Morning all.
So did you enjoy the return of football in Germany or like me, did you not really bother to watch much? I saw a bit of the Dortmund game and that was that. Without the noise the thousands of fans make in a stadium, it’s just not the same. I really hope that by the time the 2020/21 season kicks off, the fans are back but in all honesty, I can’t see it. As Arsene Wenger has recently expressed, as a short term solution it’s fine as it means the game is back but for ten months or an entire season? A grim prospect for fans as well as the players. For clubs too as all will miss out on the financial income fans bring in from not only ticket sales but merchandise too. As the Premier League nears a restart, punters will already be looking at an accumulator calculator to add in the teams who they expect to succeed not only this season but next too.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos of Alexandre Lacazette by now. Come on, what was he really doing wrong? He’s clearly blowing up balloons for a kids birthday party. No? No, what a plonker! Why on earth would anyone want to fill their lungs with the crap he’s alleged to be inhaling, let alone a high profile top athlete? Worse still is filming himself doing it and then sharing the recording with his ‘mates.’ An Arsenal spokesperson has been quoted as saying the club are taking the incident seriously. Too darned right they should. I’m not fussed about what he chooses to do in his private life as long as he causes no harm to others and especially animals but this is bad press for him which means bad press for Arsenal. He’s a dick of the highest order. I’d be really surprised to see him in an Arsenal shirt next season.
I can’t see Aubameyang at the club either. If Arsenal weren’t prepared to push the financial boat out for Aaron Ramsey, then I can see them doing so for Aubameyang either and his next contract is likely to be his last big one. He’s 31 years old next month.
Arsene Wenger, his name often pops up and probably always will, has recently been asked who his best January signing was. I of course, immediately thought of Theo Walcott. Ok, I’m kidding but I did wonder if Wenger would go with Aubameyang but no, he says it was Kanu. I loved watching Kanu. Such a big fella who often looked clumsy on the ball but he wasn’t, if that makes sense. His footwork was incredible and he scored some outrageous goals.
The hat-trick against Chelsea was incredible. Kanu was great for us back then but transfer fee aside, I think Aubameyang has been more important for the team because without his goals, we’d be in bigger trouble than we have been since his arrival. Hopefully the likes of Pepe, Eddie, Nelson, Martinelli and even Ozil will contribute towards our final goal tally once this season restarts. Xhaka too when the opportunity arises.
At the other end of the pitch and another player whose Arsenal’s career is often up for discussion on here, is Shkodran Mustafi. He’s been talking about Mikel Arteta in an interview with Sky Sports.
He’s a little like a professor. He knows exactly where he wants the players to be… It’s very special.
When I pass I am usually only focused on where to be if we lose the ball but he wants me to contribute offensively too. So we constantly need to make an option for the player on the ball.
When you are 28 and you play in different countries with other coaches you think you know everything but then he came in and there are things I’ve never known before.
Asked about team-mate Mesut Ozil, Mustafi believes Arteta has united the entire squad.
Sometimes we don’t realise what a difficult job it is. From 25 players maybe 20 agree with the coach and five still think we should play different.
Since Mikel has come in he has 25 players on board and this is not easy to achieve. Everyone understands and everything he says makes sense. There is nothing we can complain about. Everyone has benefited, even Mesut.
It’s funny though because contract wise, Mustafi is in the same boat as Aubameyang yet we hear/read very little about him. Is he as important as Aubameyang? Probably not but his position is. Football needs goals, of course it does but as exciting as they can be, great defensive play can be too. I don’t mean Mourinho style defending, but a compact and disciplined defensive unit behind a quick and slick attacking unit.
Personally, I think Mustafi has improved since Mikel Arteta arrived, just as Luiz has and with Holding and Mavropanos still struggling, Chambers a long way from returning and the imminent arrival of Saliba, perhaps Mustafi feels a new contract might be coming his way.
Transfer gossip. Apparently, according to The Mirror that is, we’re after Emmanuel Dennis and now his manager has confirmed Dennis is set to leave Club Brugge this summer His valuation is £22 million, so say the same newspaper although whoever plucked that figure from the sky must be in la la land. TransferMarket value him at €13.5 million. He’s 22 years old and guess what, he’s Nigerian. But it’s not January.
Stay safe guys, stay healthy.
Good morning Rico.
I loved Kanu, spectacular goals and a brilliant attitude.
£22 million looks a bit pricey for a five foot seven, sixty-seven kilo striker. A bit short and a bit lightweight for Premiership striker, I would have thought. 😕
Morning Cicero and all.
I doubt he’s £22m, more like the value transfermarket list him as being, especially with the ways things have gone.
Saying that, £22m is a steal if he’s good. Plus after a few years he could become a top notch player with a big transfer valuation.
Mustafi will never be good enough for Arsenal, any suggestion of offering him a new contract is insane, the same with Xhaka, not good enough
Forever. We need numbers and experience to get us through the Cups. Including Europa with a bit of luck if we can push up the league table after the restart.
Think the Mustafi new contract rumour is the worst fake news I have heard…..that truly is comical!
No one is saying he’s getting a new contract, it’s just a question after his comments about Mikel. 5he heading was certainly not meant to be misleading.
Nice one, Rico… I wasn’t very impressed with Laca either. Can’t stand that sort of thing, and it wasn’t the first time either. His days could very well be numbered…
I did enjoy the football – Dortmund’s game was much better than Bayern’s yesterday! No fans didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would – think I was just so glad to actually watch a game!! Just read that a Korean team had used sex dolls to fill their stands 😳 oo-er!!
Hi Adam, I totally get your point about capitalism, but football isn’t normal capitalism is it mate, no sport is like that, because if you treat it that way you get Newcastle.
Kroenke is an experienced investor, he makes his profits from the retail that’s normally attached to his sports stadia, he may even take consultancy fees from the LA Rams or his other sports investments in the United States, so it probably seemed normal practice to him when he initially did it at Arsenal. Maybe if he’d taken a bit of time to get to learn about what makes British football tick he might not have made such a crass error of judgement. Those two fees and some of the thoughtless things he’s said have pretty much soiled any relationship he had with the fans, such as it was. But he probably doesn’t care and doesn’t hide the fact that he doesn’t care, which is fair enough, we don’t have to like the club owner we just like to think that he has some kind of interest in the project beyond the bottom line.
Like you, I think he’s been, if not a good owner at least not a bad owner, he doesn’t interfere, he lets Raul and the boys run the show whilst having Arsenal in his portfolio must surely be advantageous when he goes to banks looking for finance because they see a prime piece of real estate in London, pretty much paid for, that could be redeveloped if the shit hits the KSE fan. The Emirates, Ashburton Grove is a fantastic piece of collateral.
A second question mark might have made it easier for Scan readers .
As for a young 5 foot 7 striker for £22 million , I can’t see it . We have a few of them already and possbly a bit taller. If our two mainliners go then It’s a kind of Giroud striker we need to allow our kids to get the chance to develop .
And there’s plenty of loonies at Islington Council who’d love to see apartments standing on that site and Arsenal sharing White Hart Lane…
Dennis sounds like classic agent talk, you know jazz up the story by linking Arsenal.
I’m bored with it already…
Just play our kids, we have some fantastic talents we just need to give them their head.
Lacazette, I think that Arteta should immediately come out and say that he’s an important part of his plans to secure his value, then sell him. Stupid is as stupid does!
They were not keen on the club leaving Highbury and going to Kings Cross or the Ally Pally as they came under Camden and Harringay councils . That’s why they stiifed the club to move within their rateable area and keep the cash flowing in and getting the area improved at the same time.
Stan’s usual system is buy out of town and put up shopping malls with at least one Walmart store in situe. Obviously London was not the place for that because of the traffic it would attract . I remember plans being mooted to have The Emirates built on the Ajax Amsterdam style with an underground car park which would have created a regular and lucrative revenue scheme but again that would have attracted cars and so became a non runner too
As an ex salesman I have always considered our board not to be street smart and although Raul and his merry men are running the football side we still have Friar , Chips and Harris holding the purse strings on Kroenke’s behalf.
I’m not convinced Potter, Aguero is only a tiddler and it’s likely Mikel will plan his football on the ground as Wenger did at his best and City pretty much do now. I think Dennis is taller than Aguero, as is Eddie. We have more height already with Gabriel and Pepe. But I guess it’s just a matter of opinion and I more than respect yours.
Funny enough, I removed the second question mark because of the double question.
Thanks Sue, I’m terrible for putting football on the tv whilst doing other things sometimes so when the crowd celebrates, I go and see what’s happened. Lol
If David Dein had got his way we could be playing in Brent.
Islington didn’t find the Emirates site, two Arsenal fans suggested it to the club and they ran with it. Islington didn’t help when we wanted to redevelop Highbury, if Arsenal had been allowed to do what they wanted then we could have stayed there.
I wish we’d stayed at Highbury. Even if the ground was extended etc. Those gates are something else..
Totally agree Rico, when I watch old games from Highbury it makes me very wistful for the days of squeezing onto the Clock End.
You know what Rico, with Sokratis, Luiz and Mustafi out of contract in 2021 it might not be totally out of the question that Arsenal might offer Mustafi another contract?
I’m not saying they should – but they could?
Just back from a Korean Football Match and I`m exhausted!
Nice post Rico and as for them earlier posters…………………………….I`ll smash their faces in for abusing you !…………………….right, now I`ve sorted out the riff raff and being exhausted aswell!……………….I have to say…………………what are Cicero and Potter smoking ?……………….other than C Ronaldo, all the best players ever were small !……………………I`d have Santi back in a flash!
20 shrubs for £31 yesterday!………………..planting for a newer world! hahaha
Judging him on how he’s played since Mikel took over Kev, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s offered one. Depth in strength and all that..
I think Sokratis will go in the summer…
Highbury was personal, I loved it.
They weren’t rude though Lc and as you know, I don’t condone violence but thank you anyway. Alexis wasn’t overly tall either, nor Wrighty…
I am just arguing that we have Eddie and Martinelli in house .And with more coming through if we sell both Auba and Lacazette we will need experience rather than a young untested player.
Highbury was where my football was played, It’s a crying shame that we didn’t develop and stay . I remember our last match and having celebrated the win in the lower north bank my son and I were virtually the last to leave and I stood at the top of the stairs until the stewards asked us to leave.I just couldn’t stop looking at the pitch .
As smart as the Emirates was when we moved in , it was never the same and I haven’t really missed going as I knew I would Highbury.
From now on I will be settling for the telly or computer and going for the armchair supporter of the year award
We need small player who can jump and are quick and agile but we also need one tall player to help keeper in defence from set peice but most importantly we need players that will not let the opposition boss them around.
Morning all.
Mustafi turned a massive corner immediately after Arteta took over, so it’d be silly not to keep him, imo.
Confidence is a wonderful thing, and it seems one thing our manager Instills in his players.
Hi guys.
New post up.