Morning all.
Well well, I bet you didn’t see that one coming eh? Monaco want Alexis Sanchez! The press have been slow to break this story haven’t they, after all we’ve reportedly wanted Thomas Lemar for weeks. On paper a swap makes sense, but as far as Arsenal go, losing Alexis would be as Wenger suggests, suicidal. Ok, he didn’t quite say that, but he did say talking more than the Frenchman already has, would be and I get it. He’s made his decision and there’s no turning back as if by the time the transfer window closes, the Chilean isn’t an Arsenal player, Wenger will be left with serious amounts of egg on his face.
With so many players going into their final year of contract, it looks to me like he wants one last real shot at the Premier League and at any cost because before now, the likes of Ozil, Sanchez, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain would all have been sold. There’s over £100 million worth of players there which certainly raises an eyebrow as this time next year, they all could be gone and for nothing. Perhaps that’ll be the day Arsene Wenger leaves too, and with one more PL trophy in his pocket. Add to the fact that Wenger once said a manager in his last season isn’t a good situation to be in, I truly believe that over the next ten/twelve months, the Arsenal board’s main focus will be on finding the right candidate to replace our current manager.
If my cunning/mad theory is right, we might still see a couple of goodies signed before the end of the month. Perhaps the club will blow a massive fee on both Lemar and Mbappe and if it did, boy we’d have an attacking force capable of battering even the best of defences. While the bookies make Real Madrid the favourites to sign the 18 year old Monaco man, just imagine how we’d all feel if Arsenal slipped in under the radar and captured the second most expensive player expected to move this summer. Of course, spending vast amounts of money on players is often a gamble and it won’t necessarily guarantee success this coming season but the chances of becoming Champions would greatly increase, as long the formations, tactics and right approach from both the manager and players is right. At least though with Mbappe, if his career continues on the path it’s expected to and the transfer fees continue to rise, we’ll get our money back one way or the other should he eventually want to move to one of Europe’s elite. Mind you, who’s to say we won’t be up there with them in a couple of seasons time?
Arsenal face Chelsea on Sunday and we have a bit of payback to dish out after they thumped us good and proper just a week or so ago in Asia. We weren’t good at all but to be fair, Arsene Wenger was giving a few youngsters a chance and three of those players have continued to train with the squad and could feature at Wembley. Bramhall, Willock and Nelson, the latter being the standout during pre-season imo. The youngster seems to show little fear while playing for the first team and he certainly didn’t look out of place in this Arsenal side. The other two still look a bit raw, Willock perhaps a bit slow both in pace and thinking but there’s plenty of time ahead for both to improve. Maitland-Niles also struggled a bit on tour but like others, I’m not convinced defence is his best place. He’s a midfielder but trying to push into our midfield is going to be a struggle. We have a glut of them, and with Jack Wilshere determined to stay and prove both his fitness and future, so perhaps that’s why Wenger is playing him out of position, in hope he’ll excel elsewhere on the pitch but imo, it’s not worked. Another younger player who has been played out of his favoured position is Krystian Bielik. The Polish CDM has been used in defence both for the under 23’s and on tour with the first team but who knows, with this squad crying out for a bit of defensive steel in it, it might not be too long before we see him alongside Xhaka. Either him or Carvalho who we’ve been linked with this summer and many summers before.
Pre-season is over, Sunday is when the experiments stop and the real football begins I think. The trophy up for grabs may mean little but what’s important is to start as we mean to go on. A solid performance is equally as important as the victory because with the first, the second will come naturally.
Have a good Friday guys, isn’t Friday signing day? 😉
Bloomin’ ‘ummer Rico!
That is the most positive blog I’ve read in the last three seasons!?
Have you swallowed an optimism pill?? It won’t last you know! Still I’m with you all is not lost, yet. Next Friday is the real test. Win and we’re up and running and we’ll be top of the league, the position we all hope the club will find itself in, next May.
As for new signings, they’ll be a definite maybe. Old Ebeneezer doesn’t like flashing the cash, does he? On that we shall see what the wrinkly one can rustle up. I’m not holding my breath, yet again.
Alexis to Monaco, what a waste even if the price is Lemar in!
As for all the last year contract players, if they all went the squad would be decimated and, it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility. I wonder how many of the players are utterly sick of Wenger and his tictacks? Some will have found new clubs before XMas, I shouldn’t wonder. Where will that leave the grand old duke? Up sh1t creek definitely without a paddle or even a viable first team squad!
We’ll see. Let’s hope everything goes swimmingly and we win the league then, all will be forgiven.
Morning all. Windy but sunny here.
Morning Wavy, I must have had a good sleep and dreamt a lot… 😉
Always good to start on a positive note, but like you, I don’t expect it to continue. Not for long anyway..
The perfect scenario – Sanchez gets a move to a club where it is easy money and high chances of trophies with weak opposition, and we hopefully get a player who wants to play for us. Sick and tired of the Sanchez hogwash every day. He needs to suck it up, battle back to ECL football and realise that at his age he will never have the love, support and respect from any other club. Just take Barca as an example, on his departure from the Camp Nou their DOF called him a snake and said he had disrupted the dressing room!
Not for me Db, keep Alexis, add Lemar and a Cdm and start winning the league again. That’ll get him and Ox to think twice about going next year…
Don’t let our best player leave unless he is pushing hard for an exit. At the moment it’s all media talk, Alexis has said nothing about his future really other than he knows where he wants to be and who knows, that could be right where he is.
Morning Rico and all.
Apparently Kos can play on Sunday as The Charity Shield does not count on his ban.Who knows where Sanchez will end up but your theory today could be right.
I read somewhere that Bellrin’s girlfriend, a bollywood dancer has some connection with someone else who assures her that Lemar is a done deal.Perhaps someone can enlighten me .
Whatever happens the club have not been proactive with 12 players in their final year.We take forever to sign or sign someone at the last minute and we can’t move anyone that we want to. A bad situation.
I reckon Walcott and Giroud are permanent fixtures but not sure about The Ox.Wilshere is too highly paid and the most injury prone in the squad.Will be hard to shift.
Anyway let’s see what happens.
Morning All
Morning Rico, I do admire the skilful way that casino.coms pop up in your post, nice work. ?
As much as I’d love us to beat Chelsea this weekend, I wonder if losing to them might be more beneficial in the long term?
A defeat might just motivate Arsene to push the boat out on Lemar and maybe one other signing?
Beat Chelsea and it might be steady as she goes before coming a cropper at Stoke and Liverpool?
Morning all.
Rico, you’re right that’s Alexis has not actually said he wants out, by surely if he wanted to stay, he’d have said something or even signed a contract.
Would we take a straight swap for Lemar?
Shaka Hislop reckons that Alexis will join PSG for £60m…
How does he know, I hear you cry?
God knows!
I just saw the headline on the increasingly awful NewsNow.
What the fcuk does Hislop know anyway.
Everybody it seems has an opinion, but Hislop knows as much about Alexis as my cat Barney does.
In fact, and this may surprise you all, Barney actually knows Ivan Gazides’ cat and he tells me all the inside info.
Sorry but I darent tell you anymore as it’s classified info, but Wenger is in for a big deal next week…
Honest…
Is Wenger playing in a whist drive Kev? That’s the only deal he’ll be close to and of course the old ladies at the ‘drive’?
Morning Kelsey, Kev.
I do like juggling with words Kev… 😉
Kelsey, I read that too about the woman from Bollywood, add an ‘ox’ to the ‘boll’ and I think you’ll have the answer.
As would Ox and Ozil Scott, but they haven’t either. Nor have any of the other players who are into their final year. Just the some idiot journalist writes a story, doesn’t mean it’s true..
🙂 Re Hislop Kev.
I see Kroenke has ditched his TV channel…
Seems that Stan has ordered changes to his animal hunting programme to omit big game hunting. So when it hits his pocket he listens.
Lesson for all of us there then.
Source BBC.
Or hits his reputation… Either way, a lesson indeed Potter.
Morning Rico and All
For me the season starts once a team appears in public,
friendly games are no tackling games we all know that..But
the mental side of the game is more important than fitness.
During the season we will have a bad patch,how many games
that lasts will not be down to fitness.
We have to set up not to lose against the Chavs,0-0 will be
great for me…..Hara Kara football belongs in China guys.
No Lemar this friday then..not yet anyway.
Bellirins girl friend let slip last week,
Arsene has been smirking again,
then Monaco signed a leftsided mid player
thats how monaco work,get the player in first,
the manger then says Lemar could be going.
Has Arsene said to The Syrup,
“Give me one more chance Wiggy,
Let me leave like a Peacock not a Cockerel”
That’s true, Rico, but it’d be nice to hear him say something lol
Good old Stan.
Soft bastard 🙂
Morning Fred.
You doing your sums again and coming up with the right answer… 😉
Yep. A 0-0 would show some defensive strength and we’ll need that throughout the season, would be nice for once to not have a high tally in the goals conceded column.
About time we had a little joke.
Two Irishmen walk into a pet shop. Right away they go over to the bird section.
Gerry says to Paddy, “That’s them”. The clerk comes over and asks if he can help them. “Yeah, we’ll take four of them birds in that cage up there,” says Gerry. “Put them in a paper bag.”
The clerk does this and the two men pay for the birds and leave the shop. They get into Gerry’s van and drive until they are high up in the hills and stop at the top of a cliff with a 500-foot drop.
“This looks like a grand place, eh?” says Gerry.
“Oh, yeah, this looks good,” replies Paddy.
They flip a coin and Gerry wins the toss. “I guess I git to go first, eh Paddy?” says Gerry. He then takes two birds out of the bag, places them on his shoulders and jumps off the cliff.
Paddy watches as his mate drops off the edge and goes straight down for a few seconds, followed by a ‘SPLAT’.
As Paddy looks over the edge of the cliff he shakes his head and says, “Screw that, this budgie jumpin’ is too dangerous for me…”
Perez has today officially handed in a transfer request.By all accounts he is going back to Deportivo for nearly half what we paid for him a year ago.
This ranks as one of the biggest mysteries at Arsenal alongside Sanogo and the loan of Kallstrom. Why ,because AW just can’t think properly anymore,comes out with really bizarre quotes and it’s disgraceful that half the first team squad may or may not be with us next June
.
it gets worse.The year after there are currently only 3 players in the squad still in contract.
We are not an elite club on the field anymore and that makes me sad.
I wonder what really happened in the Boardroom when Danny died and Dein eventually left.
Ho, Ho Said! Fred. You’ve made me laugh?
Unfortunately Wenger will still be here when he is 70,still spouting the same nonsense.
Ha ha Fred, I like that…
Is that official re Lucas Kelsey? I only ask because Wenger has already said he’ll let him go as we have too many strikers. Not that I think we have..
Wavy, Arsene is a dab hand at Patience as well…
Can’t see it personally Danish, I reckon the two year contract is ore about finding a replacement. Otherwise surely it’d been a three year deal..
I’ll never know why Stan signed Perez and never really gave him game time…..really weird that!
Lee
Stan reckons 4-4-2 is a bloke with a big hat and a beard.
I thought Perez was a Gazidis signing?
Rico
I said the other day Alexis plus cash to Monaco for CL footie & all be it Mbappe to the Arse. That’s not a bad call from 20,000 kms away?
I didn’t see that Gg.. 😉 I’d like all three at the club …
Youri Tielemans
from Anderlecht
£21.6m
Diego Benaglio
Wolfsburg
released
Jordy Gaspar
Lyon
released
Soualiho Meïté
from Zulte Waregem
£7m
Jordi Mboula
from Barcelona
£2.6m
Terence Kongolo
from Feyenoord
£11.4m
Alvaro Fernandez Llorente
Osasuna
released
Adama Diakhaby
from Rennes
£9m
That’s £51.6 million spent by Monaco leaving them so £100m still in credit.
Kev..
Rachid Ghezzal of lyon is the replacement for Lemar
on a free..Looks a good player great left foot.
I thought it was Diakhaby Fred? Either way, hopefully they have enough to let us sign Lemar…
You may be right rico about Diakaby.
I think Rachid Ghezzal was at the club yesterday
he looks more like Lemar type though.
Hello everyone, very positive post today…. 🙂
Reading some of the comments about Monaco getting in Lemar replacements, what do people rate our chances of getting him before the summer is out?
Matters not Fred, it’s good that Monaco have strengthened- I guess Mbappe will be sold next. We might get lucky on DD.. lol
75% bumba11
I had a moment of madness Bumba…
50\50 for me.
Believe it when I see it.
Perez was a Gazidis signing and AW didn’t like the interference and then decided not to play him through spite.I have read it 4 times today Rico that Perez is going home..For a club obsessed with money it’s a bad sign, and also shows as the years go by one man having so much control is unhealthy.
I really fear for us unless seats really start being unsold and it hurts Kroenke in the pocket.
Hi everyone.
It’s shocking that nothing appears to be happening on the transfer scene for us. I just can’t believe that Wenger is leaving himself open to certain ridicule and abuse this season.
If we are languishing mid-table after a few games, he will have to resign. If he thought the abuse last season was bad, he ain’t seen nothing yet.
What is the issue though? Why haven’t we made a big signing (Jury still out for me re Lacazette)?
We should have done the business before this weekend’s game against the Chavs, because losing will start the rot setting in, and reinforce the determination to get away for some players.
I admit, I’m now dreading the game, and the next one against the Foxes.
Napoleon and his team of giants will tear our goonettes up for ass paper when we meet. He already say’s he didn’t rate Lacazette, so didn’t buy him.
Please Wenger, don’t subject us all to ridicule!!!!!!
ps. The bookies have the Goon Show finishing 5th this season, one place behind Spuds.
Nice.
5th? I love their optimism… lol
*giggle*. I know. I just don’t like seeing it in writing.??
It’s ok for us to say it, but not everyone else!??
Kelsey, if Perez was in fact a Gazidis signing (I’m not questioning that) then it shows us a few things.
Wenger is NOT in total control as most critics suggest, but the lack of game time he’s given the guy shows he’s a very petulant man, also, as his critics suggest 🙂
Either way, the tail wags the dog at our club.
Morning all.
Looks like the big guns are now after Lemar. Perhaps he’ll be another player Wenger nearly signed…
Morning Rico. Surely he will be ours:)
Morning Adam. ??
I see our illustrious leader has said Chelsea will find it tough to retain their league title. A bit rich coming from a guy who hasn’t won it for thirteen years….
Yep, old Arsene just cannot resist commenting on other clubs can he?
Daft really.
Does my head in. Mind his own and get on with sorting out our midfield. Conte must have had a right laugh when listening to Wenger.
I can almost feel the pressure on Wenger from here. Once the games start I cannot help but think it could get rough. Then again, 4 wins and a draw from the opening 5 games would be a decent return and things may go very well.
Morning Rico and All
The old boy can only Half-Brag these days
he gets a bit caught up in the old days
then the face changes and the coffee
smells real.
I hope for his sake it’s the latter Adam, and for all our sakes too of course. If it goes horribly wrong, he could be out by Christmas…
Morning Fred..
Shame Mbappe is injured as I doubt Arsene will sign him now… ?
Morning Fred.
Are HH’ers confident for the coming season then?
I know Kev is. And Lee of course. 🙂
Morning Adam
I’m I confident………..No
I’m I excited…………..No
I’m I an old moaner ..Yes
Confident of what though? 😉
I’m Confident we will see thousands of meltdowns on the net this season lol
Rico. Confident of the PL title?
What else? 🙂
In which case, no Adam… 😉
Brudder I expect nothing less than the treble, you?
You talking optics Lee?
New post up now…
Morning All
Morning Rico a la HHCC.
I think we could surprise a few people in the Champions League this season…