Morning all.
Mikel Arteta got his hands on a trophy a couple of nights ago as he was awarded Best Coach – Premier League award at the KAFD Globe Soccer Awards Europe. He jetted off to Sardinia to collect his prize at the inaugural European edition of the awards, held since 2010 by the Dubai-based football organisation that coordinates the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. Old Arsenal fans favourite Cesc Fabregas handed him his trophy. Talking afterwards he said:
I feel extremely proud because when I decided to stop my career as a football player I thought that all the joy and best moments were gone, and I was totally wrong because when I started my coaching and managerial career, I love it even more.
I have to thank all the players, coaching staff and everybody involved at the football club for making my days so enjoyable, so inspiring and for supporting me in this journey that we started four years ago that hopefully is going to take us right to the top to win many trophies. We’ve been building for a few years and right now we have a team that is full of enthusiasm, and so hungry to win trophies. We know the competition but we believe we can do it, so we’re going to give it a real go.
To be fair, he/Arsenal gave it a real go last season but of course, just missed out. I keep thinking of that Fulham game at The Emirates, others too but they’re done. The only thing the club can do is push just that little bit harder next season.
Jurgen Klopp has been back in England to say a final farewell to the Liverpool fans. He didn’t hold back when asked about the goings on over the last season. I don’t know if you’ve bothered to read anything he had to say but some of it made me chuckle. He took a swipe at Man City and their 115 charges saying that if as a result of the much awaited trial, Liverpool are awarded two Premier League trophies, he’ll be back for an open top bus parade. He also said he was glad Liverpool weren’t owned by people who sack a manager every five minutes as he wouldn’t have lasted long in the job he’s just left after 9 years. A dig a Chelsea of course.
I hope Liverpool are retrospectively handed two Premier League titles because that would mean Arsenal will have two as well. Do I care that it would be because City will have been penalised? Absolutely not! Fans and players will get their day of celebrations I’m sure.
There has been a little flurry of new deals at Arsenal, well, two to be precise.
Stina Blackstenius was the first to commit to the club, shortly followed by Leah Williamson.
Our Swedish international striker has scored 43 goals in 83 appearances for Arsenal since joining us from BK Hacken in January 2022 and of course, she’s thrilled to be staying for a few years yet. Talking to Arsenal.com she said:
I’m so happy to have signed a new contract here at Arsenal,” she told the club’s official website.In the space of two and a half years, this club has come to feel like home – that’s thanks to my team-mates and the staff of course, but most of all because of our wonderful supporters.
Leah Williamson, who has been at Arsenal for a whopping 19 years said:
Everyone knows what Arsenal means to me, but I think every time I sign a new contract, I feel that love ignite all over again. I’m very happy to be staying – this is a place where I can still continue to grow, develop and be challenged. As a group, we’re all very focused on bringing more silverware to this club and I can’t wait to get started again when the new season comes around.
Like the men’s team though, the one thing missing for the last few years has been a league title. Chelsea women, like the men, will be starting the new season with a new manager in place. I’m sure Jonas Eidevall will be glad to see the back of Emma’s Hayes and her bitter allegations.
One contract which needs sorting out this summer is Mikel Arteta’s. His current one expires this time next year but I can’t see him wanting to leave anytime soon. I think he wants to win at least one Premier League title before he hands the Arsenal baton over to someone else. He’s still young, he’s hungry for success and it’s quite clear he wants success for the club he once played for and captained. There are reports suggesting a new three year contract offer is on the table with a little pay rise to go with it. Good, he deserves it after the way he transformed the club and brought back the belief that winning trophies is just a matter of time.
With Unai Emery agreeing a new five year deal with Aston Villa, I can’t wait to see how the battle between him and Mikel Arteta plays out this coming season. We owe them a battering both home and away. Another Spaniard who needs taking down a peg or two this season is of course, Pep Guardiola in what might be his last campaign as Man City manager. I so hope it is and with it comes a collapse more damaging than what Arsenal went through after the invincible squad to broke up.
Lastly, in addition to replays being scrapped in the FA Cup, the League Cup is changing too. The competition will use a new seeding mechanism to keep Champions League and Europa League teams apart in the third round fixtures. (16th & 23rd September) This means none of Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool or Aston Villa can be drawn against Totts or Man Utd. (Doesn’t include Chelsea as the Europa Conference League starts after the 3rd round of the League Cup)
Potential European clashes during round five (week commencing December 16) of the Carabao Cup will be considered closer to the dates once the competing clubs have been confirmed.
Shouldn’t affect Arsenal as we’re usually out of the competition by then… 😂
Catch up in the comments..
Good morning Rico,well done getting a post up so promptly after your early hours comments. I guess an afternoon nap may be on the cards. 😉
Morning Cicero, I had to be out early this morning. 😂
No nap though, sleep and me have never really got on…
Glad for Arteta, and the fact that the offiacals didn’t just pick Pep because he won the league and set another record, But he could have thanked the fans 😊
Arteta is always thanking the fans Geoff.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/pierre-aubameyang-arsenal-mikel-arteta-32922289
It may be only Auba words, but it does sound to good for Arteta with other players also being frozen out by him. the only good thing about that story is, it’s at the end of the season so the media can’t put pressure on the playing group.
I still think Arteta would have dealt with Aubameyang differently if he had been still playing well,basically at the end it was like playing with only 10 players. The top managers have to be ruthless,Arteta certainly showed who’s the boss.
Auba was only ever going to tell his version of events to favour himself. But yes, he’s certainly made sure Arteta doesn’t look like a people person.
Agreed Limey, Auba, others too were turning up but not putting the work in on the pitch. We’d seen too much of that in recent years and probably, so had Arteta. He was never going to send players off with chocolates and flowers…
Plus, had things just been about his family problems, I’m pretty sure the club would have given him compassionate leave.
Good Afternoon Rico and all
Thanks for a good post Rico….but (I might stand to be corrected) if all the trophies of the past ten years since City won the EPL are found to be under a cloud and their titles stripped off Liverpool and Man Utd will get 3 each while Arsenal will get 2. It all depends on which league titles are found to be corrupted.
I just read on one of the Arsenal FB sites that Mikel Arteta would like a squad of 20 outfield players in addition to goalkeepers. He wants to add a defender, central midfielder, a forward & cover on the right wing for Bukayo Saka. The expectation is that he will move for younger players such as Benjamin Sesko. That means a player for every position plus 3 keepers. A squad of 23. Hopefully the 2nd 11 will be as good as the first and players fit in seamlessly.
Auba’s tears might be crocodile tears. Yes it might be true but I am sure that if he told the club and agreed with therapy, the club would have helped him and he would have remained. I doubt very much that Arteta would have ostracised him. Auba is just grasping at straws here.
Aubameyang had just signed a new deal and thought he was fire-proof. He obviously thought he could take it easy and others would carry him. Arteta saw through it and, quite rightly, came down heavily on him.
A good manager must have a ruthless streak in him, Arteta proved he has that capability. I doubt we shall see anyone else try to piss Arteta about.
Cicero I agree 100% with you. I think that Arteta’s treatment of Auba, Ozil and Guendouzi showed that he will not be messed about.
It’s fine to be stricked, however if your man management skills are crap then it could be hard to attracked any future players if the belive Auba story and see how Ramsdale has not played much since his dads comments about Arteta.
Just playing devils advicate, is it because he doesn’t like being messed around or is it because, he didn’t like players questioning him at the start about his game plan that nobody could see what he was trying to do.
Sorry to answer your question with another Geoff……….but is it that he didnt like players questioning him or because they were not intelligent enough tactically to understand the way Arsenal play today, that is press all over the pitch from the attacking department down to the defence??
You can’t be as effective a manager as Arteta is, without having some players be unhappy. I’m sure that if they come to him to speak privately, with personal concerns, he will talk to them respectfully… but he’s not going to baby them, and he won’t give minutes to players who don’t press and defend ferociously.
He’s created an atmosphere where a guy like Trosaard who scored so many important goals for us, continues to get starts not only for the goals, but is now also working his socks off for the team. That’s the culture.
One of the best midfielders in the premiership felt no qualms about coming to Arteta’s Arsenal and has settled in to the team and proved to be fully in tune with the ethos created by him. In case you are wondering, I’m talking about Declan Rice.
As much as we all wanted Ramsdale to be our number one ‘keeper, we can’t argue with Arteta’s choice of Raya who won the Golden Glove.
Devil the problem is at the start, fans, media and some players could not work out his game plan, that’s part of the reason why we lost some matches, other than trying to copy Man C game plan when we didn’t have the players to do it.
I have no problem with moving on lazy players or players that just can’t get on with the manager,
I think 2 thing need to happen (1) Arteta needs to give his side of the story, so we can judge it for our self (2) why has Auba decided to open his mouth now and not when it happened.
The Daily Mirror paid him for his version of the “truth”
According to various FB sites Arsenal and Leipzig have reached a verbal agreement for Sesko. Fee BP45million
Afternoon Devil and thanks. Yes I forgot about Utd but like you I’m not sure how far the charges go back but I don’t think it brings Utd into the equation. I think I read 2018..
Cicero, agreed. I bet in hindsight the club wish they’d never renewed his contract although I can see why they did. I’m just glad blokes like him are gone. At least Lacazette did it the right way regardless of his lack of goals, Xhaka too who had his best Arsenal years under Arteta.
Geoff, Arteta doesn’t need to say anything imo because I think majority of Arsenal fans don’t give a toss about Auba now.
If it is 2018 it will be two each for us, Liverpool and Utd
Apparently, the charges go back as far as 2009 according to The Athletic but don’t or won’t include the years post charge. At least I don’t think they will.
Tbh I don’t care about any season except for the last two
If the F.A take away the F A Cup wins from City, all the clubs that lost in to them will be demanding compensation for the lost prize money and revenue they would have got if they hadn’t been knocked out by City.
Well, can’t say I’m worry about anything until they’re found guilty, if they’re found guilty which I think they will be.
The Athletic:
What does this mean for other Premier League clubs? Could they sue if City are found guilty?
Put it this way, if Manchester City are found to have breached all the rules the Premier League has accused them of breaking, then you would expect other clubs to be circling — especially ones who, let’s say, finished second to them, missed out on a Champions League spot or were defeated by City in a cup final.
One sports lawyer’s opinion was that he did not see how City’s domestic rivals could mount a legal claim over football regulations.
This view, however, was disputed by another sports lawyer (both lawyers requested to speak anonymously to protect their positions). One club executive also felt there could be scope to make legal claims if City are found guilty. This serves to highlight how contentious it is going to be once the findings of the commission are announced.
The most obvious precedent of one club suing another is the Sheffield United and West Ham saga relating to Carlos Tevez.
After Sheffield United were relegated in 2007, they argued that Tevez’s goals kept West Ham up, despite the London club having earlier been fined by the Premier League for breaking rules on third-party player ownership.
Sheffield United were awarded £20million, with their legal claim taking broadcast revenues, sponsorship, merchandising and ticket sales into account.
More recently, clubs have threatened to sue each other without following through. Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers both sought compensation from Derby County after the latter was punished for breaching the English Football League’s financial rules.
If City are found guilty and any title won is awarded to others in retrospection, then it follows that other clubs will sue. Personally, I think that that should be the way.
According to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿, 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝗸𝗼 said yes to Arsenal transfer as Gunners line up £45M deal.
Arsenal now appear to be in pole position for the £45m-rated forward as the Slovenia international prefers moving to the Emirates after finding himself at the centre of a transfer battle.
RB Leipzig striker Sesko is being courted by a host of clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United while there is strong interest from Italy. But Arsenal now appear to be in pole position for the £45m-rated forward as the Slovenia international prefers moving to the Emirates after finding himself at the centre of a transfer battle.
That is a huge boost for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta eyeing a young striker who can develop and work in tandem with Kai Havertz who was a revelation for Arsenal last season. His agent Elvis Basanovic has been to Arsenal matches this season and Sesko – who turns 21 on Friday – would fit the bill.
After Mudryk, I wouldn’t believe anything written in a newspaper etc..
If City are found guilty, for the reasons I set out earlier, I don’t believe the authorities will make retrospective decisions such as reasigning league championships and cup final wins. It’s more likely that they will suffer points deductions effective from the start of the new season and or transfer bans or relegation. The latter is less likely as it would affect the promotion and relegation situations from last season. The ramifications of such punishment would be endless lawsuits and a great deal of uncertainty among clubs already promoted or relegated.
On those happy thoughts, I wish you all a very goodnight. 😴
Add to the mix, If City found guilty and depending on how many points deduction they get can the teams that come 3rd bottom and got relegated claim compensation as they should have been in the premier league and not dropped.
Good afternoon Rico and all
If we manage to get Sesko…..
Sesko 6ft 5
Havertz 6ft 4
Saliba 6ft 4
Gabriel 6ft 2
Rice 6ft 1
Nicolas jover must be licking his lips with anticipation for set pieces
Devil have you seen Sesko play as you tube makes him look good.
Just one game. Looks similar to Giroud as a focal point in attack. But faster than Giroud.
If Arteta likes him, then he sounds like he could be worth taking a gamble as it looks like they want around 45K
Didn’t Aubameyang leave Dortmund ‘under a cloud’ by being disruptive and forcing the transfer?
I don’t miss any of that mob that Arteta got shot of and had to get shot of…
All the best and most successful managers have a hard edge to their character, if you’re soft you’ll find yourself being taken advantage of, Wenger in the end lost his edge and became a soft touch.
I hope that Arsenal can negotiate a 5 year deal with Arteta because all the players are signed up we just need him and his coaches secured.
With the Mudryk fiasco fresh in our minds we probably need to get Sesko signed before the end of this month (June) as that’s when Chelsea can start spending again!
Afternoon Devil, guys.
Kev, he did.
The best rumour today in my opinion is Bayern wanting Zinchenko 😂
Hopefully Kev, those who we want want us regardless of Chelsea’s money.
Dortmund also want Lokonga.
…and Lokonga, Rico.😀
Beat me to it!!!!
Ha ha Cicero, let’s hope both are true. Beating in mind Kompany used to rave about Lokonga, that rumour might have legs.
Fofana on Arsenal radar
Arsenal are in the hunt for AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana this summer, reports French newspaper L’Equipe.
Fofana will enter the final year of his contract in the Ligue 1 principality next season, and the paper claims Atletico Madrid and PSG are also interested in a move for the 25-year-old.
The Gunners are already expected to be one midfielder light next season, given Mohamed Elneny has said he will leave the club at the end of his contract in June.
Quinton Timber is the answer Rico
Who knows Kev, if the name is in the papers, the move is unlikely imo.
Perhaps we should also be looking the Timber twins elder brother who plays centre back or right back in Holland. There’s no such thing as too much timber.😉
Maybe get a sponsorship from Timberland.
Justin Timberlake, is he an Arsenal fan?
If we get all the Timbers and they don’t work out at least we can have a great out fire or a timber sale.😁
personaly I don’t like haveing relatives in the same team.
Morning guys.
New post up.