I’m really struggling to keep my emotions in check with regards to this summer because all the noises are positive. In fact, even the noises that aren’t positive are positive.
There’s a story doing the rounds that Ryan Bertrand is going to take the Leicester offer over Arsenal. I find it odd that a guy who grew up in Gillingham would head to Leicester (I’ve lived there, it’s nice, but it’s no London), but hey, who knows if our offer was real in the first place. He’d have been a very solid back-up left-back, but I don’t think there will be many tears shed on that one.
Granit Xhaka is top of the list for Jose Mourinho’s rebuild. Shows how rated he is. A managers player, one that baffles the fans, but over and over he gets the nod. I’m a bit surprised about this move, I’m not sure he’d have been an expected exit this summer, but fuck it… good for him. He’s 28 years old, the Italian league will suit him down to the ground, and we have to be honest… Arsenal has to be doing better if we want to go back to the top.
There’s a bit if fear about how we replace him. A lot of detractors don’t understand that Granit Xhaka does a hard job very well. He’s a server, he moves the ball between the lines better than anyone in our side at the moment. Sure, he’s one-paced and slow, but he’s very effective and our midfield without him not as good.
The rumblings that I’ve heard is that this summer will see a focus on Premier League players, so clubs like Wolves and Brighton will be attracting interest. I hope our Premier League hunger is not at the expense of the deals that’ll be available in more financially fucked leagues, but I suspect the logic is pretty simple here: We need a good start next season. If we’re shipping major names in our team, our fans will not tolerate a rough opening.
There’s a bit of fear in the system we’ll be going after Reuben Neves. A player that isn’t exactly a mobile monster in the midfield. I have absolutely no idea who we will go for. I think we’re more likely to move on someone like Bissouma, knowing that Brighton are going to be in the hunt for Eddie Nkeitiah. Remember, we have replace more than one central midfielder. Bissouma is an excellent party crasher that has done really well in Brighton’s midfield, he could do the dirty work next to Partey and give us that athletic bite next season. You still need a midfielder that can be an outlet though, fastballs through the lines with absolute efficiency. We’re looking for a rare breed, but hey, that’s what scouts and analysts are paid to be good at.
Sorry, we have to interrupt this blog to see a SAUCY SHIRT.
Damn. That’s my Klaxons reunion gig outfit set. Neon face paint. Dusted down bright blue skinny jeans. New rave is back baby. Gonna be magic. WHAT A SHIRT THAT IS. Love it. Adidas brings me so much damn joy.
The word on the street is that KSE is absolutely going to try and buy our love this summer. We’re not in a sell before you buy mindset, we’ll be making moves, there is cash to spend and we will spend it. Arsenal lost 22% value according to Deloitte. Honestly, it means fuck all, because no one is bidding for Arsenal based on a pricing, but it’s important because it does show that if KSE don’t get a grip on their prized asset, it’s going to get more and more expensive to fix it longterm. The money injection isn’t just to appease fans, it’s to reduce noise in their lives, and it’s to make sure their star asset is healthy.
That’s not to say we won’t be selling players, we absolutely will. We have plenty of opportunities to make the summer even bigger. Willock, Reiss, Hector, Guendouzi, Cedric, Kola, Torreira, and maybe one of our centre backs will bring in at least £80m. But we’re not in the mess we were last year where we had to run the clock down because everyone was low-balling us.
The market is deflated though. Roma offering £10m for Xhaka is going to be par the course this summer. It’s so amusing to watch fans turn their nose up at getting any fee for an expensive player that will be 29 in September. Move on players that aren’t good enough, find younger models that don’t need galaxy brain systems to protect their weaknesses, do all of the business as fast as you can so we don’t get off to a clunky start next season.
Also, I swear down, if Edu fucks up moving on Willian because he sought out a big fee, I will go to London myself to hand-deliver a stern letter of disapproval. Let him go on a free, don’t top up his salary, move on from this absolute debacle.
There’s a real opportunity to move to the next level this summer, every signing has to be perfect, but if we can manage that, next season could be a major surprise to the league.
I’m excited.
See you in the comments.
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Marc
Was peanuts in comparison to united Chelsea and City
Marc
Yeah generally isn’t a good idea going back if you were extremely successful prior.
Not many pull it off, Jupp did for Bayern. Mourinho to an extent at Chelsea although he did end up getting run out of the place.
Yeah, Charlie, Marko and Pedro do tend to make a lot of wrong calls.
Please don’t lump me in with them Ozil’s forgotten love child
Fergie was smart, he bowed out winning the title with a squad that was of far less overall quality than a lot of his previous glory sides. Arsene should have done the same after the FA Cup win in 2017, probably even 2014. Even so, the football even at times up until 2015/16 could be spectacular. Obviously the teams from 1997-2005 were the strongest of Wenger’s reign overall as proved by the trophy count, however I have to say I am most missing right now the football of ‘The Young Guns’ from 2006-11. Always entertaining, sometimes mesmerising. Remember being at… Read more »
Well reminded Pierre on Champions League night.
.
The pinnacle.
Folk always focus on A. Wenger and what he got wrong- always forgetting what he got right. And he
got 20 x top 4s : 7 x Fa Cups and x 3 league titles.
So he got an awful lot right.
We don’t get anything right now days.
Yeah, Charlie, Marko and Pedro do tend to make a lot of wrong calls..
Sorry , should have included Jamie and maybe Weagle , though I’m not sure if he was in agreement with the Martinez sale.
Chris
” I have to say I am most missing right now the football of ‘The Young Guns’ from 2006-11. Always entertaining, sometimes mesmerising.”
The cazorla,.sanchez ,wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil era was also very watchable and successful.
I was a massive Martinez fan Pierre you pillock.
How has Ozil’s spell in Turkey gone then? Dominated and delivered them the title I assume?
Elite CAM in a farmer league that he is.
“Even so, the football even at times up until 2015/16 could be spectacular. ”
That was the issue – Wenger refused to add the final couple of pieces to the jigsaw when he had the money to do so.
Pierre – No one expected Wenger to outspend Fergie or Chelsea just to use the resources at his disposal to get the best results he could. This is where Wenger let him self down and it’s the reason no club has been willing to touch him since he left.
Chelsea beating City three times in a row and almost within a month highly unlikely, but definitely played on Peps mind with his line up.
Too bad both can’t lose though.
Going into pens and both sets of players missing or scoring all their pens equally until their legs give out…….. too much to hope for I guess.
WE
I’m convince Postive Pete is Pedro and he’s bricking it that Arteta might leave.
Personally I’ll throw a street party if he does.
The Martinez and Willock situation is not the same.
Martinez came into the first team and convinced nearly everbody with his displays with Arsenal.
On the other hand Willock has not convinced to anywhere near Martinez in his displays for the first team at Arsenal.
Weagle
” was a massive Martinez fan Pierre you pillock.”
No need to be rude
I did say I wasn’t sure , so I won’t tar you with the same brush , and as you mention Ozil , anyone who understands the game would know that if you have not kicked a ball in anger for 12 months , you first have to get match fit and then you are succesible to injury, and that is what happened to Ozil .
What I would say is judge him next season ..
No excuses then.
Why should we care about players that are no longer at the club.
Couldn’t take the Chavs winning a 2nd CL title as much as it will be painful that Citeh will add yet another English team to win the CL before us.
Pierre
Money wasn’t the issue for Wenger in the end, it was his own ego that held the team back. Remember ‘If the club gave me 100 million to spend, I would give it back’?
Ishola
“On the other hand Willock has not convinced to anywhere near Martinez in his displays for the first team at Arsenal.”
Do you think it’s a possibility that willock hasn’t convinced due to lack of game time ( 2 league starts) , though he did convince in Europe but we were then told that he would never be able to repeat his scoring feats in the Premier league..
Got that wrong didn’t they
“ The cazorla,.sanchez ,wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil era was also very watchable and successful.” Agreed, the first half of 13/14 was brilliant. Thought we had the right blend of technicality, resolve and experience. Sh ame we couldn’t maintain the form that season in the league and unfortunately we fell to some heavy defeats. Marc – Also agree, it was frustrating to be within touching distance and not take the last couple of steps. I think back to the summer of 2915, we had a great end to the season in 14/15 and we perhaps needed another striker and defender, but we… Read more »
Eduardo
“Money wasn’t the issue for Wenger in the end, it was his own ego that held the team back. Remember ‘If the club gave me 100 million to spend, I would give it back’?”
Make up your minds , Marc said he wasted fortunes and now you’re saying he didn’t want to spend it.
Marc I agree with that, Wenger had too much power, and in the end was more interested in balancing the books, rather than getting a winning team Missing out on Alonso in 2007 over a couple of million We should have got Suarez in 2013, who would have been a game changer for us Sitting in Mbappe’s living room, but refusing to pay his parents a few million quid Breaking up the 2007/08 + 2010/11 teams, rather than building on the foundations already in place Only signing Cech in the summer of 2015, 2015/16 was a weak league, and we… Read more »
WE
I’m in the opposite camp – as far as I’m concerned if City win tonight all they’ve done is bought the CL but Chelsea getting a second would really grate.
If Sheikh Mansour had bought the Dog and Duck pub team on Hackney Marches they’d be in the final.
It just highlights then that lumping together Martinez and Willock is off the mark.
Chris
The season walcott was injured in jan and wenger didn’t get in a replacement when we were top of the league and flying.
Verbatim was on the market for next to nothing
Berbatov
From @lequipe
Marseille are interested in signing Arsenal centre-back William Saliba. Guendouzi has agreed to join Marseille.
It is also in the form of a loan that OM plans to convince William Saliba for next season. Discussions have started. They are less advanced than for Guendouzi.
——————————————————–
No surprise that we continue to be linked to CBs with Luiz gone and Saliba linked to a different club every day
Pierre
“Make up your minds , Marc said he wasted fortunes and now you’re saying he didn’t want to spend it.”
Actually he did both as contradictory as it sounds.
I am hoping city win this. They have bought their way in to it bit they have been run well too. Brought in the best at every opportunity. If someone is deserving between these two it is city.
I don’t care who wins.
Chelsea winning that first CL before us has already caused the pain.
In fact maybe a little leaning for the Surrey gypsies just because of them being seen as underdogs in this one.
Disgusting thought yes but two clubs I dislike anyway.
We sell Saliba this summer for anything less than a ridiculous amount of money that would just be too good to turn down and I will call upon the Football God’s to take vengeance upon Pedro with the ancient Egyptian curse of “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your nether regions”.
Odegard is average. Can’t even be a super sub.
Willock can definitely be a super sub,the type you can bring in when looking for a goal and crowding the opponent’s box. If it’s a coin toss between them then aurevoir to Odegard.
If we’re taking 25million for Willock to acquire someone like Buendia or Coutinho though, then that’ll be reasonable business.
Marc
Chavs have spent there way to success too don’t forget. Pre-Abramovich they were a Cup team.
Difference for me is that while I don’t like either club, City’s fans over here at least are either non-existent (for now) or a fairly pleasant bunch.
Chav fans on the other hand… clubbed feet, webbed fingers, sloped foreheads, underbites is only the start.
Horrible club.
Hope Chelsea lose and lose badly. Man City continuously winning trophies is not as annoying.
Marc
Chavs have spent there way to success too don’t forget. Pre-Abramovich they were a Cup team.
Difference for me is that while I don’t like either club, City’s fans over here at least are either non-existent (for now) or a fairly pleasant bunch.
Chav fans on the other hand… clubbed feet, webbed fingers, sloped foreheads, underbites is only the start.
Horrible club.
Rich
“”‘Missing out on Alonso in 2007 over a couple of million”‘”‘
Minutiae.
He done his job under KSE and what with the olligarchs arriving on the scene.
Could he have done more- Yes
Did he make errors- Yes.
Did he get tired-Yes.
What manager except the best Fergie has not got 99% decisions right?
Crikey nitpicking.
With Marc on tonight’s game. Obviously don’t like Chelsea but can’t stand City for obvious reasons and Pep who has never won a thing without having the best players and the biggest budget. If football simply boils down to money we may as well all go home.
Why do they always wheel out David Pleat on commentary for the se games.?. Idnt he like 80 years now. Just goes rabbiting on about nonsensical things and mangling every playes name that isn’t Smith or Brown
“I am hoping city win this. They have bought their way in to it bit they have been run well too. ”
Well run…., more like well oiled
Three can buy their way out of their mistakes
Very stretched this game early on.
Rich
That was Whitchurch High School right? I think Ramsey was at the same place.
Marc
Saliba will probably will leave on loan. Arsenal will ask for too much money for the likes of Marseille, Nice and Leverkusen. They’ll probably get him on the cheap next summer.
Remember, Guendouzi has a broken foot and has one year left on his deal. Thanks to Arteta killing his value, Marseille will get him for cheap as well
Healthy Bayern beat either of these teams, just one of those years.
I wouldn’t want Chelsea to get two CL trophies along with their two EL trophies in tbge last decade
That will put more meaning unto that ridiculously annoying “pride of London” tag they’ve been using.
Thorough
I’m not enamored with the idea with making Odegaard the centrepiece of the team. Good player but not great
If Saliba leaves on loan again, they his transfer value is already in the toilet.
WEagle, have to keep saying it but Chelsea’s net spend over the last five years is less than ours. Meanwhile City have spent half a billion just on their defence. Chelsea post 2015 haven’t bought titles, they just bought well and weren’t afraid to dump underperforming managers regardless of reputation.
I hate city because they started our decline by buying all our top players 2010 adebayor and toure, 2011 clichy nasri 2012 Sagna, rvp going Man U that year too, the kronkes have actually fucked us a lot since they bought us, I hate being a rich mans asset, but city screwed us by taking our best players and then our spot at the top of the table
Werner is dragging Stones around like a little puppy
He just cannot finish to save his life
Werner can’t shoot.
Sums up Werner’s season those two chances.
Wener not clinical enough again
Werner is just not a good goal scorer.
Andy hel seas net spend is lower than ours because they could not buy for 18 months
Werner
Also hate the whole ‘false 9’ thing and Pep’s claim that his preference would be to play with ten midfielders if he could. I like to see proper strikers and real defenders too doing their thing.
Chelsea
Werner with three good chances alone
Werner would struggle to finish his dinner
Andy
Meant as a whole since the Abramovich takeover.
Agree, they’ve gotten to a point where they are run well and efficiently in comparison to the Manchester clubs.
This game is so stretched.
Good game so far tbf
The one thing you should do before shooting as a striker is get the ball out from under your feet. Werner is lacking in confidence. Looks like half the player from Lepzig right now.
Serge, you think that they would still have spent £250m last summer if they hadn’t had a transfer ban? I don’t agree at all. Take out the last two summers I expect that they still haven’t spent any more than we did.
Kante never fully convinces playing attacking midfield
Werner is a real handful, just the finishing aspect of his game at Chelsea that has been rubbish. Death knell for a CF at an elite club though, as Morata knows.
Scored 30+ for Leipzig and looked so confident in front of goal even if he has always missed plenty of chances, strange one.
WEagle, yup it’s true that Ambramovich gave them a massive leg up to the point where they didn’t need to keep spending huge sums but as you rightly say they have just spent better than us and appointed better people both in the boardroom and on the management/coaching side.
CG I’m a huge Arsene Wenger fan, I think his work from 2006-2013 was some of his best, and he massively overachieved keeping us in the top 4 during that time I just wish he had someone like Dein at the club, who would have pushed him away from balancing the books, and instead focusing on getting a winning team Alonso in 2007 would have been a game changer for us, he wanted to come, and actually ended up injuring Cesc in a challenge that put him out for 6 weeks Wenger should have gone in 2016 though, after he… Read more »
Wenger Eagle
If they Chelsea are patient with him though he will come good eventually. He is just feeling pressure I think. He was lethal on his last season at PSG. If your performances are alright then you will improve the goalscoring eventually.
Sterling has looked bright, City’s only real threat so far.
Srerling dives.
Kroenkephobe
Yeah Whitchurch high school
Ramsey is from Ystrad Mynach, up in Caerphilly
At lepzig* don’t now where PSG came from 😂😂😂
Habesha He’s literally the opposite of Lukas Podolski. Really mobile and a livewire that can play anywhere across the front 3 and has a solid all-round game being able to pass and dribble but cannot stay onside to save his life and cannot put his foot through the ball, scuffs and slices more often than makes a clean connection. Where Poldi was a bit one-paced, struggled out wide and in 1 vs 1s and couldn’t really play with his back to goal but he had an absolute mallet for a left peg, struck the ball better than literally anyone and… Read more »
Sensational tackle from Rudiger
Very good game, for the neutral
That shot from Folding is going in.
How many RBs do England have fucking hell?
Forgot about James.
Walker, Trippier, TAA, Wan Bissaka, James, Max Aarons, Matty Cash.
Good officiating, hope premier league refs are taking notes
Havertz such a lightweight in that situation
Shame for Silva
That’s the danger with old players. They can get injury easily.
Just looking at Mendy, he wasn’t on the wish list of many last season,
Of all keepers in Europe we had to settle for Runnarson
Has that goal keeping coach been sacked yet our is Arteta still protecting him?
Have to say that Silva has had a decent season for the Chavs at 36 besides getting his arse torn apart twice by West Brom and Matty Pereira.
There it is.
Was coming, Citeh nervy.
That Mount ball… oof
“Sorry , should have included Jamie and maybe Weagle , though I’m not sure if he was in agreement with the Martinez sale.“ I said I’d keep the two keepers and have a proper battle for #1 during the season, we could sell at the end of that. Also noted the only way we’d sell is of one of them agitated for a move, which is exactly what happened. Seems the lost reality of Emi von Buffon is that he kicked up and asked to leave. There was less outrage when we sold Henry and RVP ffs. No issue selling… Read more »
Pep squad looking to bottle it yet again.
Thats a very big goal at a vital time
Man City completely ripped open with one pass.
I like the way he jumps over the GK.
I like Havertz
Mount is brilliant, world class season.
City still to win it.
Chelsea have been the better side so far. It is deserved. Guardiola has bottled it so far. They need a striker. False 9 is the stupidest thing as a manager for me.
That ball was amazing bloody chavs
Pep galaxy braining this thing with a false 9. Hilarious stuff. He has Aguero on the bench but just can’t help himself.
Werner would have missed that chance
Problem here for full fat Pep. Being tactically outdone, what to do!? Of course Chelsea scoring was the worst thing that could have happened from a sporting spectacle POV
Imagine thinking some of the players on display don’t get into the Arsenal team. Odd
Chelsea should have Werner in for extra training on finishing and decision making. Otherwise he is a very dangerous player. His run off the ball made that Chelsea goal.
Pep is funny though
False nine and not defensive midfielder
Arteta learned from the best
Werner has only speed but is a dumb player.