We’re heading into a weekend game with a team harder than Hibs and still things are dragging like a bag of feathers through tar.
The good news about this transfer window is there isn’t much choice when it comes to signing players. We don’t have enough quality to survive the season. We have one keeper, we don’t have a serviceable right back. We’re back to having one creative midfielder. Our midfield is still painfully limp. If the club wants to move back to the promised land, they’re going to have to start kicking things into gear.
The painful story doing the rounds in the media is it appears our interest in Martin Odegaard has not completely fizzled out. The Norwegian creative was very much the priority at the start of the summer and there is clearly still a feeling the youngster might be booted out on loan again when Carlo realises he’s not going to make the Champions League winners this season. I don’t like this sort of gamble because it shows that we’re not learning from past mistakes. We did this last season, spending all summer chasing Aouar, only to miss out, then have the least creative start to a season since 1887.
When is the cut-off point? Who are the players we’d miss out on if we wait? What are the consequences if it doesn’t happen? Do we have time to enact a back-up plan?
I cannot be hearing Arteta bemoaning the lack of time with new players… because we have known about this summer for a long time.
Waiting is a luxury a broken squad doesn’t have. We should be moving faster than this. Easy for me to say… but come on, hard not to lazily correlate Edu and his yacht parties with minimal action in the transfer window. Hungover, hating life every morning, palming off his duties to the super-agents… we’ve been here before.
Even the positives feel a bit wet. Arsenal is prepared to go all out for Locatelli… but the player wants Juventus. The back-up? Neves apparently. Like heading out to Oxford Street with your mum to buy your new sneakers in Sports Direct.
Again, all rumours, but the heavy rumours have been pretty accurate so far this window
The only thing we can truly temper these problems against is that we finished 8th. The fact we’re trying to spend big on quality players at all is pretty exciting. Romano said that Locatelli appreciates our efforts… a bit of a pat on the head, but there you go.
Finally, the new kit. I like it on people. The red is powerful, the players look good in it, I think it would be gut supportive. Not my fave, but totally acceptable.
BIG QUESTION. Why do the kits get leaked so early? Is there nothing Adidas can do about that? ESPECIALLY THE RENDERS.
Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play | Acast
VIDEO WOO! I would embed twitch, but it’s complicated (here). So watch it on Youtube instead.
WengerEagle
because we signed Willian who.will win the CL wirh us in 2023, he is our No 10, that was he said when he arrived that he would have a more.central role.
As we know it didnt work and he was deployed to the bench coming as a sub as LW.
Willian has bulked up and is ready for the new season… he will be like a new signing…
Maybe he is going to be our DM??? lol
PhD
Yup, Chicago
I’m just putting it out there so next time when I’m whining like a little bitch about Arsenal/Arteta, people will know I’m spending money on the club again which gives me this right, apparently.
Tom
I bought my son the Arsenal shirt yesterday. We went to soccer store to get some futsal shoes for him and picked on up. So yes, me too – we are contributing to Willians weight loss plan…. I can bitch and moan freely
WengerEagleJuly 17, 2021 00:42:33
So that is £120 million that we will have spent on CBs in the past 2 years now (White, Gabriel, Mari, Saliba).
——–
What CB’s are to Arteta is what midfielders were to Arsene.
An itch that constantly needs to be scratched A fetish of some sort, that is incurable.
Guns of SF
Aouar is the same as Ozil but with less talent, a lot less, we are looking for trouble signing him. He showed good thikg in a couple of games in 2019 CL but las year he was a massive disaster, he collapses under pressure.
Maddison isn’t injury prone, no idea why that’s becoming a repetitive statement about him. Ben White should be confirmed inside 10 days, once his holidays are over. Next up is a CM, backup GK, then a drawn out saga in CAM as we hope Odegaard becomes available at the 11th hour. Not a fan of that. Also can’t say I love this awkward love triangle we seem caught up in with Locatelli. Looks for all the world that he’s not interested in coming to us, and I’m not very keen on having to twist the arm of someone to land… Read more »
CC
Indeed, why are we being so nice and literally waiting on this foo
How many damn CMs are there in the world right now? We only want this one???
Time to move quickly to another target…
https://www.transfermarkt.us/james-maddison/verletzungen/spieler/294057
about 9 games missed last season… Maddison
Anyway,it’s not about needs,it’s about wants it seems under Arteta.
I want champagne-I need water to survive.
I need eggs -I want caviar
I want a croissant-I need a loaf of bread.
I need a midfielder-I want a CB
I need a RB-I want another CB
I need a new experienced manager-You’ve got a rookie-tough sh*te.
Shitload of money for a defender. Is all I got to say.. Fix the midfield and I don’t care. (not my money as they say) but if we are rocking up this season.. with the double pivot of doom…. Xhaka and Elneny.. and Joe Willy or Willian as a cam… at any point, because we didn’t address it.
God help us all.
At least Pedro will be happy …Apparently the Club read his 30,000 word essay on Ben White. 😀
Guns That’s 13 games in 3 years mate, and a hip injury accounting for 6 of those. He managed 24 league starts last season and was left out of a few because he butted heads with Brenda. Our most prolific player was Saka last year, he made 30 starts in the league – Maddison’s 24 starts would’ve been 6th most in our squad. Go back further and he started 29 games the season before last, 35 before that, and 42 in the Championship. He’s not even close to injury prone, what you mean is he had a hip injury this… Read more »
That kit is very pretty, I love it. Awesome design
Our transfer strategy is Rey ugly. I hate it. A complete lack of coherence, though or design 😎
‘William has bulked up’ 😂😂 love it
Guns I believe we need 2 cm as xhaka will go so we need one to step right into the 1 st team. Has lokongo been signed yet ?
Anyway,it’s not about needs,it’s about wants it seems under Arteta.I want champagne-I need water to survive.I need eggs -I want caviarI want a croissant-I need a loaf of bread.I need a midfielder-I want a CBI need a RB-I want another CBI need a new experienced manager-You’ve got a rookie-tough sh*te.
😂😂 nice one PHD
Arteta certainly doesn’t have the makings of an innovator in the ilk of Pep/klopp
Very fixated on systems that papi pep has moved on from
Ashburton PatriotJuly 17, 2021 00:14:05
Can someone please explain why we signed Ben White? For 50m? Surely there’s a good reason for this? Sell on value?
————-
English premium.
Sell on value-Arsenal???
Lol…
Serge
I think Loca is the one we are waiting on. How dumb is that. Waiting for Juve to sign him or not. Watch Juve take this to the end of the window not allowing us anytime to find a replacement player to get.
What kind of thinking is this
AFC needs to improve the midfield to increase our chances created, and what does our upper management do, they spend $50 mil + for a right back, and ship out a $29 mil cb who is deemed not ready.
Wonder if White is going to help contribute to 20+ goals to get us into the top four…
This team is going to play the most turgid futbol ever, yet have the best defense in the league, and place us at 10th in league at best because we can’t score any goals….
Damn………
Should call our manager-Artetabrat
Can imagine the headline spinning tomorrow by Le-Grove’s finest.
-Kroenke Is Here To Invest-Backing ArtetaBrat To The Hilt.
-We’re Back In Europe-ArtetaBrat Threw Edu Overboard.
-ArtetaBrat Is The Champion of The Waves…
-Ben White-Is The Last Jigsaw In The Puzzle
-ArtetaBrat-The Man With The Master Plan.
-ArtetaBrat-The Delivery Man.
If you don’t want arsenal to disappoint you the best bit is to simply not pay attention
Where is that 250m at btw?
$58 says Holding would be benching Ben White if Holding is still at the club in December.
Well Gabriel started really well last year and got benched by mari after one or two off games so it’s plausible
“Artetaball is all about defense and boring football, Arteta has signed:Partey
Gabriel
Cedric
Mari
White
Tavares”
So he’s hitting .333.
Shouldn’t a £55 million transfer get the fan base excited or at least interested?
Just something is amiss in the operations of the club, it’s obvious what we really lacking but Arteta has to be the brightest guy in the room.
Spending £55 million on Ben White feels the same as Arteta playing Villarreal with a false nine and then with a central midfield of one.
PhD 2020 “Willian who Arteta actively chased last season,is looking like the Michelin man-preseason.Plays him,but jettisons Saliba who over a two year period is not PL ready. And then is willing to fork out £50 million for a ball carrying CB,who plays for Brighton.I despair..I really do.” The fact is, Saliba is a much more progressive ball carrier than White.. Per FBref, Saliba was credited with 298 meters of progressive carries per 90 minutes last season, White was credited with 107 meters of progressive carries per 90,. The progressive passing numbers were just as dramatic, with Saliba credited with 440… Read more »
I like Madison, he is PL ready , would have less games to contend here at Arsenal. Plus would go well with ESR and Saka.
Yea just seen a maddison youtube and he is very 2 footed. passing, shooting, moving smoothly with the ball. Not bad I must say.
We dont need another pepe or ode- one footed ponys
NWM, the decision will have been made on the quality of league Saliba plays in and his passive defensive stats. You simply cannot compare 2 seasons in the Championship and the Premier League… to Ligue 1.
If Saliba could do what Ben White can, he’d be on loan at Brighton or Everton.
CC… I keep coming back to this fact of business.
If someone has £40m cash.
The other has a promise of £40m in two years.
… and we are in a football recession.
Why would you indulge the 2 year loan deal?
… too good to be true, but honestly, Juve would be getting the middle finger from me if they came with that deal.
Man ohhhh man. White better be the start of a good window, not the epitome of artedu’s summer plans. “So that is £120 million that we will have spent on CBs in the past 2 years now (White, Gabriel, Mari, Saliba).And not £1 on a creative player.” Weagle, that is quite something isn’t it. Considering how our defence improved as a unit Last season compared to previous years, and how our attacking unit floundered it’s beyond bizarre to go all out for white. What are we trying to do, concede 0 goals all season for Arteta to be satisfied enough… Read more »
Peds, arsenal (or more so tets non negotiables) is the reason we don’t know what Saliba can do here. What footballing reason have we got for not giving him a chance in preseason even? None. It’s some dimwitted non negotiable that has been breached. It’s pathetic
Goober, it’s only weird if you think that our spending stops at White… or you truly believe that adding a progressive carrier and passer in the backline is unimportant.
Goober, it’s only dimwitted because you don’t understand.
I love that TIFO made this. Goober, watch this, then tell me it’s dimwitted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTJzF3KOEfI
And don’t say age please. Doesn’t do it for me. He is a serious beast athletically. Yes he is “inexperienced” but so was white 2 seasons ago. He has to start somewhere.
It’s going to be ridiculous to see tets sacked and Saliba brought into the team. Just another asterisk against the sauce
I’ve watched that last time it was posted to make a point. I’ve made counter points that the midfield is the absolute biggest reason we play out of the back so poorly. When xhaka has to be in a CB position to receive the ball, it takes away from our buildup. When xhaka hides in the middle of the pitch, it takes away from where our cbs can pass to. When xhaka does finally receive the ball in a good area, he’s too inclined to pass back, taking away from our forward momentum. Ben White is a good player. I… Read more »
And it wasn’t just xhaka, it’s elneny and Ceballos too.
Arsene would be absolutely appalled at how shit our midfield is
Let alone the style of play we are seeing
Sorry WE, you were clogged in the spam filter. Sorted now.
Goober, I don’t know how many times I have to repeat it… but the club knows they have to sign more than Ben White and they will.
Peds, I get that.
I’m giving them the window. But like I said, if we get stuck selling to buy then this decision will bite us fucking hard
Edu on a boat with those 2 pricks just leaves a bad taste in my mouth
Also, I believe that adding white should have been the cherry on top. I just hope they put the cherry on first for some bizarre reason and still add all the other goodies this window.
Do I have faith. Not an ounce
Goober, again, it doesn’t matter what order you think our transfers should happen… no one cares. It makes no difference. No Technical Director in the world makes deals based on ‘cherry on top’ principles.
I care if we struggle again this season because our coach and dof are complete shit
Or we can just hope that Kroenke doesn’t care in paying deadwood to leave or having players not in the squad just being devalued in the u21s. Great business that is
It’s not about the cherry on top principle.
It’s about building a proper squad. Not just 18 CBs and no cm
Goober, you literally just said you were upset because Edu isn’t buying in order.
No I’m saying that it has the potential to be a horrible situation.
Pedro if ligue Un is meaningless we better send Gabriel out on loan to Newcastle amirite?
Only in your head. Arsenal has a plan, they are executing it. No one forgot that we need players.
White is exactly the same as the Ozil signing. A luxury we don’t need considering the maaaaaaasive holes in the squad.
If we fix those holes, I will be taking a step back and putting my hands up in saying I jumped the gun.
If we don’t, it just confirms that Arteta and Edu have zero clue. Time will tell
Executing that fast paced start to the window amirite??
Haha nah peds I love ya. I’ve followed you the whole way here over the years, I’ll let this window play out and we can re-address then haha
No Goober, it shows that you don’t have a clue. Zero understanding of how the system works, banging the ignorance drum proudly.
Pedro the order clearly does matter because we’re being slow If we signed most of our key players already or were nearly there the order would be irrelevant But if we’re signing Ben white now but don’t get a CM over the line until nearing deadline day our CM because another potential partey scenario with no preseason. As well our resources are finite. It’s not like we’re gonna buy white then spend 150m on key positions after. 50m on white is 50m less for CM and AM. So if we buy white first we run the risk of tanking another… Read more »
What is the system and how does it work?
These are the two million dollar questions that most of us are struggling with
Show me a coherent and clearly well thought out plan and I’ll back it to the hilt
Instead we’ve got scattergun approach, taking our time to move on targets and offering staggering sums of money in a position that isnt one of our biggest weaknesses
China, under no circumstance, outside a blog, does the order matter.
Getting great talent matters. That is all.
Watch the video China. This is like a bunch of dads whining about Ikea furniture that is broken as the instruction pack sits plastic wrapped on the side.
Hahaha I understand we have a cl wage bill on not even a Europa budget anymore. I understand our squad is over inflated.
I understand the kroenkes have already “invested” in the club, yet to see it in the squad yet though.
Wasn’t our remit for the last 2 managers not only top 4 but actually competing.
Why has this changed so dramatically for Arteta? We have spent an absolute fortune, yet the club has gone down hill.
It’s not hard to see why people are losing faith in seeing the club do what is needed.
Yes getting Ozil in instead of the wingers or the DM we needed is exactly what mattered in pushing us to the top of the league.
Pedro,
We have a technical director prey tell…
Our guys are using statsdnA and fifa202* , edu is on some boat somewhere doing god knows what and with whom, we do not even have a scouting department for goodness sakes, we have outsourced it to some f’n consultants.
What a clown show AFC has become.
At least we get to watch games on the tele through 15 different overlapping subscriptions, a fat willian with 8 defenders, Saka who has been played into the ground and who is being racially abused and emotionally harassed beyond belief.
Can’t wait…..
Aaron, some bad moves… but Martinelli, Partey, Tierney, Gabriel M, Lokonga, Ben White… I mean, I’m not hating all of it.
Also worth noting that STATDna is good, but a tool is only as good as the person running it. No one would say paint brushes are shit because you can’t make a work of art.
Pedro how does the order not matter if the timeline is slow? If we activated parteys release clause and got him signed up at the start of the window last summer he’d have had a preseason with us. If we sign all our players early the order doesn’t matter. That window of being early is fast vanishing as we move into the preseason games. If we hurry up over the next couple of weeks, fine. If we’re still haggling for a couple of key players nearing August then said new players lack a preseason to bed in which can absolutely… Read more »
China, you are trying to conflate speed and order because you know order is unimportant.
Order does not matter. Speed is near impossible to control.
No one ever calls someone useless because they can’t buy a house quickly, same principle in football… unless you have unlimited funds.
‘ We’re heading into a weekend game with a team harder than Hibs and still things are dragging like a bag of feathers through tar….Our midfield is still painfully limp. If the club wants to move back to the promised land, they’re going to have to start kicking things into gear.’ Pedro you’ve just started your blog with the comment above, then when people in the comments echo this and say ‘we are being worryingly slow. Things need to start moving. We need to address our painfully limp midfield as a top priority’ your response is ‘stop complaining, it’s all… Read more »
No China, not having it. You tried to argue order, realised it was a stupid argument… now you are course-correcting by talking about speed, which is a different conversation.
Pedro When you demonize Edu you are doing the same to Arteta, as they are equal partners with all squad matters, especially transfers in and out and types of deals and contracts. Le-Grovers Tim Lewis is just the Kroenkes lacky, their ‘yes man’ who supported them in their fatal ESL bid to change football as we know it by taking fair competition away with the guaranteed fortunes while having no fear of having to leave the elite ESL league. This from a man portrayed as a lifelong fan who betrayed his club to back his bosses to join football’s El… Read more »
Pedro order becomes important relative to speed. There’s a direct relationship. The question is this. Can we start the season with holding Gabriel and mari at CB if our shiny new CB signing hasn’t yet been signed or needs more time for bedding in etc? The answer is a definitive yes Can we start the season with white at CB but el neny partnering Partey at CM? You tell me. If the speed is fast the order is irrelevant. If the speed is slow, priority is critical. Even if white can improve us, we can defend without him. But unless… Read more »
Also speed can’t be controlled? That’s not how markets work Pedro.
If you offer enough money any club in the world will sell any player you want. Buendia was signed at a quite reasonable price sharpish. Villa offered a reasonable sum to the club and wages and vision to the player. Closed out. You’re telling me that couldn’t have been us already and it’s all out of our hands?
Extremely hard to believe that
I do like the new kit though
China1 When we accept that the agenda infused, self preservation suits from Arteta and Edu upwards have no common sense or any form of business acumen let alone the elite version even Villa has, the TW dealings and footballing matters attended to are going to be seriously underwhelming as they were most of the time with Wenger. Wenger had some hits, but more misses but our own Cheech and Chong of football management are a laughing stock throughout the footballing world where their antics are going to be immortalized in video. We just have to hope sacking these 2 before… Read more »
You simply cannot compare 2 seasons in the Championship and the Premier League… to Ligue 1.
Mbappe or Tammy Abraham?
Camvinga or AMN?
Aouar or Eze?
Pedro I think that the club has completed its spend on defenders with arrival of White and Tavares. Personally I doubt that Arsenal will buy a new right back if Bellerin leaves. I think that they will rely on Chambers and Soares to play the position. So the priority this summer is to replace Xhaka, Odegaard and Ceballos. The first two might be considered starting X1 players and the latter a squad player. There are a number of questions to be answered. The first is do we need to buy or bring in three replacements? Clearly Lokanga is a relatively… Read more »
PS: I know the Mbappe comparison was wild but the idea that playing in the championship or EPL somehow makes you better is ridiculous.
Gnabry failed in the EPL under Pulis.
Kante and Mahrez came from the lower French league and blossomed immediately.
You once wrote an article about Arsenal building around Guendozi and he came from the second division in France.
Wonder what Pedro would have said if Emery had bought White for £50 million grossly overpriced?
He probably would have squealed like stuck pig thought the chapter and verse he wrote of how wrong it was.
But Pedro’s White post will be about the needle moving brilliant young VVD type diamond we’ve signed until White starts delivering much less than Luiz performances.
Gabriel was notching up MOM award winning performances to begin with and then Arteta started his coaching and Gabriel started regressing like players did under Wenger.
White will soon become Arteterised if we sign him.
Another season of boring, monotonous football is waiting for y’all
It the same tactics,
balls to the left flank(Tierney/Tavares)
Long balls by CB(White will play the role of Luiz)
Unfortunately EPL managers have had practice, the past season on how to counter these tactics.
Willock does Not fit in such tactics. Adios for him.
Tony
The price of White is massive, but lets make a judgment once we see him play.
We need to move on and solve the problems that exist in midfield, which should be now the priority for the remainder of this transfer window.
Frankly I am not concerned about the reaction if Emery had been the manager.
Sid
Son of Pep; Arteta thinks he’s the smartest manager in the business and too smart to be countered such is Arteta’s dogmatic ways.
However, until Josh can work out he’s being conned by Arteta and Edu, nothing will change.
Problem is Josh is very slow and spends far too much time preening in front of the cameras to see what’s occurring on the pitch.
Probably understand very little about football and its history.
ES Happy to give any newly acquired player time to defend the decision of buying him. It’s the midfield I’m most unhappy about; therefore, buying White for £50 million when we need that £50 million calibre player in MF is indefensible in my mind. Arteta doesn’t seem to understand that with a vastly improved MF, the defense will have less frantic defending to do. Therefore, Saliba and Mavro would be ok fighting for the RCB slot, as Gabs and Mari will be working hard to be the first choice LCB. Nothing Arteta and Edu does makes sense when comparing us… Read more »
Pedro you Pathetic cvnt, let me back on
These tactics involve ESR on the flanks since he is runs more with the ball than make safe passes,
Diet Pep has an obsession with a rigid midfield.( The type of style Moyes Everton, Southgate and average managers play)
Oops
Rambo
😂😂😂
That was funny.
I’ve already accepted white is joining at a comically high price As far as I’m concerned the only remaining questions on that front are: 1) will he be elite now or within 1 year? Being one of the top 8 most expensive defenders in history tells us he has to be in order to represent anything resembling value 2) if the truck of money we’re throwing at his signing going to mean we can’t sign the top class CM, RB and probably AM we obviously need? How many of the 3 will we still be able to afford after spending… Read more »
Nearly all our forwards like to get in behind, or be on the front foot in a more counter attacking system. Pepe is shite deep in his own half. Auba needs to be released early. Martinelli loves to drive with the ball at his feet but is more often than not over crowded as we play soooooo slow. People saying we need Tammy Abraham’s. His stats are around par to an out of form auba and an average laca over the last 2 seasons as cc pointed out. Yes he is more versatile than both, but if we are getting… Read more »
I think Chambers might be sold to offset the outlay on White.
Varane going for less than what Ben White will cost us.
Only a moron would believe we are getting a good deal.
Go on, tell me how we ‘ need a right footed CB to balance things out’ and ‘we shouldn’t sign Real Madrid rejects anymore.’ I hope you’re happy when Tank head Maguire and Varane become the new Ferdinand and Vidic while we pat ourselves on the back thinking we got a good deal, just like when we signed Squillaci or Silvestre
Come to think of it, Klopp is a geniuos
He re invented the tactics played by average EPL managers up the next level.
2 creative FBs and Firminho who plays as an extra midfielder. Thats the only way playing on the flanks will work.
Maybe Arteta is going to surprise us all and out white at DM to hit two birds with one stone. Improve the DM position whilst doubling fat wads on CBs. It would be win win for arteta
There is waaay less risk in playing a long ball from your own half to a forward running into space when there is still 9 men behind the ball than playing shitty back and side passes avoiding that potential loss of possession from a through ball.
Would be even better if we could move the ball fast in the centre of the pitch with quality ball playing CM/cams. Then release forwards into space with a bit more of an overload.
Absolutely ecstatic we signed White. He will surely transform our fortunes and we will go on a Clean sheet bonanza next season
It’ll be like them Italian defensive masterclass over and over Again, what a feast to the eyes. Is anyone else’s eyes watering too?
Eww squillaci
Ahk at the end of the day 50m buys you an absolutely top quality CB.
If we spend this on white he needs to be just that.
I’m wondering whether Gabriel is now back in arteta’s good books. He started really well last season so I’d like to see him start the season for us.
Its clear Diet Peps plans are basically the same as last season, when we should be moving forward.
Thats the reason we were fixated on Odegaard, it goes with the narrative of 4th since boxing day,
he wants to set the team exactly the same.
Ah sky sports reporting the white deal is agreed in principle with all parties. 50m Irrespective of any misgivings I have about the price and the need considering other weaknesses we have, he’s normally an arsenal player now A massive welcome to him. I hope he has a fantastic career with us and proves all of us who have reservations well and truly wrong. Nothing would make me happier. All the best to him and I look forward to seeing him get some games. Since it appears to be just formalities remaining I hope we can get it all done… Read more »