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.
As a tourist, I’d avoid the New Forest this time of the year. 😜
New post up.
As a tourist I would avoid all Mediterranean countries now in July and August. Even Cyprus as I would not be allowed to spend all my time at a taverna in the Troodos mountains. 😉
There is not much high ground in Malta Devil , unlike Cyprus where you can drive up to Troodos although the temperature doesnt drop much a trip to a taverna in the hills comes with a cooling breeze. But its different if you live there as a tourist is going to be more more mobile every day .
Kennington Oval even?
Twickenham is a nice ground
Or West Ham
We could always ground-share with Tottenham?
It was going to Wembley that cost us badly when Highbury could not accommodate UEFA’s advertising boards .It would be the final straw for me , and I would join the armchair brigade and watch on TV.
It takes away the home advantage and merely the fact that playing there raises all of the opponents games makes it harder to see games out.
After we lost to Barcelona there I remember talking to their supporters who said thast playing at Wembley was something that never thought possible. It has an aura despite most of us not liking it .
But they still mention that they beat us at Wembley.
Imagine the noise? Imagine the.disruption if we have to play a season of two at the soul-less mausoleum that is Wembley. 😕
I found this on the internet…..
Arsenal Fanatics news…….The club are exploring plans to increase capacity from 60,700 to over 70,000 which would make it the biggest club ground in London again.
Forget a full demolition job – the plan is SMART growth inside the current bowl:
1. Steepen The Gradients: Adjusting stand gradients and seating layouts while keeping the outer iconic design largely unchanged. This alone unlocks thousands of extra seats.
2. Fill The Corners & Re-Profile: Adding new tiers and reconfiguring seating arrangements to maximise space within the existing structure – similar to what they studied at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu rebuild.
3. Premium + Purpose: It’s not just seats. The rebuild aims to boost matchday revenue and fix that 100,000+ season ticket waiting list, turning the Emirates into a multi-functional, digital-first arena for concerts and big events.
The project is still early stage and could cost hundreds of millions, with Wembley lined up as a potential temporary home while works are underway.
Josh Kroenke has confirmed internal conversations have started. The Emirates was the benchmark when it opened in 2006 – now the board want it back on top.
70K Emirates. Imagine the noise.
And bdw I forgot to add…..On Tuesday we went nine hours without electricity….so imagine those temperatures with no AC or no fan.
Cicero….I suffer from Walletitis a lot. Its always empty. It always dissappears before I see it.
Good morning beautiful people.
we are frying here. temperatures of 42 but feeling 46 degrees. I hate summer. Always did . And always will do. till the end of days. North Italy is heaven compared to this. My Gramps didnt know what he was doing when he came to live here. Must have had a brainfart.
Good points Rico. Especially on the fees, the club and name of the player purchased. I tend to get more excited whenever an unknown name crops up. Because if he is unknown to us he is also unknown to others as well.
Tzolis is a good age. 24. I hope he is introduced slowly till he finds his feet.
I still think we need another CB, even if Saliba was not injured. But honestly not Stones or some has been. I would prefer another Mosquera. And I feel that Mosquera should fill in. He has earned it last season.
Am I fussed that we have not got any other forward or winger?? No not at all. I hope we keep Nwaneri but certainly not lose Gyokeres for Alvarez. I feel that HAvertz and Gyokeres are best suited for CF spot.
Rogers off to Chelsea means a lot and also nothing…….by next year Arsenal MIGHT buy him for 60M.
Ha ha.
It could be wallettitis, caused by the weight of money in his back pocket. 😉
‘morning all.
Better than surgery I guess. I hope. Wonder if it’s a disc problem.
Morning Cicero, all.
William Saliba returned to London and was seen by specialists who decided surgery on his back injury was not needed but he will undergo a lengthy period of treatment so will be out for some time.
Agreed Kev, Arsenal are Arsenal, if players want to go elsewhere then fine. We don’t need them.
Tzolis? Who knows where that supposed deal is at but if he’s joining, I’m sure we’ll soon hear.
Afternoon Cicero, not too much thought I hope. 😂
Sometimes, less is more when it comes to what footballers and managers say imo. Rogers had made himself look a bit of a chump.
Somebody did break down the Morgan Rodgers cost somewhere and it came out at around £200m once you factor in wages and agents fees, that’s enormous.
I’ve a feeling that Arsenal are deliberately holding back on announcing Tzolis whilst the media and internet are endlessly going on about Morgan Rodgers, we’ll pick our time.
And what else is Rodgers going to say after signing for Chelsea, also, was there an element of irritation in his reaction that I detected because Arsenal maybe refused to get into a bidding war? He will have spoken to Bakayo, Declan, Noni and Ebbs about how it is at Arsenal whilst at the World Cup, likewise Bruno with Big Gabby etc, so we don’t need to sell the project.
Newcastle need to sort their sh*t out so they want to know if Bruno will stay or go, Arsenal don’t need to rush and we don’t owe Newcastle any favours, Bruno like Gyokeres 12 months ago wants us, we want him and Newcastle need to lower their expectations because we aren’t desperate like say Tottenham were over Tonali.
The biggest club in London sold for a pound in the 1980’s ? Seriously what did you expect him to say ?
It’s all bull shit , he could not say I wanted Arsenal but they were not stupid enough to cough up .
G’day Rico and all. A thought provoking post, thank you.
Big fees for older players definitely don’t prove their worth, as we have seen in the past.
The only thing big about the chavs is their accountants bill. You have to pay a high price for that kind of creativity. 😉
I suspect the money on offer helps for managers.
Yeah Spanish managers are totally in Fashion,perhaps they look at us enviously,they would never admit it though.
I agree about big transfer fees,doesn’t mean a thing really.
The Tzolis signing is supposed to be close but until it’s officially announced I won’t believe it. Good luck to him if he does come.
I think the media are expecting Alonso will hit the ground running but I think they forget the job he took after Leverkusen.
Exactly Limey.
Morning to you and all. I thought for a minute time had gone back to April 1st.
Chelsea the biggest club in London?
Roll on the 6th of September.