Soooooo… #ArtetaOut?
Lololololl… it’s preseason people, take a walk outside if you are upset over a run out in the park on July 13th. This season really is going to be a painful one if we’re dropping big tears this early on.
The negatives? No one wants to see Willian and Kola in our starting 11. Kola is gone. Bin him. Give him a free. Willian? Well, we’re stuck with him, let’s be clear, Fabrizio Romano and the ITK crowd have his exit very wrong. No one will pay his monster salary and I doubt he’s taking a pay cut… I just hope Arteta doesn’t spend 4 months realizing he’s probably a dead player.
The positives? We saw a whole bunch of debuts happen and some of the kids look pretty decent. None of them will be with the first team squad come the opening day of the season, but it’s great to see them considered. I felt for Okonkwo, he hashed up a back pass that led to an early goal, but that’s being young in a vital position… mistakes happen.
ESR looked good, Arteta said he’s 100% staying. He’s not often wrong on who is staying.
Pepe missed a penalty, but he was dangerous all game despite not scoring.
PARTEY WAS CLOSE FROM LONG RANGE.
Our next game is at the weekend and we’ll have a chance to see what Stevie G is all about. More fitness in the legs, hopefully at least 11 sales, Tavares will join and we’ll get to see him for the first time. Imagine that, a good back-up left-back?!
My bigger worry is the lack of big-name signings. It feels like we might want to see Ben White as soon as possible. I think most England players will get 4 weeks off, so I’m not sure we can speed that reality up. Also, are we moving on a creative player? If it’s Maddison, make it happen. If it’s Aouar, do the damn deal. Messing around trying to save wages won’t be an excuse mid-September if we have 3 points on the board.
Glad to see that Bukayo Saka is still winning fans on the internet. I was sent this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, hated myself because I am a critic, but then thought about Bukayo.
‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit deserves to the man who is actually in the arena.’
Amen to that Teddy. A man of great privilege who did some pretty awesome things. When he was the NYC police commissioner, he’d go out at night undercover and bust crooked cops. The legend of this behavior helped correct the department. I love that sort of principled approach to life.
Anyway, Declan, single, working real estate in Manchester can keep his mouth shut about Bukayo. Sorry, ex-estate agent, no one cares or backs your views.
So a pretty short one today… but… Johnny and I did a podcast that ALSO comes in video format so you can see our faces. This week, we talk about Saka (and the climate of racism around our heroes), ESR, and giving chances to kids. Tune in with your eyes or ears and 5* rating as always.
See you BELOW.
Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play | Acast
VIDEO WOO! I would embed twitch, but it’s complicated (here). So watch it on Youtube instead.
The woman negotiating sales for Chelsea is an absolute monster talent and would realistically be worth more to us if we signed her than any actual players
She picks up quality transfer fees like they’re absolutely nothing. Meanwhile we pay teams to take out our trash.
I’m not even joking, how much does she earn at Chelsea? Offer her a 30% pay rise to come to us. She doesn’t even need to move house ffs. Until we get in someone like that, transfer windows will likely remain an absolutely baffling combination of frustration and disappointment
Newcastle hopeful of reaching a deal with Arsenal for Joe Willock, a loan with an obligation to buy next summer, according to the Athletic
He’s at a stage where he needs to play consistent football to develop, I’d be disappointed to lose him, and think we’d regret it down the line, particularly with a reported obligation of just £20 million
We should renew his contract, send him on a regular loan, then reevaluate the situation next summer, if we’re not going to give him minutes ourselves this season
Joe Willock is a brilliant young player, he’s raw in aspects of his game, but he’s still worth much more than £20 million
A picture with Smith-Rowe wearing a training top with No10
Hopefully he’s committed to the project, Saka 7 + Smith-Rowe 10, is a fantastic advertisement for Hale End
If Haaland does move to Chelsea this summer it would be interesting to see the deal Mariana strikes for him. Apparently the first transfer bid to Dortmund has been knocked back?
Willian not the first Brazilian to party hard in the off season and struggle to keep the weight off in their 30s. Why on Earth did we sign this guy on those wages, honestly.
Why is Kolasinac even pulling on the fucking shirt anymore? You can’t tell me we don’t have any kind of prospect from any level of the academy who could have been given a run out and opportunity in his place.
Chelsea signed the class A youth talent and throw them out on loans so it’s no wonder they get top quid for them when they make breakthroughs
It’s not by accident, it’s the product of long term planning and just dispels that notion that Abrahmovich is just some Russian gangster. One of the first things he did after buying Chelsea was to appoint Peter Kenyon as CEO. This current Chelsea boss was Abrahmovich’s long term personal assistant, there’s a pattern of good management about Abrahmovich. .
I wonder how Reiss Nelson would do as a attacking right back or as a wingback… as a natural winger he might thrive there… and if it worked we could save millions.
It should be these ideas that Arteta should be trying and experimenting but he’s too busy playing no hopers like Kolasinac and Willian.
*as an
Leeds
Wenger used Joel Campbell as a RB in training and apparently he was brilliant. He was never tried in games as it would mean displacing Bellerin.
Dissenter
What Aramovich does is very simple – he hires good talent, not easy but not impossible either by any stretch. What he does well is if it isn’t working he corrects it.
Why is it some clubs can sell players for actual money, yet all I hear from Arsenal is ‘loan with an obligation to buy’? What’s wrong with a straight sale?
Norg
My point exactly… if we are as cash strapped as we are always told we are, we should be bold and imaginative in trying to come up with internal solutions so that we are at least ready for the season.
andy
It’s because what we’re selling is crap. If we were selling a peak Henry things would be different the fact that we can’t shift on Xhaka just demonstrates that he’s at the minimum as bad as some of us have been saying for years.
I would beat willian in 100/200/400 m dash and subsequently trash his ass on a 5 miler running backwards
Arteta standards
For all the comments about Willian showing up to pre season being a slap in the face to fans etc the one thing it is is a massive fuck you to Arteta.
New reality
We’re a mid table club trying to get champions league level talent
We don’t appeal to talent as a club
Our players don’t appeal to other clubs to buy
We should be scouring the championship and other leagues for new talent not competing with juve, Chelsea et al
Grassroots level up is the way to go
I’ve never been a professional athlete, so maybe I’m wrong about this but…
Surely there’s got to be fitness clauses in Willian’s contract? Not the stuff that you can’t account for like a broken leg, but surely something along the lines of “must not exceed weight of 10.5 stone and body fat of 15%” or whatever. Being out of shape affects his ability to do the job.
Almunia
You out there somewhere? Earth calling Almunia.
Ernest R’s post a few moments ago about our rotund Brazilian former footballer got me thinking of another top 5. Our worst ever signings…
1. Ozil. He’ll be top of the tree in perpetuity for me – a wenger enabled trailblazer of ennui and waste.
2. Frannie Jeffers. Fox in the box? More like a cock with the pox.
3. Lee Chapman. A complete fraud.
4. Cech/Gallas/Willian. A triumvirate of Chelsea tossers.
5 John Jensen. Crazy guy, crazy perm who gave it his miniscule all. 1 – yes one – goal at home to QP hahaha on ny eve in a 3-1 defeat. One of GGs father Ted type signings where the bung was only resting in his account. I got man flu walking half a mile back to my flat, but made up for it by getting thoroughly toxic later that night.
This is a hastily thought out list. You and others are going to have some much better ones I reckon.
Marc, yeah we have some really awful assets to sell but even so you’d think that we could get a few off the books even at minimal fees but clubs don’t even want to pay those. For example Guendouzi, once ‘worth’ tens of millions and now we can’t even get anyone to cough up a straight £8m now – it has to be next year. Willock has to be worth £20m to Newcastle right now – not after a season long loan. Bellerin’s another one, not everyone’s cup of tea but to say we couldn’t get a reasonable fee only a loan is bonkers.
Also looking back at those fees some people were suggesting we’d sell players for shows just how niave they were. Remember £30m for Bellerin? And people saying that we’d get our money back on Torreira? There were even some who were saying that we could get £10m for Kola when we aren’t likely to get ten pounds let alone ten million.
If we make enough to even cover the White transfer I’ll be surprised.
Kroenke
Number 3 had a lovely wife (until she played around with her lips) – ask Eric C.
Norg
Good point. I was wondering how to factor in Lesley Ash’s failed facial arrangements without being accused of misogyny by brocco. 😜
andy
Well with most of the players you mention all comes down to Arteta being a blight on the club. Bellerin was never a great player but was OK because he had pace to burn the ACL injury cocked that up but everything else is Arteta’s fault.
Could’ve had £23 – £27 million for Xhaka now will be between £5 and £10 million short.
Could’ve had £20 million for AMN now will be lucky to get £12 million.
andy
Remind me how much were we going to sell Laca for according to some? £30 million plus when the guy’s on £180k per week.
We really need 2 comment sections – 1 for grown ups and 1 for the kiddies.
So Arsenal sign a young midfielder , Lokonga, talented, athletic ,UNPROVEN in the prem for £18 million.
Then they gift a midfielder, Willock, talented, athletic ,PROVEN he can score in the prem to Newcastle Utd for nothing for the season?
No wonder the wage bill is ballooning like William and out of control.
AFC have x 80 professionals on the payroll.
If Marina was in charge- she would demanding there are no more incomings until a minimum of 10 players are sold first.
Simple business basics just too much for Vinny, Garlick ,Edu and Josh.
Arsenal don’t have 250 million pounds for transfers.
That’s a typo error where a zero was placed at the end of 25.
That’s s why we can’t compete.
Nketiah and Nelson won’t make it at Arsenal. Just not good enough, I’m afraid.
Arsenal lost to the mighty Hibs because we have a useless manager/coach in Arteta but funnily enough he is described by Pedro as one of the brightest managers in the game.
Im sorry, but ‘brightest’ and ‘Arteta’ are irreconcilable.
We’ve been hearing for some time that xhaka is a good player but the only teams that will touch him with a barge pole are middling German teams and Roma – the second of which are trying very hard to get him for sub 20m. It’s hardly a ringing endorsement is it
I think the issue is we had such a godawful midfield a few years back that for xhaka to simply not cost us goals on the regular is now ‘good’. As opposed to at other big clubs where CMs are expected to be so much more than that
I’m not sure we can really know that Nelson is a failure yet
I mean he was a big prospect a couple of years ago. Looked raw but showed glimpses when he played for arsenal as well. Then got cunted off into oblivion never to be seen again
It’s hard to know if he’s just not good enough (maybe) or he’s just another in a long line of players unnecessarily overlooked by arteta
Even if he’s not actually good enough, if he had played a little more and had more chances to show his worth, his potential and his English premium would’ve made him an easily sellable asset in the PL. the lady at Chelsea sells players like this for 20m. We’ll probably get 6-8m…
Like seriously would anyone begrudge seeing Nelson coming off the bench instead of Willian these days?
We have no idea what Nelson can do these days because he’s got no chance. But he’s a speed demon, incredibly direct and likes to play hit and run with fullbacks. As a squaddie I can’t help but wonder if he’s deserved more than he’s got but it’s very possible
If Longkonka is 18m,
we should get nothing less than 25m for Willock(English premium)
Nothing less than 30m for Xhakalson
Nothing less than 18m for Guen
Else
{Diet Pep should be sentenced to a lifetime of peeing while squating}
Is Willock gone out on loan again?
If so, is the loan with an obligation to buy?
Edu and Arteta are a joke management duo.
The people in charges of Arsenal are cowards who are misusing player loans to defer making crucial decisions.
just logging in now so not read all comments. but if Edu is partying with Kia and Raul, I bet Coutinho is incoming in some aspect
Pedro,
My hear5 goes out to you. You try to be positive, you understand the club and have ITK contacts and then you are surrounded by a lot of the most negative posters in the Goonerverse who think running a club is just a real life version of Football Manager . We’ve just had a Euros and other than PSG Rey few big signings have occurred .
You can’t ask negative cynic’s to have faith but please show some positivity. White will be an England CB for the next 7/8 years