Another day in this strange Covid world we’re living in right now and there’s no sign of things changing any time soon. Certainly not for sport. This morning I read that the Dutch FA have all but given up on their footballing season coming to a natural conclusion as it “intends not to continue” the Eredivisie season which like the Premier League, still has nine games to go. This move comes about after the national government extended a ban on major events until 1st September. – BBC Football.
Yesterday, Uefa said some European leagues could be cancelled “in special cases” because of the pandemic. The Belgian League has already agreed to end their season early with league placements as they are now settling things. Club Bruges, who sit 17 points clear in the top division will be declared Champions. Easy decision to make when there’s just one fixture left to play. What about Sporting de Charleroi and Royal Antwerp though who are one and two points off of a Champions League place respectively? KAA Gent who sit in 2nd place had lost three in a row before this forced break. That’s where it becomes unfair in my opinion. Big money is at stake.
I still think it’d be unfair to end the English season with the assumption that clubs would be in the same league position they are now when there are still nine/ten fixtures to play. I also think it would be wrong to push for a restart but all the time UEFA send out a ‘let’s finish the season’ message, the FA will continue to make plans to do so. The governmental lockdown though will continue to scupper any unrealistic plans they might have. A further lockdown extension to the one already in place might push English football into the ‘special cases’ zone which basically means European football places will not be in jeopardy if this season comes to a premature end. That’s how I understand it anyway and I’m sure I’ll soon be corrected if I’m wrong.
The Daily Mail are on a mission with Mesut Ozil as they continue to lambast him for not taking a pay cut. Ozil is an easy target and as much as these newspapers like to write ‘reports suggest’ or ‘a source tells the Mail etc etc’ there has been nothing, absolutely nothing said or written by Arsenal FC or the player himself, which confirms this rumour. Ozil is overpaid, he blows hot and cold, mostly cold, he doesn’t like defending and he goes missing on a cold winters night – we know all that because we see it with our own eyes but as for anything else, pass the salt please…
I stumbled across these words from Mikel Arteta yesterday. In the Mirror, Daily Mirror that is and they are ‘quotes’ so of course they’re true. Yes, irony!
Apparently Mikel Arteta has recently, probably a Twitter thing or something, been asked who’d he like to bring back from the past and include in his squad today.
For example, someone like Thierry [Henry] would be great. Someone like Patrick [Vieira] would be great and some leaders that we had the back. We’ve had a lot of great players who have had great success with this football club.
Another player from years gone by who he loved and respected is Michael Laudrup, an attacking midfielder who widely considered to be one of the best during his time. His brother Brian wasn’t too shabby either from what I remember.
It can’t happen, of course it can’t but his choices are interesting. A ruthless striker with pace to burn, a beast of a midfielder and an attacking, creative midfielder too. This current Arsenal squad lack two of those kind of players, all three perhaps should Aubameyang leave although I can see Martinelli stepping in to replace our number 14 with ease. There’s Pepe, Eddie and possibly Lacazette too so a striker wouldn’t be top of my priority list if money is tight.
However, the midfield would be. I hope that when Mikel Arteta was answering the question asked of him, he was thinking about which positions Arsenal are focusing on for this summers transfer window.
Which position(s) do you think Arsenal need to focus on this summer? Midfield for me, although I think you probably know that by now.
Stay safe and stay healthy guys..
Thanks Rico.
Position I would like seen to is………………..Owner!……….seeing as there is no money about and it looks like swap and loan deals, I would like to swap our owner for the rumoured new Newcastle one, who is rumoured to be richer than the Man City owner!
Also rumoured is that UEFA would like to see coefficientcy used if leagues cannot be finished, which would mean Arsenal(4th in coefficientcy) being in CL.!……………………………..the scenario that Bindippers dont get crowned champs and us getting CL instead of Chavs, Spuds etc would take excitement levels to a summer high!………………….yes I know it`s only officially Spring, but it`s always Summer in Cornwall!……….all down to my sunny disposition! 😆
Not sure having an owner like the potential Newcastle one would be a good thing Lc. Not if one considers what he actually does in his own country. I wish blokes/consortiums or whatever, stick to investing in their own country, not the one I live in.
Morning Rico, thanks for the post.
Saliba will be like a new signing, he’s a seriously big, mobile unit who’ll be a major upgrade on what we have at centre back.
Arteta has already made great strides in improving some of our current players, Luiz has looked competent and even Mustafi has started to play as if he knows what he’s doing.
But like you wrote, we need some Saliba type quality transferred into our midfield, as Wenger did back in 1996/7 and transformed our team by signing Vieira and then Petit. So a couple of big, physical, mobile, technical midfielders would do me just fine.
I think that Arteta will complete the signings of Mari and Soares, so with Saliba that’s 3 new defenders, is that enough? Possibly, but if a promising young defender becomes available who knows? But not Upamencano, he’s a bit out of our price range now.
Up front we have Nketiah, Martinelli, Nelson and Pepe, that’s if Aubameyang and Lacazette depart. John Jules and Balogun have enormous potential, but that’s all it is now, potential.
Letting our two big hitters leave and going with our youngsters would be a huge risk, so maybe if both Auba and Laca leave we’ll bring in one new striker, maybe someone we’ve never heard of of plays in Brazil..?
Morning Kev.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pepe through the middle next season if Auba and Lacazette go. We have Nelson, Hopefully Saka too on the wings with youngsters coming through behind them.
Build a stronger midfield to ‘compensate’ for the inexperience and a stronger defensive unit which it should be with Tierney, Kolasinac and Bellerin much fitter and if we keep Marí and Soares.
Seeing as you’ve mentioned Newcastle, Le Coq, this made me chuckle –
https://mobile.twitter.com/FootyHumour/status/1252534286701510656
Nice post, Rico, and your comment on the last post made me laugh (oap discount 😂) speaking of hair, I need a cut!! I’ll be looking like Tom Hanks in Castaway before long (minus the beard, Le Coq 😂)
I’m with you, Rico, the midfield does need looking at. Who knows what will happen, so many rumours doing the rounds, and not enough salt haha!!
Morning Rico. One of the casualties of our country-wide situation has been the news. In a world dominated by instantaneous communication, the truth is getting harder and harder to establish. Things are serious. The evening updates from the government is supplemented by some of the most stupid questions I have ever heard and news from Arsenal is dominated by agenda after agenda and some serious score-settling by the usual suspects. It’s either Ozil or the Kroenke family or bloody Piers Morgan who wants to be seen as the club’s/ country’s conscience.. We don’t know what Ozil is doing with his wage cuts at all and we have zero facts about Stan or Josh and their money. We know what Morgan thinks because the effluence pours from his gob incessantly but it is surely significant only in its irrelevance.
We are the mugs if we take any of the crap that John Cross and a hundred others spew.
Every time I watch Mikel speak though, I am impressed by his intelligence, candour and willingness to adapt to whatever situation he finds himself in.
Le Coq, I would certainly not welcome any hint of a Saudi Arabian investment in Arsenal Football Club.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the country’s ruler, is still under suspicion of complicity in the murder and dismemberment of the journalist Jamal Kashoggi in Istanbul.
According to Amnesty International, who have written to The English Premier League calling for them to ban the takeover of Newcastle United, Saudi Arabia executed 184 people in 2019. They keep the death penalty for murder, drug dealing and homosexuality.
The reason behind the proposed takeover is nothing to do with their love of football, it is just another example of “sports washing” their record on human rights abuse which is among the worst in the developed World.
Thanks Sue. I’m not even bothering with rumours because they’re all rubbish. As Kev says, it’s more likely that’ll we’ll see unknown players arrive which Edu knows of than someone the media link us to.
Morning Adam, totally agree re Ozil and co. But it’s easier to make news fit than to say nothing about something which probably isn’t going on.
Arteta is so so easy on the ear…
Hi Rico and All Maybe we need to look out the circle and find a strong fit midfielder and 1 tall defender from the a amateur side that no one has heard off and is not on big money
Rico. Yes, journalistic integrity should never be taken for granted.
Hi Geoff, I’m sure our scouts do.
😂 Adam
You know Adam, that’s what has struck me, during these tense times and following the government press announcements, it is the segments when our wonderful journalists ask their questions and just how repetitive and painfully banal they are…
No wonder nobody buys a newspaper anymore or really trusts the BBC…
Always the same questions asked, just differently depending on who is asking…
yep journalist and most politicians went to the same school The School of Bulls–t
so still now word from silent Stan and silent Josh about how they are going to help Arsenal
Maybe Kroenke’s answer to any money issues is that we have too buy cheap American players
The board represent the owners Geoff and we’ve heard from the club. Re the money, perhaps the rumours about them helping financially were just that, rumours. Or what they are doing, or have done is not being disclosed right now.
From what I understand, Stan has made certain personal guarantees to the banks, whatever they are, but apparently that means that Arsenal will pay a lower interest on loans.
He isn’t going to put money into the club for transfers, what would the players think if KSE put money in to sign players whilst asking them for a pay cut?
If Arsenal have to play the rest of this season behind closed doors, that’s a huge loss to the club for all aspects of running the club, not just transfers.
And if we go into next season still playing behind closed doors, we’ll still be haemorrhaging a lot of dough, that’s why the pay cut for players and wage deferrals for management are for a year.
Arsenal are actually in a relatively stronger position than many of our competitors as we have a productive Academy that could save us an absolute fortune, we just have to ensure that we keep our best young players because the petrodollar clubs will be circling our kids…
A lot of talk about Partey right now… I don’t know why I bother reading it, as I know it won’t happen! Sigh……he’d make an excellent addition to the team!
https://mobile.twitter.com/FootyHumour/status/1252961634542379009/photo/1
😆
Stan isn’t allowed to use his own money to buy players under FFP is he? Which is why I always question it when people expect him to..
Rico, I’m sure that read somewhere that FIFA/UEFA or whoever, had decided to loosen the FFP regulations due to the Wuhan virus nightmare.
I hadn’t seen that Kev. Thanks, it might make a difference then. We’ll see in the summer but I still think selling will be the Arsenal way and bearing in mind the wage bill, we’ll need to offload a few pounds.
Just found this in the Athletic.
European football’s governing body UEFA has relaxed its Financial Fair Play regulations to help cash-strapped clubs survive the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
With the professional game facing its biggest economic challenge since World War Two, the move has been broadly welcomed by football finance experts but some have warned UEFA not to let clubs with the wealthiest owners take advantage of the temporary relaxation.
In response to calls for urgent help, the Swiss-based governing body has extended the deadline for clubs to prove they have no “overdue payables” — such as unpaid tax bills, transfer instalments or wages — from March 31 to April 30.
Furthermore, it has also reminded clubs that the principle of “force majeure”, a French term that means greater force, is written into the spending rules.
“Any extraordinary event or circumstances beyond the control of the club that are considered a case of force majeure are taken into account as part of the club’s assessment, on a case-by-case basis,” a UEFA spokesperson told The Athletic.
Introduced in 2011 to curb overspending, the FFP regulations are based on the idea that clubs should not spend more than they make from their ordinary business activities. Owners are allowed to invest as much as they like in the club’s academy, community work, stadium and women’s teams but there are strict limits on how much additional funding they can put into the first team playing budget or transfer kitty.
The rules are policed by an independent body known as the Club Financial Control Body, which has investigatory and adjudicatory arms. Numerous clubs have been sanctioned for breaching these rules, most notably Manchester City, who are currently appealing against a two-year ban from European club competition that was imposed last month.
It is understood that the decision to push back the deadline for unpaid bills and reassure clubs that any extra support from owners in the coming months will be assessed more leniently than usual follows talks with the European Club Association, the organisation that represents the interests of the continent’s leading clubs.
Confirmation of UEFA’s move comes a day after the Premier League warned clubs that domestic broadcasters might ask for £762 million back if no further fixtures can be played this season and former Football Association chief executive Mark Palios told The Athletic that clubs will go bust if players do not agree to pay cuts.
“UEFA has employed a practical and sensible approach,” says Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert who lectures at the University of Liverpool. “By giving clubs longer to provide proof of no outstanding debts it allows the clubs to focus on day-to-day issues rather than administrative compliance issues.
“In relation to the monitoring for FFP, UEFA has acknowledged we are in extraordinary times. It has effectively allowed clubs some flexibility in terms of FFP compliance.
“At the same time, those clubs who do have significant resources behind them cannot exploit their financial advantage to use the present circumstances to give themselves carte blanche in terms of spending money without fear of action.”
John Mehrzad QC, a leading sports law specialist at Littleton Chambers, agrees with Maguire that this move was necessary, pointing out that the relaxation of the March 31 deadline will help “clubs remain afloat” at a time of continuing expenses and uncertain income.
He warned, however, that it might not be so good for “clubs, players or staff wishing to be paid over the next six weeks, as clubs can effectively default until the end of that period and not face UEFA sanction”.
But this, he explained, is the “hard balancing act” governing bodies have right now, as they prioritise saving clubs on the basis that if they go bust, their players and staff might not receive any further pay at all.
On the decision to take a more generous view of injections of cash from owners, Mehrzad says: “That approach makes sense but it is potentially open to abuse if, for example, a very rich club injected in a lot of cash from an owner not to use on wages but to buy players in the next transfer window. Hence, the assessment on a ‘case-by-case’ basis.”
Nick De Marco QC, from Blackstone Chambers, is perhaps the leading legal expert on FFP rules in the UK and described the UEFA move as “obviously sensible”. But he would like to see the British football authorities follow suit.
“The suggestion that clubs may be able to rely on the principle of ‘force majeure’ will be of particular interest,” says De Marco. “In England, the clubs that are struggling the most to pay their players and keep going are governed by the English Football League’s (Profitability and Sustainability) rules which are far stricter than those of UEFA.
“In my view these rules need to be suspended during the current health emergency. Clubs are already struggling to be able to pay their players and other staff, and if the only way they can do so is by going into debt it makes no sense at all to then punish them for it.”
The EFL declined to comment on UEFA’s decision to loosen its rules but it is understood that any change to its profitability and sustainability regulations would have to be agreed by its 71 clubs and those conversations are ongoing.
Sean Cottrell, the founder and chief executive of LawInSport, sums up the situation like this: “Extending the deadline makes sense, given the crisis countries across the world are facing.
“Football, like all sports, is having to adjust rapidly to the situation and in many cases they are supporting local communities at this difficult time whilst managing their own internal difficulties. “What is of interest is UEFA suggests COVID-19 is considered a case of force majeure in terms of FFP. This may have significant legal implications later down the line for clubs and players.”
You can’t The Athletic for accuracy Rico… 😉
But yeah Rico, I can see us doing a bit of selling this summer, or autumn or whenever the transfer market is due…
You’ve got to laugh, some idiots on NewsNow have been linking Arsenal with some German midfielder valued at £87m, Kai something or other, all that on the back of the lockdown and pay cut, give me a fecking break….
Even £43m for Thomas Partey seems a bit strong in this current financial climate, despite what dopey Mr Partley Snr was bragging about. As soon as everyone and their dog get involved you just know that a transfer ain’t happening with Arsenal.
Arsenal were linked to Brazilian forward Veron yesterday, now Barcelona have been linked, tomorrow it’ll be Man City or Real Madrid – I’m already bored by it all…
When terms like force majeure are thrown about by lawyers you can bet they can see vast opportunities to get their snouts in the trough.
Hey Kev you know all the academy players, who is Miguel Azeez?
Ha ha Kev, I know what you mean but hits on newsnow equal a better revenue so it’ll never change. The only way we’re likely to get Partey in my opinion as you suggested before, if Atletico Madrid desperately want Lacazette..
Morning all.
New post up now