli he was their main goalkeeper until he was within one match of an automatic purchase. Sevilla was interested and were willing to pay more than Napoli (rumours stated €6 millions), but they wanted to pay in instalments. Funny enough Arsenal dismissed the option out of hand. So we ended up with more money upfront £3.5 millions but a third less of what we could have received in total (€6millions). Also like I mentioned before, the extra 4 weeks it took to negotiate the new Napoli deals cost us more in Ospina wage… Read more »
The weather will play a pivotal role in who wins tomorrow.
Lowry has 4 shot cushion but don’t right off Fleetwood or Koepka.
Should be a fascinating days golf.
Jenkinson already went on loan three times. Twice at WestHam and once at Birmingham FC. He knows that he has no future at Arsenal, he has absolutely no reason of refusing a loan where he will be able to showcase his talent and possibly get a better deal when on a bosman. I am not talking about loaning him to a league 1 club. He is unlikely to refuse to go on loan, because he knows that would destroy his reputation as a greedy, and not very clever mercenary and with his reputation any chance of getting a good bosman… Read more »
Graham The question is how long are you willing to hold the previous management in the balls for,before judging what’s currently right in front of your eyes? Don’t think too hard We’re not the first club to establish a ‘modern structure ‘ or for that matter change a manager neither would we be the last Dippers change management and in two years are unto greater heights Going by what this current leadership is offering up We’re not going anywhere in the foreseeable You can continue to blame past regime for our numerous ills why others have the view points of… Read more »
Lowry would not have been on many shortlists
amazing round.
Unfortunately I have been summoned to my sisters bbq tomorrow but hopefully will be able to keep up with play
Look
Realistically
Tori era and iwobi
Won’t be available at start of season
So there is plenty to play for for the yoot.
Go get it .
Auba for £62m…
Too low… but if someone comes back with £90m, what do you do?
… not sure I could stomach United, but if it were another club outside the league? You’d have to consider.
Pierre
Yea you fee the pack are just a bit too far back, different if a few more were at -12 like Tommy. Shane’s arse will go at some stage and he’ll be tested then. But he’s got some gap.
Pedro
I’d bin Auba to Spurs for 90 mil, there’s nobody at the club worth clinging onto for dear life. If we have anything about us we’d turn that 90 mil into 3 quality players that would have us laughing 12 months down the line as Auba inevitably scores goals, and drifts into PL irrelevance.
CC… if we could load the wings with goals and assists, I’d do it.\
However, if it’s just sitting in the bank for a year acting as padding for the wage bill, I’d rather keep the player than help United get back to the top.
Also wonder about Lukaku… he can be such a monster on his day, but he looks totally dejected.
Shit player… or needs a new challenge?
Hillwood that’s absolutely tragic news, I’m sorry to hear that. Not on Open Sunday…
Valentin
You have that wrong
Alex Meret is Napoli’s long term goal keeper. They paid 35 million for him in 2018 and unfortunately he injured hence the loan for Ospina.
Ospina got game time because Meret has a setback and only started playing again in the spring.
Ospina knows the score- he’s backing up Napoli’s 22 year old that they paid a record fee for.
Pedro
That’s it entirely, of Atletico or Dortmund sold their star man to a rival for 90 mil you’d be confident they would work around it.
With us it’s very quick to hit the gag reflex because we’ve not seen anything inspiring at all despite losing player after player.
Arsenal should be able to lose Auba and Laca to United and Spurs yet still come out swinging big dicks. The reality? We’ll bump their wages and spend the next year hitting Instagram with subliminal about them being besties and a dream time whilst we watch them totally clog the centre.
*Got injured
Lukaku is donkey boy with flashes of good. At the top level he isn’t cut out, he’s bully boy at the mid tier imo. Would wreck at Inter
Pedro
That was under fergie
Ole ain’t fergie
90m yes …
But laca will need counselling .
Was just thinking about the back and forth over the ‘contacts’ approach earlier… if we are a contacts kinda club these days, we’re doing a pretty shocking job of it.
Dortmund are the future of scouting and club smarts and they buried their biz in week one. Our contacts game has landed us zero first-team signings 3 games into preseason.
Quite unbelievable.
CC, true. You have to marvel at Atleti.
Bye bye Griezmann… hello most exciting young talent in Europe.
Fucking seamless…
Pedro
That sends out signals of too many links in the chain.
Too many people too much Input,
… and I do wonder how things are going to look at Barca when Messi finally calls it quits. They make some horrendous decisions with players. We’ll see how smart they are when it’s over.
Charlie
Yep
And it gets worse
Her and her husband and their youngest have season tickets at the London Stadium
Marvel at athletics
Le mar
Was 50/50 last season ,,
Cost a lot of money.
Pedro
In management terms, Arsenal created these vague titles of director of footballing operation, sporting director, director of recruitment etc to emphasize the inter-dependability.
It has to be a team approach to mesh people with different skill sets.
Unfortunately, your boy thought he was know all and didn’t want to work with the team so it is what it is.
Stay in a cool place or you will be burnt like crips bacon.
Are you going to stay in the DC area for the Madrid game on Tuesday.
Pedro
They’re just an example of leadership that is absolutely not interested in playing victim, and balance the relationship with the players superbly – in that they’re commodities of the club, but they’re valued (hence Griezballs loyalty etc)
We mess up at all the valuable junctures. We don’t have a clue how to move the pieces on the board to our favour, and the recent drawings with Kos and Sven tell me we’re not getting the balance right behind the scenes.
Hillwood, I’m lost for words mate. That’s a nightmare.
Atletico think they have bought the next Messi, only time will tell.
That’s a lot of money to pay for potential.
Atletico are the smartest run club in Spain. Madrid are all glamour, and Barcelona have owned a generation with academy talent but there’s huge questions over their external recruitment of recent seasons are anything to go by.
And my brother in law and his boy are rampant Spuds
Long gone are the days of mocking them
It’s all gone a bit pear shaped
Hillwood I’d pull a sickie, that is genuinely horrific a lineup as you’ll see all year.
Either that or grab an apron and don’t move from the grill.
We’ve gone for a burton….
Tonight starts
And I’m driving
Arsenal XI: Martinez; Chambers, Mustafi, Monreal; Jenkinson, Olayinka, Burton, Kolasinac; Nelson, Saka; Nketiah.
There will be a water break every 15 minutes
Water breaks… ffs
What next shirt change , manicure sessions every 30 mins…
I wonder what position Kola will be playing, One of the midfield three ? Don’t tell me Emery wants to go back to 3 at the back.
Not a single new signing to even watch out for
Who did we offend?
Eddie Eddie Eddie Eddie
Dissenter, sounds like he didn’t want to be part of a crooked environment, we’ll see.
CC, I’d kill to be run like Atleti… maybe some sexier football, but whatever, they play to win and don’t have fans that constantly make excuses for failings.
I am looking forward seeing R. Nelson starting. I feel that he understands how to play his position better, when to defend and when to attack.
‘We need a more brutish character this season, Zaha certainly gives us that sort of edge.’
Bless your vision, Pedro.
RSPC
Apparently panty liner technology has come on leaps and bounds
Out lot should be able to go full 90 mins without having a knicker-change-break
Pedro
I’d be giddy if sexier football was the extent of our exasperation. Not like our current gear is straight to the vein is it 😂
Arsenal hiding their lack of new signings with kids.
I am literally blinded by it!
I can’t even see Mustafi and Jenks!
Most fans wear Arsenal shirts.
We plays 3 at the back.
Palace want £80 million for Zaha
Zaha wants “more life. Less stress”
Maybe Edu should have a bit of a rethink about this players commitment
Any streams
Hill wood
Marvellous
Body form for you,…
Hi Nelson… how’s it goin so far. ? Finally found a live stream they aren’t televising it here I guess.
Mustafi in the middle of a back 3…. oh boy… Luckily Fiorentina are a bit shit.
Hi Mid. Live blog is less fun without you.
Mid
You got a stream to tune into,,, for the game
Yeah Rspc found one on Sportstek or something like that..
Omg… MUstafi already getting beat.. slow bastard.
Mustafi did it again. They almost score
Eddi!!1 scores
Any live streams for the match?
I have no idea what Emery sees in him… He can’t play its that simple..
Oh GET IN!! nice goal by Eddie…
Deserve a water break!
Monreal is showing his age.
Feels like we are going to give up some goals.. need to outscore them. too much space between the back 3. They are getting too many good looks at goal.
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!.. lol Good chant going by the fans.