For years now, every newspaper, sports outlets and fans too have been crying out for the club to spend some money. Usually we have but it’s never been enough, or it’s been spent on the wrong kind of player. Not my thoughts entirely but I’ve certainly read such views for a long long time now.
Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ozil didn’t come cheaply mind you, nor did Alexis, Xhaka or Mustafi. We might not think all of those, more too perhaps were worth the money Arsenal paid for them but it’s not until a player plays for a new club does his influence on the team be one clear. By then, it’s too late to do much other than play him until he can be replaced. But of course, that’s not easy because any half decent scout will have done his homework. Not for one minute do I think Arsene Wenger signed either Mustafi or Xhaka thinking they wouldn’t improve the team. Alexis, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang etc, well everyone knew what they were capable of. Even so, I was pleased when we signed Mustafi and Xhaka, but both have been more than disappointing. Ozil too.
Sorry, I digressed. Here we are, about to £72 million it seems on Nicolas Pepe and Sky Sports have a debate about whether or not we can afford him. Yet as far as I can see, not one other club is having their spending questioned in a similar fashion. Yet outside of the top four placed clubs from last season, we and Utd would have been the highest earners and Utd are riddled with debt, unlike us.
I don’t get it, really I don’t but I guess it’s like life in general really, you can’t please everyone all of the time. Just like a few weeks ago when Josh Kroenke spoke. We wanted our owner to talk to the fans, to tell us what the club’s plans were and he did. Admittedly, it’s highly likely that his hand was forced after receiving the letter sent to his family but regardless, he spoke. Yet when he said the club’s future would bring excitement, b******t was the response. Yet here we are about to sign a player who, if as good as his career so far shows, will bring pace, width and goals with him. The very thing we on here have been crying out for. If we sign a quality centre back and Tierney too, then I guess a few portions of humble pie and custard will be consumed…
So what about Nicolas Pepe if he signs, does he do it for you?
It would if it were announced with further reinforcements at the back .
Agree Potter but at least there’s a chance a CH might be coming, or so UE said.
He will be a messiah to us haha cant wait
In three years he will be playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid after we have sold him for £200m.This is an amazing signing
Win win then Donaldo. A five year deal is smart if he’s good for us.
Yes Rico,
Pepe would be a great signing,2.5 years younger than Zaha too.If we can add Tierney and a centre back, happy days.
If we can offload a few,even better.
It’s right that Emery brings in his own players.
The weak mindset of the last few years has been ingrained deeply.
Different standards from the media when discussing Arsenal never changes though…
Agree Limey, I’m actually starting to look forward to the new season. A little bit anyway…
We missed the bargain of the season possibly of a lifetime at less than half the price. Everton have got him Moise Kean. That guy is going to wreak havoc
It looks like Pepe is done and Mustafi could be on his way out at last. If Tierney arrives along with some reinforcements at CB be it on loan or permanent, you have to say, it’s been a pretty amazing window that far exceeded anything we could have hoped for. I’ll stuff my face with humble pie….. hold the crust… and say kudos to Raul and Edu.
Sanchez and Ozil were great signings, Ozil had a record number of assists in his first season and Sanchez scored goals in numbers. Unfortunately our defence was never good enough to support such an attacking style. Both players were pilloried for their lack of defensive play and as a consequence copped a lot of undeserved flak from the fans.
Xhaka was asked to play a role for which he was not suited namely as a defensive midfielder, he has also, at times, been used a central defender and he too has taken unwarranted flak. If he had been allowed to play in his natural position, I’m sure he would have been a much more popular figure in the squad.
Perhaps Pepe will be the answer to at least some of our prayers, he will certainly have a honeymoon period but unless our defenders suddenly learn how to actually defend he will need to score an impossible number of goals to compensate for the failings behind him on the pitch, and the honeymoon period will soon be over.
I don’t think a label on Xhaka’s position makes much difference. A suicidal pass is exactly that, as is a push in the penalty area which will always result in a penalty.
Wherever he plays, he’ll still be slow too..
Imo, Ozil had a good rapport with Alexis but you’d think he’d be in his element with Aubameyang and Lacazette around him but it’s like he gave up last season. The only time he showed a bit of his old self was in the few months before getting his new big contract. Funny that….
Morning all.
Rico,
Playing further up the pitch as is his want means Xhaka isn’t diving in at an attacker in our box, so positioning is a factor, imo.
He’s not a DM.
Never will be, and as I said a few days ago, we crucify him as we did Arteta for doing a job.
It’s harsh but then, pay me 100k a week and I’ll cop the abuse 🙂 🙂
I’m not so sure though Scott, at times Lacazette has been back defending, Aubameyang too. A midfielder has to defend regardless of what his role is imo. I watched Xhaka for his country and he made the same mistakes he makes for us, hideous passing and poor defending and all with a number 10 on his back.
Xhaka is on £90,000 a week, not excessive and his contract runs until 2023.
If we do sign Pepe it could mean the departure of Hector Bellerin. Pepe is predominantly a right winger, Bellerin a right wingback, not sure there is room for both of them. Jenkinson or Mustafi could fill in as a conventional right fullback.
Personally speaking, I think there’s plenty of room for Bellerin and Pepe in the same team. Mustafi or Jenks ‘filling in’ is not the kind of thing top clubs do surely? All Bellerin and Pepe together would do is give us a strong and quick right side rather than Using Mkhitaryan.
I think the ‘making do’ needs to be a thing of the past.
Exciting times maybe 🙂
I’ve not seen it mentioned anywhere, but isn’t there a chance Tierney will be signed as a Centre Back? After all, he’s played there for his national team. Rather he replaced Mustafi than Monreal or Kolasinac.
Hey Red, that’s quite shocking if what you say happened to Shkodran Mustafi is true!
It’s not his fault that Arsene Wenger thought he was worth £35m or that Gazides and Co were stupid enough to pay it and it’s also not his fault that Arsenal were so poorly managed by the previous regime and that they put him on £90k per week…
The guys’ confidence is shot and it doesn’t help when so called responsible blogs like Le Grove and Arseblog constantly target him with debilitating comments at one end of the spectrum and downright abuse at the other.
Booing him is unacceptable and harassing him in the street is criminal – all that from so called Arsenal fans…
I don’t rate him and I’ve made no secret of that fact, but our defensive inadequacies aren’t all down to him and him alone. Yes I’d like him gone, but not like this, we’re Arsenal, we’re Arsenal fans and we’re better than this – or at least we used to be…
Well said Kev ,
Rico, fair points re:Xhaka. But it’s not as critical higher up the pitch and when there’s defensively Responsible players behind.
I’m not suggesting he’s a top player, just that playing out of position should be taken into account when being critical.
Cheers Potter, the sooner he leaves, the better for all concerned, but then whose gonna be next on the hit list?
As for Pepe, if he’s half as good as he looks on You Tube then we’ve got ourselves a game changer, someone who can stretch the play and it means that teams won’t be able to push up on us and compress the play with him in the team.
Zaha would have been good, especially for us, but he was never worth more than £50m in my view and he isn’t as prolific in front of goal as Pepe seems to be…
Think I read nine of Pepe’s goals last season were penalties. Rather inflates figures. On the plus side, most of our penalty takers give me the creeps, so maybe we have a new taker!
We need our fans to be patient because emmery needs time and and also needs us fans to back the Team to give them confidence and a couple of Transfer windows to get the team playing his style of football it won’t happen over night. Look at Klopp and even pep when they had more cash to spend , l think Emery has done a fantastic job in his first season. Give him time 3 to 4 years you will see a different team UP THE ARSENAL
Dani Ceballos looks really good.
There’s nothing on the internet about Mustafi being ‘attacked’ on the way to the Emirates on Sunday. Not that I can find anyway and I’m sure something like that would be all over it. The media would have covered such a story surely and I doubt Emery would have played him, just like he didn’t Kolasinac or Ozil.
From what I have seen of pepe, and that’s not much but more than YouTube, he looks the part. I’ve read some people compare him to Gervinho but he is so much more composed on the ball. Also read we might be getting… can’t spell his name but a centreback from Juve on loan with an option to buy. Also, Ornstien thinks Tierney to Arsenal is still on! Fcuk, I hate humble pie but if all this goes through just gonna have to eat it… also, Mustafi to Monaco could be done by the end of the week!!! I may never eat anything else again! 😯
Morning Rico and all. It seems as if we really are pushing on and I would imagine that Raul has had a big hand to play in that. I could never quite work out why someone with his supposed reputation would come to a club considered notoriously stingy, even by their own fans. Perhaps the challenge of rebuilding a once-great football club in England really did prove to be an attractive proposition.
Sort the defence and let’s have a go.
Morning Adam, all
Just why I didn’t see any point knocking Raul Adam, he was an easy target I guess but I always believed he wouldn’t have joined us from Barcelona if we were simply going to drift as a club.
😂 Strangeman, get munching… lol
Sounds a tad greedy but can we dream and hope UE gets a proper CD within eight days ?
If we do the top four would be a gimme and Maybe we could push City and Pool all the way.
Dream or reality. ?
Apparently we’re after one Vcc, from Juve but I can’t remember his name. Also, UE said he wants one.. fingers crossed.
Daniele Rugani, that’s the guy. A loan deal I read.
Rugani looks an upgrade on what we have. Apart from Holding if he comes back where he left off. But hardly a stenna signing. If it’s a loan deal for one season until Saliba comes then that may fill the Position.
Strong noises coming out that Mustafi will be off at the end of the week followed by Koscielny.
A loan makes sense to me too, perhaps with an option to buy in the deal. Saves landing ourselves with another disaster.
Holding, with Medley and Ballard coming through and yep, Saliba too next season.
The squad for tonight’s game against Angers does NOT include Lacazette but it seems Maitland-Niles has recovered and travels. Ceballos has also been omitted.
Th full squad is on the official Arsenal website.
Lacazette is injured but leaving out Cebellos is odd. Hope he’s not injured already.
Having seen the squad, lots of first team staying at home. Good run out for the others before making a decision on them I guess.
I saw yesterday Bielik linked with a move to Derby for £10m, bit of a shame, I’d have liked him to at least be given a chance, he might be better than Chambers long term. The transfer team seem to know what they are doing!
Half hour gone. Losing 1-0. To Angers.
Yet to register a shot on target
Angers 2nd goal given offside. Mighty close. Haven’t seen replay.
Just got our first corner after 39 minutes.
Martinelli is our best player.
Good work out for our youngsters
You watching Vcc?
https://arseblog.news/2019/07/asano-signs-for-partizan-belgrade/
Just seen that too. First of a few no doubt..
The clear out continues Rico and not before time…
Absolutely Kev.
The one I don’t have Vcc. Oh well, highlights it is..
1-1 Nelson…
We’re on top now…
Yes Rico. It’s on premier sports
Rene Adelaide has looked good
Jeff raine Adelaide ? Please explain
Wonder if we gave up on Jeff too soon….
Thanks Kev. The app on Apple showed the Lyon match, just not this one.
You Tube, that’s where you’ll get highlights Rico.
Arsenal win 4-3 on penalties
What to make of the Khedira rumours I wonder?
If what’s being written in the independent is true, big if I know but we’ll be signing Rugani, Pepe, Tierney and Khedira.
New post up now.
Potter yes the same Adelaide that used to play for Arsenal He missed the all important penalty at the end but played very well.