Morning all.
Chelsea the biggest club in London? What was Morgan Rogers smoking before such words came out of his mouth? They might be one of the wealthiest and definitely one of the biggest spenders in England but the biggest club? I get it, he’s bitter about Arsenal not stumping up the kind of money Villa wanted for him, or perhaps that he didn’t get the move he deep down really wanted this summer but what I cannot get my head around is why leave a club who is playing Champions League football for a club who isn’t. A club which sacks its managers at the drop of a hat which he’ll witness first hand if things don’t go well for Alonso. All eyes will certainly be on Rogers and Chelsea this coming season that’s for sure, especially after another summer of spending money like it’s going out of fashion.
Goodness only knows what’s going on at Arsenal because so far we’ve only signed a goalkeeper who unless Kepa is going, we probably didn’t need.
The Evening Standard reported yesterday that Christos Tzolis is now in London and either has or will be undergoing his medical at Arsenal. His numbers for Club Brugge aren’t shabby, 22 goals and 29 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions last season as he helped his side win the Belgian League title for the 20th time. Since joining Brugge two years ago, he’s scored 43 goals and 45 assists in 108 appearances.
I’m a firm believer in big names don’t always equal big performances, nor do I believe that big transfer fees guarantee big impact on teams. I know it was a few years ago when Arsenal signed William Saliba and Gabriel but look how important they have been and yet neither signing broke the bank. Piero Hincapie, Leandro Trossard – neither cost ridiculously high transfer fees, nor did David Raya. On the flip side, other than Declan Rice, how many of our £50-60m plus signings have really made a huge difference to the team? Consistently I mean, not just when they feel like it.
Of course the media love to see record transfer fees paid, it makes for exciting headlines but what’s more important than a players price is his attitude, passion and 100% commit to joining Arsenal Football Club and only Arsenal Football Club. Declan Rice made that clear during the summer we signed him so it didn’t matter what Man City offered West Ham because his head was firmly with Arsenal.
Everything about him as a player suggested he was worth spending big on to get through the door. When one looks at the players we’re constantly said to be looking at, can the same be said of any of them? Bruno is reported to have told Newcastle Utd he wants to move to Arsenal but when push comes to shove, would he change his mind if a different club offered him a few more pounds in his wage package? I don’t know, no one does unless such a scenario becomes a reality.
Honestly, if Christos Tzolis signs for Arsenal and gets anywhere near the kind of numbers he’s produced for Brugge, I doubt anyone will care which club he came from or how much he cost.
Catch up in the comments.
