Morning all.
Sky Sports report that Arsenal in talks with Torino over the sale of midfielder Lucas Torreira. The deal under discussion would see Torreira join on loan ahead of making it permanent next summer. The total fee is over £22m with Torino paying in two equal instalments. Fiorentina are also interested. Arsenal are open to selling to fund other targets. Torreira joined Arsenal from Sampdoria in July 2018 for £26m. Torino appointed Marco Giampaolo as their head coach last month – he was Torreira’s coach at Sampdoria.
There’s a lot to be said for who a club appoints as their manager. Arsenal fans know that more than most from back in the early Arsene Wenger days. Our most successful manager may not have signed Dennis Bergkamp but his arrival was the difference between the great Dutchman staying and going. We’ll never know if the French players who signed for the club would have done so had Rioch stayed put but I doubt it, partly because I’m not sure the club were looking at French players back then. Arsene knew of them though and we fans were privileged to have seen the likes of Petit, Vieira, Pires, Henry, Wiltord, Anelka, Sagna and Diaby to name just a few. Not all his French signings were a success, not all his signings were a success full stop but that’s life in the game.
Regardless of how Mourinho behaved towards Arsene, other managers too with their derogatory comments about how soft the Arsenal team was, Arsene Wenger remains a well respected figure in the game today. In his prime, I doubt there are many players around the world who’d have turned down the opportunity to play in his team. Even towards the end of his days, Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette felt Arsenal was the place to go. I know money plays it’s part but footballers have to be happy too. Take away happiness from a footballer and their performance drops. When a large group of players lose faith in what’s going on, the team flunks. That happened during Arsene Wenger latter years and probably most of Unai Emery’s. To be fair to him though, he was the head coach and had little if any input into who Arsenal signed. Raul did that.
Now though, the club has almost gone back in time. David Dein and Arsene Wenger worked so well together. Look what happened when Dein left. Now we have Edu and Mikel Arteta who together, work as well as well as the fore mentioned duo. Whereas Wenger was the huge attraction, Dein got the deals done. Arteta of course is new to this managerial game but I think he already has pulling power but not necessarily because of who he is but because of who he learned from. Pep Guardiola. Mikel Arteta made the right decision by going to Manchester City after he called time on his playing days. Even though it felt like he was turning his back on Arsenal at the time, he clearly knew what he was doing. Learn from the best or learn from someone who used to be the best? An easy decision really.
Edu the invincible and Mikel Arteta, (Guardiola MK11) is certainly a more attractive prospect than what it might have been had Arteta stayed at Arsenal. Both can sell the football and both can certainly sell the club. I’m sure that’s why Willian didn’t hesitate to cross London, why Gabriel turned down offers of a bigger salary to join Arsenal and why we can be optimistic that the better players will again want to sign for the club. Not all I know because not every player puts football ahead of his salary but Arsenal are an attractive club again but now it’s more likely to be because of the direction the club are going in and because of Mikel Arteta.
Thank goodness Pep offered him a job. Thank goodness he said yes.
See you in the comments guys.
Morning rico, great thoughts. We certainly have a duo that we can believe in, imagine if we had gone for that fellow next door!
Morning Andrew, all.
I dare not think about that one. Disaster written all over him.
Morning all.
A few here said they’d prefer Jose to Arsene a few years back.
I’m sure they’d be happy now we didn’t go down that path lol
I’d have preferred Mourinho to Wenger a few years back. I’d have preferred Big Sam than the rubbish we were playing. Irrelevant now though because either would have been sacked by now I suspect.
Let’s not go down a I/he/she said route though, there’s no point to prove is there? Not on here.
Name and shame Scott!
In fact…….. worries in a moment of desperation I made a misguided quote 😀😀
I might have said, anyone would be better than how we were then playing!
Haha, similar response Rico, but we really were driven to low lows weren’t we, with no end in sight for too long
Andrew, no need for me to 🙂
Rico, I never brought him into the debate.
We were Andrew and desperate times call for desperate measures sometimes.
I’m really positive about what’s going on at Arsenal but keeping my feet well and truly on the ground because nothing has really been proved yet.
Hi Rico and all
I recon we should have promoted Macey to the senior team as 2nd keeper and saved 1.5 mill,
Looks like fox sports are trying to upset Arsenal fans by running a article stating that Kroenke has not put any money into the club in the last 5 years but has taken money.
Don’t pick on poor old Jose after all he make you laugh at some of his comments.
I never said you did Scott.
Rico, yes you did.
Wenger was first mentioned by you 🙂 🙂
Kidding, I knew who you meant hahaha
Hey, we do keep looking backwards every day though, yet the future looks so bright.
Good times ahead!!
Geoff, every Arsenal fan already knows that, so really, im not sure why they’d bother raising it.
Headline attempt, coinciding with his LA stadium opening, which is pretty ordinary in f them.
I wish we could edit comments lol
Hi Geoff, it does seem odd that we’re looking elsewhere for a keeper but apparently Macey wants out so we’re left with little choice really. Unless the under 23 keeper is ready. Which I doubt.
Arteta must have made things clear to our keepers where they stand.
We’re bound to look back Scott because if we only look forwards, there’s little to say really as we can’t predict what the future will bring. I get the optimism, I’m optimistic too but I just prefer not to go overboard. We’ve some really tough fixtures coming up, see how they go I reckon.
Scott The only reason why I raised about Kroenke was simple because I would have expected better from fox sports
Geoff, same, but they’re media so they do love a little controversy 🙂
Rico,
No way we should be going overboard, as we are quite a way from being true contenders, but we are much closer than we were a year or two back, so we can be pretty optimistic I reckon.
The next 5 weeks should give us glimpse on how we are going
Great post Rico. I must admit i too was not so optimistic about the choice of the manager considering the low state we were in at the time as a club. I though at the time that Ancelotti would have been the obvious choice. But credit to the guys upstairs for their visionary decision! Looking forward, in as much as i agree the future looks bright, i understand that Mikel has given himself an ambitious target of winning the champions league in 3 years?!! I dont doubt his tactical ability. But clubs to that end have done it with a lot of financial backing. The Kroenkes need to support that vision by buying topnotch players. No matter the system, top players usually make that extra edge to win tight matches. Read the history books! If we are struggling to buy Partey @45m and Aour@54m, iam afraid the all concept may be a pipe dream. Going in History, there were times when Arsene had biult teams requiring only addition of one or two top signings to make them Champtions league winning team! But alas all this only used to end in transfer gossip(Griezman, Hazard, Benzema, Mbape etc). My point is Arsene needs and requires Investors that have a winning mentality like Abronovic to compete to the top end!!
Interesting to see that at 33 there’s been no takers for Suarez despite Barcelona trying their best to get him off of their books. Let’s hope that he does an Ozil style sit in, thus preventing Barca from making an 11th hour bid for Aubameyang.
The loss of Martinez means that unless, as seems unlikely, that we sign an English qualified goalkeeper, our new guy will take a spot in our 17 foreigners, that’ll mean if Arsenal seriously want to sign Partey and Aouar we’ll have to sell/loan off a minimum of four players from that group to fit them in…
Thanks Black Eagle. Arteta is living a pipe dream if he thinks he can win the CL in three years. Look how much Pep has spent over the years and yet he still hasn’t won it with City. Not being able afford Partey is probably down to missing CL football for the last few years and the crippling wages of the likes of Ozil.
I know this summer is slightly more relaxed as far as FFP rules go but Arsenal have always been a club which spends what it earns. I’d imagine it’s the wages causing Arsenal problems with signing Partey, as well as counting the pennies up.
I’ve just checked with Jeorge Bird and according to him the 25 man squad only applies to the Premier League. So in theory and allowing for us being able to finance it, we could sign both Partey and Aouar and name them in the 25 man squad and not name Mesut Ozil for example but use him in the cups…
Interesting Kev,
I wonder what he would do if he is frozen out of all squads – no football other than training.
It’s very easy to say he should forego millions to play elsewhere, I certainly wouldn’t and most wouldn’t.
Perhaps a move to Turkey can be sorted out, even if Arsenal pay most of the wages.
Bloody heck!
I go out again, Aubameyang signs his new contract….
Excellent news…
I’m still hopeful Arsenal can move him on on a loan if nothing else.
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 so happy, been waiting so long for this news, Rico!! The most important deal of our summer – done ✔
That was great… aww and Wrighty!!
Auba’s already a legend in my eyes… better start building his statue!
I’m pleased too Sue. Took me a while to come round to the idea that he should stay. 😝
At least he’ll earn his pay rise and in more ways than just goals.
Bloody heck Rico, if you went out more often then we might go and sign Partey, stay out a couple of days and we might sell a Ozil? 😆
Limey I’ve not got any problem with Ozil seeing out his contract as is his right and yes I would do exactly the same if it were me.
But if Arsenal cannot complete a transfer for a foreign player because Ozil won’t shift and is taking up a spot in the squad then that’s not great either.
Aouar is 22, he was 22 June just gone so it’s possible that he would fall into the U21 category but I’m not sure as the whole thing gives me a headache thinking about it.
Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
Arsenal reject Sheffield United’s offer of £3 million for Balogun. Says Arsenal want a total package worth around £15 million. Expect there will be further offers to come from other clubs
Evening Rico and All
Great signing Taxi sorry Auba
Agree that Ozil has a right to claim his greens
But to play is what you set out to do from a kid
I was playing right up to 55 and miss it more
than anything over the weekend I turned out
for a good cause an old player of mine died
suddenly age 59 he lived for football hundreds
turned up to pay their respects and 4 teams all
over 35’s battled it out for a cup that was inscribed
with passed names who lived and breathed football
not one of them got a tanner out of football but all
payed into the FA fund machine even I run on for
about 10mins and I’m 68 adrenaline pumping out
my vains
Ozil will die a rich man that’s for sure
But will he regret these lost years sitting on his
tookers.
Rico it seems every time you go out we sign or sell a player can you please go out a couple more times 😊😊
Ha ha Kev, Geoff. We’ll see what happens tomorrow and Friday then… lol
New post up now