https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4yzDsTJ2c
Morning all.
Arsenal confirmed the signing of Alex Runarsson yesterday. The 25 year old Iceland international who looks right at home in short trousers. He reminds me of Alex Manninger in appearance. Mikel Arteta and Edu must have seen something in him to bring him to the club although I hope it’s more than just his price tag. I very much doubt he’ll be thrown into the team for tomorrow night’s League Cup fixture against Leicester City so if Arteta is planning on using a second/third keeper for the domestic cups, my guess is Matt Macey will take the place of Bernd Leno.
Actually, it might not have been Edu or Arteta who spotted Runarsson but our goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana as the two worked together in Denmark.
The fact that he is here, it is very important to me that I know somebody here and I know that he knows my qualities, and what I need to improve and what I can bring to the club. I think we will be a very good match, for the second time in my career! – Runarsson.
I’m not sure Arsenal have signed an Icelander before and I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of him until his links to Arsenal. During his post signing interview, the young keeper acknowledged that he’s a lot of work to do and cannot wait to get started. Good luck to him I say. It doesn’t matter that he cost Arsenal under £2 million, what he does on the pitch will be how he’s judged. How much did Kepa cost Chelsea? Now they’re having to spend another £25 million on a keeper because Kepa hasn’t lived up to his price tag. Still, perhaps will now spend his time BetRegal bonus codes because unless another club shows interest in him, he’ll have time on his hands.
In other news, it’s widely expected that Boris Johnson will pull the plug on fans returning to stadiums which comes as no great surprise. Covid-19 is still around and the infection rate is rising. I read that Man City have three players who’ve tested positive, Leyton Orient, 18.
Leicester as a City have strict lockdown rules in place but I can’t imagine our players and staff are planning to do anything other than turn up, play and leave tomorrow evening. Hopefully with a place in the next round of the League Cup secured.
Transfer gossip:
According to L’Equipe, Matteo Guendouzi has handed in a transfer request. Excellent I think if true and if it is, I guess he has an idea of which club wants him. The Frenchman came to Arsenal cheaply so we should make a bit of a profit on him. All money into the pot so Arteta and Edu can hopefully finalise their summer transfer plans. Just a strong and athletic midfielder who can get up and down the pitch would improve our squad no end in my opinion. I know we lack a bit of creativity in midfield too but I’m sure we need a few sales to go through before one or both can be signed. Who they’ll be is anyone’s guess. Partey and Aouar are the names we keep reading about their price tags are hefty.
Wolves have signed right back Nelson Semedo from Barcelona which might mean the Catalan club come after Hector Bellerin.
There’s around two weeks of the transfer window left and bearing in mind it seems to take Arsenal a week to get one deal done, best the club get a wriggle on.
See you in the comments guys.
Well.
Alex is the 4th Icelander to be signed by Arsenal:
Albert Guðmundsson – 1946
Sigurður Jónsson – 1989
Ólafur Ingi Skúlason – 2001
Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson – 2020
I can see why those names didn’t stick in my memory. Perhaps I should have checked Wiki, easy to c&p from there…
Morning all.
Runar seems pretty athletic and a good shot stopper but how does he command the box-time will tell.
At 2 million, it’s no money so let’s use the Martinez cash to strengthen where we really need it, and if this lad doesn’t work out, we can replace him in a years time.
More important issues to solve right now than the keeper position imo
Plus we still have Macey on the books, he might yet go but until he does, he’s a chance to impress if he gets called on.
Good morning Rico,
It’s worth noting that on the day that Arsenal announced the signing of a rookie ‘keeper the one who left got the MotM award in his first game for Villa. The Telegraph’s John Percy writes “a satisfactory start for Villa, with Martinez already looking a shrewd signing after an authoritative, calm performance in goal”. A clean sheet, including a penalty save, made it a dream debut.
Calm and authoritative, not words associated with Leno’s erratic showing on Saturday last.
Morning Cicero, why am I not surprised. I still don’t understand that decision and I doubt I ever will.
I saw Villa’s game.
The cameras at the end focused on Martinez.
Hi Rico and all The money from Martinez might already have been used as the media claims Arteta is looking at another goal keeper from a English club but I forgot the name of the player and his club for around the 10 million pounds
They would Jm because the media probably can’t wait to write about what a big mistake Arsenal might have made. News flash, plenty of us already know.
Rico looks like you have broken your curse as it sounds like you may have been home when arsenal announced the arrival of our new goal keeper
One game doesn’t make a career and nor does a few months.
I hope Martinez does well, not too well mind you, but he’s hardly forged a great career yet, and every Arsenal fan would’ve taken 10 million for him 6 months ago, let alone 20.
Tough calls must be made at times because we don’t have a sugar daddy owner.
Hi Geoff, the guy at Brentford. The links could be based purely on the fact we signed a couple of their coaches, including their keeper coach I believe.
It’s not a curse Geoff. Lol
Not every Arsenal fan. I wouldn’t and I know a lot of other Arsenal fans who didn’t want Martinez sold now or six months ago. He was proving himself on loan and then again for Arsenal.
Auba goals were crucial for our FA Cup win but so we’re the saves Martinez made. I get he’s gone but we’ve haven’t just sold an average player, we’ve sold a top keeper.
Rico,
I never said people wanted him sold 6 months ago, but 10 million would’ve been snapped up I reckon.
20 million most definitely would’ve.
He’s shown he’s got the quality but realistically, how could we sell
Leno coming off injury?
I’m not sure any club would take the risk so again, a tough call to sell Martinez but unless Stan suddenly throws money in, we needed to make the decision else we remain weak elsewhere.
As long as we now get a top midfielder in, its worth it imo.
I totally agree Rico.
So Scott, we’re risking everything on a player “coming off an injury”. You say “I’m not sure any club would take the risk”. Our club has.
It’s widely recognised that Macey wants regular first team football and is happy to move elsewhere to achieve that. So we need another ‘keeper on top of Runnarson. Brentford have already knocked back our ten million pound bid for David Raya and he has never played outside of The Championship and League one. I doubt if any Arsenal fan had heard of him sic months ago.
We wont have much of the Martinez fee to play with by the time we have secured his replacement.
Cicero, Martinez demanded first team football and in all fairness, he’s entitled to it but how can a club like Arsenal make such a promise?
Surely you wouldn’t endorse the club being held to ransom in such a way?
We took the risk on Leno because we had no choice lol
2 Million from 20 million is plenty to play with, I’d have thought.
I doubt we will let Macey go atm and I doubt we will bring another keeper in right now.
We can pick these decisions apart all day long but really, what else could the club have done?
if we can not get any good midfielder in would it be worth getting say loaning Theo Walcott back for 12 month to give Arteta a chance to raise the money for the players he wants.
I’m only saying Theo as he still plays in the premier league but is struggling for game time
Sćott, I know. I was just saying I didn’t want him sold, period. He’d show great promise when he was called on but until his loan at Reading, neither Arsenal or his loan clubs gave him a chance.
He pretty much saved Reading from relegation.
Look at what Szczesny is doing now and for who. I bet anyone 50p that this time next season, a big club will probably sign him up for mega money.
Honestly, and with only fairness in mind, Leno should be the one fighting for his place. Still, it’s history now. Although I strongly suspect this subject will pop up again as time passes.
I doubt very much that Martinez demanded anything, just wanted reassurance that a fair process would take place and based on his performances, believed he was owed the chance to start the season in goal.
The way he was cast aside doesn’t sit well with me at all. Leno doesn’t fill me with confidence the way Martinez did and I don’t think the defenders feel as confident with him either. I’m guessing of course.
Walcott? No thank you. I’d rather Nelson by a country mile. We need a midfielder, not another lazy player like Ozil.
It’s only my opinion and I may be clutching at straws but I am thinking about the way Arteta treated Guendouzi and now Martinez is Arteta attitude that any player who questions him,
he then cracks the shits and freezes the player out and sells them as quick as he can because he does not like people standing up for them self or questioning he decision’s.
Lets just pick Ozil to start and tell him straight up the balls in your court now prove to every one you can still play the game.
Ozil in the team is the last thing we need imo.
Kieran is fine,” Arteta said (Arsenal). “He had a little muscular discomfort in the last few days. He tried and worked in the warm-up but he wasn’t feeling comfortable.
“We could not control it. We believed that he was going to be fit but during the warm-up, in the last 10 minutes, he said he wasn’t feeling OK.
“We had to make a decision. We were prepared just in case and Kola came on and had a good game.”
It’s worrying in Mikel Arteta thinks Kolasinac had a good game… lol
but we’ve haven’t just sold an average player, we’ve sold a top keeper.
For peanuts . Look at Kepa £ 71 million and mistakes every week . Alisson £ 65 million , Ederson £ 35 million , and even Pickford cost £ 25 million 3 years ago.
Are we the John Lewis of football “never knowingly undersold” should have held out and seen how far Villa would have gone and played him for the first few games until he made mistakes and Leno was raring to get back..
Admittedly no money in the pot but at least we would have a keeper that can catch.
Totally agree Potter. We’ve a habit of selling cheap. If we as a club need money that badly, at least sell for the right price.
I know I sound like a broken record but why didn’t we just sell Leno. Several clubs were reported to be interested in him before the summer.
Mark McGuinness has joined Ipswich Town on loan.
Guys,
If we had an owner who would tip money in at will, we wouldn’t be in a position where we were forced to sell players to generate funds to buy others.
Seems we pretty much need to take whatever offer comes our way to a certain extent, and I’d bet money Arteta didn’t want Martinez to go.
We could simply say to anyone pushing for a move that they have a contract and are staying if we didn’t need to sell before buying.
It’s not an easy situation for our manager.
We’re there are any offers for Leno?
Any interest at all for guy coming off a decent injury?
We had 2 damn good keepers and we needed cash.
Only one of them was a viable proposition to sell atm.
Again, I don’t see what else could be done, and blaming Arteta/Edu for making such a decision because there is no money to spend is harsh imo
Arteta has said he wanted Martinez to stay Scott but obviously not enough. Anyway, as Potter says, water under the bridge now that he’s gone.
The only difference a big spending owner would make right now imo is that we could afford to let unwanted players go cheaper because all the time we pay out the vast wages we do, we’re running a risk of breaching FFP. Or at least that’s what I read somewhere.
Rico, I missed what you said about other clubs showing interest in Leno so I wasn’t questioning you as such.
If we could’ve got decent money for him, I’d agree he was the guy to sell and I actually did say that a few weeks back, but just didn’t think anyone would be prepared to pay good money with the injury cloud over him.
The Martínez / Leno situation is now water under the bridge . We made our bed and we live with the consequences but I must add that if a potential Leno sale was made difficult because of a possible injury recovery then are we running a risk for £ 20 million.
As things stand I am sure that Arteta has a wish list but he knows as we do that fulfilling it will not be easy so he has to be supportive of players like Kolasinac.
He may wheel Ozil out against Leicester as Smith-Rowe is said to be injured and we have Scoucers on the horizon . Time to use what’s available.
Apparently David Moyes and a few West Ham players have tested positive for Covid-19.
Hmm and the West Ham players were spitting all over our pitch on Saturday. 😷
So our lot getting tested in the morning ? Kids plus Ozil .
I guess they’ve already been tested.
Guendouzi and Macey too I guess. Cedric is injured though.
Ozil and Torreira in training today but no sign of Guendouzi in the photos so maybe he won’t be playing tomorrow.
Moyes and Diop were there but not Cullen. Then again they could be asymptomatic we will be testing frequently for the next 10 days
Potter, that injury concern is only my take on things.
If I were looking at Leno 6-7 months ago, I wouldn’t have gone for him now.
Does anyone know if we have a buy back clause for Martinez?
No or a sell on clause
Potter, now that I disagree with unless we were so desperate to cash in, and AV wouldn’t budge.
Shame.
Arsenal say the news from West Ham tonight won’t change anything in terms of
how they are operating. The bubble in place around the squad is designed to protect as best as it can from this type of situation. So everything carries on as normal for now.
Arsenal were among the Premier League clubs who underwent routine #COVID19 testing on Monday and despite coming into contact on Saturday with West Ham (who have since returned 3 positives), all #AFC results came back today as negative
Rico.. I watched a video of training, saw Guendouzi – couldn’t mistake that hair 😂 – I’ll be dumbfounded if he doesn’t play tonight….
I didn’t watch the video Sue, just looked at the photos. Haha re his hair, unmissable.
Morning all.
Good morning Rico. Autumn has arrived in Norfolk, a gunmetal grey sky, little or no wind and it’s p*****g down. It looks like all the dog walkers have gone into lockdown.
No news on transfers in or out. Not even a decent rumour.
Morning Cicero, we’ve had the rain overnight but a little brighter now in the south.
New post up now. It’s not good. Lol