The papers are hotting up with stories about Coutinho. The Spanish press is working very hard to connect Arsenal, Kia, and Arteta to 2016 fever dream.

What we know for sure.

1. Barcelona need money, they are on an all-out assault to let everyone know that they are open for deals.
2. Coutinho is struggling to find a home. He didn’t work out at Barcelona on the left. Bayern wouldn’t put him in the #10 position. He’s a bit lost.
3. He’s very, very expensive. £250k a week in wages + £110m buyout clause.
4. His agent is Kia.

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I have to say, I’m starting to feel very positive about the future of Arsenal. The more I think about it, the more I draw the conclusion that this moment in time, though horrendous in so many ways, will actually work out very positively for The Arsenal.

We’ve still not found ground zero with regards to what’s going to happen at large to football clubs. As with all great disasters, you only find out how bad the mess is when things go wrong. Recessions always uncover bad business practice and I have a suspicion that football has been doing silly things for a while now and this moment in time might bring those problems out of the dark into the light.

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Happy Saturday people. There are some rumours doing the rounds on the internet that Raul is exploring player financing options via a special fund that was started off the back of a super-agent transfer back in the day. The fund in question is called 23 Capital. They help clients in music, entertainment, and sport gain access to liquidity. This is from their website.

Our capital and solutions capabilities encompass straightforward advances through to more complex, off balance sheet structures. We offer artists, entertainers and professional sports teams the freedom to create, inspire and compete supported by finance that is flexible and most importantly fair.

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