Jorrel Hato became Ajax’s youngest-ever captain in November (Photo: Getty)
Morning all.
When it comes to transfer rumours, the most reliable source in my opinion is The Athletic. A newspaper which reports that Arsenal have been considering a move for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato for a while. He’s young, 18 years old and most commonly plays at centre-back, but on several occasions he has featured as a left-back and has the attributes to fit Arteta’s vision for the role. It was back in January when The Athletic first reported Arsenal’s interest in the Dutchman. He’s already featured 44 times for Ajax and once for the Netherlands senior team but that’s where my knowledge ends. Actually, it never began because I’d not heard of him before reading the The Athletic this morning.
The newspaper believes that a midfielder and striker are also top of the Arsenal team’s agenda this summer. Sesko is a name which frequently pops up on NewNow and other places, Ferdi Kadıoğlu too along with many others. Sorting the wheat from the chaff is impossible. I’m sure new Fenerbahce manager Mourinho would bend over backwards to help Arsenal’s pursuit of Kadioglu, if there is such a pursuit of course. I jest of course, Mourinho is more likely to do all in can to scupper any potential deal.
Other names floating around are Nico Williams, Pedro Neto, Martin Zubimendi and Joao Neves. If Aaron Ramsdale is sold which I think many of us believe he will, Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow is the name mentioned to replace him. Should Karl Hein turn down the offer to stay at Arsenal for a few more years, Arsenal might need two keepers this summer. After all Arthur Okonkwo has already been released. A very good goalkeeper in himself and yet we’ve not earned a penny from him leaving. Nor from the other 16 departures.
Talking of goalkeepers though, coach Inaki Cana is out of contract this month and should he walk away (🤞) our goalkeeping ideas/situation might suddenly change. Who knows, in fact that’s Arsenal transfer window in a nutshell really because other than those involved in the process, who really knows what the plan is? No one and rightly so too.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Newcastle Utd, Aston Villa and Totts are probably all looking at the same or a similar pool of players to sign players from. Were in a good place as far as being able to offer Champions League football of course but players aren’t stupid, they’ll look at who they’re up against for a starting place, what their chances are of playing regularly and probably, or at least in many cases, what they’re going to be paid. If they’re about money, Chelsea would in all likelihood win a two way tie for a player but if it’s about stability, progression and being settled, then Aston Villa and Arsenal have to be the most attractive clubs. Liverpool have a new manager, Chelsea are on the 110th new manager in five years, Newcastle are up and down, Man Utd can’t even fix a leaking roof and Totts have a dark cloud over the stadium. It’s called a shadow.
Then there’s Man City, a club which is heading to court later this year apparently. Oh, and Pep Guardiola is closer to leaving than staying on for a few more years if the back pages are to be believed.
Actually, City will be in court sooner because according to Sky Sports and most other sports outlets, they have brought a separate legal case against the Premier League’s associated party transaction (APT) rules, which will begin on June 10. The implications, if City are successful, could reshape the division’s financial landscape.
From Sky Sports Kaveh Solhekol:
What is being reported is unprecedented. We’ve got a situation where a Premier League club, Manchester City, the champions of the Premier League, are basically suing the Premier League. What City are going to argue at this arbitration hearing, which will start on Monday, is that some of the league’s financial rules are unlawful and they are incompatible with UK competition law. The rules they are talking about are the Associated Party Transaction rules. These were brought in in 2021 and they are designed to make sure that if a club signs a commercial deal with a company that is linked to its owners that it has to be a fair value, and that is checked to make sure that it is of fair value.
So, if you are the owner of a Premier League club and you have another company, say an airline or an energy company, and you want to get that company to sponsor your club – because that is a good way of bringing revenue into your club – that deal has to be checked by independent auditors to make sure it is of fair value.
You cannot just make up a number and say the deal is worth £100m, £200m or £300m as a way of bringing money into your club. It has to be of fair value. But City are going to argue that these rules are unlawful and obviously, this could have big, serious ramifications for the future competitive balance of the Premier League.
Basically, if Man City win this case, which starts next week, it would blow a big hole in the Premier League’s case against the club.
Another ‘watch this space’ scenario…
Catch up in the comments…
In a nutshell the oilers lawsuit is an admission of guilt.They knowingly signed up to the rules & allegedly bent them.The rules handicap them & their allies Newcastle & the chavs.The very rules they agreed to when they joined.Now they’re taking the prem to court & alienating the prem & just about everyone else in order to keep their monopoly.
Hopefully when the charges do finally arrive they get not only the book thrown at them but also the kitchen sink!
Good Morning Rico and all
The legal suit which City are taking against the EPL may or may not blow a hole. At the end of the day its just 1 club against 19 and if the 19 clubs agree on something then I feel they will not be doing something illegal.
Can the EPL clubs vote against playing City in the first place?
As I said…City have only one vote…..like every club in the EPL.
If City signed up to the rules then there is nothing they can do about it. and as you said its an admission of guilt.
To be honest if you was talking to half-a-dozen lawyers they’d probably all come up with different opinions and different views, that in a nutshell is the nature of the law.
I’ve heard it suggested that the other 19 clubs could re-sign from the Premier League and then set up a new league excluding Man City.
I’m not sure of the voracity of that action and could Man City issue an injunction stopping the new League?
One lawyer will tell you one thing and another lawyer will tell you something else – whilst charging you £5k per hour – so it’s all up in the air.
Hopefully City’s actions will have a negative effect on them and antagonise opposition clubs and fans who’ve been in the main passive regarding the City project, into reacting against them. Over time that would probably have a debilitating effect on Guardiola, his team and the City fans, which is good!
I just hope they lose the battle new week because it will have an impact on the bigger case. This is City all over though, looking for loopholes.
Hi Devil.
Many of the charges relate to sneaking money in through the back door Devil so if they win this case, it will have an impact on the next case.
Morning Rico & all
I suspect City are looking at a very large sanction coming down the tracks. If Everton got 6+2 last season 115 charges looks like a demotion at the least.
This looks like a bargaining chip to me. Will an agreement be reached which doesn’t mean relegation, but a big points deduction? Maybe 40 points? We’ll see.
Then there’s Chelsea.. 20 years of money laundering Russian money. The FA seem to be overlooking this at the moment.
Morning Pete, I reckon it’s them knowing they’re in trouble. I see this as being a move in desperation.
The articles on SS and in The Athletic are worth a read imo.
They are getting their defence in first , The F.A have delayed taking action for so long that they have given City a lot of time to get organised . This is all designed to be used for mitigation , they know that they have broken rules and that the penalty is bound to be hefty . If they can cast doubt on some of the laws and can use it to reduce the penalty they will.
It’s kind of like being accused of murder but admitting it if the sentence is for manslaughter.
They will be snookered if this course of action goes against them though..
Afternoon Rico and all.
If the worst case scenario that the epl end and start a new league, maybe rule number one is all clubs are owned by England residents only.
As others have said City must be worried and looking for any technicality to save there bacon.
Last I read Hein had changed his mind and wants to stay if Ramsdale leaves
Why just 40 points Pete???? There are 115 charges no?? So it should be 1 point for every charge at the minimum. That would see them begin with -115 points. If I was the rest of the EPL I would split the points over two seasons…..-57 points each year. Plus a fine and losing the last 4 years worth of trophies they won.
I don’t think it would be fair on the 1st/2nd division clubs if they were relegated unless there was a transfer embargo of three years at least. That way it would teach them to be more competitive and maybe a bit of humility. Because if they were relegated and get to keep some of the top players (money talks) they would hammer everyone in sight.
Geoff this might be impossible……..If the worst case scenario that the epl end and start a new league, maybe rule number one is all clubs are owned by England residents only…..you cannot force anyone to sell his stake so that is a non starter.
BDW Seems that Arsenal have pulled the plug and moved away from the Sesko according to Fabrizio Romano. Edu didnt take kindly to the agent hawking Sesko around to other clubs while Arsenal were talking to the player.
I suggested that 115 charges=115 points split over two years for the simple reason that for a club to survive the EPL it might need a minimum of 30 to 40 points. So if they begin with a -57 they would practically need to win over 30 games just to survive meaning 90 points minus 57 equals 33 points which probably will see them get relegated. So instead of being demoted to the 2nd they would be doing it gradually ensuring that to come back to the EPL would need a minumum of 4 seasons.
The Man City legal action is typical of what the rich and powerful all over the world do when caught bang to rights – they go on the attack.
They have said in the past they willing to spend virtually unlimited amounts on legal costs to preserve their position.
If they win this case the Premier league won’t be worth watching,pretty soon it would just be another non competitive league( even more than now)
Hi Geoff, nice idea but it’ll never happen. English teams were once owned by English people but the game is about money now and it seems the FA/PL don’t care where it comes from.
Re City, if they’re guilty, just give them the penalty they deserve. Nothing more and nothing less.
Well said Limey.
Devil, I agree with that if found guilty of all charges, City should be banned from buying player for 3 years and the points should be docked 1 point for each charge and split over 3 years also I would take there trophies of them.
The next problem is, do you then strip any trophies from the players and manager, like the golden boot, keeper of the season or manager of the year
The premier league should have solved these issues before the start of last season and not let it fester.
If Edu is really reacting that way it means we have other alternatives that we like almost as much. I’m sure we’re working on a few quietly.
I get the time frame for City because it’s a complex case. Evidence has to be gathered for all 115 charges and each case has to be watertight. This isn’t the FA/PL going after City on a wing and a prayer or just one breach over one financial period, it’s huge and I very much doubt those prosecuting want to fail, otherwise, it’ll open the doors for other clubs to follow suit.
The judiciary system has to be robust here and speed isn’t necessarily of the essence.
If Sesko only wants to come to Arsenal and Arsenal want him, it doesn’t matter what else goes on surely?
Geoff……..The next problem is, do you then strip any trophies from the players and manager, like the golden boot, keeper of the season or manager of the year
Of course they should do that. They were part of an illegal win no??? They still get to keep their wages though. so that should be enough for them. they signed for a corrupt club and shouldnt expect anything different,
If only they do that to the seasons during which they won with NAsri and Adebayor. I would give anything to see the look on their face after they claimed they went to City to win trophies. now that would be hilarious.
Manchester City chairman’s, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, has claimed rules introduced during the past 12 months will make the Premier League less competitive and has called for more “sensibility in regulating”. Mubarak’s comments were made in an official club interview before news emerged of City’s legal challenge against the Premier League which centres on associated party transaction (APT) rules.
This guy is unbelievable.
Less competitive? It was put in place so clubs under rich owners like City and Newcastle United cannot blow their competition out of the water by throwing obscene amounts of money towards player transfers and wages. The Premier League have sat on their hands for too long. They should have brought individual charges against City years ago. You can bet that City have better lawyers and will tie this up in court for as long as possible. They bring a suit and it’s heard immediately, they’ve delayed the hearing against them by being uncooperative with the league, they deserve to be tossed from the league and stripped of all titles.
let them crack on simply refuse to play them…..sorted!! The premier league should just kick them out and be done with it
If Edu is really reacting that way it means we have other alternatives that we like almost as much. I’m sure we’re working on a few quietly.
It’s a game of poker.
Agree, the man is bonkers. English football was doing just fine before the PL welcomed dirty money…
Caldentey set to join Arsenal after Barca exit
Latest from Sky Sports News’ Anton Toloui:
Barcelona forward Mariona Caldentey has announced she’s leaving after a decade at the club – and is set to join Arsenal.
Sky Sports News’ understands Caldentey has agreed a deal to sign for the Women’s Super League side when her contract expires at the end of the month.
Caldentey won three Champions League and six Liga F titles at Barca and was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup last year
Mudryk wanted Arsenal, it made no difference, he went where he was told…
Edu was burned over Mudryk and the guy who joined Juventus (centre forward…
We’ve been heavily linked with two Croatian teenagers, we won’t get either because we won’t get involved with gangster agents…
Look at this:
https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1798333658396319859/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1798333658396319859¤tTweetUser=SkySportsPL
I’m glad he did Kev 😝
That link doesn’t open for me..
Would if I could too Kev but the computer says no.
I don’t believe we’re buying any defender, unless will get rid of at least 2 of (Tierney, Kiwior, Zinchenko) … I always said Arteta must love Tomiyasu, then he came out and said he does. It’s his relentless hustle, work rate.
Obviously White , Timber staying. I think people looking for cover for Saliba don’t realise White is the one Arteta would want to step in to RCB and both Tomi amd Timber can cover RCB.
I’m sure our priorities are forward wide and central, then Partey replacement. Back up keeper if Ramsdale brings a solid offer.
Hein, Cozier Duberry and Walters are the strange ones, does Arteta have plans for them regarding the 1st team or is it just about safeguarding their value? I can’t see any of them making progress into the 1st team!
Juventus are in the process of signing a new goalkeeper and when they do Wojciech Szczesny could be available on a free.
At 34 he still has a few years left in the tank and if he’s prepared to be a No.2 then a return to Arsenal could be on the cards? Another plus is because of the time he spent at Arsenal not least as a youth player he’d be a home trained player in the 25 squad.
Of course getting anything out of Juventus is like getting blood out of a stone and they probably haven’t forgotten how we stole Thierry Henry off of them and made them look really dumb. Also how they thought they’d got their own back by taking Aaron Ramsey on a Bosman (with enormous wages) and how that went all wrong and made them look dumb again.
I would give Szczensy a miss, and try to look for someone else who is more for the future.
Kev they screwed themselves with Ramsey, and we almost did it to ourselves,, we backed off…then we did it with Ozil anyway.
I like Szczesney.. but I don’t know if he can play out from the back at all. I don’t watch Italy …
If Raya would go down for any period of time, our season would likely be finished because it would change our whole game. Teams would press him like mad.
Even 2 or 3 games missed by Raya would be enough because there’s not an inch for margin of error with the cheaters guaranteed 90+ points.
We need a keeper that can play with his feet and not be rattled by the press much.. at least to Ramsdale level, who gets a little nervey himself occasionally.
New post up guys.
I reckon our second keeper will be Ramsdale or Hein… #just sayin.