Morning all.
The only thing sweeter than watching Utd’s de Gea missing a penalty in a Europa Cup Final would be Kane missing one. I still smile when I think of Scholes missing his in our FA Cup Final win back in 2005. Arsene Wenger was the master of FA Cup trophies, Unai Emery is certainly the master of the Europa Cup.
The frustrating thing is though, that could so easily have been Arsenal last night putting Utd to the sword. If only we’d have had someone to score just one goal at The Emirates.
I’m chuffed for Unai Emery though and his Villarreal team especially after I heard the commentator say that was the first time the club had won such a trophy. He came close to doing the same at Arsenal but big players let him down. By the time Arsenal had got to Baku, trouble in the camp had already set in.
Back then, the board buried their head in the sand, pretty much leaving Emery to take the flack. This time though, with a few different faces on the board, the trouble makers have and are being removed which is how it should be. Player power is dangerous and as we’ve witnessed first hand, destructive. Very few managers survive once he’s lost the dressing room and eventually, Unai Emery was sacked. Back in Spain though, where language isn’t a problem, he’s doing alright. Better than alright now his club have secured a place in the Champions League next season.
The wait for a Champions League for Arsenal though goes on but with no European distractions for Mikel Arteta and his players next season, I kind of get the feeling it’ll be now or never situation for Mikel Arteta. I doubt any Arsenal fan expects the club to win the League any time soon, but I think it’s fair to assume fans will at least want to see us compete for it. Liverpool, City, Utd, Chelsea, Leicester and even the Toots will invest this summer but according to Mikel Arteta, so will Arsenal. The only difference between them and us is they’ll all have midweek fixtures to contend with.
Yorkshire Live report this morning that Sheffield Wednesday fitness guru is set to leave the League One club for Arsenal. He’s set to be the clubs new academy head of sports science and medicine. Apparently, he used to be employed by Man Utd.
In other football news, taken from Sky Sports paper talk roundup, Conte has quit Inter Milan and Lukaku could follow him, Zidane has quit Real Madrid and Leicester City are in talks to sign Arsenal target Ryan Bertrand. Lastly, The Mail report that UEFA is believed to be considering getting rid of the away goals rule for European competitions with it increasingly felt it is outdated. Oh well, we don’t have to worry about that one.
See you in the comments.
Good morning Rico, “Academy Head of Sports Science and Medicine”. Do we really need one?
Whatever happened to the bloke who used to run on the pitch with a bucket of cold water and a sponge to treat everything from a bruised shin to a broken leg.
AHoSSaM? Fiddlesticks!!
Scott, in the previous post you asked us whether we would prefer 4 Europa leagues to 1 Champions league.
My personal wish is neither. I would love us to win two cups which many deem to be irrelevant. Every season.
I would love to win the Charity Shield each season and the European Super cup.
Other cups like the EPL, Europa lge, Champions lge, FA cup are just little joys which are totally inferior to winning the Charity Shield and European Super cup.
off to read the post now
Morning all.
Devil, my opinion remains that European football should be for the league champions only, so really, it’s nice for the bank account and yes, I watch and hope we win but I’d rather win the League than the CL.
it is irrelevant what cup you win as long as you are winning a tin pot every season.
I still say that the Charity shield and the European Super Cup are the trophies that Arsenal should aspire to.
And if you think about it Scott…..you will begin preferring winning the European Super cup to the Champions league. Just think outside the box mate.
Even the Charity shield each season is more important than the league.
Devil, i guess you must be champions of the League or FA cup to compete so your point is taken 🙂
Hi all I’m putting in my 2 cents worth, I would prefer to win the league and The FA cup
That is the reason Scott. I am glad you guessed.
I take great joy when we win the Charity shield…..as that would mean its either one or both cups are residing in the cupboard.
Tbh….I would love the Charity shield to be played between the winners of the EPL, FA Cup and the Lge Cup in a tournament of three 45 minute games…..A vs B (45 mins) B vs C (45 mins) A vs C (45 mins). So its like playing against two teams but not more than two halves.
Imo winning the EPL is superior to the Champions lge. The EPL is over a season…38 gruelling games. The Champions league is only 13 games.
So yes…..the EPL every season for me all the way. And I dont bloody care if the EPL ends up like in Scotland or Germany or Holland or Spain, were no one competes and its the same team winning every time. If Arsenal go 10 years winning the EPL straight I would be very happy. Much more than one Champions lge.
Arteta has won the EPL manager of the month. Willock EPL player of the month. Pepe EPL goal of the month
Yes Devil, when a team can be 4th best in their league, they can not possibly be the best team in Europe.
Geoff, let’s win them both this coming season 🙂
Superb recognition for Willock!!!
Brilliant stuff!!
The league then F.A Cup domestically after that Carabao with Community shield way last.
Champions leaguie is the most important outside the country and would be a great asset to the club , Europa league would be nice and the new competition is the plate and for bedding in kids, thankfully we are not in it.
Potter, to win the Charity shield you need to have won the EPL and /or the FA Cup. Not way last…it should be the priority of EVERY club and Manager imo.
You cant participate in the Shield if you dont win either of them
Scott let’s hope the club support Arteta this transfer market as I believe it will be his make or break transfer market
Morning Cicero, someone at the club seems to think so.
Please for the Arsenal gang, about we won something 😂
Yes Geoff, I reckon this window offers Arteta the chance to have close enough to HIS squad, give or take a few.
No Europe means it’s a little easier for him to focus on the League.
No excuses, and I don’t believe he will need them.
Devil it’s a pre season friendly , no more no less . the honours for participation a gone . It has little bearing on the future.
it seems you dont get my reasoning Potter…..To participate in that means that the season before we are either EPL champions or FA Cup winners.
Got it now??
If we get to participate or win it every season it simply means that every season we are winning either or both
To win the European super cup you either have to win the Europa lge or the Champions lge.
PL, Fa Cup for me. As far as Arsenal go, European competitions are about the money as we don’t win them.
Roma are alleged to be in talks with Arsenal for Xhaka
I understand that Devil but the plaudits for the qualification are from the season before. The traditional curtain raiser to the season is just that . A curtain raiser that has no bearing on what is to come
I am not talking about one season Potter. I am talking about each season. Imagine if we were to take part in it year in year out. That would mean at least 10 trophies (EPL or FA Cup) every decade.
Rico…..Xhaka can go to whoever he wants. However, Roma are skint…or they won’t pay. I doubt they would want to pay what we think he is worth. They did not want to pay for Mkhitaryan. And I doubt that Xhaka is a Mourinho style player.
I don’t know anything about Roma however is there anyone who we could do a straight swap For Xhaka.
The FA Cup still holds a special place for me, I can remember sleeping on a mattress in the lounge and being woken up early in the morning to watch it live as a family
I don’t care how often we win it , obviously if we are playing I want to win . However it is a pretty worthless trophy for a match which is little more than a jolly for the F.A to make them feel good.
Roma coach – Mourinho
We didn’t win the Premiership, we didn’t win the FA Cup, we didn’t get the top Four Trophy and we won’t have Thursday night football next season. So, there is no point talking about targets beyond the three home tournaments.
Obviously, we should aspire to finish top of the league, but, realistically, it’s out of our reach and we would struggle for top six. Winning the FA Cup would put a gloss on the end of the season. Winning the Carabao cup would give the team a mid-way lift.
One target that must be attained is to finish the season considerably less than this terms twenty-five points behind the league winners.
Devil, I think you’re wishing on a star there, it’s never going to happen.
I see where Potter is coming from re the Charity Shield. A nice day out perhaps but winning it means little or nothing to most fans I’m sure.
According to stats Xhaka is the top player with 268 passes in the final third. More than any other player in the top division.
Not bad for a player who passes only sideways and backwards. Or so it is that many claim to be
Devil you and I look destined to lock horns today ,
Xhaka may have great passing stats but so did Denilson . My problem with him is not how often he passes the ball but the time he takes to do it..
We criticise our forwards and quite rightly but although I have not been in the stadium like everyone else I can remember seeing forwards making diagonal runs and watching Xhaka either failing to see them or else not prepared to risk possesion in trying to find them.
Sorry to say but I thought our midfield played bettewr when he was at Left back.
DG, one can’t make any conclusion from the bare fact that Xhaka made 268 passes in the final third. How many were “completed”, how many were intercepted, how many were lateral or back passes, how many lead to a goal scoring opportunity.
Stats eh? Meaningless without examination. 😉
I think Xhaka is one of those players who if a good offer comes in, he’ll go.
Oh no not Ryan Bertrand as well, I am devastated, when will this nightmare ever end… 🤓
Maybe Arsenal are going to sign Eden Hazard from Real Madrid?
And now I’ve blogged it, it will probably turn up on Twitter, say, Sunday and be on News Now Monday morning and Talk Shite on Tuesday where Darren Gough will run the rule over it while that ginger prick takes the piss.
Cicero, perhaps not in Aubameyang’s case though… 😂
Welcome to the Summer Transfer Window…
It opens on June 9th and runs until August 31st, oh what fun we’ll all have… 😬
Let’s hope not Kev. Hazard I mean, not Bertrand.
Poch going back to the Toots and Allegri to Juve it seems. What a carry on… lol
To be frank my main concern is seeing Kido Taylor Hart sign a new contract because I saw a few flashes from him at the end of the season that made me sit up and think that this kid can break into the 1st team next season and I’d rather rather see that then read rubbish about Coutinho and the like.
We’ve gone down that avenue before and it’s absolute sh*t and I don’t want us repeating that rubbish with Bertrand and any other old geezer looking for one last pay day.
When will we learn to start acting like a big club again?
It’s odd isn’t it Rico, Levy was behind the sacking of Pochetino and the hiring and firing of Mourinho and perspective re hiring of Pocchetino and yet he’s still in a job after four major feck ups?
Beggars belief really Kev.
No problems Potter. I am a Taurus 🐂😂😂😂😂
Be careful then I’m a Scorpio
Xhaka is rarely given credit by fans, and it’s more along the lines of “oh and Xhaka actually did ok today” rather than proper credit..
I mean, did anyone actually highlight his superb tackle that won the ball back for Pepe’s goal on the weekend?
It was brilliant yet because it was Xhaka, it went unnoticed or certainly was not spoken about.
If it were an opponent, we’d be saying that is the type of player we need.
The man gives 100%.
Auba doesn’t and yet plenty on social media defend him.
Go figure.
Scorpio eh?
Dodgy geezer…. 😄
Pochetino going back to Spurs? I don’t think so! Didn’t he leave / get sacked after falling out with Levy over the lack of money for transfers? Now with Levy being forced to sell Kane and probably Deli Ali too it will mean a half season at least of rebuilding, even if they can afford to replace two players who flourished under Porch.
Zidane is leaving Real Madrid, Pochetino would be a better fit at The Bernabeu. It’s always a mistake to go back.
Zidane leaving probably means there’s no Odegaard for Arsenal, although they do need to sell before they can buy as they’re skint even if that’s meant bugger all in the past.
Kev, I’d have liked Odegaard to stay, but then, it’s also not a position we lack quality in so it won’t be the end of the world imo
The more I look at the lad from Brighton, the more I hope we get him.
Bissouma??
Think that’s the spelling.
Him and Partey could be as solid as a rock in midfield for us!!
Apparently Mourinho wants to sign Xhaka for Roma when he takes over there. Arsenal value Xhaka at around £21 million, but Roma hope to pay only £10 million. At that price Arsenal should tell Mourinho to go jump in the Tiber.
Cicero, I agree we should ask for a lot more, but considering the majority of fans have been nothing but critical of Xhaka for a few years, I’d have thought most would be happy to see the back of him, no matter the fee.
Cicero, you have just confirmed what I said earlier….Roma are skint/scrooges and will try not to pay money. They always aim getting good players on the cheap. Remember Mkhitaryan?? He wanted to go there and in the end Roma got a very good player (and he has upped his performances for them) for peanuts. They will try the same with Xhaka. Maybe we should ask them for Cristante in part exchange plus money. yes if they want to pay just 10million I would accept that plus Cristante. I doubt they would accept.
I just hope that Arteta does not sell Xhaka and replaces him with an African player who we will lose between January and March. Because if he does it will mean no defensive midfield for those three months seeing that we already have Partey and Elneny in those positions.
Morning everyone.
Maybe we should offer Xhaka to Roma for 15 million plus 5 million if they sell him in the next 3 years and first chance of buying him back for less then they brought him for if the want to sell him
Geoff as far as I know, Xhaka has not expressed any wish to leave Arsenal. That being the case if we sold him it would be against his will, what chance is there that he would want to come back?
Xhaka still has 2 more year contract with the club. So if Roma want him I feel that the club should put their foot down and ask for at least 25 million. I can assure you that if it was the other way round, we wanted Xhaka from Roma we would be paying prime money for him. We would be talking 25-30 million.
Geoff….in Xhaka’s case, being 27 years old, I would not want him back. He is already slow for the EPL, although I feel he knits the midfield together, so imagine what he would be like in 3 years time playing in a League which is far slower pace than the EPL.
£10m for Xhaka? Roma can take a long run and jump off of a short pier imo. He might not be perfect, but he’s had a pretty good season I think.
Does anyone know anything about Achraf Hakimi A 22 year old Moroccan right back at Inter Milan. Apparently Arsenal are after him. Of course, DG won’t want him as he will be going to the ACN. 😉
Can’t sit around here chatting all day, the grass drying nicely so it’s time to get the mower out. Laters.
It’s a no from me Cicero..
Liverpool are the only club that seem to have moved quickly and pretty much have Konate from RB Leipzig signed up for £35m or is it €35m, it’s a buy out clause anyway.
We’ve had a raft of managers moving or who want to move, like Mourinho, Potchinno, Zidane, Allegri, Galtier (Lille) and Conte, everything else is rumour and agent inspired.
Maybe the agent of Xhaka is after a new deal for Granit from Arsenal?
If he is, I don’t think Xhaka should get one. He’s not going to get any quicker or younger.
Xhaka would suit Italian football beautifully-or vice versa.
Talking of Italian football, I wonder if Ramsey will end up back at Cardiff like Walcott has ended up back at Southampton. That was a disastrous decision made by him and his camp.
He got paid a fortune in wages for doing very little, Rico.
Hasn’t he just Cicero. I bet he wishes he’d signed the contract now.
Yeah Italy in lockdown must have been a bundle of laughs
Arsenal have drawn Toots in the Women’s FA Cup quarter final…
If only it wasn’t pulled from the table, hey Rico 😉
400k a week-he did ok.
Trouble is, so did his bloody agent lol
I meant initially Scott, had he/his agent not faded around, he’d still be at the club.
I think even Wenger said they tried to get him to agree a new contract.
But yep, financially he’s done rather well.
Ha ha Potter..
That’s true, Rico.
Both sides played their game.
Agents-evil bastards imo!!!
Players shouldn’t hide behind them, either.
Ramsey was no wide eyed kid, he knew what he was doing and how much he was going to earn. If he didn’t like what his agent was up to he was free to tell him to f**k off.
I’m pretty sure that any of us offered a wage three or four times higher for moving employers would have jumped at the chance.
Arsenal just got bored with waiting I think Scott.
Agreed Cicero.
Rico you are right…..Arsenal got bored with Aaron failing to sign the contract. So they just put their foot down and withdrew it. I feel if he had not dithered he would have been up there with legend status on the same level as DB10 and TH14 and IW08
Cicero, that’s why I said players shouldn’t hide behind their agents.
How much is enough money??
Money over happiness-some may choose that.
And your comment about taking a wage 3/4 times our current one is irrelevant.
If I suddenly earned 4 times what I do know, my life changes.
Do you really think someone earning 400k a week will notice the quality of steak has improved from then they were on 100k??
Nothing changes except the bank balance.
Devil, not sure about that but I get what you mean re Ramsey.
I think Cicero’s view about being offered another job for 3/4 times the salary is very relevant Scott because let’s be honest, football is mostly about money now. Long gone are the days when a player stays at a club because of the club.
It’s ALL about money now, Rico.
Well nearly 🙂
When you read stories about Kante driving a Mini, there is still hope.
Nothing against Mini’s at all, but you get my point.
Our skipper has more cars than Henry Ford and seems to enjoy being photographed with them more than scoring goals.
Ramsey would’ve ended up an all time Arsenal favourite imo, but there’s only a few Arsenal legends.
Ramsey legend status? On a par with Dennis, Thierry and Ian? Yer ‘avin a larf, DG.
Devil
Ramsey was good but even at his best there is no way I would have him close to legend status
I am not having a larf about Ramsey.
I am being serious. Ramsey was a big time player. A player who turned up on the big occasions. In finals. And he scored. True, he did not score as much as TH or DB, but had he stayed he would have spent his entire career with us bar a year before he came when he was at Cardiff.
I feel that if he stayed he would have made the number 10 position his own and scored a few more goals. Plus he would have been made captain I am sure.
Think about it. If he stayed all his career with us he would have retired with all the honours and pomp which TA06, TH and DB were given. TA was a legend because he was Mr Arsenal, DB was legend because of the way he made the team tick, TH was a legend because of the goals he scored. Aaron would have been a legend because of his commitment and for turning up in the biggest of games.
I am sure that in 2006, had Aaron already been an Arsenal player (he was still young back then) he would have scored against Barca in the final. And maybe TH would have got his medal earlier and not left.
But yes…had he stayed he would have been up there with them.
Morning everyone
Seems that Mahrez and Sterling are made available my City. And according to NN we are interested.
Make of that what you will but imo Mahrez is over 30 while Sterling is a lover of the injury room. Echoes of Willian or the fact that they used to be coached by Arteta will work in our favour for once?
I am undecided but leaning on the not too keen on them
I feel that although Sterling is an Englishman plus the fact that Mahrez is very experienced both of them are now set in their ways and would probably turn out to be like Willian or like Auba/Ozil after signing their contracts. So they would not be easily adapt to Arteta’s system which although similar to that of Guardiola would need all outfield players to put their weight in defence. I dont think that one or both should be bought in. As personally I would prefer Nelson to be given his chance alongside Pepe, Saka, Martinelli. Nelson would work his socks off like the latter three and would be good competition for both. Plus the fact that he is English and would not cost a penny which would be invested elsewhere.
I would rather the money was invested in the positions we have always called out for…..RB, LB, CB and DM. True they may not be household names however I feel that if we get around 20 outfield players who do their damned best and give it all over a whole season we would go places.
Morning all.
Devil, Ramsey divided fans. He could have stayed until 2050 but he’d never have been an Arsenal legend in my eyes.
New post up now
https://highbury-house.com/2021/05/29/five-substitutes-back-next-season/