Morning all.
Bukayo Saka has been nominated for the Freedom of Ealing Borough.
Councillor Peter Mason: “I hope this will send a clear message that Saka is Ealing’s own, that we are proud of him, and that he is one of our heroes.” – (Chris Wheatley via Twitter)
Excellent. A nice touch, as was this from Hibernian.
Arsenal lost their first pre-season friendly last night and social media has gone mad. In a negative way. Beggars belief, it really does. Had Arsenal just been thrashed 4-0 by Accrington Stanley in an FA Cup semi-final at The Emirates, I could understand the reaction but it’s a friendly and the first one after the summer break. I bet those same people would have been dismissive of a 4-0 victory over Hibernian had that been the outcome. “It was only Hibs” or “it was only a friendly”.
I’ve only seen the highlights which showed Eddie Nketiah miss a golden opportunity to impress when through one on one with their keeper, Pepe, stuttering in his run up and fluffing a penalty and Partey hitting the post from a free kick. ESR did score one in the second half. Hibs two goals were shockers, the first a muck up by keeper Arthur Okonkwo, the second was very much offside. Nelson, Nketiah, Pepe and Balogun had further chances saved.
After the game, Mikel Arteta muttered a few words of encouragement for the days ahead, how the players and he will continue to work hard, blah blah and blah. I bet he felt like telling whoever had the microphone “to get a life, it’s a pre-season, getting match fit exercise”.
Anyway, it’s Stevie G’s newly crowned SPL Champions on Saturday, I dread to think what the reaction will be if we lose that one….
Twenty one players had minutes on the pitch yesterday evening but as pre-season progresses, I’d imagine the numbers will decrease.
Okonkwo (Hein 46), Cedric (Bellerin 62), Clarke (Rekik 46), Mari, Kolasinac (Hutchinson 80), Nelson (Partey 46), Elneny (Henry-Francis 75), Maitland-Niles (Pepe 46), Willian (Smith Rowe 46), Nketiah (Balogun 46), Aubameyang (Lacazette 46)
Question marks hang over the future of a number of the players on show last night. Nketiah, AMN, Bellerin, Elneny, Nelson, Willian and Kolasinac. Rekik, Okonkwo, Hein, Clarke, Hutchinson could yet go out on loan or slot back into the under 23 setup, although I’ve a feeling Rekik will be joining the first team squad. As might Okonkwo if the club don’t sign a keeper. Miguel Azeez didn’t feature yesterday which is a bit of a surprise. TransferMarket show his contract as expiring this summer but as All Nigeria Soccer reported back in 2019, the player signed a three year contract with the option to extend it by two years.
Mikel Arteta was asked about transfers yesterday to which he told Sky Sports:
We have got one for now and we are really happy with the one we have. Unfortunately, he could not play today. Maybe he can play on Saturday. We will work with the players we have, try to make them better and try to compete as best we can.
What else was he expected to say?
See you in the comments.
You are so right. Arsenal had many chances to win the game. But currently they are building the fitness. They have been training in the gym before the match which is the way these early games are played, so it is easy to understand if they are not in their sharpest shape in the match.
Morning Rico and all.
It must be frustrating for coaches, managers and athletes to answer the same old boring questions time and again.
Then, it must be hard for journos to constantly find fresh questions lol
Morning Scott, Johannes, all.
If we get to the end of pre-season and we no better, worry then I say.
We lost because a fair proportion of the current available playing staff are effectively “deadwood” that the Club seem unable to shift.
Neketiah and Nelson both proved once again that they need to be swiftly moved on.Kolasinac should be given a ” free” now… to save doing so later and in the meanwhile wasting over £100,000 per week.As we know Willian is nothing more than a weekly £200k millstone who will be of zero use in the coming season.Bellerin should have been sold over a year ago and unfortunately harbours ideas of a move to a club far beyond his abilities.AMN has got to be persuaded to convert to a right back or sent on his merry way as he isn’t a Premier League quality central midfielder.Willock needs to be sold or loaned to Newcastle (with a promise to buy) ASAP and before his value returns to its real level…and so the list goes on…with Edu struggling to find a home for players who offer little more than their ability to maintain a sky high wages bill!!
Joel, if only it were as easy as knowing who we’d like gone.
Joel, until the transfer window closes, none of us know who’s staying or going. Until then, why not use the players at the club because if nothing else, they’ll be fit and easier to sell.
It’s very easy for us to sit and suggest who needs to be sold but selling them is a different ball game.
Yes Kolasinac should go, but he’s currently got a contract worth £5.2m, a contract he won’t get anywhere else, a contract that none of us would simply walk away from, therefore he can sit on his extensive back-side for a year and then cop a bosman and who can blame him.
It’s so so easy to just say ‘get rid of this guy and get rid of that guy’ and then complain when the club can’t, I’m sure that if the club could move on the euphemistically stated ‘deadwood’ that most of them would be gone by now, but it’s really not that easy just as it wasn’t easy shifting that deadbeat Ozil…
It’s quite possible, probably even that we’ll be stuck with Willian this season and most likely for 2022/23, that’s what you get for signing old players on inflated wages and hopefully that debacle won’t be repeated, it’s why I was relieved that we didn’t sign Ryan Bertrand.
Agree Kev, same goes for signing players, I’m sure we all have our own list of ‘wants’, but the reality is, its not that simple.
G’day all. We need to set up a player sales force. It’s pointless just sitting on our collective a**e waiting for a knock on the door, we need to be the ones doing the door knocking.
How about a tele-sales campaign? “Good morning sir, I’m calling on behalf of Arsenal Football Club to tell you about some of our special offers. Today you have the chance to sign a Brazilian player who has won trophies at club and international level”. “We’re not asking for £100 million, we’re not asking for £75 million, we’re not even asking for £50 million, give us £40 million and the player is yours!”
There used to be a bloke down Shepherds Bush market who sold crockery that way, he was quite successful. 😉
Morning Rico and all
There was a story yesterday that the club Ozil play’s for want Kolasinac hope that’s true
smaller clubs want to win at all costs and if they have to injure our top player to make a name for them self some of them will.
Scott up till a couple of weeks ago Victoria had been in lockdown for over 20 weeks
Geoff, who knows where this will end?
The thing is Geoff that I and many others thought that when Ozil left Arsenal for the Turkish team he played for, Fenerbahce, that they would pick up his wages in total as we’d let him leave on a free.
But it seems that for the last period of his Arsenal contract – January to June 2021 – Arsenal were still paying him, probably less his Fenerbahce salary.
Now do we want to be paying Kolasinac for a year after giving him a free?
I’m not sure that that works for me if I’m honest.
I still think that we should get a fee for the Bosnian.
It never is that simple Rico, take Ben White, none of us really know the figures involved it’s all Press speculation, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me if Arsenal haven’t bid anywhere close to the £50m commonly quoted, not unless a lot of it is tied up in clauses like qualifying for the Champions League or winning the EPL or winning the FACup etc.
Brighton of course want £50m for sure because they’re as short of dough as everyone else, even if they’ve spent more than Arsenal in the market up to this point, £18m as opposed to the £6.8m we’ve spent. What worries me is that Arsenal are doing all the work negotiating now for White and but eventually Brighton agree that we’ll see Man City or Chelsea swoop in and outbid us…
Opps, terrible grammar
Inter Milan have sold in the region of £70m in players and spent only £2.2m.
Therefore they can easily afford Hector Bellerin if they want him enough.
Say they agree to pay say €25m (£21.277m) for Hector and give him a 5 year contract, that will work out as just over £4m to pay Arsenal per annum, so I don’t buy all this guff about wanting him on loan without an option to buy etc.
Roma have just paid £10m for Rui Patricio from Wolves yet they are penny pinching over one of the stars of Euro 20 – and whatever we might think of him Xhaka came out of the Euros with a lot of credit.
There’s a long way to go yet in this transfer window so we need to stay chilled out.
It’ll get done – well, most of it.
Kev, we always get frustrated at deals taking time, but they always take time and that’s a given lol
You’re right-we will get there.
Kev We got ripped off on the Ozil deal but hopefully if the rumours about Kolasinac are true let’s hope it’s a straight out sale with no strings attached.
Depends on where White wants to go though Kev.. he might only want to join Arsenal.
Hi Geoff.
Tierney’s back at Arsenal for pre-season. He didn’t take much of a break..
NN headlines suggest Willock is heading to Newcastle
Yes Geoff, the club allowed itself to be manipulated by agents, it was a terrible period with awful decision making by those in charge and saddled us with an undermotivated Ozil happy to take his dough and cruise, but it wasn’t his fault it was Arsenal’s.
Well I hope that you’re right Rico and that White is excited by the prospect of playing for Arteta and Arsenal because to me the lure of almost guaranteed success at Stamford Bridge or Eastlands is quite a pull…
Arteta says that Willock is part of his plans Rico, so I guess if the offer is there that he’s off to Newcastle…
I’ve heard a loan and I’ve read a £15m fee (too low imo), so watch this space.
Might be that the club just have to sell someone, even if they’d rather keep him, to free up some dough for signings?
No more interest from Palace for Nketiah as of now, that’s gone all quiet, maybe Vieira saw him miss that chance at Hibernian?
Ive heard that Chelsea are letting us do all the running on White and have an agreemwent with Brighton to be told what the deal is before he signs.
Ozil set a precedent . Players now know that they can leave and get Arsenal to contribute to their upkeep at another club . No doubt Fenerbache would love a repeat with Kolasinac.
In one breath Willock is staying , then the loan bit comes out ,but I believe that rumour started on the Tyne . Just as Birmingham live has been running the Smith Rowe story.
Then there’s Willian with his beer gut ( https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/willian-arsenal-pot-belly-hibs-24538097 ) if we want him gone then we are paying him to go too.
We are now being tested by the football world that have got us down as desperate to unload players and Mourinho is pushing us hard over Xhaka and unfortunately as our recent transfer dealings have left us with the image of being push overs they and he are probably right.
Willian is certainly giving Jon Moss a run for his money!
The photos of Willian in training show no sign of him being overweight. In fact he looks pretty fit to me.
Morning all.
I hope so too Kev but if what a Potter has heard is right, looks like White is heading elsewhere.
Morning all.
I suspect if the deal for White was ‘oven ready’ he would have been signed immediately the Euros finished! He hasn’t and it’s not been done so……..??
Bisouma would be a better bet, imo
Who knows what’s going on? Not us that’s for sure.
Scott Victoria back in lockdown for another week.
Does Beckham Know ?
Yes Geoff, thanks to some moronic removalists.
Morning all.
sounds like Lokonga maybe announced today.
As for Willian who cares how much weight he has put on as long as he can still do his job that’s all I care.
We still need to look for a Goal Keeper
Unless he’s on holiday Wavy. Lol
Good morning to those of you down under, I see that wokery is alive and kicking in Australia.
There are no more shark attacks, they are now “negative encounters”. Leonardo Guida, a researcher at Australian Marine Conservation society, said the change would help dispel “inherent assumptions that sharks are ravenous, mindless man-eating monsters” I’m sure that the next surfer to have a leg bitten off will feel better in the knowledge that was done by a loving but misunderstood marine pussy cat. 😉
😀 Potter.
Cicero, the day a shark bites me in my home is the day I’ll ask we kill a man eater in its own domain 🙂
Seriously, even divers and surfers who’ve been attacked by sharks are the first to say they shouldn’t be hunted down.
Though I take your point and it’s a farce but “woke” wankers need to feel relevant to the world for some reason.
Some of the crap I read just makes the kind boggle, but they’re obviously very special.
Potter, the first thing I’ll do is give her a decent fed.
Sam Johnstone apparently Geoff.
I’m sorry, perhaps I shouldn’t have used the term “down under”. I do hope that none of you antipodean residents will feel slighted by my reference to the nether regions. 😕
Cicero, it’s a term of endearment 🙂
Though, I guess I should be “offended”, as that’s the thing to be these days hahahaha
Rico just read 20 mill for 28 year old keeper Sam Johnstone I recon it’s way to much
The sharks in Australian waters have good taste when it comes to people after all you never hear of them attacking a politician hahaha
Geoff, Scott, remember the good old days when Aussies and Poms offended each other with glee, it’s was hard core but it was fun because we were all grown up but not anymore, no more sledging, the woke/joke brigade won’t allow it.
It’s going to get a lot worse as well especially in the UK because of all the dumb idiots we’re turning out of the Universities with pointless degrees who’ll go straight into the public sector as no one would employ them in the private sector. And those same self dumb idiots will be running our lives, God help us.
There is a story that Barca are going to give Messi a new contract for 32millon pounds per season if this is true how can a club in so much debt get away it.
Kev, I don’t let it stop me hahahaha
I give, I take.
Political Correctness and those endorsing it can kiss my hairy big backside 🙂
Geoff,
Barca and Real have been in massive debt for years and it hasn’t stopped them.
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
Kev That’s the problem with our universities they only teach the students how to protest and not appreciate what they have compared to our parents / grandparents had.
We can not watch the old comedies on TV any more
Geoff, a lot of these kids today miss the irony that their great grandfathers died to give them the freedom to protest and complain about their country.
Our Universities are a breeding ground for lefty extremists and that’s a fact.
You lot still moaning about the way the world has gone? I thought you’d have put the world to rights by the time I’d cut the lawn…
I’ll go again then… 😂
I’m working on it, Rico.
It’s hard yakka though 😉
As do I Geoff bearing in mind we sold Emi Martinez for that.
Messi has taken a 50% pay cut according to reports as Barca and Real have to cut their wage bill. Odegaard might arrive at Arsenal yet. 😂
So I see Scott. Lol
Same here , people are scared to have an opinion , and it’s all being taught in schools and universaties. . Even my 7 year old grandaughter pick me up on saying something about boys and girls because it wasn’t in keeping with diversity..
Apparently she has a 7 year old boy that comes to school in a dress.
Bellerin has apparently offered to take a pay cut to help leave arsenal and follow his dream
what is happening with Joe Willock One report says Arteta wants to keep him then next one says he could be sold by the weekend.
I thought his dream was a return to Barca? Lol
Geoff, it’s best to just ignore NN.
I just wish we would hurry up and sign some one so we have some good news to talk about
https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/15/arsenal-preying-on-teun-koopmeiners-and-have-major-advantage-in-race-to-sign-az-alkmaar-midfielder-14934871/
I make you right Rico, we should all ignore News Now…
Did the Koopmeiners rumour come from New Now btw? 😄
Sam Johnstone, the West Brom goalkeeper has a year left on his contract, the Baggies have recently turned down a £10m bid from West Ham for him. They want £20m for him so good luck with that!
Are Arsenal interested, so the blurb goes, but is he better than Ramsdale? Johnstone is 28.
Just read Saka’s statement about his mist penalty goal. I don’t know if he wrote or some one wrote for him but it was said, hope he is now enjoying his break before a busy season ahead.
The best part about NN is trying to find the 10% that is correct.
10% as much as that ?
As the 2021/22 season approaches and following discussions with supporters’ representatives, we are launching a number of initiatives to bring fans closer to the club.
This is designed to ensure the fans’ voice is increasingly central to our decision making moving forward.
To support this ambition, we are establishing an Arsenal Advisory Board, exclusively comprised of Arsenal fans, to provide counsel to the Arsenal Board on a range of predominantly off-field matters.
The Arsenal Advisory Board will consist of elected representatives from the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, Gay Gooners, Domestic and International Supporters’ Clubs, Arsenal Disabled Supporters’ Association and the Fans’ Forum representative for 18-24-year-old fans.
These groups have been identified as they represent large numbers of Arsenal’s diverse global community. Fan representatives will be elected by their constituent groups and individuals will remain members for three years.
The club will be represented on the Board by Josh Kroenke (ownership), Tim Lewis (board member), Vinai Venkatesham (Chief Executive), Mark Gonnella (Media, Communications & Community Affairs Director) and Mark Brindle (Supporter Liaison Officer).
The Arsenal Advisory Board will meet formally at least twice a season.
Key themes for discussion will include:
• Preserving our culture and traditions while celebrating our history
• Future direction/structure of the game both domestically and in Europe
• Engaging and growing our support around the world
• Continuing to make a meaningful difference to those in need in our community work at home and abroad
• Our work on diversity and inclusion – in particular the fight against online abuse
• Growing the profile of Arsenal Women and women’s football more generally
• Developing revenues to maximise investment in players
• Further areas as agreed in consultation with the Arsenal Advisory Board
You can find the Board’s Terms of Reference here:
Arsenal Advisory Board – Terms of Reference
Fans’ Forum
The Fans’ Forum will continue to meet three times a year to discuss more operational matters and will be attended by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and other senior executives. Josh Kroenke will attend at least one Fans’ Forum each season.
As part of the Fans’ Forum, the club commits to meaningful consultation in areas to include:
• Ticket pricing and experience
• Membership pricing and benefits
• Safe standing
• Significant changes to the matchday experience; e.g. cashless
• Other projects with significant impact on fans; e.g. loyalty
• Ticket allocation for Cup Finals
• Ticket touting
• Maximising attendance at Emirates Stadium
We will transform the selection process for election to the forum by using our systems to engage directly with specific groups so nominees can make their pitch to supporters directly. We will also promote the feedback mechanisms for fans more effectively to help forum members better reflect the views of their groups.
We are also establishing workshops to take Fans’ Forum representatives through specific areas of work. This will support our drive to make the fans’ voice more central to our decision-making and thinking, which is a key priority for us moving forward.
In addition, Vinai Venkatesham and other senior members of staff will meet with each of AISA and AST at least three times a year formally, between each fan forum, and ad-hoc as required, to ensure the voice of their membership is clearly heard. Supporters’ clubs will also have the opportunity to meet senior club officials on a regular basis.
A fan representative will also join the Arsenal Foundation trustee board.
Stan and Josh Kroenke said: “We are 100 per cent committed to Arsenal for the long term and we want our fans to feel even closer to the club they love. The steps that are being taken here will ensure their voice is more central to the club’s decision making moving forward.”
😂 Kev, the Metro. Lol
Well Rico, I guess you can’t cane them for trying and it does look as if there will be more contact between the club and fans but with the Amazon thing coming up I’d like to think that it’s not just PR to placate the fans in case KSE come out of it bad.
Unfortunately Stan has made a rod for his own back, well the back of Josh and all the PR since can’t hide that initial impression from Kroenke that he doesn’t give a shit. Maybe Josh does give a shit but his old man’s disinterest hasn’t made it easy for Junior to persuade the fan base that the guys at KSE have suddenly turned into raving Gooners
Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
·
14 Jul
Sambi Lokonga can be considered an Arsenal player – paperworks have been signed three days ago, official announcement soon – #AFC
Talks progressing with Brighton for Ben White as main target while Saliba joins OM.
Locatelli’s priority is always Juventus – #AFC still waiting.
Potter I gave NN 10% as I am trying to look at things more positive this season
Lets hope Stan is true to his words and wants us to be a giant winning club again,
Then we might be able to like him,
Dam this positive attitude hard I give my self 20% chance it’s going to work but I will try
Morning all.
The Super League fiasco might turn out to be a blessing in disguise Kev.
New post up now
https://highbury-house.com/2021/07/16/tammy-abraham-yes-please-kroenke-family-hope-to-build-bridges/
Geoff, don’t rely on Stan for satisfaction lol
Morning all.
I like Tammy Abraham, he’s a big, mobile, physical centre forward, the type we’ve not had since the days of Adebayor (Giroud was never mobile) and at £40m it’s do’able, but can we do it and will we do it?
Chelsea won’t want to see Abraham move to Arsenal, he’s not an old codger like Cech or Willian he coming into his peak and they’ve already done this before with Lukaku so they won’t want that again, this time on their doorstep. It’ll be hard to get over the line and Chelsea will want top dollar.
Then there’s the situation at Arsenal with Aubameyang, Lacazette, Martinelli, Balogun etc, signing Abraham would cause some in-house issues and at least one would need to go and as we’ve seen already this summer that’s not easy. Aubameyang isn’t going anywhere as he sits on his gold plated contract and Lacazette might view a bosman in 12 months as an attractive prospect?
It might all hinge on any deal Chelsea can do for Haaland and with Dortmund banking a nice sum from Man Utd for Sancho that’s looking an unlikely transfer, for at least this summer.