Arsenal has to make brutal decisions for a better future

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I have to say, I’m starting to feel very positive about the future of Arsenal. The more I think about it, the more I draw the conclusion that this moment in time, though horrendous in so many ways, will actually work out very positively for The Arsenal.

We’ve still not found ground zero with regards to what’s going to happen at large to football clubs. As with all great disasters, you only find out how bad the mess is when things go wrong. Recessions always uncover bad business practice and I have a suspicion that football has been doing silly things for a while now and this moment in time might bring those problems out of the dark into the light.

What does that mean for Arsenal? Well, it’ll mean that there’s a levelling of the playing field to a certain degree. This is going to happen in a few ways.

1.World-class in every position might die

It doesn’t matter what happens to the pandemic over the next 3 years, the memory of it will be seared into the minds of football executives around the world. Football is no longer stable, fan attendance is now a luxury, the game can be ripped from TV at any point. What does that mean?

It means clubs are going to have to work hard to build better businesses, and most important in that equation, they will have to grow their cash position. The simplest way to generate more cash is to aggressively attack the wage bill and sell unessential assets. I think we’re going to see clubs turn to youth and place less onus on having packed squads of superstars. This will be true of all clubs, bar the mega brands. The days of having a £110k a week reserve right-back might be behind us (for a while).

That will mean bargains this summer as clubs look to move players on. Money will go further this year and there will be a glut of good players on the market.

2. A focus on youth

Clubs were already moving in the direction of academy players, but I think you’ll see more of a push in this direction. Young players are going to be at the heart of The Arsenal model moving forward, no doubt about that. Why this moment in time is going to work so well for us is a few fold. Firstly, we have a world-class coach at Arsenal. People keep chiding me about that, but it’s not even debatable, Arteta is one of the best young coaches in the world and he operates at the cutting edge. He has to prove himself as the top dog, but the credentials for making players better are undoubted. That is great for young players because it means they’re going to get better. It means that young players around Europe will want to join us. It means that we are in a position to develop a squad. This hasn’t been the case over the last 5 years.

Additionally, we can blood these youngsters in a ‘safe’ environment. Learning your way in Premier League football is tough, certainly made tougher by crowds that have high expectations. There won’t be crowds for a while, which means kids can blood themselves into the game with a little less pressure.

3. Fan expectations

Arsenal fans will demand less, if the powers that be come out and state that their plan is to move forward with a young base of players.

We know that we’ve taken wild gambles with transfer fees, we bodged the Wenger replacement hire, there is a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed from the squad. Fans are not expecting a lot from the club at the moment. Again, the perfect environment for a club pursuing a longer-term plan with youth. Fans forgive talented young players far more easily than they would mercenary signings.

What I believe would be a mistake is if we continued to shoot for the stars with has-been purchases that please super-agents. Coutinho? Willian? Really? Why would Arsenal throw more bad money at the squad. Let’s be strategic, let’s focus on a clever rebuild, let’s not ship out one problem and bring in another 2.

4. The dreck

The club will move on senior players this summer. We might not ship out Mesut Ozil because his deal is so outrageous, but I think we’ll certainly look to move on other big-name players that have big wage packets. Alex Lacazette signed his own P45 with that balloon idiocy, I think we’ll move on a host of other players that have 2 years to 12 months on their deal. The reason they’ll move is the same reason Auba wants to sign a new deal with us… security in football is not what it used to be. Sokratis will want a 4-year deal, even if it’s on less money. Lacazette will be 29, he can’t run the risk the game is in a mess in a years time.

I also think you might see some surprises this summer. Players that haven’t delivered to the standards Arteta is looking for. Talent that might not hit the heights we had hoped for. Some players aren’t salvageable, no amount of coddling or arm around the shoulder is going to change that, the difference this summer is we have a manager not concerned about the difficult decisions.

Arsenal were in a mess last summer, this year, we have a fine young manager, we have a Technical Director that ‘should’ have a plan in place, and the brief is clear… sort Arsenal out ASAP. No mercy on who we ship out.

5. Money

The game isn’t going to be fucking around with big transfer fees. You’re going to see big players take loan moves and you’re going to see big names lose massive value on their fees. Dembele of Barca is now up for sale at the price we paid for Mustafi. You’ll see more of that.

The key thing won’t be the transfer fees, it’ll be the wage bill. If we can free up £600k a week in cash, that can go towards some very exciting young players that we can hopefully pick up for prices that feel within range. The entire dynamic of the squad can be reworked this summer. This is shopping in the dip. Now, I realise we’re not exactly wealthy enough to be picking off players like elite disaster capitalists, but we can make some tough decisions that allow us the freedom to operate in this market. Selling Auba might be one of those moves. There will still be an elite market, it’ll just be smaller. PSG, United, and maybe City will be spending big… but Madrid, Barca, Juve, Atleti and most other clubs will not be.

There are deals to be had this summer, but they might only come if we’re prepared to invest in smart choices and trust in our scouting.

7. The football

I said this the other day, but it bears repeating. The football is going to get better. Having a full month with the players on the training pitch is going to have an impact on the game we play. Better ideas, fitter players, and the mental fatigue of Emery being lifted should contribute to a clearer identity on the pitch and hopefully, a more exciting brand of football we can get behind.

My hope is that we start to become unpredictable in a good sense. The ideal would be that we are a solid team capable of delivering devastating results. We know this team has another level, we know that defending can be part of our DNA, now we need to find out if we can be ambitious. We need to know if the players can be convinced that they are capable of finding that next level. Only then will we know if this moment has worked for us.

Right, those are my thoughts, see you in the comments. x

 

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Uwot?

As regards to Arseteta & big decisions.Im as gutted as the next man with regards to the likes of Hacker,Mustaphi & worst of all Ozil getting regularly picked at this stage.But I seem to remember when he ( Arsteta ) joined the mantra was the Old “ everyone on a clean slate” which is fair as much as we hate it.But it might also have been a “ last chance saloon “ for them as well or even a “ shop window” to try & flog them.so I get it.But now it’s what he does this summer ( albeit in… Read more »

Graham62

Marc NHS!! Seriously though, when do you foresee normality? Can’t see anything resembling pre-pandemic football occurring for a considerable time. There is no way clubs will survive without making drastic financial changes. Kroenke is going to have to adjust his methods, whatever they are, and incorporate an emergency plan based on the various financial restrictions that this situation is creating. Players on astronomical salaries will see out their contracts accordingly and then take a hit like the rest of us. The reality is simple. Life has changed and to get back to where we were is a distant dream. In… Read more »

Aussie Gooner

Valentin

I think I prefer the Chelsea model – it’s all about the team! A bonus for goals scored will only increase selfish behaviours which will lead to less goals overall as often the best option for a pass will be ignored for a chance of a goal. We already see too much of this glory hunting. That is what impressed me so much about Martinelli – a true team player!

Bob N16

Graham, I worry most for the lower leagues than the PL.

There may be a temporary adjustment for the loss of revenue for next season in the PL but I don’t imagine they’ll be any dramatic changes, like a salary cap. I suppose the most popular clubs might take the opportunity to push for a European Super League but I’d hope that would be met with enough resistance.

Not sure how the lower league teams, who depend on gate receipts, will manage or in many cases survive.

Bob N16

Uwot , I think you’re right to hold off on criticising Arteta too soon.

Let’s see what happens in the TW before worrying about misplaced loyalty to players we’d be happy to see the back of!

CG

Uwot “””””I’m as gutted as the next man with regards to the likes of Hacker,Mustaphi & worst of all Ozil getting regularly picked at this stage.””””” Well, I am pretty certain they will be starters next season too. Because Ozil and Xhaka are Arsenals best midfielders and Mustafi is Arsenals best out and out defender. Some fans – might not like or rate these players but I would bet a very large sum of money they will be all regulars next season. And rightly so. ( they are all internationals) Up to MA now to get these World Cup performers… Read more »

Marc

“And rightly so. ( they are all internationals)”

Not any more – Mustafi hasn’t kicked a ball for Germany since 2017 and Ozil retired from international football after the last world cup.

Xhaka comes from Switzerland which has a population less than London so not much competition for places there.

Daniel Altos

All am seeing is people talking about aubameyang scenarios but none includes him signing a new contract?What if he actually signs?…And on the transfer front am seeing we are linked with fofana who is Saliba’s partner in ettiene even talk of a loan agreement like saliba’s…If we were to lose both laca and auba though we could buy a Marcus thuram or a diaby or a goalscoring winger and then stick with martinelli,nketiah,saka and Pepe and I think we would be okay so long as we stop leaking goals

Marc

Graham I’ve been over this with you before – I don’t know if you’re so blinded by fear or it fits a narrative you like the sound of but the truth is it’s Shirley Bassey. I remember when they banned tobacco adverts and it was going to be the end of F1 – F1 has survived and is expanding. This might take a year or two to sort out the fallout but it’ll go back to normal. I’m not going to convince you any different and you won’t convince me the same but in a couple of years I’ll remind… Read more »

Sid

F1 banned tobacco advertising but not sponsorship

Marc

Sid

F1 didn’t ban anything the Government did. How many F1 teams are sponsored by Tobacco right now?

andy1886

Overmars: “And anyway, who says we can’t afford to buy top players? Yes, coronavirus will affect transfer funds, but that will be the same with everyone.” Well given that we’re projected to lose around £150m next season and have to utilise a £50m overdraft facility as well as eliminating any available cash reserves I would suggest the evidence says that we really can’t afford top players. And it will be the same for ALMOST everyone, just a few mega clubs or clubs with sugar daddies will have decent money to spend. You may also be aware that AFC relies more… Read more »

Sid

Phillip Morris International(PMI) created and currently owns Mission Winnow
In late 2018, Ferrari announced a multi-year partnership with “Mission Winnow” as a title sponsor

McLaren Formula 1 team says its 2020 livery will be “quite special” as a result of an expanded sponsorship deal with British American Tobacco

I could go on and on, for free!

Marc

Sid

Well if that’s the case their marketing people aren’t doing a very good job as I’d hasn’t heard about any of it.

Valentin

Tobacco advertising has been banned in sport or in any media in most Western world, but in the Middle east and many developing countries it is still allowed. Go to a bar in India, China, Russia, Turkey, etc and see how people react when asked politely to stub their cigarette. Most tobacco companies sponsors sport because they know they can get to those new potential customers. I remember when the same team had two different brands of cigarettes as sponsors. Or when Marlboro painted the cone of the sponsorised cars in their iconic colour and triangular shape without their name… Read more »

Valentin

Bob16,

I think that the COVID-19 has put paid to the idea of a Super League for the time being.
Legally, logistically the super League would be impossible to restart if matches were to be played across Europe.
Imagine a 14 days quarantine for Bayern players and staff before a ManUtd-Bayern game!

Aussie Gooner

So Arteta wants to let go of Holding, Mustafi and Sok according to Ornstein but keep Luiz who admits that he wants to go to Benfica! Arteta is also after Ajax star Nicolas Tagliafico at left back to allow Saka to move up to the left wing, showing him how much the club values him. What about Kola and Teirney then?

Valentin

Aussie Gooner, You are right that individual bonus only reinforce the idea than the individual is more important than the team. At PSG, Neymar and Cavani went to war on who was the designated penalty and free-kick taker. Cavani has a bonus per goal and if he tops the list of goal scorer in the league. https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/20/unai-emery-says-feuding-paris-saint-germain-stars-neymar-and-edinson-cavani-must-share-penalty-duties-6942381/ Emery showed real leadership by locking himself in his office and ignore the feud. According to reports, he literally locked himself in his office and refused to go out when a group representing the players tried to confront him and ask him to… Read more »

Dissenter

Aussie
How dare you praise Emery for anything?
You haven’t been here long enough to read the memo properly.