Listen, I said before the game, this preseason game means EVERYTHING and maximum conclusions SHALL be drawn from the game and they WILL be definitive.
Arsenal. Were. Sensational.
All the rumblings around the training camp are that the new players have adapted, the culture is really starting to sing, and the team is working at a really intense level. Postive vibes are my drug of choice this summer and there’s nothing manufactured, this is all real, and it feels good.
The output of great prep showed against Chelsea. For the first time in many, many years I felt Arsenal were more than a physical match for Tuchel’s boys. We ran harder, our passing was better, there was more variety to our game. We were simply the better side. Arsenal were so good, they made Chelsea look very, very bad.
Beating your rivals 4-0 in preseason means very little to your season if you are Arsenal. But, it means a lot to a team that should have title aspirations to be this far off the pace just two weeks out. It was amusing to listen to Thomas Tuchel canvass for more players after the game by rolling the quality of the talent as well as the commitment. That sort of carry-on usually doesn’t end well. Tuchel is a great manager when things are going well, when they start to dip, he’s not emotionally equipped to handle the adversity. It’ll be interesting to see how long he lasts this season. It’ll also be fascinating to see how Chelsea handle the reality that they’ve made some bad decisions in the transfer market and now they don’t have Roman fuck you money to escape.
But f*ck Chelsea, let’s talk about Arsenal.
The starting 11 we rolled with, pending fresh injuries, will be the side we take to Selhurst Park.
Ben White slotted in a right-back, Saliba and Gabriel were centre-backs, and Zinchenko took the left-back role.
Midfield was Partey, Xhaka and Odegaard.
Our forwards were Martinelli, Jesus, and Saka.
I can’t explain how I felt watching them play, it was a vibe, a sexy feeling, it looked special. There were no real weaknesses. The defence were all comfortable on the ball, Ramsdale found his range with some outrageous passing early on, Saliba and Gabriel looked like old heads, up to the pace and power of the game, and Ben White was superb at right back and looked really happy slotting into midfield.
William Saliba looked sensational. His return to the side makes me laugh. Honestly, the carry-on last season about the doom of the loan is one of the most hilarious turns of this Arsenal fan base. We don’t need to go into the fact he’ll start centre back game one. We don’t need to talk about Arteta saying “I am really pleased to see the way he is playing, the way he has adapted to the team, the maturity that he’s shown at 21, carry on doing it. We will keep developing him. He is already a top player & we have to make him even better. He looked ready to me.” No. What I want to talk about is the benefits of having a 21-year-old centre-back return to Arsenal after 4500 minutes after being coached by a tactic manager that demands crazy levels of dedication. Does anyone think 1200 minutes with us last season would have been better? We have a better player now than we did. He’s going to sign a new deal. He’ll be the youngest starting centre back in the league game one of the season. No harm done. Trust the process, as they say, and remember who catastrophized his loan last season.
The most genius move of the summer is probably going to be signing players from Manchester City. They are extremely well coached, have great character, and they know the expectations. Zinchenko was fantastic, his range of passing is so good, he’s fast, he has great delivery, and he was a massive add down the left side. His ability to build play, invert, and join the attack is going to open a new world for Arsenal this season. The guy is pure security. We now have the best left-back options in the league.
Gabriel Jesus IS a difference-maker. The player has clearly adapted well to being THE man behind the scenes. He’s a total professional, a born winner, and he’s completely changed the dynamic of our team. That one vs one he jumped on after Granit Xhaka one-touched his through ball was a miss with Lacazette. Gabriel dinks a chip over one of the best keepers in the league. Outrageous, but THAT is what quality gets you at the highest level. Interesting to see Scamacca heading to West Ham for £10m short of what we paid for a 4 time Premier League winner. I’m looking forward to watching the Italian develop, he has some talent.
Our midfield looked really tidy as well, Martin Odegaard looks like a man now, he’s zipping around the pitch with purpose, and now he has top-level runners to aim his passes to. It makes such a difference. Thomas Partey looks fit, he’s sharp on the ball, and he is basically irreplaceable in this team. We need to keep him fit. Also, Granit Xhaka gets a lot of pelters, but in a more advanced position, he thrived. He landed an assist and was responsible for the Saka goal after his striker forced a parry from Mendy. People really need to stop making out him being in our starting 11 is some grave danger. It isn’t.
Gabriel Martinelli also showed up. I do love that everyone begs to see young players get games, then they get them, have a dry spell, then all the weirdos come out against the player. Martinelli is top talent, he showed it yesterday on and off the ball, and he was part of a sumptuous Odegaard goal when he fed the Norwegian in for a one vs one that was scored. I love the power he’s added to his game and I like that he’s developing into a creator. Matt and I debated on the podcast what sort of a scorer he’d be… Thierry, Robin, or Anelka like?
There was even a moment for Sambi in the second half, Cedric picked out his back post run, the Belgian headed low and across goal. Do I love badge kissing? Yes. He peeled off, took his shirt off and kissed it in front of the fan. That felt great.
So, a clean sheet (SHUT OUT USA USA USA), a massive win against a top 3 rival, confidence through the roof, no injuries.
Let’s also take a moment for the American fans. 64,000 showed up, paid for a ticket, and made BIG noise all game. I salute you all for sitting in the heat of Florida. You are a credit to the fanbase. The passion for football in the country is outrageous. I can’t wait for the World Cup to be here in 2026, it’ll be wild, and it should ALWAYS go to countries that love the game.
Back to Arsenal.
The hard work is starting to pay off. This time last year, we’d just lost to Chelsea in preseason, and Thomas Partey had gone off injured. We had no signings. Edu was BBQing like a madman. Things were about to get very messy.
This year, we’ve done our business early, there are no massive holes in our squad, everyone knows what the expectations are, and there is an expectation that we’re heading towards greatness.
Everyone knows the system, everyone wants to be a part of it, people at the club are feeling the specialness you are feeling.
I hope there’s no debate that we’re one of the best coached teams in the league now. Just look at the movement off the ball, how we press as a unit, how the combinations are working in the final third, how we have multiple ways out of defence, and how fast that ball is zipping around the pitch. This is Arteta’s year, this squad is his, I can’t wait to see where we take the season.
We’re competing for top 3 this year and at the end of the season, we’ll hopefully be closer to City and Liverpool. The prime of a footballers career is 26-31. Average age of our squad is 23.5. Another year’s worth of good, bad, and ugly experiences will see us jump a level.
My hopes? Less bumpiness. New problems. Better football. More goals. Tighter defence. Same support from an invigorated fan base.
I’m excited. We’re going to have a fun season. This journey we’re on is going to be awesome, so take a moment to enjoy it, football is the best when the hope you feel is grounded in something real.
Finally, we’re going to be working with the awesome creators at Art Of Football this season. They make elite football clobber for the type of fan that wants to look at football without looking ridiculous.
Here’s the first shirt.
This is a limited run, once they’re gone, that’s it. If you want to buy one. Jump on this LINK and type LG10 on purchase to get a 10% discount. I want to look like this cool cat. So I’m gonna get one.
FINALLY: Check out our latest ON THE WHISTLE PODCAST with Pedro and Matt from THE AOP.
xxx
P.S. Sign up to our Patreon. We are gonna be putting lots of fun things there this season. Come join the Thomas Partey.
1st
Would love to end up above Chelsea, can’t stand the club.. they will surely add more quality to the team but there are also about 5 players that want to leave.. and hopefully they’ll be I’ll prepared for the start of the season
First
Damn almost lol
Arsenal looks sensational.
Curious what Arteta does when Tomi and KT are healthy … does Zinchy go to the bench if he and the team are playing well. And does BWhite get the nod over Saliba when Tomi is healthy
Can’t wait for the Palace game!
Zina was awesome (his referred nickname from his interview)! Love, love, love that he’s an Arsenal player. Really excited about the potential of this team.
Correction—preferred.
Glad for the 5 subs because when the squad is fit, the depth bar CM at the moment, will be outrageous. Everyone will get there chance though.
Finally, we’re going to be working with the awesome creators at Art Of Football this season. They make elite football clobber for the type of fan that wants to look at football without looking ridiculous.
Here’s the first shirt.
[PHOTO OF FOOTBALL FAN LOOKING RIDICULOUS]
Lol glad you said it LT…….. I didn’t feel brave enough or was thinking maybe I’m too old now to ‘get it’.
Subs bench for me 😊
Left, gonna hazard a guess that you probably aren’t fashion-forward enough to be passing comment at a model that is probably sub-25 and looking pretty awesome.
Chrispy, it’s not an age thing, it’s a mindset.
Tom
Still batting for Chelsea now? Not making out we’ve won the league but I’ve made clear all summer tat I expect them to have a really bad year this year and neither Havertz nor Sterling are going to alter that
They are in big trouble for the foreseeable
I’m always bang on trend. 😉
Not being funny
That bloke couldn’t look any more ridiculous, even if he turned up with the full kit plus shin pads to sit in the stands.
Left, that might have been true in the 80s when you were going full Bowie on the Tottenham Court Road scene.
Un, again mate, if you think that, fashion has passed you by. He’s not even wearing anything controversial.
Ty from AFTV has already placed his order.
Peter I’m 51. Maybe the shirt tucked in to some nice pleated cords?
Lovely positive post
Can’t disagree with any of it
Such an exciting season ahead for gooners everywhere.
Fuck the chavs
4-0
Please let this continue
I want more
Pedro
Never claimed to be Hector when it came to threads, that may be the “in thing” he’s wearing but I’m happy to stick to the tried and tested. Personally you wouldn’t get me dead in such garish attire. Gimme a nice pink shirt, beige shorts combo any day. Class never goes out
Chrispy, David Lynch is 76 and still an icon of fashion and taste!
Loving the new facial expressions on the thumbnails though. Giving me lols
‘happy to stick to the tried and tested’
Each to there own, but the kid is looking sharp in the picture. I can’t pull it off, but no doubt he looks good.
Un, no bs now, I did expect more from you than some of the other posters on here.
In what universe saying Havertz is the better all around player than Pepe is me bigging up Chelsea?
If I had to put a finger on it it was me ridiculing yours, and I’m paraphrasing here: once the hotel room doors are closed shut anything goes…. she knew what she was getting into….. re Partey gate.
Right? Don Juan.
Not sure looking like a banana is less ridiculous than wearing the new black away shirt for example… Also Xhaka in that forward role had 2 assists all last season. Imagine having someone at Odes level or better in his place instead, that could give you 10-15 g/a minimun whilestill being good defensively? That’s what we’re missing with Xhaka in there. Still our biggest opportunity for an upgrade in the starting XI. Saliba could have done what he’s doing now from the start of last season, he was that good then too. Doesn’t matter now because we’ve ended up with… Read more »
Put Lynch Dawg in that ensemble.
I like a football shirt. I’m one of the ridiculous grown men who wears one to games. I embrace the ridiculousness.
Tom
“Un, no bs now, I did expect more from you than some of the other posters on here.”
Well, that’s your mistake right there.
[PHOTO OF FOOTBALL FAN LOOKING RIDICULOUS]
I’ll just in here, give me the mad prints, colours, show and pomp. If you can wear it then by all means push that boat into the swift currents. I’m not pulling that look but that gentleman certainly can.
The dude looks like the new Charlie Sheen and he did ok……for a while…..
Pedro
If anyone I know, regardless of age, turned up looking like that they’re get the group verbal spanking of their lives and likely would never try it again. I’m partial to the odd flowery shirt or linen yoga trousers when the occasion calls but there are limits
-jump
What’s a ‘Lynch Dawg’?
Freddie, I’m my own defense I didn’t set the bar very high.
You know, your basic call me out on shit I said, and not make shit up to declare victory.
Pedro
“For the first time in many, many years I felt Arsenal were more than a physical match for Tuchel’s boys. We ran harder, our passing was better, there was more variety to our game. “.
Maybe Arsenal haven’t looked a physical match for Chelsea, but during Arteta’s time in charge, Arsenal with a 4-2-1 record have been somewhat of a boogie team for Chelsea, including the double over Chelsea in their Champions League winning season.
Sounds like Xhara is staying from this post..
Bruised banana shirt is alright, but long socks with trainers is a big fashion fail for me…
Tuchel acknowledged that Arsenal were the better side in last night’s game. However, he also suggested that our squad was at almost full strength whilst Chelsea were missing some key players. As far as I could see the only Chelsea players absent from yesterday’s game were Kante and Chilwell. Arsenal were missing 4 players Smith-Rowe, Tierney, Tomiyasu and Vieira. Tomiyasu and Tierney are unlikely to be automatic starters this season in view of their injury problems. Tierney in particular has not managed to play a single competitive game since March. So I think that Zinchenko will be the preferred starter… Read more »
Lol talk to me in 10 years about the shirt. Gonna see some homeless guy wearing it.
Sambi wasn’t just kissing the badge, he was about to start licking it right there.
Lord knows what he’d have done to it in private. The poor kit man.
He was basically saying “please I don’t want to go on loan”. He feels a great Arsenal season on the horizon.
I hope Partey and Jesus stay injury free all season long (won’t happen, I know). They look irreplaceable in the starting XI, everywhere else we have some decent options coming off the bench. Also a big shot out to Xhaka, not just for his game but also for telling Reece James to fuck off. Say what you will about his game but he does have that old-school Arsenal character and presence about him where he stands up for himself and the team.
The shirt you can nearly get away with perhaps at a Summer bbq – the hat is simply ridiculous. Sorry Pedro
Dissenter is right, on the subject of Saliba, White, Arteta… None of it matters now. If he extends with us, it has all worked out almost flawlessly for us… now, and moving forward. Just enjoy it. Nobody knows how it might have worked out if he didn’t go on loan last year.. So if some people want to keep maintaining we did something wrong, you’re just talking shite, because we’ll never know. I guess some people like to proclaim things as facts… when they know it can never be proven wrong, because that was not the road taken. I’ll just… Read more »
The dude in the picture is very generational. TBH you could do a complete piss take on the average 50 year football supporter. Hard Mod / Suedehead vibe. I’m all Harrington Jackets , Loake Brightons , knocking around like it’s 1969 or 1978 revival or the latest , latest revival of the look.
Let the youth do their thing. Slating someone off for a look puts you in old man territory. I might be one myself but will never admit it.
Markymark
Young people slate other young people for their garms
That outfit looks like it was made by an apprentice tailor in jankara market lagos or Kejetia in Kumasi.
I reckon his master would have docked his wages for putting out an incomplete work.
That stuff isn’t ready for prime time.
Something is building at AFC!
A real positive is that there is no need now to rush Tomi and Tierney back. Let them build up resilience in the gym and in training first and then give them short spells as subs etc.
Pedro-nice post but you have a really short memory about Saliba. Those 4500 minutes were at a club you said he chose to go to because he wasn’t ambitious enough to play in the Premier League on loan. It was clearly the right decision to play at Marseille so when you ask others to take an ‘L’ on other issues, maybe can you take the ‘L’ on this one.
You’re also arguing against an unknown alternative. Who is to say he wouldn’t have thrived with the club last season and when Tomi and Tierney went down, having him around could have made a huge difference. Like you said, we had Holding self-destruct against Spurs when Saliba could have played with White moving to right back.
Before you respond, I was never against the loan but it’s just odd to see you trying to take the high ground on one of your bigger misses!
I’d always prefer to see young talent being loaned to English clubs wherever possible. That gets them much nearer to being Prem ready.
Now that the chav sugar daddy is gone, I wonder what % of chav fans will switch to the Geordies?
Pedro’s main issue was that he missed out on how good Saliba was from the beginning It was underrating his prodigious talent that led Pedro astray. Arteta’s problem was understandable; young manager operating in a 2020 summer defined by a 100-year pandemic and the club had loaded him with useless center back options to create confusion …. then comes this youthful prospect from France. They just got off on a wrong note. Arteta was learning the head managers job under very difficult circumstances so I’ll pass on him. Pedro, You were still suggesting that Saliba will ‘get at least 6… Read more »
UN – that’s because youth have various looks that create their own social groupings.
Dissenter
You can flip that argument as well and say that, there is no proof that he would have been ready to play in the league last season. Perhaps his loan at Marseille was the finishing touch that was needed for him to become the ready to go defender that he is now.
Either last season or this one we would have needed to buy an extra CB anyway. So the issue isn’t whether we should have bought Ben White, as we need a third centerback. Its whether sending Saliba on loan last season was a good idea or not. Seeing how hes turned out looking like the wall of China, I think it was the right move. This guy is still on 21 years old, lest we forget.
Le Massive Coq has a point in fact white sock in general are a fail for me.
Dissenter talking fashion is a new look and a strong opinion.
We’re there, predictions for next season… let’s have them. 👇👇
PedroJuly 24, 2022 20:06:14 ‘happy to stick to the tried and tested’Each to there own, but the kid is looking sharp in the picture. I can’t pull it off, but no doubt he looks good Pedro….each to their own…not there own, c’mon 😉 No matter how you try and push it(just like Arteta you are clearly trying to get your average readership age down to sub 25)…that fella looks like a fucking plum. And as another poster said…pulled up socks is a real no no. Other than that I thought that last night we played…dare I say it…a bit Man… Read more »
The shirt ain’t shit but I wouldn’t wear it
Naija
That’s precisely my point. No-one is wrong or right on the Saliba issue. Maybe he takes a loan with Newcastle and is phenomenal and maybe he stays and wins a starting place last season.
I just don’t see why Pedro is claiming bragging rights for his loan to Marseille when Pedro criticized him for a lack of ambition by staying in France.
Wouldn’t Adidas have their lawyers looking at that shirt? And I don’t mean to wear.
Naija
Don’t forget that the CB chosen to play at the beginning of last season ahead of Saliba was Pablo Mari. As Pierre pointed out, Mari had some decent stats supporting him (especially alongside Holding) but I think it was Lukaku who did the Drogba/Senderos beat down on him and he never recovered from that.
I can understand why Arteta sent Saliba on loan and it worked out great for everyone (provided he doesn’t run down his contract) .
Dissenter, I lean towards you being right that he would have been able to cut it for us “eventually” last season, but….. It definitely would have been more tricky than what we’re watching right now. Would have been hard to trust a kid right away in the premier league where managers jobs are on the line at any time. Would he have had consistent minutes? With no European games either? Also, because of the choices we made, we have both Saliba and Ben White with Gabriel, who both give us great strength and depth at fullback and centre back. I’m… Read more »
Naija You mean a dude who’s been starter everywhere he’s been since he was 18y/o? You’re pretending that he didn’t have a successful loan in 2020-21 at Nice and you’re forgetting that he was part of a team that took St Etienne to a cup final in 2020. He was so crucial to st Etienne that they raised a fuss about keeping him for the final [though that may have helped them to a little bounty]. Wesley Fofana didn’t have problems adapting to the premier league so what makes you think Saliba would have been so poor in 2020? I’m… Read more »
Sal As we stand, our first team will get plenty of results, be more than a match for most teams. the football will be better, and we’ll score more goals. But injury prone players, and a lack of quality in depth, are currently a concern across an entire season, we’ve got 4 nasty away games during the run in, that could give us a false sense of security. If we didn’t strengthen from here, I’d expect a big fight between 3rd + 6th, and fancy us to just edge into 3rd or 4th, and to be one of the favourites… Read more »
Nigel
It’s a big win for the club, no arguing about that. Sometimes things work out regardless.
It’s Pedro’s constant reductive narrative that I’m pushing back against
If you notice, I’m not even knocking Arteta.
We hired a young manager and expect him to make mistakes to grow. What I find intriguing is that some people contest every error he’s made while using the allowable-error mitigation to defend him..
Fair enough dissenter.
Right now, I’m in the position of maybe having to to a complete 180 about Saliba because I didn’t dig his attitude and was sick of everyone crying about him unnecessarily last season, while White, Tomi, Gabs and Tierney were playing well with Partey… and fighting to overachieve and get champions leaLOL. I thought it was unnecessary noise.
I can’t wait for the abuse I’ll get if he extends with us, because I’m gonna become his biggest fan Lol.
Diss Why aren’t you willing to give the club credit for sending Saliba out on a hugely successful loan? Why is this more by accident than design? And why do you know better than the club regarding Saliba’s career trajectory?… The club deserves huge credit for identifying Saliba and securing him at 18, for €30 million. We buy sign him at €30 million at 18, because he’s either impossible to sign at 22-23, or he costs £80 million, and likely has much better options at that point, Truly world class players are almost impossible to get in their prime, and… Read more »
Dissenter, Not really sure what you are fighting today, but needless to say, a lot of folk saying no one was right on Saliba spent all year crying about how badly we treated him and how he’d leave. He’s staying, he got 4500 minutes under a good manager, he’ll be starting CB because Tomi is injured for Palace. Arteta vindicated. This is what I wrote about the loan move. Only two things I got wrong was he didn’t get 3500 minutes, he got 4500. If he’d gone to Newcastle, he might have stayed, but I didn’t know the Saudis were… Read more »
Arteta vindicated
Sure. Any explanation as to why he kept him for 6 months didn’t play him or register him for Europa? Where’s the vindication for Arteta stunted his growth for 6 months?
Rich
‘ Saliba’s trajectory has been rapid over the last 12 months, the club deserve huge credit for managing his career trajectory, and getting this level of talent into the first team for just £25 million’
…and before those 12 months?
Therein lies the differences in opinion and I’m not denying the impact of a loan.
You’re the one pretending that the prodigious phenomena if Saliba only started after his loan
I’m arguing that it was there well before his loan.
If we are going to disagree, at least let’s know where the disagreement is from.
Marko, not sure you are seeking vindication there, I think you are asking for an explanation of why the loan deal fell through?
Would 3 months have football made a massive difference to Saliba at Arsenal? Unlikely. He’d have still done two seasons on loan until he was experienced enough to be a good Premier League player.
Now he is.
He’s going to sign a new deal.
Vindication is clear.
Only people who think there was a faster way to develop him don’t work in professional football.
I mean, we hope he’s experienced enough, he hasn’t played in the league yet, he could still struggle, who knows.
Pedro-you forgot this. That’ wa my issue. Pedro not vindicated!
‘My biggest concern out of this whole move is the lack of ambition from the player. Ben Knapper is the loans manager and he’ll have pulled together a group of clubs for the player to choose from (he had offered up Rennes last season according to GFFN). If reports are to be believed there was interest from Germany, Italy, and England. Why would a player trying to break the Premier League go back to France again?’
I think you are asking for an explanation of why the loan deal fell through? I’m more asking why a manager wouldn’t use a highly rated CB even once during the first half of a season and if those few months and/or subsequent loan to Nice wouldn’t have shown him to be good enough for say last season thus giving us Saliba last season as opposed to him starring for Marseille. I’m more trying to point out him being mismanaged as opposed to it being a case of a masterstroke by Mikel. If anything Mikel can’t be credited with anything… Read more »
he hasn’t played in the league yet, he could still struggle, who knows.
We have 3 other CB’s with experience who struggle at times
Marko,
Your only agenda is to paint this as a major Arteta blunder. It’s all that fuels you.
The reality is that it’s working out very well for all of us, but you have some need to slap at Arteta … weakly, as usual.
You should stop trying pretend you’re right in the face of evidence to the contrary. The plan has gone well to this point.
If you think Saliba would’ve been good in the prem last year, he’ll be even better this coming season.
Try to enjoy your football club in these exciting times.
The reality is that it’s working out very well for all of us, but you have some need to slap at Arteta … weakly, as usual
Or you could say the reality is we don’t know what might have happened last season had we kept Saliba and invested that 50 million we paid for White into a midfielder or a striker. It depends really what side of the coin you are re Arteta whether you think he’s perfect or whether you think he’s made quite a few blunders
The Saliba debate continues, oh well. The only solid argument for sending him out on loan would’ve been had Arsenal made the CL in his absence. Then you could’ve used the Fofana cost Leicester CL trope again, but we did the smart thing and it worked for us. But we didn’t make the CL. So unless someone’s trying to say Arsenal with Saliba in the squad wouldn’t have made 8th two years ago and 5th last season, then I fail to see how his loan has worked for anyone else but Saliba. He’s just as PL inexperienced now as he… Read more »
Bacaryisgod:
“ Pedro-you forgot this. That’ wa my issue. Pedro not vindicated!‘
“My biggest concern out of this whole move is the lack of ambition from the player. Ben Knapper is the loans manager and he’ll have pulled together a group of clubs for the player to choose from (he had offered up Rennes last season according to GFFN). If reports are to be believed there was interest from Germany, Italy, and England. Why would a player trying to break the Premier League go back to France again?’”
Oh dear the internet doesn’t forget😩😩😩😩
Blessings on the fashion discussion. tiny dick energy on the saliba arguments. pedro isnt the only one who remembers how much talk was ABSOLUTELY off the rocker last season about him. whether he went to an EPL team or french team doesn’t matter now- but i think we’d all agree if saliba had had a more middling season at newcastle than he did at OM he’d know the league much better- BUT all of it is water under the bridge now that a) he’s signing a new deal and STAYING W ARTETA b) he got 4500 mins under his belt… Read more »
The only good thing that will make the Saliba thing work out is if we get him to commit to a new five year contract. That kid has Virgil Van Dijk qualities in him. Should Arteta have given him a chance last season? Absolutely. Benching him for six months was also outrageous. But it’s the learning curve we have to deal with a coach learning on the job. Hell Arteta wanted to extend Mustafi and David Luis, just like he fought to keep Xhaka here when he should’ve let him walk. Bottom line is that he is still Learning and… Read more »
Bacary, I dind’t forget it, I wrote the article. If he’d gone to Newcastle, he’d be Premier League ready and even closer to where we need him to be. Much of a muchness now, he had a great loan deal, and he probably got more minutes in France because the league is easier. But not sure what planet you’re living on where you think it would have been a bad idea for him to get Premier League experience over Ligue 1. Same for Nuno. Brighton or Atalanta? It’s Brighton. If he makes it there, his value goes up and he’s… Read more »
GD4, Arteta didn’t want to extend David Luiz last summer, nor did he offer Mustafi a new deal.
That is another made-up lie.
< deleted >
We will never know how things would have gone if we didn’t loan out Saliba.
So how can you be so sure it was a mistake or that it would have worked out better since that is unknowable?
< deleted >
We’re moving on with 3 great CBs so why complain at all? Things are looking bright…
Really Pedro?
https://talksport.com/football/779652/shkodran-mustafi-arsenal-contract-extension-gunners-italy/
Who wanted to extend Mustafi?
Edu?
Lol
It is amusing that, once again, no matter how wrong people get it, they can’t admit it.
This is like the time Marc said I was making things up about Don Raul, he got fired after a 6 week Clifford Chance investigation, and he still wouldn’t have that I was right on him.
Diss, still waiting for your take on the second summer in a row where you’ve doubted we’ll spend… and we have?
Umm Pedro here’s another article showing that it was Arteta that did extend David Luis’ contract …
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9260369/Arsenal-set-offer-David-Luiz-one-year-contract-extension.html
So no one is making up stories.
Stop being so defensive my friend
GD4, hunting that article for the contract offer bit?
What are the facts:
Mustafi was on £90k a week
The season of 2020, he was given 43 minutes by Arteta in the PL
In December, we canceled his deal
Arteta has kept every player he wanted to keep. He didn’t want to keep Mustafi. If Mustafi was offered a new deal, he’d have signed it in a heartbeat, because no one moves from Arsenal to Levante out of choice for half the salary at 29.
The new deal offer was a lie.
GD4, a Daily Mail article using the Independent as a source is not a slam dunk. It’s a rumour.
What are the facts?
He was exited. We spent a £55m replacing him with a player we tracked for a long time.
He wasn’t offered a new deal.
Saliba would have proved himself a worthy starter if he had stayed one or two years ago. He didn’t need a loan because we could’ve let him grow with us the same as Saka, Martinelli, ESR etc.
Regardless if he signs a new contract then one way or another we can move forwards with positivity
China, your guess. Everyone begged for Martinelli to start, they said he was then solution to our goalscoring issues, he wasn’t, and he’s spent the last 2 weeks get roasted online for being average.
Arsenal fans have all the ideas, then when they have to deal with the reality of a young player making mistakes, they turn on them.
Marseille and Nice dealt with his mistakes. Much better that way.
On a sunnier note, Arsenal at 66-1 to win the title? Not quite the 5,000-1 odds Leicester were getting but maybe worth a punt. Man City and Liverpool both undergoing major squad departures, Man United and Chelsea looking a little unstable and Spurs are Spurs. Still, itt would be disgusting for us to finsh above all of them at 66-1 and still finish behind Newcastle 😂🤣😂🤣
I know you hate it Pedro, but it’s ok to take a loss every once in a while. You might want to get some practice in it now you’re a father!
You also said his loan to Marseille was one of the greatest in history (or something along those lines). But of course a loan to Steve Bruce’s Newcastle’s would have worked out better for him.
China how can you state that as a fact?
It’s clearly just an opinion that you want us to accept as a fact.
Maybe you’re right, by the way. But definitely not a sure thing.
It’s one thing bedding in young forwards.. another with a starting CB.
Mistakes by forwards are forgotten in 10 seconds.
Mistakes by central defenders are a completely different situation and you know it.
Let’s not pretend the club didn’t botch the Saliba loan plan on at least one occasion. It almost certainly contributed to costing Huss Fahmy his job.
Pedro you are allowed to be wrong. In the second half of that season you were calling Mustafi ‘Schkodran Baresi’ and Arteta also was bigging him up a lot (plenty of quotes can be found for that).
Pretty much all reports on the matter pointed to a new contract and a rejection. It’s only you who believes that it’s not possible
Zacharse
I disagree with much of what you write, but you get my full admiration for this line:
‘tiny dick energy on the saliba arguments’