The newswire is alight, nonsense rumours, bundled with some threads that are of interest.
The biggest transfer I suspect we’ll try and do this summer is Martin Odegaard. Madrid pushed Zidane out and there are journos saying this means the Norwegian will be back in the plans. I’m not sure I believe it. A rebuild is coming to them this summer and they need cash because they are absolutely broke. Perez, the man on the sinking super league ship telling everyone there was no iceberg, is not turning down £35-40m for a 22-year-old that is still pretty raw by their standards.
That doesn’t mean we’ll get him, obviously, there are a million ways to fuck up a deal… but they love him at Arsenal and I think people have underestimated his talent. He’d be an immense signing and one for the future.
Stuart Webber, the Norwich Sporting Director, has put out noise that they are open to selling their stars this summer if clubs come armed with a big number that starts with a ‘3’. Emi Buendia, another player that could blow up in our team, would be a very sexy consolation prize. I like his game because it has the bang-bang of Alexis Sanchez, something our team has sorely lacked over the past year. He’s not a true #10 though, so would be a bit worried about him eating into some development time we have with the younger Hale-Enders.
Matteo G, fresh from burying his nose deep into the backside of Unai Emery this week, looks set to complete a move tooooooo… Marseille. It’s hard to work out what the deal looks like, because no doubt it’s dripping in sell-on clauses, but it’s certainly not a mega deal.
Why?
Well, firstly, sirens generally flash when young kids have blowout arguments with their coaches. If there’s a history that follows your entire career, it’s more than a siren, it’s a pattern. Matteo is 22 years old, he’s always been a problem, then he went to Hertha, dropped a very average season that was capped by an unflattering interview from their coach where he was called an ‘animal.’
There can be a narrative that we handled him badly, but that dies a death when the player fucks the redemption tour. There could also be a view that we tanked his value with coaching. Outside that being a total nonsense, do the people of the internet truly believe the sharpest mines in world football would ignore a top-level 22 year old for a very low fee brutalised by ‘coaching’? Don’t be silly. Matteo G costs what he does because world football knows the deal. When you are a father of 1 and 22 years old your shitty behaviour doesn’t get a pass.
… and I’ll say it one more time for those at the back of the room: Being a dickhead in 2021 is not an admirable trait. It does not mean you care more. It does not add to a high-performance culture.
Dick heads clog up the system. Their bad behaviour creates a gossip vortex. It unsettles. It wastes time that could be spent coaching. It toxifies the air. You cannot afford to carry dickheads, even if they are good, and the jury is still well and truly out on whether Guendo can hit the heights.
There’s some Sheffield news that Sander Berge is interested in Arsenal but they want to recoup his full fee. Not sure they’ve seen the news, but there’s no chance anyone is dropping full fees on relegated players this summer. There’s also a low chance anyone is going to take the valuations of Sheff U seriously after they dropped £18m on Rhian Brewster.
Eddie Nkeitiah is attracting the interest of Watford, who are next door to us in a training ground sense, and back in the Premier League. His price tag is £15m, which is a snip, and mostly because he’s down to the last year of his deal and I don’t think there’s an option for us to extend. I think the better move for him is Brighton. They have a clearer need, a better coach, and the shops are really nice in Brighton… AND BISSOUMA.
Daniel Ballard took Blackpool up a division in a hard-fought battle against Lincoln in the play-offs. I don’t know if he’ll make it with Arsenal, but doing 32 appearances at 21 years old in a tough league and going to Wembley is very impressive. The Blackpool fans love him, hopefully, he goes back there next season for another rough and ready season.
William Saliba has been shortlisted for centre-back of the season after only 6 months in Nice. The painful back and forth of ‘will he stay or won’t he’ is very boring. Pretty sure he’s going to get a chance this summer to impress and if he’s good enough and strong enough, I think he’ll stay next season.
Right, that’s it, enjoy your Bank Holiday/Memorial Day weekend!
1st?
2nd
3rd
and 4th trophy
If we can get 15 million for Eddie then we should get similar for AMN. 30 million for the 2 with addons would be nice. Better if its more ofc but in todays market not bad.
Remind me again how was Robin Van Persie was like when he was young again ? Before we signed him ?
Divine, remind us how many times he had a fight with Arsene Wenger, then remind us how many times we sent him out on loan? Then remind us if he fucked the loan up?
I believe RM keep Odegaard.
Buendia’s fee has been telegraphed with the “won’t even pick up the phone for less than 35m” comment from the club chairman.
Guendouzi going back to France was always the most likely outcome, and I can think of a few scenarios when being called an animal is a high complement.
So you agree Arsene managed him well after his reputation of being a problematic player ?
So your idea of managing is to dump the player who is being a dick , instead of thinking of solution to make him contribute towards the team ? No surprises Aubameyang was pissed.
Divine, if someone cannot contribute positively to a high performance culture and behaves in a toxic manner, they go. That sort of behaviour is a cancer and it reflects incredibly poorly on leadership if they don’t act.
Ok but conversely doesnt it reflect badly on the manager if you have problems with every other player ?
Divine, I’m not sure that’s the case.
Pedro
Who can we realistically move on this year
We always get done with player valuations
Nelson £12m
Niles £16m
Nketiah £12m
Lacazette £20m
Xhaka £20m
Guendouzi £12m
Torriera £15m maybe another loan
Kolasanic £8m
Am sure we can get those prices but the players we after will be expensive
Mourinho comes to mind . Pogba at United , Delle Alli at Spurs , Mata at Chelsea , to name a few.
Saliba should be back with us this coming season
Shabz, maybe add Willock and Leno to the list.
Big summer. Think there will be a lot of movement because there has to be. Could easily raise £100m.
Pedro
It depends on how much willock can fetch in COVID market
What would u say is the minimum
£30m and they can have him but his goals in a European less team like us we might need him off the bench
Leno I think just get rid but Dortmund have signed a goalie
Don’t know who else will want him
In an ideal summer Buendia and Odegaard should both be signed , Dump Willian , sell Nelson. Buendia is versatile . Slick like Cazorla and Hleb. Would be a nice throwback to Rosicky (ESR ) Hleb (Buendia) Nasri (Saka) days . Partey and a solid CM should do it.
I always find it strange that we, as Arsenal fans, always undervalue what we can get for our players in the market, but corresponding regard the demands of other clubs as pretty inflexible. Must be the product of so many bad deals in the past. I am not questioning anybody’s specific evaluations, because I have no idea what these players are worth. But Willock strikes me as a good example. Seven goals in seven games, English and fit. That would amount to among the hottest players on the market at the moment if he were in someone else’s team. But… Read more »
NJ, 20m in this market for willock would be pretty decent!
I like the likening (!) of Buendia to Sanchez. It’s true we have must that industrious type of player who also possess match winning qualities. The type who can take a game by the scruff of the neck if need be. Not saying exactly Buendia could replicate what Alexis brought us but another player of that type would be great to see.
Missed* I really do hate autocorrect
Happy Memorial Day, Pedro! I hope you have dried out after the terrible weather. I was in Union Square yesterday and it looked like a ghost town. You really think 20M for Willock? I know it is chalk and cheese, but why would Berge or Buendia – neither of whom have proven themselves in the PL, go for a huge amount more than someone with an English premium who has 60 games and is on a hot streak? I respect that people know a lot more than me about the stats. But sometimes it seems like (mis)perception plays a bigger… Read more »
Shabz
I think we have to be very critical of the money available per player, and subsequent needs of the side.
If Willock encourages offers around 20-25 mil then the only reason he stays is to be a starter at the club, because otherwise it makes no sense to put that on the bench when we have significant holes in the side. I’m not a fan of his ‘goals from the bench’ role.
We sell for 20+ imo. Target players who fit the remit better and will deliver in the first XI. Your Buendia’s and Bissouma’s.
Cc
I understand what you saying I think it depends on the next big transfer
Liverpool already spunked £36m on a good defender that’s decent
You know fellow premier league clubs will sell for big money
Brighton will be looking for £35m for bissouma which is fair because the players we need are in the 30m plus mark
Odegaard I think we can get loan to buy £10m loan then £30m buy fee am sure real would accept that
A lot of deals this summer will be loan to buy am afraid
If we dealing with foreign clubs
Shabz With the size of squad we have it’s a summer of being very clear who is the best fit for the football we want to play, and then getting the maximum for those who either aren’t a fit, or are generating interest. Think we’ll lose up to 10 significant names from the squad, so expecting a decent amount of money generated. From there it’s about who we see moving the needle. Big summer. As you say, nobody else is going to rest on their laurels. I’d love to see as many as 4 new forward playing players at the… Read more »
I hope our scouting system works this summer
Leverkusen centre back looks like a good scout but they want £50m
We realistically need to spend £150m this summer to compete with the top 4
I recommended we need premier proven players like bissouma buendia Bertrand as back up
We must have big plans for balogun I think he will be the nketiah of this season
I hope we really utilise him
Also arteta killed nelson career with willian he could bought some value this season
It would be hard to point out a player that picked a fight with Wenger, on the other hand it seems to common theme with this manager
Dont sell Willock and AMN.
Get rid of Management. Now is the time. How fucking hard is it to find good sport CEO?
Losers attitude from top to bottom.
Wenger was many things later on but he had class. Tets has nothing now. No respect from players.
I see Buendia as more of Santi than Alexis
As much as i rate Ode i honestly think Buendia better suits our needs. We need goals and creativity from midfield and he adds that in abundance. He is also dynamic, a great dribbler who loves to get stuck in and fight for his team. People who say he didn’t do it in the PL last season are wrong as he was created the fifth most amount of chances in the division. Pukki just wasn’t eating his dinners. Also he can play as a 10 because although he’s started on the right for Norwich this season his seasonal heat map… Read more »
Edu and jorge mendez should speed up the signing of Ruben Neves instead of Bissouma
GonsterousMay 31, 2021 16:59:54 After arteta the only managers we will be able to pull will be the likes of eddie howe and graham potter. / To be honest We can’t actually say we’ve ever pulled an elite manager in our recent history. Wenger done good things in france but he was hardly ‘ELITE’ at the time. Is emery elite? He’s the most successful manager we’ve hired. Meaning he had trophies stacked BEFORE he came to Arsenal. Ljungberg. N/A. Then Arteta.So you’re right. I’d say eddie howe and potter is our level. To be honest. We’d do well to draw… Read more »
Ruben Neves has an average of 12 ball recoveries every 90 minutes. 2.2 shot creation action, Partey has 1.7
Hope Arsenal does better in the TW then in the league just a reminder what others think about the past season. Ian Darke does a grading of last season’s Premier League and before you say who gives a fuck, he was the only ESPN pundit that put Arsenal in 4th place before the season started. Arsenal = Grade: D+ Fulham = Grade: D+ Sheffield United = Grade: D- Sp*ds = Grade: D- WBA = Grade: D- Every other team has a garded C or better. There is the bar for the TW and I am hopefully AFC will do better… Read more »
I regard Buendia more than Odegaad
Odegaad is good in ball possession but slows the game down and don’t score enough
He might also frustrate the development of ESR
I really don’t know what Arteta see in him the same way he saw in Ceballos who eventually destroyed the development of Willock.
As for Edu he brings in only Brazilian players
We must sack both Arteta and Edu who is actually lining his pocket using Kia Joorabchan
“Ian Darke does a grading of last season’s Premier League and before you say who gives a fuck, he was the only ESPN pundit that put Arsenal in 4th place before the season started.“
Putting Arsenal in 4th place before the season started was his first mistake.
Pedro “That doesn’t mean we’ll get him,(Odegaard)obviously, there are a million ways to fuck up a deal… but they love him at Arsenal and I think people have underestimated his talent. He’d be an immense signing and one for the future” Good player with great attitude but I’m not sure how he will improve . He already plays with an experienced head and is an intelligent footballer. What he doesn’t have and will never have is pace , he doesn’t have quick feet, meaning he won’t commit and beat a defender, he can’t take the ball on his right side… Read more »
La Croq
I’d say Herbert Chapman was elite 90 odd years ago but I’m splitting hairs. It’s a fair point.
I suspect the board has been historically phobic of assertive, big-name managers for fear of being confronted and/or having to stump up big sums of cash.
“Putting Arsenal in 4th place before the season started was his first mistake.”
Add to that the majority here on this blog, but unlike Ian Darke, who corrected his prediction and got the stick from the other pundits, most here are again are giddy about finishing top 4. Does that include you?
I made my view clear the only way to CL football is by winning the EL. The new top 4 for Arsenal is 6th spot.
Odegaard would make a good RVP/Firminho type of striker, bringing others into play, especially mobile driblers flanking him.
MD, the only person who cares about Ian Darke and the daily sport end of season editorial is you.
MD, you can’t correct a prediction.that’s like saying I got the lottery numbers right after I saw the draw
Pedro “NJ, 20m in this market for willock would be pretty decent!” The argument for buying Odegaard ahead of keeping Willock is to look at their careers to date and one will see that Odegaard’s career is more impressive so far… Signing Odegaard and selling Willock is all about the judgement of the manager. The question is , can we trust Arteta’s judgement from what we have seen in the last 18 months …the answer is probably no. I’m not sure he even trusts himself as I’m sure he must question himself on some of the decisions he has made… Read more »
MD-Gunner
No, I predicted Arsenal finish 6th, which would’ve been a more than a decent improvement from 8th the season before, and I’m gonna stick with something similar this time around too regardless what happens in the TW over the summer.
I also don’t buy into the ‘Oh if we buy another attacker it will amount to child abuse!!!’ I disagree. Think of this season. We played Saka so much that he eventually burnt out got injured and lost form. Basically ran out of stream. We couldn’t rest him mainly because Willian constantly smelt of shit. If we would of had a Buendia instead of a faulty Willian that Saka’s load would been reduced to an humane level and this would aid his development not kill it. If we want to get to where we need to then Saka and Smith… Read more »
Many
In general it’s hard to get excited about any transfers when you don’t trust the coaching at the club.
Not only the coaching but also the stooges that are actually authorizing the transfers. Who in the club’s hierarchy has the footballing knowledge? Perhaps the hired headhunters for the scouts? Deep shit AFC is in.
Well, I agree 100% with Pierre at 18:12 regarding Odegaard.
For those who think he has a high ceiling, I would say we are seeing his ceiling now. Very limited player when you cut through the noise that was being made when he first broke onto the scene.
No to Ode, Seriously, who can actually say that he has what we need. Extreme left footed, slow, weak, doesn’t score, prefers to pass. We do not need that- its more of the same. We need powerful dribbles, 2 footed, who have an eye for goal.
No way Jose… Ode can go back and fight for his place in Madrid. Not hearing they are even clamoring for him to return.. just tells you enough.
No more RM rejects pls
Vintage Gun
I agree- both ESR and Saka need to compete or they will get burned out and injured through over playing- which is what Mike would likely do
Tom
Spot on. Simply put- we can get world beaters but if our coaching sucks ass, then it does not matter. Too many on here seem to think that Mike knows what he is actually doing. clueless fucker
We do need to get business done fast…
When the window opens, we need to be ready with opening bids…all set to go on the fax machine.
Bissouma, Buendia… do it fast before someone else does!!!!
De Bruyne was dumped by Chelsea at 22 Bruno Fernandes was playing for Udinese Grealish was a bit part player for Villa Maddison was in his first season for Leicester, had a decent season, but wasn’t pulling up any trees Look at the progress of Mount over the last 6 months I suggested giving Willock a run of games earlier in the season to see how he developed, mainly because he was our only available attacking midfielder, and was told by the majority that a 21yr old was “never” going to be good enough….. 22yr olds develop, particularly talented ones… Read more »
Seems Saka has been left out of the final England squad?
At least he will get at some rest this summer. Will work in our favour even though he will be gutted. His time will come though.
Pierre, I agree with your assessment of Ødegaard. I think in view of his physical attributes (no pace, no acceleration, very one footed, no string shot, …) the player he is now is the player he will be in two years time. There may be a small progression, but unless he dramatically change his style of play I see him pretty close to his ceiling. The hype that surrounded him a few years ago was because he was playing like an old head for such a young age. However other players have caught up with him. I can’t see him… Read more »
I’d take Ode at the right price. And he feels like a 25-30M player right now. If we have to pick, I’d rather go for Buendia. He seems to have the pace and penetration we’ve lacked for a while.
“Against a low bloc, ESR is more likely to force an opening while Ødegaard to wait for one.“
First time reading variety in attack being spun as a negative. Our star CF is a movement merchant, having a player that can pick passes and use the ball intelligently is quite clearly of benefit.
I just hope these Sterling stories are BS. It would be the end of Martinelli for the sake of Walcott v2.0.
Guns,
Smith Rowe:
“The manager’s tactics are amazing, too. It’s the little details.
“He’ll tell us how certain moments will go down, how the opposition will react to certain movements we make, and it’ll happen, exactly as he said it.
“When you see little things like that work, it makes you realise how experienced he is, and how much of a top manager he really is.”
Critique team selection, but the coaching is top tier, which is why we’re doing a good job keeping these kids tied to the club.
Agree with those who would prefer Buendia over Odegaard. For a start Buendia can be had for 30 to 35 while Madrid are surely looking 50 million.
Buendia 2 footed ,scores goals as well as assists and I just love that south american temperament and fighting spirit.
You just know we will go all out for Odegaard because of Arteta and Villa will snap up Buendia who will go on to explode….
Also I just think Buendia will just love that opportunity to play for us and prove himself whereas maybe Odegaard will think he is doing us a favour.
This is interesting data on the differences between Odegaard and Emi.
I like Odegaard, think he has the element of surprise to his game and I don’t think he’s as slow as everyone makes out.
Would be equally fine with Buendia though, obvs faster and a bit of an all action hero. Heard he had a bad attitude, but his Norwich numbers seem to cast doubt on that.
https://twitter.com/Worville/status/1399405988017487876?s=20
Bacary, can’t be having that attitude every time you come here. Especially not on a nice bank holiday.
David, chip on the shoulder defo a good thing with certain players.
Pedro,
That’s very interesting. Buendia’s stats read almost like an offensive CM. That would be something.
I would take both Beuendia and Ode plus bisouma and aarons we would improve immensely
They would give the service Auba has been lacking.
LS, interesting that MO offers more control… and Buendia offers more of a press and a defensive resilience.
Control or pressure.
Pedro
Define bad attitude?
I love the Suarez, Alexis types, snarling predators, hate to lose, demand more of everyone
I can’t deal unprofessionalism, players who are consistently late, call in sick, or react in the wrong way to being dropped, I want us to have players who are frustrated at being dropped, but as long as they react with increased work rate…
I couldn’t care less if they don’t walk around with big goofy smiles on their faces, or if they’re unsociable
Serge,
Yeah, that would be something. Let’s see how aggressively KSE plan on sucking up to the fans. The position that worries me is still #9. I feel the club should try to negotiate a short extension for Laca. Make him the first choice with Martinelli as understudy. PEA is never going to perform in this system.
Pressure every time for me. Control is useless if you can’t do anything with it.
I honestly wouldn’t mind if we got either of Buendia or Odegaard. Bit there are stories today saying Madrid want 50 mil for him. That is too much for us right now. If it was between haggling for Odegaard against Madrid and going straight to Norwich and paying 35 mil for buendia I will choose the latter though. Buendia is a lot like Santi than Alexis. He is two footed. Extreme close control and he dribbles like santi too. He rarely loses the ball. Alexis was a trial and error kind of player. He would just work hard enough till… Read more »
Pedro,
Yeah and I suspect that’s why Arteta rates MO. He wants to play like City and MO is that kind of a player. Buendia is more Klopp-ball. And I’d really love someone who can accelerate when we break rather than slow things down.
Habesha in would take anyone a bit like Santi the guy was amazing for us
I also like players with fire in their bellies
Drive the team forward
Pedro That data speaks to the control offered by Odegaard, and it’s why I think he’s so highly valued. It’s one of those aspects that doesn’t jump out like raw goals and assists, but the importance can’t be overstated in teams that aim for territorial dominance. Odegaard buys time and allows the movement of others to come to something. In a side with ESR, Saka, Pepe, Auba it’s not hard to see why a player of that ilk is admired so highly. Small sample (800 mins), but I very much see Odegaard as a conductor-type creator in a similar vein… Read more »
Pointless trying to play like City, is that the big idea? Not exactly ingenious, we can’t afford to buy the players we’d need for that anyway. I thought Arteta had his own ideas. Let’s be Arsenal, not a knock-off version of City, it’s embarassing.
Andy,
You pretty much have two dominant schools of strategy these days. City – dominating territory, as CC put it. Liverpool / the German teams – counter press. I don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing per se to say “we should play like…”. But personally I’d prefer gegenpress simply because the City way is more expensive and high maintenance. And we can’t afford it.
They are fascinating stats about Silva Charlie,I’m going to quote them for my ongoing argument that stats are simply a part of the story,but nothing beats watching a player. Stats can even be used to twist and mislead, but the eyes don’t lie( unless you’re over 50 and trying to play pool after a few pints).
Mr Serge Yeah santi was amazing. If he has half the impact that Santi did then we will be genuine threats. Anyway one stat that jumps out at me on that link pedro posted is progressive passing. Buendia is way ahead, although in a weaker league. He also creates chances from ball progression, and he creates shots. Which means he is more creative than Odegaard. But Odegaard offers ball retention ability and linkup play from the stats. Buendia comes out on top on all the defensive stats. It looks like we would get more if we got buendia. He is… Read more »
Almunia
Certainly can and are. It’s why looking purely at goals/assists is really, really basic when comparing two players. It’s one part of a very rage picture, and there’s an awful lot of traits that go into a player to make him a good/bad fit for your team.
I like Odegaard a great deal for the type of player he is personally, have always found the comparisons with ESR a bit bizarre. See Buendia being far more akin to ESR.
Good link Pedro. It’s shows Odegaard and Buendias styles of play well. ‘Control or pressure’
Although I prefer Buendia I’d have both and play 4-3-3 with Party Bissouma and Ode as the 3
Buendia can play off the right.
Loan Nelson, sell Willian, and one of Lacca/Auba and move Martinelli up top with Balogun keeping the 2 CF’s on their toes.
Pepe/Smith Rowe left
Saka/Buendia right
Odegaard/Smith Rowe/Buendia central
Auba/ Martinelli/ Balogun CF
Good balanced offensive options there in my book and also realistic too.
I would not be shocked if buendia ended up being the Xhaka replacement. Maybe not immediately but seems a very good fit for CM.
Vintage gun
Love that
Odegaard, Smith-Rowe
Buendia, Pepe
Saka, Martinelli
Aubameyang, Balogun
Some nice versatility in there
I’d have no problem with us selling Aubameyang, but we’re probably stuck with him, so have to try and extract some value from him
I’d like to see Pepe get a run down the middle, he’s deceptively good in the air, and he’s easily the best finisher at the club, we need to get him playing as close to goal as possible
Gareth Southgate has a very tough job in his hands
England is stacked fully in so many positions, anything other than a close loss in a semifinal will be a failure.
Charlie I’d really like to see both Buendia and Odegaard here next year but I really see them as different types. I think ode is actually the type we need more, not necessarily better than Buendia, we just don’t have anyone like him at all. It’s very hard to rate either given how little I’ve seen of them just as predicting the ceiling of Saka and esr is no simple task. But if you had all 4, well on laws of average alone you’d have to think at least one would develop into a world class player,if we got lucky… Read more »
@Rich
It also takes the pressure of the very young players whilst still keeping them really involved and part of the A team.
I also agree regarding Pepe. He’s lethal in and around the box due to his strong shooting and high skill set.
He struggles when used on the byline with no-one else to link with.
Buendia is twice the man odergaard is. Mark my words if we get Ode it will be Ozil mk2.
Buendia is 2 footed, has acceleration, vision, tenacity, bite in the tackle. We don’t need any patient players who wait for the right moment in odegaard.
We need players who will force the game onto the opponent! Emi is the full package while ode is a luxury
Almunia
Very much agree with that, I see Buendia bringing more expectant numbers in the final third than perhaps our young guys are ready to give. But I also think Odegaard is a top class talent you could really build an attacking until around.
If we could land both it would be most ideal.
chip on the shoulder defo a good thing with certain players.
Pedro
Can’t believe you wrote that after rubbishing Guen (again) in your piece. Getting selective with your chips and shoulders. What’s so fucking bad about the pomme frite sur l’epaule de Guendouzi?
Charlie,
It could reignite Auba,though I have to admit he seems pretty unhappy of late, let’s hope it’s frustration rather than a type of sulking. Would be so frustrating to get the midfield right only to lose our finishers. Would still love Rice but the figures being bandied about put him out of our range. There’s no real x factor there so I cant imagine it would be a purchase that would even be considered at the moment, I’m really on my own with that one.
Kroenkephobe,
How’s tricks? This day next week,outdoor service for pubs, put your house on torrential rain across the entire country.
Where are you on new arrivals? Obviously we’re guessing on the budget and we don’t know who’ll be sold, but if you had your way within reason?
Almunia Auba needs to look himself in the mirror and come back next season with a totally fresh approach, because this season was a shocker for him. I don’t agree for a second that his lack of production can be put at Arteta’s feet, we’re talking about a 31 year old player at their absolute peak. Some nerves from me about what the future holds at CF. Auba has 2 years in him tops imo, and there’s a decision to make on Laca. Anyone else at the club is far too green which makes me wonder if we’ll go for… Read more »
CC
I know you’re not a fan of Pepe, but what do you think of him potentially down the middle?
Rich
I think he’s a terrible wide player, and lacks a lot of what’s required to build attacks and maintain pressure. Would rather see him at CF to keep him further from that build up, and allow his end product to be what he’s all about.
Not sure how viable that is. But if we recruited wide creators with the idea of pushing him central then I’d understand exactly why, and not be opposed.
Charlie Yeah,you’ve been saying that for a while now and it’s pretty clear that this summer is as big a window as we’ve had for a long time, get it right and we have real hope ,wrong and god knows how long it could take us to recover. I’ve been treating Edu the way you’ve been treating Arteta,waiting for this summer to pass judgement, not that he gives a shite what I think! I hope to god there’s substance behind the suit, guess we’ll see. Striker is a real worry. Balogun,no matter how good is not going to be ready… Read more »
Almunia Hiya mate. Just make sure you’ve got one of those ginormous fucking golf umbrellas on standby! One thing I used to love about pubs in Ireland is the table service inside or out. Such a nice way to have a drink with your mates and let a member of staff take the strain of ordering drinks. Great strategy too – everyone drinks more knowing they don’t have to wade through idiots at the bar. I think the decks need to be partly cleared before new recruits are enlisted. All the usual suspects (but not Guen – we should keep… Read more »
CC “ Auba needs to look himself in the mirror and come back next season with a totally fresh approach, because this season was a shocker for him. I don’t agree for a second that his lack of production can be put at Arteta’s feet, we’re talking about a 31 year old player at their absolute peak.” The blame has to be shared equally [btw manager and player ] because Arteta didn’t give him the right tools to work with at the beginning of the season. Remember that Auba wasn’t in a hurry to sign that deal and it was… Read more »