What absolutely batshit crazy few weeks it has been.
In the end, ignoring the circus around Arsenal, the transfer window was pretty decent.
We signed 6 players.
- Lokonga > Ceballos
- Odegaard > Ozil
- Ramsdale > Runarsson
- White > Luiz
- Tavares > Xhaka (LB)
- Tomiyasu > Bellerin
It’s weird to sign that many players and not feel on top of the world. Most Arsenal fans are sad. Each signing is an improvement, all of them are young, and we’ve moved on some drossy deadwood. But I think the main issue we all have is… can you trust a system that has so consistently let us down?
The signings certainly aren’t for the next 3 months, they’re for the next three years. The hope is that each one of those players bangs, but we know that rarely happens. Whatever the football scenario is, one thing we do know is that the next coach is NOT inheriting a bag of shite. Yep, I’m sad, but I like the squad, I really do.
You have to look at the players holistically and sprinkle a lot of hope on potential outcomes.
What didn’t we have last season?
Auba dropping 25 goals. Everything needs to be geared around moving the needle there.
We’re still yet to have a decent run of Thomas Partey, easily our best midfielder. Historically, he’s fit, we need him to get back to what he is.
We haven’t had a settled defence, despite having the 3rd best in the league. Logic would say better technicians make the defence better.
We haven’t had an in-form keeper since Emi Martinez left us. Ramsdale after the break could be that guy.
Hope, hope, hope.
Lots of things have to go right in the next 1 month to save this Mikel Arteta shit show. To my mind, he’s dead even if he wins 10 games on the bounce. He has soured his relationship with the base badly this summer. As Matt said on the podcast, don’t treat an Arsenal supporting Hale-Ender like shit, or you’ll feel the full force of the fanbase.
What can’t be denied is that it’s pretty much nailed on we will be better after the break, in spite of Mikel Arteta. We’ll have better players in a system that we know can be decent, and the mood will shift. I’m sure Arsenal will have some behind closed doors games this week to get certain players back to match fitness. Our new right back needs to hit the ground running, Ben White needs to get his bearings with Gabriel, we need Thomas Party in unrusty shape. No way Arsenal roll the dice on a fast Norwich start.
As for the last day of the window? What a mess.
The Ainsley thing is utter madness. We tried to push him out, he blew shit up on social, now there have been clear the air talks with Arteta and he’s part of the plan and valued? Imagine being Ains. What a nightmare.
Willian hated the project so much he passed on £20m. Good for him. But shame on his agent is dragging Arteta in the media. Even worse that he’s dragging the transfer strategy. He’s either saying Arteta is a fraud and has too much power… which makes Edu redundant. Or, he’s suggesting his client has poor taste in players, which we know to be true, based on signing two of Kia’s boys. Either way, this reeks of your mum telling off the kid who bullies you at school. Not a good look for either party. Wouldn’t happen at a club with leadership.
Reiss took a loan to Feyenoord, which is good news for him. He needs a shot of confidence and some love from a coach that sees the potential. He also needs to ground himself. He has the talent, now he needs to shine otherwise it’s League 1 for him.
Eddie didn’t move to Palace, which is a disaster for him personally. I like the player, he’s very talented, but he’s not getting minutes this season… but where is the clarity? Who is 3rd choice striker, Folarin or Eddie? Both share the same agent. Utterly incoherent planning.
‘Flipping burgers and yachting while Colney burned’ would be a fair line of attack if Vinai had any courage.
Kola, now a centre back, asked his Turkish suitors for too much money, so he’ll not be getting a squad number this season.
Mo Elneney dodged the window like Messi dodges tackles. Super performance from a player that offers nothing to our midfield.
We still have all the centre backs.
We still have Soares.
Arsenal sold… 1 player. In an entire summer. Isn’t that staggering? We had a whole season to plan exits and only managed one. Unreal. What a black mark against Edu.
So, not really sure where to go now.
I am excited about the unknown qualities of the players we’ve brought in.
I am hopeful for Arteta’s personal picks. Absolutely praying the right-back, and the keeper, are actually good.
I hope the new strategy and the better-scouted players can deliver sooner rather than later.
I hope the older players pick things up.
I hope the younger players go into their new deals and shine.
I hope there are consequences for our farcical leadership.
While you’re here, we did a deadline day special. Watch or listen to it via a podcast application of your choice.
Again, thank you to all the new listeners, we had quite the summer!
See you in the comments.
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People were talking about how no European football would help us in our league campaign. Well we show no signs of improvement on the pitch but not having European football to offer to any new player , it perhaps did hurt us in transfer market. We signed players who most big clubs wouldn’t remotely be interested in. I wonder whether we couldn’t convice quality players to join us or we targeted average players.
Ospina and Moura
EB
You would be the perfect Captain of the Titanic
‘There are no icebergs this far south’
‘Wouldn’t matter if we hit one – this ship is unsinkable’
‘What’s that – it’s sinking? Nonsense it’s just designed to lift up at the front to get a bit of ventilation’
As we go down the league we cannot attract top talent.
This shows in our purchases as we pay over the odds for average players now.
That is why we need a proven manager who can get the players we have to over perform.
Arteta s experience is helping out some coaching with top players, so he is well out of his depth.
TR7
The group stage Europa League games were useful because it gave the team a bit of confidence in winning them going into EPL matches.
I don’t count beating West Brom’s youth team in the League Cup on the same level.
Now Arteta is going to face game after game one after another of the far more competitive EPL matches.
It will be too hot for him.
Alumnia needs to do a englandsbest talking to Arteta skit that would be good.
englandsbest Bravo!!👏.( sarcasm) What a role model you are for all Arsenal supporters and especially the younger element who follow our club all over the world and expect us to be able to compete at all times, even during transitional periods. This though has nothing to do with us being in a transitional phase. As you well know, deep down, Arteta is just not good enough. Anyone with a basic understanding of the game could have done far more with this squad of players over the past twenty months than Arteta has done. There is no structure or method in… Read more »
You need a good manager who can attract 1-2 solid quality players just on that basis to kick-start a rebuild
Problem is that Arteta can’t attract top players to start with and then his poor judgment has led him to making Xhaka his team leader.
Quite unbelievable that anyone would happily support a manager even if he takes the club into relegation (which is starting to almost be a possibility if we don’t get rid of him)
“””””Quite unbelievable that anyone would happily support a manager even if he takes the club into relegation”””””
Lool and it took you this long to see this, shame on Diet Pep, shame on you too
Can’t help but think that literally all of our transfers this Summer remind me of Torreira. We’re trying to be smart and buy young players that have been flying under the radar, no top talents in the crop, with the idea that we find a “diamond in the rough”. They might kick on and become very good for us, but they might fail like Torreira did. Literally not a single name in there that I can comfortably bet on being here in 5 years from now or that we’ll sell on profit. And that’s the hope when you are signing… Read more »
England’sbest
Could you do me a favour and just confirm that you’re definitely Not Mark ‘gonnorhea’ Gonnella, media director at AFC.
Could you also confirm that you are not posting your oeuvre from a padded cell?
northbanker
You would be the perfect Captain of the Titanic
‘There are no icebergs this far south’‘
Wouldn’t matter if we hit one – this ship is unsinkable’‘
What’s that – it’s sinking? Nonsense it’s just designed to lift up at the front to get a bit of ventilation’
Lmao, good one. Every one hitting form on this blog now, except for the team, that is…
Edu and arteta really compliment each other. And by compliment I mean, one of them goes “you are really good” and other replys “so are you, we should work together”.
This team of 21s and 23s with no STARS, is the perfect one for Bielsa to mound into a competing one. Its Bielsa or relegation by 2023-end.
Unfortunately for Arteta he is the reason fan sentiment about the new signings is so low. I don’t actually think any of them are bad signings (Xhaka’s new deal is the clear bad signing this window) and I’m prepared to give them all a chance(not Granit). The only one i’m really not sure about is Ramsdale but with the way Leno’s been playing I completely understand the need to drop him immediately when he inevitably makes his next mistake. No idea if the new right back will be a success but much like Lokonga it’s a low risk high reward… Read more »
There were at least 20 CFs better than Laca in Europe. Arsenal could get even close to any one of those. Inexplicable!!
Sid I am quite happy to give someone a chance to see if their ideas work. I know you think you’re the wise one just because you happened to be your usual pessimistic self front the onset but there is no real wisdom in that That said I had already stated my view back at the Villarreal exit that he should have been fired for the hapless manner of the defeat The Board didn’t do it so there was no point harping on – I hoped he would then prove everyone wrong The opening week however has been enough to… Read more »
Young Players
Young Coaches
Young Tech Dept
Young CEO
Young Josh.
Young this, Young that
Means nowt.Ability counts not age.
2x20m signings like Lokonga and Takehiro are not low risk high rewards because they are bought in the same window, both are absolutely unproven, and the total sum paid for both is a Rodrigo de Paul right there. Will 50m + 30m in White and Ramsdale earn you more points than Matt Ryan, Calvert Lewin and keeping Saliba? No way. The low risk high reward signings were the likes of De Paul (30m), Camavinga (26m), Aouar (20-25m), Cunha (22m), Soumare (17m), Moriba (13m), Dumfries (12m), Maignan (11m), Koopmeiners (10m). There are more I’m forgetting. Half of the players in this… Read more »
raptora, thanks for the tears man….
20m for unproven players is quite hefty in this market where a lot of clubs sold class players for half their real price.
Guns,
I know man… Kroenke unleashed the funds and we had the insane misfortune to have Arteta and Edu in charge of it. Mind you in the cheapest market in recent history. What a chance we missed…
Anguissa, a man proven in 3 of the top 5 leagues in Europe in the PL, La Liga and Ligue 1 went to Napoli on loan with a €15m permanent option.
Almunia In the desperate hope that his days are numbered, irrespective of what happens when Delia’s Canaries flutter into North London, I’ve resorted to Dylan and The Band for the classic song I shall be released. Hopefully this will ring Gons and Tony’s bells when they read it later. I was a big fan of the Tom Robinson Band in the late 70s and they did a cover of this song (as did half of 70s bands by the look of it). Despite not being overtly so, this song has a subtle political dimension I reckon. They say the coach… Read more »
Graham62 Bravo!!! (a weary sigh) Blaming the manager for everything is a gut-reaction for many on here. If you are one of them, let me straighten you out. Arteta is guilty of a few – like too much respect for the elderly – the kind you’d expect from a rookie manager. Something he has gotten over now. This IS a transitional period. For more than a decade the Club has been in a spiral of decline. Something Arteta is trying to reverse. It’s like changing direction in a car on the highway. You have to brake first, before you can… Read more »
Regarding COVID, I don’t understand how and why Arsenal seems to be the only club to be so severely affected by it.
Did the club not organise a player vaccination plan at the earliest possibility?
Are our players so undisciplined that they don’t follow the protocol?
What’s going on in there?
Wenger eagle
“Anguissa, a man proven in 3 of the top 5 leagues in Europe in the PL, La Liga and Ligue 1 went to Napoli on loan with a €15m permanent option.”
The Roma money would have paid for Anguissa
@Northbanker, how is your optimissim doing? The less said about your wisdom the better
It’s like changing direction in a car on the highway. You have to brake first, before you can turn it round.
Until now it has been patchwork, plugging holes in a dam.
EB
2 consecutive sentences and 2 ridiculously inaccurate metaphors. Patchwork, dam, car, highway. Which one is it mate?
None of that makes s single lick of sense.
World’s most expensively assembled teams
1. Manchester City – Total cost of squad: £907.92m
2. Manchester United; £801.21m
3. PSG; £750.51m
4. Chelsea; £586.62m
5. Liverpool; £509.36m
6. ARSENAL; £495.95m
7. Real Madrid; £476.55m
8. Atletico Madrid; 423.27m
9. Juventus; £403.83m
10. Barcelona; £394.56m
All these teams are CL staples and any one of them will beat us easily now before a ball is kicked.
For all the money we spent in assembling this squad, we are still not competitive.
Pedro “But shame on his agent is dragging Arteta in the media. Even worse that he’s dragging the transfer strategy. He’s either saying Arteta is a fraud and has too much power… which makes Edu redundant. Or, he’s suggesting his client has poor taste in players, which we know to be true, based on signing two of Kia’s boys. Either way, this reeks of your mum telling off the kid who bullies you at school. Not a good look for either party. Wouldn’t happen at a club with leadership” How does anyone at Arsenal have any control over Kia. He’s… Read more »
Eddie is a product of the Arsenal academy [late entry from Chelsea’s]
Arsenal will still get something for him in a tribunal.
I think we all have a fairly good understanding of what a team leader is all about. Apart from leading by example and being a model professional and someone we can all admire and look up to, he should also be a competent footballer who truly loves the club. So, let’s look at Granit Xhaka shall we? Someone who, over these past few years has exhibited very few, if any, of these positive traits and who also, significantly, has little understanding of what we, the fans, expect from him. Does he promote the expected image? No he clearly doesn’t. Does… Read more »
Guendouzi called up for the France national team, based on current form
Our best players are currently Saka and ESR in forward positions, young players learning their trade. Martinelli a talent to me playing without confidence as from how he has been managed, frankly poorly by Arteta. If the new players come in and don’t gel or hit the ground with solid performances then we will have far bigger problems than the ones we already have. Young players need guidance, where are they going to get it off our ‘senior’ pro’s? Tierney is slightly older, experienced and one of the few I can see will fight and try to lead by example.… Read more »
No one on here can convince me otherwise.
Arteta sees Xhaka as a leader. Lol!!
Sackable offence imo.
World’s most expensively assembled teams
1. Manchester City – Total cost of squad: £907.92m
2. Manchester United; £801.21m
3. PSG; £750.51m
4. Chelsea; £586.62m
5. Liverpool; £509.36m
6. ARSENAL; £495.95m
7. Real Madrid; £476.55m
8. Atletico Madrid; 423.27m
9. Juventus; £403.83m
10. Barcelona; £394.56m
Gross mismanagement of our finances if this is accurate.
When you factor in “who” we spent the money on it’s pretty comical.
“like too much respect for the elderly – the kind you’d expect from a rookie manager. ” We do not have a player at the club older than Arteta “This IS a transitional period. For more than a decade the Club has been in a spiral of decline. Something Arteta is trying to reverse. It’s like changing direction in a car on the highway. You have to brake first, before you can turn it round. That is how to view Arsenal at this time – in transition.” But he isn’t exactly braking is he, has been in reverse, broken every… Read more »
What time period is that over Dissenter?
Because we have spent £150m more than Liverpool since Klopp has been in charge.
Since Klopp was appointed, total gross spend:
Arsenal- £660m
Liverpool- £515m
Leicester and West Ham seem to have made shrewd, strategic buys, without the histrionics and inflated figures at Arsenal. Why would that be?
And Bournemouth snapped up the bargain of the year with Ryan Christie from Celtic for £1-2m. Easily in the same skill bracket as Tierney, albeit in a different position and would give Odegaard a run for his money in sitting behind strikers. Amazing a PL club didn’t snap him up for that price.
Willock will be in the England squad by next year
You can take this to the bank!
Wenger eagle
It’s transfer fees for current squad
Englandsbest, Your post at 16.37 where you referenced Kipling inspired this. I have a feeling you have a good sense of humour, I hope so! IF by Rudyard Kipling (edited version) If you can keep your job when all about you Are losing theirs (you blamed it on Edu) If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But take exception to their doubting too If you can waffle and not be tired by waffling Or throwing lies about don’t admit those lies Or being hated, don’t be undone in hating And yet you look so good but don’t… Read more »
Chris Wheatley
@ChrisWheatley_
·
5h
Xhaka on his red card:
“About the red card: brutally surprising! With the PL people often talk about English toughness. I hit the ball 100% & got a red. The pictures weren’t checked by the VAR. I’ve seen tougher tackles that weren’t even assessed as a foul.” 🔴
@keystone_sda
“Chris Wheatley
@ChrisWheatley_
·
5h
Xhaka: “The extension of the contract gave me another push. I consider myself lucky with it – besides, I’m healthy, which is the most important thing in the end.”
Xhaka considers himself “LUCKY”?
Raptora – I wont dispute we could have gotten better value for money across the board, particularly when it comes to paying the English premium in the case of White and Ramsdale. But I disagree as I do think Lokonga and Tomiyasu are low risk financial deals that may work out well and if they don’t I think they both retain some value should we decided to sell them on in a couple years. I would have 100% preferred Dumfries and de Paul, but one went to the Italian champions and the other went to the Spanish champions. In the… Read more »
Dissenter
“Guendouzi called up for the France national team, based on current form”
There is no way he is any worse than Xhaka or Elneny.
And I actually like his spikiness on the pitch. At least his spikiness usually meant driving the team forward rather than receiving multiple yellow cards and reds which we see with Xhaka.
Since Klopp was appointed:
– Liverpool NET spent – £144m
– Arsenal NET spent – £438m
Now that’s shocking.
I hope we have another couple of hundred million available next summer to replace those players leaving on frees…
Now every single week we will hear a Man United player hailing CR7 as the GOAT.
6 new players……. And they’re all in defence (bar Lokonga). Not happy at all as our MF has had very little surger done on it when this should have been a priority. I could lay the blame on MA, easy, but the real culprit this time is Edu all the way. Renewing Xhaka is a crime against Football, certainly when we are in dire need of controlling it. My biggest problem with Edu is that we have heard nothing, zero, zilch, nada from him. Ever. He never has come out in the press and gave us a plan, his expectations,… Read more »
“But I disagree as I do think Lokonga and Tomiyasu are low risk financial deals that may work out well and if they don’t I think they both retain some value should we decided to sell them on in a couple years.”
Just like Guendouzi and Torriera have retained their values right
It feels kinda weird seeing Bellerin in another club’s colors
All the best to him.
He wanted to leave so badly.
Controlling it = controlling the midfield.
“I could lay the blame on MA, easy, but the real culprit this time is Edu all the way.Renewing Xhaka is a crime against Football, certainly when we are in dire need of controlling it.”
We have read with every single of our six signings that Arteta personally pushed for them, including the Xhaka renewal, with that in mind why is Edu the real culprit in your book?
Take a look at the NET spent which basically means how many money we’ve invested down the drain for a squad that isn’t even that good, and then people tell me how much money the likes of Conte will demand. We’ve spent a shit ton of money on garbage and the talent that we had/have like Saliba, Guen, Pepe, Mkhitaryan, Mavro, Partey has been grossly mismanaged while the average likes of Xhaka, Mustafi, Lacazette, Kolasinac, Elneny and now Mari and Cedric, have played/ been playing in our team for years while obviously they aren’t of the required quality. It is… Read more »
Who is scoring our goals this season? That’s what we should be asking nice everything else.
*above everything else
Gary Ssss “I don’t know why everyone is so up in arms about the treatment of Maitland-Niles??? He is the guy who had the opportunity to make the right back berth his own at the start of last season, but insisted he was a central midfielder. So much so, he decided he’d rather go out on loan to West Brom rather than play right back at Arsenal, and this was after he had made the England squad as a wing back????” We have never seen a direct quote from Maitland Niles saying he didn’t want to play fullback. In fact… Read more »
Very glad that Bellerin has left considering his decline (and that he is a remnant of the AW era) that we have witnessed.
The ACL injury predictably took away the only real asset he had: his speed.
He never was an outstanding player but his speed enabled him to always get back into position and do what was required.
I wish him all the best at Real Betis.
Receding – In the case of Guendouzi he has retained value as he was bought for less than £10M and will be sold to Marseille for around the same amount maybe slightly more. At certain times in his Arsenal career some fans overvalued him but financially Arsenal won’t have made a loss. Torreira yes has certainly lost value, partly down to himself and partly down to Arteta, but he was purchased for almost £30M so I wouldn’t have called him a low risk/high reward signing at the time. From a playing perspective I liked both players and a different manager… Read more »
When a great talent like Bellerin, couldn’t build a special relationship with Arteta – a compatriot and an ex teammate, and ran away in the first possible moment, you know something’s not quite right with Arteta. Wenger was a magnet for French talents as he was watching their league, he had connections and most French talents wanted to play for him. The likes of PV4, Thierry, Pires, Anelka, Wiltord, Petit, Sagna, Koscielny, Flamini etc probably became who they are, thanks to Wenger, helping them in their own language how to become better and improve. The only Spanish player we have… Read more »
Englandsbest. Sorry mate have to disagree. It’s not the results it’s the manner of the losses. Pedro made an excellent point. Arteta has a low EQ and you won’t get very far as a football manager without it. I dont expect us to get relegated but neither do I except us to progress very much. Depends how low you set the bar. I guess my bar is a bit higher than yours.
DigitalBob: “At certain times in his Arsenal career some fans overvalued him (Guendouzi) but financially Arsenal won’t have made a loss.”
Transfermarkt
Matteo Guendouzi
Highest market value: £45.00m Dec 10, 2019
Current market value: £18.00m
Some Arsenal fans yes.
Dec 10, 2019 10 days before Arteta was appointed mind you.
I asked the question yesterday , could tomiyasu be a conte signing for the future? And guess what , I saw an Italian sports journalist say the same thing today on YouTube The Breakdown on latte firm, , that he was just the signing conte would make, he even went further to say all the signings this window were conte like signings, he said the only missing piece was the big striker up front, ala Gironde at Chelsea, lukaku at inter. Could it be the club have been anticipating the sacking of arteta? Just maybe.
Guendouzi called up for the France national team, based on current form
Called up as a replacement as Kante withdraws.
Receding I am talking about the lack of focus on the MF and how it seems that Edu has allowed Arteta to go mad on spending on the defence. That Edu has done nothing to push for changes in MF is complete madness. Unless he is genuinely happy with what Arteta has done. Or he is letting MA take the fall if it all goes tits up. Either way, Edu is complicit with the shitfest going on at the club. Which is why I want him gone. And just as well that he is leaving MA take the fall. We… Read more »
“Guendouzi called up for the France national team, based on current form
Called up as a replacement as Kante withdraws.
Based on his excellent start to the season – on current form
Based on his excellent start to the season – on current form
Indeed. Was Ramsdale called up to the England squad similar?
Karsa
You’re going off on a tangent here
Get if off your chest, what are you headed?
So the two most in form arsenal players are currently on loan in marseille.
Just adds to how terrible this window has been, possibly worst I’ve seen in 30 years
what are you headed?
I’m headed somewhere else for a while.
Ah, the trolls have returned.
Supposedly wanted the manager fired, but because he wasn’t, will now back him irrespective of results.
Flawless logic !
Karsa Hopefully you get there somettime You’re conflating two separate issues Of the 20 consistently starting goalies in the league last season, there were probably 5 English keepers- Pickford, Johnston, Pope, Ramsdale, Darlow]. None of them can be considered to be amongst the 10 best goalies in the league. Of those five lisrted above, Pope and Pickford were called and United’s back-up [Hendenson] were called Due to injuries of Pope and Hendenson, Ramsdale and Johnston were called up. Darlow at Newcastle is a better keeper but even he was injured. They had to scrape the bottom of a very superficial… Read more »
Majestic, With all due respect, I don’t agree. Conte had little time for Cesc who is 10x the player Odegaard will ever be. Cesc had to tryhard to get into his team. He would never have bought Ode who is worse in every way. Conte knows how important physicality is, he would never have bought a 182 cm Ben White for 50m mind you. Conte had Matic and Kante in the center of the pitch – we could argue that we have 1 of them in Partey but where is the other? Keeping Xhaka is basically making a transfer because… Read more »
in regard to price/quality and need to strengthen in their positions.***
Raptora he hasn’t taken over yet, he would bring those with him then, giving xhaka a new contract could be just to placate arteta for now. Here’s me wishing.
TR7
Really aren’t at all a fan of Ronaldo are you?
I prefer Messi but Ronaldo is comfortably the second greatest player that I have seen in my lifetime, no one else even close.
In terms of talent/potential/peak ability now that is a wider conversation and includes R9, Ronaldinho, Zidane.
Dissenter,
No one could have explained the point regarding Ramsdale better,well done. It’s not a put down of the young lad, he’s here now and we’re all hoping he becomes a great but the international thing proves nothing fir now. He’s still a long way to go to justify having the no.1 shirt for Arsenal. Fingers crossed for him.
Guendozi gets a france call up, everything good for arsenal i what arteta hates, lego man!!!
Almuniasaynomore
Yours at 17.09
Loved your pome. Had me start one…
‘If those who said those horrid things about you
Admit they were wrong and swear that you were right’
…but I thought I’d save it for the end of the season.
WE Everybody is entitled to his opinion but for me CR7 should not even be compared to Messi let alone be hailed a better player. Even though he is the second best player of modern era, there is a huge gap in the class of two players, huge gap. I find it astonishing that the two are talked in the same breath. I guess when both players have retired and there is no media hullabaloo then people will realise that Messi was sheer joy and magic whereas CR7 was just statistics. As a football fan I want to watch Messi… Read more »
Englandsbest,
Good man,we’ll revisit it later. Watch this space as they say….
The Bard
Where does this idea that Arteta has a low EQ come from? Certainly not from the younger players. they all seem to love him. As for the oldies, they have axes to grind.
And what makes you think I set the expectation bar low? In fact nobody on here sets it higher.
“Certainly not from the younger players. they all seem to love him.”
Maitland Niles, Nketiah, Nelson, Martinelli, Saliba, Guendouzi – certainly love him, yes.
Pedro
‘I am excited about the unknown qualities of the players we’ve brought in’.
Maybe it’s me, but wouldn’t we rather have players with known qualities?
Raptora,
You do realise Arsenal have no European football, haven’t been in the CL for 4 years and are coming off the back of consecutive 8th place finishes.
In what world do the likes of Conte, De Paul, Camavinga etc join us in this state given the other options they have?
“I find it astonishing that the two are talked in the same breath. I guess when both players have retired and there is no media hullabaloo then people will realise that Messi was sheer joy and magic whereas CR7 was just statistics. As a football fan I want to watch Messi play, I never get any iota of joy in watching CR7 play. He is a robot.“
You’re not a football fan if Ronaldo hasn’t brought any joy to you over the last 15 years. You’re a Messi fanboy.
Bacary, I’d rather have well scouted players on the up. It really is of no interest to me whether fans know the player. We’re not analysts. 6 players, that all fit the profile, all at the right age… is what i wanted.
Yes Charlie, I am a proud Messi fanboy and even if there were no Messi I don’t think I would have got any joy in watching a robotic CR7. He doesn’t have any natural flair or grace. In short he is not an artist.
Laca should not play another game for the club throw him to one side…
What he done is totally worse than than amn
Let him go to his new club rusty and not fit..
Pedro
Saw you talking up the fact we have all the tools now following the window. Can’t begin to agree with that take and I think you’ll see exactly the same pattern emerge over the season once again in attack.
55 and 56 goals the last two campaigns and we’ve added nobody up there. 2 attacking players in 12 transfers under Arteta, one of which we just bombed off to Brazil. It’s blinkered stuff.
Ramsdale has to replace Leno for next game. I got a feeling the defence will be more confident with him between the sticks.
I am looking forward to seeing us play with Xhaka out.
If we finish below 8thin the league you know what the excuse will be from the Arteta apologists.
“Remember where we were at the end of transfer day?”
“We were 20th. I know [insert league position] isn’t in Europe but at least it’s an improvement.
The bar of accountability and acceptability continually becomes lowered at this club.
We are going the way of Nottingham Forest… under this forgettable manager.
raptora
Have you heard any of them say an unkind word about Arteta? Sure, what Saliba thinks is a mystery. But the worst we’ve heard from the rest is AMN getting upset because Arteta wasn’t playing him. Take a read of what Balogun said about him. The young players love him.
“I got a feeling the defence will be more confident with him between the sticks.”
Their “confidence” means jack shiite if they play the way they did vs City.
Gundogan mugging Chambers(?) for the first goal ain’t got jack to do with confidence in the keeper.
R.S.P.C.Arsenal
What has Laca done?
TR7
You sound ridiculous treating football so ostentatiously. Ronaldo might fall short in many aspects when the discussion is Messi vs Ronaldo, but he’s well ahead of nearly everyone else that’s played football in the last 15 years.
You’re trying far too hard to diminish Ronaldo and painting it as having an appetite for flair.