GETTING BACK TO THE TOP: THE REWARDS OF LONG TERM THINKING (LONG READ)

by .

There has been a lot of talk about strategy and where we’re going as a club. Some can’t see it, other don’t want to, but the wheels of progress turn regardless of the noise.

Some fans struggled with the proposed strategy because it knocked their preconceived notions of what you need to do in 2022 to get back to the top in the Premier League.

There were hard pills to swallow:

  • Our squad wasn’t fit for purpose utilizing any style of football. It was old, messily assembled, it had no creative players, and the culture was rotten.
  • Arsenal were no longer a big hitters when it came to finances. Any rebuild was going to be slow and painful by the standards of most.
  • The Premier League was now the most competitive league on the planet. There are 7 teams with the finances to compete for Champions League. The two top teams weren’t just wealthy, they were extremely strategic and longterm in their thinking. Every team was now rich, there were no givens, bar beating Norwich.

The only way Arsenal could get back to the top was to be honest about the above and concoct a strategy that played to our strengths as a football club.

Those strengths were:

  • Our academy, which produces top-tier talent. When you are building, there are bad days, but fans are more forgiving of local boys, so leaning into a point of pride was a key element
  • Our coach, who is one of the best developmental coaches in Europe (though inexperienced)
  • Our club, which has elite training facilities, unrivaled fans, a massive stadium, in the city of London, and good budgets outside of the nation-state clubs. These ingredients make us perfect for players on the rise because we are an appealing place to ply your trade.

The mission is to get Arsenal competing for the league in 2 years time and to make the Champions League and be competitive.

The strategy:

  • Grow talent out of our academy
  • Sign highly technical players 21-24, with 2 seasons worth of experience, with BIG character
  • Put them with a coach on the rise

Season one was about getting the culture right and bedding our players into a highly technical system. We delivered 69 points, enough for 3rd the two prior seasons. We made it back to Europe. That was a successful season based on the objectives at the start.

This upcoming season, it’s about adding quality to the squad, and making it into the top 4.

Our transfer moves this summer are being built off this brief from Arteta:

“We want to move to a 4-3-3 but for that, you need a lot of specificity in every position but now in five or six positions, we don’t have it.”

This is basically the list of incomings we have this summer

  • Lisandro (24)
  • Tielemans (25)
  • Vieira (22)
  • Jesus (25)
  • Turner (28)
  • Saliba (21)

Say it quietly, but this squad would basically be good enough for Champions League football right now.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the above list alone is probably the best window we’d have had in 20 years. It looks very complete, it nails the fan brief at the start of the summer… but is it complete? Maybe not. The Athletic truly believes there’s a chance we could still try for Raphina this summer. I know the Mikel Arteta will be banging the drum harder than anyone to get all the bits we need, so it wouldn’t shock me.

The ‘Tielemans interest has cooled’ will likely be a negotiation tactic, we saw it with Ramsdale last summer. The player wants Arsenal, the club wants the player, and Leicester management is probably still high off last summer’s LEICESTER ARE BETTER RUN THAN ARSENAL’ chatter propagated by Arsenal fans and want to make the move difficult. The reality is they cannot afford to let him leave for nothing. I think he’ll end the summer in an Arsenal shirt. Honestly, what a top, top signing that would be.

There will obviously be some transfer movement out the door but I don’t have the same faith some do in the money we’ll receive. Hector Bellerin is being chased by a club that think they can get him on a free, there is no way we should be exiting him for nothing, I don’t care how many trees he planted. Bernd Leno is a £20m keeper and we need to be compensated as such. I wouldn’t want to exit Ainsley, but he’s a Premier League player and we need to be doing better than £5m. There’s also a chance Granit could be on the move, though I think it’d be remiss to ship out someone of his experience after another really good season. No one is talking about Bob ‘lush hair’ Holding, but it’s hard to see where he’s getting minutes next season as it stands.

Most of the focus will be on the money we’re spending. Arteta will be running around with his proposals and spreadsheets. He probably knows as well as anyone – timing is absolutely everything. You want a raise, time it right, don’t ask after a shocking 3rd quarter. You want a yes on a new project, catch your boss early on a Friday when he’s dreaming of lunchtime beers and golf. If you want £50m for a player you didn’t have budgeted, maybe ask when his hockey team is about to play in the Stanley Cup Final. If KSE is a sports organization that is showing signs of extreme competitiveness at the highest level, there is no doubt that the more his other teams win, the more likely it is that Arsenal will win. WINNING IS ADDICTIVE. I don’t know how much of this shift in mindset is down to Josh, but bar their soccer, esports (they sunk £20m into Overwatch and no one watches it), and lacrosse team… all their major clubs are doing the business.

Now think back to the summer when people were spitting feathers about Arsenal not signing a substandard striker. Does anyone have regrets about not punting £75m on Isak to show ambition? Any Weughorst fans still in the building? Did this very website not say that the best thing to do would be to wait until the summer and spend the finite resources wisely? This summer is the reason why. If that list is pulled off, it’s better than anything that could have been done in January for a far more favorable price. Let’s also be real, I love Vlahovic, but he was going for £65m, if we get Jesus for £40m, it’s probably more of a NOW signing, with a higher chance of working out.

Ok, ok, I’m trying to weasel my way out of Tall Boy Summer Propaganda there, so you can shout me down on that… but, once again, we are seeing how different the world looks through a long-term lens. That £25m saving can go towards a Lisandro vs another Nuno-Tavares-like gamble. We will be better long-term because we waited. Remember, we have finite resources and a strategy that is honest about who we are. We cannot spend big money on average players, we are not that club, we have paid a heavy price for attempting that methodology. That is why we resisted in January.

Fans will give patience if there is a reward at the end of the wait. Arsenal didn’t reward in the past, but if this is what a dry January delivers, then maybe we should Trust the Process a little more often.

The job this summer was also to find 10 more points next season.

There were three ways to do that:

1. Add cover to the fullback positions

David Ornstein dropped exciting news about Lisandro, the Ajax defender we’re chasing down for £25m this summer.

The Saliba Ultras, bored, with nothing to shriek about are trying to make this transfer about their movement and how it’s the end of William, but this is more about Tierney. The player has been earmarked since last season as a left back and the club see him as big competition for KT this season. There’s a difference in style, KT is all about power, pace, and the legendary overlap. Lisandro is more viewed as a player you start the build-up from. He’s more comfortable on the ball and a bit more like a Cancelo, if that feels too ambitious, then let’s just say he’s a defender that can do what Granit can do when we put him at left-back but with all the pacey bits as well.

If we make this move happen, there is going to be a war on the left next season, and I’d be fully expecting the player to show us something new in this Arsenal system we haven’t seen before.

  • Saliba and Ben White are interchangeable at right back.
  • Ainsley could come back into the mixer at right-back cover.

2. Add cover in midfield for Thomas Partey

Youri Tielemans coming into our midfield gives us so much flexibility. The Belgian can play deep as a defensive midfielder, he can go box to box, he can even move into a more advanced position. Long and short: He is top, top quality.

3. Add decisiveness in the final 3rd

Fabio Vieira is being billed as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe for final ball delivery. He was one of the most productive players in Europe last season despite having the lowest minutes of the big names.

I followed up with Jon and asked if he was overperforming xA. He is, but apparently, there is more than enough underlying data to suggest he is top, top class.

We’re most likely going to add Gabriel Jesus as our main striker next season. Is he short? Yes. Is he Premier-League-winning material that we don’t have? Yes. However you cut, even through the worst-case scenario grinder, he is going to be worth 18 goals and 7 assists next season. The thing I’m looking forward to with Jesus is we’re taking him from a bit-part player to superstar status. We’re making him the big dawg. That is a hell of a way to motivate a player if they are the sort of person that needs that sort of adulation.

Then add the incredible news that Eddie Nketiah has just signed a new 5 year deal and he’s taking the #14 shirt.

There’s no other way of cutting it, this move is fucking excellent news. If Arteta didn’t believe he could do a good job with Thierry Henry’s famous shirt, he wouldn’t have offered it to him. The number is symbolic to everyone, it’ll be a huge motivation for Eddie, and I think he’ll show us all he can deliver the goods needed.

We’re operating in a market right now where Richarlison, a player that has moped all season in an Everton side far better than its league position would suggest, is potentially going for £55m. A known disruptive quantity, going for mega-money, after a shocking season.

Eddie Kreuger (showing up in defenders’ nightmares) is a better player for starters and he totally fits our system. Just remember, he was our best striker last summer in preseason then Arteta buried him in the reserves. He didn’t let him back in when Auba was stinking out the place, he didn’t let him back in when Lacazette was dead on his feet not scoring, it was only the good luck of a COVID infection (ESR got his chance after the same thing) that Arteta came to his senses. Eddie could have moped like Richarlison, he could have mailed it in and waited for summer riches, but he didn’t… he did the job, scored some goals, showed Arteta what a fool he’d been… so yeah, he deserves this deal.

Just a reminder of how Eddie stacks up against the 4 top European leagues as a striker for the folk saying he lacks the qualities for the league:

Just a reminder of what his profile maps to in terms of rival talent.

To replace Eddie we would be taking a massive risk on a £35m striker if we were lucky. This is a huge deal for Arsenal and again, another reminder to the best kids in Europe, if you are good enough, you will play for The Arsenal.

The bonus part of the summer brief hasn’t been really talked about, but Matt Turner is going to be very interesting, he’s arriving from New England Revolution, the USMNT fans love him and say he’s their best keeper, and most MLS fans say he’s one of the best players in the league.

The player had this to say:

“The project they have going on there, [I want to be] an important part of the locker room, adding some experience – not a ton of Premier League experience – but national team experience, league experience and playing games in pressured environments. I’ll be an older head in the locker room, being 28.”

On his supposed weak passing:

“Definitely, the DNA of this team is possession-based and I believe that’s what they will expect from me when I get on the pitch.

“It’s the area of my game that some call a weakness but one where I’ve improved over the past few months. I’m connecting a few more passes, reading the game better and understanding the way I can hurt teams a lot better.

“We don’t play that [passing] style in New England but when I go with the national team, we do. When I have extended periods with the national team, I read the game better and make more passes.

We have no idea how good he is with the ball at his feet in the same way so many Arsenal fans called Ramsdale a hoof-merchant after Chris Wilder left Sheffield United. The most important thing here is we need a player that can push Aaron who has had a shaky 2022. One week he’s keeping a clean sheet against Italy, the next he’s conceding a bunch to Hungary. The focus of competition at Arsenal might help, especially if Arteta shows early on that he is prepared to drop Aaron if his form dips.

So, in conclusion… is there a single Arsenal fan out there that doesn’t understand what the strategy is going into this season?

I don’t think so.

If you can’t see it now, you are just not meant to understand things at a higher level, or you are trying to be an edgelord on Youtube to appease your teenage fans.

If you can see it, you’ll agree, that this is the best way for Arsenal to get to the top, because it’s sustainable, it’s exciting, and you can imagine where these players will be in two years time.

Say this quietly because I don’t want pelters, but I’d rather be bedding in these players in a Europa League environment, than a Champions League one. We’ll get practice against weaker teams, the young kids will get more minutes, and the first 3 months of the season won’t be played with young players wrestling with the physical and mental aspects of fatigue.

What I love the most about the way Arsenal are operating is they are opening the window on the fans that want to behave in a toxic way. Good news is oxygen for the fans that support the club the right way and it makes everything better. If you aren’t onboard with where we’re going, you do have to ask, what is the fu*cking point?

This is going to be a good season if all these deals can land, we can all feel it, right?

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Wicked Willy

Speaking of expectations and context, has anyone considered how the mid season world cup could turn everything upside down. I’ve been noticing over the last 15 years how almost every player who goes to the ACN comes back a shadow of their former selves. Well this WC is going to be way more intense than the ACN, and it is going to massively prejudice the teams with all that glittering international talent. It means we could have another Leicester syle scenario, and at the very minimu I expect all the lower half teams to take more than the average amount… Read more »

Tom

Tee, then your observations are wrong.
Any one with common sense should balk at Pedro’s best young manager in the world getting £200m worth of talent this summer ( his own list), on top of what he’s already spent, isn’t absolutely required to make top four………….when United are rebuilding under a PL unproven manager,
Chelsea are under new ownership where money is actually a thing again and not some abstract concept because it can be stolen with impunity.
And Tottenham are, well, Tottenham.

Bob N16

Just looked it up, average number of points to achieve 4th (since we’ve been at 20 teams- 26 seasons not inc, this) is 69pts.

https://www.goal.com/en/news/champions-league-qualification-how-many-points-required/bltf6fe78f772d7b420

2013/14 Arsenal got 79pts, Everton 72pts only year I can see where 76pts would not have been enough.

Going out now, enjoy.

andy1886

Bob, I expect that what Guardiola saw was that he wasn’t good enough to play as a striker – so he didn’t. Pep would rather play with a false nine because he didn’t trust Jesus there. Probably the lack of goals – not sure how he’ll score 15-20 league goals with us when he couldn’t break double figures at City last two seasons. Nothing to do with Pep’s preference for playing a false nine otherwise he wouldn’t have just signed Haaland.

Give equal opportunities I’d think that Eddie would score more goals for us than Jesus.

Mr Serge

It is absolutely required we make top four this upcoming season or winning the eufa cup we need to be in CL next season whatever happens

European clubs are so broke we have to take advantage and being in the top competition allows us to compete for those players

At the moment we are buying potential. I am good with that as long as we add a couple of top players at the same time like we did with Alexis and Santi

Ken

So the season that just finished was year 1?? By that logic if I start a new job and underperform for the first 1.5 years, when the boss calls me out on it I can just say “relax bossman, I haven’t started yet, wind your neck in.” Good to know, might come handy at some stage.

Pierre

Europa league does have it’s benefits if you look at the progression of Willock, Eddie, Saka, smith rowe , Martinelli, who were regulars in the group stages a few years back and are now bona fide first team players in the premier league Let’s hope that Arteta gives players like Balogun, Patino and a few others the chance to play for the first team in Europe the way wenger and Emery blooded the youngsters. I hope the opportunity isn’t wasted . Despite spending close to 500 mil since wenger left , i feel that our better players are the ones… Read more »

Wicked Willy

Ken, I really don’t think Arteta has underperformed. He has undertaken a root and branch overhaul of the club and the squad. The trajectory of the decline was set before he arrived. However, the corner has now been turned, and we need to see continued upward progression. If you inherit a great squad with a club in good order as Tuchel did, you can make an immediate impact. But that isn’t what Arteta had, and rebuilds take time, especially in such a competitive landscape. How we view the last couple of years depends on perspective, but I do think we… Read more »

Samuel

Long term, Vieira has to take over at the Arsenal.

Pierre

Pedro, “top 5 open chance creator in the hardest league in the world, captain of his country, 23 years” I’m not totally convinced by Odegaard as a creative force and it’s possible that neither is Arteta. Buying Fabio , who by all accounts is a playmaker with a killer final ball, does question whether Arteta is content with our creativity. For me , the signing of fabio is the type of player we are crying out for , i would imagine that Eddie can’t wait to play with him as from what I’ve seen , Odegaard has created next to… Read more »

englandsbest

Super analysis and assessment, Pedro

Clearly the Club is closing in on its stated ambition, a return to the elite. Also apparent is that money, within reason, is not a problem. My expectation of a net spend of circa £150 million no longer seems over-optimistic. Obvious, too, is that the Arteta/Edu transfer targets have been identified and on hold since the blank January transfer window – and that only happens with long term thinking.

Ken

WW – Fair enough maybe I’m being harsh. However it still doesn’t explain how it’s possible to just wipe 1.5 years out of existence.

Nigel Tufnel

Pedro has improved the ambience in the comment section immeasurably.

Binning the 2 poisonous personalities, then adding wicked Willy and Un. Brilliant business.

It’s like an Arteta culture change from Guendouzi and Auba to Ramsdale and Ødegaard. Class and character. Moving in the right direction.

Distanced hairline

Is the Jesus deal money laundering? If we spend anywhere near 50 million, we are getting bent over.He is 25, played with much better players in a team that creates many more chances and is still an underwhelming scorer. Pep wanted him to replace Aguero and he was never up to the task. I really don’t want to hear about his defensive qualities

There goes a man with real brains, I respect you th14 this Gabriel is just too mediocre, I’d bee rooting for artetas sack if he bought him

Godriq

On POINT

englandsbest

Tom

Come clean for a change. How do you rate Arteta? No zigging, no zagging. And please, PLEASE don’t tell us you’ve yet to make up your mind. Otherwise we might take you to be a Guardian reader.

GoonerDave

I’m not a fan of using points totals to determine progress. Too many variables. CL or bust for Arteta. I’m also not a fan of the growing divide in the comments section. One extreme is so positive about Arteta, it almost looks like he is being supported more than the club. The other side is extreme negativity, which almost looks like some fans just want to be right. I’m in the middle and there are many more in the same boat. Not convinced at all by Arteta (mainly due to 3 bad spells during the season). But I would be… Read more »

Sotongunner

Some around here just need to accept that “unai” and “emery” are trigger words for some people. A fantastic manager that didnt work out at Arsenal in the end but with a lot of problems that were beyond his control. The current incumbent has been given total control. The signs are good that things are coming together but lets judge people by the same standards as Arteta has had all his managerial 9 lives now. This season is success or sacked for a club the size of Arsenal.

Wicked Willy

Thanks Nige!

Nigel Tufnel

The people on here insisting on a tall CF and using that to hammer Jesus are wrong. Jesus has scored 1 in 6 of his goals through headers. Giroud was at about 1 in 3. Olivier is an extreme example too… and Eddie can score headers also. I’ve seen him do it plenty at youth levels. Add to that all the other skills Gab Jesus would bring and it’s a no brainer. Man City level passing and pressing, real pace which we actually could use, because we are not a rapid lineup. Our defenders are faster than average, but in… Read more »

Tom

“Come clean for a change. How do you rate Arteta? No zigging, no zagging. And please, PLEASE don’t tell us you’ve yet to make up your mind. Otherwise we might take you to be a Guardian reader.”

I am the Guardian reader as well as most conservative outlets on both sides of the pond.

Arteta is a talented tactician who might eventually become a world class manager given enough time and resources.

englandsbest

Tom

Exactly. A view of Arteta defined in ‘ifs’, ‘buts’, and ‘maybes’. As substantial as a puff of pipe smoke by the fireside.

Tom

EB, my views of Arteta are as substantial as his PL achievements then

Spanishdave

The World Cup is going to screw up the league.
The teams with the biggest squads will win.
We have one of the smallest squads and many average joes so we have to build u our squad and get rid of the crap.
We won’t get 4th we will have Man U and Spurs to contend with and our record against the top six is diabolical.
We have too many crocks with poor cover so our team is constantly changing.
No chance

Sotongunner

Ive seen many thubgs in Arteta, determination to succeed and perseverance. Even how to get the best out of his first team and get them playing good football. Im yet to see any evidence he is a good tactician. Otherwise how did we tank so hard at the end of the season after losing a few first teamers? When things are going his way, yes his tactics do seem to work. Any slight deviation from that and he is not quick enough to recover. This tactical genius idea is a myth with Arteta, I defy anyone to tell me when… Read more »

Dissenter

Some silly fans are taking cheap shots at Eddie for taking the #14 shirt
Every shirt number has been worn by a great player, except for the #52

Db10 legend

@Diss
As long as Jesus isn’t given a squad number , I don’t care 😁

Db10 legend

I’m not a scout but surely there’s still some unearthed talent around the world. Who’d heard of Freddie L before we signed him!!we really must be able to find better and cheaper than Jesus.

The Bard

I love your faith Pedro. The Kroenkes need to hire you. Unfortunately it’s a what if post. If we signed these players we’d have a good side. The trouble is we haven’t signed them yet
And anyone who follows football knows there are lots of twists and turns. I also don’t think there is any correlation between what the Kroenkes do in the US and what they do here. At least you’ve clarified what the long term project really means: 2 years and we’re competing with the big boys. That’s one hell of a prediction.

Un

I was really worried about the names we were being linked with until we signed vieira. This transfer has totally transformed the way I’m viewing the summer when combined with the other signings. Technicality over physicality
Exactly where I’ve felt this team now needs to go and if the club are heading that way too then a I feel confident that we are moving where we need to as Arteta sees this team needs ballers.

LoveSausage

The players we’re targeting look exciting. This being Arsenal, I always get nervous when we start the TW by buying another technical midfielder instead of a player we actually need but maybe that’s just my Wenger PTSD talking. If we can bring in YT, Jesus etc, we’ll be in great shape. I still think we need an actual backup for Partey. YT isn’t a true 6. I’m also less than comfortable with where we are with our keepers. Ramsdale and Turner seem like a big downgrade on Emi and Leno. Shouldn’t be an issue if Ramsdale can rediscover the form… Read more »

Wicked Willy

Has anyone considered Ben White or Tomi as Partey cover now we have Saliba? I actually think White could be really superb. Not saying he definitely would be, but has a lot of attributes.

Tomi’s two footedness could also be mega useful in beating the press, and although his ball progression wouldn’t be as mint as White’s, I bet you he would be a brilliant invisible wall like Gilberto was.

Just some food for thought..

Un

RP7

Players who have improved
Tierney
Holding
Xakha
Ramsdale
Saka
ESR
Odegaard
Elneny
Nketiah
Martinelli

Players who have regressed

Pepe
AMN

Un

Oh and Aubameyang

Un

Let’s see. More than 70 points will be difficult to achieve to such a mediocre man manager when he has to rotate about 10 -12 weeks at least if he doesn’t embarrass us in the Europa for the 3rd time in a row.

RP7
Seems like you’re willing this with your fingers crossed

azed

If Arteta didn’t believe he could do a good job with Thierry Henry’s famous shirt, he wouldn’t have offered it to him.

It’s not like Arteta has a choice of could say no to any of Eddie’s demand.

Sly

It’s been very painful to watch arteta trudge on with gruesome performances. We only began to see some semblance of an identity with the man city game. This tender identity was certainly not repeatable and fell apart with the slightest whiff of adversity. The choke was due to immaturity on the part of young players, lack of coaching nous, poor rotation and squad management and subsequent injuries to key personnel He may go on to become a decent coach but he really has a steep learning curve and I haven’t really seen some of the characteristics that go with coaching… Read more »

Karsa

Where did Wenger end up in his third season in management again?

Zacharse

IF these deals land, yep. IF. not super happy about jesus but i’ll take it IF and WHEN he signs.

BUT pete, don’t start using the fucking colorado avalanche to make a point on here EVER AGAIN motherfucker hahaha. jesus. last time they won something was the same as spurs. and lets look at the nuggets who to me are the equivalent of i don’t know something below everton. semi’s 3 times in 40 yrs. made it to QF’s 5 times since 1988. let’s not get ahead of ourselves big upping Mr Walmart’s tax deductible hobby

Guns of SF

hello

Guns of SF

we got a Vieira!

GillespieRoadNoMore

Great post and I believe Arsenal are on the right track. I have.3 concerns. First, we are building a squad with the potential to bang in a couple of seasons, will our stars in the making commit to the long haul or will they be picked off by well funded vultures amongst the top 7. Second, will we be able to maintain a staircase of talent or is there too much focus on the current cohort? Thirdly our commercial revenues are not a patch on our main competitors and this is hurting us in terms of funds available. I find… Read more »

G

‘’ My observation is Pedro’s praise of Arteta riles up the “the summer signings don’t move the needle”, “Arteta will be sacked by October” and”Arteta will be fighting relegation with his team” groups. It’s like they are asked to donate their kidneys‘’

Muppet

englandsbest

Tom

Judging Arteta on his PL achievements alone is a one-dimensional view. His remit is to resurrect the Club. Rate him on that, on that, please – matters of spirit, direction, commitment, where we were, where we are now.

Pedro

Zach, my man… never again, I promise

Pierre

Zacharse
“BUT pete, don’t start using the fucking colorado avalanche to make a point on here EVER”

What’s a colorado avalanche ?….sounds like an ice cream dessert..

Bayz

This is just a PR page for Arteta.

Nigel Tufnel

Raptora, I posted yesterday, in Tielemans last 50 matches he started 27 in CM, and 18 DM. AM 4, midfield right, 1 time. So maybe like most of us, you just don’t pay as close attention to other teams players as our own. That’s nothing unusual. I’m the same way. Tielemans tackle stats are quite good from what I heard. It is acknowledged that he gets weaker defensively later in games though, but at DM you’d have elneny and 5 subs now. But you really should let the Bissouma thing go. The guy is not anywhere near the level of… Read more »

Nigel Tufnel

Pedro,

Ødegaard stats for chance creation per 90 minutes put him right with Bruno, a little behind Trent.. and like everyone else, far behind debruyne.

Not bad, right?

I love it when clowns who don’t even recognize talent criticize a player of class like Øde….
Too many here embarrassing themselves with the anti Øde stance.

But some of them see a footballing genius in Joe Willock.

azed

Pedro

The evidence doesn’t support your theory that Arteta believes in Eddie.

If Lacazette had managed to score twice in the second half of the season, Eddie would have been gone by now.

Bob N16

Azed, and if your sister had a dick she would be your brother.

bacaryisgod

There are so many things to take issue with Pedro’s post, it’s hard to know where to begin, but let me take some positives. First, Edu and Arteta have proven they are able to renew deals of our young players. Eddie staying after the way he finished last season is a positive. Whether he kicks on from here will come down to his form, the form of those behind him and the system we play, but we had to keep him. If we can tie down both Saka and Saliba for the long-term, that’ll be great but if it doesn’t… Read more »

Pedro

Azed, I’d say the 5 year deal supports the reality.

Pedro

Bacary, hard to take issue with the literal strategy. But, at least you found some positives.

David Smith

Winding up some Spurs supporters Pedro, keep it up I say!

bacaryisgod

Pedro I absolutely see the stratgy and for the most part, support it wholeheartedly. I’m concerned that Arteta has no clue how to rest his players and that Saka will be more exhausted this season than he was at the end of last. Southgate has to take responsibility there too. I really hope Arteta gives Saka a full rest before the season starts. I would even have him sit out the first couple of games if necessary. I take issue with you treating the first 18 months of Arteta’s reign as if they didn’t exist. I think it sounds lovely… Read more »

China1

Pedro sky sports say the Jesus offer is 50 not 40m. Where is your 40m number coming from?

Goobergooner

A bit behind on the blog, but I’m definitely intrigued by Vieira. Martinez if he is coming in seems like a sound investment purely because he covers so many positions. I just hope at the very least. We relegate xhaka to the bench. Seeing the barn door hit him on the back on the way out would be my favourite piece of business for a few seasons if we can actually sell him that is. 😂😂. Also just a big old laff at the skirts having a cry on the last post because someone called Eddie a feather?!?!?; Grow a… Read more »

Dissenter

Can’t believe that Martinelli just turned 21 years old
Feels like he’s been around forever

Mr Serge

My eyes tell me ode is good and I don’t need to go to spec savers if we had a player that actually runs into the box and shoots ode figures would increase even more
I can’t wait to see who we get but the targets that were are linked with get me all fizzy

Gonsterous

Eddie with the No.14 shirt. Safe to say, the next generation of arsenal fans will never understand why we hold that number in such great value.
Going down this road, A day will come when its just another regular number at arsenal, like 32 or 35

Dissenter

A shirt number is just that, a shirt number.
Maybe people will be satisfied if the club had issued the Eddie shirt as “014” instead of ‘14”

Madhu

Pedro good long read. To say that many of our fans don’t get the strategy is bit of a stretch and disengenious. What many fans are not convinced is your assertions that Arteta is the best young developmental coach in the world. There is not yet enough evidence to prove the same. Say what you will there is a perceptible drop in the output of young players like Martinelli, his defence leaked more goals and his attack seemed toothless most times. These are enough evidences to suggest that the jury is till out about Artetas ability to coach and improve… Read more »

Tom

“Azed, and if your sister had a dick she would be your brother”

Bob, No she wouldn’t. She’d be his sister with a dick.
Welcome to 2022.

Naija+soccer

If Arteta can combine all his resources including his time with Moyes, Wenger and Guardiola to then create his own identity out of these then he can go places. When I learned that Erik Ten-Haag learned his style from Guardiola indirectly I was amazed and developed even more respect for him, as hes created his own identity from his experiences/resources.

Arteta cant be a cant be simply a copycat or imitator of Guardiola or Mancity. There’s only one of each.

Sly

Very balanced post Madhu
Thanks for that
For the record personally I’m neutral on Arteta. I’ve seen some good qualities with him but has been well chronicled on this commentary bad and concerning traits also
Let’s see how we come out of this TW and see how we shape up during the season and hopefully tets can get a good tune out of this team

Sly

Great point Naija
If Arteta can find his own identity it will bode well for his coaching success

Moray

“Say this quietly because I don’t want pelters, but I’d rather be bedding in these players in a Europa League”

Shame we aren’t out of Europe completely. Would have given us a chance to concentrate on one thing and qualifying for CL. What?

Moray

It seems fancy clothes Bellerin is trying to cancel his contract with us. We gave a simile issue with Torreira. Can we please stop loaning our players to cheap and worthless European sides who haven’t a chance of meeting their commitments. Monaco also can fuck off. They’re getting Guendouzi for cheap and still try to play mind games with Saliba.

If a player is messing around in future tell them they will be playing with the women for the season. No more messing around.

Gonsterous

Dissenter A shirt number is a shirt number unless it was made famous by one of the best player to ever grace the club. A player who single handedly brought millions of fans to the club and who raised the esteem of the club to new heights. We don’t talk about the no.4 shirt that Viera or cesc wore. We don’t associate a number when talking about Wright or Mr. Arsenal tony Adams. We associate a shirt number with only one player in our history and there is a reason for that and we have to respect that. No one… Read more »

Gonsterous

Arsenal used to be a club with heart and culture. Right now, I only see a business institution who over charges fans to watch mediocre footie.

Useroz

Gonterous… that’s probably the cultural change infamously hailed by some as a recent achievements?!

Emiratesstroller

Gonsterous Football is a business, but that does not mean that the modus operandi at Arsenal is not the right pathway for the Club. The management at Arsenal are developing a young team/squad. Such a policy requires patience from the owners, management and the supporters as well. Rome was not built in a day. There was a lot of dead wood at the club, which needed shifting. My guess is that this will be the last transfer window where we will see volume arrivals and departures. From season 2023-4 onwards I expect Arsenal to follow the Man City and Liverpool… Read more »

Gonsterous

Emirates Sadly we moved deadwood to bring in other deadwood. Its why we were stuck. Willian Mari Cedric and co were all backwards signings that backfired. Sure, it was an educated gamble from a rookie manager and hopefully he learns from his mistakes I only pray he looks back on this season and realizes where he made mistakes and doesn’t spring to conclusions of not having a good enough squad because if we are being honest with ourselves, our players played well last season and 4th was in our hands. ESR playing more centrally would have helped. Having martibelli up… Read more »

Madhu

Thanks Sly I also believe that we have progressed last year eventhough it hurts that we lost CL by fine margins. Arteta one only hopes would have learnt from last year and willl not repeat the same well documented mistakes which have been alluded to by everyone and Pedro. So i was comfortable with Arteta signing a new contract. Next season for me personally progress means closer to 80 points with a goal different of 30 or thereabouts. With two bites of cherry for CL places either a CL place or a cup win would be good. That’s my expectation… Read more »

curse

nice post Pedro,

Squad starting to shape up aye, soon we’ll have quality all round with many interchangeable options.

Shout out to Eddie, I like that hale enders are getting the big numbers, nice touch.
I’d rather him have it than Auba or Theo…

Northbanker

Just hoping Pedro is right as Tielemans will be vital to ensuring we can kick on next season

I would still like to have seen us sign Hickey but get that Martinez may be more adaptable to the plan

Now we really need a big week ahead – let’s get these 2 signed plus Jesus or otherwise we’re going to end up signing deadline day players which is a disaster for pre season prep

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Good read Peter…

So good I’ve just gone back and read again.
So the players up for grabs are
Bellerin
Torriera
Holding ?
Amn ?
Pepe

Realistically were be lucky to nick around 40-45m.
Apart from Pepe others ain’t got value have they

Bob N16

RSPCA Do you not think that Holding, if he were sold to another PL, would be worth around £10-15m?

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Fair play to kse
They have bought into the arteta idea big time.
There will be hic ups all over the season ..
Maybe the first game will go against us.

Let’s all get behind the team .unity is the key

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Bob.
Yes.
He’s got a lot of experience, I think he’s on a few years left of contract , it just that teams treat us like a car boot sale when it comes to selling

We won’t get the 20m that was offered for amn again.

China1

I’d have so much more respect for ozil if he’d just be honest He’s spent the last 4 odd years falling out with his clubs, managers and team mates then constantly deflecting blame We all know he’s talented as hell, why not just be honest that he fell out of love with football and is just coasting the last few years to build up cash for his real passion which is gaming Lower expectations, ask for a salary which is realistic in light of his obvious lack of effort and then he won’t need to permanently piss off everyone and… Read more »

Pierre

https://twitter.com/jessinhotweets/status/1538289216391483394?s=21&t=h8XnPFP2sr792foEqlpDGg Xhaka in the top ten for shot creating actions tells me that this graph is a bullshit way of judging a players creativity level. We should all know how it works by now , Odegaard or xhaka receive the ball 40 odd yards out , they play a 5 yard no risk pass out to saka on the right or Martinelli/Smith Rowe on the left , they cut inside and have a shot = a shot creation action. Xhaka being in the top ten for creativity in the ptemier league is laughable, we are lucky if he has 2… Read more »

Un

Pierre

Funny that as ozil was so often making 5 yard side ways passes to sanchez who’d bolt it into the corner.

Un

I was just about to post exactly what you posted Pierre, only to point out why coaches continue to play xakha.

Emiratesstroller

Pierre

No-one suggests that Xhaka is a brilliant player, but he is not half as bad as you and others who slag him constantly suggest. The guy at least turns up, is seldom injured and does his best.

Contrast that with your “favourite” OZIL who devoted the latter stages of his career by pretending to be injured and seldom made an effort when he played. For all his talent he
became and was a “con artist” who was very poor value for money.

Un

Tellingly look how low chelsea and Liverpool midfield
Is

They prefer to use their full backs to create. I wonder if Tierney and tomi were fit all season how this graph would have finished for us. Would we have gone wide more or less with our more solid full backs there

China1

Maybe let’s say the squad has taken shape after we’ve successfully signed the players we need

Going into the summer we were in desperate need of a CF, CM, LB and GK

as of now we’ve signed a GK and AM…

Once a CM and CF is in we can start saying it’s a good window. Until then it’s not yet.

Un

Pierre

Assist aren’t the only way to measure creativity. In fact I’d argue (as you have before) that the pass or dribble which creates the assist is of teen the most vital in any given passage of play in creating the goal. The guy who lays the final pass on, more often, is the guy who’s left with a simple cut back or 5 yard pass. Unless you’re DB10 who’s assists were always forwards passes through the bodies

Un

Is often the most viral*

Un

Vital*

Ffs

Un

Pierre mate
You’re into even more of a loser with Ozil than I am with wilshere. Let it go mate. It’s over. We can all bond over a shared love of Emile smith Rowe, even if your old loyalties to defending ozil won’t allow you to offer a shred of praise to Odegaard

Ishola70

Isn’t there anyone to ask about this Vieira kid other than a stat merchant? Someone who has actually watched him play in games rather than pouring over numbers. These people are not football experts anymore. They masquerade as such in a gluttony of figures. Also this line of long term and patience. It will only last for a period and if expectations are not met within a certain time then it will get thrown away. Also the football that is actually played. Arsenal were not one of the more entertaining sides to watch season just gone. There was an air… Read more »