Morning all.
You’ve probably seen the Paul Merson/Jeff Sterling clip by now which I think is brilliant. For his quick reaction to Jeff Stelling’s comment alone, I’ll forgive Merse for all the other odd comments he made.
Not seen it? It’s here at FootballBurp.
Sticking with the neighbours, Dele Alli signed a new six year contract yesterday, one which will see him ear £90,000 a week. Whilst I don’t give a hoot about what the neighbours get up to, Aaron Ramsey is reported to have demanded three times as much as Alli is set to be paid but out of the two, who is the more important player to their club? The Welshman was also quoted as saying he didn’t know why Arsenal withdrew their contract offer as nobody had yet told him. Well, perhaps there is his answer.
Whatever we think of the Totts, their wage structure is something to be admired. The only only thing I should hasten to add.
Our top earner is Mesut Ozil as we al know on £300k a week. Next it’s Aubameyang on £180k a week followed by Alexandre Lacazette on £140k, Henrikh Mkhitaryan £120k, Sead Kolasinac £119k, Aaron Ramsey, £110k a week. The rest of the players earn from £92k a week through to Emiliano Martinez who earns just £10k a week. I say just, but I wouldn’t complain earning that amount each week.
The above information might not be 100% accurate as other incentives etc might be included within a players wage but I doubt it’s too far away from being correct.
Kane is Totts best paid player at £200k a week. At Man City it’s de Bruyne, £350k a week, Liverpool it’s Salah £200k, Chelsea it’s Hazard on £200k a week and Man Utd’s highest paid player is Sanchez on £350k a week. All of the clubs I’ve listed have one or two players on high wages as we have but after that, most are earning £70-£150k a week, the experienced players that is, international ones.
Our total wage bill is around £210 million a year, behind only Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea. Liverpool spend around the same amount as us yet down the road, they nearly half as much as both we and Liverpool do.
Food for thought eh. Of course if we hadn’t given Ozil such an amount, we’d be a lot better off and having looked at the entire player wage table for Arsenal I’d say there’s a number of players who really shouldn’t be on such a well paid contract. Not when compared to players at other clubs who are giving a lot more to the team than ours are. I’d imagine this is something high on the list of priorities for Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham.
In other Arsenal related news, Wilfried Zaha has apparently received death threats and othe vile stuff over social media after ‘winning’ his side a penalty against us to nick a late point. The more I’ve seen replays of the incident, the less I think Xhaka committed a foul, just as I did at the time. Call him a diver of a cheat yes, but death threats and racist abuse is cruel, illegal and simply wrong on so many levels.
Nicolas Tagliafico, an Argentine left-back who moved to Ajax in January this year for just £4 million, could be on the move again. To Arsenal. Rumour has it that we’ve already made an £8 million offer to the Dutch club. Perhaps our old winger Marc Overmars will do us a favour and accept the offer.
Lastly, the League Cup returns tonight as Blackpool arrive at The Emirates. Hector Bellerin is ruled out through injury although he could return for the Liverpool match on Saturday evening. Both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac face late tests, however neither were in the training photos from yesterday. Mohammad Elneny misses out tonight through injury but Petr Cech will start in goal according to Unai Emery.
Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Julio Pleguezuelo all took part in first team training and will be hoping to get time on the pitch. As will Carl Jenkinson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Finally, Arsenal announced yesterday that they were delighted to announce a new partnership with renowned Italian coffee company The Lavazza Group, who are joining as our Official Coffee Partner in the UK.
Better than Costa Coffee I guess…
Have a good day guys…
Morning Gooners
Morning Rico, good post.
Has Sead Kolasinac been value for money, because I’d have to say no..?
Even if we tried to sell him, nobody is going to pay a fee and take on a salary close to £120k pw so it could be a case of letting him run down his contract and releasing him on a free.
2 years on from signing him and the most common comment I see about him is that he cannot defend in a back four!
I guess we’ll see against Liverpool as I’ve read that he’s back in training.
I don’t recall seeing the Argentinian left back in the World Cup as I was focused on the midfielder who we were linked with, who I still wouldn’t mind us signing, but I like South American players and as we have a Spanish manager I can see us sourcing more players from that market.
Morning Kev, thanks.
No re Kolasinac but I guess being free meant he earned a higher salary. Also, when he first arrived he was superb I thought, once he’s fully fit he might push again under Emery.
Ditto re South American’s, they do seem to have a very different work ethic.
I’d rather we didn’t have any over paid luxury players, but grafters. Blokes like Guendouzi too.
Yes Rico, I’m with you on that, we’ve gone down the big signing route and despite 3 FACups I’m not sure that it’s been value for money, I guess that getting quality at a reasonable price is the remit for a Mislintat.
I reckon that was down to the manager more than the players we’ve signed Kev. This season is all about getting them back to being the players they were before you know who signed them. I reckon we’ll be signing more like Torreira and Guendouzi from now on though. Good price but good players too. I’d be happy with that though..
Morning all and thanks Rico.
Love Merson`s straight faced reply, it was about time someone put the scummy upstarts in their place !……………..the media darlings best ever team, their best ever start and still nothing to polish, yet our media ravaged worst team under Wenger won 3 FA Cups and a new manager in transition is currently above them ! 🙂
Happy Halloween Gooners……………………unlike me, I should imagine most of you dont need any masks or grotesgue make up ! 😆
I reckon David Dein has lost the plot with his latest idea.
Nice reply by Merse, I know he talks a lot of nonsense usually, but he has to earn a living and I really don’t think he believes half of what he says, he just works for Sky and goes with their journalistic line, which is ‘Arsenal in crisis’ because it generates clicks.
Hi Rico
I loved Merse as a player and I still love him now. Having one punter like him on our side makes up for Shearer, the Nevilles and all the others who are prejudiced against us.
I still think Kolasinac will come good, but he needs to defend better, He’s more of a wing-back than a defender at the moment.
While I see your point on the Zaha pen, I think he set a trap for Xhaka who was wrong to fall for it. He was playing out of position, but he still should have avoided being sucked in to giving the pen. More important was the first one, Mustafi does an unnecessary tackle like that two or three times a game, sooner or later one was going to be inside the box, and there’s always a danger of another when he plays.
Good luck to the team tonight, I hope the kids will get a good run out.
Brian
Merse is an easy target I think. I’m sure Sky hang him out to dry…
The wages are very expensive!
All of them are vey high!
I ask myself, with players slightly above average and very inconsistent to gain these values, how much would my pass be worth today?
Hi Brian, ditto re Merse, he and Parlour were two of my favourites, along with many others I hasten to add. Lol
Tellafito will be very welcome
Who did you once play for Jm?
Good day to you all and thank you Rico for another very good post.
Player, and indeed, manager contracts are becoming ever less relevant in today’s football market place. In the summer Kane signed a new five-year contract, but that won’t stop him moving to Real Madrid when they, inevitably, come calling next summer. It is also likely that Pochettino will go there too.
The New Swamp is unlikely to open before February at the earliest and is on the way to a final cost of one billion pounds. The Spurs Chief Executive will be forced to sell more of his top players in order to help pay off the debts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dele Alli leave as well, despite signing a new long-term deal just this week.
On the Saha point, nobody should suffer the kind of abuse dished out to him following the penalty award on Sunday. However, so many “celebrities” invite such abuse by their desire to be seen and heard on social media. Perhaps they should shut down their Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook etc. accounts and read a good book instead of exercising their thumbs on i phone key pads.
Finally onto tonight’s game. Only around 1,500 away fans are expected at The Emirates despite their entitlement to 9,500 tickets. A long running boycott of home matches, organised by the official fan club, has spilled over into away game too. The boycott is in protest at the continuing ownership of the club by the convicted rapist Owen Oyston.
Good luck to the boys this evening, I’m sure that whoever Unai Emery picks to start will give of their best.
Up The Gunners!
I can see the sense in signing a left back, if we can get him in January. Monreal is aging, Kolascinac, after a good start, regressed in Wenger’s Keystone Cop style of defending. Neither Lichtsteiner nor Xhaka are ideally suited to the position and Maitland-Niles would be far better used as a mid-fielder.
My question is…………………………..is it best to play a senior out of position(Xhaka) at LB or play a younster who has been playing in that position in the academy ?
AMN has played there before hasn`t he ?…..or was that as a left wing back in a 3 at the back system ?
Thanks Cicero, I didn’t realise Blackpool had a few issues over their owner. Doesn’t sound good.
Left back makes sense to me, especially if Monreal isn’t staying on. MN at LB seems a waste. We have a few midfielders coming through so I can’t see Ramsey being replaced. Take the money and strengthen the defence.
Evening Rico. I am perhaps in the minority in believeing that Kolasinac is ok. Get him clear of injury and give him some serious coaching in what a PL left back should be doing. Increase his positional awareness and see how he does.
Evening Adam. I like Kolasinac too. Just think he was ‘Wengered’…
Time to look forward now though Rico. 🙂
More like …Arsened !…………………I`m with Adam`s small minority !
I`m also willing to bet Adam`s Family are the only one`s doing Halloween tonight……………..just a hunch !
😆
Indeed Adam.. 😜
Despite my earlier comment about Sead Kolasinac, I do believe that with good coaching he can again become a good fullback. The entire defence will eventually profit from a more responsible approach to defending.
Evening Rico and the House.
Tonights Team,
Cech, Jenkinson, Mustafi, P{legie, Lichstiner, Guendouze, Ramsey, Smith Rowe, M. Niles Mikhi, Wellbeck
Subs Martinez, Hoding, Torriera, Willock Iwobi, Auba, Eddy.
Hope they turn it on just for Kev
I don’t think Xhaka is doing too bad at LB..
Evening Rick. Hope Kev has a big coat on..
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1057701659701272576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1057701659701272576&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2018%2F10%2F31%2Fblackpool-possible-line-up-miss-ross-eggert%2F
Good to see Pleguezuelo get a game. Hope Mustafi looks after him!
Morning all.
We used to criticise Wenger for failing to pay players what they’re worth, relatively speaking, so we can’t be holding up Tottenham and their wage structure as something to admire, surely.
I mean, other clubs have lower wage bills and have won just as many trophies this past 10 seasons 🙂
Ramsey deserves a reason the contract was pulled and that’s simply common courtesy for a player who’s spent a great deal of time at the club and if we truly have advised him he is staying until May and can then leave on a free, then it’s a bloody stupid move.
Again I ask what will it cost to replace a player of his ability and as things stand, and it must be 40-50 million.
Emery hasn’t got the best out of him, not even close so has Rambo been Emeryed 🙂 🙂
Nah kidding, apart from 18 months of world
Class football, he’s been his normal, inconsistent self.
Can anyone dissect exactly what was happening in that time to have him playing such great football and what’s changed since?
Is it Ozil?
On Kolasniac, we did get him on a free transfer so the salary was always going to be inflated and he’s shown enough to warrant going forward with the guy, imo.
What’s happened to our players out injured?
Bloody long list I just saw.
It’s not how much we pay players though Scott, it’s who we pay how much.. surely?
Gundouzhi sent off. He will be out for the next League games or his exclusively for this competition?
Usually a one match ban for two yellow cards, three match ban for a straight red. The ban applies to all domestic games. Guendouzi will miss the Liverpool game.
Why did he be not replace at half time? …
2-1 and it’s very complicate now
New rules this season.
He will miss the next round of this cup only
All over Arsenal 2 – 0 Blackpool. Quite straightforward really.
Made hard work of it by the sounds of it but we’re through…
Home to the Spuds in next round .
That’ll do nicely. Good night all.
Hate the fcuking Spuds, they need to be destroyed ! 👿
Rico, that’s true but if Dalli was with us, offered 90k and left, we’d be kicking up a stink.
Because he’s accepted that deal doesn’t really mean their wage structure is better than ours, just that he’s obviously content where he is and isn’t a mercenary.
I know it’s only a measly (hahaha) 90 thousand pounds a week but In todays market, it’s actually refreshing because he could get more elsewhere, no question.
Morning all.
Scott, but he’s not so surely it’s irrelevant? The point I was trying to make was about Aaron Ramsey, or rather his agents making crazy demands.
New post up now.
Morning by the way…