We’re heading into a weekend game with a team harder than Hibs and still things are dragging like a bag of feathers through tar.
The good news about this transfer window is there isn’t much choice when it comes to signing players. We don’t have enough quality to survive the season. We have one keeper, we don’t have a serviceable right back. We’re back to having one creative midfielder. Our midfield is still painfully limp. If the club wants to move back to the promised land, they’re going to have to start kicking things into gear.
In most big businesses, perception is an absolutely key pillar of operations. In some cases, it’s all that matters. We’re seeing how Facebook is suffering at the moment because they prioritised perception of their business over the actual massive problems they missed in 2016. We’ve seen massive ponzi schemes continue because even though everyone is aware of what is going on, too many big names are involved and the perception of something bad going on would be worse than the financial ruin.
I raise this point because the perception at Arsenal is there’s a real lack of control in the system. Process seems weak, there are few controls on how we move in the market, and there’s a real lack of leadership… which has been a consistent theme.
So, we’re into the most important summer of all time, we’ve signed one player, moved on very few… and where is Edu? On a boat, in Monaco, with our disgraced exFootball Operations guy and his super-agent Kia.
How does that happen? How does someone paid a small fortune to think about how he’s perceived post the evidence to his public Instagram account? Where is the leadership? Who is working for Arsenal saying, ‘Edu, mate, that’s not a good idea.’
It’s the same old same old with Arsenal. Just as you think they are turning a corner, they allow another hugely embarrassing thing to hit the feeds. Edu was caught out on tapes a few months ago in a deeply troubling scandal when he was at Brazil, he’s overseen some rough deals that clearly have ethical questions attached, and now he’s back out on a boat with two of the shadiest characters in football.
Where is Vinai on this? Where is Josh? How does a club as big as Arsenal allow this sort of ‘perception’ issue continue? It’s so infuriating… and to be honest… immature.
How simple is this:
‘If you really have to be on a yacht with someone like Raul, don’t put it on the internet’
The focus of the summer should be about a new Arsenal. It should be about an entire team pushing the club to the next level. Instead, we’re watching Arsenal lose to Hibs and our Technical Director execute more poor judgment and brag about it for likes on the internet.
In other news… it seems the rumour mill is revving up again. Granit Xhaka has apparently attracted a slightly higher bid from Roma. The Italian club has binned about 8 players from their preseason tour. Say what you will about Jose, he doesn’t f*ck around with players he wants out of the club. Doubt he’d have Kola and Willian in his starting 11.
Willian has an image doing the round where he looks like he’s packed on some serious weight. He’s basically showcasing why most 33-year-olds won’t be buying the new away shirt this season. A bit embarrassing that a professional athlete can do that to themselves in such a short space of time… until you remember, Arsenal is his retirement. Guy is so keen to pack things in he sought out a move to Florida. You couldn’t make it up. Fabrizio Romano is digging his heels in on this one, still stating that he’s going to move this summer if the right proposal lands… but like, honestly, who is going to offer the right proposal for him?
The Ben White deal is still rumbling. I honestly think my call the other day was right, we don’t want to deal for a player who is on holiday for 3 more weeks. It’s the reason Roma is slowing proceedings down for Xhaka. Who wants to pay dead wages?
Lokonga paperwork is nearly done, so we’ll at least have upgraded back-up left-back and back-up Ceballos.
There’s some talk about Tammy A being linked with Arsenal. Love the player, but not sure we have room for him with Lacazette and Auba at the club. Not to mention this truth… Balogun didn’t sign to be 4th choice. It’d be super weird for Arsenal to block his path with a young striker. But we’ll see… it was super weird to block Pepe with Willian last season, but that’s what our esteemed boat enthusiast did.
I think that’s all I have time for today? Remember to check out the podcast and the video of the podcast. Also, thanks for saying nice things about my hair, I feel seen.
Lololololl… it’s preseason people, take a walk outside if you are upset over a run out in the park on July 13th. This season really is going to be a painful one if we’re dropping big tears this early on.
The negatives? No one wants to see Willian and Kola in our starting 11. Kola is gone. Bin him. Give him a free. Willian? Well, we’re stuck with him, let’s be clear, Fabrizio Romano and the ITK crowd have his exit very wrong. No one will pay his monster salary and I doubt he’s taking a pay cut… I just hope Arteta doesn’t spend 4 months realizing he’s probably a dead player.
England lost on penalties. It was very sad. Bukayo Saka took the 5th, his shot was saved, it was heartbreaking to watch.
… but I’m not angry that he took it.
It takes guts to step up. A true leader takes that sort of responsibility knowing full well how the country behaves when someone misses. That’s brave. Don’t give me ‘that’s not bravery’ shit either, a penalty for England is one of the gutsiest things you can do, full stop. Not many would do it. He did, we have to look after him now.
The disgusting abuse after the game is just a standard thing in sport. It’s not just an English thing, but last night, it felt like it. What more can be said here? Some people do it from the darkness of a burner account, others are stupid enough to do it from their real one. We shouldn’t tolerate it. It’s disgusting and weak.
You can fully witness the levels of pathetic we’ve allowed into our political system when the usual suspects go from badge kissing to dim takes like ‘maybe less time on the politics’ to burn a kid that feeds hungry kids.
We shouldn’t indulge it. We should bottle the togetherness the football brought our way. We should look forward to how this experience will take us up a level for the next World Cup. I don’t need a scapegoat, getting to the final was immense, I’m extremely proud of the team, and my love for Saka just went a little deeper.
The best way to solve for the nonsense? Have fucking great season at Arsenal and show the weapons what you have. Oh, and maybe hope the whizzes at the social media company could block certain types of language aimed at athletes. If you can block a IG post because it has protected music in the background, you can block a monkey emoji on a black athlete’s post. No excuses I’m afraid.
It’s 745 in New York, I’m at the airport thinking about my UK brethren that woke up at 730am this morning and immediately started sinking pints. What a beautiful mess my home country is going to be today, I am gutted I won’t be there for the shame. I’ve never seen England in a final of a competition and I’m nearly 30. Quite wild.
The mural image in the picture was sent to me by Paul (check out his awesome Instagram), what a moment it’s going to be for a player that has truly blown-up onto the world stage in this tournament. He’s one of ours, there’s a small chance he starts tonight, what an unbelievable experience for him. He has everything, he’s a straight-A student, god-fearing, extremely humble, and everyone who works with him seems to love him. It is such a treat that Arsenal has a player with his technical gifts. Someone is going to need to give Jack Grealish break-up counselling when this is all over… the bromance is strong.
The game tonight is the one everyone wanted to see. The Italian’s have been sensational for the most part of it. Direct, fast, aggressive and spectacular at times. Roberto Mancini has put himself back on the map, he’s reinvented Italian football, but this is where the journey has to end.
Nothing, and I mean nothing… enrages me more than a drip from a badly sealed coffee cup. I would go take a country to war over such a sleight.
I have no segue, I just wanted to share that.
So what do we have today?
ARSENAL SIGNED A PLAYER.
Unreal stuff. The pull of Edu and Mikel is real, we’ve landed the best back-up left-back that money can buy. Nuno Tavares comes into the club for under £10m. He’s a Portuguese U21, he’s a bang-bang kind of player, and his profile closely maps to Kieran Tierney, which means continuity when there’s a need for a rest.
