Morning all.
Thank goodness for Twitter eh. Young Hector Bellerin has used the social media website to assure us Arsenal fans that he’s going nowhere.
A simple message read: ‘Don’t believe all you read’ which clearly refers to the recent stories in the press which suggest he’s about to jump ship and head back home to Barcelona. Having not long signed a new long term contract, a sudden change of mind towards his Arsenal career would have been somewhat strange, although anything can happen these days in football.
So, maybe Arsene Wenger won’t need to look for a new right back after all. Good!
But as the Spaniard attempts to reassure us, the same cant quite be said of Alexis Sanchez who according to reports, is leaving his future in the hands of his agent. That could simply mean his agent is negotiating a new Arsenal deal or it could of course mean his agent is trying to get him a move away to a club where he could win more than an FA Cup medal. Bayern Munich are ready to make him their highest paid player so the back pages say with a deal worth £350,000 a week. True? Who knows, I certainly don’t but this could simply be a case of trying to get Arsenal to up their offer. Time will of course tell but if he is going, better he goes to Germany rather than Man City, Utd or Chelsea, that’s for sure.
The Alexis situation is interesting though because Arsene Wenger has said he won’t be sold, neither will Ozil. We’ll see if he’s true to his word once September 2nd arrives.
The Premier League kicks off before that date and the fixtures are released on the 14th of this month. For once, I hope we start the season away from home as the opening day of the new campaign has not been good to us for the past couple of years. Last season we lost against Liverpool, the season before against West Ham and the one before that was a dreadful match which we just about scraped a victory thanks to a 90th minute strike from Aaron Ramsey.
After watching what was an awful Championship match between Reading and Huddersfield, which the latter won on penalties to secure an in excess of £150 million move up to the Premier League – facing them might be kind to us.
Seriously though, this last season we dropped four points in our opening two fixtures which really isn’t a great start if we want to win the league and so it proved. Those, plus many other points dropped against clubs we should be beating was again our downfall. This time around things have to be different. We have to start well, we must have a fully fit and well prepared squad and one with depth and strength. If we can keep hold of our big guns this summer and add some top quality to them then at least we might be in with a chance. I won’t be holding my breath, but it would be nice if for once we could get to March/April and still be up or around the top spot with all still to play for rather than to be yet again fighting for a top four place.
Then there’s the Europa League which having thought about, I’m quite looking forward to. We’ll be up against sides we haven’t played for a while, if ever and they’ll be no Dortmund or Bayern to face as soon as we get past the group stage. Saying that, it’ll be just our luck that one of them don’t make it through the Champions League group, drop into Europa and get drawn against us at the first opportunity.
It’s a bit of a long winded competition with so many qualifying matches, group matches and then the knockouts but thankfully, we go straight in at the group stage along with:
Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Lyon, Fastav Zlín, FC Köln, Lokomotiv Moscow, Hertha BSC, Zorya Luhansk , Zulte Waregem, Atalanta, Vitesse, Lazio and whichever club wins the Turkish Super Cup.
Then of course the above clubs will be joined by those who come through qualifying of which there must be nearly two hundred all vying for a place, including Everton.
The pain in the backside with this competition is the number of fixtures if we keep on winning and perhaps the travelling , especially if we get drawn against Moscow or one of the other Russian clubs.
We’ve no idea right now how Arsene Wenger will approach the competition. With a Champions League going to the eventual winners he might take it seriously, but then again, if he’s as ambitious as he likes to convince us all, he’ll go all out to win the Premier League and not let the European campaign get in the way.
However, this is Arsene we’re talking about…
Morning all and thanks Rico.
Being an advocate of not being in the CL, I`d rather not be in the EL aswell so to take the EPL by storm, but we are in it and if we can treat it like the League Cup it will be a comp` that I can watch without stress, which is a good thing I suppose ! 🙂
Off to the greatest County Show today……………..The Royal Cornwall Show, suns shining so all good, although if the news of a hung parliament doesn`t mean all the polititians being hung I will be disappointed !
Isn`t it the opening of the Transfer Window today ?…………….I`ll be back later to
……………talk about our new signings…………..at least 2 or 3 ! 🙂
Ok…..I`m back for a sec` !………………..have we bought MMMMMMbappe yet ?………………Lacazette ?……………………Aubamayang ?……………..Henry Onyekuro ( he has to be worth a punt at around £8M even if he turns out a dud !………..bet someone else gets him and then next couple of seasons he`s worth £100M and Wenger will say how we nearly bought him !)
Afternoon…. Must have been lonely Lc… 😉
Afternoon Rico, good post.
Afternoon All.
Sat up late last night watching the election results, seems that the influence of the written Press is wasting away, does anybody take any notice of them anymore?
The Internet is king, both in football and politics, the old order is dead.
Afternoon Kev, so did I. All guess work I reckon…
Afternoon Rico. Good read, thank you.
I sincerely hope we keep hold of Bellerin. He is young, quick, skilful and not afraid to shoot when the opportunity arises.
Early days, but, I like the look of our new formation. With Koscielny, Holding and Mustafi and Bellerin and our new signing as our attacking full backs. I simply loved watching Holding in the cup final stand up to Costa, we haven’t seen this for a long time from our players.
If we can acquire a muscular unit top quality midfielder to accompany our many other midfielders and maybe a Lacazette up front, things could be promising for the new season.
We must sling out our rubbish. Wenger needs to get tough and not be soft on his favourites. Free up some places and money for new youngsters.
Why can’t we treat the Europa cup like the league cup? Play our second string. This would enable our first team to go all out for the premiership.
Please Mr Wenger, get your transfer deals done early this window.
Afternoon Vcc, thanks.
Add Ox in there too and even Gabriel, we for once look much stronger at the back.
Xhaka looked much better as the season closed in so we could see a much better player next season. He needs a partner though imo as Santi will be missing.
Strike force, definitely need a guy whose going to get us 20-30 goals a season…
yep, no faffing, just get our deals done so we are fully prepared when the season kicks off, not just before the last ten odd games..
Good read Rico….very well said VCC . I like the sound of Mbape but I don’t think we’ll get him maybe Lacazette and Henry.
Thanks Bondex. Mbappe is staying put apparently. In any case, his fee is far to high for us imo… I doubt AW would blow his entire budget on one player…
Is Lacazette really that good?
Why is he still at Lyon?
Good point Kev but I wouldn’t mind him at Arsenal..
37 goals in 45 appearances – pretty good I’d say… lol
He’s still at Lyon because Atleti have a transfer embargo. He’s reportedly said he’ll stay put until Madrid are able to sign him, a year if necessary!
I suspect he won’t be coming our way.
Nice day here. Sunny intervals.
Hi Rico, all.
Nice couple of posts you and Kev have been churning.
I won’t be surprised if by September we hear there are no quality signings or external factors were stumbling blocks. Trying to remain positive though.
That’s a shame Wavy, afternoon to you and Marshall.. thanks
I wouldn’t be surprised either if AW came out with that line again…
Kev, IMHO, Lacazette is not better than Perez. Which begs the question why buy Lacazette when you have Perez who is much better suited for the English game if given a chance. Lacazette is 5’8″ tops and about 155 lbs …..imagine him and Sanchez leading the line, has to be the shortest line in EPL….. compared to Perez at 6′ 160-5 with exceptional football acumen, and can flourish as a winger.
This year Perez score 8 goals for Arsenal on a limited basis and last year he scored 18 goal for a very poor Deportivo team. Play him on a regularly and he can get 15-18 goals.
Am with you Obi on Perez. He’s a victim of Wenger’s favoritism. Imo he’d be our second striker – after our fictional first class striker is signed.
Ditto re Perez, but it seems he’s off which is stupid really. Not only will we lose money when we sell him but we’ll have to spend more to replace him with someone better..
Makes little sense.
Afternoon all…………………OK, who we bought since I`ve been at The Royal Cornwall Show ?………………….no one !!!…………………..you lot are rubbish, worse than Dick Law`s and his scabby crew !
Effing nearly £40 to get in the RCS !………….and all the food becomes expensive like £1 a donut and £3 for chips that are not even fresh cooked ones, bloody frozen shit………..Royal Rip Off Show !………….shant be going again, rather waste my money on The Emirates Cup and get ashyxiated on Pie&Mash !
Good shout Kev and OBI……..I’ve not seen a lot of Lacazette, but he is quicker than Giroud and Perez is on his way as Wenger didn’t fancy him. Don’t know how true it is but apparently Gazidis wanted him and not Wenger, that’s why he wasn’t played a lot.
As you all say, we need a 20-30 goal machine……..but who?
Shows what a controller he is if that’s true about Perez…
Lacazette would get 20+ goals I’m sure…
Wenger is a dictator Rico. A stubborn Frenchman, who doesn’t see any wrong in what he does.
Hopefully, he has seen the light with a new formation. Although Xhaka had a good cup final, the jury is still out for me. I still think we need a unit in mid field. Someone who is big and string. Surely with our scouting resources we can find a top quality player for that position.
Isn’t he just Vcc. I thought Xhaka improved in the second half of the season. He could just be one of those players who take time to settle. I like him a lot.
You’d have thought so re the striker but he hasn’t since RVP left, not really. If we sign one and keep Sanchez, we’d score bucket loads.
Xhaka is the Alonso we always wanted, I haven`t seen ( well I cant remember one, maybe someone else can enlighten me ! ) an Arsenal player with his range of passing in all my years !.
There`s one player out there who I commented a couple of years ago who reminds me of RVP in his body movement and that`s Morata !…………………..should have offered £50M yonks ago !
A few on here wanted him Lc, a few didn’t either as he was unproven, however, look at him now. I really hope he doesn’t end up at Utd.
Rico with all due respect, I highly doubt that Lacazette can get 20 goals in EPL. As much as we criticize Giroud, Lacazette can’t even displace Giroud as the French’s main striker, part of the reason being Giroud’s ability to hold the ball-up and his work rate.
The other things also is that Lacazette cannot lead the line by himself in the EPL and his workrate is not Welbeck like nor his toughness and tenacity Sanchez like. For 60m? No thanks. I rather spend half of that to keep Sanchez….. I still have 120m left.
Get DM, like an underrated one such as LLarramendi at Sociedad, Andrew Surman at Bournmouth or Hannover’s Sane still have 100m left. Go after Bale (if they get Mbappe), Aguero, Lukaku, Andre Silva and you still have money for a winger after you sell the under-performers. You see Arsene, its easy, now get to work…….lol.
No problem Obi. I guess we’ll never know unless he moves to the PL but if he does and to a team which creates the amount of chances we often do, I’d bet 50p he would…. lol
Pie & mash, with heaps of peas!!!!!!!! Soul food ?
Always liked Olly and is definately a horses for course`s player, also vastly underated, probably the most underated player we`ve ever had, his 17th goal in 17 starts for France, a goal as said ……….more stunning than himself !
https://twitter.com/ArsenalTerjex/status/873260538423382016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Folivier-giroud-somehow-managed-to-score-a-goal-more-stunning-than-himself-this-weekend-128965
Horses for courses though re Ollie. If AW is aiming to play fast flowing football, the ‘perfect’ football as he suggests, then Ollie doesn’t fit in imo, whereas someone quicker like Lacazette surely would?
Not knocking Ollie but his best position is from off the bench imo, or in certain games when he fits into a different plan.
I’m glad people are realising how good OG is. 🙂
Ha ha Adam. Mind you, that was a cracking goal he scored last night.
Morning Rico. It really was a superb strike. Brilliant goal for sure.
Morning Adam. Nice muck up by Lloris too… lol
Morning all.
Olly doesn`t have to be fast, he can just pose and look good in a world class manner !
🙂
OK………..if you`re wondering what Rico is on about ?……..he did a brilliant assist !
🙂
https://twitter.com/WelBeast/status/873281446642933760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2017%2F06%2F07%2Fstand-up-if-you-love-arsene-wenger%2F
Morning all.
Giroud will always be underrated, imo.
His touch is incredible for a big guy, and he can hit a ball.
His problems are his turning circle is akin to the QE11, and the obvious lack of pace.
Still, I doubt anyone would say we haven’t got great value out of him.
Matt Ryan, the Aussie keeper, is almost a done deal to Brighton.
I said 2-3 years back that if he were 3 inches taller, he’d have been a PL keeper then.
He’s a touch over 6 foot, so he can struggle at times, but his shot stopping is phenomenal.
The other lad I tipped was Tommy Rogic who’s defeintely good enough, imo.
Go the Aussies!!
Morning all.
Loris looks like he left his teeth in a glass by the bed.
Hey Scott………….you said you had an Arsenal banner arrive late for your Aussie Gooner Club, have you any photo`s of the day and how many Aussie Gooners turned up……was there lots of beer consumption ? etc etc 🙂
Hi LC,
As usual, my little area had bugger all people get out of their warm beds to watch, but I know I’m most of our cities, good numbers attended and yes, plenty of the amber fluid was consumed 🙂
Not long until the boys are here 🙂
QE2 Scott, that’s being kind… 😉
I just heard, England is controlled Northern Ireland?
It’s Great Britain GG and you heard wrong… 🙂
*by
Oh, the irony?
Great Britain playing Australia in the cricket tonight?
No, that’s England..
New post up