Well how is everyone this fine day?
Arsenal linked to Coutinho, who is available for £105m. In our dreams people, but wouldn’t that be a sweet fucking dream?
Another dream of mine is that the Premier League season finishes and according to multiple reports, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. All the top brass at the serious clubs are aligned apparently.
The hope is that at the very worst, they can get the League going behind closed doors by June 1st. They’ll need to give the people something, I’m clawing at the walls with boredom and we’re 10 days into this weird nightmare. Closed doors is going to be super weird, but I’d quite like to hear David Luiz telling Lo Celso he’s been chirpsing his sister on Tinder when we play Spurs. Cricket has sledging, not sure we have a term for ‘mugging players off to get under their skin’ in British football because we never hear it on the TV.
Imagine Harry Kane’s banter?
‘Harry, tell your to stop sending me her OnlyFans link, I’m not paying for substandard content again’
‘Yeah, well actually, you’re the mum’
Some of the suggestions thrown out about next season land on the idea that the interval could be slimmed to 2 weeks. The thinking goes that the players have had a massive break already, so a 6-week interval would be unnecessary. I’m not sure I like that idea. So much more happens in the break outside pure recuperation. Clubs need to sort their transfers out, players need to be integrated, contracts need to be addressed, and new ideas have to be coached.
The transfer window is something everyone is focused on. Lots of people think football has changed forever and that transfer fees won’t be what they once were. I personally am unsure why people think this is the case at the very highest level of the game. Transfers are directly correlated to TV money. If the TV money is huge, the wages and fees will be too.
Where I could see a knock-on effect is how clubs plan. Covid-19 is a once in a 100-year problem, last time we saw disease have an impact this bad on the world was 1918 and it was folded in with a World War (or #LasagnaGate). I have my doubts that people will brush it off as a fluke. Will a harrowing brush with financial collapse push clubs into behaving with a bit more of a business mindset when it comes to running the finances? Will we see clubs reserve a cash pile for rainy days? Will we see transfer budgets slashed? Will we (and pray to god here) see super-agents lose some of their importance?
Unlikely at Arsenal where Raul and Edu seem to be eating out of the trough, but maybe Josh K shows a touch of curiosity and asks probing questions about fees and decisions? Perhaps post-crisis there’s more scrutiny on how things are run, what we pay for, and the value we receive out the other end? Dreams people, this blog is all about the dreams today.
Footyheadlines are suggesting that next years away kit could be cloud white. Very similar to our white and maroon offering we had for our special kit way back when.
The above kit was definitely underrated, it’s starting to feel like a bit of a classic. I LOVE the hooped socks, absolutely elite, they should be standard for every kit. My hope is that we don’t fall into a cut and paste kit like they’re rolling with in the MLS this season. Is it wrong to think Adidas will treat us in a special way? I still feel that this seasons home kit is out best in 20 years, absolutely stunning.
Right, not much on, stay safe today, see you in the comments. x
1st
2nd
3rd
Tr4phy
New Tr5phy
Pedro
We’ve seen the PL clubs collectively put in place measures to protect finances before ie limiting how much a wage bill can increase in a season etc.
It’s possible a wave of common sense could sweep through football – I’m not entirely sure it will but who knows!
I wonder if teams might trade players this summer, like North American leagues do, because of liquidity issues. It would make sense for teams to swap players, no transfer fees would have to be paid and still bring in new players.
It is only English teams in premier league that are protected with massive tv deal, many teams across Europe will be hit hard by shutdown because they need game day revenues to keep paying bills.
jwl
Sky are offering customers a holiday period from their sports subscriptions, can’t see them doing that and still paying the full amount to the PL.
The minutiae of this is too complicated to try and predict at the moment.
Marc
I have The Virgin Media package.
Virgin have not made this offer to
their customers.
Coutinho is Barca’s Ozil
Marc – I got a few lawyers in my family and they say there is going to be a decade’s worth of lawsuits on whether this virus, and economic shutdown, qualifies as an Act of God clause in contracts. It is good business for Sky to give a break to it’s customers so they don’t get angry and cancel.
Have heard Coutinho chat for a hot minute, and from two different sources. Think it’s a very viable one what with his agent, nationality, and profile all being a good match.
Auba showing Barca some fanny and it becomes a best case situation potentially. Would take some ironing out, but he’s 837494 times better than Ceballos and brings goals from deeper than the 6 yard box.
Surely ,if the Prem league is to resume, the Championship has to resume at the same time?
There is a little thing called relegation.
(Unless they are are not having it this season?)
Either way , this all ends up in the law courts.
Take your pick:
Clubs v clubs
Clubs v associations
Players v clubs
Doctors v clubs
Agents v clubs
Agents v players.
Broadcasters v clubs
Supporters v clubs.
Fans v broadcasters
Refs v Associations
And that type of thing.
As usual- good time to be an attorney .
Coutinho is another Rai
27 soon to be 28 for £100m + and what, £200k per week wages for four years? That’ll be £142m please.
Joker.
I personally do NOT want to see Coutinho at AFC,. We need to find tomorrow’s stars at sensible prices, not yesterday’s washed up heroes at exorbitant prices. That is not how we will ignite a renaissance at the Emirates.
guys, no coronavirus hot takes. That’s for Reddit
Fuck me Pedro – you’ve wiped out hours of comments!
I was just about to make a great joke out of Un’s last comment – refreshed and it’s gone.
And then you’ve doubled up.
If you’re going to ban any chat on what’s going on at the moment you’re going to see the comments section die a death with no football to discuss.
Your blog your rules as always but be prepared.
Pedro,
I admire your efforts in the face of fake/no news.
The latest rumor is Greizman to the PL. some even mention Arsenal. what about a Auba for Greizman swap? Any sense in that?
NJ
If we’re going to lose a 20 PL goal a season striker replacing him in a swap with a player capable of getting that number makes massive sense.
Marc, I’d rather have no comments than see the blog polluted with rank conspiracy theories or unfair stereotyping.
Plenty of places people can take that sort of chat, but not here.
Pedro
I wasn’t making a threat – just an observation but agree on needing rules / a level of sensible conversation.
Fact is you’ve got an impossible job that you’re not paid for.
Now fuck off and write something to entertain me tomorrow!
Id rather not have Griezmann… we need an all out striker… ala Auba if we sell.
Griezzman does score… but in the prem- I would be hard pressed to believe he would match what Auba can give us.
Id rather sell Laca and get someone younger. Maybe we swap Laca to Atheltico for a deal for Partey.
I like Partey and Jota in the team… would really help
Midfield is our critical area.
Dani leaves. Xhaka is older , slower, Guen- no thanks, Torreira overmatched.
Willock not yet…
Need 2 really good CM… Partey and someone else.
Jota as CAM
I don’t think that clubs will take a planned conscious decision to be more financially prudent. Reality will just hit them a lot harder than many still anticipate. On both side, from the financing side. Suddenly a certain number of club owners will be squeezed and will be a lot more inquisitive in how their club is run. Access to financing will be much stricter, so a lot of club will avoid any big long term commitment. But also in term of revenue. On Friday, in prevision that our company need to be able to survive for the next 9… Read more »
Will do Marc!
I’d be down for sensible conversation, but time and time again it devolves into grim views.
… but, good news in the league will finish.
Bit miserable for Liverpool. Sad.
Ya Pedro
Grim views that border on utter shit sometimes.
prejudice and racist shit
Not my tea so I always speak up
Pedro
Really appreciate the extra effort you’ll be putting in over the next few weeks or months.
Not sure I’m happy about the league finishing though – the idea of the Scousers missing out was hysterical.
man i hate liverpool. would love to see my boss and rub it in his liverpool face.
Looks like they will be champs… whateva
Need Jota and Partey
Let the Partey get started !!!!
Hello all – for those that wished us well, thank you all. Things have progressed but not favourably. I have been quite ill and continue to struggle to find some semblance of strength, but am getting better with each passing day. My wife however has not fared nearly as well as she was taken to hospital this past Thursday with serious respiratory issues that require her to be on a ventilator. Prognosis is guarded for her and it really is day to day for her. Obviously i am not permitted anywhere near her or the hospital and continue to be… Read more »
Ernest
I am sorry to hear about this. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I know this must be extremely hard on you and your family. Sending good thoughts your way brother. Stay strong! I am wishing the best for you
“Chirpsing”
Genuine Lol
“PierreMarch 20, 2020 08:49:09
Arsene Wenger always said that making any more than 2/3 signings/ changes in a transfer window creates instability in the team/ squad , and he is being proved right”
Same idiot Wenger who didn’t sign a single outfield player, that summer?
Or how about when I drafted in about 7 players that one summer. Santos, Arteta, Ox, et al
@Ernest Reed
All the best to you and your wife brother. I wish y’all a speedy recovery. You’re in our prayers 🙏🏿
Get well soon Ernest. Hope to have you back on here soon with your wife healthy with you at home mate.
Ernest,
Only if you are able, can you share how you contracted this?
Im on a shelter in place in my county here in Bay Area California.
Working from home now and kids are home too from school.
Need Jota and Partey
Let the Partey get started !!
I’m on board with this!!
So sorry to read your update Ernest. Just hope you both recover and send heartfelt best wishes.
Caligooner
you in LA?
Tony whats up my friend???
Ernest, so sorry to hear this, sending all the love from the LG family. X
Not much Guns other than I stripped the skin off half my fingers from boiling noodle soup. Just a freak accident in the kitchen. Did it 4 days ago and obviously couldn’t go to the hospital as I’m an ‘at risk’ in my mid 60s with A+ blood and coronary artery disease. Like you and many just keeping isolated with my son home from school and waiting to see what’s happening with my daughter at uni as she’s waiting to see how the uni is going to set up her final year’s, final exams. Missing the gym a lot. Sounds… Read more »
Thanks Tony
We are hard hit here. National guard is going to help now with heath issues.
Amazing that some bat shit, or bat meat has ruined the world as we know it.
Revenge from the animals finally?
I hope that warmer weather helps… I think that we need to pray for the medical workers on the front line. I just have to shelter in place.
Im not having to come with inches of a sick patient with corona
real heroes… I pray for them
Guns
Yes I’m in LA.
Everything ok in NoCal? Under the circumstances of course.
well its going ok. I guess it could be worse.
San jose police will be cracking down on the crazies for being out and about.
Most folks here in Palo Alto are fairly law abiding. Just people going for walks mostly.
how about in LA? anything changed much
Szobozslai, Sangare and 3rd midfielder is what we need
Kim Peh Dro……..
“Change in any society starts with civil strife among the ruling class: as long as the ruling class remains united, even if its quite small, no change is possible”
Plato the Republic
Ernest
I can’t even begin to imagine what you are going through.
Please come back to us soon.
Ernest
Wishing you and your family quick recovery
Sending my best wishes to you and your wife Ernest….get well soon
Un
Don’t think Guns was being flippant about anything. His post as a whole is more sombre and resigned.
Lets stay positive together shall we?
Pedro March 22, 2020 22:38:39
Marc, I’d rather have no comments than see the blog polluted with rank conspiracy theories or unfair stereotyping.
—
Nailed it.
Dropping like flies over here in Italy. Not jut the oldies now, everyone’s on edge over here.
According to MailOnline, Arteta is set to get rid of Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mohamed Elneny .
Luka Jovic in hot water for breaking Spain’s self-isolating rules. Cheeky summer bid?
“” after what Ernest has posted? How about a little respect for someone’s upsetting personal situation
You need to relax a bit.. My nephew has it but I wouldn’t take that comment personally.. Probably true..
Humans tend to desire to eat anything with 4 legs or that flies
When we finally get through this nightmare both the govt & WHO sure better have learnt a lot of lessons for a coordinated plan of future actions 100% improved on the shit show of the last few months.One of them surely would be rapid response to a developing situation with draconian measures if need be…
Nelson –
That’s a great start. With any luck, we could get around £80m for that bunch.
Spend most of that on Partey! Sell Auba, Laca, and AMN for another £90-100m and go after a striker and a CB. We still need a couple of fullbacks though..
Why would we bid for someone who obviously is a complete fucking cunt who doesn’t follow orders that could save his, and others’ lives?
No dice.
Also, no one is learning shit from this. It’s all peace and love at the moment but as soon as we get the all clear, we will all be out killing, maiming and pillaging like we were just two months ago. We are a species doomed to fail.
The dinosaurs had this planet for hundreds of millions of years and did pretty well. Humans have had it for around 200,000 years and we’re fucking it up.
Embarrassing.
“Why would we bid for someone who obviously is a complete fucking cunt who doesn’t follow orders that could save his, and others’ lives?”
Fair point. I’m not a judge, so I’d let this one slide. Maybe I’m alone. Plenty of other footballers don’t follow orders by evading millions in taxes. Messi and Ronaldo spring to mind.
Arguably, breaking those rules costs lives too – chronic underfunding in public services hits the most vulnerable first.
As tongue-in-cheek as the suggestion was given it’s unlikelihood, I’d still take Jovic in a heartbeat.
its* unlikelihood
Jamie
I wasn’t having a go at you, just saying we have enough bastards screwing with our lives at the moment…another selfish pig, we don’t need.
Guns –
I didn’t feel you were having a pop, and I’m sort of with you. Totally self-centred and cuntish thing to do.
He’s a player, though. We should probably sell Auba while he still has value. Trying to bring the chat back to football, perhaps in vain. Odsonne Édouard?
Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mohamed Elneny .
JamieMarch 23, 2020 10:52:02
Nelson –That’s a great start. With any luck, we could get around £80m for that bunch.
Is everything ok? Being self isolated can mess with the mind.
Im telling you this for free!
Ernest,
Life to you and your family.
Hope everything works out for you all.
Sid –
Back-of-the-napkin maths:
Sok – £8-10m
Mustafi – £15m
Kola – £10m
Mkhi – £10m
Elneny – £10m
Yeah, maybe I overshot it a bit. £55m?
Love to you and your family
If anyone pays £10m for Elneny…then the world is surely doomed.
A decimal place missing and were in business.
£1000.00
Guns –
I’ll accept Egyptian £ just to get the deal done.
Jamie
I think they pay in cubits…
That white kit was very nice. As were the home and away kits in the CL final run season
When we actually become a good team again 20 years from now I’d like us to have the invincible away yellow kit another run. That shit was sexy
Ernest :(((((( I wish so much that you and your family will all get through this horrible horrible ordeal
China needs to both enforce rules better and provide better public education on the dangers of wild animals, as well as build a strong culture at the local level of trust with the medical community to prevent such things happening again This kind of thing would be vastly less likely to happen in the major east coast cities which are far more developed and aware but it’s an ongoing challenge to raise central and western China to the same standards they’re getting to in the east and south coasts What is unfortunately very sad is that the whole country and… Read more »
@Ernest –
Very sorry to hear how things have progressed, wishing you and your wife a speedy recovery.
Ernest everything crossed for you and your loved ones
God speed.
Ernest
Prayers with you and the wife mate…
Cousin who passed has now been joined by his wife and her brother, all of them were in the house with him, thankfully his Kids are fine but that’s a whole family wiped out. Been a horrible time for the entire family over here
@Batistuta –
Jesus man, sorry to hear that.
Batistuta.
So sorry for you and your family to hear that.
God bless you all.
Underrated Coq The “Hug a Chinese” campaign had Nothing to do with a left wing agenda but everything to do with business. Most of that area of Italy has voted for Lega Nord, so People in charge are hardly bleeding liberals. They were afraid of driving out Chinese business out of Italy after some reported attacks and official complaints by the Chinese authority. Same way the Austrian authority refused to quarantine Italian going skiing in the Alps and then notifying unsuspected Irish and Scandinavians going home that they had been partying in a station where most of bartenders had been… Read more »
Valentin
Your last post was on point 100%
China will be fine because they will emerge stronger than most countries and trey know how to use their economic strength to protect their reputation.
You won’t hear any politician [other than Trump] publicly blame China for fear of repercussions.
Un, I have warned you about 10 times about talking about Covid.
This is an Arsenal blog. If you want to talk about the virus, go to reddit.
Guys, checkout “Explained” episode “The Next Pandemic” on Netflix
Ernest
Hope everything goes alright with your wife. Very worrying times. Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Batistuta
My thoughts are with you and your family. Hope things improve for you soon.
Bati
Stay strong, morning may endure for the night but there’s light at the end of this tunnel.
Sii forte
On the football front, I was surprised how the removal of the Charlton chairman was just casually dismissed by SkySports as a one off spat. To me this should have been a big event. This is one of few times where the new owner is publicly removing an existing chairman for gross profligacy and personal enrichment. That seldom happen publicly. What that showed is that such behaviour is a lot more common than football people are comfortable acknowledging. Everybody has heard unsubstantiated rumours about such behaviour but it never really reach the public eyes. Instead of having a toothless code… Read more »