I have a BUSY day today so I’m going to keep this sweet and short. Did the order of that phrase jar you? Good. I’m messing with your damn mind because it makes me feel powerful.
First up, good news, Mikhi has left Arsenal. A mutual agreement for each party to go their separate ways ends a pretty bland tenure and probably one of the least satisfying transfers of the last 10 years.
Arsenal lose £180k a week off the wage bill. The player gets to sign a long-term deal with Roma he’d not have picked up had we slapped a transfer fee on him. There’s sometimes an early cancellation fee, in this case, I very much doubt it. This works for all parties. No one is out of pocket.
The GREAT news that dropped out of the blue is that Arsenal will be welcoming back Dani Ceballos for a year. The fan favourite had 3 loan offers on the table and he turned them all down because he LOVES The Arsenal. What a guy.
I was genuinely worried he was a wet lettuce when I heard he wanted to play for Betis. This is the best move for him. He’ll grow under Arteta and he’ll gain a bigger profile. There’s no option to buy, but let’s be real, who’d be foolish enough to tie themselves to a purchase a year out. Only worry is if he keeps up his great form, he’ll cost us more money, or potentially earn a move to a different club.
David Ornstein, a god among gods, reckons the Gabriel deal is done and dusted. He’ll be announced shortly. That’s bloody great news. I love how covid-agitated fans are raging at the PR department like this is some sort of football chinese-water-torture.
‘WHY WOULD THEY HOLD BACK THE NEWS THEY ARE SO CREUL!’
What does that mean for the midfield? Will we sign Auoar and Thomas Partey? I hope so. We need all the help we can get next season. Make those two signings and we’ll be a very exciting force next season. It’s a pipedream at the moment, but give it a week and see who we sell and for how much.
AMN is staying. I told you that yesterday. I just wanted a way in on this video.
Look at this guy 😭 pic.twitter.com/OhLkNYAc6v
— mikelaafc (@mikelaafc) August 31, 2020
That my friends is what we term: Sauce.
Mesut Ozil. The man, the myth, the Fortnite legend… has been offered a mega-money deal to play in Saudi Arabia for a season. Why not? My mate Tomasz went out there to sell generators, he’s caked in dough. He absolutely loves it. I just don’t understand why Mesut would waste a year feeling shit about football? You work in football a short term. Your legs, muscles, and ligaments don’t hold out forever. Why would you waste game time to make a point no one cares about?
Training with green energy entrepreneur Matty F is no match for proper football. I am at a loss as to why he doesn’t just move on, for the good of his mental health, and his brand.
Finally, there are BEASTLY rumours that Hector Bellerin is attracting the interest of Mr Pirlo at Juve. The suave Italian wants ‘chameleonic’ players. That is the most elite word ever to cross my laptop, coming to a creative review soon. I love Hector, I’m not sure how I feel about this, but if the price is right, why not?
Ok, that is all I have time for. I’ve had a sneak peak at the new lick of paint we’re putting on Le Grove and I am VERY happy that you are going to get a decent mobile experience moving forward. The comments are unlikely to change too much, as someone put it, the functionality of the site if like peak-AOL homepage, but does it need to be any slicker? I don’t think so. Any suggestions, drop them below.
Oh, and by the way, why haven’t you listened to our podcast? So rude. I’ll forgive you if you download and share with FIVE friends.
Thanks x
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Interesting how many Bellerin defenders on here. I never thought he was that great even at peak – his defending and ability to read the game was not fantastic although his speed helped compensate. Now that has mostly gone we are left with the husk. Meanwhile AMN is a couple of years younger and has grown in power and confidence over the last year and clearly responding brilliantly to Arteta’s coaching. For some reason though beyond me , Bellerin is able to command twice the transfer fee on the open market. This really is a no brainer – sell Bellerin… Read more »
It’d be critical for the club to pull off some magic and land Partey and Auoar or equivalent (not light version like Diawara). Remains to be tested but on paper our back line plus GKs are sorted and could be v strong indeed. We all know our frontline is also v strong and somewhat strengthened with Willian added. Relatively speaking, our MF is shit. May be passable in defensive duties but progressive, forward play is shocking. No pace, no physique, no aerial, no drivers and worse of all no creativity. Ceballos may be ok for last season. With our defence… Read more »
Strange that most on Le Grove don’t rate three of the six managers in the top six.
Ole is apparently a clown, Mourinho past it and Lampard overrated.
One would automatically assume that with a better manager and an improved squad to last season and all the “trophies” won, a top four finish would have been the minimum all things considered.
Rodgers tanked top four from a position of strength so surely he can’t be the one you are all wary of.
Arsenal fans were expecting to win the Europa league this season he failed but won the FA.
The narrative that we were not expecting any trophy is false. Its meant to play to Arteta fanboys hands.
I don’t think bellerin has been great the past year, but if he goes we need a replacement. AMN isn’t a RB. He can be a good Wingback though. Bellerin at top form is really good.
Just look at the teams that were interested in AMN. and Now look at the teams that are interested in bellerin. That should tell you what you need to know. Anyway If it gets a couple of really good midfielders, I am all for it but we need a replacement for bellerin.
“Arsenal fans were expecting to win the Europa league this season…..”
Or finish in the top four, that was the minimum requirement before a ball was kicked for the past two seasons, wonder what has changed.
There should be no excuse to play 10 men behind the ball this season, Arteta should get players that can play the exciting football we were promised.
If 10 men behind the ball is pragmatic then Mourinho is better at it than Arteta.
Habesha
Hector is a broken Ferrari but the rich guys think it’s serviceable.
AMN is a good and reliable Toyota which the rich don’t know about.
As much as xhaka staying in the team bothers me, I’d rather we sign a beastly AM than his replacement if we only manage to sign one CM.
The reason being we simply can’t create a thing with this midfield. As well we can’t control games in the opposition half. I want us to return to driving the game from the front foot, not smash and grab wins as much as I will never complain when we get those too
“Hector is a broken Ferrari but the rich guys think it’s serviceable.
AMN is a good and reliable Toyota which the rich don’t know about.”
Africans and Toyota, they really did a number on us convincing the Toyota is the only vehicle worth owning, wonder if this is the case elsewhere, a very boring ride not to mention bland styling.
Kenyan is right
Bellerin is a Ferrari – but he’s a rent a car in Vegas and 6 years old. However shiny he may look from the outside and appealing to those with money and flash taste, what’s under the hood will disappoint
Northbanker
absolutely spot on post
The latest Camrys look alright though I’ve always preferred the styling on Hondas. The current gen are pretty cool
Kenyan I haven’t seen a Baku level of performance from bellerin at any time. Yes AMN is athletic but he looks good because he has Tierney to cover for him. And his best performances came when he was used as an Inverted RB to cover Xhaka and allow Saka to attack. Anyway If this is the only way to strengthen our midfield I will be okay with it, considering bellerin hasn’t been on top form for a while. But It would mean we will be Isolating Pepe to use AMN as an Inverted RB. But I understand the ” having… Read more »
“The latest Camrys look alright though…” Yea a definite upgrade on the last one that’s for sure. Just bored of the whole Toyota reliability sermon, drives their prices up even for locally used ones and you don’t just see the bang for your buck As for Bellerin i am not against him getting sold, but thing is we are discussing his sale with PSG while the suitors for AMN was Wolves, kind of tells you something no matter how much you try to ignore it. I read PSG wanted the guy that just joined Leicester from Atalanta but arrived late… Read more »
I think the club sees this as an opportunity for wage bill culling. bellerin is on a 100k+. Kolasinac is also same. we have brought in players for lower wages. But we do need a backup LB now if Kolasinac leaves along with bellerin.
“But we do need a backup LB now if Kolasinac leaves along with bellerin.”
Saka is more comfortable as a conventional left back than AMN is in a back four. Such an intelligent footballer that kid.
Will just say that winning the FA cup was a greater achievement than winning the Europa when you take into consideration the teams we faced , especially in the latter stages.
“Will just say that winning the FA cup was a greater achievement than winning the Europa when you take into consideration the teams we faced , especially in the latter stages.”
Yea you said that countless times, a great achievement that qualifies you to play in the lesser achievement Europa league, that adds up.
I’m of the view that if Bellerin goes he would need to be replaced. £25-£35 feels too low for my liking.
RH
I don’t want Saka to become a utility player. He needs to stick with either wing and play. His decision making in the final third is why he shouldn’t play LB. Although it’s a sign of his quality to do so well there.
Number of losses for City in the league last season = 9
Number of losses for Chelsea in the league last season = 12
We didn’t beat two invincible teams to win the FA cup, we beat two teams who have been beaten by multiple other English teams over the course of the season.
Its another thing that I’ve been thinking, even if Laca is sold do people think Auba goes up top? I have a feeling it will be Eddie up top.
Bellerin’s main asset was his pace. I actually don’t think his techincal ability is up there with most of the team. The ball bounces off him a lot and he plays some strange passes. Still he’s a good player and I suppose he brings alot of intangibles to the team. But for £30m I would sell.
“The narrative that we were not expecting any trophy is false. Its meant to play to Arteta fanboys hands.”
The narrative was that we were on an almighty losing streak and that any form of stability would be welcomed.
Unless you are one of those guys who believe that Emery would have gotten us beyond what Arteta did.
You can’t expect trophies whoever you are
At best you hope so it’s quite ridiculous to say we expected the Europa Cup – in fact it’s arrogance
I do think some of you need to be more realistic – we are not going to solve every problem this TW. If we do manage to improve the midfield that’s as good as we wil get That means settling for settling AMN who is still developing as a player into RB and having Nketiah as back up CF We also base al of our info on last season We have players like Saka and ESR who may play a vital role in certain positions Much as I would love is to sign Aouar I’m not so sure we’re as… Read more »
China your comment on Xhaka and a prospective AM inadvertently highlights the problem with our midfield. The biggest gap isn’t in either DM or AM, it’s that big, big hole in the middle. Xhaka isn’t athletic enough to carry the ball forward and get back into position when we lose it and an AM in the Ozil style isn’t much use there either. What we need is a powerful B2B midfielder who can carry the ball and operate in that area. In a 433 I expect that Willian will play at #10. Not sure that Ceballos is the #8 that… Read more »
Better late than never, but can only offer congratulations to the club on signing Gabriel. Previous regimes would have either paid massively over the odds, or meekly walked away on finding Utd, Napoli and Carlo were interested , Either that or just screwed up the transfer completely
My only reason for thinking Ozil might accept a new contract somewhere this summer is the fact that London as a cultural hub is largely shut. If you can’t go out to party easily, the best restaurants are either closed or no longer fun, the private members’ clubs are deserted because those with money and choices haven’t returned to town, and there’s no buzz left because the theatres, galleries, and entire events industry are mothballed, then why spend a long, cold winter in the UK? (Same argument holds for City workers who might as well be in ‘boring’ Switzerland or… Read more »
The problem with Bellerin was that he thought himself a right winger not a right back. A reminder of Kenny Sansom. And, like Kenny, he left gaps behind which led to goals, for which the centre-backs got the blame.
I say ‘was’ because magical Mikel has shifted him to right half-back.
It may be that, in that position, he is surplus to requirements. A key factor is that he will fetch a bigger transfer fee than the newly retained (and better half-back) AMN.
There are too many who post on here who are writing off Bellerin as a player. The guy is only 25 and suffered a serious injury from which he needed time to recover. Despite this he is still a very good player otherwise I doubt that clubs like PSG, Juventus and Bayern would be remotely interested in him. Maitland-Niles has played well in LWB position when we played 3 CBs and Tierney played alongside him, but I remain to be convinced that he is a solid enough defender if ever Arteta reverts back to a flat back four. When he… Read more »
Most if not all of us would agree that the current MF, with/ out Ceballos, would drag us back. So the priorities are simple, MF, MF and MF., now that defence is sorted. Without the funds, we raise it by selling players assuming AFC doesn’t own properties in London CBD or Canary Wharf. And we sell overstock,, under qualified or both. All relative. As much as Bellerin is likeable, if he fetches c 30m, we need the money. Beggars can’t be choosers. If Laca fetches another 35 to 40m, grab it. In both cases, we have options albeit not ideal.… Read more »
Just seen a pop-up for the Spuds documentary on Amazon. It’s called “All or Nothing” – that will be NOTHING year after year then 🙂
Elmo
“My only reason for thinking Ozil might accept a new contract somewhere this summer is the fact that London as a cultural hub is largely shut”
Suddenly Ozil is this party animal, whereas last year he was locked in his room playing fortnight all day and all night.
Useroz None of the players you list are going to fetch remotely the sort of transfer fees you suggest. I suggest that you take a look at what is going on in Europe at the moment. Most clubs don’t have a pot to piss in apart from perhaps Bayern Munich and PSG. They talk big about players that they are interested in until a transfer fee is discussed. Most want swaps, contracts cancelled or loans. I can assure you that selling Guendouzi and Torreira this summer will be a hard task and the sort of money they will fetch will… Read more »
Have to agree with Stroller, the only offers I’ve seen mentioned for Guendouzi and Torreira have been loan deals which generate next to nothing. Same with Holding and both Sokratis and Kolasinac are linked with clubs who want them on a free.
I doubt that we’d sell Laca without buying a back up, and as I’ve said I don’t believe that we can sell Bellerin and not buy a replacement.
We have to sell Laca and Bellerin as they are out most marketable assets and should fund most of the Partey and Aouar payments if both deals are still possible
That will mean using current resources for RB and CF not buying replacements
Which means AMN / Soares and Eddie backing up Auba
You have to be practical about this.
Talking about cars. Suzuki dominates south east Asian market. Servicing is very cheap, and a very reliable car.
Talking about cars. Suzuki dominates south east Asian market. Servicing is very cheap, and a very reliable car.
Not to mention those swift models have a very slick look too.
AMN will be found out as a fullback in a 433 with Pepe ahead. He looks okay as an inverted fullback which basically is a midfielder.
The Arteta fanboys have to bring up Emery ironically thats lowering the bar when arsenal should be aiming higher.
Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce tactics of 10 men behind the ball isnt innovative and shall not be tolerated for full season.
Suzukis are not reliable
Im telling you for free!
Not in African conditions
Gonsterous
There are many bank lenders that won’t fund a car loan for a Suzuki in the states
It’s considered as an unreliable brand for cars here, I know it’s massively popular elsewhere in Asia and Africa.
Korean brands like Hyundai and Kia improved their styling and build quality about a decade ago. They’ve eaten into the profit of Toyota massively.
Sid
Hence why I mentioned south east asia 😊
Dissenter
The reason it is popular here, is because of the cheap and reliable servicing.
Not to mention, the cost of the other imported companies
New post
Godfather, I watch all the games he plays in. Pace is gone, confidence is low, and his final ball is less than ideal.
Love the player, but if he wants Paris, let him go. Would prefer some money for the midfield right now.
Sal, sure does. Shocking bit of business from you know who