Wooooaaaahhhh… did I wake up FRESH from the news. I could run a marathon. I could climb a mountain. My head is so clear now Mustafi is gone I think I’m going to apply for a job at SpaceX on the rocket science team.
The German World Cup winner held us back in life, now he’s gone. Good riddance. No sentimentality here. He was a terrible, terrible signing and I am here, with you, thanking the footballing gods for lifting him from the club.
I always thought he was just a nightmare center-back, but when the rumblings came my way that he was difficult behind the scenes, it was time to exit.
Thoughts and prayers for Schalke… Christian Gross as their new manager, Kolasinac as their captain, Mustafi as their defensive rock… could you imagine a worse film poster?
So, how did we finish the window? About £600k a week better off. That’s how you do ruthless business in a pandemic.
The absolute key is to NOT put that money into a bunch of bums Kia knows this summer.
This is a semi-fresh start, obviously slightly tainted by the fact we forked out a lot of money on certain players this summer that will not provide long-term value. Those decisions were made, we now have to lie with them on a bed of nails.
We’ve cleared out underperformers on the pitch, we rid the dressing room of players that were less than helpful, and we’ve freed up cash flow so we can move for the players we want this summer.
We also did a pretty decent job of looking after the future.
Joe Willock has gone to Newcastle to help Steve Bruce out with his team’s appalling final ball. I think he’s had a bit of an identity crisis, everyone knows there’s a player there, no one knows what that player is. He couldn’t be going to a club more desperate for a spark, so let’s see what he has.
AMN, as I suspected, took a loan move to West Brom. He had 5 offers apparently. What is pointed is the fact he binned off bigger clubs. His loan move isn’t about his lack of talent, it’s about scratching a very specific itch… he wants to show Edu and Arteta he can be a midfielder at the highest level. The player is coming back to us next season, if he wasn’t, I suspect he might have tried to impress at Southampton or Leicester. What better way to show you are top tier than keeping West Brom in the Premier League? Last player to go to West Brom from Arsenal was Serge G… let’s feed AMN the same water and keep em’ crossed.
We’ve gone over the William Saliba stuff. He’s in the right place. @GrimandiTweetss, a guy who actually watches him, had this to say on where he’s at development wise (referencing his error this weekend that cost Nice the game).
As I’ve been watching him at Nice, it’s apparent his one glaring deficiency is his lack of ability to defend the high cross
His shape is often wrong, that’s why it skimmed off his head and they score
It’s not just a matter of getting games, it’s a matter of releasing the skill of defending crosses. For such a big chap, he doesn’t impose himself defending crosses in open play or at set-pieces
Half a season in France isn’t as ideal as half a season in Championship would have been, but you know what, it’s a helluva lot better than sitting on the bench.
There were some other moves. Matt Smith moved to Charlton for the remainder of the season, Swindon fans were absolutely feeeewming over this, which is great news.
I was a bit disappointed that Reiss Nelson managed to avoid a loan move again, a move to Valencia collapsed. It kind of looks like he’s blown a year on his own terms. He should have taken a loan in the Premier League. Now he’s cratered his value and no one really knows what he’s capable of. Not the sharpest advice he’s taking.
This summer is going to very interesting. Arsenal are going to be making big plans again. They’ll likely be looking to add another creative player, but the most important position they’ll address is central midfield. I think everyone is very aware of the limitations we have in midfield right now and they’ll be looking at top class options to play next to Thomas Partey. It’ll all depend on what we can do in terms of sales. Lucas Torreira and Matteo G will be high on the exit list. I suspect we’ll also be looking to whip up interest in players coming to the end of their deals, or, players that just need to find new clubs because they aren’t quite right for the future.
If we can bring in £80m, expect us to drop another Thomas Partey like move on the market and plug some gaps that are clear. Could be interesting. I just hope Edu isn’t ready with his mega contracts for older players… he needs to move on names that aren’t part of the 5-year plan and continue to trim that wage bill.
The Swiss Ramble ran the numbers that basically showed we’ve dropped £236m of wastage on talent over the last 10 years.
Arsenal have finally moved on Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi via free transfers, which raises the question of how good the club’s recruitment has been. Looking at this over a longer period, we can see that since 2010 they have lost (in cash terms) a cool £236m #AFC pic.twitter.com/17augNMb2W
— Swiss Ramble (@SwissRamble) February 2, 2021
Our new strategy needs to start refocusing on how we have a consistent flow of transfer cash coming through the door. 26 should be the max-out age of players we sign. Really, 22-23 is the sweet spot. You can mold the players in your vision, you know they’ll only be thinking about football, and they’ll be at wage pricepoint that means you can easily sell them.
The hope is Edu and Arteta have learned the harshest of lessons this season. This window indicates that maybe that’s the truth. Youth is the way forward, there are no shortcuts to the top, if we start acknowledging that now, we’ll move forward as a club… if we don’t, we’re just burning more cash on an idea that has failed for 5 years.
Edu has done a very good job this window, but we do need to be careful that we don’t celebrate table stakes like we’re rocking the world of football innovation. De-bloating the squad, signing young talent on loan, and moving out young players to gain more experience is sharp… but we can’t forget what went before. The truth will arrive in the summer. Contracts, new signings, how we sell… BUT… this is a great start to the first non-Raul window. So praise and credit are due.
Right, Wolves tonight. We need 3 points. Auba, Saka, Mari, and Ceballos are all in contention. We might see Odegaard as well. It’s a huge game, Nuno really hasn’t managed to get his side into gear this season, but… we are always a gift to struggling managers, so who knows what will happen.
Play like we did against United and we’ll be in with a good chance of coming away with the points.
Thorough
Give it a fucking rest mate.
Red cards since Mikel Arteta was appointed
https://twitter.com/Orbinho/status/1356687209156517904
////I am so fucking pissed off, it’s unreal. That game put me in a mood…..
Same
9 Arsenal
3 Norwich
3 Fulham
3 Everton
3 Brighton
3 WBA
3 Leicester
3 Man City
3 Palace
3 Sheff Utd
“How the fuck is that Artetas fault?”
Because he’s manager and you are judged on your teams performance. This is not a one off we are 10th after 22 matches, out of both domestic Cup competitions and looking down the barrel of no European football for next season for the first time in over 2 decades.
A one off = shit happens
Losing more matches than you win = shit manager
The ref isn’t to blame for us not finishing our chances in the 1st half.
What a fucking downer.
Now this is farcical
Well, that’s how to lose a game from winning position. What a waste.
Gabriel suffers from indecision, I’ve always said this about him. He doesn’t know what to do with balls at his feet
Gabriel should be playing ahead of Luiz for me!
Arteta deserves this result! He never learns, you know the player is finished when rival fans keep going he starts game for us!
Absolutely a rookie thing to do! Now the season is fcking over! Thanks you wankers,!
Are there only clowns applying for that gk position ?
Jesus, whoever sanctioned Runarsson purchase needs to be shot.
Our keeper passed to the corner flag lol.
I agree with thorough
Leno always has that in his Locker
Martinez is the superior keeper. Leno only looks better this season beacuse the defence have been excellent and shielded him from exposing his weaknesses.
Shows Runarsson is a Sunday team player
I have lost any respect I had for wolves though. So shit. They are scared to take a corner playing against 9 men. Jammy cunts.
Why was Partey off and Xhaka stays really……..
Artera doesn’t know his players. If he thinks Luiz is better than Gabriel then he deserves the L
Yep Legendary… it’s frustrating after that opening 30 mins.. to end up like this.. Just maddening.. Was going to watch Soton/Man U… but I just can’t… need a break from football today.
The two times we lost to Wolves this season they weren’t better but they easily beat us twice
See the wankers have crawled back out of the wood work on here
Runnar held up
Good for him
From the moment I saw that c** t Craig pawson as the ref I knew we were f** kd.Mike Riley has a hit list of six/ seven refs who are atrocious or have it in for Arsenal.This is is not a one off.it’s been happening over the years since that c ** t Riley became head of the PGMOL.He hand picks his assassins v.carefully for us.make no mistake.of course this will never ever be protested against by the club or independently investigated.But for me it’s been criminally obvious down the years.
8 men up into the box
Kicking the ball away = nothing
“Leno only looks better this season beacuse the defence have been excellent and shielded him from exposing his weaknesses.”
Bullshit – Leno royally fucked up tonight but has been very good lately and made some match winning saves.
The easy games finished and we’re back to 1 point out of 6 and with this goalie 1 point in 9 after the Vila game.
Wolves are the new Stoke city, they’ll always ruin us no matter how good we’re until hopefully they go down!
I fcking hate them!
Done. Utterly done and fucked
Anyone blaming Arteta is a childish idiot. You need to grow up.
Will Arteta lose it in the press conference ?
Losing more matches than you win = shit manager
—————
He’s a rookie manager. We tried experience with Emery, where did that get us?
Whatever, off to get pissed.
A lot of new faces here tonight…unsurprisingly
No way we’re getting a result vs Villa either! This keeper is absolute horrible
Jammy wolves. You feel that was the only way they’d beat us tonight. For me it’s all on Luiz.
Moutinho thanking the ref is the final nail in tonight’s coffin.
I left this at half time thinking we were so on top little could go wrong. Wtf happened!?!?!?!!!!???
AmSamir
‘Anyone blaming Arteta is a childish idiot. You need to grow up.”
This. Wankers more interested in their childish agenda than the club.
“Anyone blaming Arteta is a childish idiot. You need to grow up.”
Anyone who can’t look at the league table and read what it says is clearly a child, or a moron.
Jamie
Yes we missed our chances in the first half…. But that Luiz sending off and that 2nd goal seems to have put a total dampener on the team. We never recovered.
Fuck the refs. Biased decision making all the way through.
The reason Luiz played today is because he was in good form.
What actually went wrong?
Not as straightforward as just Luiz fucked up…
This is the one time that working during the game is a good thing. From the comments I am glad I didnt watch this shit show…
Fucking ref just gave Moutinhio a big smile. Reckon he had money on Wolves 😉
Thats the kind of result that will start off another bad run. We were in control and didn’t take chances and now look. Combination of bad refereeing and utter stupidity from our players cost us tonight.
FFS – grim. Positive first half, but you can imagine morale will be way down now the penny will have dropped that there’s not much to play for in the league.
I feel like we have used up every bad luck tonight. We are beating Villa.
Auba’s hold up is real crass, Pépé should not have come off tonight
Danny.
How the fuck is that Artetas fault?
——————-
This one’s totally on the players not him.
That’s Luizs 6th conceded penalty since he joined Arsenal. That’s a patter, more like a penalty every 8 to 10 games, yet Arteta fields him ahead of younger up and coming defenders. That’s on Arteta.
Gotta get the teams confidence back quick.
Brain fart night, did Mustafi leave something behind?
One of the funniest football matches I’ve ever watched.
Just makes me want to laugh.
AFC
“This. Wankers more interested in their childish agenda than the club.”
What if my agenda is about what’s best for the club – namely having a competent manager at the helm?
Look at the league table and tell me there isn’t a problem?
The ref was a total wanker! Bet he’s a Spud or Manure
Im not pro Artetqz but it is unbelievable thet Bruno Fernandes didnt go sent off last game and now we got 2 red cards that WERENT RED CARDS
double punish to Luiz in an Accidental foul
no clear goal chance in Leno handball
Marc you’re a fucking idiot. This isn’t football manager 2020.
Arteta has done very well to get us into this position. Did you really think we’d get too 4 this season?
It takes time to rebuild a very poor squad.
Arteta out
Marc your endless hard on for Arteta failure is comedic mate.
Fucking beyond tedious.
That was calamitous
We’re our own worst enemy
Our sending off this season have been ridiculous
Disappointed, but not surprised.
I want wolves to get relegated.
Good game, arsenal unlucky. Wolves deserved the win. The boys fought to the end…
We certainly helped him, but that ref looked out to get us in any way he could. Every possible major and marginal decision went their way.
As a club, we seem more accepting of this than others might be. Can you imagine Utd or Liverpool on the end of that?
Arteta needs to focus on injustice to fire them up, and hope the mistakes are learned from.
Wolves are bloody cheats though
Totally, Totally, totally gutted.
I am pissed off that we got robbed.
We had a fantastic 1st half…. that pen killed us and we never recovered.
Leno topped it off tonight with the stupidest reds ever…
The hype around Smith-row is disgusting, bang average at best
Every player should be aware of giving up a goal is better than receiving a red card.
Dissenter
If you don’t laugh
You’ll cry…..
Arteta has done very well to get us into this position
That’s a bit harsh imo.
Marc
Just give it a fucking rest for 5 minutes.
The only thing I’ll knock Arteta for is putting Auba on.
We needed NINE outfield players in the second half, not 8 mean and Auba.
Subbing Auba in and the quick 2nd goal killed off the game.
Other than that, Arteta is blameless for this result
Runnar even showed up.
Only reason we lost this game was because a certain geriatric defender was still starting games for us when we had a better option in the bench
Only one guy to blame for that
Arteta continually messes up whenever his in game management is tested. With Auba who offered nothing, wolves was still not really threatening, if only martinelli, a player you can instruct to run at them for the next 30 minutes or so was played instead of Auba. Preposterous to think fa cup was sacrificed for finishing 8the in epl
Bringing Auba for Pepe showed Arteta is limited as a manager. He should have took one of the fullbacks for Gabi and play Saka wing back with Xhaka dropped into CB like the Chelsea game last year.
Arteta could not work it out to keep us attacking with 432.
Arteta still making strange substitutions – but on the plus side Runarsson kept a clean sheet.
Samir
Fuck you you dopey cunt. Look at the PL table you fucking retard – this isn’t about tonight’s result it’s about losing more matches than we’ve won this season in the league.
As for making 4th – don’t make me laugh we’ll be lucky to make 8th.
ESR bang average?
Another troll on here.
Arteta mismanaged the game.
After the first red card, saka should have filled the left back as he is more pacy and comfortable on his left foot. Should have taken off Cedric for gabriel. Why keep ESR when we cant play the ball through the middle…
Should have been laca upfront with auba-pepe-martinelli … we could have sat back and countered… at least even if it’s not balanced, this is a bad scenario and we gotta gamble… arteta was passive in his decision..
Too many liabilities in the team and that includes the manager.
Luiz’s form has nothing to do with it. Like Mustafi, but more extreme, he can have excellent periods of play but there’s always a fuck up somewhere waiting to get out. If you’re prepared to accept that play him, if not he shouldn’t even be here.
Leno on the other had an abberation. It happens. One you can’t account for the other is just a matter of time.
Marc
I’ve seen the PL table and we’re doing very well considering the squad we had at the start of the season.
Why don’t you go and support Man City or Liverpool? Clearly not getting behind the team.
sal
He’s not good enough and will be sacked for being out of contention for top 4 at some point next season. My hard on for Arteta’s failures are more justified than Pedro’s for Emery’s – and he rightly sacked.
If it’s that obvious why wait? Get it done and start the glorious rebuild.
Arteta has done very well to get us into this position.
>>>>>>>>>
What? 10th. And we’ve played more games than the teams around us.
Auba when not scoring, smiling with his big teeth and doing silly flips doesn’t offer anything. Bad call to put him on today and also a poor call to keep persisting with Luiz.
Sublime to chaotic to a sense of strange pride for the 9 players left. No one but no one does fuck-ups quite like Arsenal. A strong reminder of the wenger era, including the thrills and spills of the first twenty minutes when were brilliant.
I seriously doubt it heralds a return to November/December and that they’ll quickly get back to winning ways. We didn’t lose on equal terms and the players will understand. Keep your heads up everyone and try to accept it as a part of supporting this mad fucking club!
Marc if we won today we would’ve gone to sixth. Would you be on here saying how well Arteta is doing. No you would be wanking into your sock waiting for us to lose again.
Arteta’s ceiling as Arsenal manager is anywhere from 8-10th place though.
Yes we have some good players but this squad is just too weak to get us anything this season. Top 10 will be an achievement. and a Euro cup win a miracle. No game changers off the bench just kids.
Wolves taken 6 points out of us and didn’t win any game since they last beat us. They even fucking lost to WBA.
That hurts.
Sorry any coach that still starts 35 years old erratic defender in the EPL when there is a better option deserves to lose games
I hope we now reward Luiz with a 3year contract for ending our season
look out chaps 10th here we come (and if we are lucky).
JayFebruary 2, 2021 20:01:55
The hype around Smith-row is disgusting, bang average at best
__________
Never understood the hype with him tbh. Rarley scores, rarley assists.
No deal for luiz now for sure
Left test
From being relegation candidates to 10th is a very good position. You do realise it’s going to take time to sort the squad out? Next season will be very different.
Probably not a good idea to call people childish and at the same time moan about being cheated, it’s a fix (paraphrasing), not fair etc like a six year old when they don’t get what they want. Shit happens, it happened tonight.
“I’ve seen the PL table and we’re doing very well considering the squad we had at the start of the season.”
Fuck me you think the squad we had at the start of the season was poor? It was better than Emery had and if he wasn’t good enough why the excuses for Arteta?
How you can call being in 10th doing very well is a joke.
Wolves do the Double over Arsenal for the first time since 1979. Shameful
Arteta’s ceiling as Arsenal manager is anywhere from 8-10th place though”
Completely agree! Can’t see him taking us back to the top really! He’s got fck all eyes for talent
Luiz should play a backup role till the end of the season and leave.His leadership qualities aren’t worth the amount of points he costs us intentionally or unintentionally. Tonight’s was harsh but it happens repeatedly. We would probably win this game if it was Gabriel or pablo mari instead of him.
I think the posters on here placing this defeat at Arteta’s door are clearly trolls trying to get a rise. A manager cannot legislate for the brain fart that Luiz had. Yes, he has done it before, maybe the manager should leave him out but the clean sheets we have had mean you don’t change the defence. I think Luiz has cost us the points today as we were by far the better side, even with 10 men we were the better side. I think we draw a line under this defeat, put it down to a Luiz brain fart… Read more »
I;m sorry but I’m not mad at the referee anymore
What was the ref to do, there was contact -accidental, or not
The problem is what do you do when that [accidental] contact prevented a goal scoring chance?
…and Leno,
Seriously?
The Leno handball just took the sting away from the ref.
Now one crazy loss will translate to another game.
“We’re playing Benfica from Portugal, a team with a fifth of our wage bill so we should annihilate them.”
What’s Wolves wage bill out of interest?
Marc.
weaknesses.”Bullshit – Leno royally fucked up tonight but has been very good lately and made some match winning saves.
Why lately though? Why must we have a keeper who’s only consistent in patches. Is Kasper Schmeikel an alien and he’s not even among the top 10 keepers.