Morning all.
According to David Ornstein, it seems like Arsenal’s transfer men are in talks with PSG to sign left back Layvin Kurzawa. We need a left back that’s for sure because Kieran Tierney is months away from a return and Sead Kolasinac is a tad fragile. As Mikel Arteta said in his press conference on Wednesday, he’s been having a few niggles since the beginning of the season. He’s a doubt for tomorrow too which wouldn’t be a great start to our footballing weekend. Lucas Torreira could miss out too. Fingers crossed both turn out to be fit and 100% ok to play.
His injury record doesn’t make good reading but at least his back isn’t broken.
I love YouTube, it makes every player look good. Yep, even Shkodran Mustafi who like Eddie Nketiah, looks set to stay at Arsenal for the foreseeable. A big four months for both players in my opinion.
Our German defender has had a tough time since signing for Arsenal. One day he could look every part of being an international player, the next he’d look like the defensive equivalent of Yaya Sanogo, only more expensive. He’s been talking to the Arsenal Player about how he’s been struggling with the negativity on social media relating to his performances. Social media is a great tool, it really is but like the internet in general, give someone a voice and there’ll always be a few who abuse it. From kids through to the older and should be wiser, they are all out there.
I think Mustafi has been a poor signing but I don’t for one minute believe he sets out before a game to give anything other than his best only so far, all too often his best has not been good enough. But I guess the thing we can’t lose sight of is that not so long ago, Sokratis, Luiz and Chambers were also being criticised – justifiably in my opinion, but now they look like decent players. Luiz looks like a real bargain that’s for sure. They’ve had more playing time though than Mustafi who’s had just ten minutes I think it’s been against Chelsea. That ten minutes didn’t go well because it was he Tammy Abraham beat to score their winner. Yes, a bad piece of defending but why is it so easy to forget the errors prior to that moment which allowed Chelsea to get the ball into our penalty area in the first place? What about the opportunities we squandered to take a greater than 1-0 lead? Football is a ‘team’ game after all.
I hope the next time he plays, a bit of the new organised and improved defending has rubbed off on him. Unlike under his two previous managers/coaches, neither who seemed to think defending was an important part of the game.
Anyway, my 2020 New Years resolution was to be positive about all of our players. Yes, even Mesut Ozil and so far, I think I’ve stuck by it….
Lastly, Arsenal have been linked with Athletico Paranaense midfielder Bruno Guimaraes so say The Mirror etc. Benfica have already made an offer for him apparently but he’s Brazilian, we have Edu on board so of course, 2+2=42.
Catch up in the comments guys..
Morning Gooner’s, thanks for the post Rico, a bit of transfer speculation, you can’t beat it, not that I think we can bring anyone in who can make much of a difference.
Arteta has said his focus is going to be on what extra he can get out of the current squad and that looks likely to include Mustafi.
Kurzawa is a player I’d never heard of a couple of weeks ago, now I find out that he’s out of contract in the summer at PSG, that he’s had a chequered fitness record and that Emery wanted to sign him. Is he better than Kolasinac? Is he even better than Saka? He’ll surely be understudy to Tierney when our £25m Scotsman is fit, when he’s fit?
I guess that the fact that he’s relatively cheap kinda fits the profile of the club as it currently stands under KSE…
The Brazilian guy has an Italian passport, so we’d better get him before Brexit…
I know nothing about him either and hadn’t heard of him a couple of weeks ago.
Fits our profile…
Regarding our profile, if it means signings like Martinelli then I’m all for it…
Bruno Guimarães wants Benfica…
If it’s just a loan until the end of the season It makes sense to me Kev.
It’s funny how Ornstein has become like an official spokesman.I still take it all with a pinch of salt.
Only two weeks to go, and we definitely have to work with what we have.
I can’t see the point of signing yet another injury bedevilled fullback, Tierney with his history is a problem waiting to happen. Kolasinac has had a series of niggles and is, reportedly, carrying an injury right now. I suppose the chances of all three being injured at the same time is minimal, well unlikely anyway. Hmm, fairley likely though. Oh all right, with our luck, a bloody certainty. 🤔
I’ve just watched the you tube video and was impressed by his goals and assists, I have to say that defensivley he looks better than Tierney and is not affraid to tackle.
Oh, hang on that was 2017/18 where are the 2018/19 and 2019/20 videos?
He was injured…
In that case we’re bound to buy him.
Evening Rico and the house.
There is some good football being played at Boringwood wher a pen by Robbie Burton
Has put us 1up against Leicester.
The game is in the cotinental cup and if we win we are in the last 8.
Leicesre are a very good side and its going yto go all the way.
HT 1_0
Morning all.
Rico, Youtube can’t make everyone look good.
You’ve seen my latest playing effort hahahahahahaha
60mins 2-0.
Fantastic goal from Balogun.
Kev he is having a great game.
74 mins3-0
OLAYINKO.
Rick, now that John Jules is out on loan the responsibility is on Balogun.
Seems that he’s rising to the challenge…
Finished 3-0 into last 8
So far other teams in with us are
Wolfsburg B, Benfica B,Derby.
Kev
After his spell out injured he is just coming back into form.
Great to see Steve Bould urging the boys on from the touch line.
He is another one who has got his mojo back
Tbh Rick, I’m not sure that Uncle Bouldy ever really wanted the 1st team gig, he seems happier with the Academy boys, less stress, more enjoyment…
The U16’s are also promising to give us another exciting batch of quality youngsters, the conveyor is in full swing it seems…
It’s early days, but we don’t really know yet how and if Brexit will effect the ability of EPL clubs to sign youngsters from the EU or loan out our own youngsters to clubs in the Bundesliga, or Ligue Un etc?
So EPL clubs are going to possibly need to focus more on developing English talent and giving that talent a chance, which will benefit clubs like Arsenal who’ve been more focused in recent years on domestic youngsters rather than signing too many 15 and 16 year olds from the EU…
That’s not to say that Arsenal shouldn’t try to source youngsters from the Continent and beyond, but maybe quality rather than quantity is the way to go?
PGMOL have instructed referees to use pitch side monitors to check on red card decisions. They want to give back control to the on field official.
It will be interesting to see how that works out.
Mike Dean on the pitch , Lee Mason 4th official , Paul Tierney on VAR .
Odds stacked against us a;ready.
Also Mike Dean’s 500th game , he’s sure to want to mark it somehow.
The man is so card happy that he’ll probably mark his 500th game by booking all twenty-two players plus the substitutes and both managers.
“He is not at all arrogant”, the words of his former boss at PGMOL Keith Hackett and the Pope doesn’t have a balcony and bears don’t s**t in the woods. 😉
Hi Potter Mike deans will claim he wants to keep his 500th game low key but we all know this is how it will happen.
He will walk out to fire works and the song with a slight change to the words
( I am the champion my friend )
then at half time he will have a cake in the middle of the ground in front of photographers
At the end of the match he will walk off to the song ( I did it my way ) and then make the 4th official
swap shirts with him and sign it LOL
A bit late but…
New post up now