Hello people. Sorry for the intermittent posting. I’m on two pitches. What a start to 2021.
Talking of pitches, whoever pitched Mesut to Fener, is a genius. The German finally ended his sad Arsenal career, completing his move yesterday. The Turkish fans aren’t just welcoming a player, they’re welcoming a newly adopted child to their country. The engagement on the tweets is next level, they’ve taken him from Germany, and it’s all quite sweet. I like to see the man smiling.
Good luck to the player. There was never any valour in sitting out the best years of a career for money when you are already loaded. Sad that his agent advised him to behave like that, but here we are, the 10%er usually wins out in these moments.
So, £350k, in theory, back on the books. Reality is we already burned that money on Auba, Partey and Willian. I don’t think we’ve really opened up much in the way of manoeuvring for players.
I think it is almost certain that we’ll bid for a keeper. The hot money is going on Freddie Woodman of Swansea. The Welsh club has signed a replacement from Huddersfield potentially opening the path for us to nab the English 23-year-old. He’s such an unknown that he doesn’t have an ELITE SAVES & BOX COMMANDING 2017-21 video on Youtube. Still, people are telling me he’s good, so I’ll take that advice.
We’re also rumoured to be back in for Emi Buendia and Ryan Christie of Celtic. Ryan has a WHY ARSENAL SHOULD SIGN THIS TOTAL DREAMBOAT video.
Ryan Christie is interesting. We often turn our nose up at Scotland, but hard to of late, they’re churning out some top-class players. Christie scored 20 goals and made 16 assists last season. This year he has 11 assists and 4 goals and Celtic have been shite. He’s on his 3rd season with Celtic, he has 37 goals, 37 assists in 120 odd appearances.
He’s a late bloomer, he just turned 25 years old, one year older than VVD before he arrived here. He’s slummed it with loans at Aberdeen and Inverness. If we’re interested in him, you can’t help but imagine some of the interest has come from KT pumping him. They play together internationally and his numbers stack up well there as well. He can pay right, left and through the middle. I would be interested in this sort of move, it’ll be inexpensive, it could have a big upside, and who are we to turn our noses up against Scottish talent? John McGinn, Andy Robertson, and KT show that they’re doing awesome things up north.
Emi Buendia is also a player I’d be happy with. He’s young, has done it in the league, and he ticks all the boxes we’re looking for. It would be very dangerous for us to head into the rest of the season with ONLY ESR for creativity.
Newcastle this evening. Great news that Tierney is fit, Gabi is returning, and maybe we’ll see Gabi CB back in contention. We are nearly fully fit.
We need to win. We can’t let this go to extra-time because that option isn’t available to us. We need to find our scoring boots. Auba and Lacazette need to find some magic, and hopefully, the service is a little better. I assume we’ll see Thomas Partey starting this one, which will give us a better dynamic. Newcastle are pretty average though, we’re not in need of a shield, we’re in need of some bravery.
Let’s see what the boys have got. On the whistle pod after, keep them ears PEELED. Enjoy tonight, I hope you’re all safe at home. x
Good ebening (from Aus)
Morning
morning
ttrophy
Missed it
Top half?
yes. now to the post
Get in backup keeper already!
Christie looks alright. We do need a body that will play in cam to rotate so hopefully it’s quality not just quantity. That’s where the loan comes in handy if it is just quantity for rotating esr.
I won’t repost my rant from last post. But peeps, if you feel like tearing me apart it’s one of the last comments last post 😂😂😂
MO is still listed as an Arsenal player on the club website as I type but fingers crossed there are no last minute hitches.
3 points is must….
Can we give ESR the #10 shirt?
Watching Diet Peps Arsenal needs you to have a bucket full of ice cubes to dip your feet and in the event it doesnt work have a fraulein who is skilled at the reverse cowgirl, on standby.
Im telling you for free!
Great rant. Ceballos plays like Roy of the Rovers he’s everywhere on the pitch, but not really great at any of it and it just doesn’t really gel with Xhaka, if he was just a bit more focused/disciplined on one area or had somebody with the same energy to compliment like the other pairings you mentioned, he probably would be quite good as he’s certainly busy enough
Stevie Bruce hasn’t ever won an away game against Arsenal hahaha.
Andy Carroll loves us.
Hopefully we can nullify their aerial threat a bit better. Get xhaka involved 😂.
But seriously.
Also we need to play on the front foot better against them. Last game we just didn’t do enough in front of goal and nearly lost off random high balls into the box and set pieces.
I’ve got some faith, we can continue unbeaten. But newy is nothing special.
Carroll the clown was the last player to win an away match for Newcastle at the Emirates. Luckily he’s even worse than the 2010 version.
Auba loves newcastle also. Scoring/assisting (3/2) in 5 of 6 games against them.
It take just a few minutes to realise its Edouards prescence that creates diversion of attention from Ryan Christie to score
Im telling you for free!
No thanks to Scottish Timo Werner
Sign them both up you reckon Sid?
Sid, not a fan of making out while on the job? 😂 I guess you can still watch the game haha
Play Auba or Martinelli? Depends on 2 things for me; 1. is Martinelli fully fit? 2 Are we going to play high press from the off? If yes on both counts we have to play Martinelli. If 2 is no then play Auba and bring Martinelli on last 30 mins when defence is tiring.
Bo,
I vote for you as next manager haha.
Excellent decision to launch the podcast straight up after the final whistle. I reckon that will set you apart from the other Arsenal pods out there… although I think A Bergkamp Wonderland does something similar…
Tonight, I would be happy enough with a win as long as we don’t get anymore injuries and suspensions… we have a crazy new weeks and we will need our full complement to come through it alive.
Although another 4-0 win such as the one over WBA would be nice.
*few weeks
I think auba would be back to the top of goal stats if we played martinelli left and saka right. With esr behind and Tierney overlapping, if we got the ball in earlier he’d be back to ever present on the score sheet
Yeah Leeds, it’s not a ‘must win’. But we 100% should be taking them to town at home. Set the standard for the next few games and see how we go
Fraser and saint-maximin are either fresh from injury or out, so that’s also a bonus for our defense
Pedro Woodman has been suggested by a number of media sources as a potential second string gk. Is he the son of Academy Goalkeeping coach? He is a Newcastle gk currently out on loan to Swansea who are aiming for promotion. He is by all accounts a decent gk and superior to Runarsson. The question is how much are Arsenal willing to spend and what will Newcastle accept for his services. Apart from him Arsenal’s top priority should be a creative central midfielder. Whether you can find the right player in this transfer window at a realistic transfer fee is… Read more »
Pedro, let me correct your hasty ‘research’ re Ryan Christie. He was hardly ‘slumming it’ at Inverness Caley Thistle or Aberdeen. He is an Inverness boy, son of Charlie Christie, legendary architect of the defeat of Celtic by Inverness which led to the infamous ‘Super caley go ballistic celtic are atrocious’ headline. So he played for CaleyThistle since he was a boy, part of the team which tore up the SPL under Terry Butcher and won the Scottish Cup (after Butcher had left). He won numerous ‘young player of the month/year awards before signing for Celtic. At the time they,… Read more »
Thanks Goober 😋. Can’t accept mate, too busy coaching a bunch of local kids and entertaining.
Emi Buendia isn’t British.
Leno
Bellerin —- Holding —-Gabs — Tierney
Partey
Pepe. — ESR — Saka
Nketiah — Lacazette
Subs
Runarsson
Xhaka
Luiz
Nelson
Aubameyang
Martinelli
Willock
No doubt I’ll have some comments on including Pepe and Nketiah in the starting line up. Aubameyang couldn’t score against Newcastle in 90 minutes last time. Nketiah’s used to playing with ESR and Saka, I want to see how they link up. Pepe needs minutes to build up his confidence… I rather him than Willian who offers nothing.
I agree that the 350k per week that the club will apparently save by finally getting rid of our former footballer Herr Ozil is questionable and far from being a silver bullet. It’s a nothing more than a nugget of financial bullshit just like the 350m the UK was going to save after the lying Tory brexit farrago. But, and this is important, it will have a positive effect on the morale of players, fans and everyone else at the club to know that our worst ever signing has skeddadled. Now to learn the lesson. The Willian case augurs badly… Read more »
Christie is the player Arteta thought he was getting with Willian. At a fraction of the price.
Leeds
Wow. That’s a pretty hung go, attack at all costs team selection. No defenders on the bench either. Don Howe or GG would be having kittens leading out a team like that. Even if it’s only the barcodes. Fair play for your positivity mate.
Dr Spooner.’s version of gung ho…
Into the red, nice summary!!
Bojangles, what age are you coaching? That would be so great. I used to coach 15 year old div 4s. They were hilarious. How is your team doing?
Many comment on here about the brain dead decision in recruiting players like Luiz and Willian from Chelski. I’m one of these folk. What possessed the club to even consider recruiting these two ageing dinosaurs? You can see their hearts are not in it and ffs, their ties are still with Chelski!! Sitting around that executive table brainstorming, wasn’t there one sane individual who voiced a concern? You could get a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker around that same table and they’d know what to do. Said it before, will say it again, we are the worst run… Read more »
Emirates Stroller woodman is the son of Andy Woodman who was a palace apprentice when I used to work for them back in the late 80s He became a coach under Pardew I think, He was never any good but his son is meant to be decent, has to be better than Runner who is the worst keeper i have ever seen put on an Arsenal shirt
Actually if we can’t get Buendia just yet.Why not go for Christie ( hasthat Tierney energy about him) shades of Rambo. AND Bissouma.For me a must.
Wilshere back to Bournemouth on a short-term deal.
Poor lad.
RE Woodman – I am sure there was a rumour of us being interested in him in the summer 2019. He is supposed to be decent. Good at youtrh levels for England.
https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1350868871176192005
Lacazette having a laugh with Auba about the #10 shirt that is now free for the taking. Looks like Laca wants it really bad.
This happening with laughs and memes before Ozil’s departure is even confirmed one could assume they are not very sad about Ozil leaving. It’s borderline dissing him. I always thought that the French society within the team, was never close to Ozil and the reports that the squad is on Ozil’s side were plain out lies. I still think that way.
If Laca gets the no.10 it could be a good indication as to whether we will see a new deal.
Goober
My stepson (Chelsea supporter but I’m working on him) is 11 and football mad. He and his mates wanted to play so I volunteered my services. They’re a bunch of Vietnamese kids, real keen with some individual talent amongst them but just want to chase the ball. Got my work cut out.
Bojangles,
Mate that does sound like they’ll be keeping you on your toes!
Great to hear though, keeping active and getting the kids out and about is what it’s all about at that age. If they can kick on then great!
Haha good luck with your stepson though 😂😂 it’s getting harder by the season to sway the support back to The Arsenal. I’m sick of seeing more and more spuds shirts around since they got to the CL final hahaha
Just show him the invincibles DVD haha.
Wilshire has accepted a 6 month contract with Bournemouth.
Kronkephobe
Thanks mate, by my reckoning if it remains as tight as it is now, goal difference is going to come into play when it comes to determining Europa places if we manage to get ourselves into the mix.
Nothing like a goal glut to get the confidence flowing…
Plus, I did have Luiz on the bench!
Goober
Of the VN I’ve spoken with they seem evenly divided between Arsenal an Un**ed. Not sure where he picked up on Chelsea.
Mr Serge Thanks for background. Woodman Senior appears to be head Goalkeeping Coach for Academy and U23s and the player’s godfather is Gareth Southgate! Woodman was selected regularly for all England age groups, which suggests that he was highly rated throughout his youth career. He is currently playing for Swansea who are in second place in Championship so I assume that he is a competent goalkeeper and he is of course home grown, which is a bonus. It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal pursue this player and how much he is likely to cost. Clearly he is a… Read more »
Graham: “What possessed the club to even consider recruiting these two ageing dinosaurs? You can see their hearts are not in it and ffs, their ties are still with Chelski!!” Luiz doesn’t deserve to be put in the same category as Willian imo. Before our win vs City in the semi-final of the FAC, we were on a 7 loss streak vs them, and since then we’ve lost 2 out of 2 again. Goal difference without the FAC game is 25 to 3. Stunning stuff. In the FAC Auba scored 2 great goals but it was Luiz who won the… Read more »
Is the Ozil move official?
I won’t be celebrating until it’s on the dot com.
Re Freddie Woodman I’m a bit more cautious about signing a son of one of the coaches at the club. What if it doesn’t work out? It makes it very awkward if we have to let him go. Will we in turn have to look for a new U23s goalkeeping coach? Besides I wonder if our present U23s keepers are able to make the step up. As I said the other day Karl Hein is making a good claim for the no 1 jersey for his country (Estonia) and his competitor Arthur Okonkwo is rated very highly. Worth giving them… Read more »
Ozil has been uploading pictures of him in Turkey posing with Fenerbahce’s scarf. It’s as official as it gets before it gets on the dot com. His wife had put her soap opera actress career in Turkey on hold to live with him in London. It’s the perfect place for them. It’s a done deal.
After arriving in Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning, Ozil said: “I am very excited because I was always a fan of Fenerbahce. My dream comes true. “I am very excited to wear the Fenerbahce jersey. I hope we will be very successful with my team-mates. “May God bless our fans, because they always support us. As I mentioned I am very happy to be here. “I hope that I thank our fans with my good performance on the pitch.” I don’t give a fuck that he is announcing it before Arsenal has. I’m just glad he’s out.… Read more »
NDombele is finally showing what a mistake it was to pass on him in favour of Pepe. At the time I said that we needed more agile physically dominant central midfielder and not another inverted forward. Right now we urgently need: + 1 left winger/dribbler that will allows us to rotate between Martinelli/Nelson and keep Aubameyang strictly for the No9 role + An agile physically dominant defensive midfielder who can also pass forward + An agile experienced No8 with dribbling ability to allow Azeez to grow in the role. An upgrade on both Xhaka, Elneny and Ceballos. + deputy left… Read more »
https://arseblog.news/2021/01/finding-a-back-up-for-kieran-tierney-using-data-and-video-scouting/
This young lad sounds good as a deputy for Tierney… Perhaps we should be taking him before Rooney the manager realises what we are doing to him…
“Although another 4-0 win such as the one over WBA would be nice.“
A 4-0 win would take us to ninth on goal difference and temporarily resuscitate my pre season bet for Arsenal to place sixth in the league.
And I thought I was being too conservative there with all that generational coaching talk around here.
Raptora
For a second there I thought it was Ozil who said “ I don’t give a fuck that I’m announcing it before Arsenal has, I’m just happy I’m out” lol.
With Xhaka in such phenomenal form, perhaps Arteta would like to inform us what his increased valuation is in order to prevent the Premier League’s big hitters from depriving us of his services. Maybe Pep and Klopp are considering a bid even as I write these words.
Tom
Özil doesn’t. It’s like the Arshavin debacle but super sized.
We should really be shopping in cheaper markets. Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the championship and totally boycott all the “elite” European markets. Think about who would make the biggest profit if we sell, Tierney, Scotland, Martinelli, Brazil and Holding, championship. And of course the academy where its a free transfer. I think in summer some difficult decisions have to be made regarding some of the kids, we need to capitalise.
Xhaka in phenomenal form equals Cesc tying his shoes in the morning…. and Vieira deciding to turn up for training.
How we have lowered our standards.
With Brexit, although the European markets are more difficult to us, the markets in the other parts of the world like South America and Asia are much more accessible if the player concerned has the requisite first team appearances… and this does not necessarily mean international appearances either…
Leeds: I feel what you are feeling there man. Romford Pele was 3 times the player Xhaka is and I didnt particularly rate him at the time. Its so sad seeing his lugubrious lump heaving around the park, passing the ball sideways and pointing to others where they should play the ball. How on earth do we get rid..
No idea why everyone on Willian back while in my opinion he’s done better than Auba. Since the Fulham game, Auba played 15 and half, he was useless in all of them.
We were lucky he got injured against Chelsea and he was half fit against Brighton, we had our best game of the season without him. Isn’t time for Arteta to be brave and drop him for Martinelli, as he did with Saka for Willian and Pepe!.
Wenger made some huge blunders in the latter part of his reign.
Signing Xhaka over Kante
Signing Özil
Signing Mustafi…
Letting RvP go…
Not letting Sanchez go early enough… and losing on a potential £60m from City before we lost him for nothing.
We’ve had the money but boy did we waste it!
Val let Ndombele go.
He has been a flop, same as Pepe.
Yes he produces some lovely stuff on his day but so does Pepe.
Val was quite but now he can resume his ndombele ass licking till ho goes mute again
Leeds, 60m lost on Sanchez, not buying Kante for 7m after our man in France said he was ready for the Prem, and not getting VVD at 13m when, again, our own man in Scotland said he’d be a world beater, would be my top three late Wenger era transfer fuck ups.
Adding insult to injury we got Xhaka instead of Kante and Mustafi instead of VVD.
You have to remember that Wenger was a fkn egomaniac. He never liked any idea that didn’t come out of his own head. If you told him in 2006 to sign Messi. he would tell you he already has a better player in mind so where would he play him?.
Also not closing the deal in time at a reported £11m for Alonso. Liverpool later went on to sell him to Real for £30m. Could have made a great partnership with Cesc
Foxy
Just don’t. Cesc and Xabi – it could have been the definitive partnership that took us to another EPL title.
All because Wenger thought he knew best…
A quick question for the Legrove Trumpistas, what % out of the hundred newly reported Trump pardons will be to embezzlers and fraudsters from the “law and order “president?
Answers on postcards please.
Leeds, as much as I was against the RVP’s United transfer at the time, upon reflection I couldn’t really hold it against Wenger too much if I’m honest.
He wanted to go and 30m for any player in his last season back then was good money.
That’s why I find it a bit weird that you wanted Wenger to keep Robin but let Alexis go.
Maybe all the backlash from the RVP United deal played on Wenger’s mind when he decided to keep Sanchez from going to City.
“Tom fuck off with your Yank politics no one cares.“
But you do, don’t you sweetheart lol
Tom
Tbh, the thing I objected most about the RVP transfer was that he went to United…. and pretty much won them the title the following year… allowing Fergie to retire on his terms at the top. What a contrast with how Wenger left the game…
I wouldn’t have minded as much if RVP went to a foreign rival.
Didn’t want to ‘kill Denilson’….wasn’t that it?
Grooveydaddy
The irony is Denilson didn’t even want to be here. He has confessed to the fact that he was suffering from crushing loneliness whilst he was at the Arsenal.
I would have personally killed Denilson if it meant we could have bought Alonso!
Even now Cesc would make our midfield tick better
Afternoon,
if we had kept van Persie, we would have won the league that year. united were awful without his goals that might have been the thing that encouraged him to sign a new deal?
if he didnt and went for free that summer then he would have won us a title and all it cost was 2.5 million from feynoord.
still cant forgive wenger for selling him to united.
The 32-year-old states he was later desperate to return to the Premier League and Arsenal but after receiving a lack of interest – alongside a quick conversation with Jose Mourinho – Fabregas ended up at rivals Chelsea. Speaking on the Arsecast podcast, Fabregas said: “My agent Darren [Dein] spoke to Arsene. He didn’t give him an answer to be honest, then we had to wait one full week to see if Arsenal responded. “Definitely this was my first option, in my mind I’m telling everyone I’m going to Arsenal, this is what I want. Not Arsene, [Ivan] Gazidis or anyone… Read more »
In 7 and a half years time Ozil managed to carry Arsenal on his shoulders the same amount of times Fabregas was carrying Arsenal in 7 games and a half. Facts.
Fabregas for Ozil after the Europa League final: “I think sometimes you just have it inside or you don’t have it,’ Fabregas told BT Sport. “When he was at Real Madrid he was surrounded by top, top players and one of the best players in the history of the sport in Cristiano Ronaldo. “I’m not taking anything away from Mesut, he played top football there, but once you step down a little bit, because we can all agree Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich they are top three, you have to show yourself a little bit more because you don’t have… Read more »
Isn’t lack of response a response?
Wenger was hurt by the betrayal and Arsenal didn’t need Fabregas, both can be true.
Apparently we have £20m to spend this winter. Unless we can pick up a good economical back up left back (see my post @ 1235) I rather used that money secure the contracts of our best youngsters like ESR and Tierney than blow it on someone mediocre.
Save the money for the summer… and add it there.
It’s just sad that when we finally started spending a lot of money was after we had wasted several seasons when we lacked just 1 or 2 players to win the league. Cesc’s Arsenal, without a doubt, deserved a title. And when we finally started buying big money players, we bought the wrong players. Almost every time.
Yep.
raptora
Added to the fact that Wenger really didn’t want to spend big money anyway…. he wanted to win the title race in the cheap… then Leicester did exactly that in 2016…. using his ideas and model.
It must have broken him.
We really should have won the title in 2016 if Wenger had invested in someone like Partey and a top striker then and not just an over the hill goal keeper in Petr Cech… remember when he didn’t buy one outfield player that whole summer?!?!
The man thought he was cleverer than the system.
Up 4 grabs nowJanuary 18, 2021 14:50:38 Afternoon,if we had kept van Persie, we would have won the league that year. united were awful without his goals that might have been the thing that encouraged him to sign a new deal? ——- Highly doubtful, Arsenal made 70 points the year before with RVP in the squad and only once in Wenger’s entire career amassed more than 89 points or more ,which was what United got in the 2012-13 title winning season, and the year before RVP’s transfer as well. Van Pur$ie won Fergie the league that year but wouldn’t have… Read more »
The irony is that people are still yapping about the odd mistake here and there made by Wenger when the current situation at the club is just so bleak that we can only now dream of reaching even the lowest standard set by the man before bowing out
Leeds
The only team in the top5 leagues in Europe to not sign an outfield player. That was the last straw for me. Gross incompetence.
Leeds, Honestly the Summer we didn’t bring a single outfield player was as banter as it gets. And it’s still eclipsed by the worst Arsenal transfer window in the EPL history – 101m for Xhaka, Mustafi, Perez, Asano, Holding, Bramall and selling Gnabry for 4.50m peanuts. Xhaka 40m, Mustafi, 37m, Perez 18m or a total of 95m down the drain. What the fuck was Arsene smoking? The laughable thing about it is that 90% of the fan base had figured out these muppets after their 1st season. Fair play to Perez, Wenger didn’t play him and he just wanted to… Read more »
Cesc did not betray AFC. The true story why he left when he did may be told one day but never by Wenger. Cesc wanted to leave when he was 27 – not when he was 24. He would have been happy to stay until he was 27..
Victorious
“The odd mistake here and there”
Lol!!
From CL Finalists in 2006, to finishing outside the top 4 and being the laughing stock of world football by 2018.
Slow and painful regression.
Never mind.
Wenger not buying back Cesc and taking Mr Ozil was a huge mistake.
However that is hindsight. Ozil did really well his first season. Who would have seen his decline coming after that?
Well it did, and Wenger enabled Ozil more and more…. he helped to nurture this monster and the player culture at Arsenal….
Despite Sanchez’s decline as well, of the 2, I would have kept Sanchez.
NORG
Wenger not responding to Cesc agent’s inquires says it all really.
Whether you or I feel he betrayed Wenger or not ( I don’t) is irrelevant, Wenger’s actions speak for themselves.
From CL Finalists in 2006, to finishing outside the top 4 and being the laughing stock of world football by 2018′
Wonder what we are now if we were the ‘laughing stock’ of world football at 2018 when we still won a couole of trophies and still comfortably qualifying for Europe football
People no longer laugh at the club they just pity it
£20m for Eddie the shitiah?
I will personally piggy back that fool to West Ham…blowing fucking bubbles indeed