Morning all.
I think the last couple of fixtures alone have proved than this current Arsenal squad needs changing this summer. It needs investment, it needs some quality players added to it and it needs some deadwood cleared out. Yes I know, this is not something which has suddenly become apparent, it’s been rolling on for several years now. About 12 or 13 years by my reckoning. We’ve come close to winning the Premier League once or twice during those 12 or 13 years but when it came to the final push, we lacked something. Belief perhaps, quality, mental strength or a culmination of all three. Basically, we had a meltdown and faded when it really mattered. The Ramsey, Eduardo incidents didn’t help, the Gallas strop, the Leicester season when we only had them to beat as every other club was going through troubles of their own. So close sometimes, yet by May, so far.
Here we are now in 2020, way off a Europa spot, let alone a top four finish and with Liverpool sitting firmly at the top with almost double our points tally, we’re light years away from winning the Premier League.
Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and perhaps Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah are the younger players who have in my opinion done enough to warrant a place in the squad next season. Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe, AMN have question marks against them I’m sure and I’m far from convinced Matteo Guendouzi is right for Arsenal either. A lot of running around, but what does he actually achieve? Yet.
Signing young talented players is always a good thing as they’re cheaper to buy and pay. Great, but unless they’re exceptionally good like Martinelli and Saka for instance, expecting them to push this team back into the Champions League places next season is a pipe dream in my opinion. What this squad needs is experience and quality.
But, we all know ‘Arsenal are skint.’ I don’t think the club is skint at all, it’s just been badly run. As said yesterday, we’ve made signings, plenty of them but Arsenal and signings remind me of kids in a sweet shop. Man City kids have a tenner in their pocket so they can buy what they really want, whereas Arsenal kids have a fiver so just buy as many sweets as they can afford only to find that they didn’t really enjoy them, wishing they’d bought just one thing they’d really like instead. Or perhaps two. And then what have we done? Continue to reward mediocre players, or players who really aren’t who or what Arsenal need, handsomely. Either that or sell them for a pittance or worse, let them walk out of the door for nothing. That’s really bad management by anyone’s standards let alone a top Premier League Football Club. That’s why we’re in the financial mess we’re in with regards to our overinflated wage bill and why we have Saka and Aubameyang just one year away from walking out of the club for free. Mustafi and Ozil too. They, plus any other player who doesn’t see Arsenal as being for them, or more importantly, if Arteta doesn’t think they’re for Arsenal, have to be sold this summer. Difficult though I know.
FFP. It’s good, of course it is because it’s there to prevent football clubs ending up in financial difficulties but as we know this summer, the rules are being relaxed so that owners can part with more money to cover debt.
This is from The Guardian:
Owners of top clubs will temporarily be permitted by Uefa’s financial fair play rules to put more money into their clubs, to cover increased losses caused by football’s shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Uefa announced a series of “emergency measures” to acknowledge that clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League, who must comply with FFP “break-even” limits, cannot do so this season because of drastic losses caused by the shutdown.
The principles accept that clubs can make losses greater than the permitted €30m over a rolling three-year period, and that owners can cover those losses. Uefa stressed, however, that it was still committed to encouraging good financial management by clubs, and the measures were aimed only at “neutralising the adverse effects of the pandemic”: lost ticket income while matches are played behind closed doors, and the potentially major loss of some TV, commercial and sponsorship income.
The current rules, intended to encourage clubs to live within the money they make and not pay excessive wages to players, limit clubs’ maximum losses to €30m over a three-year period, as long as €25m of that loss is covered by an owner. The new measures state that the current 2020 financial year will not be assessed at all under FFP procedures, and will instead be rolled up into 2021, and the two years assessed together as a single financial period.
Excuse me if I’m failing to see the bleedin obvious here but I can’t see any mention of how much any one club is permitted to spend during this 2020 footballing financial year and does it include next January’s transfer window too? I assume it does.
So could the Kroenke family could hand Raul and co an open chequebook and this years spending on transfers would not be taken into consideration when the next FFP assessment is carried out? Imagine that eh, “here you go Raul, £500 million, now go and sort my club out and tell that Arteta bloke to win the League or he’ll be out on his ear.”
In theory, my interpretation of the rules is yes, he could. He won’t, of course not, as £500 million is a ridiculous amount of money which not even Man City would consider spending. In one transfer window anyway. But what it does mean, again, if I’ve read it right, is that Arsenal will be able to invest in the squad properly.
Don’t look at the price tag, look at the quality. Don’t go for quantity, instead, opt for quality. Quality could be in a £10 million player but it could also be in a £40+ million players. Arsenal need who is right not who costs the most or least. Arsenal have to sign who they need, not who is available because I expect 90% of players are available for the right price.
If the Arsenal owners/board don’t want another season of scrabbling around mid table, then this is the time to invest in the squad. The plan in place, whatever that might be, is in Mikel Arteta’s hands to deliver on the pitch. The board have to back him. They have to give him the right tools to do the job they expect him to do with success.
If the Kroenke family aren’t interested in supporting their manager right now, when they financially can, then they never will. I can hear the words from Peter Hill-Wood already ringing in my ear already..
Waffle, ramble, call it what you like. It’s finished for the day.
See you in the comments…
Put on last post just as Ricom put up new post! 😆
This is piss poor times for Arsenal no matter who the manager is or would be. There is no one out there who could instantly change our club, it will take time.
Can anyone honestly tell me which other manager/coach would do better without the mega millions invested!
From the outset of Arteta`s tenure(which has not been a full one due to Coronavirus) my opinion was he needed years to make us competitors and that would be with money invested, with no money invested how long?……………………..correct me if I`m wrong, but when in our history have we had so many loan signings?………….
Thanks Rico.
Kroenke has bucked the trend in the lockdown making £323M according to the media, so maybe not £500M to invest! 🙂
It seems a long time ago now that we had
a leader,thats why the crank in midfield is
rated so high in the stats compartment,
to be fair to him he at leasts backs up
the players.if he could learn how to tackle
and stop giving away freekicks around our box
prehaps we would all give him a break.
Micky has to find a leader to change this around
we must have a kid in the stiffs who would die for
The Arsenal only then will I think the change in
mood during games and in the dressingrooom
might change.
I got the feeling that Pablo Marsbar was Mickys
geezer for the job..we will have to wait now.
Slightly disagree on throwing money at the same
problem,half this lot will want to go home with the
wage cuts.
At the moment I would keep of Hold-it,Champers,
and Tiny Tears,Saladbowl maybe a bit young yet.
Not sure of Bellrina and try get a couple of older
heads involved.
I know we all wanted Arsene out..But
I wonder if he still has that Magic Hat laying
around.
Lc, I’m a firm believer that Emery would have done better with better, more of the kind of players we’ve needed for years and still do now.
These blokes are paid well, they should be fighting for their club in every game, regardless of who the manager is but nowadays, it’s tools down when they’ve had enough.
As I’ve often suggested, the first thing a manager of Pep’s quality or Klopp, would do is to replace more than half of the guys we have. Toothless lot.
Nice one, Rico! Jeez, I’m depressed!! Even if Stan was to splash the cash – unlikely – we’d still dither, scrimp and shop in the bargain basement!
Everyone else is strengthening, moving forward as a club. Not us.. is it any wonder really though with the muppets running us?
If we lose again on Thursday, omg it really will be Alexa, where’s the nearest bridge!! 😄
Morning again Rico and all. I agree, but would add that we need to draw a line once and for all under the lingering player issues we have. I am concerned that, without a plan that the management buys into 100%, we will continue to buy players who are expensive and then try to shoehorn them into a side that has no strong base to build around. In other words, continue on the same path.
If Arteta is the man to bring back the good times and we all hope he is, then he has to demand what he needs to achieve it. Perhaps he has already done this. But he needs Raul and Stan onboard too. He’s new to the job but he will need to be strong to convince these people that he knows where he wants the club to go. That won’t be easy.
More interested in finding George’s bit iof string .
Make the back four and the midfield operate as a cohesive team and we are halfway there.
If FFP allows the brakes to come off Arsenal’s buying so will it for all the rest of the teams and there are quite a few clubs now with owners that could heavily invest and that creates inflated prices and wages.
I can’t see KSE giving enough to cure the malaise , it will need much more than a sticking plaster and that’s about all we would get.
This pandemic is unique but not solely in this country , reports from the states suggest that the Los Angeles project has money problems and Stan will see that as much more important were he to dip in his pocket . Once you accept that in his organisation we are little more than a great bit of London real estate you can temper your expectations and accept that we have sunk to the level that we are likely to be at for some time.
Hi Rico and All We need Kroenke to sit down with Arteta and find out first of all what is happening with Ozil and if Arteta does not want him the Kroenke put his hand in his pocked and give the club the money to pay Ozil contract out then the players on less money can not use Ozil payment against the club.
Then Arteta and co can start looking at the other players including any one out on loan and if in dealt sell them.
Morning all.
This season really has been a write off fir a while now.
Let’s hope and trust Arteta is wading through the squad to see exactly what he has and what he lacks.
On the previous post I said it, and I’ll stand by it.
In 12 months time, our squad will look very different, as will our position on the table.
5 months, 3 of which everyone was at home, and people are criticising Arteta already on social media.
I don’t get it at all, but I guess years of frustration is behind it.
Onwards and upwards, and Stan will show us all if he’s ever going to invest.
Adam, I agree he needs to be strong, and hopefully he has leverage as the club did chase him-let’s hope there were some agreements.
Fred, if there’s a plan and the club get things right, any players who come to Arsenal will do so because they want for who the club is. If they want out because of money, sell them.
Thanks Sue. I’m not depressed though, in fact perhaps there’s a reason to be optimistic and maybe more so than ever before because the problem which has been ongoing for such a long time is being magnified thanks largely to Liverpool. They have proved that money is not a necessity but quality is. Hope that makes sense.
Morning again Adam, that’s what I meant by buying right and buying who we need rather than just any old body in a position we don’t need them for. Signing a winger would be an utter waste of money but signing a top notch midfielder, defender and creative midfielder would be the perfect start imo. Then there’s our full back situations – unless we snap Soares up in the next day or two, we’ll need a right back. That is unless that position can be resolved from within.
Hi Geoff, I can’t see the club ever going down that route with Ozil, or any other player really. He’s ok for home games as long as no one expects him to track back. He’s a very expensive luxury who has the Alexis Sanchez situation to thank for his ridiculous wage increase. Dreadful decision.
David_Ornstein: “I spoke to Josh Kroenke and Edu (for last week’s piece) and I can tell how impressed they’ve been with Mikel Arteta – as a person and professional. And I really think they are going to back him in a way that they should.” [the athletic] #afc
Hiya Kev,
Let’s hope Ornstein is right.
This guy is our future, imo.
If we burn him, it’ll be to our own detriment,
Rico. I guess so. We will ride the emotional roller coaster between games for a while yet. 😕
So they should Kev..
Eight I reckon Adam. 😆
In addition to the poor refereeing, in the last game, Arteta moved the team late. I should have done it right after the game. You could see that there were very tired players and not to forget that there was a game in the last 4th.
Continuing this average of 3 players unavailable for the entire season in 2 games, with players injured and unable to play, we don’t have 11 field players for the last games.
I have for many years thought, our Academy, the Network of Scouts and by using Advanced Scouting Data, are useful tools but do not show which players would work in EPL. Its tougher, harder and uncompromising, you may be a great player in Europe, but get kicked a few times over here and you to will be passing backwards before anyone get close.
The days long ago, when Arsenal collected red cards, put bodies on the line and fought for everything and won, seem to have passed. We do not have enough players that suit EPL, to fight fire with fire, kick for kick, in the Virera, Bould, Keown and Adams mould.
Instead we get promising players, loads of skills and talent, that get turned upside down and kicked a few times and forget how good they were and play safe.
Once for Rick:
Northampton Town and James Olayinka are going to Wembley for the League Two play-off final, after winning 3-0 over Cheltenham, 3-2 on aggregate.
They’ll face Exeter in the final on June 29th #AFC
That was a great win for Northampton, Kev.
I watched Exeter v Colchester…just to see how Bramall fared. Had just said I’d love to see a penalty shootout, then boom Exeter scored!!
Ornstein is saying we’re interested in Mings… would be very happy with that! Although we were keeping tabs on him back in 2014, while at Ipswich… he only cost them 10k… imagine what we’d have to shell out now!
Still no news on Leno??
Hi all, first post, I like the vibe on here. Nothing really to add yet but have been reading that Leno could be out for a year! Could just be twitter tosh though.
Tyrone Mings eh? A good age, English, PL experience and 6’ 5”. Just the job on paper…
Pwg and Gb. Welcome. Sorry you were stuck in moderation for so long.
I sure hope it’s twitter garbage Gb.
Agree PWG and that’s exactly the kind of player we need imo, certainly in defence and midfield. We’ve far too many softies in the squad.
I heard from good sources of Twitter that it could be only 6 weeks for Leno, so fingers crossed eh?
Unfortunately I also heard that Martinelli may have a knee injury.
Yes Sue I was delighted for Olayinka I think he’s a very promising player.
Yes Scott, generally I agree, since Arteta took over he’s had about 2 months with our players and then lockdown for 3 months.
There’s a couple of issues that worry me about him but I mostly think he’s done a good job despite the appalling bad luck he’s suffered with injuries and players doing stupid things on the pitch, both things out of his control.
So hope you’re right Kev..
No probs rico, thanks for the welcome. Hi Sue, how are you, remember me from ja?
We’re a friendly bunch Gb, or at least most of us are… 😂
Well hello, GB…. nice to see you! How are you doing? All good I hope!! I’m all good, thanks, well everything non football is good haha!
Just watched Brighton.. nice save from Schmeichel 😉 Now come on you Irons!!
Rico.. I agree with GB, there is a nice vibe on here! Can’t stand the arguing, use of the ‘c’ word on other sites! Everyone is entitled to an opinion!!
Thanks Sue, Gb. The only thing I try to maintain is a PC site and no ‘C’ word. Oh, and name calling, being rude to each other, and….. 😝
😆 nice one? Rico! Looking like Luiz has signed then…..
Bloomin heck, just what we need Sue!
Re Luiz Sue, just read quotes from Arteta saying his deal is until the end of this season. Cedric, Pablo hope to be permanently signed.
Talk about feeling deflated, Rico…Martinelli is out for months and then seeing that about Luiz…
As Arteta said Sue, they had no choice. It’s only a few more games to worry about. Lol
It says a year on Sky sports, Rico 🙈
David Luiz has signed a 1 year contract at Arsenal, while both Cedric Soares and Pablo Marí have both signed 4 year deals as part of Mikel Arteta’s plans to rebuild the Arsenal defence. [
@David_Ornstein
] #afc
Kia has earned himself a few bob today…
Now I wonder who else he has who we can get on the cheap?
Morning all.
Guys, fans agree we need tough, hard lads on the pitch, but when a guy like Paulista stood up, he was condemned by fans.
Seems when we get what we ask for, we want something else.
That day at Stamford Bridge was the beginning of the end of the guy, which was a shame because he was exactly what we needed, imo.
Even though he borders on petulance, even Guendouzi stands up for his teammates and is criticised.
Xhaka fouls someone and is criticised.
It’s ok for fans to say we need players like that, how about we back them, even when things go a bit wrong???
It’s a different game today-with so many divers out there, and strikers are a protected species so what players got away with 15-20 years ago would be crucified by officials today, especially Arsenal players.
Kev, I read the same thing about Leno-he will back training in 4-6 weeks.
Doesn’t help us this season, but at least it’s nowhere near as serious as first thought.
Scott, I gotta say, as far as this blog is concerned, that I don’t recall anyone in particular digging out Gabriel Paulista, I personally liked him and would have preferred to see Arsenal sell some of our other defenders at the time instead of him, but for Wenger I guess he thought that the Valencia bid was good business. Tbh Paulista didn’t really stand out in the two legs we played against them last season in the Europa did he?
If Xhaka fouls someone in the box he gets criticised, especially if it costs us the game. No surprise there mate, he’s an experienced international, he should be better than that.
If Luiz or Mustafi or Clichy do the same then they also cop it, it comes with the job!
It also depends on the foul and where you commit it, a dumb foul is rightly criticised, but if you ‘take one for team’ or stop a breakaway etc, then that’s different again.
Has Xhaka been criticised for his fouling? I’m not sure that he has I think that most of his criticism comes from his lack of impact on our play in general, especially under Emery.
As far as Guendouzi is concerned, he needs to wise up, shut up and grow up, maybe get a haircut and try to look less like a protester living it up in Seattle and more like a professional footballer? The team in general really need to learn to fight as a unit and if one of their number is being picked they damn well should bloody pile in on his behalf. Or kick the living daylights out of the guy kicking their team mate, you see the clue is in the word TEAM MATE, that’s emphasis, not shouting btw…
Sorry Kev,
Fans in general.
I wasn’t pointing the finger at anyone here and should’ve made that clear.
He was crucified on social media.
We don’t have any real scrappers.
The problem is some fans and the media like to blame Xhaka and Luiz for loosing us the match when they get a red card and call for them to be sold but the fact is we still loose some matches even when they don’t play,
fans and reporters keep talking about there red cards but not looking at the states or watching the small things they do of the ball to help other players.
Hi Geoff,
I’d actually give Luiz a crack at DM and see what happens.
His rash challenges wouldn’t be so crucial further up the pitch, he’s a strong tackler and can deliver a pass.
Scott, Luiz in midfield would be a disaster. He doesn’t have the necessary pace, he is too fond of grabbing at players. Chelsea played him in midfield when he first arrived and he looked completely out of place.
The contract extensions being signed now are merely to get us through to the end of the current season. Mari and Soares are on loan and become free agents at the end of the current season they will then be signed on permanent deals.
Cicero, better than having him at CB doing those things though.
Darn it Sue, I was going by the Arteta ‘quotes’ in the Evening Standard which alluded to it being just a short term thing, same as all of the deals until summer. I can understand why the club are keeping him but I sure don’t agree with it. Still, it’s not my reputation on the line.
Arteta did say however, the club had no choice because of the injuries. Medley, Holding, Mustafi and Papa would have got us through 8 games.
Morning Rico,
I wonder if it’s a sign we won’t be spending.
I hope not.
Scott, imo, there’s being tough, smart and naive. I liked Paulista, but after being tough to stand up against Costa after he’d battered Koscielny, he was naive and stupid to react minutes after the event and right in front of Dean’s (I think) nose. He should have known Costa was onto something and let it go. For then anyway. Koscielny was such a whimp that day.
For once, Rico, I’m lost for words!! 🤪
Rico, Kozzer was assaulted by Costa and nothing happened.
Why bother having officials if that’s allowed??
No matter what happened, one of our players was always going to be sent off by that little prick.
I loved seeing Costa hiding behind his team mates when our lad went after him and the red card, though not deserved, was worth it for the future, but the fans turned on him, unfortunately.
We can’t ask for tough, hard professionals and then complain when they show it.
That’s all I’m saying.
Ha ha Sue, surely not..
That’s where we differ Scott. Imo, Gabriel deserved his red card because of the intent. The fact that Dean failed to send Costa off for his grappling of Kos is neither here nor there really, other than had Dean done his job properly, Costa would not have been on the pitch for Gabriel to kick out at.
Being strong and together as a team is very different to these petulant little acts which are clearly an afterthought. Like Guendouzi at Brighton. It’s silly, especially as Guendouzi was nowhere to be seen when the same player shoved Leno. That was the time to make his feelings felt, not 40 odd minutes later. Or because he scored their winner.
Rico, Costa shouldn’t have been on the pitch.
If the ref does his job, Gabriel doesn’t have a problem.
I did say Guendouzi borders on petulance.
I would like to see Arteta show some aggression or anger with the 4 official when there player gave away 4 fouls on our players he should of had a go at the 4th official calling for a yellow card or even the late tackle on Leno and yet the only time I really saw him get up set was when something went wrong with the interchange. Me personally I feel that if the players see him supporting them by having a go at the 4th official then the players will fight harder for him.
In just 6 days, Phil Foden has scored the same amount of goals as the ENTIRE
@Arsenal
midfield have this SEASON! In a combined 126 appearances.
Sometimes, I wish I didn’t torture myself by looking on Twitter 🤣
Don’t do it Sue 🙂
Geoff, it’s a hard one.
Whinge and complain, officials can turn against you.
Say nothing, get nothing.
Really, it should be done through official channels but then, we get no joy there, either.
I said that about Costa and Dein Scott, get yourself off to SpecSavers. 😆
😂 Sue. Our midfield is a mess. It’s the area which lets the team down in a big way imo. It’s neither Arthur or Martha as it doesn’t protect the back line and creates zilch.
New post up now
Who’s Dein?
We better go together, Rico, but we will need a driver hahahaha
Actually, Dein would do a better job than that little bastard who shall remain nameless 🙂 🙂