Morning all.
Two years ago, Karl Hein joined Arsenal. (No, I didn’t know either) He was just 16 years old at the time but the Estonian national goalkeeper signed from FC Nomme United has since signed his first professional contract. His name has been in the press recently because in saying yes to Arsenal, he’d said no to Manchester Utd.
When I first received offers from them (Man Utd) and Arsenal I was honoured because they’re both such massive clubs with an impressive history, so it was a hard decision to make, but right from the start I just loved Arsenal.
Everything felt so right. When I was on trial, the impression that they gave me was so impressive because I loved the atmosphere at the training ground and the way all the people spoke to me and welcomed me. After that I just had this gut feeling that Arsenal was the right place for me and my development.
I kind of feel sorry for goalkeepers because unlike outfield players, it seems to take a long time for them to get a first team place. Emi Martinez is living proof of that at Arsenal and he’s only in the team now because of an injury to Bernd Leno. What’s he done though is to take his chance with both hands. Literally. He’s been immense. He calmness is that of a keeper much older and far more experienced. I really don’t see how Leno can expect to walk back into the team once he’s fit. In my opinion, it should be the German who when fit again, has to sit on the bench and wait for his chance again. For ten years now, Emi has been patient, accepted loan after loan whilst waiting to make it Arsenal. It’s his time. He deserves it.
But going back to Karl Hein, I like it when Arsenal sign players who openly admit they turned down other big clubs to come to north London because it shows the club are still getting a lot of things right. Aaron Ramsey really cheesed off old red nose when Arsene Wenger pulled out all the stops to sign him and who can forget the Sky Sports panel talking about Alexis Sanchez and how good he was going to be for Liverpool. A couple of days before he signed for Arsenal? Poor old Tommo!!
| Club | Total shots | % of shots scored |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 591 | 14.38 |
| Arsenal | 406 | 13.79 |
| Tottenham | 444 | 13.74 |
| Manchester City | 745 | 13.69 |
| Leicester City | 540 | 12.41 |
Liverpool were also rumoured (NN) to be banking on Bukayo Saka signing for them too as he stalled on his new Arsenal contract but no, he knew he was staying at Arsenal. He just didn’t tell us.
I think Bukayo Saka wanting to stay at Arsenal, Dani Ceballos wanting to return next season, Kieran Tierney being vocally positive about the club and Mikel Arteta is positive. Very much so, as is Gabriel Martinelli signing a new long term contract at the club because these are the kind of players who are key to the clubs future. They’re all young and their game will only get better I’m sure.
The following summer, more players will become free agents and it’s those whose future need sorting out soon if Arsenal are to practice what Raul preached about handling player contracts more efficiently so we put an end to them being able to leave for free.
Alexandre Lacazette, Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers, Eddie Nketiah and Emi Martinez.
| Club | Total shots faced | Shots on target faced |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 608 | 186 |
| Norwich City | 607 | 215 |
| Newcastle United | 566 | 200 |
| Bournemouth | 559 | 197 |
| Arsenal | 553 | 197 |
I love the idea of Calum Chambers and Eddie Nketiah making it big in the game with Arsenal but the player who sticks out on that short list is of course, Emi Martinez. His performances since the restart will not have gone unnoticed by anyone in the game, especially clubs who are in serious need of a top notch goalkeeper. In the Premier League alone, Chelsea and Man Utd are two of them.
As said earlier, Martinez has been handed his chance, he’s taken it. He’s proved he’s a player Arsenal simply cannot afford to sell let alone lose for free in less than two years time when he’ll still be just 29 years old.
I’m sure there are many things the club will be doing over the next few weeks, months and years but right now, tying Emi Martinez down to a new long term deal has to be at the top of the ‘things to get done’ list.
Along with finding a solution to the lack of goal scoring opportunities we create and stopping the many other clubs create against us. The stats in the three tables are from Opta and copied from The Mail Online.
Finally, just for Potter.
| Player | Club | Goals | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Ings | Southampton | 22 | 43.1 |
| Teemu Pukki | Norwich | 11 | 42.3 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Arsenal | 22 | 39.3 |
| Jamie Vardy | Leicester | 23 | 34.3 |
| Raul Jimenez | Wolves | 17 | 33.3 |
| All statistics courtesy of Opta | |||
See you in the comments guys..
Thanks Rico.
More relevant list from my own Monster.Com is richest Premier League Owners……………….
😆
Manchester United – The Glazers (£3.6bn) …
Tottenham – Joe Lewis (£3.9bn) …
Leicester – Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (£4.6bn) …
Aston Villa – Nassef Sawiris (£5bn) …
Wolves – Guo Guangchang (£5.2bn) …
Arsenal – Stan Kroenke (£6.8bn) …
Chelsea – Roman Abramovich (£9.6bn) …
Man City – Sheikh Mansour (£23.3bn)
Third is our own Stan “I`m so tight my wallet squeaks” Kroenke
A further list is one of owners who have never invested a single penny/dime from their own pocket/wallet!……………..
Stan ” You`ll never see my wallet” Kroenke……….£0
Sorry, no one else on list!………………………..although I have it on good authority from the in the know VCC that is going to change with Stan” I wouldn`t be this fcuking rich if I spent my money” Kroenke about to spend £50M( as from yesterdays gob smacking breaking news comment!)
😆
Watch this space LCM. I predict Arteta getting £50 mil to go with the monies generated by sales.
Money, or rather the lack of it, will always being the default setting for argument Lc but I don’t think it’s always relevant. The Toots were playing better football than us for a few years, whilst spending less. Everton, Leicester and others too.
Financially, we don’t and won’t match City or Utd, but I’m pretty sure Liverpool owners run their club in a similar way to ours.
It’s not always about the amount of money a club spends, it’s who they spend it on.
Morning all.
VCC, I’d be stunned if you’re right, but I really hope you are.
Then again, would Mikel have come from City without some sort of guarantee of support?
Maybe there is something to it and it’d be a massive boost.
Oh what a beautiful morning oh what a beautiful day, to you One and All…
Morning Rico, another rip snorting post.
Yes Scott, McGrath was the best pace bowler, Warne was the best spinner and Kim Hughes was the biggest Jessie… 😆
Poor Kim hahahaha
He really couldn’t take the pressure at all.
Scott. ….. Listening to Arteta recently, I feel he knows we need at least two quality players.
As you say, when he accepted the role of our Manager, I’m sure he would have said he needs some funds to strengthen in the summer. If he didn’t, I would be amazed.
He would have seen first hand whilst still with Man City, how we got our pants pulled down by them only weeks before he came to us.
As we all know, Mr. Kroenke is a tight arse, that’s why I predict a small amount being released by Kroenke.
Together with some sales to boost the £50mil, I can see Partey and RB being purchased.
Watch this space. 😉
I thought it was interesting when it was revealed that Arsenal could activate a clause in Aubameyang’s contract that adds another year to it, meaning that contractually Arsenal could retain him until the summer of 2022 (I wonder if we have other players on similar deals?).
Of course the club would probably rather have Pierre sign a new 3 year deal so that he stays because he wants to, but the fact that legally we could tie him to Arsenal for another two years put a totally different spin on his contract situation. Of course it isn’t just that simple because to activate the clause means a change in the terms of his deal, probably a loyalty bonus or a big pay rise, so this contract scenario still has a way to go…
Vcc, I too think Mikel will get a few extra pounds this summer.
Morning Kev, thanks. You sound bright and breezy.lol
You’ve won me, VCC lol
No Scott, I actually felt really sorry for him and I never usually feel sympathy for any Aussie cricket captain.
In all seriousness, it just goes to show that if a cricket team has a couple of outstanding bowlers that they’re going to win more matches than they lose, I doubt that we’ll ever see the like of McGrath and Warne again or Anderson and Broad.
Yes Rico, I’m trying to motivate myself to get back into the kitchen and do some more work. 😉
Is that real though Kev re Aubameyang? Bearing in mind it’s the first any of us have heard of it and I don’t think Mikel has mentioned it, I’m not sure it’s true.
Who knows Rico? Nobody has denied that a clause exists either…
Kev,
McGrath and Warne stand head and shoulders above all others.
Both were just match winners who made their captains look very good.
Need a wicket-throw either of them the ball.
They were freaks and I’ll never forget McGrath getting Lara out one day cheaply.
An interviewer asked Lara was he disappointed and he replied no, he knew he was in incredible form because he managed to get an edge-he wasn’t joking.
According to the Athletic (subscription required), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract actually includes a clause that could extend the ace’s deal until 2022.
Aubameyang’s current contract expires next summer but the Athletic report that the striker’s deal includes a purchase option on a further year, technically meaning that the Gunners could extend the superstar’s stay by a further year.
It’s reported that this would only be possible is certain ‘financial conditions’ are met, however Arsenal are unwilling to take up this option because of the costs that would be incurred.
The Athletic state that the Gunners have effectively ‘disregarded’ and deemed this option ‘redundant’, whilst supporters may be surprised to hear of this decision, it does make some sense.
Arsenal have no interest in triggering such a clause if the Gabon international doesn’t wish to remain at the Emirates.
Seems as if the club don’t think it’s cost effective?
Kev,
We have to wonder if he wants to stay or not.
Hard to know looking from the outside but if he hints he wants out, let him go imo
If it’s purely down to money, then it comes down to how much we can sell him for as if the buyers aren’t out there with decent offers, we are back to square one.
Nice one, Rico…. according to Ornstein, we’ll listen to offers for Sokratis, Holding, Mustafi, Guendouzi, Torreira and maybe even Nelson, so I read last night.
I’d forgotten how much of a bleedin’ nightmare the window was!! Partey…. Aubameyang….. you don’t know what to/what not to believe…. have Raul/Edu pulled their fingers out yet?! Christ, this will be a very long 10 weeks!!!
Hi Rico and all As I said before I recon that Aubameyang will make his mind up after The FA CUP
Hi Scott don’t forget Australia has had some great wicket keepers over the years to help these bowlers out
Hi Sue knowing our negotiation team they will wait untill the last 24 hours then sign the wrong player hahaha
Geoff, indeed we have but those two were the best ever.
Heals and then Gilly were superb keepers though, no question.
Very true Kev. You’d think his agent would be vocal if there was no truth to story I guess.
We should extend the contract and then sell him, we’d get more…
Some good points., Rico, but I still cant get over the fact that Stan “I`m not glad to see you, it`s just the size of my wallet” Kroenke has still only invested £0 in the club.
I cant say for sure whether any club other than Man C and Chavs owners have put any money into the team, but I would not be surprised if all the others have invested.
Although if VCC is right, then I may have to replace my Ornstein statue with one of VCC!
What`s all this Cricket talk !…………..this is a football site!………………I`m not allowed to talk about my Abs!
😆
Thanks Sue. Arsenal and transfer windows seldom seem to run smoothly…
Can only find this and it only covers top 6 clubs in 2019
Man U have invested the same amount as Stan ” You shouldn`t judge a man by the bulge in his wallet, but by the realisticity of his natural looking toupee” Kroenke £0, but they generate an enormous amount of revenue being the worlds biggest club so self suffiency is easier for them to spend big.
https://www.vbetnews.com/revealed-much-money-top-6-premier-league-owners-invested-clubs/
How much of his own money has John Henry invested in Liverpool Lc?
Hi Geoff.. That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest 😂😂😂 That is Arsenal all over! 👍
Miedema win BBC women’s player of the year. Hurrah! We have an Arsenal winner even better than Auba, (imo).
That’s a shock Wavy, I thought one of the Americans would win it. Our girl utterly deserves though…
The way I read it, Rico, it is £93M………………..even Spuds is £40M
Like with Chavs and Man C it is probably done with smoke and mirrors!
Chelsea received £325m through “owner loans” and Manchester City collected £302m from “share capital”……………………no info on how Bindippers did theirs ……………….maybe they sold the hub caps and wheel rims in an amnesty of stolen goods given back by the fans! 😆
Notice how The Chav and City money is shown with inverted commas from the piece, this says to me it is loop hole stuff to get around FFP!
Say what you like, but there`s always a way to navigate around FFP if owners want to!………………….our owner is not interested as his main concern is LA Rams where low and behold he has actually pumped some of his own money into!…………………………and lets face it he`s not struggling with 80% furlough payments, making £300 M in these testing times where our club is looking at loans, selling players and any wizardry they can conjure up, yet Chavs are buying players and some goods at that, 4 top players if my memory serves me well!
Following the decision to furlough staff, Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group came under heavy fire from former players and even famous journalists. Although the decision to furlough the non-playing staff was revoked, the question of ‘who owns Liverpool?’ was trending on social media. The Liverpool owners were shocked by the response following the decision to furlough staff but believed that a rival Premier League club could have leaked information before the initial announcement.
Who owns Liverpool? Everything about the Liverpool owners
The answer to the question ‘who owns Liverpool’? is quite simple. Fenway Sports Group purchased the club in 2010 for a sum close to $379 million (£300 million), according to reports from CNBC. The Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group, are an American sports company that are also the parent company of Major League Baseball side Boston Red Sox. The Liverpool owners consist of John Henry, who holds an estimated 40 percent stake in FSG while Boston-based asset manager Michael Gordon holds 12 percent and is the president of the company. No other shareholder in the Fenway Sports Group holds more than a 10 percent stake in the company. American businessman Tom Werner is currently the chairman for Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox.
Who Owns Liverpool? Fenway Sports Group
Along with being the Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group own a minor league baseball franchise called the Salem Red Sox. and at a lower level, they also run Roush Fenway Racing from NASCAR. The Liverpool owners also have an 80 percent stake in the New England Sports Network. The total net worth of the Liverpool owners is estimated to be around $6.6 billion and they are listed as the third richest sports group in the world according to Forbes.
Who owns Liverpool? John Henry Net Worth
According to Forbes, John Henry is estimated to have a personal net worth of around $2.6 billion (£2.1bn). The 70-year-old John Henry recently listed one of his properties called ‘The House of Peace’ at $15 million (£12m) which features seven bedrooms, a home cinema, a library, a gym, a sports bar and as well as an outdoor kitchen. John Henry spent £68 million on a luxury super-yacht back in 2016 and in in 2013, the American billionaire purchased the Boston Globe newspaper for $70million.
Liverpool made a pre-tax profit of £42m and increased turnover to £533m in 2018-19 as the club’s rise to European champions under Jürgen Klopp was reflected on the balance sheet. The latest accounts, for the year ending 31 May 2019, show turnover rose by £78m thanks to increased media, commercial and matchday revenue.27 Feb 2020
Their net bank debt has been cut from £46m to just £12m ($15m), while their intercompany debt, which relates to a loan club owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) took out to finance the building of Anfield’s new Main Stand, is down from £100m to £79m ($102m).27 Feb 2020
What’s £93 million Lc, the amount of money Henry has invested into Liverpool from his own pocket? Or from his company or from player sales, Champions League placement revenue or monies earned from winning it?
No stadium to fund either.
Arsenal have spent money, plenty of it imo. Auba, Lacazette, Pepe, Ozil, Mustafi, Xhaka, Tierney, Leno, Saliba – there’s been a few but we are a self sustaining club. We were before Kroenke took ownership and remain so today.
As for Chelsea this summer, they’ve just secured top four and have monies banked from having a transfer ban.
Toots, again, CL money spent but I don’t think it’s been much more.
City are just City….
Kroenke is often accused of not investing money into Arsenal, despite the multi millions he bought the club for but that’s not considered to be invested in the club as he bought up shares from other shareholders, most recently of course from Usmanov. But the Fenway group did exactly the same I believe when they bought out Gillett and Hicks.
Let’s see what the club does this summer with a bit of flexibility with FFP and a new manager. I’m not overly impressed with KSE but I can think of worse owners, just as I can think of better.
Without Coutinho’s money, I wonder where they’d be now…
I’m not sure but I would guess that any monies that Fenway have made available to Liverpool to use in the transfer market, have been loans that Liverpool will eventually have to pay back through winning trophies and increased commercial deals, Arsenal have been poor in both those areas but let’s not forget that as long as Usmanov was involved that KSE were going to do the minimum, now he’s gone let’s see?
Arsenal have made an offer of £22.6 million plus Guendouzi for Thomas Partey . Athletico Madrid have rejected the bid. This one will run and run.
If you read the article, Rico, it said money owners have invested in team in last 5 years, the clue is in the headline!
I`m not an accountant, just relaying the link and I for one would not be surprised if any normal clubs owners invested money in their clubs………………………..Arsenal owners are not normal!
If I’ve understood your comment correctly Lc, you’re saying you doubt any club owner invests his own money into a club? If that’s the case, why keep saying Stan hasn’t invested a penny into the club?
New post up now
Got me wrong, Rico, I`m saying I would not be surprised if any owner invested their own money in their teams!……………………..thats what normal business owners do……………..invest money in the product(players) to make it better and from the link I put up it says what top 6 clubs owners have invested into their teams upto 2019 for 5 years, it cant be clearer to me…………i`ll book you an appointment with Specsavers! 😆
At the end of the day, it`s an article I have read and I prefer to believe it as I know for a fact SK has not invested a penny in the team, so the author got that right, so why would they print lies about the rest!
We can all go on about Leicester and any other Spud like club doing well, but leet look at the average or overall picture and the likes of Man C and Chavs have been consistant in winning trophies with a lot of money invested in their teams, people can choose tpom ignore this fact and go on about Arsenal spending a lot, but the difference in quality is there to be seen.
Yes we can say we bought badly blah blah blah, but it`s being blind to the truth.
Man C and Cgavs owners have between them probably invested £2B between them in their clubs since taking over and not fforgetting any club owner can put as much money as they like within FFP rules into the infrustructor, academy etc as they like………………………. Kroenke could do that but has invested £0…………………..I love putting up that fact! 😆
Infact as of the rumour that Arsenal are cutting it scout system, we are going backwards, we wont have as many Saka`s coming through if that is true, whereas Chavs and Man C are reeping the rewards of some fine young talent and will spend money!
I have been nothing but consistant with my opinion of SK and how he is the biggest threat to our future, nothing has changed.