I think we’re heading into a week of action.
Some teams have had shockers and lost.
Some teams have had shockers and clearly showcased their weaknesses (hello, Arsenal).
Some teams just need to make some moves.
Arsenal hasn’t done much of a job moving on the problem players this summer, but I suspect things are going to come to a head as Arteta gets real with his intentions.
Lacazette isn’t getting a new deal, so it doesn’t matter how much quality the manager thinks he has, we need to move him on before we get into a Rambo like situation. This is Arteta.
“At the moment, we haven’t started any negotiations,”
“We have a lot of things still to do in this market and at the moment we are focusing on those things.”
“He’s a player I’m really happy with. I think we’ve shown him a lot of faith since I arrived here.”
“But we cannot start any speculation. We know that any player who is under two years of their contract is always going to be talked about.”
It’s clear from the above that he’s not a priority from a contract perspective. He’s a goal scorer, he might be expensive, but he can be a difference-maker, so let’s hope someone is feeling generous. Also, let’s hope Edouard is being benched for Arsenal, not Spurs.
We need to move on some of our centre backs this week. We are stocked heavily and there is just no way any of them are getting games. Sokratis and Cal Chambers seem the most likely to be moved on, with West Ham and Fulham looking likely destinations for the Englishman. Rumours are also quite strong that Lazio is interested in Mustafi.
The two players that have been notably absent with very little movement are Matteo G and Lucas Torreira. No one wants a piece of the Frenchman, something I suspect the player didn’t expect. He must be in panic mode because he was literally the move valued teenager of all time this January, now the best he can do is a phone call from Unai Emery.
Torreira is a different story, he’s attracted a lot of average interest from Italy… but Spanish media is moving on the idea that Simeone wants to pull the trigger and make a deal happen. He’s apparently spoken to the player and the obvious deal is he leaves with Partey coming the other way. It’s a face-saving swap for the Spaniards and it leaves both parties with decent players.
The clearest issue we have in our squad though is the lack of creativity in the final third. Willian put in a duff performance against West Ham, making it quite clear that we need a real specialist in the area of unlocking deep and medium blocks. I think we’ll make it happen for Aouar, but Aulas won’t make it easy for Arsenal… but, they dind’t make it easy for Alex Lacazette back in the day.
BIG GARY NEVILLE SAID SOMETHING WE ALL AGREE WITH:
“I think Mikel Arteta is punching above his weight,” said Neville on his podcast. “He is going above and beyond the players he has. The shape and the organisation, things we have criticised Arsenal for in the past, is good.
“They are not finishing in the top four like Arsene Wenger used to get criticised for but they look like a team which is more cohesive. It has continued from the end of last season and he is doing a great job.
“I just think Mikel Arteta would love that £150 million that Frank Lampard has got this summer.”
The Nuggets are doing well at the minute, let’s see if Stan and Josh feel like they can unlock some of their cash and make this summer a Christmas miracle.
Short post today, see you in the comments!
Suarez was supposed to sign for Juventus. Problem Juventus has too many non-European player, so Suarez applied for an Italian passport. In order to get an Italian passport, you need to pass a test of profiency in Italian. Suarez passed with high colour the test at the University of Perugia. Bad luck, the university was under investigation since February by the Italian Police for traffic of test. Most of the top staff was under electronic surveillance. The prosecution officially told reporters that Juventus paid the university to get the full questionnaire before the test and get a positive result for… Read more »
@salparadisenyc –
There is no chance they entertain a swap deal between those two. I’ve heard Callum Hudson-Odoi’s name being mentioned. Which is a no thank you from me.
Fucking hell people. Get over Martinez leaving. It’s like Leno has never saved a penalty…..
He is an excellent keeper and nowhere as .bad as some make him out to be.
The fact is that Martinez wanted to leave so the club let him go once they got the money they wanted or as close as.
Its the same people harping about everything negative, imagined or real, at the club. Just fucking negative for the sake of it.
The pen Martinez saved for Villa was poorly taken and perfect height for a keeper who guessed the right corner, which he did.
Far more impressive was his calm passing under pressure with SHU players closing him down.
“you are judging him on his CV alone and not focusing on his attributes” A CV is expected to talk about attributes of the owner. So, I don’t understand the difference in a CV and attributes you are trying to shove up out throats here because the CV shows the complete package of the owner. No one said Martinez is gash but posters are just telling you to tone down your over the top praising while trying to demean Leno who was our second best performer behind Aubameyang before his injury. For posters to have scolded Leno for our defensive… Read more »
Also love how certain types start the Martinez stuff then are met with a difference of opinion and then start with the whole why are we still on this can’t we just move on wah wah. Infants
Moray, I only analysed the keeper we do have, who I don’t think is utter shite like some on here do.
And that a proper defence will help Leno play to his strengths.
Also it’s hard not to be drawn into that debate when it’s been going for days 😂😂
The legend of Suarez grows, dark artist to the core.
Let’s face it, he belongs with Simeone at Atletico where they can do battle together.
Partey going nowhere, he’s going to want in on the action.
For the love of god.End this Martinez vs Leno debate.Its boring the bollocks off me.Eveyone has had their say now.Its done dusted.zAnything else is just going around & around in circles.Move on.Deal with it.Get over it.RIght or wrong there are far more pressing issues the club has to resolve.How about discussing these?
JIm
Comedy right… Douzi for Kante 😂.
Edu would deserve a statue for that effort.
Regarding Martinez:
I didn’t want to see him go, he wanted to leave, he is gone, all the best to him. We still have a fantastic keeper in goal.
But he will be used as a stick to beat the club with by people who do nothing but find fault with the club. Its exhausting to read.
@salparadisenyc –
Yeah it would never happen. I just fear we will swap him for some out of favour trash that Chelsea have lying around. Much like we did with Sanchez to United.
Jim LaheySeptember 22, 2020 15:49:08
Regarding Martinez:
Well said.
Slap.Amatch made in “ hell” as they say.But looks like Barca the slime bandits have pulled the plug…..
Tee,
A CV shows what you have done not what you can accomplish.
That’s why in all walk of life, hiring managers want to dig deeper than what a CV says.
Even when taking into account a past CV, managers should read one with the same disclaimer than most financial regulators impose to communication.
Past performances is not indicative of future results.
If only we could swap Side Show Bob MII for Kante……
I have to say, as bad as things may or may not seem at Arsenal, United are fucked! And I am loving it!! Was hilarious to Garry Neville moan about the lack of investment into the team considering the amount of money that has been ploughed into the team!! They bought an £80m centre back last year and a £55m right back! Christ almighty, what more do they want?! Also, isn’t Pogba’s contact out this summer?? No one seems to be mentioning it! If he was an Arsenal player the media would be all over it every day. I would… Read more »
Enjoyed learning that our performance against West Ham was the pinnacle of our abilities with these players.
Sometimes it’s good to listen to students of the game and feel enlightened at their vast knowledge. Thought telling Jamie he was a lousy person to talk to was peak too, obviously a dislike for Nigerians in there…
Polarising stuff.
Certain debates carry on for days on end in part for one or both of two reasons: one, one camp denies the reasonableness of the other camp’s POV; or two, one camp makes unreasonable claims & treats them as matters of fact. The now-tedious Martinez-Leno debate gives us plenty of both. I’ll let you decide which camp is which and which POVs are reasonable and unreasonable.
@Tom, yeah it’s not another lockdown but there are new restrictions (entertainment venues including pubs closing by 10pm) and some old ones re-instated (working from home where possible). This is the initial attempt to stop things getting out of hand again but if it doesn’t work they will probably have to go further. For now though, no crowds at sporting events for the foreseeable future. I’d also add that the complete lack of our supposed ‘world class’ track and tracing programme and the feeble testing regime does indeed make AFC’s activities in the transfer market look like a towering triumph… Read more »
Lol…I wonder if foreign players will have to take a similar test to play in the PL post-Brexit… “Italian authorities are investigating alleged “irregularities” in Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez’s Italian citizenship test. The Barcelona striker took the exam last week as part of a possible move to Italian club Juventus. But the Perugia prosecutor’s office and the financial police say they are looking into how the test took place. Judicial sources however have told Italian news agency Ansa that Suarez himself is not under investigation. The player allegedly knew about subjects given in the test before he took it at… Read more »
Sorry Val, didn’t spot that you’d already posted about that earlier.
Andy, how about the mask wearing requirements, are they being strictly observed where you live?
Here in Chicago not so much.
Unless we manage to move 2 to 3 players on, it’d be pathetic and reflect poorly on the new management.
Squad poverty isn’t helped by throwing money away on Aubameyang.
Over relying on one player shows how weak the team is.
Charlie “Enjoyed learning that our performance against West Ham was the pinnacle of our abilities with these players.” You do love a straw-man, don’t you? I never said that West Ham represents the best we can play; I said that I think our struggles in that game are reflect certain fundamental underlying problems — not just “a bad performance” — something I’ll try to lay out in more detail later. “ Thought telling Jamie he was a lousy person to talk to was peak too, obviously a dislike for Nigerians in there.” Jamie may be pleasant and friendly to other… Read more »
Andy, They already do. After one, two or three years in UK players need to prove that they have a minimum grasp of English when applying to renew their permit. A Tier 2 visa will be usually be granted as long as the player is able to meet the English-language requirement set by the Home Office. Otherwise, a Tier 5 visa will be granted. In order to secure a work permit from the Home Office, a footballer’s employer must first receive a “Governing Body Endorsement”, or GBE, for that player from The FA. The FA grants two types of GBEs… Read more »
“But even this doesn’t get at it completely, because “bad performance” suggests that our personnel and formation and structure are fine and that the problem was that Arsenal players didn’t show up or had off nights or flubbed their lines. But that’s not what occurred. Arsenal’s players put in plenty of energy and effort and most performed their lines to the best of their abilities. We struggled against West Ham for more fundamental reasons, in my opinion.“ Yes, straw man indeed. Who performed their role to the best of their ability against West Ham exactly? I’m certain not one player… Read more »
I have been reading this blog for more than 3 years , and it is crazy how two person can make the comment section so negative. I am talking about CG + Bamford. Pretty sure sane people can`t make those observation throughout the years like theirs… Have to scroll down everytime I see their names on the comment sections 🙁
Yea that Suarez story is something else…
‘ But that’s not what occurred. Arsenal’s players put in plenty of energy and effort and most performed their lines to the best of their abilities.’
Banford this is you stating arsenal players played to their peak. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Bamford10
Why bother engaging with Chumpagne charlie, he lets we forget believed Wenger could challenge for the title if all the following conditions were met. …
Tom, adherence to mask wearing is pretty good where I am IMO it’s more the case of people mixing socially far too much without adequate social distancing. Lots of people having mates or extended family round their homes socially and not following the rules. Outside in public there’s more compliance.
Interesting that you’re in Chicago, my employer is based there and it’s the last place I travelled to before lockdown.
Thanks Val, that’s interesting. I was wondering how that might change given the UK’s politics and in particular concerns about migration. On the other hand previous EU rules prevented us from signing up and coming young players from South America and I would assume that they no longer apply which could be interesting.
Charlie “Jamie is a much appreciated Nigerian on this site, you sullied his name and it’s not on.” I didn’t know Jamie was Nigerian, and I said nothing that in any way, shape or form has anything to do with anyone’s nationality, race or any other thing. Jamie doesn’t like me, and as a result, I don’t find him very pleasant to talk to. That is all I was saying. That you are seemingly trying to make this into something it most definitely was not is bizarre and … well … I’ll just leave it at that. It’s weird. No… Read more »
andy1886
Who did you vote for in the last General Election.
Banford
That whole passage serves as evidence of how painfully serious you take matters on here. One day you’ll read the room and figure out it’s a football blog.
Let’s just say sarcasm is not your strong suit. If Jamie were at all pleasant or useful to speak to he’d probably fill you in, but alas.
Lyon want £54m for Aouar and are bracing themselves for bids in the final two weeks of the market. Aour is understood to be aware of a club playing in UCL who are preparing a late offer. #AFC EL participation shouldn’t rule them out of the running.
– Telegraph
I hope we can agree that one of the reasons we’ve finished in 8th place last season in the EPL is because our defence has been shocking… especially when Emery was our manager. Thankfully it appears that under Arteta our defence has discovered a new backbone of sorts. Here’s the thing during these turbulent times Leno has been consistently one of our best players even though he had very little help from his defence. Now with Saliba and Gabriel on board along with Bellerin and Tierney hopefully able to give a full season, I have no doubt, Leno will improve… Read more »
Leedsgunner
“I hope we can agree that one of the reasons we’ve finished in 8th place last season in the EPL is because our defence has been shocking… especially when Emery was our manager.”
Emery was in charge for 13 games before being sacked.
The remaining 25 games saw no.improvement with Arsenal for long periods languishing in 10th place.
Banford
I don’t even know you but I dont like you and for the last few days I can understand why others don’t like you.
You make it very easy for people to dislike you.
Don’t really seem to get ‘it’. The piss taking is part and parcel of the football community but you seem to have a stick permanently stuck up your arse.
I can guarantee you’ve never watched an arsenal match in a bar/pub.
Or with your mates
“That whole passage serves as evidence of how painfully serious you take matters on here. ”
Pot meet kettle
You always find a way to excuse your rude and unpleasant manner on here as just banter, hope you know that stopped fooling anyone long ago. You take this place more seriously that any on here hence why you would rather go on a rampage of insults rather than admit you got anything wrong.
Red Army
We’ll see in the next 10 games who is right
‘and it is crazy how two person can make the comment section so negative. I am talking about CG + Bamford.’
Gotta scroll past, cos they are like broken radios at this point.
To be fair, Micah Richards is a terrible pundit and is only there to fill a quota.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12037/12078384/micah-richards-on-taking-the-knee-experience-of-racism-and-where-to-go-next
Red
Thanks for further proving my point for me. With or without Emery our defence has been shocking… so if a keeper can be depended on under those conditions, why would he becoming suddenly become undependable as the defence becomes better.
… better?
Tee It doesn’t seem to concern you one jot that Leno is now cemented in as our # 1 GK, with no adequate backup. Strange. Just because a GK makes lots of fine reflex saves doesn’t make him a top keeper. Rewind many of Leno’s top saves over the past two seasons and then take a look at where some of the problems originated. That’s right, there were quite a few occasions where Leno himself was culpable for the defensive frailties and cockups. The fact that Martinez has left the club is irrelevant. What is relevant though is that we… Read more »
Receding also complaining about ‘banter’ speaks volumes.
@Red –
“We’ll see in the next 10 games who is right”
Would you rather be right, or would you rather Arsenal were successful?
Bamford10
Question.
Why do you take things so personally?
This is an adult football blog for Christ’s sake.
Have an opinion, stick to it and enjoy the banter.
Please stop with the goal keeper sale it’s done move on
We need creativity if the sale allows us to buy that I am delighted we sold him
Leno is good enough for sure it’s not like he is Almunibum or something
“Receding also complaining about ‘banter’ speaks volumes.”
Maybe you should not involve yourself in things you know nothing about
He swooped in and accused a poster of bias towards Nigerians with no factual prove to back it up, Bamford never made reference to nationality. He was the n reminded at his constant derogatory regards towards myself and my nationality and he pleads banter
miss me with that nonsense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27nCc2eiERM
Graham, unless my memory is clouded the overwhelming reaction to Leno’s injury in the Brighton game was “ holy shit, Arsenal’s season is over!”
Hardly befitting if Leno’s such a liability.
“We’ll see in the next 10 games who is right”
We’ll see at the end of the season.
jIm
‘To be fair, Micah Richards is a terrible pundit and is only there to fill a quota”
Yeah, Micah isn’t a good pundit.
His anaylsis aren’t that good and he has this annoying way of laughing, like a guffaw that drowns out the other pundits in the studio.
He needs to work hard quickly to prove he really does deserve that job or he’ll be gone quickly. Viewer feedback plays a role in how broadcasters staff their shows.
Dissenter
In the world’s worst pundit sweepstakes Tim Howard gives anyone good run for their money
Leftside
I love that veiled threat from Aulas to spurn Arsenal bid “champions league club interested with late offer.”
If Arteta and Edu get spunked on this one they deserve it.
“He swooped in and accused a poster of bias towards Nigerians with no factual prove to back it up, Bamford never made reference to nationality. He was the n reminded at his constant derogatory regards towards myself and my nationality and he pleads banter“ 😭😭 This creases me, and I know I’m not the only one. You haven’t the foggiest what’s going on and ignorant of that you’re comically straight in to chastise me about taking this place seriously. Hahaha deary me, you and Banford are a couple of lost cunts in a wide open space. Someone flag these two… Read more »
Tom
Really?
I was just thinking what an idiot Leno was for not dealing with a fairly straightforward ball.
In any case, it proved not to be the end of our season.
Really?I was just thinking what an idiot Leno was for not dealing with a fairly straightforward ball.
——
Graham, that was your initial reaction?
Kinda weird because he actually dealt with it. The injury was more freakish than anything else.
Andy, To be frank, contrarily to what many believe there is no European rules that stopped clubs from buying footballers from South America. I doubt that BREXIT will change on that front. For example the non-European quota that Spain and Italy imposes are purely something that their local FA have decided. I don’t even know if UEFA has restrictions on non-European players in its competition. IMHO, the biggest change will that it will make it more difficult for average European players to get into England. Second string players such as our new No2 goalkeeper will find the Home Office rules… Read more »
As someone who doesn’t follow the French league closely, and mostly seen Aouar from YouTube clips, can I say the money they are asking for him is unjustified?
Or am I missing something?
RH and Hamford are so clueless 🤣🤣🤣
Tom
Think if it was last summer the Aouar ask would be in £60s, fact its touching high £40s is a Covid bi-product. He will move to Arsenal or up the ladder, very high ceiling heading into the early peak years.
If Kroenke was premier league hungry and ruthless he’d go on a spree this summer.
RH and Hamford are so clueless
Knew you would not be able to help yourself you sad fellow, RH is mentioned and you have to have a go….banter i know
Jamie isn’t Nigerian, that’s no secret
Tom
I agree, if Lyon is being unreasonable we should move on, 54m is too much.
I’d get Edouard instead and sell Laca, should give us more goals. Playing Willian Cam and Pepe RW would give us decent creativity.
As long as we buy a CM too I’m happy.
RH and Hamford share a stick, and they have it firmly entrenched into their respective colons. It’s a huge fucking stick too, long enough to reach from one side of the Atlantic to the other 🤣
Not to jump in here Receding but you did jump all over that in similar fashion, triggered by Champers post. Not able to help thyself.
Irony getting lost in the scuffle.
Not to jump in here Receding but you did jump all over that in similar fashion, triggered by Champers post. Not able to help thyself.
Yes i did, to point out the utter hypocrisy of the post
Tom, Aulas is a very tough negotiator, but this time it is slightly different in that because Lyon did not qualify for Europe, they have to sell some of their players. Aulas always start his negotiating with an over the top price. £54 millions is an over-priced, but unless there is an frenzy bidding war for Aouar, he is more likely to go for about £40~45 millions including add-on. He is special in the sense that he can play No6~8 position but his dribbling ability is good enough to allow him to also play No10. Right now most 6 are… Read more »
Lol what. How is it hypocritical of me to laugh at you now? Laughing at you and Bamford has been my most consistent trait on LeGrove, if anything it’s right on script for me.
Take a breather RH, sounds like you’re getting worked up and talking nonsense from all the egg you’ve poured over your own face.
Cedric out for League Cup duties tomorrow.
Injured calf.
Only 4 years left of him.at £50 000.a week.
Ruthless he said!
Jamie,
Genuine question not trolling. What nationality are you? And what nationality background are you?
I always assumed that you were American and now I it is open warfare due to Bamford allegedly insulting you on the basis of your Nigerian heritage.
Fab Rom adamant we’re actively in a sell/loan period to fund some midfield additions.
Wonder who will eventually make the ‘OUT’ list?
Chambers, Mustafi/Holding, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi……Willock, Nelson, the favourites.
Will we see another more divisive sale still? AMN, Bellerin, Laca
Luteo
The youngsters at Arsenal are overrated especially Saka, what you say?.
Bamford allegedly insulting you on the basis of your Nigerian heritage.
No one insulted anyone based on their nationality
It was a baseless accusation and when pulled up on it rather than apologize he was accused of “taking himself too seriously”
Redtruth
I know you’re bored because no one is entertaining you seriously these days, but it’s pathetically obviously what you’re trying to do, just because I made a joke comment to you about killing you if you talk ill about Saka months ago.
Find a new hobby.
I don’t know why Willock is not linked to a move away from Arsenal. Of all the youngsters, he looks the least promising.
“No one insulted anyone based on their nationality”
Precisely. So it was a reference to nothing, which both of you couldn’t wait to shove down your throats and gag on That’s what brought on the laughing emojis.
Receding
Put the shovel down, you’ve not a clue what’s going on and still you’ve decided to put a high-vis jacket on and start waving your arms and blowing your whistle.
Freddie,Sal, Val, maybe this is just me – “once bitten twice shy baby” – developing a large dose of skepticism towards expensive players ( Pepe) coming from France and living up to the billing.
Sal,
I think so too.
If you snooze, you lose.
TR7,
I think you’ve just answered your question re Willock.
CG, maybe Arsenal are saving Cedric for the PL title run you predicted we’d making.
Between winning the league, Europe , and FA cup again Arteta needs to be very clever( as clever as a Spaniard can be of course ) with his resources.
In the worst pundit conversation we must mention Danny Murphy, honestly the bloke has less charisma as a Ed Milliband, to go with his clear anti-Arsenal bias.
He tries to be the grumpy co-commentator but this spot is reserved for Mark Lawrenson who can actually carry it off.
Squad poverty isn’t helped by throwing money away on Aubameyang.
Over relying on one player shows how weak the team is.
I believe every team needs a player that can score a lot of goals. Pretty basic. That isn’t throwing money away. That’s rewarding great valuable play.
Now paying Ozil, that is throwing money away.
Luteo,
Can I politely say that you are one of more obnoxious person on this blog.
Never contribute to any discussion except with petty, insulting comments.
RH,
I did not followed the thread, so that’s why I used the word allegedly. I just catchedvthe end of it.
For all I know Jamie could be an elf living in Mordor happily married with Bamford.
CC The outs could be quite a list once market really swings and this may be optimistic but one has to think potentially 3 CBs likely Sokratis, Chambers and maybe Mustafi transferred with Guen, Torriera and Kolasinac the dead certs to leave. Ozil a bonus, although he will likely stay well past his contract to haunt every last one of us well into this decade. Also i’d like to see Willock loaned, and ESR given a number and tested this season. Tom No doubt club got taken to cleaners on Pepe. Fact this market is darker than usual is a… Read more »
Tom, I don’t think that you can compare Aouar and Pepe in term of quality and ability. Everybody who had followed Ligue 1 knew that Pepe was not all that. As I have numerously explained, he thrived at Lille because the team was setup in a system tailored made for him. That’s not the case for Aouar at Lyon. Take out the penalty that Pepe scored in his last season at Lille (most he did not cause, Jonathan Line did) and even his stats don’t look so impressive anymore. Decent but nothing to shout about. Also while the Lille system… Read more »
Sal
Forgot about Sokratis, and tbh Ozil is such a non-entity in terms of the team you forget what hindrance he actually is in real terms.
Sokratis seems destined for a fire sale type transfer and I think our best hope is to flog Ozil somewhere and pay a chunk of his wages – might be a false hope right enough. Gets him out the picture and relieves the wages somewhat.
What are your thoughts about a last minute attacker joining the party?
Valentin I speak on what I know, and I’m more than happy to admit that the majority on here know football and the goings on of everything surrounding it much better than I. I comment on matchday occasionally and I comment about this and that, mostly sticking to trying to be funny regardless of what anyone thinks, because that’s what entertains me. I’m sorry if I don’t have back news gossip from the lower levels of random football clubs like you seem to offer all the time, but fuck me if I’m just not interested in the soap opera angles… Read more »
Ornstein saying Reiss Nelson is available for loan, puts a little more to the rumour of him and Zaha swapping sides for the season.
The G
Le Groves magnificent French soccer corespondent
Pepe is a £25 million player.A maverick. A 1 game in 5 player?
Aouar is a player in the Ozil/Wenger mode?
Luteo, You need to buy a mirror. I disagree with a lot of people , but I always try to be courteous. You on the other hand, you spend your time like a little dog trying to bite ankle of other posters. Taking more joy in scoring points or belittling people than having an honest discourse. I think that most of what Bamford write is ridiculous, but despite all the vitriol and abuse he receives he never stoop as low as the fange of insult you and your cohorts of friends seems to be revelling in. Same with Pierre. Your… Read more »
Valentin
Bamford speaks on.behalf of Arsenal while the rest are more interested on defending the manager.