Feels like it’s been a while since we had a meaty David Ornstein drop – and it dropped harder than a hock of vegan ham.
Arsenal is channelling some of 2018 January energy as they look to consolidate their powers to mitigate risk heading into the final stretch of the season. New York Times writer, Sir David Ornstein, reckons we’ll pull money forward for Dusan Vlahovic if the player is game, though people in Italy seem to think the player isn’t really game.
You can say many things about Edu and Arteta, but when it comes to the sales pitch, and making sure the purchase is possible, we haven’t really missed that often. If Edu has to be pulled away from the family BBQ, rest assured, he’s not wasting non-grilling time on a player he’s not sure about. Also, let’s look to what Arteta said about Auba: He doesn’t have enough passion or commitment to be Arsenal captain.
I’m doubtful we’d go in for someone if we were their 9th choice.
I’m still a bit sceptical, but if you look at striking realities elsewhere, it does leave you a little more positive… because Dusan doesn’t have the best set of options right now.
Spurs just don’t have any money for big January moves, so count them out unless they bin Harry Kane
United has too many strikers as it is
Chelsea has sad Rom for the foreseeable, they are rich, but not rich enough to drop another £60m so soon (especially after Werner tanked). Tuchel has to make that one work.
Manchester City feels a little too right for Haaland, if not him, maybe Kane. Both signings won’t come sooner than the summer.
Liverpool don’t need a striker right now, I’m also not sure they are flush with cash
Juventus cannot possibly have any money, Fiorentina are not going to accept a 6-year loan deal with no intent to buy. Selling to a rival also isn’t cool for the home crowd.
If Vlahovic wants a banger of a project, there aren’t many more exciting than the one we have AND we have a little pawn called Lucas Torreira to make the deal more palatable for everyone.
Matt on the podcast made the point that a January signing is basically a 5 month preseason so the player bangs the year after. Serie A is played at a snail’s pace, Lucas Torreira looks a monster there, a player that couldn’t hack La Liga. So if we’re bringing in someone from there, the more time they get, the better.
There’s also talk about Iska and DCL if the deal falls through. All very similar in profile, though Isak does look to have that demon speed the other two don’t.
Granit Xhaka is out of contention for the weekend, which will give THE BIG MAN CHARLIE PATINO a chance to make his full debut against Forest according to Chris Wheatley, MBE. I know I said that Liverpool were a bunch of bitches for postponing our Carling Cup game, but let’s be real, if Patino is rolling in that first leg, we might be in a bit of trouble.
I know there are a lot of smug journalists out there saying football fans see bias where there is none and it does make me laugh because their job is to be curious.
Rick Parry, exLiverpool man, pushes their postponement over the line in the League Cup. Even if you are the laziest human in the world, can you not at least wonder if someone with deep affiliations might have bias? If I went into Government and gave a massive fat COVID loan to my old agency, would people ask questions? They would. Nothing is dodgy until someone does a bit of poking around.
For the record, Liverpool are on for their FA Cup game.
Manchester City has to play their game despite a massive outbreak.
Then I read that Arsenal were fined £20k for losing control of their players. United had a similar incident a few months ago, where is their fine?
Even the way the league maps fixtures is off. Spurs get new dates for Leicester when they are at their absolute weakest. Vardy is out, 4 of their players are at AFCON. Why aren’t Spurs playing Brighton or Burnley?
Arsenal haven’t played a big team after a European night out all season.
I’m going full tin-hat, but if you can look at how badly the league has implemented TV replays to help refs, do you not wonder how shitty their processes are for everything else?
We play this weekends game in an all-white shirt. Idris Elba, massive Gooner, is behind the idea.
“The idea that Arsenal are going to come out in an all-white kit and say ‘No More Red’ will hopefully make people think ‘Hang on, what’s going on here?’ – then look further and try and find out more,”
30 kids have died from knife crime this weekend, so let’s hope this has a positive impact.
Steven Gerrard has walked right into his first big deal and I gotta say, I love it. He’s signed 29-year-old Coutinho. I know Edu had a lot of love for the Brazilian, but Villa have walked right into the move and I couldn’t be happier. It’s quite odd watching Villa move in the market. They’ve gone from quite a clear transfer strategy to making some very odd moves that don’t look like they fit. Like I’ve said here many times before, every manager wants peak 29-year-old players, because it requires less effort to coach them. The magic of a proper club is to tell a manager they can’t make moves like that. Also… that Emi Buendia deal is looking like a solid dodge, right? They overpaid for him, dealt with swarms of agents, and accepted a sell-on clause that means they’ll have to get £45m-ish to break even.
Arsenal still need to do something in midfield, unless they believe Patino is good enough to cover. I guess we’ll find out this weekend. I’d love for us to bring in a player that might be the one to take over from Xhaka long-term, again, the idea of having someone ready for next season is a sexy one. That said, if the money isn’t right, Jack Wilshere would be my bet.
Ok, that is all I have my darlings, have fun in the comments, be kind x
Okay!
Let’s get it.
Here
Tr4phy
4th
Got to sprinkle some happiness around. Cheers.
Martinelli needs to up his facial hair game if he wants to become a superstar player. Right now, it’s severely lacking.
Sorry raptora, another day maybe 🙂
I haven’t seen much of any of them, but from the little I have seen of Isak, he looked quite impressive. I could kinda see him playing for us. But if Vlahovic is meant to be great then I’ll happily take him lol. I do wish we’d stop knocking Torreira. I don’t know why people keep forgetting that he was actually very good for us when we played him in his correct position. First 5 months or so in England, he had all the pundits saying that we’d finally found our Vieira replacement. Then we decided to play him higher… Read more »
Rap, his skin looks too soft to have a good beard. There’s a Gillette endorsement at some point, no doubt.
Egg chicken , I think DM
Think he realised England wasn’t his cup of …. Whatever he drinks, and that coincided with Arsenals midfield implosion, and his redeployment. If he was open to coming back , I’m sure there’d be smoke signals.
Pedro,
20 yo and a millionaire.. he has to give some dough to a personal manager/PR guy to start building a brand my boy. Football career is too short, especially when he’s a pretty boy that just needs a few tips on how to look better lol.
The decision to loan out AMN in January with the likelihood of a sale suggests that Arsenal have either found a replacement or that Patino has now moved ahead of AMN in the pecking order at the club. We may be short of numbers at the moment with both Partey and Elneny out at Afcon, but once they return we will still have 5 DMF/CMF players on the books to cover two positions in the team. What has not been discussed also is that Chambers can play in DMF position if required as he did at Fulham. The striker position… Read more »
I think Isak is a more realistic buy and a loan for a centre mid or Jack gets a short contract. Anyone fir Chambers in centre mid?
I don’t really see us having the cash for Dusan. Plus if Auba doesn’t leave there’s a way back I bet fir him because of his wages and needing to pump his value for the summer. That’s my logical thinking anyways. Let’s see
Vlahovic fiorentina contract runs until 2023. Lewandowski Bayern contract runs until 2023. vlahovic can stay at fiorentina then sign for Bayern in 2023 and get added compensation for having spared Bayern from paying a transfer fee. Simple logic
Jdwag
Arsenal will rely probably on current resources at the club for game against Nottingham Forest even in absence of Xhaka.
So the club have 4 games to worry about in January before transfer window closes. Two of those are against Liverpool in Carabao Cup. I don’t think that Arsenal will recruit players to
cover those two games.
So the question is whether Arsenal will recruit someone before the Spurs game.
No surprise at the ‘all-white’ anti-racism show, Arsenal have always led the way.
Football journalists fill their pages with rumour, speculation, outright lies – it sells their newspapers.
The way things are going, the speed Omicron is spreading, there will be a whole more postponed games, maybe even cancellations.
A new striker this Jan is conjecture. I think Arteta/Edu will wait till summer if Eddie stays. One thing is for sure: whoever they sign will be top-calibre. And keen to come.
Really like the all white kit idea and even more so that it won’t actually be released for sale so no accusations can be made about profiteering. Nice move from the club.
Chambers was Solid at Fulham. But they were woeful. Strange he’s been given no time at DM since.
I think he had about 20 mins in an injury reshuffle mid game.
Typo ES?
Englandsbest ,apologies ES
Am happy Arteta didn’t take another Kia player, Coutinho. Let Villa have him. We don’t need Trojan horses in our team again
Shocking Buendia chose Villa over us apparently influenced by Arsenal hating countryman Martinez. Buendia has Championship mentality so Villa is better for him
I am sure that Arsenal have sufficient resources at the club to play against Notts Forest in FA
Cup and as I suggested we could play Chambers alongside Lokonga in absence of Xhaka.
The question then arises whether Arsenal will recruit players before the Liverpool game at
Anfield. They will also be weakened by players at Afcon. Also I don’t think that Arsenal will
go out and bring in a new player for Burnley game.
So realistically the one game in January where Arsenal are playing strong opposition and a
genuine rival is against Spurs.
Chambers in any position is not what we need for where we want to go. He was shit in all the games he played notable Brentford and City. How can some of you not see this.
I think Vlahovic will be a good signing, let’s get it done he’s a goal poacher…
If Vlahovic deal fails I think Isak will also be a good option.
Pedro “ Spurs just don’t have any money for big January moves, so count them out unless they bin Harry Kane United has too many strikers as it is Chelsea has sad Rom for the foreseeable, they are rich, but not rich enough to drop another £60m so soon (especially after Werner tanked). Tuchel has to make that one work. Manchester City feels a little too right for Haaland, if not him, maybe Kane. Both signings won’t come sooner than the summer. Liverpool don’t need a striker right now, I’m also not sure they are flush with cash It is… Read more »
Chambers in DM is not the answer. Looking good at DM in a relegation team and playing well for one hunting top 4 are completely different.
ES
The decision to loan out AMN in January with the likelihood of a sale suggests that Arsenal
have either found a replacement or that Patino has now moved ahead of AMN in the pecking
order at the club.
Or as the Daily Cannon suggests it was all about broken promises.
We don’t really need a midfielder in just for the sake of quantity. We will play 2 important games during AFCON – vs Spuds on Jan 16 and vs Burnley on Jan 23. Both games are in the EPL. It’s literally the only competition that should matter for us. I know we are close to a final in the League cup and it would be nice to win it. But honestly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if we were to lose vs Pool and not reach the final. It’s Mickey Mouse cup, it’s fine to try and win it,… Read more »
We will want to bed a new striker in ASAP., particularly if he’s coming from a different league. Otherwise losing Laca and Auba in the same window/s could lead to a slow start next season.
I’d love to hold on to Laca for another season or two. It’s not easy to replace what he does for the team.
AMN was no better than a squad player at Arsenal.
At CMF he was behind Partey, Xhaka and Lokonga in pecking order.
At RB he was behind Tomiyasu in pecking order.
At LB he was behind Tierney and Tavares in pecking order.
AMF wants to play midfield and my guess is that Arsenal have decided that Patino is the
better prospect as our fourth or fifth string in that department.
Isak more a LW than a striker
Jonathan David is an average striker
No surprise at the ‘all-white’ anti-racism show, Arsenal have always led the way.
I thought it was to promote anti-knife crime
https://theathletic.com/news/arsenal-to-wear-all-white-kit-in-fa-cup-to-help-promote-anti-knife-crime-campaign/obFS1mvxKpNw/
We need Balogun to bang at Middlesbrough, get 20 starts, and come back next season as an internal option Lacazette + Eddie both look like they’re on the way out, and it appears that Aubameyang’s race is run We’ve seen Xhaka make a comeback from out in the cold, but it wasn’t Xhaka’s professionalism behind the scenes that was the issue. It sounds like we’ll sign a striker, but I don’t see us signing 2, we’d also have the option of moving Martinelli centrally Gutted we missed out on Tammy Abraham, he’s not elite, but stylistically he’d have been a… Read more »
Rap I would doubt very very much that players that are playing in the AFCON final or indeed 3rd place play off which are scheduled for the 6th of February will be close to ready for a PL game on the 10th. After a tournament the players have a responsibility to the National Teams for a number of days and whilst I am no expert I fully expect the likes of Egypt to get to the knockout phase of the tournament On the basis the team will be travelling to Wolverhampton on the 9th I just can’t see them being… Read more »
From YT scouting of all the strikers being talked about on here, Victor Osimhen looks like the one who can be a real quality player and suit our style too.
Hahaha.. I read the post with many long stops only to see no comments when I finally finished… Usually I do check first but not today
Of the next four games, only Spurs is important. The League cup is what it is, the League cup. Team selection must be to make sure we field our strongest eleven for Spurs
Massive fan of Oshimen. I know he got injured and not sure how he’s been since he came back but he is a very good player that’s for sure
Let us see if ANM can pay undisturbed attention to Mourinho and maintain disciple. Only then we can have regrets
If Arsenal want a world class striker and want a good one this season. (Because its this season that counts, not next or the one after that.)
Lukuka is the one- and surely available.
Its about bloody time , we took a good player of Chelsea rather than their Brazilian rejects,
Thankfully, the other one that has been linked is off to A.Villa.
Relax
Coutinho is going to Aston Vila on loan . Gerard was the draw
Or maybe it’s a psycho master stroke by Tetts. The green grass he craves turns out to be snakes. First Big Sam, now Moanicunt. There is a pattern.
Alternatively Big Sam, now Moanioh, might make him a Matic GTTurbo. Good there’s no option to buy included.
The Arsenal in all white? That’s a shame about the situation, I really like London. Now remember Londoners, when knives are banned, you eat your food with your right hand & wipe your arse with your left.
Speaking of The Arse, have they signed Haaland yet??
I have to say, if we are going for a midfield signing then it has to be balls on the table for a first teamer who can improve us. A metronomic ball player who can mix it up and dictate play and tempo. Who breaks the lines and sees the game a second or 2 before everyone else. A prime cazorla, cesc, scholes type who runs the game from the middle of the pitch. A technical leader who sets the tone of one, two touch football. That’s the next big signing this team needs. If ESR or Odegaard can drop… Read more »
Osihmen is basically unattainable. Napoli last sold an important player in Cavani. After that, they haven’t sold one player they didn’t want to. A player that isn’t enthusiastic about joining Arsenal with the trajectory we are in is not a good fit for us. Vlahovic may be scoring at a good rate but he thinks he is too good to play for Arsenal. And he isn’t. I like Isak’s speed, dribbling ability and the fact that he makes his own chances. His hold up play and work rate need work. Either way, I think the striker signing can wait till… Read more »
* manage Lacazette’s
The best solution to knife crime is chopping their hands off and stoning in public
for minor injuries and for death respectively
Is that free Sid?
Pedro
’30 kids have died from knife crime this weekend, so let’s hope this has a positive impact’.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that’s the figure that was just released for all of 2021 teenage knofe deaths. Still way too high but don’t think this number was from this weekend
Arteta and Edu won’t go for a lightweight or panic signing. They showed over the summer that they planned well and had a clear profile of the type of player they wanted. The signings surprised everyone, so much so the level of abuse was ridiculous. Fans were disappointed because they obsess on big names, it’s the classic fantasy football thing; we all enjoy trying to build teams. We lose our heads because we don’t get it. Or some do. There is a plan and clear targets. When you hear Arteta talking about the importance of culture and buying into the… Read more »
Damn Sid, you went biblical on us and I’m telling you that for free.
I know I am in the minority but I envy Villa getting Coutinho , people trying to paint it as an Aston Villa’ Willian moment will be proven wrong . Having said that I know if Arsenal wanted him we would have gotten him . Its just that he is a player that I admired when he was at Liverpool and maybe it turns out more like Robert Pires to Aston Villa was . xD
Seems particularly fitting to wear white against Forest – as people may of may not know it was 3 ex Forest players that bought their red Forest kit to Dial Square and lead to the club deciding to adopt red.
So Ornstein basically confirmed my question from yesterday,. We do in fact have money to spend if we have the target we want and the opportunity is there.. circa… 55mill.. So i guess it’s wait and see with Vlahovic. Give him a deadline and if nothing make a move on target number two or a CM. It is encouraging we aren’t playing the sorry we are broke card though it seems. Anyhow.. some of you are smoking a little crack today? Chambers at defensive mid … against Spurs, possibley? Maybe in the Cup when it doesnt matter as much… but… Read more »
AFC Forever If there’s one thing Eduteta have earned, it’s the benefit of the doubt on transfers. To essentially go 6 for 6 in a single window is almost impossible. As fans, we tend to go with extreme opinions when it comes to our own, but I don’t see Ramsdale, Tomi, Ode, Sambi and White falling back too much from their current levels. The only question might be Nuno as he’s raw and has shown some inconsistency but his athleticism is off the charts. I don’t worry so much about Vlahovic because of the reporting coming out of Italy. Nothing… Read more »
Divine Sherlock
I agree. Coutinho is a top, top player. Wrong age for us because he would affect what we are building and of course, there is the once bitten, twice shy issue. He’s perfect for Villa, he’s joining a team managed by his mate who knows just how good he is.
Arsenal manager Arteta on new midfielder to arrive in January: “We are very, very short at the moment. We are going to move and look for options because we are very short there”. 🔴
Mb- Yep.. That makes sense. That is also encouraging that they know whats up. Not encouraging that they didnt recognise that sooner like last summer. But anyhow.. I thinkwe will do soemthing as well.
bacaryisgod
Your talking so much sense.
I have always said there are no guarantees especially when you are bringing players into the Premier League. It’s a different game over here the physicality and competitive nature isn’t easy to adjust to. You make a great point about the cultural issues, language being one of those.
‘You’re not your.
You’re not your.
Haha AFC dont worry about it… The grammar police on here haven’t been around for awhile. Ever since Pedro disabled the spellcheck thingy where the redline came up under mispelled words my spelling has gone to hell too.
I have not seen Vlahovic play but I am wondering if he is really a quality player then why are City not chasing him or for that matter Real Madrid or even Bayern to eventually replace Lewandowski ?
Midwest
“So Ornstein basically confirmed my question from yesterday,. We do in fact have money to spend if we have the target we want and the opportunity is there.. circa… 55mill.”
Everyone is a financial expert Mid.
Pinch of salt all these rumours. Of course, we have money. Yesterday, Tom tried to claim we were so skint we couldn’t pay Saka’s wages which is why he would go to Liverpool, idiot. I would add, people really do have to stop believing everything they read. The media are prolific liars more interested in getting clicks than reporting facts.
Midwest
“Haha AFC dont worry about it… The grammar police on here haven’t been around for awhile.”
I never pick up other people on grammar but I am my own harshest critic! I’m on a MacBook today so there is no excuse. When I use my phone the spellchecker really does have a mind of it’s own. Along with my fat fingers I guess.
Nobody doubts Coutinho’s ability, but quick fixes with oldies are not a part of the ongoing process. I can see the temptation of a loan that might nudge the Club into CL, but the player must fit the youth and vigour template.
Assuming that Auba never plays for Arsenal again, we can get by with Laca, Martinelli, Eddie, that is, finish the season 5th or 6th. On the other hand if one of Edu/Arteta targets becomes available, I don’t think money will be a problem
I would prefer Isak over Vlahovic as he can make something out of nothing with his pace and skill. Vlahovic seems more like a hold up player almost giroud style with some pace whereas Isak seems like in 2 years he be the complete striker and his link up play looks quite good. His style also gives that Thierry vibes.
But we will end up with a loan somewhere
If you added some black and white effects that GM picture wouldn’t look out of place from the 1930s …
“””BradybunchJanuary 7, 2022 14:06:06
Is that free Sid?”””
They should be charged for the stones
The No More Red video on YT is pretty sweet. So that’s where Reiss has gone ! I’m glad to hear Tetts acknowledging the need at CM. Hope he/they are concentrated on that , and te Vlahovic stuff is just a smokescreen, or opportunism, if Fiorentina are really up the creek… We’ve seen we’ve got plenty of goals already in this team….as long as the base is right. MA already tried ESR as false nine , remember that ? …. A bit too precipitous at the time maybe, but if Laca got injured ,it’s obviously an option they’ve considered before,… Read more »
AFC Forever
Aston Villa has done the same thing we used to do before we changed strategy to youth , their aim is solely to get into Europe . Whether its Europa or Conference . But I think Coutinho is a highly motivated individual who plays for Brazil and knows he needs to play regularly to get into that WC squad . However I am just waiting for Arsenal to announce Frenkie De Jong , even the Athletic reported that Barcelona needs cash and are willing to sell him . I am team Rich . 😀
Sid. It’s not a laughing matter. But I can’t get monty python out of my head.
Bradybunch
Yep, the false nine experiment was driven by the fact we had no fit strikers. It’s not what Arteta wants to do. We need a CM and a striker to push on. Good that ESR has added goals to his game and Martinelli is always a threat. Xhaka does a job but we definitely need an upgrade his lack of pace causes so many cards. I think the team selection for the Forest game might be interesting.
Divine
Yep De Jong is class. I can’t see it happening though, sorry.
DivineSherlock
Yep De Jong is class. I can’t see it happening though, sorry.
even van de Beek looks more likely at the moment
Van De Beek is a good option too , better than Ramsey and Wilshire.
Van de Beek has played 68 minutes in 7 games.
What on earth can a player show if he’s only getting less than ten minutes of playing time.
Surely he’s better than that?
Arsenal in the lead for one of the hottest prospects in Europe. Regardless if he says yes or not, I’m actually proud of the club for how it’s been behaving since the summer.
Edu and Arteta have done brilliantly in the recent signing..1 decent midfielder and promote Patino
Don’t think we’ll get the florinta striker but good that we’re interested
There’s claims that van de Beek is poor in training. Find this surprising myself…
5
AFC Forever
He has been treated awfully by Utd , dont forget he was Ballon D’or top 10 at Ajax ..
Son is out for the Arsenal game. Good news!
Wait how did Liverpool get their game postponed when Latent Orient were booted for making the same request?
Can you put money down on Harry Kane making a straight red card tackle and not even seeing yellow?
Definitely good news re Son
Can we stop with the poverty pleading. Josh could give us a £200 million pot and not even notice it.
Talking of the Kronos, I got a ticket to the Rams 49er game. I shall proudly wear my Joe Montana njersey.
SidJanuary 7, 2022 13:28:22
The best solution to knife crime is chopping their hands off and stoning in public
for minor injuries and for death respectively
Whats the punishment for knock down ginger?
Joke Friday A man returned from a foreign holiday where he had been fraternising with some of the local ladies. In the shower he discovered a rather severe looking rash. Embarrassed, he went to a different doctor than usual,a young man, who having examined him declared ominously that he had contracted Hong Kong Dong. ” Hong Kong Dong?” the man replied. ” What does this mean?”. ” I’m afraid” the doctor replied “that you’ll have to get that cut off immediately”. Naturally the man was traumatised at the suggestion of losing his manhood and the next day sought the opinion… Read more »
Son out until at least the end of the month, will miss the NLD
Big blow for Spurs, big boost for us
“”””Arsenal manager Arteta on new midfielder to arrive in January: “We are very, very short at the moment. We are going to move and look for options because we are very short there”. 🔴””””
I sippose none of the journalists , then asked him why he has loaned out AMN and Torriera if he is short of midfield numbers?
Down to Partey, Xhaka and Elneny.
And 2 of them are in African Nations action.
Jim “Wait how did Liverpool get their game postponed when Latent Orient were booted for making the same request?” Most competitions have different tweaks when it comes to player eligibility. The FA cup is perhaps the easiest one to qualify for Here’s the rules h) In all Rounds of the Competition a player shall be a “registered player” of his Club under the Rules of the Competition. i) A “registered player” is one who is either, in the case of a player under written contract, registered with The Association or, in the case of a player without a written contract,… Read more »
Just heard the Arteta interview about AMN-doesnt sound like he will be coming back-it is always telling when their contracts are not extended prior to moving.
“on the No More Red campaign…
Well obviously, we have been really involved as a club over the years with knife crime”
These transcript writers could do with some semantic proof reader