Afternoon guys.
England have just kicked off against Andorra in Spain. Kane is still in there leading the team and the front line and Henderson is back in midfield. Bukayo Saka is having a breather but both Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly are on the bench. No, I am not watching.
I have just been reading about Kepa and the fact that he is on the verge of signing for Arsenal. David Ornstein is behind this news, so it is likely to be true. £5million for an experienced Premier League goalkeeper who is still in his prime is a good deal I think. By the time he and David Raya are thinking of hanging up their boots or heading to Saudi for a last big contract, one, maybe even two of our young keepers will be ready to take over.
My guess is that the arrival of Kepa would spell the end for Karl Hein. Hopefully for a decent fee. A fee anyway.
Kepa has just had a season on loan at Bournemouth from Chelsea so at least he’s been playing regularly rather than sitting on the Chelsea bench each week. 35 games for Iraola’s side last season. Two of those fixtures were against Arsenal. We lost both.
The once Spanish international player is 30 years old and he’s won pretty much all there is to win in the game domestically and in Europe. I don’t think he’s joining to sit on the bench for sure, I think he wants Raya’s place which can only be a good thing. Last season was too easy for Raya because Neto was never really a challenge. Kepa will be.
Meanwhile, the Sesko, Zubimendi and Rodrygo rumours continue but as yet, there’s nothing concrete. The transfer window shuts on the 10th for a few days but I cannot see that making the slightest of difference to clubs who want to get deals over the line.
Catch up in the comments. It’s still 0-0 by the way…
Watching paint is more exciting than watching England. Andorra must be loving it! Time for a movie.
It’s awful isn’t it…
I starting watching but soon switched off..
I turned over and started watching after 20 minutes, it was dreadful.
It’s taken 50 minutes for Kane to give us the lead. Cole Palmer has been anonymous…
I switched to the womens t20, far more entertaining..
Surely not Kev, wasnt Cole voted ahead of Saka as Englands player of the season a little while ago? 🙂
Watched about 20 mins, awful!
I’ve just finished watching a recording of the England game, been out for a Ruby. Tonight’s starting line-up must be the worst in the history of England football. Sluggish, turgid, ponderous, lacking in pace, lacking in guile, lacking in any sense of a will to win. One goal, a tap in for Kane. England fans were leaving the ground long before the final whistle.
If this is anything like the way Tuchel wants his team to play, I can only rate our chances of winning then World Cup as absolute zero.
I believe so Andrew, all the media idiots who were bigging up Palmer as a way of diminishing Saka have gone very quiet recently.
Mornig Rico and all.
If we can get Kepa dirt cheap and his weekly fee is not too much he could be worth the gamble.
Karl Hein with a year left on his contract will know he’s probably gotta move this summer, Arsenal will know that as well especially if they want a fee for him?
Albert Lokonga is in the same boat and we need to sell him (somehow) before he walks for nothing – maybe he’s got a one year option on his contract?
Vieira and Nelson both have two years on their deals so it’s gotta be stick or twist with them this summer. Depending on the business we do – or don’t do – we might have to hang on to them much as we did with Elneny awhile back.
Morning Geoff, Kev, all.
Same old England imo. Either go young 100% and ditch the likes of Kane, Henderson or expect the same old drab performances.
Lokonga, Vieira, Hein and Nelson. All on loan last season yet “we” moan about not having numbers. Strange really. Nelson or Sterling? Vieira or Trossard when Odegaard was injured?
Kepa is going to sign for Arsenal.
I cannot hide my excitement about that.
Liverpool are about to sign Wirtz for £120 million. Man City are signing players as is Chelsea and even the Premier League clowns United have bought in Cunha.
We are supposed to get excited about someone who is not even good enough to be Chelsea’s third choice keeper?
This is what we brought Berta in for?
Absolute ***ing garbage.
But at least the nearly man Arteta has kept the Arsenal tradition of bringing in at least one Chelsea reject in.
If this is the MASSIVE summer Arteta has been eluding to then I would not even bother..
M2, I think Kepa is a good deal for us. He’s just had a good season with Bournemouth. Forget the Chelsea connection as he’s not been there for a while.
I’m sure we would all be moaning if Arsenal spent £30m ish on a second choice keeper.
Good afternoon Lady and all housers
Sometimes I read posts by people and don’t know whether to laugh with tears or cry with laughter. Yet such people live among us and what’s more hilarious is that they have one vote like everyone else.
5m on Kepa is a no brainer. Saying no simply because he is from the chavs implies weak reasoning. Kepa is a good keeper. But used wrongly. If Arteta plays to his strengths (Kepa’s) then he will be great again. And last season he had 8 or 9 clean sheets with Brentford, 2 of them against us. Imo Kepa WILL challenge Raya for the number one spot and I am confident enough that he will get more than the odd game in the cups here and there. I do have that trust in Kepa.
Some of the people who think Kepa are a flop based on how he is doing at Chavs dont remember or dont want to remember, that a flop who scored only 3 goals during his season at Juventus, was bought by Arsenal for 10M and managed to become our goal scoring machine. Yep, TH14 flopped big time at Juve. DB10 was considered a flop at Inter. Both Juve and Inter couldn’t wait to get rid of them. 17M later (with Juve and Inter rubbing their hands in glee thinking they got away with daylight robbery) and they became invincibes.
Some people expect Arsenal to win every game 10-0 plus Arsenal to have a bottomless pit and buy only top top players. There is a difference between fantasy and reality.
If we sign Kepa and keep Raya we will have two thirty year-old ‘keepers competing for the number one position. Hein may not wish to be number three for a couple of years, only getting minutes in the domestic cup games, or a seat on the bench if one or other two gets injured or suspended.
Hein will have to go. We have Setford who has already been promoted to the first team
Bournemouth Dev, it was Bournemouth, but I agree with you, £5m is loose change these days and he’s coming off of a top season at Bournemouth.
What other teams do is what they do, normally with unlimited finance, let’s judge our transfer window in 10 weeks time or so and don’t click on or listen to the ITK’s online or on YouTube, they’re all no nothing tossers who make a nice living on taking the piss – out of us…
Just imagine if no other club wants to buy one of the 30 odd players Chelsea will need to move on. It’ll be hilarious.
Hi Devil.
We haven’t exactly done well with Chav rejects (the less said about the Sterling loan, the better) so I understand why anyone would be leery about us signing yet another one. However, Kepa had a pretty decent season at Bournemouth and 5m is no fee at all for a goalie who’s still in his prime. We can only hope that he displays the form that convinced the Chavs to spend 72m on him not so long ago.
I AM tired of all the inching we’re doing around our main needs. Yes, Citeh and the Chavs are in the bloated Club World Cup, but ManUre aren’t and they’ve done some deals. Liverpool have also done some deals. We seem to be faffing about as per usual. It’s going to be a long summer…
Oh, remember the Nuno Tavares we just sold to Lazio for a cut-price 6m? They just turned down a 30m bid for him. The state of this club…
LOL.
It’s frustrating not to have signed anyone yet but more important is how we look at the beginning of pre season rather than today surely? Liverpool have only signed one senior player haven’t they?
That’s bonkers if true.
Zubimendi starting for Spain tonight against Portugal, a good chance to see for ourselves what he offers. Kick off 8.00 Live on I T V 1. Raya and Merino on the bench.
What a great tennis match between Sinner and Alcaraz.
Thanks Cicero.
He scores goals then. 😜
Just read that Sesko deals agreed. He will wear number 14 it seems.
If Lazio get more than £30m then that’s 25% for us, I hope they get £40m.
Spain vs Portugal is a totally different level to that shower of crap we saw yesterday vs Andorra.
I missed the Zubimendi goal, apparently Real Madrid want him but won’t pay the fee or the wages we’ve offered. Good…
Ronaldo again, he might be 40 but he knows where the onion bag is…
221 caps for Portugal.
Cucurella is the pantomime villain as usual, but watching all the diving a cheating in between some sublime football is hilarious
I like the look of Zubimendi, cool, calm and focused. I can just see him, Rice and Merino making a very effective midfield.
Zubimendi’s goal was a true poacher’s effort and Merino calmly slotted home his shootout penalty.
If we can get Kepa, Zubimendi and Sesko I think it would be considered one of our better transfer windows.
I’m with Kev, I’d far rather watch football the way both teams played it than the shambles that Tuchel’s lot served up against Andorra.
On that note I wish you all a very good night. 😴
Devil I hope you are correct about Sesko, but I just read that Chelsea is now interested in Sesko
Good morning all.
The only positive news I can find is that Myles Lewis-Skelly is about to sign a new contract with Real Madrid showing interest in him.
Chelsea want to sign everyone 😂
Morning Geoff, Cicero, all.
New post up.