Hard to go too deep on nothing games at this stage of the season, but downing Sam Allardyce to his first-ever relegation was certainly a little bit of sweetness after 9 months of mostly sour. Watching him take a back seat in the dugout chewing gum like he was Simon Cowell judging a string quartet of feral cats was quite amusing.
Additionally, it was a game of world-class goals. We largely controlled the game, key players stepped up like Smith Rowe and Saka, and there were some surprise star performances… namely from Willian, who created 4 chances and fizzed a stunning freekick in for our third.
There were frustrations with Arteta getting his line-up mostly correct. The biggest one being that Bukayo Saka unsurprisingly delivered a masterclass at left-back. He was a destroyer all game. His defending was sound, but his runs from deep were perfect, and his final balls deserved more than the return he managed. Arteta was pretty pissed after the game when he was asked if he regretted building a galaxy brain plan around Granit Xhaka these past few weeks, his answer was, NO. I’d be shocked if that were the truth behind closed doors, if it is, we have big, big problems.
There was also another sad reality. The midfield of Dani Ceballos and Mo Elneny, for a second week running, was far better than anything we put out against Villareal. You can laugh at that, but the lesson here is that we should have played a normal starting 11 without any LOOK AT ME ideas. Newcastle were totally nullified last week, sure, they’re not great, but they scored 4 past Leicester at the weekend and beat them. Against West Brom, it wasn’t exactly elite, but the basic structure allowed our forwards to be more involved in the game and create genuine chances.
Gabriel Martinelli started as a #9, he wasn’t that great, but you know what, I’ll take that from a player who hasn’t been given a run. We know he’s explosive on his day and I’d prefer to bet on potential than see Lacazette in a game like that.
There are still some oddities out there. Dani Ceballos, whilst not offensive today, is exiting the club at the end of the season. Did we need to see him playing again? I don’t understand why we didn’t use the dead nature of the season to have a go with someone else. Same with the bench. Flo Balogun was signed to be part of the first team next season, what does the guy have to do to get a place on the bench?
It’s also really interesting that Cedric has been moved so far down the pecking order. I have no problem with Cal Chambers, but it’s odd that he takes the place over a real right-back considering how sure Arteta was when we signed him.
Arteta’s press conference was revealing. I have watched every single piece of media of him over the last year, so I know the patterns. Firstly, his abrupt answer on the Xhaka/LB question set the tone for a conference that rapidly declined in mood. His dark eyes indicated a sleepless week. Then he was asked how good it was that ESR ‘scored the first of many Premier League goals,’ his answer was very familiar. He was agitate, he used the question to make a point about our season. He ran with the story about how he needed to be landing 15 goals and 15 assist to hit the top, and that his one goal is an indicator how messed up our squad is. It was an odd answer, made even worse by his praise of Willian who already ‘done it’ at the highest level.
People jumped to his defence because they read the quotes and didn’t hear the tone. It was a typical response where he uses the stick on young players. Arsene would have said ‘I’m happy, this is hopefully the start of many more.’ Arteta has a habit of not demanding the same standards of his senior players in press conferences. It’s a real weakness in his otherwise very honed PR skills. The issue is he doesn’t just talk like that, he manages that way. Gabriel has a bad half of football and he’s dropped for 3 months, other players are allowed to constantly stink out the starting 11.
That leads me to my next point. Mikel Arteta is here to stay, that is how it’s going to happen bar something very curveball. He said in the week he needs to be ruthless this summer. There is going to be a test of that very soon.
David Luiz.
This is the big one. The player is a mistake machine. He has been since he joined. On his day, he’s one of the best, but let’s be real, since he arrived, we have cratered as a football club. He has lost his pace, he is now picking up injuries, he wasn’t good enough for Chelsea, he makes mistakes, gives away penalties and has a collection of red cards that make him a hall of famer.
… what will Arteta do?
We know Edu is probably already lining up a new deal because he’s clueless. But in a ruthless high-performance environment, how can there be space for him? William Saliba is the future, he can move at speed, he’s great with the ball at his feet, do we honestly think he’d make more mistakes than a 34-year-old David Luiz who is racking them up for fun?
Ruthless is moving on the past even if there’s a short term bit of pain.
Ruthless is seeing beyond reputation.
Ruthless is doing things the hard way.
Now, of course, the bigger question is whether Vinai is going to go down the route of letting Edu decide the summer again. These decisions about the future of Arsenal should be made by someone who is going to be here for 5 years, I have my doubts Edu is that guy. Arteta shouldn’t have choice on Luiz, Edu should be the one making the big calls, but he was demoted.
That means Vinai needs to step up to the plate. We know he’s not been able to muster the courage to stop a lot of bad things happening to Arsenal over the past year. He made 50+ people redundant before signing Willian to a 3 year deal on £250k a week (double the amount he could get anywhere else). An exec that has lived through the Ozil debacle jumped right into another one without asking a single question. He then moved on the Gunnersaurus… breaching the biggest rule on redundancies, do them in one sweep so as not to appear cruel.
He needs to find some courage this summer and get his reputation back on track.
The biggest question that needs to be answered is this: What is the truth of the failings?
He cannot get to that by asking Edu and Arteta. He needs to do the hard work. Those two are in the gutter with regards to their efforts this season. The next 6 months are crucial, what is totally clear from a CEO perspective is that we need an intervention because the current track has tanked.
Some areas to ponder.
Is the management style of Arteta improving team spirit or cratering it?
The squad looked petrified against a bang average side last Thursday. Last year, we beat City and Chelsea to win the FA Cup. What happened to the fighting spirit? Things tend to get better as ideas settle, they have declined here. There must be a cause. What is it? Are we sharing that information with Arteta? I know not everything can be compared to corporate America, but generally, new leaders come with bad ideas of what leadership should be, why? Because no one is a natural. Everyone needs to work on it. People don’t know they are doing things wrong unless they are told. Football coaching is no different.
What value is the coaching staff delivering to the squad?
That question should be answered by speaking to the players, the analysts, the manager and the technical director. Because there is not a world where they are all hitting the mark, otherwise we’d be in better shape. Bernd Leno has been terrible, why? If he wants out, what can we do to change that? Who is challenging terrible ideas? Or worse, fully endorsing them. It’s important information because the only way rookie appointments work is if the teams around them counter the weaknesses. RB Leipzig know how to do that, we do not.
What could Arsenal be doing better?
We have seen some pretty horrendous ideas implemented at Arsenal that you and I could have stopped with just 5 years of watching Arsenal as our qualification. There is usually a reason bad ideas go to market. Vinai needs to find out why this keeps happening. He should be speaking to everyone at the club to find out what could be done better and see if there are consistent patterns. There ALWAYS are. Identify them, communicate them, implement better ways of working so the organisation improves.
What does the self-assessment reveal?
I would ask Arteta and Edu where it went wrong and what they think they need to be better at their jobs. Maybe it has happened, but I wouldn’t bet on it though, I’ve watched Arsenal leadership let failing staff decline in performance with zero intervention for years. It’s part of the KSE leadership training course, rule number one: Question nothing, never intervene, let talent see out their ideas until the death. It’s quite staggering how little action happens when things are going badly off the rails.
The reason we are failing, 100%, is not just a money issue. Better players always improve outcomes, but we have seen some really iffy stuff this season. Vinai should find out how aware the two most important football staff are of their failings and then decide if a bigger intervention is needed… because Arsenal simply cannot sanction a big summer without assurances on what went wrong and what needs to change to avoid a 3 months like the one Emery oversaw in year 2.
A football operation is a machine. There are things that make the machine tick. But like all machines, things break down and it impacts output. Arsenal is notorious at letting the machine fail. Vinai needs to be a more active CEO, a mechanic if you will, he needs to be nosier about what is going on, he needs to crack the spanner.
- Find your 99 problems.
- Distil them down to the 3-5 big themes. The truth of this season if you will.
- Design ways out of the problems.
- Implement them.
- Check the ways are working
- Repeat.
The idea that we’re going to roll into the summer and treat the devastation of the last 9 months as a blip is not wild assumption from me, it’s how we’ve operated for a decade. It needs to change. If heads aren’t going to roll, then truth needs to be found, rough edges need sanding, and a new way of working needs to happen right away. If it doesn’t, we’ll be well on our way to replicating the last managerial exit and we’ll be welcoming Roberto Martinez and his ‘experience’ to the carpet.
Let’s hope change is coming, it’s needed.
P.S. Listen to my damn podcast with Johnny.
RockyRoe
Sums things up perfectly.
Arsenal should sign quality players off course. But they should sign a competent manager first.
I preferred we keep emi at the time but I did always say I rated Leno at the time so wasn’t too worried and I was totally wrong Emi has demonstrated that his end of season form last year was not a fluke or a purple patch. He’s a demonstrably better keeper and is a candidate for being in the team of the season in the PL whether or not he actually gets in Leno has been really poor this season and has now started making noises about wanting to leave. What a royal fuck up we have made. But… Read more »
Reiss Nelson is going to leave this summer, right after Arteta has driven his transfer value to near zero
That’s what generational coaching does for you
I laughed when I read about Cavaminga, why would he come to the club that’s proving to be the death knell of youngFrench players? That’s what Arteta has done to Arsenal, he wiped out in one season the reputation Wenger built overtime,
China1 ” I’m actually curious now what is the post Christmas league table?” It was just a false narrative to fit Pedro’s Arteta agenda so he had a morsel to hang on to to use as a post. Pedro should have taken some lessons from Pierre: King of the massaged stats. The AKB machine keeps rumbling on where they should all fit into a people carrier with the odd seat to spare for a late to the party member, CC maybe? Unlike the ‘Arteta Out’ who would fill a couple of the famed mile-long Tehachapi trains I once had the… Read more »
A very serious question…. Why and who would come to us now? WIth no EL or CL. With Arteta the ultimate quicksand for new players, who would come to us? HMMM 1. Vets who want to take a lower wage to play and live in London. Ex, Coutinho or Iscos 2. Unknowns who want to play in London and are ok with being berated and not playing much- dreaming they can somehow make it 3. I dont know… I cant think of anything else Its going to be really hard to attract anyone. Without over paying them, which is the… Read more »
Apparently arsenal is going to offer laca an extension.
The definition of ruthless sure is different at arsenal.
Xhaka, leno, auba, willian, laca, bellerin, elneny will all be in the first team next season. The players in the dog house and blamed for where we are right now will be ESR, Martinelli, balogun, saliba and other youngsters who have been the small glimmer of hope in this depressing season.
They will be sold to fund an Aguero or aruour. More over paid players who have their sight only on the wages.
Oh,
Another one,
Kids from Brazil, convinced by Edu to come to Arsenal. “see Martinelli!” who drink this kool aid and come to their peril. Kids from poor families who would jump at this.
Sad, I hope this does not happen but money talks…. not just for kids in Brazil but anywhere really. So yea, it comes down to Edu waving the $$$ in their faces and getting them to sign on to Mike’s project. Doomed project.
God I feel for them!
You can say what you want but many players choose AFC because Arsene was the manager and he attracted talent. Arteta has the Midas reverse touch everything he touches turns to shit. So, yes if you are a player that wants a career you are not considering AFC because it is a dumpster fire ay yjr moment which means you can’t build a new squad until the executive dross is gone.
at the*
Too bad we cannot do a manager swap like we do for players.
Guns
” Too bad we cannot do a manager swap like we do for players.”
Probably not a good idea as Arteta is a conference manager level swap. Thinking about it an experienced conference level manager would get more out of the players and Arteta can/has.
that dirty weasel I am sure has crawled up Josh’ arse as far as he can trying to protect his own self interests. The problem is this mans ego… always trying to prove he is better than Pep… or at least just as good. It will never happen with us… maybe another team with $ but not us. We need a true experienced coach who likes to attack and can develop the kids and handle the vets. Your Carlos, Allegris, Bielsas, etc Conte’s. Hell any successful coach in Europe right now. That is the type of coach we need. Not… Read more »
After Diet Pep twerked and did the daggering on Emery, supreme leader is still going to take him back?
Diet pep is a erohw the kid aint yours, but supreme leader be like ‘ i love Diet pep, i’d never let him go’
Stop simping!
It makes your blood boil seeing Emi probably finish higher than us in the table at fucking VILLA whilst Leno is tanking and possibly not staying
Good for Emi!
Got off this sinking ship – fortunate for him.
Leno has no loyalty. The GUen thing still leaves a bad taste
He was trying to stick up for his injured teammate. Leno probably didnt give a rats arse tho…
I fully expect Aouar and either Coutinho or Isco joining us in summer.
Most of the budget blown on Aouar.
I would rather start ESR over him… I think Aouar will not settle and honestly that is not what we need.
Now if we land Bissouma, somehow, then I would be pleasantly surprised.
Carra’s team of the season
Carra’s XI: Martinez, Coufal, Stones, Dias, Shaw, Kante, De Bruyne, Fernandes, Foden, Son, Kane.
Carra:, “Martinez had 17 clean sheets, the best saves-to-shots ratio in the league and he’s just been a brilliant signing and one of the top goalkeepers in the league.”
Words on a blogMay 10, 2021 19:44:27
Haha – having completely gutted our scouting network under Cagigao, Arteta and Arsenal’s far sighted executives decide to engage a headhunting firm to find new scouts. You couldn’t make it up.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/10/arsenal-move-to-strengthen-scouting-network-in-latest-recruitment-reshuffle
———————–
Think about what kind of person wants to come to AFC right now. We’ve no one in charge, no short or long term plan plan, no loyalty to staff, no accountability and fat contracts from desperate novices. We are well and truly fvcked.
Son should not be in the team of the year. He blows hot and cold
The better and improved version of team of the year
Martinez
Cancelo Dias Rudiger Shaw
De Bruyne Gundogan
Salah Fernandes Grealish
Kane
Arteta’s team of the season be like lmao
Runnarson
Cedric-David Luiz-Gabriel-Xhaka
one main MF of Partey
Pepe – Willian – Nketiah – Ceballos-WIllin
Arsenal FC’s biggest problem is not Arteta or Edu it’s the squad.
@Ken: who is responsible for this squad? who is responsible for recruitment? ARTETA AND EDU
I hope we don’t go for Aouar…He is well and truly over rated; he rarely assists, rarely scores. Not prem proven….Waste of time. Give Azeez/Cirjan a go instead.
We should be looking at:
Bissouma
Pedro Neto / Grealish
Hakimi/Lamptey/Aarons
Ryan Bertrand
Matheus Pereira
Benga willian so good you included him twice!
Double the quality
Remind you of anything?
Pedro, What do you make of the decision to now start hiring scouts? I remember you and I disagreeing on the decision to dismantle the scouting department. I thought that was a short term financial decision that would come back to bite us at the next transfer period, you thought that the new approach made sense StatDNA and a more analytics based recruitment decision. Basically the club and Edu tried to sell us a bad decision under the guise of progress and now it come home to roost. If they are recruiting scouts now, it means that they do not… Read more »
Stats are very interesting and useful but only meaningful if they pass the eye test
I’ve seen stat monsters who are incredibly average and low stat performers who are clearly very good
I was posting youtube videos of Bissouma last year.before the transfer window was closed. Have to say the clips received no reaction on Le Grove despite me posting a number of times. The thing is, we could have got him for 15/20 last summer and now his price has probably more than doubled.. Bissouma has superb technique and strength on the ball that will get him out of tricky situations with ease and his dribbling ability is also of a high level as he has quick feet and a turn of pace …I believe there is so much more to… Read more »
Our recent signings over the past few seasons , have
marked them out of 10 for what they have brought to the team when they arrived and now
Torreira……previously 7/10…….now 0/10
Sokratis 5/10………….0/10
Guendouzi 7/10……..0/10
Litchstein.1/10…….0/10
Leno…..7/10…………5/10
Pepe ….5/10………….5/10
Mari…….2/10……….7/10
Cedric …5/10…. ….2/10
Gabriel …8/10……..5/10
Partey …7/10 ……6/10
Tierney ..5/10…….8/10
Luiz……6/10 ……….6/10
Martinelli ….8/10…..5/10
I think it’s fair to say that other than Tierney and possibly Mari , all the other arrivals have regressed alarmingly since they arrived at the club, and the reason those 2 players haven’t regressed is because they were injured when they first arrived..
As mad as it sounds i think Arsenal still have a good chance of signing Bissouma despite interest from Liverpool.
1) He wants to live in London
2) He’s good friends with Pepe. Also Gabriel apparently.( LILLE)
3) Liverpool MIGHT not make CL next season
4) He’s an Arsenal fan (for what it’s worth)
We still have a chance to get him.
Brighton would accept £35-40m for Bissouma. He’s already informed them he’s ready to leave and they are a selling club. In for £15m out for £35. Smiles all round.
Maybe we could be creative and offer a part exchange like £20m and Nketiah or AMN or Nelson? We save some cash and they get a young home grown player whom the can develop and increase in value over the net few years to sell on a profit.
The real good thing that liverpool have done when they signed players was that they signed them from with in the premier league. Mane, Van Djik, Jota, Wjinaldum, Robertson all have proved to be successful signings. They blended it with Salah and Alisson, Fabhinho and Keita from other leagues. There are also other players that changed teams seamlessly like Kante, Mahrez, Madisson and so many more. There is less chance of flopping if you know the league. I think we should go the same route. Our record signings from other leagues have been hit and miss so far. Auba has… Read more »
Read someone asking about the post Christmas table.
Funnily we are still 4th in the much maligned post Christmas table.
A good summer with 4-5 new first tean starters and no Europe should put us in a very good place to challenge for the top 4. Top 6 has to be the bare minimum.
Dont know if Arteta is the right man for the job though.
Would love to have someone like Bielsa. The way his Leeds team play is so so good to watch. Just imagine a Bielsa system with better players. Would be outstanding.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/10/arsenal-move-to-strengthen-scouting-network-in-latest-recruitment-reshuffle
This just months after firing dozens of scouts including the man who discovered Bellerin and Fabregas.
If I was being generous, perhaps this is the club realising it did the wrong thing and trying to retreat and rectify?
Or is it sheer incompetence?
It’s increasingly difficult to tell the difference these days with the present lot in charge at our football club.
As Arteta has more than once thrown his players under the bus it looks only a matter of time before they turn on him as one next season.
Unfortunately agree about Bielsa though. The work rate he demands from the players he manages would be too much for Arsenal.
And that’s more a misfortune for Arsenal rather than Bielsa.
There is too much importance attached to players moving to play Champions League Football. What counts more than anything is the contract and the wages being paid. Also London has been an attractive magnet. Partey made the decision last summer to move to Arsenal in preference to staying at Athletico Madrid, because clearly the financial package on offer was better with us. Aouar would have also moved to Arsenal if we had chosen to buy him. Arsenal will not have difficulty buying good players so long as we are competing financially in transfer market. What is more relevant is that… Read more »
People ask why Arteta panders to the senior players some who are not worthy but in contrast is tough on the younger players.
Well it’s purely a self preservation thought on his part.
He wants to keep the seniors onside because he knows they are the most dangerous trouble makers if there is feeling of mutiny against the manager.
In contrast the youngsters are seen as less of a threat in these circumstances.
Quite a basic human survival instinct going on with Arteta.
Emiratesstroller
Arsrnal’s front 3 is more expensive than Liverpool and Man City’s front 3.
Arteta needs some like Bielsa in his backroom staff… someone willing to share his wisdom gleaned through the years. At the moment, he has no one challenging him. No one standing up to him, to force him to become better and improve. If I was him I would approach someone like Guus Hiddink to come onboard as a consultant to share with him what he knows. Presently, because Arteta has only hired people that he feels comfortable with, (with no ex managers amongst them) the intellectual talent pool of his backroom staff is extremely thin and shallow. By adding a… Read more »
Emery hot more out of his players who downed tools than Arteta has from his commited chumps.
It’s hard to think any experienced football manager or ex manager would be interested in being a backroom boy to Arteta and even more relevant it’s even more difficult to think that Arteta would allow or want this due to his self-importance and arrogance.
Arteta shouldn’t be anywhere near the club, i for one won’t be supporting the club until he is removed.
Dela Mare
So long as Arsenal are paying top dollar in wages we will be able to recruit good players.
Arsenal’s problem is that our scouting and recruitment system has been poor for a very long time.
We need to recruit more Tierneys and less Willians and Luiz.
Cazorla
There is definitely a pattern and theme overall in who Arteta criticises or seems to be more tough with regarding the players.
As said self-preservation.
It Doesn’t matter who we get now . The board are taking a massive risk in keeping Arteta for the beginning of next season and hopefully it is reflected in season ticket sales as the fans have to make a stand and they will , the guy is not liked by hardly any Arsenal fan’s much the same as Emery but with Emery it was more that guy’s just Dumb and can’t communicate but with Arteta it is a bit more this guy seems like a bit of a c… . So it comes down to he is only currently… Read more »
ES
By ‘good players’ you mean mercenaries coming for money before footballing reasons or just Arteta’s fav oldies?
Are you confident in Arteta’s and Edu’s abilities to have a successful summer TW buying players to tailored to suit our immediate needs?
Sad, this searching for flaws in Arteta’s character by people to justify their antagonism to him. In truth he is honest, straightforward, forthright. For the most part I believe players respond to that. Those who don’t are not worth keeping.
englandsbest
“Sad, this searching for flaws in Arteta’s character by people to justify their antagonism to him”
Well he probably wouldn’t have had this if he hadn’t tanked this season.
One follows the other.
Talk is that we are keeping Laca
That’s Arteta’s definition of ruthlessness.
Dissenter
Arteta said he would be ruthless when he joined us.
Talks the talk but cannot walk the walk.
All his actions with players are a mystery to us all and the players too
EPL teams players salary:
1 Manchester United F.C. £177,775,000
2 Manchester City F.C. £136,529,000
3 Liverpool F.C. £135,974,000
4 Chelsea F.C. £132,750,000
5 Arsenal F.C. 28 £45,467,273 £25,060,000 £37,270,000 £9,100,000 £94,600,000 £130,729,273
6 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 27 £56,840,000 £39,215,200 £25,020,000 £8,100,000 £118,250,000 £129,175,200
Shit. My post is mixed up
Nelson I can’t read that but I’m gonna assume when unjumbled it spells arteta out
Tony No I don’t mean mercenary players. Tierney was an excellent buy and did not cost the earth. There are plenty of other very good players who can be bought at realistic prices. Arsenal’s weakness is that our scouting system has been “lazy” and those doing the recruitment over dependent on computer systems rather proper investigation. There is more to buying a footballer than his football ability. A club should be also evaluating family background, character and work ethic as well. Personally I have no issue in giving a contract to a 30+ year old player who has served the… Read more »
Dissenter well it is ruthless. Ruthless on balogun, Martinelli, Eddie and whoever else will get restricted chances up front next season 😂😂
You see what arteta says is always right. You only need to pivot the meaning is all
EPL teams players salary:
1 Manchester United F.C. £177,775,000
2 Manchester City F.C. £136,529,000
3 Liverpool F.C. £135,974,000
4 Chelsea F.C. £132,750,000
5 Arsenal F.C. £130,729,273
6 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. £129,175,200
West Ham United F.C. £69,200,000
Aston Villa F.C. £52,311,396
Leeds United F.C. £22,464,800
This is what I want to post. Our team is paying the 5th highest salary in the EPL. Since we’ll have no European football, the team can’t afford to continue to pay this high salary.
Arsenal linked strongly with Camavinga and Bissouma in the same 48 hour period that they send an update to season ticket holders about renewals for next season. Some things never change eh
Digital it’s always the same right
Nelson
Arsenal can afford to pay these wages, but should be doing it for the right players and not how
it has been done in the past.
Manchester City’s success is not based just on their transfer budget and wage bill. They are
clearly getting their recruitment right. I don’t see many mistakes.
Arsenal have by contrast made a series of mistakes in their recruitment.
Nelson
Which is why we have to ditch all the expensive nonsense around the team that the best performers are academy graduates on 30k weeekly.
The likes of Laca on 180k weekly ought to be sold ASAP. There are strikers on one third his wages that deliver more quality.
Instead, ruthless Arteta will keep Lacazette if he gets the chance.
ES
In the past, Arsenal is charging the highest ticket price. We were playing European football. Without that, we can’t continue to charge the same ticket price. Also the reduction in TV money. It doesn’t look good.
China1- Yep like clockwork! Renewal season at Arsenal is always coupled with fanciful transfers for players in the media to set pulses racing and wallets opening! It does mention a price freeze(well duh) and renewal price to be scaled based on what competitions we are in next season.
Emirates is supposed to have a background in finance yet he cannot work out the arithmetic of our decline out of Europe.
Lower league position also means less money
We. Cannot afford those wages. Those are champions league wages, 2016 type wages.
Have to agree with ET. Money hasnt been a problem for us in recent years. Its the scouting and signing of average/poor players for unjustified transfer fees. Xhaka, Mustafi, Laca(though he did have a very good track record, just couldn’t do it in the PL), Perez, PEPE. Other big factor is the poor mismanagement of contracts. Ozil, Sanchez, Ramsey, Wilshere, Scezny, many others at the start of the 2010 period were all sold for zilch or puny fees. All of this has culminated in us being we are where we are. All taking place under the leadership of the real… Read more »
https://tbrfootball.com/report-arsenal-want-denis-zakaria-could-offer-granit-xhaka-in-swap/
I’d be very happy if this happens. Zakaria looks alright, tall athletic faster than Xhaka can tackle and also pass well.
Xhaka goes back to German club he was at before. Everybody’s happy. ( Especially me, No more Xhaka )
Make it happen!
Habesha “The real good thing that Liverpool have done when they signed players was that they signed them from within the premier league. Mane, Van Djik, Jota, Wjinaldum, Robertson all have proved to be successful signings” This is an excellent point. Wenger used to say the problem bringing players from other leagues was time adjusting to the pace and physicality of the Premier League – and not all could. You needed patience and you don’t always get that from fans or the media provokers. As Klopp said, the Premier League is intense because anyone can beat anyone so you have… Read more »
We’ve spent over half a billion of failed transfers in the last several years
If we had burned half that and spent the other half well we’d have probably been competing for many major honour in that time
I’m not saying this is true, but I heard the reason they didn’t sack Arteta was because , Mbappe, Ronaldo,Messi,Neymar,Haaland and Sancho said that if Arteta is not managing next season they’ll retire as they have no wish to be part of a game where a generational one is no longer about. Apparently they all want to join Arsenal next season to play for the generational one.
I’m telling you this for free 😀
Sell the dross is all we have heard for the last couple of seasons.. We have disposed of 20 + players in transfers and loans of the supposed dross , and look where it has got us . And now apparently we should dispose of another 10 or so more”dross” .. You will always find that the teams that have a settled squad will perform better, 2 or 3 new signings maximum should be the target and yes , sell or not renew the ontracts of some players , but to have this never ending turn over of players is… Read more »
It’s all very strange. Kept hearing about how xhaka was in the top 0.00001% for the best stats as a midfielder in Europe. Central to our game. Our most important player etc Was a bit bemused when he wasn’t picked in the sky sports team of the year. But that’s picked by Neville and Carragher so can’t take that seriously. But thankfully sky sports had a page where you can vote yourself for the team of the season. 25 midfielders on offer and none were Granit. Absolutely shocking stuff. ESR and Saka were options the little gimps but no xhaka.… Read more »
@China1
Yeah but that’s premier league team of the season. I’ve heard Xhaka is in the world team of the season with Arteta as coach.
If only there was a fat, identity-thieving yank incel who could somehow position Xhaka into a World 33, 44, or even 55.
@China1
Plus he’s a shoe in apparently for the Balloon door sideways and and backwards passing trophy
Read someone asking about the post Christmas table. Funnily we are still 4th in the much maligned post Christmas table. Let’s be honest here a lot of teams will be wanting to forget this season not just us and the only table that matters is the final one and right now and for a while we’ve been 10/11th fighting for 9th. I don’t see him being kept on next season. I know it’s Arsenal and it runs on incompetency but there’s never been a more obvious situation in my lifetime than what the club has to do with this atrocious… Read more »
Leeds, It is just sheer incompetence. It was clear that it was done at the behest of the Kroenke to save money, but instead of keeping the department and telling that it was going to cost them more in the long run, both Vinay and Edu caved in. Maybe Edu saw that as an opportunity to reinforce little power he had left after his power struggle with Arteta. But it backfired and now they are panicking. This is the first time ever that I have heard any premiership club asking an external company to hire scouts. Good scouts are well… Read more »
Just been called by Arsenal to know whether I wanted buy two season tickets club level, Untold them as long as Artetabis in charge, I would not. The guy was like, you are not the first person telling me that. Maybe that will come back to the Kroenke ears. Vinay: Josh, we need to talk Can I sack Arteta? Kroenke: no I like guy. He talks my language. He got nice hair. Vinay: what else do you want to diacussy? Kroenke: why can’t we sell those damn season ticket? Vinay: because of Arteta! Kroenke: sack the fraud, I never liked… Read more »
Has to be said as well I love the confidence/obliviousness Arteta has every time he’s on like he’s still going to be here next season like he’s part of the future. Fucking braindead to boot
Just been called by Arsenal to know whether I wanted buy two season tickets club level, Untold them as long as Artetabis in charge, I would not.The guy was like, you are not the first person telling me that. Maybe that will come back to the Kroenke ears.
You’re still a fantasist I see
“Just been called by Arsenal to know whether I wanted buy two season tickets club level, Untold them as long as Artetabis in charge, I would not.The guy was like, you are not the first person telling me that. Maybe that will come back to the Kroenke ears.“
Lol what did I say, lives for anecdotal nonsense he gets to craft on the internet for strangers.
Any more stories from an ex-girlfriend who knows a guy who knows another guy? Or your insiders at Colney? Have any more players offered you bubbly in the street?
“Has to be said as well I love the confidence/obliviousness Arteta has every time he’s on like he’s still going to be here next season like he’s part of the future. Fucking braindead to boot“
Are you in touch with Stan?
Because between you and Arteta my money is on him having more info on his employment status. Bit weird to call someone brain dead when they’re infinitely more clued up than you on a subject.
Kroenke is fucking brain dead. If the huge slice of shit pie that Arteta has served up all season isn’t enough to sack him, then he is brain dead
What a dreadful indictment on Xhaka that he is being overlooked by the footballing world for his “consistency” and absolute key part of this current flying Arsenal side.
Maybe these who vote outside of Arsenal also realise he can’t engage properly the middle of the pitch which is rather important for a midfielder.
Arteta and Xhaka. Fuckin ell these two together could down a country let alone a solitary football club.
Arteta rang me up and asked if I wanted season ticket. I said to him if I was a pig who loved shit and he offered me all the excrement in the world I wouldn’t buy a ticket. Thick cunt asked me if excrement was Swiss and if he was related to Xhaka. I said you could say that
lol
Arteta rang me up too, but he sounded like a virgin and tried to explain what Elite Power Rankings were, so I’m pretty sure it was Bamford stealing another identity.
Plus the phone number originated in Singapore.
@Jamie
We all sure that that’s even Arteta on the touch line? For all we know Bamford could be holding him hostage in a little cupboard while he pretends to be Arteta
First off you don’t think he’s braindead Charles? You don’t think anyone who’s failed so spectacularly in a season like that and who’s still confident of keeping his job isn’t to be considered that stupid? Well I do. I’d be genuinely shocked if he’s here next season. I know you’d be happy with him still manager and Xhaka still at the heart of the midfield but I’d just be dumbfounded if that happened. Last time we finished in similar circumstances we went through two managers until Rioch joined the following summer. I don’t see a club like Arsenal finishing midtable… Read more »
TYAGN –
I’m just waiting for Arteta to address a journo as ‘guy’, then we’ll know for definite.
Sign ‘Magnificent 7 new players’ and we just might finish in top 5 , meh
Arsenall Squad 2021/22
NEW GK
Mathew Ryan (G)
NEW RB
Kieran Tierney (D)
Gabriel (D)
Saliba (D)
Cedric Soares (D)
Calum Chambers (D)
Pablo Mari (D)
NEW CB (D)
Bukayo Saka (M)
NEW CAM
Thomas Partey (M)
NEW DM
Emile Smith Rowe (M)
Granit Xhaka (M)
Gabriel Martinelli (M)
Joe Willock (M)
NEW CF (F)
NEW RW (F)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (F)
Nicolas Pepe (F)
Folarin Balogun (F)
Like Gambon has stated so many times, Bissouma should not be a priority.
Our biggest problem is scoring from midfield and creating chances. Bissouma solves neither of them especially as diet Pep is still in charge.
@ Jamie
🤣🤣 if he then squeals with delight at the mention of OGS and united, then we’ve got our man
Marko
I’m not happy with a particular status quo, that’s you. I’m interested in seeing progression and development across numerous facets of the football club. You have a history of wanting new and satiny at every opportunity irrespective of the actual influence it brings.
There’s no noises suggesting Arteta is going anywhere, in fact all the noises are that KSE are going to back him to overhaul the squad this summer.
Champagne Charlie
“There’s no noises suggesting Arteta is going anywhere, in fact all the noises are that KSE are going to back him to overhaul the squad this summer.”
The KSE you have no faith in and want out and replaced themselves.
What fantasy land are fans living in to think that KSE are going to “overhaul” anything.
The same fantasy land that computes Arteta as being a top truly capable football manager.
Agree Azed, don’t see Bissouma moving the needle greatly for us and at 45m or whatever is being quoted, we really do need to look elsewhere. He is too similar to Partey for me and I see Partey as the better player right now, settling in period notwithstanding. If we had 200m+ to spend, it might be a different story. Anguissa is just as good as Bissouma if not better and he would be cheaper given Fulham will be in the Championship next season and he isn’t in favour with Parker it seems. 25-30m tops likely gets him as opposed… Read more »
We will be at the stage now where KSE are just content to have us ticking over as an EPL club.
That will suffice for them.
I’m not happy with a particular status quo, that’s you.
Yes… I’m… very happy that’s correct. Love the current status quo.
I’m interested in seeing progression and development across numerous facets of the football club.
So not Arteta then. Love how you want to see progress and development and yet are one of Xhaka’s biggest fans. A player who has shown no progress or development since joining